House of Cards

Everyone went quiet after Gilbert's sudden confession. Not because they were that surprised, but because they really didn't know what to say, until the joker himself suddenly burst out laughing in order to break the tension. "Kesesese... Feli, I believe I owe you a long explanation," he said, scratching the back of his head and laughing as if it was just a casual conversation. But to his surprise, Feliciano giggled as well. "Oh yes, you do. Let's sit down and talk a bit, what do you think?" he invited the joker, pointing at the inside of the church and trying to not stare at the other's horns, for that might probably be rude. "Wait, Feliciano, this guy is dangerous," Ludwig tried to stop him. "No, we're not!" Peter objected, being so offended by that comment that he was about to start a discussion with the king. Feliciano, however, didn't allow it. "Ve~ sorry, Ludwig, but... could you wait for me at home? I have the impression that this Gilbert's not a bad person, and I'd like to talk to him," he asked, slightly embarrassed and casting a quick look at the albino, who had already heard something similar before. "But..." the king tried to protest. "Please," he was interrupted by Feliciano, who folded his hands in an imploring gesture.  "Let's go, Your Majesty... we don't have any business in here," said Peter, glaring at Gilbert as angrily as he could, but the latter just smiled apologetically at him. He was well-aware of how furious the boy was with him. "I am not going to leave them alone! I do not trust that joker," Ludwig kept protesting, so Peter wrapped his tail around the king's wrist in order to drag him away. "Me neither, but that matter's really not our business. However, you can rest assured: if Gilbo should do anything to Feliciano, then that poor devil won't get away with it, that I can promise you," Peter commented, clearly threatening Gilbert, who preferred not to say anything, the boy was just too angry right now. Being dragged away by his wrist, Ludwig directed a suspicious gaze at the albino and then at Feliciano, who smiled at him to let him know that everything would be alright. The king didn't want to leave them alone and even less after the joker's words... he wanted to deny it, but... he was feeling jealous. And while he was slowly led away from Feliciano and Gilbert, he was attacked by another thought: whom did his jealousy actually refer to? Feliciano... or the Jack of Hearts? He looked over his shoulder at the Italian and didn't know what to answer to that question himself, while Feliciano looked at Ludwig as well, managing to spot the doubtful and almost troubled expression on the latter's face. "Let's go," Gilbert snapped him out of his thoughts, starting to head inside the church. The teenager followed him, they sat down on the last bench, and gazed at the saints and virgins, who had a bunch of burning candles at their feet, each of them representing a request, a wish for a wonder to occur. There was silence, until Feliciano finally dared to speak.  "So... you're from the same kingdom as Ludwig," he commented. Gilbert shook his head. "No, I'm from everywhere and also from nowhere," he replied like some kind of riddle. "We jokers don't belong anywhere... but when I met you, I started wishing to belong somewhere for the very first time, to your world, at least. What nonsense, right?" His laughter provoked an echo in the completely quiet church. "Why? Why is it nonsense to want to be with the person you love?" Feliciano asked softly, staring at the ground and nervously playing with his fingers. The slightly baffled Gilbert leaned his arms against the bench before him, placed his chin on top of them and took another look at the crucified man, who was staring down at everyone with a hint of compassion. "Because it's impossible... and it's stupid to wish for something impossible to happen," Gilbert said with a long sigh. "Feliciano, would you let me tell you my story?" he asked. The other finally raised his gaze and nodded. Gilbert let out another sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, seeing himself on the rural roads of the Kingdom of Hearts with Peter running after him. The landscape was green as far as the eye could see, the path they were walking on was marked by the carriages that constantly passed and just a few humble little houses could be seen from the distance. The albino was hiding his horns under the hood of a long tunic, and Peter wearing a simple hat that was too large for him and kept sliding from his head. And both their tails were also hidden under their clothes. "Where are we going this time?" Peter inquired, finally catching up with the older joker, who thoughtfully raised his hand to his chin. "To the palace of Hearts," he answered after a short while. "Yay! They always have great food there!" the boy rejoiced. His stomach was growling loudly from hunger. "And besides, I want to meet the new queen and the new jack, there are rumors that the latter is so dumb he can't even take care of himself. I'd love to see how His Majesty Ludwig is putting up with a servant like that, kesesese!" Gilbert said in an amused tone. "Then let's hurry! The last one to arrive won't get anything to eat!" Peter yelled and suddenly started running, leaving Gilbert behind in a matter of seconds. "Wait, you brat!" the latter snapped and followed the little one. Gilbert and Peter were the two last jokers still left in that world. Jokers were creatures, who had been used as tools by the four kings, and hunted down and finished off one by one after the end of the wars for being considered a potential threat due to not being loyal to a single kingdom. People thought they were all eliminated by now, however, Gilbert managed to survive. Being still just a child, he escaped from said hunt and started wandering around, now an orphan and homeless. But he didn't stay alone for long: two years later, he reached a small village that was on fire and suddenly heard crying. Without thinking twice and despite his fear, he ran into one of the wooden houses and managed to save a blond baby with blue eyes, horns and a tail... the other jokers in the village were already dead, including the little one's parents. This is how Gilbert's and Peter's story began. They basically grew up together, fending for themselves, and making use of every trick possible to survive, from being traveling actors to expert thieves. And at the same time they were also using their abilities as jokers which they had learned from some books they had stolen from nobles' houses, becoming more and more skillful as time went on. To the point that they even sneaked into the royal palaces, sometimes pretending to be servants, other times people of the court, or simply walking around without any shame, and hiding when they spotted someone who could catch them. Something that had never happened even once. So here they were now, raiding the palace of Heart’s kitchen. "No clue why they have so much food if they don't even eat it all," said Peter, munching on a gigantic ham as if he wouldn't have anything to eat for the next few days... but well... that possibility could always happen. "Some day they'll choke on it," Gilbert commented, devouring a large roasted chicken and taking big sips out of a bottle of well-aged wine he had found hidden in the back of a pantry. Surely, a little vice of the cook. "And then, another spoiled king will be born," the boy added, frowning and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Manners weren't his forte.  Gilbert was about to say something more, but then they heard approaching steps. The two jokers looked at each other, and, as if they could read the other's mind, stuffed as much food as possible into their clothes and sneaked away from the kitchen, perceiving behind them the shouting of the cook and some servants, who started blaming each other for the stolen food.  The two jokers tried to hold back their laughter while walking through the palace. They had visited it so many times already, that they knew perfectly well on which hallways they could walk without fear of being discovered. The albino was walking with caution, but that didn't stop him from putting a few grapes into his mouth and spitting the seeds on the ground, just like Peter who was having his hands full of food. They even let their tails undulate freely, while heading to a window in order to flee without being seen by the soldiers. However, as they were about to do that, they suddenly spotted the king, the queen and, of course, their jack outside. Gilbert placed his hand on Peter's shoulder to make him stop and indicated to him with a movement of his head to go to the hallway's balcony, where they could see the scene better. King Ludwig's steps were fast as usual, his expression serious and his back straightened. Queen Kiku was walking beside him in silence, hiding his hands in his kimono's sleeves, only revealing them to cover his face with his fan, and the jack was almost running after them in order to not be left behind. He was carrying what appeared to be documents and in such a hurry that he tripped, fell flat on his face and scattered the papers around on the floor. "Feliciano," was everything Ludwig said, in such a deep and serious tone that it made the poor guy tremble. "Ve~... for-forgive me, my lord," he said, still on the ground and trying to pick up the papers. Kiku came closer, wanting to help, but the king stopped him. "He has to learn to be more careful," Ludwig declared, with his back to the jack. Kiku looked at Feliciano with pity, but obeyed Ludwig and followed him. "No clue why he asked for the position of the jack if he cannot handle it... and I hired him," added the king, shaking his head and leaving Feliciano behind. The latter heard every word, of course he did, how couldn't he with the deep voice the king possessed? The Jack of Hearts, who could see nothing but His Majesty's back, continued picking up the documents, forcing himself to hold back a sob. As a jack he had to be dignified, not a crybaby, which, however, was becoming a really difficult task by now.  Gilbert was watching him from above as if he was the most interesting specimen the joker had ever seen. Then he put on a little grin as he noticed how Feliciano was staring at the king's back, a mix of emotions seeming to develop inside the jack's mind. The servant got up, started running again to catch up to his lord, however tripped once more, as if the ground had something against him. What followed were another scolding from His Majesty and another apology from Feliciano, who, despite everything, didn't stop looking at the king with the same affection (and also sadness). “So the rumors are true, what a clumsy jack,” Peter commented, watching the servant carry the now completely disorganized papers with tears in his eyes and walking slower and more carefully. “Don’t you notice it, Peter?” asked Gilbert, who couldn’t help laughing at his own discovery. “Notice what?” the boy inquired with curiosity, still contemplating the scene. The king stopped now, and, letting out a long sigh, approached the jack, helped him arrange the papers and asked him if he was alright… the jack nodded, and his cheeks turned slightly pink, as Ludwig resumed his path again. Feliciano stood there for a moment and pressed the documents against his chest, making it look like he was stopping his heart from jumping out. A pained expression then appeared on his face when he looked in front of him again and saw the king and the queen, who was hiding a discreet smile behind his fan, walk side by side… and Feliciano behind them, as if he would never be able to catch up to his lord. “The way the jack is looking at the king and the king doesn’t even have a clue, kesesese!” Gilbert turned around and left the palace through a window, followed by Peter, while thinking about the amusing show he had just witnessed. Perhaps he would visit that palace more frequently to entertain himself a bit. “I don’t get it. How’s the jack looking at the king?” Peter kept asking him for three days, but Gilbert hadn’t wanted to explain it until the boy would discover it himself, which frustrated the latter a little. They were riding in a carriage. A man was so kind as to agree to bring them to the border of the Kingdom of Spades, so the two jokers were now comfortably lying on some straw bales and watching the sky, feeling the carriage’s movements that made them jump from time to time when the vehicle passed over a stone. “When you’re grown up, you should understand,” commented the albino, enjoying the slight morning breeze and the quiet voyage they had gone on since they couldn’t find anything interesting in the Kingdom of Hearts anymore. “I am grown up already!” the boy snapped, trying to not fall off due to the vehicle’s movements. “Alright, then I guess, you already understood,” Gilbert answered, shrugging. “We’re here, boys!” the man called them, stopping his horses. The jokers sat up, noticing that the landscape had, indeed, changed a bit. Then they jumped off and thanked the man with such an exaggerated bow that they made him laugh. He said goodbye to them raising his hand and resumed his path, however, stopped after a few meters again. "By the way, boys, if you're lucky, you can maybe manage to see the King of Spade's convoy, they say he's going to pass around here this afternoon," the man said, and the two creatures looked at each other with a playful grin. Without wasting any more time, they headed to the kingdom's center. Playing games and doing competitions on the way, they made use of their skillful hands from time to time and stole wallets or little bags with gold coins out of passersby coats. They only robbed wealthy people, but obviously kept the money for themselves, they were no Robin Hoods, after all. Near dusk, they arrived at the public square where people had, indeed, gathered to watch the king's procession: there were soldiers in navy blue and black uniforms, and one could hear their horses and the armors of other soldiers, who were walking by foot. In their middle was the king, riding a black horse, his back straight, and looking at the front, and by his side, his jack, also sitting on a horse. The mysterious expression of the person who was closest to the king made the villagers, who lowered their heads when the royal procession passed them, whisper to each other. Of course, Gilbert and Peter didn't bow, they would never do that to anyone. "Conceited guy," Peter muttered, casting disapproving gazes at the King of Spades, who looked like he had trouble keeping up his proper demeanor. "These kings really lack humility," Gilbert commented, still staring at Alfred, when suddenly somebody, who was in a big hurry, bumped into him, almost making him fall. "Sorry," exclaimed a young guy with emerald eyes and thick eyebrows hastily, trying to make his way through the crowd. "There he is..." Gilbert heard him murmur and saw the guy standing on tiptoes to see Alfred better and smiling brightly when he managed to spot the king's face, his eyes lightening up at the mere sight of the latter. Gilbert eyed him, a bit surprised that someone would look at a dumb king like Alfred with such admiration, at a capricious brat who just wanted to have everything his way and believed himself to be strong without knowing what power even meant. However... there was still something about that green-eyed guy... the joker didn't know exactly what it could be... he was giving the impression of being somehow connected to the king. "Artie's watching his boyfriend, the king again! I told you he would!" another guy yelled out. He looked a bit older than the first one, had bright-red hair and was accompanied by other three, who were red-haired as well. The first one abruptly turned around, blushing so hard, his face was almost shining. "Shut up, Scott!" he commanded. "It's okay, Artie, we'll let you drool over His Majesty a little longer. Maybe you'll manage to fill an entire fountain with your drool, and then you can throw a coin inside and wish to become queen," the one named Scott continued to mock him and laughed with disdain, while "Artie's" face became even redder, this time from rage. "Oh, I can already hear it: From the Kingdom of Spades, King Alfred and Queen Arthur," another one of the boys, who had orangish hair and freckles, continued the joke, and they all laughed.  "Go to hell, Charles," Arthur ordered and attacked the three, who, judging by their green eyes, were his brothers. However, he couldn't do anything, since they attacked him back, before he could even try to hit them, slowly distancing themselves from the crowd. At that time, these boys didn't suspect that what they considered a joke, would soon turn into reality. Gilbert returned his attention to the king, who was watching the four fighting brothers with slight nostalgia, until the jack reprimanded him, telling him to keep his eyes on the road, which the latter did, however, not without a few complaints. Peter, too, was watching that scene of "brotherly love" with such melancholy that it made Gilbert feel a bit bad, since no matter how much of a tutor and big brother he was to the boy, they would never share the same blood. So he took Peter by the hand, snapping him out of his daydream. "Peter, do you know which palace we've never entered before?" Gilbert asked. The little one looked at him, trying to decipher the other's malicious expression. But he knew the answer. "The palace of Clubs," he said, and they both laughed. The most they had approached of said palace before, was its garden, so a new adventure was waiting for them. They had heard so many horrible rumors about the King of Clubs that they never had wanted to take the risk before, but now, they were longing for a bit of danger. They decided to spend the night in a ramshackle inn in the Kingdom of Spades, for which they paid with what they had stolen at the public square. Neither of them was able to sleep due to their excitement, and, instead they were talking about how they would enter the palace and imagining what the king would be like. Perhaps resembling a villain straight from a fairy tale. The next morning greeted them with a heavy storm, but they still headed to the Kingdom of Clubs. Luckily, they met a traveling circus after a few kilometers, and were taken along in exchange for a bit of help. Two days later, they had already arrived, and after a lunch break, decided that they didn't want to wait much longer and headed to the palace, where they would perhaps find something interesting or simply look around and leave. The two jokers managed to enter the garden without any problems, but were immediately forced to hide, since they spotted Queen Elizabetha walking there, accompanied by her jack. "Wow... I've never seen the queen from so close," Peter whispered, being almost able to see the details on her dress. The queen was walking at a fast pace. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Gilbert asked, following the smiling queen with his gaze, as she suddenly took her servant by the hand. The jokers were a bit surprised by that. "Yes, King Ivan's a lucky guy... well, he's the Club, he's lucky from birth," the boy said with slight resentment. The two of them decided to follow the queen first before approaching the palace. It was as if she was playing hide-and-seek, since she entered every corner of that huge garden, dragging Roderich with her, who followed her without any complaint, until they finally reached a little pavilion decorated with colorful flowering vines. "They will see us," the jack said when the queen took both of his hands and pulled him closer, right in the middle of said pavilion. "I don't care," she whispered, raising her face in order to reach Roderich's lips in a shy kiss. He kissed her back, slowly freeing one of his hands to run it over her face. Then he took one of her hair strands, caressing it as well down to the tip, and placed his hand on her hip. The queen took a deep breath, as she felt his chest pressed against hers. Gilbert and Peter both had to cover their mouths in order to not shout out loud. They had never imagined that the Queen of Clubs would have an affair with her jack. What a discovery! The queen and the jack spent another while there until they had to return to the palace, which the jokers took advantage of to sneak in as well. There, they saw the fearsome King Ivan, who was even taller than they had thought and had a childish smile on his face that wasn't reassuring at all. "Elizabetha, I have told you a thousand times to not disappear like that," the imposing man said with his innocent voice when he met her in the same room. "And I have told you that I wouldn't have to disappear if you just had allowed me to leave this palace," she replied with the same smile and in an almost challenging tone, that made Ivan burst out in laughter. Our two little devils, who were watching from a distance, trembled in fear. "And be left here all alone? No, sorry, my dear, but I need someone to share my fate with me," the king said, patting her head. "Oh... my love, but you already are all alone, no matter whether I am here or not," she fired back, dedicating a last smile to him. Ivan glared at her so scarily that Peter even clung to Gilbert's arm, fearing that the king might hit the queen. She, however, didn't even flinch and left the room. Ivan sat down on a big sofa, leaned against its backrest and covered his eyes with his arm... "Yes... I am alone, I know..." he whispered, still smiling despite his broken voice. "A damsel, who is guarded by a dragon and in love with a prince who cannot save her... and an unhappy dragon, who guards the damsel out of fear of being alone... what a fairy tale," Gilbert commented as the jokers decided to leave as well... they had already seen more than enough. They wandered a bit through the Kingdom of Clubs, thinking of all the things they had witnessed and knew they couldn't reveal to anyone if they didn't want their heads to roll over the very square they were walking on. "Gilbert, do you think all the kings are like that? Having that kind of secrets?" Peter asked, remembering Elizabetha's and Roderich's hidden kiss in that garden. "Perhaps," Gilbert replied, thinking of the Jack of Hearts and the latter's obvious love for his king. And the rest of the day was spent in silence. "Hey, Peter, it's been quite some time since we last visited the Kingdom of Diamonds. Let's go see His Majesty Francis, shall we?" Gilbert suggested one morning when they had already run out of money and started globetrotting again. "I don't like that king, he's the worst of them all," the little one complained, pouting. "Nah, he's not that bad," Gilbert said, feeling a strange empathy towards Francis, despite of how arrogant the latter could be. But, oh well, concerning self-conceit, the joker himself was actually way worse. "Alright, but let's steal some jewels from him in exchange for having wasted time in his palace," the boy grumbled, taking long steps. "Don't be like that, Peter, one day we'll even steal the crown from his head, I promise," the older joker said, making Peter laugh, who knew that this was a more than impossible task... or, at least, it seemed so at that time. On their way to the Kingdom of Diamonds, they didn't have the same luck as the last time, since not a single traveler wanted to take them along on their carriage, so they had to walk, spending the nights outdoors. But honestly, that wasn't even so bad; lying on the green grass, they watched the star-spangled sky, sometimes trying to find the constellations, and told each other improvised stories, where they always made themselves the protagonists: the incredible Gilbert and Peter, the lords of the entire Nation of Cards, whom the four kings were serving... in their stories, they weren't jokers, but aces, dominating everything.  Sometimes, these stories were so non-coherent, they couldn't help bursting out laughing, but then, starting to feel the fatigue, they fell asleep just to wake up in their own reality, where they were hunted creatures, without any roots they could cling onto, two guys who could die any moment, and no one would neither notice nor care. And after yet another uncomfortable night, the jokers knew that they would soon arrive to the Kingdom of Diamonds, and, indeed, no more than three hours later, they were already in the town's center, that definitely didn't look like in the other kingdoms: the streets were all paved with tiles, with no discreet at all buildings towering imposingly over them, walls decorated with tilework, and fountains with statues of cherubims and naked women holding vases, from where the water was flowing. It was a quite showy town, but still nothing compared to the palace, where Peter and Gilbert entered, mocking the so-called security, dressed like members of the court, obviously, hiding their horns under some exaggerated hats that some might find elegant, and their tails under the fine fabrics of their clothing. They were walking through the palace, dedicating brief bows to the ladies, who smiled and greeted the two gentlemen, without asking them who they were, perhaps out of politeness. The king himself, in the meantime, was accompanied by his jack. "Vash, has my order arrived already?" he asked, offering seductive looks to the ladies from time to time. "Of course, my lord, it is right now in the main studio room," the servant answered, as serious as always. "Fine," was everything Francis had to say, walking with his head so high, it seemed he was about to fall backwards any moment. "The king is buying useless stuff again... Just how much money can this man waste? I hope he'll be left with nothing one day," Peter spat, crossing his arms. "Just let him fill his emptiness with treasures, even though it's like a bottomless pit... he'll never be able to fill it, no matter how much he possesses," Gilbert commented with his hands on his hips. "Do you really think like this about the king?" a soft female voice asked the jokers, startling them. It belonged to a girl with green eyes and long blond hair, tied up into braids. She was wearing a beautiful orange dress. The guys looked at her, identifying her immediately as the jack's sister, who was famous in the court for being related to the king's servant and of course, for her lineage. "It's not our intention to offend His Majesty, but it clearly looks like that, don't you think so?" Gilbert asked, grinning slightly at her, sure that she, being the jack's sister and part of the court, would never dare to utter a bad opinion about Francis. "Yes, I fully agree with you... His Majesty's eyes seem so empty from time to time... I wonder what he is trying to compensate for with that much gold..." she said, however, running her hand over one of her braids' tips and looking into the direction the king had gone to just now. "Me too," Gilbert muttered, still grinning. "Excuse us, miss, but we have to leave now," he apologized with a small inclination of his head. "No, I ask you to excuse me, I have addressed you like that without even knowing you," she replied with a slight blush on her cheeks, bowing slightly as well. Without being noticed, the two jokers then went to the room where the king was, and started watching from the dark hallway through the crack in the door how His Majesty was skeptically eyeing a row of gorgeous kimonos in front of him. They were all made from the finest silk, giving the impression that they would dissolve at the touch. The king frowned a bit, until his gaze finally fell on a particular one, a black kimono with blood-red heart decorations. They had all the same ones, only the design differed. "This one. Have it sent to Ludwig's new queen, as a humble present from my part," he said. Vash nodded, and the king headed to a divan, slumping down and taking his crown off just to look at it, admiring all the jewels and the shining gold. "Forgive me for saying this, my lord... but is this 'humble present' not a bit too expensive? His Majesty Ludwig can buy his queen objects like that himself," the Jack of Diamonds spoke, always worrying about his lord's excessive expenses. "Oh, Vash, but of course Ludwig can! It is just that he has a bad taste, and besides, everyone likes gifts, and I like to see people happy..." "Or rather to brag with your wealth," Vash objected with a firm gaze at Francis, who let out an elegant laugh. "And what exactly is so bad about that? Humility is nothing more than a mere word that exists solely for adornment... no one is really humble, in the end, we all surrender at the shine of gold," he said, caressing the crown almost lovingly, then smiled and put it back on his head. "Yes, every single person is measured by the amount of their possessions, so you can say that, apart from making others happy, my gifts are an indirect reminder of my position." The king closed his eyes and opened them slightly. "I am worth more than they could ever calculate..." he whispered, and it didn't sound like just any comment... but like something he wanted to convince himself of. "Despicable! What a despicable pig he is," Peter hissed angrily. "What are you really hiding behind your treasures, Majesty?" Gilbert asked, careful to not be heard by the boy. Suddenly, as if it were a mere impulse... or perhaps a silent call, the joker turned around to one side of the hallway. A big library was located at its end... without thinking twice, Gilbert left the child behind and headed there with careful steps. The room's walls were covered with shelves, each of them full of books. Exclusive, unpublished books, thick volumes, bound in leather and with golden pages. But as if someone was whispering into Gilbert's ear, he went directly to a particular one, an old and worn down book without a title. He opened it and, while leafing through it, discovered that it was a book about none other than jokers. One of the chapters, where one of the pages was folded at the corner, was telling about a rarely used ability said creatures possessed: the ability to travel between worlds.  Gilbert's eyes opened wide. Surely, the king had inherited that library, but never taken a look into all these books, the albino, however, was now holding a source of endless possibilities in his hands. Without any hesitation, he took the book, ran out, grabbed Peter, and left the palace together with him so quickly that they even forgot to change back clothes.  The older joker had no clue how long they were running and neither where the hell they had arrived to, he only knew that they were safe in that forest, surrounded by nothing but nature. "Damn you, Gilbert! What the hell happened to you?!" the boy asked, trying to catch his breath. The other shoved him the book almost in the face. “This!” “A book?” Peter inquired incredulously, raising an eyebrow. “Not just any book. Look.” Gilbert leafed through it, until he found the right chapter, and Peter widened his eyes as well. They both knew what that meant. After that, they spent several months practicing that technique, but only managed to teleport through the Nation of Cards. But then, after a bunch of tries and frustration, they finally did it… when the bright light stopped blinding them and their feet touched the ground, they could see the city for the very first time. The sky was of a slightly gray color, the buildings even taller than the ones in the Kingdom of Diamonds, the loud cars startling them more than once, and the people wearing strange clothes. The houses, the landscapes, everything… seeing all this, the jokers couldn’t stop their amazement and excitement. They spent approximately two weeks exploring that place, learning new things, getting familiar with odd devices and idioms, until one day, something unthinkable happened: they met their “other selves” from that world. Their jaws dropped when they spotted another Peter playing in the park, on the swings, wearing a sailor suit. “Gilbert, it’s me, it’s me!” Peter, the joker, exclaimed full of surprise from a roof, tugging at Gilbert’s clothes. The latter couldn’t believe his eyes either, as he watched the other boy laughing loudly on the swings. Suddenly, the second Peter’s hat that matched his outfit flew away, and the two jokers opened their mouths even more: he had neither horns nor a tail… but instead something else that the first Peter desired more than anything. “Peter!” another voice called. The aforementioned one jumped from the swing and headed with a smile to an intimidating blond man with blue eyes and glasses, who gently put the hat back on his head. “Thanks, dad,” the child responded and took the man’s hand. They started walking together. “Dad…” the little joker repeated, watching the scene with such sadness, that Gilbert quickly had to think of something so the younger one wouldn’t start crying then and there. “I…!” he suddenly yelled out, making the boy turn around with tears in his eyes that he was holding in. “I… I…” Gilbert rolled his eyes, thinking of what to say. “Maybe I have a look-alike as well,” he finally continued. And as if these were the needed magical words, Peter wiped his eyes and smiled. "We have to find him, I'm sure he is somewhere out there," he said, still wiping his eyes. "I can't even imagine you without horns." "I'd still look stunning, that you can be sure of, kesesesese." And thus, the two of them decided to look for the other Gilbert. They went back and forth in the city, with their visits to that world becoming more and more frequent, until reaching a point where they were spending several days there, sometimes even an entire week with the pretext of looking for the second Gilbert. And one day, they found him: he was walking calmly on a street. "Wow, Peter, look how handsome I am... if it wasn't myself, I'd have already fallen in love," said the joker, carefully following that other version of him. "Both of you have the same stupid face, just as expected," Peter replied, earning himself a bump on the head from the older one, who followed the second Gilbert's every step, until reaching a certain orphanage... "Gilbo!" exclaimed a brown-haired guy with green eyes. "Hey, Toño, be thankful that the Awesome Me has decided to make his appearance. You promised to pay me, remember?" said the other Gilbert, being hugged by that Toño. "Yes, Arthur has brought us some books, and we need a hand with them. Oh, look, Feli and Lovi are already here." And this was the moment our devil fell in love. "The Jack of Hearts," Peter said, excited, as he recognized Feliciano, who rushed with full speed at the other Gilbert and wrapped him in a big hug. The other immediately hugged him back, despite Lovino scolding and trying to separate them, but being calmed down by Antonio. That Feliciano... was identical to the jack, but... at the same time, different: it was his expression, his happy smile lighting up his entire face that made Gilbert speechless. The joker was watching him laugh loudly without any restraint, hug everyone, including his brother, and even give the latter playful kisses on the cheek. That Feliciano wasn't a sad boy who forced himself to smile at his one-sided love... no, he was full of life. "Could you stop wasting time and come help me already?" a grumpy voice said. It belonged to a blond green-eyed man, who was accompanied by a boy with glasses, who was quiet and barely noticeable by the others. Such a shy, timid child, it was almost depressing. "That guy, I've already seen him somewhere..." the joker said suddenly, averting his gaze from Feliciano. "Yes... in the Kingdom of Spades, I'm sure of it," he muttered, but then shrugged off the matter. They spent that afternoon there, watching how things were going in the orphanage, and Gilbert's attention was setting more and more on the young Italian as time passed. When it finally got dark, some said goodbye, and others went to bed; Antonio and Gilbert left the orphanage, walked a few blocks and met a young woman with blond hair and green eyes, who was dressed in white. They accompanied her to another huge building with white walls, and the two jokers decided to spy on them for just a bit longer, for there was someone else on said building's roof: a young blond guy with green eyes, who was sitting on the ground with a letter on his lap. "Feliks! What are you doing here? It's late, you should be in your room right now," the young woman scolded him. He laughed sheepishly and got up. "I was writing a letter to Toris, he's, like, so mean, not writing to me at all. And he hasn't called me, either! Not even once! I mean, yeah, he's probably suffering just like I do, but still," the guy complained, moving his long hair behind his shoulder and ignoring the woman's sad expression, who was listening to him without saying anything. "Emma," he addressed her then. "Do me, like, a super favor, and send away that letter. Like my personal love messenger, that'll be so romantic! Please!" he asked her, placing the letter into her hands with a big smile, going from ear to ear. The sadness on her face became even more noticeable, especially when Feliks looked up at the sky. "I want him to know that I'm waiting for him... that I will wait for him even, like, a thousand years. He's going to come... my prince is going to come for me..." "A lunatic waiting for an illusion... how sad," Gilbert commented, while watching the woman leave the roof, head to her office and put the letter into her desk drawer... as there was no recipient. The days passed, and being in that city had somehow become a routine already. Gilbert entertained himself by spying on all the people he found interesting, especially Feliciano, and Peter accompanied him faithfully, but sometimes they also split and went their own ways... and time was passing and passing. Up until the point where Gilbert had already forgotten about Arthur, Feliks, Antonio, Matthew, Lovino and the other Gilbert... and was watching no one else but Feliciano, while Peter was visiting the place where his "double" lived. The two of them had also forgotten about the Nation of Cards, even starting to wear that world's clothes: a black sweatshirt, pants and boots. Making use of their histrionic talents, they managed to blend in with the people... resembling two jesters, who were trying to pass off as members of the court, whom they were entertaining, but in reality just wanted to become a part of that world while observing the objects of their desire and starting to live in dreams that would never lead anywhere. Peter was sometimes closing his eyes and imagining himself in the other Peter's place, receiving the love of these two parents, while Gilbert could watch all day how Feliciano was having fun with his brother, whom he kept hugging all the time. "Feliciano, are you happy?" Lovino asked his brother one day, not suspecting that someone was listening to their conversations every evening. "Ve~ of course, brother," the younger one replied. The twins were lying in a bunk bed, Lovino in the lower one, and Feliciano in the one on top, so the latter was now looking down on the former. "Even though we're in an orphanage and are going to get kicked out in a year?" Lovino continued. Feliciano let his hand hang out of the bed, as if expecting Lovino to take it. "I don't care. I am happy, because we haven't been together since grandpa died... ve~… we've been in so many foster homes and with so many foster families that I really thought I would never see you again and that scared me so much. But now, we were finally sent to the same place." Feliciano stretched his hand out even further, still looking at his brother. "Fratello... I don't want us to be separated again. No matter if we have to live in an orphanage or on the streets... if I'm with you, I'm alright," he said in a sweet voice and put on a little smile. Lovino took his hand. "This time, no one's going to separate us," the older one said, smiling as well. The younger one jumped from his bed, in order to lie down with his brother.  "That's true. Because you are my other half, brother," he replied, grabbing the blanket and covering them both, while Lovino looked at him with curiosity. "You know what, brother? The last time Arthur came, he told me a story about a time where people were creatures with four hands, four legs and two heads... but then the gods decided to separate them... and now it's our destiny to always look for our other half..." Feliciano searched for Lovino's hands under the blanket. "I feel so lucky that the gods allowed me to already be born with my other half, so I don't have to look for them." He intertwined his fingers with his brother's. But the latter gave him a light headbutt, making the younger one whine a bit. "Don't be stupid, Veneziano, there's only one god," Lovino said. Feliciano laughed and nodded, thinking that it didn't matter to him how many gods there were... as long as the two of them could be together. "By the way, brother: did you hear what Antonio said this afternoon?" Feliciano asked once more. The other shook his head. "He said that a couple was interested in adopting us, that they don't care about our age," Feliciano said, excited. "And do you want a new family?" Lovino asked, worried. "I just want to be with you, you are my family." And with these words, they ended their conversation. Gilbert, in the meantime, was sitting on the windowsill, running his hand over his tail and wondering whether that myth was true and everyone really possessed a second half... if it was, and Feliciano had his brother... then whom did he, Gilbert, have? Shrugging off these stupid ideas, the joker shook his head. It was just a story, after all. Then he waited until he heard the twins' soft breathing as they fell into a deep sleep, and carefully entered the room. Seeing Feliciano sleep so calmly, as if nothing could bother him, Gilbert moved his bangs to the side in order to see his face better... What were these feelings? That crazy beating in his chest and that tingling in his stomach?  Yes, the devil, the jester, who was able to disguise himself as a noble... the nomadic joker... was truly in love. The days turned into weeks and the weeks into months without them setting foot into the Nation of Cards... but that didn't matter, they didn't belong there, anyway... however, neither in the world they were now, a little detail they easily forgot when they were watching the reasons they stayed there. But things had changed by now: while Gilbert was longing for Feliciano, who was often visited by an older couple, Peter was getting sadder and sadder... he almost didn't laugh anymore, his eyes had taken on a reddish color, perhaps due to all the hours he had spent crying, he was walking listlessly, stopped jumping from roof to roof, and even his tail was being dragged pitifully along the ground. It was as if seeing every day another version of himself enjoy a life he had always wanted, was slowly destroying him. Well, no matter how hard we try to close our eyes and cling to our dreams, there will always be a moment when we are forced to wake up. It's impossible to live in fantasies, reality is chasing everyone without mercy. Gilbert had noticed this and very reluctantly suggested to Peter to go back and leave that world. The boy looked at him with doubt: didn't the older one want to continue watching Feliciano? But then he realized that Gilbert was doing it for him, in order to free him from these stupid daydreams that didn't do anything but make him suffer and long for the impossible. It was true that hope died last, but at the same time, it was also the best instrument for torture. So one day, they did decide to go back. Just to be faced with the news that the new Queen of Diamonds had been discovered, and it was none other than the jack's sister. There were rumors that this was all a fraud, that the noble family had created an elaborate plan to deceive the king, who showered the girl with gifts as soon as he heard the notice. But maybe this was exactly the reason the rumors had started in the first place: jealousy. "Then the Queen of Spades is the only one still left to be found," Peter commented as the jokers were already returning to their old routine, walking through the Kingdom of Spades and eating fruit they had taken from some farm. They hadn't done things like that for a long time, and Peter managed to distract himself a bit from his depression, when they had run away from the farmer who yelled a bunch of insults and swear words at them. "True, but I have a strange feeling about that," Gilbert said, taking one of the oranges Peter was carrying. The boy looked at him questioningly. "I think I know who might become the next queen," the older joker added, peeling the fruit on the way. "Bragger. Of course you don't," the other objected, throwing the peels on the ground. "Wanna bet?" "What do you want to lose, Gilbert?" the little one asked with a malicious grin, gradually regaining his spirits. "I'll become your slave for an entire week," the albino suggested. Peter accepted, and the two of them shook hands to seal the deal. "So who do you think is going to be queen?" Peter inquired. The other's smile became wider. "Arthur... this world's Arthur," Gilbert replied, and Peter didn't look that excited anymore. "Shall we pay him a visit?" After some hesitation, the boy accepted. Huge was their surprise (even Gilbert's) when that prediction actually came true. Even though the joker had been sure since the day of the procession that that young man was destined to be with the king, so sure he could bet his very life on it. It had all begun one afternoon: it was almost getting dark, and the jokers had spent quite some time looking for that Arthur's farm until they finally found it. That day, the oldest and the youngest son of the family had finished their tasks first, and were now racing to the lake, as usual. "You're running like a girl, Artie," Scott was provoking his brother, undressing on the run in order to jump into the water, while Arthur was trying to catch up, taking his shirt off as well. Hopping on one foot, Scott took his boots off and then also his pants, staying only in his underwear. His other clothes were scattered all over the way. "I won!" he screamed, wrapping his arms around his legs and jumping into the lake, and Arthur cursed for never being able to defeat his older brother, who also moved to the deepest part of the lake on purpose, knowing that Arthur couldn't swim very well and would never follow him there. Having stopped running, Arthur undressed as well and plunged into the water. Both brothers emerged from under the water at the same time, throwing their hair back and rubbing their faces. The younger one was in a less deep part of the lake where the water was barely going up to his waist, while Scott, who was swimming somewhere else, suddenly spotted something looking like a stain from the distance. A big one. "Arthur, come here," he ordered in a not very polite tone. "How about you come here?", Arthur replied, thinking that the other was planning to play a joke on him again. "You're so delicate..." Scott grumbled, swimming towards him and then roughly raising his brother's arm to have a better look at his side. Then he fell silent. "What's the matter?" Arthur asked, seeing his brother with perplexed face and wide opened eyes trying to say something, but to no avail. So Arthur looked at himself as well and discovered the black spade symbol on his skin for the first time. "The queen's mark..." Scott muttered, his eyes still opened wide like plates. "Stop joking around! You drew this on me!" Arthur yelled, shoving his brother and trying to wash the mark off. That wouldn't be the first time for Scott and his other brothers to do something like that to him. When he had still been a child, they had drawn a spade on his arm with ink, and Arthur had believed for an entire week that he would really become queen until his parents had to tell him the harsh truth. After that, he had been too ashamed to leave the house for days, and his brothers didn't stop teasing him about it... until now. This time, however, the mark didn't come off with the water. His skin was already turning red from all the rubbing. "Arthur, enough! This is no joke!" Scott stopped him, using that deathly serious tone that had always managed to intimidate Arthur. "This is the mark... the real one..." He placed his hands on the younger one's shoulders and the latter could feel them tremble slightly, especially when the older one ran his fingers over the symbol, examining its every detail while muttering something under his breath. Scott was absolutely serious... Arthur had the Spades-mark on his skin, his body was telling him that he would become queen. Queen! Despite Scott's expression and his own surprise, Arthur knew deep inside that he wasn't afraid. Instead, an incredible feeling of happiness started spreading through his entire body, so intense that it muffled all his insecurities, left him speechless and made him think about King Alfred again... he would become Alfred's queen! Be with the person he had been watching almost all his life! Could there be a luckier guy than him in the world? Gilbert and Peter, in the meantime, sneaked away. "How did you know?" Peter asked, baffled. "Tell me! How the hell did you know?" Gilbert just laughed, since he didn't know the answer himself, he didn't have a clue... but at least he had won that bet. They spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening creating theories about how Gilbert could know this, until the albino finally uttered a phrase. "His other half..." he said, as they were lying on the straw they had gathered from an abandoned barn. "What?" Peter inquired. "Perhaps Arthur is His Majesty Alfred's other half... perhaps it was his fate to meet the king," Gilbert replied romantically, raising his hand and wondering again where his own other half could be. "So... the other world's Arthur could be King Alfred's other half as well," the little one concluded, trying to make himself comfortable so the straw wouldn't poke him in the back. "Can you imagine what would happen if King Alfred met the other Arthur? A king, who thinks of himself as the strongest, meeting a guy with a weak heart. He'd be attacked by his hero complex and not let him in peace!" Gilbert laughed again. "Well, at least, he would understand that strength also exists to protect others and not only to fulfill his idiotic whims," Peter answered, furrowing his brow. "And King Francis needs a proper lecture, too! He should be sent to the orphanage in order to learn the real value of things! To realize that a person's worth isn't measured with money." "The King of Diamonds in a humble orphanage! He'd faint having barely set a foot in there, kesesese! Then King Ivan also needs to visit the other world, that madhouse where that Feliks lives, the one who sends letters to someone who doesn't exist. Maybe Feliks could find someone real that way, and the king learn once and for all that happiness depends on yourself, with the help of Feliks, who's still smiling despite being in a place like that," Gilbert added, imagining the kings in these scenarios. “And King Ludwig should be sent to Feliciano!” Gilbert’s smile vanished. “Why to Feliciano?” he snapped. “Because that Feliciano wouldn’t be his servant and could speak freely to him without fear of being disrespectful. I think Feliciano could make the king understand what is happening between him and his jack, don’t you think so, too?” Peter said, shrugging. Gilbert stayed silent, remembering Feliciano again… and was suddenly buried by an avalanche of feelings, realizing how much he missed the latter. God, he wanted to see him so bad… not the jack, who was still madly in love with the king and whom he had been spying on recently… but Feliciano Vargas: he wanted to hear his laughter, to see him smile… but didn’t want to see Peter getting depressed again. The joker shook his head. No, he couldn’t go there, no matter how much he wished to… but… what if he went alone? He looked at the boy, whose eyelids were already starting to get heavy from exhaustion. The idea plagued him mercilessly, and after a few hours, he got up in a fit of desperation, left the barn, apologized mentally to Peter and went to the other world he had forbidden himself to visit anymore. When Gilbert saw the morning sky again, and heard the busy hustle of the city, he immediately headed to the orphanage, not being able to wait to see Feliciano again. But there, he encountered a scene he hadn’t expected at all. “No, I don’t want to go, I won’t!” Feliciano screamed, clinging to Lovino, who was holding him tightly. There was only one suitcase at the doorstep. “But Feliciano…” Antonio tried to convince him. “You’re a liar, you told us they would adopt us both!” Lovino was glaring at Antonio, while hugging Feliciano, who didn’t stop crying. “I thought so myself, but…” “You didn’t do anything! You knew it, you knew they only planned to adopt Feliciano and still didn’t do anything!” “Bu-” the Spaniard tried to object, but then the principal of the orphanage appeared. “It’s time for Feliciano to leave,” she said. Lovino let go of Feliciano and left, making him cry even harder and try to catch up to his brother. But the principal grabbed him so he wouldn’t follow Lovino. Instead, Antonio did. Lovino was almost running. Going at a fast pace and panting, he arrived to where the couple that had been supposed to adopt them both was and, without saying a word, threw himself at the man and started punching him with his fists. The woman screamed, and the man tried to defend himself, until Antonio managed to separate Lovino from him. “He deserves this and more for separating me from my brother! Damn you both, Feliciano will never be your son!” the teenager shouted, being dragged away from the man, who was getting up, wiping the blood from his mouth, trying to arrange his jacket and screaming insults at the Italian. “Calm down, Lovino!” Antonio begged, struggling with the latter, who was trying to free himself and cursing with tears in his eyes. “Assholes! You assholes!” Lovino yelled at the top of his voice. “What have we done to you?” he asked, being held by Antonio, who was trying to stop him. “What the hell have we done to you all, making you always want to separate us from each other…?” His voice broke and his punches grew weak, as he watched the man head to his brother and almost drag him away, while the woman was trying to hug him, as if to protect him from the older one. “Fuga Veneciano giuro che sfuggono! (We will escape, Veneziano, we will escape, I swear!)” Lovino started screaming again, still being held back by Antonio. The younger twin nodded, his face wet from the tears, without taking his eyes off his brother while being dragged away. “No… Feliciano, no…” Gilbert muttered, watching the scene from a distance and feeling his chest tighten at the sight of Feliciano crying bitterly. He couldn’t bear seeing him like that, without a trace of that smile he adored. Lovino was right: what had the twins done to be separated like that? “Where have you been?” Peter asked the next morning when Gilbert entered the barn, looking terribly. “On a walk,” he answered listlessly and barely audibly. “Don’t lie to me.” “I’m not.” “I know you well. You are lying. Where have you been?” “On a walk. And if you don’t believe me, then you don’t know me that well after all.” And that discussion repeated itself again and again. Gilbert kept sneaking to the other world at night, watching Feliciano cry in his new home and holding himself back in order to not rush to comfort him. He watched how the Italian stopped eating, stopped going to school, falling apart from the inside and forcing himself to smile in front of others... pretending to be happy in his new life. Until he escaped one night in order to go to church. His sobs echoed in the building, getting louder, while he was mumbling something under his breath and looking at the center of the altar. "Why, God? Why do you allow these things to happen?" Feliciano asked, wiping his tears, being all alone with his pain and no one to soothe him. Gilbert bit his lower lip, clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white and made the first step inside the church. "Feliciano," he said hoarsely, feeling as if his voice had abandoned his body together with his soul, as the boy turned around. "Gilbert," replied Feliciano. That took the albino's last breath away. Now, there was definitely no turning back anymore. "Are you alright?" he asked, immediately wishing to bang his head against the wall. No, Feliciano obviously wasn't! The boy tried to laugh, but instead produced only another sob. "I was thinking..." he began while Gilbert took a seat beside him, feeling as if his heart would jump out of his chest any minute. "God ordered a lot of people to preach his word... and even his own son to die for our sins... so why doesn't he descend here himself in order to feel what we are feeling? Like this, he would realize how many injustices there are in this world and not allow them to happen. Why is he just watching everyone from above without doing anything?" the Italian asked, unable to control the tears that were dripping down his chin, and then let out a giggle. "If Lovino were here, he would've already slapped me in the face," he said, trying to wipe his tears away. Gilbert directed his gaze to the Christ on the cross, not really understanding why there was such a grotesque figure in a place that was supposed to give peace and comfort. "Gilbert..." Feliciano repeated, looking now directly into the joker's red eyes, causing him to shudder. "I miss him so much!" And finally hugged Gilbert, who did a jump as he felt the boy's slender body tremble and his thin arms wrap themselves around him, perceiving the latter's tears on his clothes and his breath on his neck. Gilbert was trembling as well, however, for entirely different reasons. He fearfully hugged him back, running his fingers over the boy's brown hair and sometimes even over his cheeks... "Don't cry, Feli..." was everything he could utter again and again, while Feliciano kept pressing himself against him. "I feel so alone," he said, his voice muffled by Gilbert's chest. The joker hugged him even tighter, wanting to have him all for himself and biting his tongue in order to not scream "Feliciano, I love you!", instead trying to comfort the latter, who's crying seemed as if it would never cease and go on forever... for a moment, that made him remember the Jack of Hearts, who was crying the same way, however, for his lord. Gilbert placed his chin on top of the boy's head and closed his eyes. And when he opened them again, he returned to the present, to the same church, almost the same scenario with the merciful-looking Christ hanging on the cross. Almost nothing had changed... except for the teenager next to him and the reasons the latter was crying. The joker let out an exaggerated sigh that almost sounded fake. "And here I am once again... but this time, I won't comfort you, Feli," he said, looking at the boy, who had listened to his story with all his attention, ignoring the sun that was lazily rising and illuminating the night sky. The albino straightened his back, still sitting, and faced the boy, who kept looking at him expectantly, with these eyes the joker adored so much and wished to be directed at him at all times. "Feliciano, I love you," Gilbert finally said with a playful grin on his lips. The other tilted his head slightly... emphasizing the innocent features he still possessed despite being almost an adult. "Thank you," Feliciano replied simply, perhaps as a kind of friendly rejection, which made the red-eyed one take deep breaths in order to remain firm. "And well, this is how my story ends," the joker said, wanting to maintain his calm appearance, however, his grin slowly vanished and he doubled over until his forehead touched Feliciano's shoulder. "I love you, Feliciano..." he repeated, quieter this time, letting his messy bangs cover his eyes, ashamed by his own weakness.  Feliciano raised his hand and, despite looking a bit fearfully at the horns, still stroked them and petted the joker's head... the horns felt like porcelain, soft and a bit cold, as if they would break at the slightest rough touch. And the tail was lying motionless on the bench, looking closer at it, he found that it seemed like a viper with black scales that were sparkling in the light of the morning sun... there was something beautiful about these strange extremities. "I love you so much..." Gilbert said again, still without looking up. He knew that this was the end of his love story, his dreams and his wish to belong... the end of everything. He needed almost ten minutes to gather enough courage to raise his head again, trying to make his weak smile look as playful as usual. "It was a pleasure to have known you, Feli... I hope we could meet again someday in another life where I can be your other half," he said, getting up and jumping to the other side of the bench in order to leave. But before he could do that, Feliciano stood up as well. "Wait," he asked. The joker stopped without turning around. "You still haven't told me... why you two took the decision to send the king here." Gilbert laughed and faced him. "Well, time passed and the kings didn't change... the King of Hearts, who is the King of Love, turned even blinder to it, the King of Diamonds, who is the King of Wealth, was drowning in gold... but without knowing what true value was, the King of Clubs, who is the King of Luck, was stumbling in the darkness of his loneliness, and the King of Spades, who is the King of Power, kept refusing to meet the person he was meant to share his strength with in order to protect." The joker started to undulate his tail like he always did and turned back, revealing his shadow on the ground that was imitating the movements of his strange extremity. "Peter and I were sick and tired of it, and we said to ourselves 'Why not?', the worst thing that could happen would be losing our lives, kesesese," he said, shrugging, as if it was nothing. "And have they learned their lesson? The kings, I mean," Feliciano inquired, hearing the echo of his own steps in the church. Gilbert stopped his tail and put his hands into his sweatshirt's pockets. "What do you think?" the joker asked mysteriously. Feliciano put on a sad smile. "Yes... the King of Hearts, at least, has finally started to see love..." "Is he in love with you?" the creature continued asking, making Feliciano let out a bitter laugh. "No, of course not... he's in love with the jack... from the very beginning, he has only seen his jack in me... ve~ oh, that Ludwig... he's so stupid," he replied with a little tear escaping the corner of his eye and flowing down his cheek. "It's really funny," he continued, wiping off the tears that followed. "In your world, it's the Jack of Hearts, who's suffering because of the king. So you brought the king here, and now the one crying because of him is me..." "A miscalculation," was everything Gilbert had to say, finally stepping out of the church and leaving Feliciano behind. After all, he said he wouldn't comfort the latter this time. It struck eight o'clock, and Feliciano realized it would be better if he left before the first mass, since he really didn't want a bunch of people asking him what the matter was and if he was alright... so he decided to return home where he knew Ludwig was waiting for him. One part of him didn't want to go, and the other did... if the joker had told him the truth, then the kings would soon go back home, and his story with Ludwig would find its end, even though he wanted to stay with him just a bit longer. He was walking, confused and a bit overwhelmed by all the things going on in his mind, starting with Lovino and ending with his recently discovered love for Ludwig. Distractedly passing Arthur's book store, he heard the doorbell ring, then a young man's voice muttering something, and finally... "Jack! The Jack of Hearts, there you are!" Feliciano couldn't help stopping and turning around... for the first time in his life, he hated being mistaken for someone else. "So I was right! You are Ludwig's servant," said a blond guy with blue eyes and glasses, who approached him with big steps, excited. "Are you... a king as well?" the Italian asked in the end, facing the King of Spades.