House of Cards

Gilbert couldn't look away from that scene of the king being so close to Feliciano, his hand on the Italian's hip and that expression that something was clearly happening in there... and Feliciano... the one, who had become the joker's object of worship, was staring back at His Majesty... the same way the Jack of Hearts always did. "Gilbert?" asked Peter, looking at him, who was lost in thought and clenching his fists with so much strength his knuckles turned white. How, just how could he be dumb enough to believe that this Feliciano wouldn't develop the same feelings as the jack? They were the same, after all! Almost the same person! But he had believed it, because both Felicianos were living in different worlds, leading completely different lives, so he thought that their feelings would be different as well... but no, emotions never change, no matter where you are. The joker rapidly turned around and ran away. "Gilbert!" The worried Peter tried to follow him, but the only answer he got was a white light and then nothing... Gilbert had gone to the other world. The older joker stepped through said light and found himself in the palace of the capital, where it was currently night. He ran towards the jack's room, jumping from roof to roof and over fences. Yes, that one could become his substitute, his placebo... after all, the king was doing the same with Feliciano, wasn't he? So they could both play the same game, he, too, was able to calm his restlessness with the help of Feliciano, the jack, just like he had already intended to do once... He finally reached the room's window and looked through the curtains at the servant, who was pulling back the blanket to lie down after another long day without any news from the king. Without worrying about getting caught by someone, Gilbert kicked the window open, startling the jack, who fell on his back. "Ve~!" was the only thing the latter could pronounce as he raised his head to look at the joker from above the bed. The other approached him furiously, grabbed him roughly by his wrists, without caring that Feliciano was still on the floor, and pressed him against the wall, ignoring his screams. Gilbert stared at the helpless jack, who was fearfully looking at him and trembling, not knowing what to say to the joker who was rather snorting than breathing, frowning and clenching his teeth, as though fighting with himself. He held Feliciano's wrists even tighter, pressing them closer to the wall, making the other let out a whimper and approaching him even more. A few seconds later, he stopped. "No, I can't do this." Gilbert finally let go of the totally confused jack, who didn't know what to do, whether he should call the guards or wait for the joker to leave... but the latter just headed to the bed and sat down on it, placing his hand on his face. Gilbert took a deep breath, and Feliciano kept staying on the floor, not daring to move. "How are you doing this, Jack?", asked the silver-haired joker. "How did you manage to bear it all these years without exploding?" "Bear what?" inquired Feliciano with a trembling voice, rubbing his hurting wrists. Gilbert finally showed him his sad face. "How did you manage to bear being near the king without telling him a single word about your feelings?" He was desperate for an answer, since his own feelings were weighting on his shoulders so heavily he could barely take it. So how should he continue hiding them behind a vow of silence, like the jack was doing? What should he do in order to not burst and rip Feliciano out of the king's arms, return His Majesty to his kingdom and let the latter do everything he pleased, but without the other world's Feliciano? The jack, in the meantime, was examining the joker's devastated expression. Gilbert's horns were slightly hanging down like dog ears, and his tail lying motionlessly on the bed. Seeing all this, Feliciano understood that the other was serious, that he really needed an answer to his questions, so he hesitantly got up from the floor and carefully approached the bed, sitting down next to the creature, but still keeping a safe distance. Then he eyed him again and finally dared to speak. "Well, maybe I am a bit masochistic, ve~" Gilbert looked at him and laughed bitterly. "What kind of answer is that?" he asked, making the jack smile a bit and shrug. "Ve~ this is the only one I can think of," replied Feliciano, and Gilbert let out another listless laugh, averting his gaze and looking at the wall. "Tell me, Jack, have you ever thought about just stopping to love him?" the joker wanted to know, hearing the servant sigh deeply. "More than once, Joker... and I really tried to not love him anymore, to just give up, but since I am his jack and constantly by his side, the exact opposite is happening: the more I fight against my feelings, the stronger they get, while I myself am getting weaker and defeated by my emotions, despite not saying a word. It seems as though my feelings and my silence have come to a truce in order to not let my platonic love vanish, though it's even more painful that way. But I still have to stay strong to not let my lord suspect anything and cause him problems, after all, I know that our situation is not the same as the one between the Jack and the Queen of Clubs... in our case, the only one in love is me," Feliciano finally pronounced everything he had been keeping to himself for so many years. Gilbert examined him with his red eyes, thinking about how absurd that situation was, how ironic that while the jack was here, speaking about his one-sided love... the king was finally becoming aware of his own feelings towards his servant. However, with the wrong Feliciano. "You look so weak, Jack, but are actually way stronger than it seems." The Joker's smile had become a bit more natural. "Ve~ this is not true, I am nothing but a coward... my silence does not make me strong at all," said Feliciano with a slightly embarrassed smile. After this, they both fell silent, thinking about their own problems and pains of love, until Feliciano remembered that he didn't even know the reason for the joker's unexpected visit. "By the way, did you come here just to ask me this?" he inquired in a maybe too casual tone, forgetting that he was talking to the one responsible for his master's disappearance. "Ah... well, to be honest, I came to do something despicable, but changed my mind at the last moment. I'm just too awesome to do things like that." Gilbert got up from the bed, undulating his tail like always and showing his typical grin again. "Your words, however, were still very useful to me," he said, leaning slightly towards the jack, who was still sitting on the bed. "But my feelings and silence are in an eternal conflict against each other, unlike in your case, and my emotions are about to win." "Ve~ then you are strong, Joker, sometimes it's harder to pronounce a couple of words than to fight a war," Feliciano commented, looking at him a little livelier. "Don't mix up things, Jack, just like your silence isn't strength, my actions aren't either... they are just a product of my huge stupidity," the joker said, as if mocking himself. "I just hope my stupidity doesn't harm anyone else," he murmured, straightened his back and looked at Feliciano again, who didn't understand what he meant. "Thanks for hearing me out, Jack, it's time for me to leave and to place a bet." Gilbert walked to the window, followed by Feliciano's gaze. Sometimes the servant had the thought that the joker was speaking in riddles. "Good luck, Joker, with whatever you are going to do," Feliciano wished. Gilbert winked at him and left through the window. However, his silver-haired head appeared a few seconds later again, startling the jack once more. "By the way, aren't you going to ask me anything about your lord?" he asked from outside, making Feliciano smile. "I already told you last time: I believe that you are a good person, so I don't think you are going to harm my lord," the jack said, and the joker disappeared again. Skillfully climbing the palace's walls, he was searching for a fast exit, until he reached the window to the Queen of Spades' room. The latter was walking to and fro in his sleepwear, with his hand on his lips. There was such affliction in his face that Gilbert couldn't help letting out a malicious laugh. Arthur was taking deep breaths, trying to calm down his pounding heart, and looking for an explication to why his lips were suddenly burning like that. What was happening? Surely an allergy or an illness. Yes! He had to be sick, since he was also having this sensation of not getting enough air once again, of something pressuring his chest with a gigantic force. There was something wrong with him, he knew this wasn't normal, so he took his big dressing gown made out of dark-blue velvet and put it on in order to leave his room and look for his jack. With a candle in his hand, he was walking through the hallway, trying to remember the way to Yao's room, but this wasn't even necessary, since he spotted the other's silhouette at the end of the dark hallway. "My lord, is something the matter, aru?" Yao asked, lowering his head the instant he saw Arthur in front of him. The queen was about to give him an order to go for a healer or something like that, but then he remembered what his mother used to do every time he or one of his brothers got sick. "Yao... do you want a cup of tea?" he asked, his voice strained due to all these inexplicable symptoms. Yao seemed as though he couldn't quite believe what he had heard, but still accepted. They returned to Arthur's room, and Yao stepped in front of the queen before the latter could start to prepare the tea himself, so now Arthur was just watching the servant's elegant movements during the preparation, feeling a bit like a spoiled child. "Here you go, aru," the other said, placing a porcelain cup in front of him. Arthur inhaled the delicious aroma of the tea leaves in the hot water. Yao took his own cup and sat down in front of his lord at the small table in the room. Arthur took a long sip, feeling the tea's warmth passing his throat and slightly calming his chest that had been about to burst a mere few seconds ago. "May I, aru?" asked Yao, holding his long pipe in his hand. "Go ahead," Arthur responded, taking another sip of his tea, and Yao lit the pipe and started enjoying the tobacco's taste, breathing out the smoke through his nose. "My lord Alfred hates that I smoke," commented the servant with a nostalgic smile. Suddenly, he heard Arthur slam his cup down on the saucer a couple of times, while his face was taking on an intense red color. "Are you alright, aru? Your face is all red," asked Yao, worried. The queen seemed nervous out of the blue. "Ah... yes, I just feel a bit odd," said Arthur, playing with his cup without looking at his jack, who didn't want to contradict him. "Yao... do you believe His Majesty's Kiku's words to be true?" he dared to ask, spinning the cup on the saucer. "Excuse me, my lord, but which words are you referring to?" The jack didn't understand. "The ones he told me recently... that kings and queens are connected through their marks," replied Arthur. His tea's smell was mixing with the one from Yao's pipe, making the atmosphere even more relaxing. "I do not think I can give you an answer to that, my lord, there are many legends and myths concerning the mark, aru," said Yao, seeing that Arthur seemed to shrink in his seat, passing his hands from the cup to his mouth once again. "And what if they were true?.. I am starting to believe it." Arthur sounded slightly afflicted. "I feel so strange, Yao... I am always thinking of King Alfred, as if he was constantly by my side, talking to me and accompanying me. Sometimes I can almost see him in front of me, and my heart pounds so fast that it seems to be about to explode... No clue, I could swear that someone is coming to my room at night and injecting me these feelings... as though they were not mine, but at the same time yes." "Could it be that you already had these feelings for the king and are noticing it only now, in his absence?" Yao supposed, taking the pipe out of his mouth to drink from the cup. "Of course not!" Arthur suddenly exclaimed, his face even redder than before, making Yao do a jump and almost spill his tea. "I did not have them," the queen added, averting his gaze, embarrassed. "I have never been near him, have never talked to him, and he does not even know me directly. So how could I start to feel all these things out of a sudden?" he justified himself, feeling that annoying pounding of his heart again. "They say that love can also develop from admiration, my lord, aru," said Yao, hiding his little grin behind the cup. "It is not love! No, no it is not, of course not... definitely not," stammered the queen, creating the impression that he was trying to convince himself rather than Yao, who didn't stop grinning behind his cup until he placed it back on the saucer. "I cannot be in love with someone who doesn't even want to marry me out of his own will. Though, it is not as if I wanted to do that either..." Arthur's voice got gradually quieter. "I just wanted to admire King Alfred from afar... not end up like this." He felt the pressure in his chest turn into pain. "Why from afar? Love can also develop out of living together, aru," said Yao. The other finally looked up, slightly frowning.  "And why are you insisting so much that it has to be love? I already told you that I have no such feelings for the king." "As you say, my lord." Yao put on a little smile again and brought the pipe to his lips once more, looking at the pendulum clock in the room. "It is very late, it is not good for you to be up so late in the night." Arthur turned to the clock as well, noticing that the servant was right. So he quickly finished his tea with a last big sip under Yao's slightly disapproving look, who surely wanted to tell him that this was bad manners. "I am leaving, my lord, and wish you a good night," said the jack, getting up and taking a small bow. "Thank you. Good night to you as well," Arthur replied, watching the other go out of the room and leave him alone with his thoughts. He couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, and then stood up and took off his dressing gown, laying it on the bed and walking towards the full body mirror in order to look at himself, just like the day he had been supposed to be presented as the queen... he found it still hard to believe: he, a simple peasant, was now living in the big palace in the capital and waiting for King Alfred to return to get married to him. The mere idea was just too incredible, but also frightening. He examined his reflection once again and lifted his pajama top to reveal the mark identifying him as the future Queen of Spades: a black spade symbol, located on his side, above his hip bone, significantly smaller than Alfred's that was covering the king's entire waist and part of his ribs. Arthur ran his fingers with slight melancholy over the spade on his skin, sensing its texture and remembering the fear and the shock he had felt when it appeared there and also his brother Scott staring at him, his eyes as wide open as it was possible... his first thought back then had been about King Alfred, and right now, his mind returned to His Majesty once again, wondering whether the king was thinking about him as well despite not knowing him directly and whether the latter was also suffering from these strange symptoms. Arthur closed his eyes and continued to touch his mark... deep inside him, he wanted it to be like that. So that night, and the next, and the one after that, and the one following it, he kept touching his symbol, hoping that King Alfred was feeling the same... wishing to be connected to him for real... One afternoon, Alfred was arranging some books that were lying abandoned in a corner of the store and happened to find a worn out photo album between the old volumes. He started leafing through it, and was suddenly attacked by a strange feeling from head to toe. A feeling that took his breath for a couple of seconds and that had already happened to him some days ago. So he got up, almost by instinct, and evaded the typical mountains of books as well as he could, holding the album in his hand, until he spotted Arthur's back and stretched a bit to take his arm and make him turn around. Then he gave him a long, gentle kiss on the lips, and Arthur kissed him back after a moment of surprise, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. After their very first kiss, Alfred had acquired the habit of kissing the other every time he got the chance and sometimes by surprise, just like now. Not that Arthur had anything against it, not at all, after all, Alfred had been a quick learner and knew now how to move his mouth and where to put his hands. From time to time, he even managed to draw a stifled sigh from him while kissing. Alfred placed his hand on Arthur's neck, pulling him even closer to be able to smell his cologne and let the tips of their noses touch... he loved that tickling. They finally let go of each other, and Arthur couldn't help but melt away from cuteness at the sight of Alfred's naive smile that the latter always showed after a kiss. "You should stop doing that," Arthur scolded him and wanted to return to his own work: leafing through books to verify that they are in a good condition. "But I like kissing you," Alfred justified himself, hiding the fact that this was not the only reason, that he sometimes had a strange necessity to do it, when he was attacked by that strange feeling from before. Though he didn't know that Arthur wasn't talking about the kisses, but about his smile that managed to disarm him completely. The store owner just shook his head, pretending to not accept this as a proper pretext, and wanted to continue with the next book. But then he noticed the album in Alfred's hand. "Now, where did you find that old thing?" he asked with a smile, took it from him and walked towards one of the counters to open it and look at the old photos. "It was lying at the bottom of a box. Are these paintings of you?" asked the king, making the other one laugh. "Not paintings, photos, and yes, they're mine. This is me at the age of sixteen or something like that," he said, looking at the pictures of his younger self. "This is really you?" Alfred inquired, excited, pointing at a photo where Arthur was dressed like a punk: checkered red and black pants with a bunch of chains, army boots, a torn sleeveless black t-shirt and a chain with a lock around his neck. He was showing his middle finger and his tongue, which had a piercing in it. Many more were on both of his ears and his hair was dyed in different colors, only a few strands still left with his natural blond. "Yep... though I don't have a clue how I dared to walk around outside like that," replied Arthur, laughing. "Was this the time when you ran away from home?" Alfred continued to ask, turning the album's pages and spotting an Arthur sitting on the street with a bottle of beer in his hand, a cigarette in his mouth and a guitar filled with stickers on his lap. "Yes. Back then, I thought I didn't need anyone, only my guitar and some money in my pocket," The store owner let out a giggle, full of nostalgia. "Ah... I was such an idiot." He ran his fingers over photos of old bad friends putting their arms around his shoulders, surely completely drunk. "But it was worth it, wasn't it? You could do everything you wanted, even if it was nonsense, you were free... What made you change your mind?" Alfred wanted to know, looking a bit incredulously at the teenage Arthur with the savage and rebellious gaze, who didn't seem to care about anything. "My will to live," Arthur answered and closed the album, confusing the king. "You know, one day I woke up in a hospital. My heart stopped for a few seconds thanks to my horrible lifestyle back then. When I found myself there, in a bed, full of tubes and devices, with my family standing next to me, and knowing that I could have died, I understood..." he started to narrate, looking at Alfred. "I used to think that if I should die young due to my weak heart, then I would at least do everything I wanted. However, I did nothing but destroy myself, despite knowing that it was bad for me. I thought that taking drugs, getting drunk and sleeping around with everyone I met was living and that I wouldn't mind dying in the corner of some seedy bar... but that wasn't true. As soon as I opened my eyes in that intensive care room, I knew that I wanted to live, that it was still too early for me to die... and this hasn't changed, Alfred, I still want to continue living, more than anything else in the world. There are still so many books to read, so many places to visit, so many new things to learn... and people to meet that it can't be my time to leave already. Despite that defective heart I possess... I want to live."  He suddenly seemed anxious about his own future and placed his hand on his chest, making sure that his heart was still beating. Alfred wrapped his arms around his waist, pulled him closer once again and rested his forehead on Arthur's, who looked at him without saying a word. "You're safe as long as I'm with you," said the king, sure about himself, and smiled again, infecting Arthur, who hugged him back and wrapped his arms around the other's waist. What followed was another gentle kiss that gradually became deeper without them even noticing it, this also happened often when they were alone. The whole world and everyone else were forgotten, even possible customers who could enter the store. Alfred was caressing Arthur's back, still a bit shyly, while the other was descending his hand to His Majesty's hips and raising the latter's shirt a bit in order to feel the bottom lines of what he still believed to be a tattoo. Arthur didn't care that touching them was taking away his breath nor that it was causing his entire arm to shudder and to turn numb, he did it because it made him feel a supernatural connection to Alfred. "Hey, get a hotel room," another person said suddenly, making the bell ring while entering. The two of them got startled and let go of each other, spotting Antonio, who was holding the door open for Emma. "I think we shouldn't have interrupted," she commented, giggling. The completely red-faced Arthur almost shoved Alfred away. "Nothing of the sort," he said, clearing his throat and trying to sound natural. "So how can I help you?" He put his hands on his hips. Emma smiled and came closer. "I'm looking for a very rare book and thought that this is the perfect place to find it. Look, these are the title and the author," she explained, giving him a piece of paper. Arthur took it, read it quickly, and examined the bookshelves, thinking about where he could have it. After a few seconds, he snapped his fingers, showing that he had remembered where it was. "Come, I think I have it somewhere over there," he said, starting to walk through the labyrinth of shelves to the back of the store. Emma followed him, leaving Alfred and Antonio behind. There was silence for a few moments. "Hey, Alf, I see that you get along with Artie," Antonio finally spoke. Alfred just nodded with a broad smile. "That's great to know. Artie sometimes seems like a grumpy old man, I think I've never seen him happy before, only when he arrives to bring books to the orphanage." The Spaniard suddenly seemed a bit more excited. "Oh, I know! You should come to the orphanage as well! The kids love seeing new faces, and you'd get a bit of fresh air. I'm sure that Arthur's keeping you in this book store all the time, that man's like a hermit," he joked, without really caring that Arthur could hear him. "I would love to, in my kingdom, they never let me go see the orphans, though I was always told that they're being cared for," replied Alfred, slightly attracting the other's attention. "Kingdom? Oh, you're talking like a friend I have in the orphanage. He's pretty vain, but really cares about one of the kids, he always says that he's the King of..." But before Antonio could finish his sentence, they heard a crash coming from the back of the store and immediately ran there, thinking that something had happened. But it were just a few books that had fallen from one of the shelves. Luckily, no one was hurt, but there was a huge chaos and Arthur and Emma were covered in dust that had risen from the books' impact with the floor. "I'm sorry, Arthur! That was my fault," Emma apologized, embarrassed, helping to pick up the books. "Don't worry, it was the fault of a certain someone who should have arranged them," he said, looking at Alfred, who just laughed nervously, placing his hand on his neck, and then proceeded to help them as well. So everything got cleaned up rather quickly, or at least... didn't look anymore like a sea of books on the floor. Emma apologized again before leaving, and Antonio wrapped the other two men in one of his beloved suffocating hugs and shook their hand.  "Alright, so I hope to see you soon, Alfredo," he said and left the store together with his friend, who was shaking the dust off her nurse uniform, still feeling guilty for the chaos and thinking that she had caused it by trying to reach for a book on one of the top shelves. "That Alfred reminds me of Fran, he's speaking as if he was a king, too," commented Antonio, remembering his new friend. "The guy you're always talking about?" she asked, putting the book into her bag. "Yeah, I swear, if you heard him talk, you'd really think that he's royalty," Antonio answered, making her think. "Now that you mention it, we also have a similar one as a patient in the clinic, Feliks' new friend... one time, I heard Feliks call him 'Majesty', I suppose that's some kind of game between the two of them," she commented, shrugging it off. Maybe it was just a huge coincidence. "But wouldn't it be cool if they were really lost kings?" asked Antonio with a smile. Emma stretched a bit and gave him a light slap on the head. "Of course not, if this was the case, your friend Francis would have had you decapitated already." "Fran's always saying the same thing, but sometimes it's fun to tease him on purpose," Antonio admitted, and they both laughed, continuing to walk and talk about Francis, Matthew and especially Lovino. Antonio tried to change the topic concerning the latter, but Emma didn't let him, she knew that he suffered more than he was showing, being in love with a guy who not only seemed to hate him, but with whom it was almost impossible to start a relationship. "Well, look, there he is," Emma said, as they had finally reached the orphanage and spotted Lovino standing at a window and watching them, frowning like always. Antonio raised his hand and greeted him, but Lovino suddenly turned away, not seeing the sadness in the Spaniard's face. "Making the poor young man suffer again, huh? Just how cruel can you be, boy?" Francis entered the room out of the blue. Lovino, who was holding a notebook in his hand, averted his gaze from the window through which Antonio and Emma could be seen. "What the hell are you talking about? And don't enter my room without permission!" "I am the king, I do not need permission from anyone," replied the other, looking through the window with his usual gallant smile. "Oh, who is that beautiful lady accompanying him?" He eyed Emma, who was standing at the gate of the orphanage and talking to Antonio. "Emma," Lovino answered simply and redirected his attention to his notebook, on which he was writing a new letter to his brother, due to not having been able to see him during the last days. "And it does not bother you that Miss Emma is standing so close to him?" the king asked with slight malice, pretending to be watching the two aforementioned ones, but in reality peeking at the teenager, who seemed to be a bit uncomfortable now and discreetly looking outside. "Why should it bother me? She's not my girlfriend or anything like that," Lovino said, tapping his pen against the notebook and the first two lines of his letter. "This is not what I meant..." said Francis, placed his hand on the notebook and lowered it a bit. When Lovino looked up, he saw him at a dangerously close distance. "Do you hate him for real or are you just forcing yourself to?" asked the king. The boy suddenly got nervous, ripped the notebook out of the king's hand and stepped back. "None of it... I just don't give a damn about him," he replied, trying to escape from Francis. But the latter stood in his way. "This attitude is pure poison, boy," Francis almost whispered. "And you are killing someone with it..." He tried not to look towards the window. "Well, this 'someone' could die, for all I care," said Lovino, attempting to escape again. This time, Francis grabbed his face with one hand, examining every detail of it and making the Italian shiver. "Whatever you say, boy, but do not feel bad if you should open your eyes one day and then discover that someone else managed to become the antidote to your poison." Now, he did turn towards the window. Lovino did the same, and they watched Emma and Antonio wrap each other into a gentle hug. Antonio, who had his hands on Emma's waist, even lifted her a bit, making her stand on tiptoe, and they kissed each other's cheek while smiling like a pair of lovers taken from some cheap telenovela. Lovino tore himself from Francis' grip, threw his notebook on the bed, and ran out of the room without any explanation. The king laughed, thinking about how easy it was to manipulate that poor boy... he knew that the latter's emotions were more likely to take control over his body before the rational thoughts would kick in. He smiled again, as he heard how Lovino apparently fell down on the hallway from all his haste and then got up again to continue running. Then the king noticed the notebook on the bed with only a few lines written in it, so he picked it up and started to read: "Feliciano: The routine here hasn't changed at all... the only thing that changed is perhaps that I'm feeling your absence more than ever. While everyone continues living their lives, it's for me as if time stood still. ...Feliciano... I'm suffocating..." This was what it said, and Francis read these words with slight sadness, until he looked closer at the name of the addressee: "Feliciano". Hold on, wasn't this the name of…? "The Jack of Hearts," he said out loud, remembering the first time he had seen Lovino and his surprise about how similar that boy was to the King of Hearts' servant. Could it be that these two were related somehow? If that was the case, then Francis could get the chance to find the jack and consequently King Ludwig as well... his thoughts and assumptions, however, got suddenly interrupted by Matthew, who came running into the room, as if being chased by someone, and hid behind Francis' legs, fearfully looking towards the door where a young couple and a lady, whom the king recognized as another orphanage worker, were standing. "Don't be so rude, Matt, and say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Williams," said the lady. The boy stared at the tall man, who was smiling nervously, and the woman anxiously playing with her hands, as though she was going through a test conducted by Matthew. "Bye," whispered the little one curtly, still hiding behind Francis. The king, who could feel the child tremble, reached out to pat his head in order to calm him down. "Goodbye, Matty, we'll come back to visit you again," said the woman, bending down a bit and waving her hand. Her husband did the same and then followed the lady through the hallway, trying to get his wife to leave as well, but she kept stopping from time to time, turning around to the boy and Francis, the latter shooting cold and distrustful looks at her and her partner. When the intruders were gone, Matthew left his hiding place and stood in front of the king, clinging to him as though he feared that someone was going to take him far away. "What is the matter, little one?" Francis asked, wanting to see the child's face that was pressed against his abdomen. "Nothing," replied Matt, his voice sounding a bit muffled. Then he looked up, tugging at Francis' shirt and indicating to him to bend down a bit to hear him better. "Francis, you're not going to leave soon, are you?" asked the boy with sad eyes. The king was a bit moved. "Of course not," he said, trying to forget that he had just found a possible hint that could lead him to another king and therefore a way to leave all that situation behind. "We still have to catch that joker, remember?" He smiled at Matthew, soothing him a bit. "Francis," the latter called him again, and the aforementioned one squatted in order to be at his height. For a moment, the little one looked like he was going to scream "Don't let them adopt me!", but instead, he wrapped his little arms around the king's neck. Francis could feel his heart ache, and couldn't do anything else than to pat Matthew's back, seeing that the boy was holding back his tears and trying to look strong. "But do not forget, boy, that I need to return to my kingdom without any excuse, once I have managed to catch the joker," he said to the boy as they broke off the hug, wiping away a few rebellious tears from the latter's face. Matthew didn't say anything, instead looking at the diamond on Francis' arm and tracing the yellow lines for the umpteenth time with his fingers. He finally understood why the king hated it so much... that thing was the reason the adult had no option but to go back and inevitably leave him behind... unless he managed to adopt the king in time, of course, but in his current situation, this was absolutely impossible. He didn't want to be abandoned once again. "Come, let us go to the young man and ask him for these pastries he gave us last time," said Francis, getting up and offering Matthew his hand. The boy took it, a bit reluctantly. "Churros," replied the little one, rubbing his eyes from under his glasses, to soothe the prickling that was caused by his tears. "Yes, these," agreed the king, but before they could leave the room, he seemed to remember something. "Oh... no, we should better not disturb him right now." Matt looked at him with curiosity, and they both playfully approached the window, through which they could see Lovino, Antonio, and Emma outside. "But nothing's happening," commented Matt, seeing that the three of them were just standing around near the fence. "More is happening than you could imagine, boy. Oh, this stupid young man," said the king, pointing at Lovino. "Right now, he is probably going through the worst symptom of love." He turned around and showed Matt his typical gallant smile. "Jealousy," he finally concluded, watching Lovino's angry face from a distance. "Lovi, what's the matter?" asked Antonio, noticing the teenager who had arrived running and was now glaring at him. "Nothing," the latter replied, now shooting gazes at both Emma and Antonio. "Ah... hello, Lovino," she greeted him. She knew the boy due to all the times she had visited her old friend at his workplace. "Hello," he answered in a softer voice, since he couldn't be rude to a woman. "And... Lovi, do you need something?" Antonio continued to ask, since he didn't believe that Lovino had come running to them just to say that it was nothing. Only now did the teenager realize that he had acted out of a stupid impulse, caused by that idiot Francis, and now didn't have the slightest clue what to say to justify his sudden interruption. "Uhm... I need you to help me with something, some quick, don't stand there as if you didn't have any damn work to do," Lovino invented, and Antonio hurried to open the gate to come in. "What do you need my help with?" "With a thing, come now!" The boy started tugging at the Spaniard's wrist and turned around to Emma, trying to relax his frowning face. "See you," he said to her, in a rather failed attempt to sound friendly, and continued to drag Antonio forward, who said goodbye to his friend waving his hand. Emma waved back and laughed, knowing what was going on with Lovino. Sometimes he was so obvious that Antonio had to be completely dense to not notice it. She let out another giggle as she watched Lovino leading Antonio away, with the latter still inquiring what he needed help with. When they were out of her sight, she resumed her way to the clinic, anxious to know whether her dear friend Feliks had already been freed from his punishment for the chaos he had caused almost a week ago. He was already sitting in isolation for more than three days, even though the staff knew that his fit of madness had just been an act, since they knew that Feliks was not the type of patient to do these things... he, however, refused to give any explanation for his behavior and also why he and Ivan had been soaked that day. Worrying a bit, she finally reached the hospital, and clocked in. That day, she had to work the afternoon and the night. At her post, a colleague greeted her. "Did you hear anything about Feliks?" she asked, hanging her jacket and her bag on the back of a chair. "He's still locked up." "But why? He was supposed to be freed after three days, and Feliks is already almost more than a week in there!" Emma exclaimed, outraged, and crossed her arms in order to not hit the desk. "Tell that to the nurses, they were the ones who convinced the doctor that Feliks wasn't alright... you know they don't like him 'cause he's the only one with that attitude towards them," said the other woman. Her words affected Emma even more, she knew that it was the truth, despite not being aggressive, Feliks did have a rebellious side that the hospital staff hated. "And Ivan? How is he doing?" Emma asked, remembering the one who had become Feliks' partner in mischief. "Don't ask me about him, this guy is really scary," said the other one, shuddering at the mere mention of the king. Emma shook her head, took the keychain with the copies of the keys and went to the rooms to look for herself if he was alright, without caring whether she would be scolded for it or not. "May I?" she asked, opening the door and peeking inside. Ivan was sitting on his bed, staring at a spot in the room, and only reacted when he heard her voice. "Of course you may, Miss," he replied and smiled as usual. "Well... I know this is a bit sudden, but... would you like to talk to Feliks?"  Now, there was surprise on Ivan's face. "But he was taken away," he said, even straightening his back when he heard his roommate's name. "I know where he is." She was smiling maliciously, so the king decided to not ask any more questions and followed her through some of the hospital's floors he had never been in before. Ivan suddenly felt a strange anxiety, but didn't find it unpleasant at all... maybe it was excitement for being able to finally talk to Feliks again after all these days. He had been terribly bored almost all week: waking up without an effusive "Good morning!", eating without anyone to criticize that stuff they dared to call food, going to the roof without sharing his silence or having trivial conversations with anyone, reaching the end of the day without exaggerated sighs or long yawns... was boring... was lonesome... he wanted to talk to that extravagant man again. Was this what it felt like to miss someone?.. It was completely different from the loneliness he was always feeling, like sensing that something was missing, that it was there, but he couldn't have it. "Here he is," the nurse said quietly, taking Ivan out of his thoughts. They were standing in front of a big door without a window. "Don't take too long, I'll be making sure that no one's coming in the meantime." She left him alone. "Young Feliks," he called, placing his hand on the door, fearing that no answer would come. "Ivan?"  The king smiled, feeling relieved as he heard the other's slightly muffled voice. "What're you doing here? Like, you'll get into trouble," Feliks said, worried. "You are the one to talk... I am just following your example," replied Ivan, leaning his forehead against the door, imagining that Feliks was perhaps doing the same on the other side. "Uff, Majesty, if you, like, follow my example, then please rather concerning fashion, that with the fake fits of madness doesn't bring anything good," the other joked, making Ivan laugh. The king was still feeling that anxiety, but this time, he wanted to let it out by spending long hours talking to Feliks, even if it was only through a door. "But you were a big help, thank you." "Don't be so kind, Ivan, if you go on like this, you'll make me either shudder or think that I'm still pumped up on the tranquilizer, like, really horrible," said Feliks. Ivan sat down on the floor, leaning his back against the door. "Oh, by the way, why are you here? I know that you must totally miss me, but I don't want any problems for you." "I just wanted to talk... everything is boring without you," Ivan admitted. Feliks screeched out in excitement. "Ivan-baby, you're, like, so sweet! Seriously, if I didn't have my Toris, I would've totally made you my boyfriend." "Am I supposed to feel flattered?" inquired Ivan, laughing a bit. The other one knocked on the door. "Of course! Like, I'm totally desirable, and also a better partner than your bitch of a wife!" Feliks said, offended. "I already told you that Elizabetha is not a bitch." "Everyone who gets involved with their partner's employee is a bitch, like, I know what I'm talking about, I already met several like that. If you only knew how many have tried to steal my man," grumbled Feliks. "You make it sound as though young Toris was really popular." "And he is! He's, like, super kind and sweet, really one of these special people... that are one in a million," Feliks answered, letting out another of his theatrical sighs. "Oh, but you are also one in a million," Ivan said suddenly, since Feliks was the only one who had never shown even the tiniest bit of fear in front of him and also never hesitated to speak with him in a direct manner, as if he accepted every aspect of his personality... this is what made him so special in the king's eyes. "Enough, Ivan, like, stop trying to seduce me, I'm a totally weak one and need to stay faithful to my Toris," Feliks said playfully. Ivan smiled. "Excuse me, young Feliks, it was not my intention to make you doubt about your feelings towards young Toris," the king pretended to apologize, hearing laughter from the other side of the door and then this silence they used to share often... but which was not an uncomfortable one. "Ah, Ivan... I was really serious... if I had never met Toris, I would've loved to be with you," Feliks broke the silence after a while. "Don't worry, you are with me now," Ivan whispered, making sure that the other couldn't hear him, hiding his eyes under the shadow of his bangs and smiling almost shyly. After having experienced the feeling of missing someone, Ivan started to think and to wonder whether this was what having a friend felt like: to miss him, to want to see him, to joke with him, to share silence... to laugh together or to just stop smiling and send everything to hell. Everything together. "Hey, Ivan... can I make a confession?" Feliks asked suddenly in a more serious and a bit quieter tone, so that it got a bit hard for the king to understand him. "Of course," Ivan replied with slight curiosity, since it was rare for Feliks to behave like that. "Sometimes, I am afraid that Toris is maybe not going to come for me at all." "Do you really think that young Toris would be able to abandon you here?" Ivan turned around to the door, as though expecting to see Feliks there. "No, but... so much time has already passed." The other got even quieter. "Well, then how about going to live in my kingdom together with me?" the king suggested. Feliks started to giggle. "Huy, and face your witch of a wife? Like, I don't think so," he joked, instantly returning to his good humor. "I told you to not speak of her like that." "Whatever, Majesty, if you, like, don't want a totally horrible cat fight in your palace, you better not take me along." "What a shame, I would like to introduce you to the other kings." "Why didn't you say so from the start, Ivan-baby? This does interest me!" Taking advantage of what little time they had, Ivan told him everything about the other three kings: about Alfred, who sometimes behaved like a child, infuriating his poor jack with his ideas and mischief, about Francis' flirting and talent to make everyone, no matter if man or woman, fall to his feet, and also about King Ludwig and his obsession with obligations and rules, as though his entire life was regulated by them, never taking a break from his work. Feliks carefully listened to him, making comments from time to time and imagining how awesome it probably was to live in a palace as king or queen, just like Ivan was describing it. "Time to go," announced Emma, appearing suddenly and looking over her shoulder, hoping to not be caught by anyone. "What's the matter?" asked Feliks as Ivan stopped his narration. "I have to go already," replied the king, getting up from the floor. "Surely, the gorillas are coming to keep watch, they're always ruining any kind of fun," grumbled the other. "True, but I still hope to be able to come tomorrow," said Ivan, knocking at the door, thinking that his roommate was placing his hand on it as well from the inside. "You should rather hope that I'll get out of here tomorrow, I'm, like, totally desperate," replied Feliks, while Emma was telling Ivan to hurry up. "Goodbye, young Feliks," the latter said, before leaving behind the closed room. "Don't say 'goodbye'," Feliks objected, as if he was offended. "Say 'see you later'." Ivan smiled again. "See you later," he corrected himself, getting the same from Feliks. He liked that kind of farewell better, because it didn't sound like a sentence to not see each other again... no, they would meet the next day and perhaps continue to talk about trivial things.  Emma started walking, and Ivan followed a few meters after her. They passed the hallway, reaching the stairs and finally Ivan's room. He decided to stay there for the time being, the roof just wasn't as fun when there was no one to share the giant blue sky with or to make sudden stupid comments. The nurse didn't say anything, just resuming her path to continue that day's routine, passing a window that was facing the street. She thought having seen Lovino outside and came closer, but no, it wasn't Lovino, but his brother Feliciano... the boy who had been adopted half a year ago and was right now accompanied by someone else. "Ve~ I want to eat pasta today," Feliciano commented happily, almost able to perceive the delicious smell of his favorite food. "Again?" asked Ludwig, baffled, who was walking by his side. He found it hard to believe how many noodles the other could eat without getting tired of them. "Yep!" the latter affirmed cheerfully and giggled. "Could we eat something else, at least today?" the king suggested. The Italian, however, seemed to get hurt by the mere idea. "Bu-But..." Feliciano started, looking at him with sad doggy eyes that had never failed him before. Ludwig felt uncomfortable from that gaze of fake suffering. "Ah... let luck decide," he said, taking a coin out of his pocket. But before he could throw it, Feliciano intervened.  "The one who arrives home first, decides what we'll eat!" Having said that, the teenager rushed away, as though being chased by the devil. "Wait, this is not fair!" Ludwig screamed, running after him, determined to not eat any pasta that day, but Feliciano was just too fast. Where did he get that velocity from? He couldn't remember his jack to be that fast... or maybe, his servant had simply always let him win. "Ve~ faster, Lud, or we'll eat pasta the entire week," the boy threatened him with a diet consisting only of flour and tomato sauce for another seven days. So now they were running almost at the same speed, forcing themselves to become faster than the other, panting and laughing out from time to time. They were also ocassionally shoving each other, trying to slow down the opponent. Their goal, the house's facade, was getting closer and closer. Ludwig moved his chest a bit forward, in an attempt to gain some distance, and he almost did it, if it wasn't for the giddy Feliciano who tripped at the last moment, falling face down, but managing to touch the door first. "Are you alright?" asked Ludwig, without being able to suppress his laughter, while helping the other rise to his feet. "Yes, I won!" said the Italian, getting up and shaking the dust from his clothes. Then he opened the door and entered the house. The telephone was ringing, so Feliciano went ahead to answer it. "Hello?" he said, picking up the phone, without being able to hide his smile getting a bit weaker. This was noticed by the king, who went to the living room to sit down and catch his breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. And how was it for you?" the Italian continued the call, wrapping the cable around his finger while listening. "Ve~... yes, that's great." He forced himself to sound happy. "Me too..." He looked more and more down. "Yes, see you in a few days... mom..." It seemed to be very difficult for him to pronounce the last word, so much that he even grimaced as though he was in pain. Then he hung up and turned around to Ludwig, who hadn't taken his eyes off him in all that while. "Were this your parents?" the king asked. "They're not my parents!" Feliciano snapped, baffling Ludwig a bit. "Ah... sorry... they're my guardians, who wanted to know if everything was alright." He sat down next to the king, who was still panting a bit. "Are you okay? Was this too much for you?" Feliciano changed the topic. "Just a bit... I haven't run like this in a long time. I used to do these kinds of competitions together with my jack," the other said, smiling as he remembered these days with his servant. "Tell me about it!" Feliciano suddenly started to beg, lifting his feet on the couch and approaching the king. "Tell me about your jack. How did you two become friends?" he wanted to know. Ludwig thought for a moment. Just how had their relationship started? For the king, it was perhaps just a bond between a lord and his servant... but His Majesty didn't know that this wasn't the case for his jack, and hadn't been for a long time... The King of Hearts didn't have a clue about the other version of his and his jack's story: "Feliciano, what are you doing?" asked Lovino his twin brother one morning, startling him. "No-Nothing, ve~" answered the latter, quickly letting down his shirt again and stopping to examine his chest, a bit disappointed that the red heart symbol hadn't appeared there yet. However, he was almost sure that, one day, it would. "Stop your self-exploring and go to work," the older one commanded. Feliciano pouted. This was the modest life of the Vargas brothers, the twins who were orphans, living in a simple house in the countryside, just two inhabitants of the Kingdom of Hearts. The older one, Lovino, was working in the fields, and Feliciano as a servant in the palace where he had met Ludwig when they had been small. The king and him had soon become inseparable, though he had to talk to His Majesty in secret due to his low position, when the old jack wasn't looking. But the latter had died a few months ago due to an illness, so the palace was now searching for a substitute. Which wasn't easy, since that title carried a lot of responsibility with it: the jack had to be the king's advisor, guardian and confidant, a position that couldn't be occupied by any random person. "I'm off to work, brother," said Feliciano that morning, giving Lovino a surprise hug and kissing him on the cheek. "Stop that, you idiot!" The older twin scolded and kicked him. The other skillfully dodged the attack and hurried to the palace that was a bit far away from their home. Feliciano, however, liked the way, since he was always leaving his house one hour before sunrise and was able to admire the beautiful purple and rose-colored sky at dawn. He loved looking up and seeing a landscape as though someone had spilled paint on the white canvas of the firmament... not willing to trade that for anything... Feliciano always arrived on time to perform his duties and also to be the first one to greet the king while the latter was having his breakfast. "Good morning, Majesty!" he said with that cheerful tone of his, carrying the food tray to Ludwig, who couldn't help but show a very discreet smile each time he heard Feliciano greet him in the morning. Since their childhood, Feliciano had always been the only one to make an effort to socialize with him beyond all duties and obligations. "Good morning," Ludwig answered, watching the boy place the plates and cutlery in front of him on the table and serve him tea with the utmost care. "Ve~ will you be very busy today as well?" asked the servant, looked around, hoping that no one was near, and then shamelessly sat down on one of the empty chairs next to the king. "Yes... there are always new issues to handle," replied the latter. "What kind of issues?" Feliciano inquired, always interested in everything that had to do with His Majesty, and Ludwig patiently gave him answers while the servant was listening to him with a smile, without interrupting. Sometimes, Ludwig had the thought that this boy was too curious, but didn't know that Feliciano was doing all of this on purpose, knowing very well that the king only spoke when it was necessary... and the servant wanted him to speak, to pronounce these things the court never allowed him to say, to express his feelings and joy. Everything! And he also wanted to get to know him better with the help of his innocent questions, to be the only one in the entire palace to know every small detail about His Majesty, as though he wanted to own them... Feliciano sometimes felt so selfish for having thoughts like that, but couldn't help it... he just loved him way too much. But each time they were talking, someone had to arrive and interrupt them, to scold Feliciano for his audacity to sit next to the king as if they were equals. When that happened, Feliciano always laughed nervously and left, however somehow managed to escape from his work for a moment and sneak into Ludwig's rooms to continue their conversation, unless the other was truly occupied. And when that happened, he just continued his duties, wishing for time to pass faster, so he could see King Ludwig again. "Majesty... have you ever thought about what kind of person you want your queen to be?" he asked him one day while the king was having a short break and sitting in the garden and Feliciano trimming the roses. "I must admit that I have not," Ludwig answered, watching him cut some thorns off the plants. "Why, Your Majesty? One day, your queen is going to appear," said Feliciano, rather thinking about himself than any other person. "I know... but I really do not think that much about it," replied the king. "This is just another imposition." He briefly closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Does that mean that you don't want to get married?" questioned Feliciano, stopping his task for a moment. "It does not matter whether I want it or not, it is my obligation." Ludwig averted his gaze from Feliciano's curious eyes, that sometimes seemed to be able to decipher him without a problem. "But it does, Your Majesty... it is your life, after all," muttered the servant, looking at him with a bit of sadness. The king directed his eyes back to him, with that firm, sometimes almost cold gesture of his. "Yes, my life. The life of a king, nothing more," he corrected the boy, who felt slight sorrow as he heard that. "Majesty... if you were given the opportunity to choose between being born as a king or as a normal person, what would you take?" he asked. The king frowned a bit. "There is no right to choose, Feliciano... everything has already been decided, so questions like these are pointless." And with these words, he left. Feliciano had wanted to say something else... still feeling sad, because there were times when he could see a hint of melancholy in the king's light-blue eyes... always wondering what Ludwig would have probably chosen. And inevitably, the evenings came and Feliciano had to head home, this time under a black sky full of stars and accompanied by some fireflies flying around the bushes. The crickets were singing and Feliciano looking up at the sky… trying to count all the small shining dots before arriving at his house and being received by his exhausted brother and sometimes also by Antonio, the twins’ childhood friend… and maybe more than just a friend for Lovino. Feliciano giggled as he spotted Antonio hugging Lovino in front of their modest home and the older twin reluctantly accepting it. At least, until he noticed his brother’s presence and roughly and abruptly shoved Antonio away. The latter turned around to Feliciano and smiled nervously. “Good evening, Feli,” he said, while Lovino was blushing so hard that the color of his cheeks could compete with the light of the fireflies. “Ve~ good evening, Antonio,” the younger twin greeted back, trying to hold back his laughter due to his brother’s reactions. “Ah… nice to see you, but you two must be tired, so I better leave. Have a good rest,” Antonio said hastily. Lovino pretended to ignore him, and the two brothers finally entered. Feliciano decided to keep quiet, knowing that his brother was always denying everything and becoming angry when his relationship with Antonio was mentioned. So they just ate dinner in peace, telling each other a bit about their day, and as usual, Feliciano didn’t stop talking about the king. Lovino found his brother’s odd fixation with His Majesty extremely annoying, but obviously couldn’t say anything bad about the king if he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders. Around midnight, the two brothers went to sleep in that old bed where they had been sleeping together with their grandpa during their entire childhood. The older one was tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, while Feliciano was lying on his back and staring at the ceiling and some cobwebs in the corner of the wall. “Brother…” he suddenly called the other, who let out a grumble as a sign that he was listening. “Do you think that our lives are predetermined?” Lovino turned around to face him, frowning. "Everyone's doing what they want with their life," he answered dryly, typical for him. "But maybe there are things we can't change after all. Like His Majesty who didn't choose to become king," Feliciano said, looking at his brother, who rolled his eyes. The king again. "That's something else, the kings aren't like us," Lovino replied, lifting the blanket to cover himself better from the cold. "Are they really that different?" the younger twin asked, unconsciously placing his hand on his chest. "Yes, their destiny has already been decided, and they can't do anything to change it." Lovino closed his eyes, trying to sleep. "So... does that mean that their lives are connected to someone else through that same destiny, as well?" Feliciano continued with his questions. "Exactly... this is the reason the queen's mark exists." Lovino was grateful that Feliciano didn't say anything after hearing that, but didn't notice that the latter was smiling, his hand still lying on his chest... Perhaps, his life was connected to King Ludwig's, and the appearance of the queen's mark on his skin would be the ultimate proof that they were made to be together... and their bond would become even stronger. The days kept passing and Feliciano living in his own illusion, daydreaming about the king... until one day, one normal day like any other, his illusions were shattered. That morning, Lovino had gotten up earlier than him, surely in order to head to the fields together with Antonio (if they only knew how obvious they were). Feliciano jumped out of bed and ran up to the mirror to check once again whether the queen's mark had appeared on his body... no, it hadn't... there was no red heart symbol. The boy was disheartened, but then shook his head and patted his cheeks to cheer himself up and continue with yet another work day. So he got dressed and quickly left his house, being greeted by that giant sky, as always. "Feli!" he suddenly heard Antonio call and saw him running towards him with a big smile on his face. "Ve~ hello, Antonio," Feliciano greeted him back. Antonio was going so fast that he almost fell, but luckily managed to stop in time. "Feli, today, you have to congratulate His Majesty," he said, grabbing the other by his shoulders. "Why? Today's not his birthday, ve~." "Didn't you hear it, Feli?!" asked Antonio with surprise and smiled even wider. "The Queen of Hearts was found, the mark has appeared on someone's body!" This was the exact moment where Feliciano stopped breathing for a moment, feeling his soul being ripped out, together with his heart... his body froze, and his mouth forgot how to speak. "I heard it yesterday on my way home, everybody was talking about it. They said that the queen's from the eastern part of the kingdom and will arrive at the palace today," Antonio continued, without realizing that he was destroying Feliciano with every word he spoke. "Today?.. At the palace?" the latter forced himself to let out, becoming aware of the meaning of it. "I have to go!" He finally freed himself from the other's grip and ran to the palace, as fast as he could. He wasn't able to believe what Antonio had said, this just couldn't be true, right? It couldn't be that the king was fated to be with someone else, with someone he didn't even know! With someone who didn't know him like Feliciano did! The world couldn't be that unfair, that just couldn't be happening, that someone came and took away the person he loved, the one so many of his dreams had been dedicated to! No! But as soon as he arrived near the palace, he managed to spot the end of the caravan that was welcoming the new queen, and felt even colder. His hands were like ice cubes, tears were uncontrollably running over his face and his whole body was trembling... no, no, no, no... Someone had to wake him up! To tell him that this wasn't true... He wiped the tears off with his sleeve and entered the palace through the back door, meant for the servants... not through the front door... like the queen. He did not deign to greet the others who were in a hurry to arrange everything for the queen, who was already there. Feliciano just wanted to see, just wanted to meet that person who had ripped his heart apart and stolen his dreams and everything that was making him smile. He had to meet the one who had been chosen by destiny and gotten everything he was wishing for! So, ignoring everybody, he walked through the palace's hallways, spotting King Alfred, who was visiting and talking to some servants about how exciting it was to witness the discovery of a queen. These words were hurting Feliciano like knives, and he moved faster, until he finally arrived in front of the room where he knew he would find the new royal. Not caring for any manners, he entered it without knocking, his breathing fast and his eyes red from all the crying. The black-haired young man inside did a jump and reflexively covered his chest. Feliciano promptly forgot his temporary grudge and resentment... as he saw the other's scared face and the way his hands were clinging to his clothes, wanting to hide his mark... with eyes looking like he might have been crying as well. "Are you... the queen?" asked the servant. The other nodded hesitantly. "Where are your manners, bursting in like that, aru?" the Jack of Spades complained. What was King Alfred's servant doing there? No, that didn't matter... nothing mattered to Feliciano anymore. "Excuse me," was everything he could utter, dedicated a last glance at the new queen, who had his hands still buried in his clothes, and left the room, closing the door. Then he dragged himself forward a few steps, slumped to the ground and started crying again. How could he be that dumb? That guy was not to blame... perhaps he didn't wish to be queen at all... maybe that mark had destroyed his dreams as well as Feliciano's, separating him from someone and forcing him to fulfill a destiny he had never asked for... it was all so unfair... fate was so cruel. "Feliciano! Why are you lying around here? Get up, boy, you have to go to His Majesty," one of the servants ordered, pulling his arm. Feliciano got scared... horribly scared to have to face the king, now that he knew that he would never get the chance to share his life with him... scared that his pain would make him scream out his feelings towards him. But he still had no other choice than to get up and to make his body walk... to the king's room... and to do something that would maybe torture him now the most: smile. "Majesty," he called, trying to sound normal. Ludwig looked a bit relieved as he saw him. "I just heard the good news. Congratulations!" Feliciano said, feeling these words eating at him deep from the inside. The king suddenly seemed more serious than usual. "Thanks," he said curtly, turning his back to him. "I... wish you two the greatest happiness," Feliciano continued, and this was the moment his heart shattered completely, making him think that he would never be able to glue it back together. King Ludwig didn't respond, neither even look at him. There was silence, a silence that seemed to stop every word the two of them were wanting to say and yell out at that moment... and it won. Nobody pronounced even a word. "Majesty..." Feliciano finally called him again, and Ludwig turned around. "I want to become your jack." This sentence was pronounced suddenly, without any thoughts, like a last, desperate wish. "What?" inquired the very surprised Ludwig, seeing Feliciano's determination. "I gave you that promise a long time ago, do you remember? That I would always be by your side... and the only way to do it would be by becoming your jack. Please allow me to be your most faithful servant, the only one who will always be with you, no matter what," said the latter, looking directly into his eyes and without the slightest doubt. If he couldn't be queen, then he would find another way to be by His Majesty's side... even if that meant that his losses would be larger than his gains. "No!" screamed Lovino as soon as he heard about Feliciano's decision. "But brother, the king has already accepted." "No, no, no, no! You will not become the damn jack of that... king." The older one managed to stop himself before an insult could escape his mouth. "But brother, I've already taken that decision! Why are you against it?" the younger one faced him. "Because you'd have to leave everything behind by becoming a jack! Feliciano, you have to understand that this is no just like being a normal servant as you are now, no! You'd have to live in the palace and give up your whole life! You'd only exist to serve the king!" "Yes, I know." "So why do you want to do it, then? Why do you want to abandon everything you have only to get that position?" Lovino looked at his brother with sorrow... staring into his eyes as if he was reading his mind... "No... don't tell me that it's because of that... not with the king..." He started to see the real reason behind Feliciano's sudden decision. The latter didn't reply, simply averting his gaze. Lovino placed his hands on his head, suppressing a furious scream. "All the more reason for me to not let you go! You can't waste your entire life for a guy who doesn't know anything about you, only thinking of you as a mere servant!" The older twin stood in front of the door to not let the younger one leave. "Brother, enough! It has already been decided, I will go." "No! I won't allow it... first, our parents, then grandpa... and now you as well, Feliciano. How many more times do I have to be abandoned?" Lovino suddenly asked, lowering his head and finally admitting his real fear. "Ve~ brother." Feliciano approached him. "I could never abandon you." He ran his hands through his twin's hair. "You're doing it right now," said Lovino, feeling the touch of his brother's fingers and then the other's forehead on his. "No... I'm just taking the path I have chosen for myself. Brother..." Feliciano raised Lovino's face to look him better into the eyes. "No matter how much I love His Majesty, you will always be my other half." He closed his eyes, stroking Lovino's cheeks. "We have spent our entire life together without being separated for even a day, and though my decision is forcing me to go far away, I will never abandon you. How could I, if I'm not whole without you?"  The older one also put his hands on the head of his brother. His dumb little brother who had grown up without him even realizing it. "And besides, you have Antonio," added Feliciano playfully. Lovino did a jump, his face turning a bright red. "What does this idiot have to do with it?" he asked nervously, making his brother laugh and wrap him into a hug... maybe he just wanted to remind him that he would still be in good hands even without him. And like this, his new duty began. Soon, the morning of King Ludwig's and Queen Kiku's wedding day arrived. Feliciano was standing in his new room in the palace and looking at himself in the mirror, not searching for a mark that would never appear anymore, but just arranging his blood-red outfit and putting on the beret with the heart symbols on it. These clothes were identifying him as the second-closest person to the king: the Jack of Hearts, who was hiding secrets under his uniform and also feelings he had to seal by a vow of silence, subjected to a masochistic and self-imposed duty. "And in the end, Feliciano decided to become my jack in order to keep that promise he gave me when we were children, the promise to always stay by my side," Ludwig finished his narration, noticing that Feliciano seemed to be holding back tears. "W-What is the matter?" the king asked, startled, seeing that the boy's jaw was trembling and a few little tears escaping his eyes. "Ludwig, you're so stupid!" the Italian yelled, punching the other in the chest. "Why?" asked the confused king, barely feeling the weak hits. "The jack didn't keep any promise, he just wanted to be with you!" Feliciano kept hitting him, now crying bitterly. "How, just how can you be so dumb not to notice that he's in love with you?!" he screamed. Ludwig froze... his eyes widened, and his heart stopped for a moment... he wasn't able to utter a word and just listening to Feliciano's crying, while the latter suddenly started to feel a horrible pain in his chest... as though he himself was going through the ordeal of an unrequited love... as though he was the jack, who was suffering from his feelings towards the king.