The next morning, the High Council of Spades received a handful of letters again, mostly from the people they've spent time with yesterday, to thank them for the lovely time they've had. Everyone shocked to find that Lady (Y/n) has received, not one, but two letters. One from a Mr. Dear, the other... only had 'MOLLY' written on it with big red letter.
"And who is this Molly huh?" Lady Catherine raised an eyebrow.
"Please put your romantic mind away, she is but a child." she said as she opened the letter and read it.

Lady (Y/n) (L/n). I am pleased to have made your aquaintance, along with Mister Eddy Deer. I am happy to tell you that father was none the wiser and Clarabelle is doing well. I'm planning to take her out to see her swan lover some times during the Shufling, I hope you and Mister Deer will join me to chaperon them. With much affection, Molly.

"Awww." she let out. "She must've sent it in secret."
"You've made some friends Lady (Y/n)?" Gwendolyn asked.
"By pure coincidence. For once, I thank fate."
Mr. Dear's letter was a lot more clean looking, by an standards in fact, his handwriting was beautiful and even the envelop looked so pretty that she didn't want to throw it away. In his letter, he thanked her for yesterday and hoped they would have more opportunities to get to know each-other. He also reassured her that his friends with whom he was supposed to meet weren't mad at him at all. With the way he worded his letters, one would never suspect him to be such an easily nervous man. She made sure to respond to these letters right away, thanking them for reaching out to her, although she asked her messenger to be discreet when delivering miss Molly's.
"Now!" she turned to her friends with a newfound determination. "We must prepare for tonight!"

A splendid ball was organized that evening, and the Council of Spades brought out some of their best gowns for the occasion. (Y/n) assigned herself to stay on the side lines, by the tables, to get a good look at the entirety of the venue. That way, if anyone is eyeing someone of her court, she shall see the glances they get when their back is turned. Baroness Catherine and Captain Brahms. H. Meredis' coordinated outfits were a huge hit! And Countess Gwendolyn was in an avid discussion with her new book club. She even spotted Mr. Dear, the two of them waved at each-other and he rushed to her side. But she noticed that someone was on their way to talk to him, though they stopped when the saw he was leaving, and acted like nothing happened.

"Lady (Y/n), you look as radiant as a morning Sun."
"You are too kind Mr. Dear." she stood up and nodded.
"For whatever reason is a lady such as yourself sitting in solitude?"
"I just like to stay in my little corner, nothing too grave or sad I assure you." she chuckled. "What about you, how are you enjoying the ball?"
"Resplendent! I wish I could thank the master of ceremony himselves!"
"Well, I don't know about the King of Hearts but..." she leaned to the side to look behind him. "Someone just as powerful seemed to be eager to talk to you."
"Huh?"

He looked back , saw the King of Diamonds, then suddenly faced her again, tense.
"I-I... Surely there must be some kinda mistake."
"Mr. Dear, I promise you, he was looking right at you when you came up to me." she smiled.
"But I-I don't wanna leave you by yourself milady!"
"I'll be fiiiine, don't worry." she waved a hand. "You better come back to his reach before he gives up and moves on." she gently pushed him away. "Go on now."
"M-Milady, please, a moment." he took a deep breath, standing tall. "Have a lovely night."
They curtsied before he walked away. She smiled and sat back down, watching him disappear into the crowd. She wondered if he was this nervous for talking to a king – for she would be too, of course – of it it was for talking to the King of Diamonds specifically. She remembered his reaction upon seeing him the other day. Whatever it was, she hoped things will turn in Mr. Dear's favor.

For her however, she was about to find out that she's thanked fate too early.
"Excuse me miss?"
She looked over to see a servant from the court of Hearts, bowing to her. She frowned for a quick moment. Did they really call her 'miss'?
"I come with a message from my master, the Duke of Hearts." they said. "He asks why would his daughter send a letter to you this morning."
Her heart dropped. In the distance, she spotted the Duke of Hearts. He was the only person in the ball looking at her, with cold golden eyes. She could see the family resemblance, yet could swear that Molly and him were the complete opposite of each-other. But she understood where his stood on the matter.

"Please tell his Majesty the Duke that I do have an ill intensions concerning his daughter. I have the upmost respect for the both of them." she said. "I was on a stroll around the castle yesterday when I saw Lady Molly, looking quite distraught, so I came to her aid. That is all that happened. And in her endless benevolence, she wrote me a letter the next morning to thank me."
The servant nodded and left to give her message to the Duke. She discreetly kept an eye on him, to see his reaction. It wasn't positive. The servant came back a short while later.
"His Majesty the Duke thanks you for your selfless action. But suggested to call upon Lady Molly's maids next time. Such a matter isn't fitting for a woman of, your status."
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Did he ask you to add that pause?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Nothing." she smiled. "Please tell your master that his words are heard and understood. You may leave now."

In response to her message, the Duke clicked his tongue and moved on to other matters. Now that no one was looking at her, (Y/n) leaned back in her chair, resting her head on the back of her fingers as her elbow rested on the armrest. With a frown, her gaze wandered as her mind began racing. This was bad. She should've known that the Duke's servants would be too loyal to keep any secrets from him. She didn't fault the young miss Molly. If anything, she was sad that there now was very little chances of them meeting again. She traced a chronological line of how being on the bad side of the Duke of Hearts could affect the Council of Spades' overall plan.

Suddenly, she felt something on the back of her neck, like someone blowing air. She gasped and spun her upper body around, sitting up. But she saw no one. Behind her was only one of the many tall window doors on the wall. She thought maybe it was cracked open, but looking at the gardens outside, nothing was moving. There was no wind.
"Strange..." she said under her breath.
For whatever reason, this left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Gosh, I'm so paranoid these days." she rubbed her eyes, shaking her head, then suddenly looked back up. "Wait. Where's Arnold?"

As if the universe itself answered, she heard the sound of broken glass, followed by gasps. Although the band was still playing despite the commotion. The ball must go on after all. Somewhere in the venue, a young Count from the Rummoli Kingdom has been interrupted, his wine glass slapped away by a particularly angry marquis.

"...Marquis of Spades?" he smiled at Arnold.
"You take that back. Right now." he glared at him, doing his best not to yell.
Servants quickly picked up the pieces of broken glass and wiped the floor. The two young men ignored them.
"You spoke ill of my father and I demand an apology!" he spoke again.
"Whatever did I say that wasn't the truth?" he tilted his head. "You yourself would complain about him at the last Shuffling."
"I was but a child then-"
"Has that changed since then? Pray tell."
Arnold clenched his fists.
"You dare insult me? A Marquis?!"

"Let me put this in a way you will understand." he said, enjoying the look on his face. "Should a bear bow down to a queen ant? Even if that ant is without her colony?"
This was it for Arnold. He stepped back and drew his sword. The people around them backed away in panic. This caught the eye of the King of Hearts, who was on his way down a set of stairs, but stopped upon seeing the fight that was about to happen. He sighed through his nose when he saw who was involved. He did hear that the young Marquis of Spades had a bad temper.

"Must we do this here, Marquis?" the count sighed.
"You talk such a big deal. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is? Draw your blade!"
"Are you really your father's son? A real shame he abandoned his home before teaching you about manners."
"Yeah? Well you have done nothing but parade your father's wealth around the entire ball! At least I am my own man, and not a pompous little daddy's boy!"
There were some gasps in the audience. The Count turned red, his face twisting in anger.
"Alright then." he said, drawing his own blade. "If you wish to ruin your already hopeless reputation, I won't stop you."
'Now they're both at it.' the King of Hearts sighed. 'I better go and stop them before anyone gets seriously hurt.' he began making his way towards them.

"This has nothing do to with reputation, it's about honor!" Arnold pointed at him. "And you have none to begin with!"
"Try not to use dark magic to cheat, Spades."
"You son of a bitch!"
With only two clashes of metal, Arnold had the upper hand. It was clear he was the more experienced swordsman out of the two. The Count, holding his sword with two hands, swung it vertically, his back hunching over with the weight he carried. Arnold easily dodged the attack and with a clear opening, and a clear view of the back of his neck, he raised his sword to finish him off. Suddenly, something from behind pulled his sword away, with not enough strength to take the weapon away from him however. There were gasps, the music came to a halt this time. Silence filled the room, everyone around them stopped and looked, while confused whispers were shared amongst the people who couldn't see what was going on. Ready to yell at whoever disrupted his duel, Arnold looked back to see Lady (Y/n), holding the blade of his sword with both hands, her face twisting in a deep painful frown. His expression fell instantly, he became paler.

"(Y/n)! You-"
"Let it go!"
He let go of his sword without question and even backed away.
"And you! Drop it!"
The Count let go of his sword and he also took a step back. (Y/n) let the sword drop on the floor and quickly closed her hands into tight fists. One could see blood soaking her gloves and sipping through the fabric. She looked at the two young men with a deep frown.

"Now will you two stop embarrassing yourselves!" she exclaimed. "You are representatives of your courts and your kingdoms, first and foremost! Don't you know of the larger effects pitiful disputes like this can lead to?! You go through with this, and before you know it, there is no coming back! Whether one, both, or even none of you die!"
There was a moment of silence, the two young men looked down in shame.
"Think what you will of one another, just remember who you are and where you are. We are guests here!" she said. "...It's hasty decisions like this that make a kingdom crumble."
They glanced up at her. She took a deep breath, her teeth and jaw clenched.
"If you'll excuse me, my Lords." she curtsied, her voice softer now. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."
And with that, in the absolute silence, she turned and walked out of the ballroom, ignoring everyone's eyes. The music started again once she left.

The King of Hearts then realized that his mouth was opened agape. He closed it, still feeling his heart beating in his chest. Before he knew it, he followed her into the corridors. He wanted to apologize to her for letting this happen, with an ulterior motive of course. This sure was a theatrical moment, which captivated him and everyone else of course. In his scepticism, he wanted to know if it was planned or not. After all she didn't even flinch from the pain when she-
As soon as the music and the chatter had faded away, as soon as she was far enough that she believed no one could hear her, see her, (Y/n) collapsed to her knees. A long agonizing noise coming from the back of her throat, a scream that pleaded to be let out, but she shut her lips tight. She opened her hands to see the deep gashes across her palms and fingers that could be seen through her tore gloves.

"Fuck..." she muttered in an ugly voice as tears flowed down her face uncontrollably.
The blood coming out was starting to overflow in her palms, and it threatened to fall on and stain the carpet.
"No. No no no no." she quickly closed her hands, like she was holding water, and turned them away from it.
She tried to stand up, but the pain made her shake too much. And she couldn't stop crying.
"Dammit..." she closed her eyes, suppressing another scream.

Suddenly, someone took her hands. She gasped and looked to see the King of Hearts.
"M-My King!" she panicked, forcing the words out of her. "I-I am terribly sorry, I-" she sobbed, the tears kept flowing. "I was just about to-"
He made her open her hands, her blood pouring onto the floor. He quickly took off her ruined gloves and carelessly tossed them aside.
"It's alright, really!" she tried to make him let go, but his grip was firm. "There is no need to bother yourself with me! Just tell me where I can find a healer and I'll-"
"Quiet."
With this singular word, she stopped, now trying to not make an noise. The king hovered a hand over hers and in the dark corridor, only lit by the moonlight, a pink-ish light shone through his palm, making her wounds glow in that same light. (Y/n) felt a warmth, the pain progressively going away. Her expression changed to one of awe as she witnessed the king's magic for the first time. Her skin began to slowly put itself back together.

"You don't have any magic, do you?" he asked, although he was still concentrating on his spell.
"I don't, your Highness." she shook her head.
"Then, would you say your pain was worth it?" he glanced at her for a quick moment, smiling. "That speech you gave was very heartfelt, I'm sure that by now, you must be the talk of the ball."
She blinked twice, a small frown on her face. She sniffed and wipe some tears off her cheek using her shoulder.
"Most importantly, I stopped these two from doing something they'd regret!" she huffed. "I've told the Marquis many times to just ignore these kinds of provocation."
"He has a lot to learn, it seems."
"Oh please my King, have mercy on him." her eyebrows furrowed. "He's still very young, and he has a lot of pressure on him."

"You care a lot for him."
"Of course."
"Is it perhaps because the two of you are in a similar situation?" he looked at her again, his eyes softer. "I heard about your parents, I'm sorry."
"Thank you very much." she nodded.
"I'm sure that if they saw what you did tonight, they would be very proud of you."
She pursued her lips, doing her best not to frown, and forced a smile.
"You are too kind, my King."
"I suppose I can relate to him as well." he looked back down. "I was also bestowed my current position at a young age, after my mother's passing."
"Right... My deepest condolences. I heard a lot of good things about her as a Queen."
"And as a mother, she was just as perfect." he smiled faintly.

A short while passed, with neither of them saying anything. By that point, there was still red marks where (Y/n)'s wounds were. Finally, the King sighed and placed his hands on top of hers.
"I apologize. Healing magic isn't my forte, and these wounds are quite deep. if I were to let go of your hands, they would come back, along with the pain."
She pursued her lips, her eyebrows furrowed, the idea alone made her feel terrible.
"So I must keep my hands on yours while we go to someone more qualified than me." he smiled
"...Both hands?" she tilted her head. "Won't it be a little...awkward?"
"The two-hand holding, or the hand-holding itself?"
Just then it dawned on her that she would be holding hands with the King of the Kingdom of Hearts for an undetermined period of time. Her face became a bit redder and she struggled to answer as her eyes darted around. He chuckled again.

"Can you stand?" he stood up and helped her up with him. "If we just..."
Without letting go of her hands – sometimes holding both in one – he made them go arm in arm in a way that'd allow them to hold both hands while walking side by side, without it being awkward.
"Oh and, before we go..."
Holding both her hands on one (she took notice that his were smaller), the king picked up her gloves off the ground, along with the ring she was wearing over them. Her father's ring has protected her finger from being wounded, but as a result, there was a deep gash in the metal. If it were to be thrown to the ground, it would likely break.
"I believe you wouldn't want to lose these, even if they're torn."

"Ah, y-yes! Um..." (Y/n) nodded, then looked down at her dress. "Could you put them in my pocket please? If it's not too much trouble."
"You have pockets?" he tilted his head, trying to look for them.
"Yes, they're right there- No, to the left- My left, sorry."
The king couldn't help but chuckle. He didn't want to jam the items onto her dress, so he kept hovering his hand around until she gave him the go. Unbeknown to the Lady, he only put the ring inside and kept the blood-soaked gloves, putting them in his own pocket.
"There you go." she smiled. "Thank you."

"A pleasure." he put his hand back on top of hers. "Now please, bear with me."
She nodded, her cheeks still red-ish. There were so close to each-other. They began to walk down the corridors, it took them a moment to adjust to each-other's pace, but they got the hang of it eventually. The king led them to another wing of the castle, going up a few sets of stairs. At some point on the way there, they heard footsteps in the distance, coming closer.
"Do you wish for us to remain unseen?" he quietly asked her as they kept walking.
"Huh? Uh..."
"Quickly now, they'll be here any moment."
"Y-yes, if you don't mi-Eeee!"

He quickly pulled her away from plain view with one swift spin, hiding the two of them behind nearby curtains as a guard from the nightwatch passed by. They peeked out, waiting for him to be out of sight. (Y/n) glanced at the King and once again felt her heart beating faster at their proximity. Despite being smaller than her, he was stronger without a doubt. Just as she looked back at the guard, he then glanced at her for just a moment. He recalled the noise she made in surprise and contained a laugh.
"The coast is clear." he stepped out, gently pulling her with him. "Let's go."
She just nodded, still a bit shaken by how quickly the past thirty seconds just went.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, my King." she said as they started walking again.
"No need to apologize. I'm sorry for pulling you so suddenly." he smiled before she could further explain herself. "I understand that you wouldn't want people to find out about your wounds."
"Ah. Y-yes, that too."
"What else is there?" he tilted his head.
"What? You... You don't know?" she avoided eye contact. "Being seen alone, together, like this..."
He chuckled.
"I do know. I'm just pulling your leg."

She scoffed in surprise, which made him chuckle again. She felt the urge to hit him and tell him to stop – in a friendly way of course – but knew better than to do that to a king. They had to hide a few more times, which the King found amusing. It reminded him of the shenanigans him and his childhood friends would get into. He kept these thoughts to himself however.
Finally, they stood in front of a door. It was different from the others, it looked more rustic, and it wasn't decorated. They looked down at their hands, lost for a moment. Then Lady (Y/n) tugged on his to get his attention. She shook her foot. His eyes widened slightly and he nodded. He then lightly knocked on the door a few times with his own foot.
"Yes?" a small voice asked on the other side.
"Miss Partridge?"
"Young King? Why aren't you at the ball?"

A moment passed before the door opened. (Y/n) was surprised to see that the small voice belonged to a very tall bird woman, her feathers were in ranges of red and blue, with a mohawk of a variety of bright colors. She had very long eyelashes and her orange eyes had no irises, no pupils, yet she had this gentleness to her. Her eyes went big as she immediately spotted the position these two were in. (Y/n) once again blushed.
"Miss Partridge," the King of Hearts broke the silence. "I ask that you keep this between us-"
"M-my King!" she covered her beak. "I won't stop you, in the name of love, but I implore you, your kingdom needs you!"
"M-Miss Partridge!" (Y/n) harshly whispered, her face even redder. "His Majesty simply cannot let go of my hands, lest I suffer incredible physical pain."
"I understand, heartbreak is indeed painful, but I'm sure you could bear it."
"No!"

The king couldn't hold himself back and burst out laughing. If she could've, (Y/n) would've covered her face, but she instead turned her head away. He finally told Miss Partridge about her injuries and how he was holding back her pain.
"Oh my! You poor thing!" she tilted her head, her shoulders dropping.
"You are one of the most powerful sorceress I know." he said. "I'm certain you can make up for my lack of skills."
"You're only lacking regarding healing magic because you've never had to use it in the first place. But no matter, come in, quickly." she stepped aside.
They stepped into what seemed to be a completely different place. If it wasn't for the lack of windows, (Y/n) could've sworn that they've just entered a small cottage in the middle of a forest. With a nice fireplace, Miss Partridge sat them down on a sofa and leaned over to look at their hands. Her eyes narrowed as she hummed softly.

"I'm afraid his Majesty will have to let go." she said. "For just a moment, I assure you."
The Lady didn't seem comfortable with the idea. The king noticed.
"Can't I still hold on to them?" he asked. "I'll let go as soon as you start healing her."
This made (Y/n)'s heart warmer.
"But...I must know what I'm healing to administer the right amount of magic."
"I grabbed a sword."
Miss Partridge let out a squawk of shock.
"With your bare hands?!"
In this moment, now that it was said out loud, (Y/n) felt a bit ridiculous and looked down.
"When you spoke of a gash, my king, I thought she only cut herself with a knife! You poor thing!" she sent her a concerned look before quickly going to some shelves and looking through them. "However did this happen?!"

The king simply looked at the lady next to him, waiting for her to tell the story, as it wasn't his to tell. She looked back at him and, understanding what he was doing, was a bit surprised. She told the sorceress what happened, but only stated the facts and quoted her own words. Never once did she spoke of her feelings or thoughts on the matter.
"By the stars..." Miss Partridge said, pausing in her research to look at the lady. "And you don't possess any magic of any kind?"
"Um... Not that I know of."
"My... You are very brave, my Lady."
The King of Hearts felt the lady's hands twitch under his own. He believed that, if he wasn't holding them, she would've closed them into fists.
"Thank you Miss Partridge." she nodded.
The bird lady nodded back, then came back with a potion. She gave them a warning before slowly and carefully pouring its content onto their hands. The king removed his, once he was sure (Y/n)'s were soaked. She did feel a big stinging sensation, and sharply inhaled through her teeth, but it quickly went away. She watched as the liquid sipped through her skin, her wounds disappearing and leaving no trace, not a drop of it was wasted.

(Y/n) looked at her hands in shock, turning them over a few times. They looked as good as new. She looked at the king's.
"Even I feel a lot better." he said as he opened and closed them. "How do you feel Lady (Y/n)?"
"Ah, a lot better! As if nothing happened! Thank you very much, to the both of you!" she bowed her head to him and the sorceress.
"There's no need to thank me my Lady, it's only natural." she tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "But please, do be careful next time."
"Y-yes, of course. I swear I'm not usually one to rush to danger like this." she smiled and bashfully rubbed the back of her neck. "It's just that..."
"I should've acted sooner." the king said in a graver voice than usual. "I apologize." he bowed his head.
"N-no! No no no!" she intensely shook her head. "Please, it is none of your fault my King! Let's all just be thankful that, at the end of the night, no harm has come to anyone."
"I couldn't agree more." Miss Partridge nodded. "I believe you, my Lady, have had an exciting evening. Would you like some warm tea of my personal brewery to calm your nerves?"
"Yes... Yes please, if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not." she smiled. "I naturally extend the offer to the young King."
"I shall gladly accept, thank you."

After a little while, Miss Partridge gave them both a cup of tea. (Y/n) smelled its sweet aroma and gently blew on it before taking a sip.
"Mmh!" she exclaimed. "Did you perhaps make it with magic?"
The sorceress and the king chuckled.
"The only magic I ever use while making tea is lots of love."
"O-oh!" her cheeks became pinker in embarrassment. "Well it's very powerful magic."
The king chuckled again, a hand to his mouth. She was beginning to wonder if maybe he was laughing at her.
"Thank you, my Lady."
A moment of silence passed, during which (Y/n) took a few sips of her tea. But the King hasn't touched his once.
"May I ask," he finally spoke. "you said that you don't usually rush into danger, yet you did it because... Could you finished that sentence?"
She became tense. She didn't expect to be put on the spot like that. She looked away, nervously and slowly spinning her cup between her hands.

"Like I said... I didn't want them to do something they'd regret."
"Of course." he nodded. "War isn't something that should be starting with such trivial matters."
"It should not be starting at all!" Miss Partridge exclaimed.
"Ah, yes." (Y/n) nodded. "That too, of course."
"Did you have another reason in mind?" he tilted his head.
"Well, I may just be too sensitive or naive but..." she glanced to the side. "Taking the life of another... Being the cause of a war... One could easily spiral down. And for someone this young... Surely, you must understand what I mean." she looked at him.
There was a moment of silence, and though he hadn't looked away, the king's eyes grew distant, like he was looking through her.
"And since the marquis is a close friend of yours, you wouldn't want him to go through such a thing."
"I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, to be honest."
"Mmh." he smiled, but it looked different from before. "That is very noble of you, Lady (Y/n). His lord the marquis is lucky to have someone like you to watch over him."
"I try my best, your Highness."

"How old is the Marquis of Spades?" Miss Partridge asked.
"He is soon to be eighteen this year."
"Seventeen. So young... Have his parents left during the Great Departure?"
"Only his father. His mother passed away while giving birth to him. Bless her soul."
There was a moment of silence, (Y/n) took this moment to say a small prayer in her head to Arnold's mother.
"You must be like a mother to him then." the king said.
She looked at him with big eyes. She didn't expect him to even say something like this.
"My King, what makes you think that?"
"The way he said your name when you stopped the fight, and the way he looked at you. I know that look." he smiled.

(Y/n) glanced to the side, her face twisting a little bit. It made the king perplexed. Did he say the wrong thing, he wondered.
"What's wrong?"
"...He's more like a little brother to me." she said. "Being compared to a mother, it makes me feel old."
The king once again couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing. Even Miss Partridge chuckled, though it was mostly upon seeing her king's reaction. (Y/n) frowned, blushing, and decided to change the subject.

"As I heard, you're lacking in healing magic, my king. Can I then ask what kind of magic do you excel at?"
"It's...complicated."
"What do you mean? I'm sorry, I myself don't know much about the matter."
"It's alright, my Lady." Miss Partridge answered for him. "His Majesty the young king is a particular case. For he was born with an incredible amount of mana. Something most people have to work on daily for years."
"Really?!" she looked at him with big eyes.
"From what I've been told." he smiled.

"His Majesty is very modest." the sorceress commented before continuing. "And so, he received a different training. Whereas an average person would learn how to channel the mana within themselves and shape it into various spells, my king had to learn the opposite. How to control his magic, taming it in the form of spells. A much more difficult process actually."
"I see..." she slowly nodded. "I thought magic could only be conjured through spells. What does raw magic look like?"
There was a moment of silence.
"W-Well-"
"It's a messy thing." the king sighed, shaking his head. "A chaotic first decade I had in life." he spoke in a dramatic fashion to lightened the mood, the back of his hand on his forehead.
"It wasn't that bad I'd say." Miss Partridge smiled.
"I caused you a lot of trouble."
"Being your teacher was never a bother, my king, I assure you. In fact, I would be delighted to help you with your healing magic later on."
They smiled at each-other. He looked relieved by her words. Lady (Y/n) finished her tea, thinking that, if Miss Partridge was the king's teacher when he was a child, then these two must be very close as well. She thought it was very sweet.

"I believe I've taken enough of your time." she put her tea on a small table besides the sofa and stood up. "I must away now."
The king stood up as soon as she did, common courtesy.
"I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for me tonight." she bowed to the two of them. "I'm in your debt."
"Lady (Y/n), there is no need to apologize." the king smiled. "What kind of king- what kind of person would see a young lady crying and simply look the other way?"
She was once again taken aback by his words.

"Would you?" he raised an eyebrow after receiving no answer.
"Only because I would be looking for help." she responded almost instantly.
"Of course." he nodded. "Would you like me to accompany you back to the ball?"
"Wh-?!" she stopped herself just in time, she was about to shout in shock.
Walking into a ballroom – walking into any room – accompanied by the King of Hearts? A small noble such as herself?! She couldn't believe he would suggest such a thing. She cleared her throat.
"Actually, my King, I believe I will return directly to my quarters." she said. "The past few hours have left me quite tired. And to be honest, I don't believe I could show my face in public again, not for tonight at least."
"Really?" he tilted his head. "Are you sure?"
"No worries. No one outside of my court, and yourself of course, will notice my absence." she waved a hand.
He didn't say anything. Or else he would've disagreed with her.

"Then, shall I escort you down the castle?"
"That is very kind of you my King, but I wouldn't want to trouble you any more that I already have." she curtsied. "I've held you from the party for too long, I apologize."
"I trust my people and believe they can do as excellent a job as I do." he said. "If anything, this has been a welcomed change of pace. So thank you, Lady (L/n)." he bowed his head.
She pursued her lips, flustered, not knowing what to do with herself.
"But," he exhaled. "you're right. People will start to wonder where I am if I don't get back soon. Rest assured that I shall keep what happened between us a secret."
"As will I." Miss Partridge nodded.
"Here."
He took out the blood stained gloves. (Y/n) let out a small 'ah' as she realized he's kept them this whole time. Using his magic, he made them look as good as new before handing them back to her.
"Thank you so much, your Highness." she bowed as she took them back with both hands.
"A pleasure. Before we part, I must say:" his smile became softer, along with his voice. "I've had a lovely time."
(Y/n)'s heart skipped a beat.

"And I wish you a good night." he curtsied. "May you rest well."
She curtsied back. Miss Partridge insisted on being the one accompanying her. She accepted, feeling a bit nervous at first, but the two of them had a very pleasant talk. She learned her name was Poppy, and she got to learn how to make tea like her.
They passed by the ballroom, they could still hear music and chatter. (Y/n) wished her friends were okay.

When she got back to the Spades' quarters, she pressed her back on the door and let out a long heavy sigh, suddenly feeling exhausted. For a moment, she just stood there, her eyes closed. Then she went to her room. She planned on changing to something more comfortable then get to work for a bit before going to sleep, at least once everyone is back. She has received new information, and along with the events at the ball, she had to know how it could affect anything and, if it caused problems, she had to look for solutions.
She yawned. How she wanted to sleep.
"That wouldn't be fair." she told herself. "They're still working out there, then so will I."

She passed by an open door and stopped. She looked inside the room and saw Arnold, sleeping on his bed. He didn't change, it would seem he just let himself fall onto it.
"Oh no..." she whispered, feeling her heart tightening. "Arnold..."
Although her first thoughts were to theorize about how he left, how people saw him and how this could affect their plan. She quickly casted those thoughts aside. She stepped into the dark room, holding just a candle. She placed it on the bedside table and could see the young man's face. He was in a deep sleep. Although he looked like his dreams weren't more pleasant than reality, his face twitching a bit.
"Can never catch a break..." she sighed.

Gently and carefully, she took his sword and jewelry away from him and set them aside. That way they won't bother him. She noticed that he only had the scabbard, the sword itself was in the corner of the room. He probably threw it, which only made her sadder. She looked for a blanket and put it over him. Then mindlessly brushed some hair away from his face and ran a hand through his light hair. As she did, he looked calmer than before.
In this moment, all her sisterly/motherly feelings resurfaced. In this moment, he was just a tired boy, who she felt tremendous sympathy for. The two of them (mostly him) have only spoke about this with jokes and sarcasm, but sometimes she wished to tell him honestly what he meant to her, to open her heart to him. So that he knew it was okay to do the same. She felt like he needed it.
"Goodnight. May the burdens on your heart be lighter by the morning." she whispered before leaving, closing the door behind her.

She studied in her room, but ended up falling asleep at her desk.