Chapter Text
Arthur intently stares on his summoned Excalibur. He is still in recovery after his Performance, due to extreme exhaustion and extreme output of his mana energy. The Holy Sword keeps glowing, without any trace of chipped or cracked— yet he knew that even this sword can shatter if ever he loses control again.
The door to his room was knocked. Swiftly, with a swipe of his hand, Excalibur disappears into million golden sparkles. He turns around to the door.
"It is me, I came to visit you..." a familiar hushed voice called from the other side of the door
Arthur stands up, and replies, "Y-Yes, you may come in."
The door opens, revealing Rossweisse. The valkyrie scans her eyes upon his room, very neat and he seemed to really like on making use of the sunlight to properly light up his room.
"Are you fine, after Dracula uses his Blestemul Muritorului on you?" Rossweisse ask, her voice has a slight worry
"I am fine, thank you for asking. Why don't you sit down, I'll bring us tea," Arthur says, as he stands up from his bed
Rossweisse tugs on Arthur's sleeve, and shook her head. She then mutters, "No need."
The King seemed to understand, "Were you worried about Dracula? Can you tell me why?"
The shine on her emerald eyes fadened, as she explains, "After a while, he refrained himself from drinking blood. Even though the hooded people are kindly enough to offer him their blood, but he refuses it and gone for animal blood instead."
"That must've drained lots of his mana energy. That curse, it forced Morgan out like my body was torn into two," Arthur explains, clutching the spot where Dracula stabbed him before
Arthur then continues, "Then, how was him now?"
"He had received mana transfer, and a total bedrest right after we arrived on the mansion."
But, the blonde King was worrying about that said weapon that can rip off someone's immortality, that can be useful to take out the main lead of these Performances. On the other hand, all of them seemed to having new kinds of abilities, including himself. Avalon's Last Wish... Rather than a blissful dream that can finally lead him into an eternal slumber, it's a horrible nightmare. Without realize, the petite valkyrie had already left his room. No wonder Rossweisse likes to creep the hell out the others, she really is stealthy. Arthur looks again to the window, now there's a new question on his head.
Who Rossweisse really was, behind that mask of a war maiden that came out from the Norse mythologies? If Dracula who already showed his true self as a phantom that terrors the stage, then how terrifying she would be?
"This is odd for you, to stare out the window when the sun's still up," Queen of Hearts say, as she turns from a corner to see Dracula is staring to the window
Though, he takes stand on the shadowed part of the hallway, his golden eyes are fixated to the world outside the window.
Dracula answers, "As a monster, it is fair to long for the normal human world outside. Don't you think so, when you realising that this reality is the one you lived on now?"
"That is true—But, that valkyrie told us to keep an eye for you to continue to rest. You should go back to your room," she reminded him
The vampire lets out a small chuckle, when Queen of Hearts mentions of how Rossweisse approaches every single one of them to keep an eye for him if he ever escaped rest.
"She is truly caring. If that is what she wished for, I shall go back."
Before Dracula could walk past Queen of Hearts, the shorter monarch uses her cane to stop him. He gazes at her, who is staring back at him intently, as if there's more that she wanted to ask.
"This is regarding that valkyrie, she kept making sure that you weren't using too much of your powers. The general boy also informs me of how worried she was when she knew about your attempt to escape the Romans. Were phantoms supposed to be that strong, hence why the King of Knights gone haywired?"
Fixing his glasses' position, Dracula only smirks on Queen of Hearts' somehow detailed question. He was expecting someone like Sherlock would ask that instead. But, he likes to challenge the people he met, so instead of answering what it is, Dracula swiftly takes the cane and use to trap Queen of Hearts to the wall, using his body to cage her in.
"H-How dare you! To do this to me!" If we're not bound to the no-magic rule, I would've killed you now!" Queen of Hearts fumes, trying to push back the tall vampire back
"And if we have no rules regarding no usage of magecraft in this world, I would show you just how strong us were."
Dracula pushes the cane back, causing her to suffocate on her breathing. He is right, the strength he held was very tremendous even if this was just using his raw powers to dominate this sudden fight, she could only imagine of how strong he was if ever he uses his magecraft in full swing. But, as a gentleman he is, he then lets go of the monarch. Her feet has no strength to support her, so she fell to the floor, heaving for breath.
Dracula then reaches out his hand, and Queen of Hearts is using it to stand up. He then explains once more, "That is why she never lets me gone too far on you all. In the terms of the Theater, our kind was supposed to be able to overthrow the great leads. But, now's not the time to talk about it. Good day, Queen of Hearts."
When Dracula left the hallway, Marie was about to walk pass them. He only gives the pink-haired queen a smile, and quickly walks away. Marie then sees the disheveled Queen of Hearts, shadowed by the nearby window.
' Overthrow... He told such word as if he's done that before, ' the monarch thinks, then reaches to her hair to fix it
"Ah! Such good timing! I was just looking for you! I brought out a very delicious tarte tatin! How about we eat it together on the veranda?" Marie greets her, beaming with a sweet smile
Queen of Hearts seemed to relax after that such rough engagement earlier, of course when it comes to sweets, she would comply.
"Sure. Don't you waste my time," she agrees, and the two of them leaves that hallway, towards the veranda
As the two queens walks their way through the mansion, Marie starts to feel uneasy. Is it just her or does the atmosphere is colder than she thought? The vermillion-eyed Queen looks to beside her, since Marie is clutching her arms as if she was cold.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked to Marie
Marie only shakes her head, "I am fine! The wind is pretty chilly today!"
But, there's something that's been whispering onto her mind, causing her to shiver. A sentence from the past that keeps creeping onto her, even though that such thing weren't so true. . .
Being a queen that wasn't even twenty yet, how could she rule the country if she doesn't know what to do rather than just spending heaps of the people's fortunes on feasts and dresses?!
But, Marie tried her best to put that such thought aside, but why now?
Marie lands herself to her bed, covering her eyes with her palm. She can't enjoy her afternoon tea with Queen of Hearts and Billy, when all of these insults she heard from her past are trying to make her vulnerable and accepting the Theater's invite.
' I don't want to... I don't want everyone to look upon my vulnerable self.... Go away! ' Marie telepathically says, to anyone who kept whispering to her
「 I'm afraid that I can't stop on what's coming, Your Highness. 」
She figured it, the echoing voice is back again, "The Theater's invitation.... If you invite us, why you using such bad memories..."
「 Once again, I can't answer that question. I can only announce that your cue to your Performance is here, my Queen. 」
Marie rises herself up to a sitting position, that she can't get an answer to whoever the Theater send to commence her Performance here. "Then, what is the point? I died because of an execution, I'm not like Arthur who died a great battle! I'm still.... not ready...."
「 So that was the problem... As always, Queen Marie, you're not ready to take whatever you were responsibled for. 」the echoing voice starts to lose their patience
Marie grips upon her lacy dress, trying to not breaks down, "D-Don't talk to me like those noblemen speak of me—"
Yes, you are right, my dearest. I'm just a young girl that is dragged to the court so early into her life, when she was supposed to enjoy her life by the gardens, reading books, exploring the outside, not to be chained by the royal titles that is left by your grandfather. I spent all this fortunes because I myself can't experience such thing on my age when I sat on that throne!
"No! Not that!" Marie exclaims, her voice laced in fear, when she heard that exact words to her husband Louis XVI, just before they flee Versailles to Paris
「 With a little pressure, even the toughest of kings and queens can break. Come, my Queen, commence the Performance, to find what's behind that famed title of yours? 」
Marie breaks down by crying, hiding her pained face. The last light of the sun disappears, as a veil of uneasiness strucks the other greats, the next Performance is commencing.
Behind the glory of the Palace of Versailles and the last ruler of that palace, there's more sadness than anyone could imagine. A forgotten story of a young queen who rises to the throne, missing the life she longed for. Could this Performance, can finally give her the peace she wanted to the past that's keep haunting her?