One thing for sure about the people of Spades: their pride was indeed unlike any other.
Lady (Y/n) frowned, but managed to remain calm nonetheless.
"My apologies, but you are mistaking." she said. "I am just like them. I understand that you mean to compliment me, to lift me up by putting down my peers. However, I'm afraid to tell you that I do not feel complimented. So please, next time, cast me aside with the rest of 'them". Thank you." she curtsied. "If you'll excuse me."
She left, now knowing what kind of things they'll say behind her back. She looked for Arnold, more actively than before, and found him talking with his elder friends. He didn't seem bothered by the situation. Was he not aware that he was suspect number one?
'No, he definitely knows.' she thought.
"My Lord?" she called as she went up to the men.
The entire group dropped their smiles and looked at her, only Arnold looked surprised.

"My Lords." she curtsied.
"Aaah little Spades Lady!" one of them said as the rest of them smiled, now that she had greeted them. "What a pleasure to be in your presence!"
"Truly an honor!" another one said.
Considering the situation she was now aware of, she didn't believe they were being genuine.
"You flatter me." she bowed her head. "If my Lord, the Marquis of Spades isn't busy, may I request a moment of his time alone?"
The men looked at Arnold, who inhaled and cleared his throat before looking at her with no more emotions on his face.
"Certainly, you may." he nodded.
"Thank you." she took a step aside for him to lead the way.

He led the two of them somewhere deeper into the gardens, out of sight and out of earshot. Arnold then faced her and folded his arms.
"What?"
(Y/n) opened her mouth, but then pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes became glassy as her emotions surfaced.
"Arnold I... I'm sorry."
His eyes widened, clearly he didn't expect that.
"You were right, I was blind. I neglected you- I neglected everyone!" she held her head, closing her eyes. "So many things are happening right now, and now someone attacked the Count's mother and everybody thinks it's you. And I promise I'll-"
"You don't think I did it?"
She paused and looked at him, hurt that he'd think she would believe such a thing. She considered that a failure on her part.
"No. No of course not. Of course you didn't do it." she stepped closer. "You would never."
Arnold frowned and looked down, unfolding his arms. She looked down as well, seeing his shaky fists. Gently, she took his hand in a loose grip.
"I'm sorry... The last thing I want is to hurt you. You know that."
She tilted her head so that she'd be within his sight, but he turned his head. She reached a hand to touch his cheek.

"Arnold I-"
Seeing her hand approaching, the Young Marquis tensed up, his eyes widened. He slapped her hand away – as if she was trying to attack him – before taking a couple of steps back. (Y/n) was in shock, too much so to even cry in pain. She held her now aching red hand as the two of them just stared at each-other for a moment.
Finally, Arnold inhaled and cleared his throat. He relaxed and fixed his posture.
"I'm not hurt." he looked at her with a cold expression, his voice clear and stern. "I'm through."
(Y/n) felt a sharp pain in her heart.
"You made me realize that I need to follow my own plan, take matters into my own hands. I'm done relying on you. I am sick and tired of having you hold my hand and drag me along like a child." he took a deep breath, calming himself down before he could get too worked up. "I'll be more independent, more mature. Happy?"
He started walking away.
"Wait, Arnold!" she called out for him. "What are you going to do? What is your plan?"
"I'll just do what you do," he glanced back at her. "make the best of my situation."

(Y/n)'s eyes went big. She followed him back to the party, anything she told him on the way there fell into deaf ears. Arnold move to the middle of the crowd while she stayed at the gardens' entrance under an arch, looking over the scene from afar. His decisive stride caught the attention of everyone, with each step he took, people stopped and watched. Despite the attention he already had, Arnold took a glass and tapped it with a spoon, making the musicians stop.
"Esteemed guests of the Shuffling!" he spoke with a loud clear voice so that everybody could hear him. "We've all heard of what happened to the Count's mother at this point. Don't think I didn't hear the rumors about me following that, but do let me put those rumors to rest... By confirming them!" he smirked. "Yes. I did cast the spell that made her like this!"
There were gasps throughout the party. (Y/n)'s heart sunk.

"W-Well what are you doing?!" someone asked the guards, pointing at him. "Arrest him this instant!"
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Arnold asked. "Don't give me a reason to attack you as well. I didn't do it without reason you know? And I could very well have been much more cruel, but she's still alive, isn't she?"
He looked around, the confidence he harbored made everybody nervous, hesitant to approach him.
"I'll tell you why I did it. First of all, her son disrespected my father. Naturally, the blame of the child's action should be put onto the parent for not raising them right. And just yesterday – as the Duchess of Tarock was so generous to tell everyone here – she disrespected one of my own people! So yes, I took it upon myself to teach her a lesson- And I didn't do anything to her accomplice the Duchess, to send a message. Not just to her, nor the Count, but to all of you!" he pointed at the crowd around him. "I will not stand any disrespect to the people of Spades, not anymore. I shall protect their honor, and my Kingdom's honor, because that is what a King does!" he paused, looking over at the guards. "Once again, I only acted for the sake of justice. If you judge that the love I have for my peers is what can get me arrested, then go ahead." he opened his arms with a big smile. "Go against a Spades' pride."

Now, the Queen of Clubs and the King of Diamonds were both in the audience, they saw and heard everything the Marquis said. But they did nothing. Because they were scared. Everyone was scared. His words along with the look in his pitch black eyes sent a shiver down their spines.
"Ha!." Arnold let his arms dropped down to his sides, shaking his head with a smile, he drank his glass in one go. "Alright, let the party continue!" he gestured towards the musicians to go ahead before going back to his group.
The music played again, the party continued. (Y/n) couldn't take it anymore. She had to leave, and she did.

She thought taking a walk around the estate would once again take her mind off of things. It didn't, this time. There was too much to think about.
No matter how much she thought about this, she felt like a failure on every angle. Yes, her relationship with the three royals was still solid (as far as she knew), but it was only on a personal level. No matter how many meetings they've had and how many plans they've made, to her, it all meant nothing after knowing what she's done. She abandoned her friends for new ones, she rejected her culture to be accepted, gave in to peer pressure, because of her Arnold took the reigns and now people feared them more than anything. This was not what she wanted for her people. What happened at the party last night may have been outside of her control but...
'I could've handled the situation better! If only I didn't run away! If only I was better! Maybe I do deserve to be haunted after all! I want to go home! If only I stayed! If only I listened! I could've-!'
She stopped herself and closed her eyes as she felt the tears growing in them. She covered her mouth and nose and took a deep breath.
'Don't get too deep in your own thoughts, lest you drown in them.'
Yet, she felt her nose getting warmer. She opened her eyes and a flow of built up tears ran down her face, she blinked a few time to get them all out. She sniffed, breathing slowly to try and calm down.
"Lady (L/n)."

Her heart jumped and she turned away from the voice. She heard footsteps approaching.
"M-My King!" she said, trying to sound normal as she placed her hand on the side of her face to hide it from him while she quickly wiped her tears with her other hand. "What a surprise, I-I thought you were still in the castle."
Wally walked up to her before responding.
"...I heard about young Marquis and came right away."
She quickly faced him. His eyes widened when he saw her tears.
"Oh your Majesty please." she joined her hands together. "I can promise you with my life, he didn't do it."
"My Lady... He confessed."
"But there's no way he did it!" she shook her head. "Where in the world could he have learned such a spell?! How could he have known about the Countess' accusations towards me!" she got on her knees and bowed. "I beg of you, please spare him. Whatever punishment you have for him, I'm ready to take it in his stead."
Seeing her like this broke Wally's heart. He gently took her by the arms and helped her stand back up.
"He is the least of my concerns at the moment." he said. "If you say he didn't do it... I trust your judgement."

She slowly inhaled, as if she could breath again.
"Thank you." she inhaled, bowing her head.
She kept looking down, her lips tight shut. Despite what he said, she didn't look better. Tears built up in her eyes again and before Wally could say anything, she quickly covered her face.
"Lady (L/n)?"
"Almost every time we're alone together, I end up crying." she forced out a chuckle. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this so often..."
He didn't say anything. His silence made her feel embarrassed, and even more ashamed of herself now. Then, she heard a small click. Soon after that, she felt something warm being wrapped around her, it was a little heavy.
She opened her eyes. Wally had taken off his cape and was now adjusting it on her, poofing up the soft fur on the neck and shoulder area so that her face would be hidden from anyone who isn't right in front of her.
"(Y/n)." Wally softly spoke, keeping a hold on to the edges of the cape as he leaned closer for her to hear, looking into her eyes. "Right now, your heart is open, honest and true." he paused. "That is how I wish to see you, always."
Her eyes widened, her heartache eased by his words. Her face twisted. Giving up on any social conduct for the duration of this moment and this moment only, she let out her emotions. She let the tears flow, cried and sobbed with no restraints as Wally held her close in his arms without a word.

Right now, his priority was to give her the comfort she needed, a shoulder to cry on. He believed no one should ever cry alone. The two of them stayed like this for a short while, a moment of calm in the middle of the chaos that was happening around them. Even when she stopped crying, Wally didn't move.
"Um..." she sniffed, her voice just above a whisper. "Would it be alright if we stayed like this for just a little longer?"
"...Yes." Wally closed his eyes.
"Thank you."
He gently squeezed her as he took a deep breath. (Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat. She wondered, would it be overstepping for her to hug him back...? She didn't risk it. The two of them stayed like this for a little longer. Just a little... Allowing themselves to be what they believe to be selfish for the sake of this moment together, away from all worries, away from everything.
Finally, Lady (Y/n) cleared her throat and took a step back, away from his embrace. She removed the King's cape and handed it back to him.
"Thank you, your Highness. For everything."
Wally smiled softly and took it back.
"Anytime, my Lady." he said as he put it back on.

His smile soon faded however.
"...I will have to talk with the Marquis though."
(Y/n) pursed her lips and nodded.
"Understandable."
"I have to ask: if you are so sure that he is innocent, what do you think is the reason why he said he did it?"
She looked down, a pained look on her face.
"...He got it from me. He's turning the situation to his advantage. He's making the most of it..."
"Well... He still has much to learn."
"He's only a child."
"No child can do what has been done to the Countess."
"Exactly!" she pointed at him.
He couldn't help but smile. He put his cape back on.

"You should get some rest, my Lady." he placed a hand on her shoulder, caressing it with his thumb. "Rest assured I'll take care of this, without anyone else getting harmed. You have my word."
"...Thank you." she nodded. "I shall take my leave now." she curtsied.
"Rest well," he curtsied back, a hand behind his back and the other one over his heart. "I will see you tonight at Lady Starlet's play."
"May it make us all forget about this horrible morning." she gave him a bittersweet smile and walked away.
He watched her leave, the corners of his mouth slowly going down, an expression of sympathetic pain on his face.

Lady (Y/n) went back to the Spades quarters and just paced around, waiting for the others to come back. It took a while for the maids to convince her to sit down and have a warm drink. She thought of how to tell Catherine and Gwendolyn what she's learned, she thought of every possible way they'd respond to that news and how she should apologize... How should she apologize? What could she do to make up for her neglect? She made a list of forgiveness ritual from ancient folklore she could partake in.
But when the door opened, and Catherine and Gwendolyn walked in, and they all stopped and looked at each-other, (Y/n)'s mind went blank. Her eyes grew teary again and she spoke in the old Spades language, a language that was more meaningful for those who spoke it.
"[I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.]"
"Woah woah woah." Gwendolyn said as the two ladies quickly sat on either side of her. "What's wrong, what happened?"
"Is it Arnold?" Catherine asked.
(Y/n) shook her head and told them all that she's learned.

"...Well they are right about you not being like the others." Gwendolyn smiled.
"[That's not funny!]" she shook her head. "[I let you guys be mistreated while I enjoyed some leisure time with royalty. I'm the worst.]"
"Hey, don't say that." Catherine sternly said. "If we weren't okay with it, we wouldn't told you."
"[Why in the world would you be okay with that?!]"
"[Because we trust you.]"
(Y/n)'s eyes widened.
"We know that whatever you do, you have our best interest at heart." Gwendolyn smiled.
"And like you said!" Catherine added. "You've worked so hard in the year following the King's death, you deserve a break." her smiled softened. "We knew you'd never stray from our goal: restoring the Spades reputation and make the Kingdom flourish."
(Y/n) pursed her lips. She felt even worse. They were wrong, she did completely forget all about it, too busy enjoying new experiences with new people.
"You don't need to worry about us." Gwendolyn patted her back. "[If any of us succeeds, then it's good enough, right?]" she tilted her head.

(Y/n) looked at the two ladies smiling at her, she looked around the room, the servants they brought along seemed to agree as well. She sniffed.
'I don't deserve them.' she thought.
She wiped away her tears and looked back at Catherine and Gwendolyn.
"I'll tell you everything that happened, what I've been working on and what was agreed upon during my meetings with the three royals." she said with a more determined look. "We are on this mission together, we must work together."
'This isn't just me anymore.'
"Are you sure?" Gwendolyn asked as her and Catherine watched (Y/n) stand up.
"The only uncertainty I have at the moment is if I can tell you everything before the play starts." she walked away. "One moment please!"
She went to her room to grab all her notes and documents. She had to make a couple of trips, and asked at some point for one of the maids to help her pull the board with all the red string lines on it. Catherine and Gwendolyn had a much harder time keeping up with everything – on account of the fact that (Y/n) was speaking faster than usual – and they had to ask for some headache medicine after the first hour, but they were too invested to ask her to slow down. They even offered some suggestions and brought interesting intels with a fresh perspective that (Y/n) then wrote down in her notes.
Alas, before they could get to the really important stuff, they had to stop. For the play was in less than an hour.

"By the way, Lady (Y/n)." Catherine said as they all tidied up the play and put everything back in (Y/n)'s room. "How did the three royals take those accusations towards you?"
"...Regarding the Queen of Clubs and the King of Diamonds, I'm not sure." she looked down. "I did hear that they defended me. But I didn't have the opportunity to talk to them directly."
"And the King of Hearts?"
"He..." she blushed, looking away.
"Oh?" she leaned closer with a smirk. "He did what?"
"He was very supportive, as any decent person should be!" she exclaimed, avoiding eye contact.
Then she remembered something and quickly faced her again.
"He told me he'd talk to Arnold. Did he? How did it go? Tell me everything!" she pressed, leaning closer as Catherine leaned back.
"Okay let's calm down." she tapped her shoulders a couple of times as the two of them straightened their backs. "He asked for them to speak privately, they left for a long while, then the two of them came back like nothing happened."
(Y/n) frowned.

"Well, what did happen?"
"Here's the thing: I asked the King while Gwendolyn asked Arnold what happened."
"Oh, clever!"
"Thank you." she nodded. "And uh..." she inhaled through her teeth as the two ladies looked at each other, not sure how to say this. "They each gave two different answers."
"...What?" her frown deepened.
"The King said that the two of them came to an agreement and that the Marquis would make amends personally, away from the public eye."
"Meanwhile," Gwendolyn said. "Arnold said that the King was just too scared to enact any punishment."

"...I supposed these two statements don't contradict each-other." (Y/n) thought out loud. "Still, did they not confront each-other about it?"
"Actually, they actively avoided each-other throughout the entire party. Even when other people brought it up."
(Y/n) rubbed her eyes and groaned.
"What is going oooon?" she whined.
"There's not much to figure out." Catherine huffed. "They're men, and men are so sensitive that they just refuse to tell the truth because it's embarrassing, so they delude themselves and everyone around them."
"You know what Catherine, maybe you're right." she sighed. "Maybe the world is rather simple after all."

As they were getting ready, (Y/n) asked the maids if there was any sign of Arnold. There was none. He did come back right as the three ladies were about to leave. He walked passed them, telling them to go on without him before shutting himself off in his room.
"Well don't be late at least!" Catherine exclaimed.
Getting no response, she huffed. (Y/n) hesitated, but left with the two ladies.
'If I ask him about it, he'll probably just say what he said to the others. Since he...doesn't trust me anymore.' just thinking about it made her heart ache. 'As for the King... I don't know. I'll ask him after the play.'

When they've arrived, the guests were getting in their seats. From the ground level, the stage was very big, but if one were to stand at the top of the bleachers, it would look much smaller than it actually was. The stage was round while the rows of seats were in a semi-circle, stretching upwards, so much so that some with fear of heights asked to have a seat closer to the ground.
'Very traditional.' (Y/n) thought, admiring the scenery.
Everyone was given a pamphlet of tonight's production when they entered the theater area. On it was the pitch of the play's plot along with the credits. Lady (L/n)'s name was written in there, which made people glance at her, intrigued. Working with someone from the Court of Stars – someone from space – would certainly make a lot of people envious.
The representatives of the Four Kingdoms each had their own loge, while everyone else had regular seats. Each of them equally spaced out throughout the same row, and each of them decorated to match their Kingdom's aesthetic. As the three ladies took their seats, (Y/n) kept looking around, the sky was clear with just a few clouds, a great thing since they were outdoors.
"(Y/n)! (Y/n)!!!"
Now, the Spades' loge was the one of the far right (audience-right that is), on the far left was the Clubs' loge, where Julie loudly called out for her.

"Yes your Highness?!" she shouted back, leaning over the rail.
"I just wanted to say after what happened yesterday that-!" and then (Y/n) couldn't make out what she said.
"...What?!"
"I said I think you-!"
She shook her head lightly with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry! I don't know what you're saying!"
"Whaaaat?!"
"I said-!"
Julie waved her arms and shook her head as a way to say 'Okay wait hold on!' She then pointed at (Y/n) with both her hands.
"You...!" then she gave her two thumbs up, her arms raised in the air. "Are cool! You, are, cool! You're cool!" she repeated the same gestures a couple of times.
"...Oh!" she hesitated for a bit before doing the same gestures, but then added two peace signs at the end. "You, are cool, too!"

"...What?! Four?!"
"No!" she shook her head.
"What do you mean then?!"
Before she could respond, Frank shushed them.
"We'll talk later guys, come on!" he looked back and forth between Julie on his left, and (Y/n) on his right.
Suddenly, (Y/n) remembered that there were people around. She blushed.
"Apologies!" / "Sorryyyy!" her and Julie exclaimed.
(Y/n) heard a laugh and looked over. Her eyes met Wally's. He smiled and waved. She quickly waved back, embarrassed, before facing the stage again.

Finally, Arnold arrived and sat down. He was dressed in a more fancy manner than usual. Despite the light-hearted moment she shared with Julie, (Y/n)'s mood quickly went down when he showed up. She wanted to talk to him, but the play started. It bothered her so much that she couldn't pay much attention to the play. Which was a shame because, according to everyone's faces, it was really good. The protagonist, a young knight, was asked by the new nice king to go defeat the powerful evil wizard, who was planning to raise an army and take over the kingdom. The protagonist then traveled throughout the land, making allies and friends along the way.
"Lady (Y/n), did you have something to do with this part?" Catherine whispered.
"Mmh?" she looked at her, brought back to reality.
She looked back at the stage. A messenger from the evil wizard came in and warned the protagonists of the danger ahead, taunting them to try and go on anyway. The imagery and metaphors he would use were reminiscent of Spades folklore.
"...Some things changed." she tilted her head. "It's not as obvious anymore as to what the evil wizard is supposed to be... Same for the others actually."
'The King of Hearts must've changed it.' she thought. 'I supposed that makes sense from his standpoint. As Master of Ceremony, he must remain as unbiased as possible. People might get the wrong idea if they know there was intentional subtext to this.'

She paused in her thinking as she listened to what the characters said. She nodded along with a look of focus, covering half of her mouth with her fingertips. Her eyes however were a lot bigger than usual. Now that she was truly listening...
'I'm lost!!!' she panicked on the inside. 'I don't know what's happening! Ow, my first real play and I don't pay attention!'
She read over the synopsis on the pamphlet in the most stealthy manner possible (for her). After that, she could then fully enjoy the show. The way the play was planned timing-wise was that the second act would end just as the Sun fully set.
The protagonists reached the evil wizard's castle, ready to take him down. But then the wizard revealed the big twist: him and the nice king were actually brothers! In the past, they were really close, and they had agreed to rule together. He claimed that one day his brother betrayed his trust by going behind his back and telling their father he wanted to be king alone, since he was 'the oldest and most beloved brother by the people'. It brought the antagonist into despair and he succumbed to the darkness in his heart. Turned into an evil wizard, he ran away and vowed revenge. (Y/n) smiled when she heard the gasps and cries of shock in the audience when it was revealed. Even though she knew such a twist would happen, the execution still caught her off guard.
'Lady Starlet really is a talented playwright!'
The news brought mistrust within the group of protagonists, who were defeated by the wizard and thrown out of his castle. Their future and the future of their world now uncertain, act two ended with them deciding to confront the nice king. The lights on stage went out and the audience exploded into applauds. Since night has now fallen, the curtains didn't even need to be closed for the audience to not see what was happening on stage. Or was it a malfunction? Either way, now was the intermission.

"I must say," (Y/n) leaned back in her chair. "it is rather cruel of Lady Starlet to leave us on such a revelation."
"Did you know about this?!" Gwendolyn leaned closer to her.
She was always more outgoing when it came to plays and books. (Y/n) chuckled.
"I knew of the general plot points. I didn't know how the rest would go however."
"So what happens after that?!"
"I can't tell you! Are you telling me you can't wait fifteen minutes?"
"Tell me!"
She laughed but was cut off by a light suddenly turning on on stage. The chatter in the audience ceased and those who had left their seats quickly sat back down.
Despite magic never being used during the play before, the magic-users present here felt that magic was being used here. But really, anyone could tell. On account of the fact that the light on stage in question was a small full Moon that appeared out of nowhere. It floated above a cloaked woman, and despite glowing, its light only fell on the stage like a spotlight.
'I thought the King cut out the Moon and Sun symbolism.' (Y/n) thought, tilting her head.

The lady wore a deep blue cloak and dress, the edges adorned in golden lining. Her skin was of the same color, making it look like her dress was fused with her body. Her eyes were all silver as well as her hair.
Then she began to sing, in the old Spades language, harmonizing with the faint hum emanating from the Moon. Even though the wide majority of the people here couldn't understand what she was saying, her voice was so beautiful that they were captivated nonetheless. She projected her voice much more than the other actors, and there was a strange echo to it, possibly tampered with using magic. She never blinked, she never moved, was she even breathing? It all made her look like a being from another realm.
Only those in the Spades' loge could understand the lyrics. A poem about the lying Sun, its light blinding the truth from others and burning them in the process, and about the cruel Moon who vowed to take it down. As the lady sang the last lines – from the Moon's perspective, saying there shall be no mercy for the guilty, the blood shall flow on every side, gold and silver, all turned black during the night – she slowly raised a hand towards the small Moon. Then she reached forward, her palm facing up, as if she was holding something, or maybe, from her point of view, she was holding someone. The hum of the Moon grew louder and louder as the song progressed, then suddenly ceased when the lady tightly closed her hand. Its light shrunk, became concentrated on only her. Her nails must've dug deep into her palm, for a string of silver blood began to run down her arm. As she sang the last line.

"[Cruel Moon bring the end. The dawn will never rise again.]"

The Moon disappeared. Everything went dark. The crowd once again applauded and cheered. The Spades people in the audience were a little disturbed however. Arnold whistled, impressed.
"Who would've thought you'd come up with stuff like that!" he smirked at (Y/n).
"I didn't write this." she said under her breath, with a grave expression.
"Was it a reference to something?" Catherine asked, concerned but still smiling. "It feels like it was a reference to something."
(Y/n)'s mind began to race. She knew that song. She knew the others didn't. She couldn't tell them about it. Arnold would go berserk if he knew.
She looked over at the King of Hearts. Their eyes met once again.
Wally knew of that song, but he also had no idea what the lyrics meant. He recognized the melody however and it hit him like a brick. Looking over at the Spades' loge and seeing Lady (L/n)'s frown, he panicked. Of all people who knew of that song, why her? He stood up and quickly left to go backstage. Seeing him leave, (Y/n) stood up as well.
"I'll be right back." she said before quickly leaving.

She went backstage as well, wanting to talk to Sally about this. She found that the King of Hearts beat her to it.
"Your Highness, Lady Startlet." she went up to them. "Pray tell what is the meaning of the addition of this musical number?"
"I was asking Lady Starlet the same thing, my Lady." Wally looked at her before the two of them looked at Sally. "I am as curious as you are."
"Lady of Spades! King of Hearts!" Sally panicked. "I swear it on the thirteen constellations that this was not in the script! See for yourselves!" she handed them the script.
The two of them quickly went through the end of the second act, there was no mention of any songs. They looked at each-other, silently agreeing that something was very wrong.
"M...May I ask," Sally spoke, sensing the heavy tension in the air. "what is this song? It would seem that only the both of you hold the answer."
Lady (Y/n) sighed.
"Very few people know about this, but during the Eclipse War, the soldiers from Spades would sing this song as they faced their opponents, right before charging into battle." she explained. "So, with that context in mind, this was basically a declaration of war."

"I can assure you my Lady that I had no idea this would happen." Wally bowed his head with a hand over his heart.
"As did I, my King." she bowed back. "As did I."
"We were lucky enough to be the only ones here to know about this. We've really avoided probably the biggest scandal in history." his gazed wandered, his eyes narrowed. "A declaration of war during a ceremony that is supposed to symbolize the union of the Four Kingdoms..."
"Well apparently, we are not the only ones." she looked around. "Where is that cloaked woman?"
"I sent out soldiers to look for her."
"Who is she?" she asked Sally.
"She was supposed to play the role of the nice queen!" she said. "Next thing I know, she hijacks the stage with a completely different getup!" she groaned, her fists in the air. "She was lucky to be protected by the laws of theater: whatever goes on on stage, roll with it and continue the show!"

"She's not from the Spades Kingdom, is she?"
"No, all the actors are from the Inima Theater in the capital." Wally shook his head.
"But then-"
"Your Highness! We've found her!"
The three of them looked over to see two soldiers dragging the woman by the arms. Her eyes and her entire color palette has changed. Her robe was now yellow and her hair was light purple.
"She was hiding then tried to run away when we found her." one of the soldiers reported.
"Take her away to the dungeon at once." Wally ordered. "For hijacking the production."
'Of course.' (Y/n) thought. 'The real reason should remain a secret.'
"My King please!" the woman cried. "I swear it wasn't me! I don't know what happened! Please!"
(Y/n) narrowed her eyes and exclaimed something to her. The woman kept crying and left the scene.

"...Huh."
"What did you say, my Lady?" Sally asked.
"I called her one of the worst insults in the old Spades language."
Both Wally and Sally looked at her with big eyes.
"But she didn't react to it at all." her eyes narrowed. "Yet when she was singing, her pronunciation was perfect, you would think she was bilingual."
"And let me tell you, the nice queen is a silent role." Sally pointed out. "That woman can emote just fine but she cannot speak for the life of her on stage."
"How strange..." Wally looked down.
(Y/n) thought deeply for a moment.
"Is it possible that she was under some kind of possession spell?" she looked at the King. "Does such a spell exist?"
"Mmh?" he looked at her, snapped out of his own thoughts. "Ah. Yes, it would be a very powerful spell. But, my Lady..." he faced her. "If that is the case, then this is the work of either one of your people, or there is someone else from the Spades Kingdom somewhere in the audience."

"Well it couldn't have been the council members, I was with them the entirety of the play and they don't know about the song. And I know for a fact that the only people from the Kingdom of Spades attending the Shuffling are us and Sir Casterham. And he left the Shuffling a few days ago. I've done extensive research on the guests before coming here, none of these people have been to the Eclipse War. But then how...?" she held her temples. "Maybe they've heard it from a second source? But then again, how come her pronunciation was so good then?"
She groaned in frustration.
"Could it even be the same person who attacked the Countess?" she asked under her breath. "If the culprit is a powerful magic-user..." her eyes went big. "If that is the case then there's a possibility that someone is trying to frame the Spades people. If they're not Spades themselves." she covered her mouth in shock as Sally gasped.
"...The only lead we have is this woman." Wally said. "After the play, I'll go interrogate her right away, and I'll report everything back to you during our meeting tomorrow."
"...Alright." she nodded. "And don't skip on any details!" she pointed.
"I wouldn't dare to." he smiled.
Sally internally frowned. That smile was fake. Wally left the two ladies alone.

"I'm sorry you've lost one of your actors, Lady Startlet." (Y/n) faced her with an apologetic look.
"It's all alright, my Lady." she waved. "That's what understudies are for! We've just gave someone their big breakthrough tonight!"
She chuckled.
"...I must tell you something, my Lady." Sally leaned closer. "For my good conscious would keep me up at night if I didn't share such information with you."
"Is this about your love for Julie?" she leaned closer as well.
"Not this time, no." she said. "I will say, first of all, that being in the middle of this mystery – in the eye of the hurricane, in the front row seat – is absolutely thrilling," she smiled widely. "however, I am also well aware that this is a very serious situation that could shatter the good relation between the kingdoms and so should be treated as such." she said with a more serious tone, nodding along with her own words.
"...Is that what you want to tell me?" (Y/n) tilted her head.
"The King of Hearts..." she spoke more quietly. "My sixth sense is telling me that he isn't telling us the whole story. That man has secrets I tell you."
The Lady of Spades blinked twice.
"Well yes, obviously." she shrugged.

"What?!" Sally exclaimed, somehow putting the enfaces on the H.
"He's a King, not to mention he's the King of Hearts. Of course he has secrets."
"And... You're okay with that?"
"I wouldn't say 'okay' with that, but I think it's understandable. Everyone has secrets, especially royalty." she slowly inhaled, looking over the direction Wally left. "However..." she exhaled. "If those secrets were to interfere with the situation we're in... Now that, that would be an issues yes..." she nodded to herself, her voice trailing off. "But hey." she looked back at her, raising her hands. "If not, then who are we to have every bean spill out for us?"
"Aren't you two...close?"
"Close?"
"I mean... Aren't you friends?"
(Y/n)'s gaze wandered. She took a deep breath in...
"Yes..." she exhaled. "Yes." she looked down, her eyebrows furrowed.

Sensing her melancholy, Sally was about to ask what was wrong, but just then, someone announced that the guests were going back to their seats.
"You best tell that understudy about the big opportunity they now have, Lady Starlet." she smiled. "Good luck with the rest of the play."
"And there shall be no more interruptions, that I promise you!"
They bid each-other goodbye before going on their separate ways. (Y/n) went back to the loge and sat down.
"What happened, Lady (Y/n)?" Catherine asked. "You left so suddenly."
She glanced at Arnold before looking back at the stage.
"Nothing, I just had to talk to his Majesty the King of Hearts for a quick moment." she leaned towards her and whispered. "I'll tell you after."

The play went on without any other mishaps. The group of protagonists confronted the nice king, who explained his side of the story. Their father always favored him, and when he fell ill, he put all his hopes and dream onto his elder son, feeding into his ego. All the praises he receive made the burden on his shoulders feel lighter, and he didn't want to turn down his poor father, so he accepted becoming the king, thinking he could talk to his brother about it later. But their father died too quickly, and the brother heard their conversation prior. He admitted that he was to blame for his brother's transformation, and pleaded the protagonists to save his brother. Feeling sympathy for their king, the group accepted, but just as they did, the evil wizard's army attacked the castle!
After a fierce battle off-stage, the two brothers had one final confrontation. Their arguments, with the actors pouring their hearts out, brought the audience to tears (except Arnold, he was disappointed at the lack of on-stage battle). In the end, the brothers were at an impasse and concluded that their only option they had left was to duel to the death. They were both so powerful that the castle collapsed! Although the protagonists were able to escape, the two brothers were too lost in their own personal feelings that they kept fighting even as they were crushed beneath the rubbles. The young knight spelled out the story's moral. The lights turned off. The curtains closed.

The audience stood up and cheered, whistled, shouted 'bravo!' – whatever that meant – and even threw roses at the stage. Despite also applauding, Lady (Y/n) was disturbed yet again. This wasn't the original ending. The young knight was suppose to jump in between the two brothers and convince them to make up. She had a feeling such a change would happen however, it did say in the pamphlet that this would be a tragedy. She glanced at the King of Hearts.
'Who would've thought that he was such a pessimist.' she thought. 'Or maybe he just wanted the play to have more of a punch...'

The curtains reopened to the main actors standing in line, holding hands and bowing. Then the two brothers. Then the background characters. Lastly Lady Starlet took center stage and did a gracious spin followed by a bow. She took a few roses off the ground before throwing them back at the audience, blowing them a kiss. The whole troupe then gestured to the King of Hearts, directing the applauds towards him. Wally bowed, with a hand over his heart before clapping again. Everyone on stage bowed a couple of more times before the curtains closed for good this time.
"Alright, what a play!" (Y/n) lightly hit her lap and turned to Arnold. "Arnold, am I right to assume that you'll be spending the rest of the evening with your friends again?"
The young man frowned, but he didn't deny it.
"Well then, I hope you have fun and we wish you a wonderful dinner." she smiled and left, followed by Catherine and Gwendolyn.
"(Y/n)!!!" the three ladies heard on their way out.

They looked over to see the Queen of Clubs running towards them at full speed, it got them a little scared. Julie stopped in front of (Y/n).
"I just wanted to say after what happened yesterday that I think you're cool! Like, you know, everyone has a past, that doesn't mean it has to define their present and presently you are a great person and an amazing friend!"
"Awww!" she smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you so much. As I said, I think you're cool too."
"Oh is that what you said?!"
She couldn't help but laugh. As much as she wanted to talk with Julie, she wanted to go back to the Spades quarters quickly so she could tell Catherine and Gwendolyn what happened, as well as finish her presentation. Luckily for her, she spotted Sally in the distance, observing Julie from afar (again).
"Did you enjoy the play, your Highness?"
"Oh it was awesomely amazing! And you worked on it too?! Congratulations!"
"I didn't do much, really. Trust me, any praise you have should go to the playwright." she looked behind Julie. "Oh would you look at that, there she is right there." she gestured towards her.

Julie turned around, making Sally flinch. Seeing the Queen's face light up at the sight of her made her entire head light up, literally. She pretended someone was calling her then walked the other way.
"Hey! Starlet! Starlet- I just realized, I don't know her first name." she looked at (Y/n) before going after the bright star being, still visible within the crowd. "Starlet! Star-star! Starlyyyy!"
(Y/n) couldn't help but laugh as she watched them get into a chase. But when she walked away, her expression became graver. The switch in mood made Catherine and Gwendolyn figure out that whatever happened during the intermission was really serious.
"Is it bad?" Catherine asked.
"Very bad." she quietly replied. "Someone here doesn't want peace between the kingdoms..."

The actress' testimony went as followed: she was getting ready for the play when a black butterfly landed on her. Her mind went blank and next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of the stage, the audience applauding her while the other actors looked at her like she was crazy. She then panicked and ran off. Without any following questions, Wally left her in the dungeon for the time being. He called for Miss Partridge and the two of them went out into the night, with Barnaby tagging along.
Poppy was holding a lantern, but Wally didn't seem to need any light to know where he was going. He was ahead of the group, the distance between them growing a little more with each step.
"Y...Young King!" Poppy pleaded. "Please slow down!"
Wally didn't say anything, nor did he slow down.
"Oh boy..." Barnaby smiled, his eyebrows furrowed.

Wally finally stopped when he reached the edge of the estate. He crouched to examine the thick red line on the ground, hovering a glowing hand above it as Poppy and Barnaby caught up to him.
"I don't sense any anomaly." he said, before glancing behind him. "Miss Partridge?"
"Y-Yes, just..." she panted. "One moment please, to catch my breath."
"What's the hurry bud?" Barnaby tilted his head. "Spooked by a ghost?"
"There are no such thing as ghosts, Barnaby." he frowned.
"Just tryin' to lift up your spirits."
"This is serious."
Poppy put on a small pair of circular glasses and infused some of her magic into them, making the lenses change color. She then took out a pouch containing pink powder and threw it above the red line. The powder stopped right above it – as if it hit an invisible wall – before disappearing. Poppy looked to the left, the right, up and behind them.

"I see nothing wrong either." she said as she removed the glasses. "The shield is as strong as ever."
"And yet, this is the third incident in the last four days. Shaking the plumbing is one thing, almost causing a war is another." Wally thought deeply.
"Maybe he... Maybe he's just too strong."
"If that's the case then why act now? It's been perfectly fine before, what changed? Why did it change? Why now? Now, of all places in time." despite his monotone voice, he was pressing on his words.
"Calm down pal." Barnaby patted his shoulder. "Don't get cracks on that perfect royal face of yours."
Wally took a deep breath.
"Something maybe triggered him." Poppy suggested. "Something that made his power grow, that made him angry, since his magic reacts to his emotions, much like you."
"Please don't compare me to him." he quickly clarified.
"My question is: if he had the opportunity to attack anyone, why didn't he attack you?"
"I know why." he glanced down and to the side, his voice grave. "He wants to show off. And if it creates a lot of chaos, all the better for him." he huffed. "What I don't understand though, is his appearance at the masquerade... Why scare Lady (L/n) like that? She didn't do anything."

"Well maybe it's not her herself that made him target her." Barnaby said. "It's the fact that the two of you...have grown quite close in the past weeks. He sees that you care about her and so that would make her a weak point, to you."
"So..." he looked down. "He tormented her, to get to me?"
"It did cause quite the scene, and it could've easily turned into a disaster."
"Oh no!" Poppy exclaimed. "Would it mean that Lady (L/n) is in danger?"
Wally shook his head.
"I don't want her to be in danger because of me." he looked back and forth between his two friends, who could tell he was panicking. "I don't want anything to happen to her. I love he- Ah." his eyes widened.

Both Poppy and Barnaby's jaws dropped, and for a moment, the three of them just looked at each-other in stunned silence. Then, Barnaby burst out laughing.
"Wow!" he held his stomach, his other hand on his forehead while Poppy covered her mouth with her feathers, still in shock. "Just like that, huh?!"
"My King..." Poppy said, getting emotional. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Wait... Huh? No." he looked around, avoiding eye contact. "Lady (L/n) is just a friend. A really good friend. Of course I worry about her. I love her as a..." he voice trailed off.
"Hey buddy." Barnaby folded his arms with a big smile. "Refresh my memory will ya? What to you like about the lady?"
"Her intelligence, her kindness, her dedication to her work and her people and her friends." he began to count on his fingers. The passion she put into every word whenever she talks about a subject she likes." he smiled just thinking about it. "The way she lights up when someone gives her even the smallest of compliments..." his smile slowly faltered as he looked down. "And when I'm with her, I forget about...everything... And her laugh..."
He was silent for a moment, his eyes growing distance. Then, his eyes slowly widened and he began tense. Just as slowly, he placed his hands on his cheeks. They were warm, he was blushing, his heart was pounding in his chest. He gasped.

"Barnaby... I fell in love!"
"Ding ding ding! And he said it ladies and gentlemen!" his best friend's voice sounded farther than before. "Wally look, as much as we're happy for you, we're gonna need you to calm down."
"Why?"
"As it turns out, your magic goes out of control when you're overwhelmed with positive emotions as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Look down."
He looked down and realized that his feet didn't touch the ground anymore. Barnaby held onto his ankle while him and Poppy looked up at him.
"Come on, Young King, just like before: breath in... Hold it. Breath out..." Poppy said, moving her wings to illustrate her words.
Wally followed her lead and slowly but surely went back down on the ground. He then cleared his throat. He looked over at the castle and thought for a moment.

"Hold on..." he quietly said to himself. "I fall in love and that's his response...? Ha. Oh you really do hate joy."
He turned towards the thick red line of the shield spell, a big smile on his face. Sensing the energy emanating from him, Poppy took a couple of steps back, Barbaby did the same because he knew to follow her when it came to magic stuff. That, and at this moment he knew, Wally was angry.
"You just refuse to leave me in peace for even an instant." he raised two fists, which began to get charged with magic as the air began to swirl around him and the dirt beneath him began to slowly rise. "You're already but a fraction of what you used to be. Don't push yourself too hard if you don't want me to put you out of your misery sooner than expected."
Once his hands were fully charged, he kneeled down and placed them on the red line which then lit up brightly and sent a wave of pinkish red light throughout the shield, visible to the naked eye. A moment of silence passed, then Wally stood up, audibly sighing with a more relaxed smile.

"There." he dusted off his hands. "I just figured that, if his anger makes him stronger, we just need a stronger shield." he smiled at the two of them. "I simply gave it a little bit of a boost. How is it now, Miss Partridge?"
Poppy clumsily and quickly put her glasses back on after casting a detect magic spell on them once more. She looked at the shield and squaked in surprised.
"My goodness! I can barely see through it now!"
"Excellent." he began to walk back to the castle, his hands behind his back.
"If I may, Young King," Poppy said as her and Barnaby followed him. "containing a problem does not erase it."
"And if I may be so bold as to offer some constructive criticism." Barnaby lit up his pipe. "Hosting the Shuffling for an entire month may not have been the safest move, considering our little problem."
"It was the Kingdom of Hearts' turn, it was already decided, I could not turn it down." Wally categorically stated. "Especially since it's my first time hosting. And besides, despite these few short-lived incidents, everything went perfectly and everyone had a delightful time. And it will remain that way throughout its last week. Perfect in every way..."

Barnaby and Poppy shared a glance. Wally huffed.
"However," he said. "I will admit that I am to blame for the situation that we're in right now. Which is why I shall dedicate the rest of my time looking for a way to annihilate this little problem of ours once and for all. With your occasional assistance and advice, Miss Partridge, if your don't mind."
"Of course not, your Highness." she nodded.
"And by 'the rest of my time', I of course don't mean official events. But I'll have to cancel every other plan I have."
"What about your meeting with Lady (L/n) tomorrow morning?" Barnaby glanced at him.
"...Starting tomorrow afternoon. After that, I'll burry myself in books. Again, except for official events."
She chuckled as Barnaby rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Now," Wally looked ahead. "let us all go have a nice dinner. With some extra desert, as a little treat to reward ourselves for the progress we've made tonight."

As they kept walking, Wally thought for a moment.
"Barnaby?" he looked up at him.
"What's up?"
"Now that I fell in love with Lady (L/n)-"
"Now? You're saying it happened just now?"
"That is what I said yes. Now that I fell in love with her, does that mean I should confess my feelings for her to her?"
Barnaby blinked twice, wondering how a confession from Wally would go... He wasn't sure, but he could clearly picture the look on the Lady's face and wheezed.
"That's up to you buddy!" he said. "Let your heart be the judge of that."
Wally hummed, thinking about this more...

[Also, yes, the song the lady sang was straight up "Daylight's End" from League of Legends x)]