That evening, while the High Council of Spades was dining, everyone could tell that something happened to Lady (Y/n) and Lady Catherine. Something was simply off about them, they weren't as enthusiastic as they usually were. The young Marquis was of course the one who confronted them about it.
"Alright," he put his silverware down. "what happened between you two? You've been quiet as hell."
(Y/n) looked at Catherine, who kept eating, unbothered.
"Nothing." she simply said.
"Right." (Y/n) then nodded with a smile. "We're just a bit tired after today."
"Oh yeah. Who did you hang out with this time?" he went back to cutting his steak. "The three royals again?"
"How did you know?" she blinked twice, surprised.
"Wait, really?!" both Catherine and Gwendolyn exclaimed while everyone looked at her with big eyes.
"Yes, but I don't think anyone was expecting them to come to the brunch."
"It was at the brunch? And you didn't tell me?!" Catherine leaned a bit closer.
"W-well, I wanted to. But then...you know..."
The lady let out a small 'oh' and stopped asking questions. Arnold had no idea what they were talking about and he didn't like that!
"We've exchanged a few words and they've asked me for a fourth opinion on something." (Y/n) continued.
"On what?"
"A painting."
He scoffed.
"You don't even paint!"
"That's...true, I suppose." she chuckled, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Arnold." Gwendolyn rolled her eyes. "One's opinion doesn't have to be professional to be valuable. If anything, having an outsider's point of view is just as important."
"Yeah Arnold, stop being jealous." Catherine gave him a nasty look. "You're not much of a painter either."
"Catherine!" (Y/n) said.
It would seem that the Baroness still had some pent up anger regarding what happened today. Arnold scoffed again.
"Alright. Whatever." he put his napkin on the table and stood up. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm gonna go hang out with my friends."
"You have friends?" (Y/n) asked, surprised once again and genuinely happy for him.
But Arnold did not look happy. He looked offended, hurt even. But he quickly went back to his default mood: angry.
"Yes!" he pressed before leaving, slamming the door shut behind him.
A minute or so later did (Y/n) realize what she just asked.
"Oh no, that must've sounded so rude!" she exclaimed. "I feel terrible!"
"Don't worry too much, Lady (Y/n)." Gwendolyn shook her head. "He'll come back and be his usual grumpy arrogant self."
"Right." Catherine nodded. "Especially with the next official event tomorrow."
"Perhaps..." (Y/n) sighed.
The next official event was a fencing competition. The majority of the ballroom was cut into sections for each match that will be going on. As the master of ceremony, Wally couldn't participate, but as a fan of fencing, he offered friendly sparring sessions on the side. He also politely declined Julie when she asked to fight him.
"Whyyyy?!" she whined.
"First of all, you used the term 'fighting', which is concerning."
"But you also say-!"
"We're at an official event of the Shuffling, Julie." he leaned a bit closer to whisper. "We have to...dial it down."
She softly gasped.
"What happened to you...?" she slowly shook her head with a sad look. "My best friend."
"Don't you think I would've participated in this if I could've?"
"And Frank doesn't do sports. Why can't the universe line up circumstances to fit my needs? Like it did during the hunt?" she whined again, then loudly gasped. "(L/n)! Maybe she'll participate!"
"Lady (L/n)? She doesn't seem like the type to..." he tilted his head upon thinking about it further. "But she could surprise us once again."
"Oooooh where is she where is she where is she?" using a vine to elevate herself, Julie looked around the venue, shielding her eyes from the Sun that wasn't there because they were indoors.
Finally, she gasped as she spotted the Lady of Spades. She was with her peers across the room.
"There! (L/n)! Heeeeey!" she widely waved her arms.
Said lady flinched and turned over. Everyone stopped and looked at the Queen, then at the Lady. (Y/n) glanced around and gave a small wave with an awkward smile.
"Come over here! Come on come on!"
Immediately, (Y/n) walked over to them with quick steps. By the time she reached the two royals, people have gone back to their business.
"My Queen." she curtsied to her, then turned to Wally, a bit more hesitant. "...M-My King."
Wally curtsied back. Julie looked at her dress.
"Oww..." her shoulders dropped. "You're not participating either?"
"I'm not. The only blade I've ever used is a butter knife." she chuckled. "I'm sorry to disappoint you."
"Not at all." Wally shook his head. "If you want, you could learn the basis." he gestured towards his own personal station of the venue.
"Oh! U-Um..." her eyes darted around. "I'm sure it would be very fun and I would be honored to be under your tutorage, your Highness. However, as you can see... I'm not really dressed for any kind of sports at the moment." she awkwardly chuckled, opening her eyes a little bit.
"Oh, right. Apologies." he nodded.
"It's coo- Fine. It's fine. Thank you for the offer." she nodded.
"Who from your group is participating then?" Julie asked.
"Only My Lord, the Marquis."
"Don't you also have that captain man?"
"He is...not feeling well, from what I heard." she cleared her throat.
"Oh, is he sick?"
"I am not certain. But that is what Lady Catherine told me. I am not one to ask questions on such personal matters, you see."
"Why do you talk like that?" her face twisted.
"Mmh? Like what, your Highness?"
"Please stop." she looked scared. "You talk like Frank when I first met him and it's creating a weird image in my mind."
While Wally contained a laugh, (Y/n) blinked twice. She hasn't even realized she had changed her way of speaking. If Arnold was there right now, he would say 'Right?! I hate it too!'.
"I...I'm sor-"
Just then, a loud bell rang. The competition was starting soon.
"Ah! I must go back to my Lord's side now." she curtsied. "Good day to you. I wish you good luck my Queen." she smiled before rushing back to her group.
"Bu-byyyyye!" Julie waved until the Lady was out of sight, then she turned to Wally. "What did you do?"
"Pardon?"
"She was so nervous- Well, she's nervous all the time-"
'That might be because she's nervous around us.'
"-But she was especially nervous when talking to you specifically."
"To be completely honest:" he looked to the direction she left to. "I'm confused myself."
It did confuse him. After the letter she sent him, why should she be nervous? Maybe he should've written a letter back after all? But he didn't want to match her tone. If the two of them must have a correspondence, he didn't want it to be like that.
"Oooo," Julie leaned closer with a smirk, nudging him again and again. "maybe she's got a lil crush on youuuu."
"I do not believe that is the case." he shook his head. "You should save that subject for Frank."
"What about him?"
Meanwhile, Lady (Y/n) could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She's been so afraid to talk to the King of Hearts again ever since she gave that letter to Barnaby. For right after that, she realized the manner in which she wrote to him.
'I was so cold and dry, and I didn't get an answer this morning! I was so scared he'd taken offense to it!' she sighed. 'But he looked fine, acting like nothing happened...' she looked down. 'Actually, I don't know how to feel about that. Did he even read it?'
The thought of it made her sad, small. It made sense to her though. It was really foolish to address a King via his jester, a small lady like her... When she had decided to write that letter, she'd thought maybe, if what Wally said was true: if they were friends...
She sighed again. Now she was really sad. Her very first letter addressed to a friend, written in such a manner...
She shook her head. No, she thought, it had to be done! She refused to regret writing it.
Still, if only she could know if he read it... Maybe she'll find an opportunity to just ask him. Oh, but would that be just as preposterous?
'All that thinking, just for a letter.' she sighed.
"You sure are sighing a lot today, Lady (Y/n)." Gwendolyn said.
"Am I? I'm sorry."
"Is it because of Arnold?" Catherine asked.
It was true that, ever since this morning, Arnold has been solely focused on today's competition, training before the Sun even rose in the sky. Probably because it would be his opportunity to truly shine above all others. She wasn't sure if he was still mad at her for what she said last night. Still, if he took this event seriously, that could only be a good thing. And she shall cheer for him as best as she could.
"It's not that. It's just..."
"...The Queen seems to like you."
"She is a very friendly person indeed."
"Lady-" she sighed. "You need to loosen up."
"Excuse me?" she blinked twice, surprised.
"You said yourself that the Shuffling was essentially for networking. You have the opportunity to make friends here, you should just enjoy yourself. You shouldn't pressure yourself all the time with business."
"S-Sure but, I'm actually more comfortable talking business."
"How's that possible?" she gave her a weird look.
"Because!" she harshly whispered. "In a business meeting, the two parties have a good reason to talk, it's mutually beneficial. They have prepared documents and arguments. In a social setting?! One can simply just walk out if they're not interested, and that's terrifying!"
"No one just walks out on someone. That's not polite."
"Need to remind you that I'm a noble of the lowest rank ever? They can do it to me without any repercussions!"
Catherine sighed. After wishing Arnold good luck – to which he just responded with a nod – the three ladies took a seat on the bleachers in the back of the venue. (Y/n) took a look around, see who was competing.
"I don't see Grand Knight Mavis anywhere." she told Catherine.
"Oh haven't you heard?" someone from the other side of her leaned closer.
"Ah!" she let out in surprise.
"She resigned from her position as knight and went back to her hometown."
"What?" both her and Catherine said, the latter of which leaned forward, so much so that she was pressing on Lady (Y/n)'s shoulders, lowering down her upper body.
(Y/n) didn't say anything, for she was too shocked by the news.
"Right!" someone from the row behind them leaned over to join the conversation. "She said she had a revelation and decided that that life wasn't for her anymore."
"But there's no way that's true." a third person joined. "She was always so...confident, in her career."
At this moment, (Y/n)'s gaze wandered, her eyes wide open in realization. The King did read it. She accused one of his best knights of something terrible without any proof, so he must've made his own investigation on the matter. Either way, he took her words seriously and he did something about it. Inarguably the most powerful man in the land, trusting someone like her... She looked at him, who was still with Julie, cheering on others from his personal station. As if he could sense whenever he had eyes on him, he looked at her and she quickly looked away. She could feel her heart beating like a drum.
"Yeah... Some might even say cocky."
'Wait, what?' she looked back at the ladies.
"Don't get me wrong, Mavis was a wonderful person. But sometimes, whenever the attention wasn't on her, she would..."
"Command it instead?"
"Yes, exactly."
"I love her- We all do, obviously. I'm just saying that there is no way she resigned of her own free will. I'm just saying. 'Cause she sure loved being Grand Knight."
"Right. And of course we wish her the best, and that she feels better. But honestly? She was becoming too much for a knight of the court of Hearts."
Unsurprisingly for the people of Spades, Arnold won match after match with little to no effort during the first rounds. Although multiple duels would happen at the same time, he would catch the eyes of the audience a little bit more every time he claimed a victory.
"The Marquis of Spades is a talented one!" (Y/n) heard someone say after his fifth victory. "Like he was born with a sword in his hand!"
"He is the best swordsman of all of the Spades Kingdom!" she beamed.
"Tell us, Lady (Y/n), has the young man ever underwent military training?"
"People are interested in him!!!' she felt her eyes getting glassy, if Arnold could heard this!
"Actually, not that I've heard of. I believe it is all simply just sword training. His mentors did take notice of his natural aptitude very early on."
"How fascinating! And he's only seventeen?!"
She nodded. Lady Catherine and Lady Gwendolyn have never seen her this proud before.
Meanwhile, Julie, being the all-time sports champion, had to wait for her worthy challenger to climb their way to the top. Then, she shall be the last obstacle standing between them and the prize: the golden coveted cup of the fencing master! A couple of hours into the competition, she had her eyes on the young Marquis in particular.
"Wow, he's really good." she said, nodding to herself. "Makes me wanna fight him!" she shook her hands in excitement.
"He undeniably have a talent for fighting, yes." Wally said.
If Julie wasn't so focused on her future opponent, she would've noticed the venom in his voice. He believed what he said, he did think that the Marquis of Spades was good at fighting. But this was a fencing competition. A graceful dance between two people, where every move one makes is quick and precise. Wally saw none of that when he looked at Arnold. And he knew other skilled fencers would see it too. His approach was rash, violent, and Wally even noticed how he would purposefully not take advantage of an easy opening just so the duel would go on longer. And the way he would relish in his victory, in the applause of the audience. How Wally wished that he could participate now.
'How grotesque.' he thought, his grip on the handle of his sword getting tighter.
He remembered something he said, about him and the Marquis being of a similar situation. He now stood corrected. They were nothing alike.
And now that he thought about it: This was the head of the High Council? This child would be the new Ruler of Spades? That upset Wally, to say the least. He knew he wasn't the best at those things, but he thought this had to be a joke.
Through the cheers after yet another victory, a particular voice made him look over the bleachers. Lady (Y/n) had stood up from her seat to applaud the Marquis, along with other people in the audience.
He remembered the look on her face whenever she would talk about him. She would say nothing but good things. Wally reviewed everything that happened concerning that young man, and was nothing but bad things. He heard the reports his servants gave to him after the hunt: eleven out of fifteen mystic beasts defeated in a similar manner, none of them were sent back. And, looking at the Marquis at work, he had a feeling who did it. His behavior didn't match (Y/n)'s words at all. Either she was blind, or he duped her. Such a kind-hearted woman...
"Aaah! It's my turn it's my turn!" Julie suddenly shook him. "Finally finally finally!"
"Julie, please." Wally said, still being violently shaken.
"Oopsie, sorry!" she stopped and dusted off his pompadour, even though it was still so perfect-looking. "Cheer me on, okay?!"
"Like you even need to ask." he smiled.
"Yeah but Frank's not here right now, so you have to cheer for two!"
He chuckled and wished her good luck. Julie put on her helmet and, with a determined huff, she went to stand on the ring, the last active one in the venue. The two opponents faced each-other.
"Arnold, right?"
"Queen of Clubs." he nodded. "I only have one request." he got in position. "Don't hold back."
She smirked and did the same.
"Arnold is in the finale..." (Y/n) said to herself, her hands over her heart. "And he's facing the Queen of Clubs. Oh, if his mother could see this!"
"I think she already is." Gwendolyn whispered to Catherine, making the two of them snicker.
Naturally, the crowd was very excited for such a duel between two very capable swordsmen. As soon as the bell rang, Arnold charged at her but she swiftly dodged just in time. Now that she was up close, Julie could see everything that Wally has been seeing. The easy thing to do would be to match her opponent's energy, but she wanted to honor her friend's favorite sport. It wouldn't be easy for someone like her, but lucky for her, she's been observing Arnold for a while now and had an idea on how he fought. That way she could take advantage of his weaknesses. Which was very annoying to Arnold.
"You gotta wait a bit, before dodging."
"Huh?"
She attacked, he quickly dodged.
"'Cause I see you move too early there, so I can just-" she suddenly changed her angle of attack and hit him on his side.
One point for her. They were neck and neck.
"This isn't a lesson, Joyful." he glared. "This is a duel."
"Ooooo! No one's ever called me by my last name before!" she smiled widely.
"In both sports and fights, there are no such things as titles."
She giggled. It irked him.
The match continued. Despite Arnold being cheered for during the entirety of this competition, Queen Julie was an obvious favorite to everyone. Even (Y/n) cheered on both sides. She couldn't tell who was winning and who was losing, but Arnold seemed to get more and more frustrated while Julie just giggled most of the time, but she could tell she was also taking this seriously.
Arnold has never had a fight go on for this long. The rumors were right, he thought, the Queen of Clubs was really strong. He would be happy
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