Monday morning came, and with it two letters and the busiest state Arthur had ever saw the palace in. Anna barely had time to ask him what he'd like for the Meeting formal, to which he answered a suit, as he wasn't sure what else he could possibly wear, and deliver his breakfast before she dashed off. Feeling a pang of sympathy for how much she had to do, he quickly got through the letters.

To his relief, Kiku was the author of one – after their conversation last week, he'd been missing his friend more than ever. Whilst he sipped his tea slowly, in an attempt to behave more gentlemanly compared to the other...things he'd been doing whilst he had been in the palace for almost two months, he savoured his friend's letter. It talked about excellent lessons taught by the Ace of Hearts regarding forms of government and legislation and whatnot, surely things that would be important to a queen, but more importantly he'd started to receive tutoring in magic, more specifically Hearts's specialty of healing. Arthur pushed away his envy and carefully shelled the letter back into its inconspicuous envelope, making a note to reread it and reply as soon as this whole ball nonsense was over.

The second letter, though, was far from inconspicuous, and felt more like a hastily written note than a full fledged piece.

"Dear Sir Arthur,

I hope this note finds you well. I understand you may be preoccupied with the processes of the Deciding currently, but I also appreciate that Kiku has filled you in with the situation regarding Gilbert and I. However, I feel as if it would do you a disservice if we were not to keep you directly in contact, so I would like to request your presence at my office on Tuesday evening, shortly before dinner at five.

I have gone through Prince Alfred's schedule and determined that your lesson will not take place that day, so there will be no unwanted clash. I hope you may let me know of whether this discussion is possible by the end of the day.

Best regards,

Ace Matthew."

Taking a moment to himself and ensuring that no one was in the room, Arthur pored over it once more. He knew, from what Anna had told him, that none of the notes that were passed within the palace were allowed to be opened, but even so, this was a huge risk. To him, yes, but even moreso to Ace Matthew. Briefly, he thought of the light reprimand he'd received from Jack Yao – this would utterly pale in comparison.

Treating this note with even more care, he pursued his lips whilst he thought of a place where Anna wouldn't stumble upon whilst he was outside for the day. Legs carefully crossed, he stared at a number of things on his table until his gaze clapped onto the photo frame of him and Kiku. The note without its envelope was deceptively easy enough to slot in behind the picture.

If only it was so easy to stem back the rising feeling of unease crawling up Arthur's throat as he attempted to go back to breakfast without the discreet meet up in his mind.

By the time they were filing in for lunch, everyone was antsy for the first royal carriage to pull up to the Spades palace. Arthur had chosen to spend the morning within the Drawing Room, as the rest of the palace was still in a bustle over preparations and the Chosen had essentially been left to their own devices for the day. The usual cycle of one on one trips with the prince had also been put to a stop temporarily, which left the only substantial topic to talk about being the upcoming lessons.

Most of them had already received notices they would be receiving short half hour lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning that those inexperienced – also known as Arthur Kirkland – wouldn't magically improve as a result. Shame, he was partly hoping that he would be transformed within the space of such a short time.

He was not looking forward to spending time with Alfred that badly, so why was there a wry twinge in his chest every time someone talked about their date?

Interestingly enough, it soon became apparent that none of the people who were given a time were from holding facilities, a fact that they were reminded of plenty of times whilst they stood outside the dining hall to be let inside.

"Thirty minutes won't stop them from being a laughingstock, probably."

"I hope they don't give them enough screen time. My father wouldn't think this competition is a high enough calibre, and call for me to return home,"

"His Highness probably thinks it's just a waste of time. I mean, I've heard they don't even teach them any form of ballroom dancing, in those facilities."

Arthur bristled. "Of course we don't bloody learn ballroom dancing," he hissed. Folding his arms and tucking them tight within his chest; for all his defensiveness, though, he failed to realise the Primary Suit and Alfred making their way down the hallway behind him. "We have better things to do with our education."

Glancing at the royals behind him, the non holding facility Chosen exchanged mocking laughs that only served to inflame his indignation. "Oh? Such as attempting to learn our ways, just to realise that the best you'd only come up would be a weak imitation?"

"Have you even received a time about your lesson?" Once she saw his thick eyebrows furrow, she snorted. "Thought so. None of the holding facility kids have received a date for a reason. He's clearly putting eliminating the whole lot of them off, and there's not much time to go until Friday."

"You again? Better keep to the sides, Arthur," the same person that had almost incited him to blows was taunting him again, and this time he didn't have his friends, who were lining up on the other side, to calm him down. "Don't think you'd want the cameras to capture both your poor dancing and your temper. Which is worse, do you think, Ian?"

"I'd be surprised if his dancing, just like the rest of the holding facility kids, is worse than his attitude!"

Do not get angry. Do not get angry.

He got angry. "Is that the only blasted joke you have?" he spat, fists clenching at his sides so hard he was sure his white knuckles were standing out. "Your perception that we are unsuitable to be anywhere near you-"

"Not our perception, the last Decidings were won by people not from holding facilities-"

"They haven't existed for more than twenty years-"

"I haven't finished," Ian said coldly, flicking up his hand to silence Arthur, so close that it almost felt like a swat without making contact with him. Quieting down his voice, he spoke once more, eyes still trained on the people down the hallway. "At least, those with a social rank similar to yours, before they popularised the facilities. Did you seriously think one of your kind could be queen? Think about your ridiculous ego, lack of proper conduct, and weak knowledge - the prince is just keeping you here so he can make the process easier to sort out when the going gets tough."

"What, you really think you stand a chance?" Arthur stood there, face contorting in anger, trying to push away the arrows that pierced at his every flaw. The things he could say, about what he and the prince had done already, the things he knew. Fates knew he wouldn't say them, but perhaps he should let his fists do the speaking.

"Queen of Spades, hm?" Marianne had chipped in now, leaning forward, her lips pulled into a taunting expression. "Don't make me laugh. Oh, but before you slam your bony hands in my sides, make sure you make sure you're aware of your surroundings."

"Assaulting a lady won't be very gentlemanly of you."

"You don't know the next thing about me, so I suggest you shut your trap before I'm tempted," Arthur said, forgetting to keep his voice down. Of course, the royals were already in earshot by then. Jack Yao swept past their small cluster, parting them with a disapproving look, and Ace Matthew followed suit. He couldn't even bear to exchange a glance with him though he'd received his note, his own face burning with shame. How in the name of the Fates did he do something so humiliating without keeping his feelings in check?

"Whilst you are finished with your petty squabbling, I suggest you head to your seats immediately. It'll be a very long day, I imagine, if we cannot at least pretend that our Chosen," Yao placed careful emphasis on the word, back turned, "can at least tolerate each other without resorting to certain behaviours."

Perhaps that was a good thing – at least, he hoped that the Jack was faintly aware of the tensions between the two groups, but he didn't have enough courage to ask him before the doors were opened and people started to sweep into the room. He was pretty sure the reprimand was still redirected towards him in particular.

Alfred, leading up the rear, was greeted with the same sugary enthusiasm that he had always been by the others, inadvertedly causing Arthur's anger to flare up even more. Why did they put up such a farce whilst taunting him for circumstances beyond his control? Daring to take a glance at his face, he was disconcerted by the disappointment on his face as he walked past.

Opening his mouth to speak, whatever greeting he had died in his throat as soon as Alfred shook his head in a tiny motion, disappointment written over his handsome features. Somehow, that stung far more than Arthur expected it would.

Filing into the dining hall, he did his best to keep his head down during the meal.

"Said tensions are still there, but I'd prefer that your Sir Arthur would not act so rashly, especially when camera presence will be increased this week."

"He's not my Sir Arthur," Alfred said, twisting his fork in his pasta. "No one belongs to anyone, right? Anyway, I told him that this kinda stuff isn't looked upon well, but then he just...aargh."

"It's not just his fault, I suppose," Matthew replied in tandem. It seemed like all they'd had time for discussion was Arthur in particular, and he didn't like it. What he'd heard from Kiku had inadvertedly made him someone he'd wanted to rely on, but what with Yao's concern after the library incident and Alfred's confusing feelings, he was doubting the Chosen's ability to remain inconspicuous. "I feel as he was provoked, coming off the video footage we had last week. It hasn't been the only incident regarding the two factions."

"The difference is that the elimination last week was captured by cameras, and was unavoidable," Yao sighed. It had been a jab to the chest, but that was enough for grounds for elimination. Alfred had been enjoying their company and that alone had made him want to negotiate the situation, but once the advisorship got hold of the footage and threatened to circulate it to distract from the positive Meeting coverage, his hands were tied. Perhaps they wanted to avoid another fight, but their methods were too underhanded for his liking.

"Yeah, that's true," Alfred already looked incredibly uncomfortable, which Matthew decided to stay silent about for their sakes. "I...we couldn't do anything about it, and they both had to go."

"Would you really want to eliminate anyone based on this incident? If Sir Arthur cannot behave himself even after you reprimanded him-"

"No," he said. Too quickly. Far too quickly. Had he and Sir Arthur, or someone else not from the holding facility, already formed an attachment so much that he was stepping in? Two months into the process? "That's to say, at least, there's no footage, so we can't really determine everyone involved."

He had a point; perhaps the two of them were too quick to jump to conclusions, Matthew thought wryly. "That's true. Though we do know a few names, I believe your harsh words earlier were deterrent enough, Yao."

"Was I really that harsh on them?"

"You could feel the atmosphere sour straight after you started talking," Matthew chuckled. "Not to mention, perhaps some members were aware that we were approaching them, and decided to fan the flames of a certain someone's temper deliberately. This isn't the first Deciding, these things happen."

"Very well. I will say that the reprimand was deserved, however an elimination this week would put a damper on the celebrations," Yao said. "That, coupled with the fact that we must postpone the ball to Sunday, would not prove favourable in our media presence."

"I suppose we have a troublemaker on our hands though." Taking a sip of his wine, he exhaled once through his nose before putting it down and looking at Arthur across the table for a moment. "We've had more conversations about him than what would be considered normal at this point in a usual Deciding. I'd prefer that not happen."

"Not on camera." Never mind, it was definitely not one of the other candidates besides Arthur Kirkland that Alfred had eyes for, it was rare for his brother to sound so defensive. "They haven't been a big thing, neither of them have, either. We shouldn't single him out, when he's probably just defending against some old ideas they've picked up."

Matthew barely remembered the moments when his brother's tenacity had left an impression on him – maybe he just didn't, who knows. Made him jealous, sure, but making him impressed and a little proud, less so. This was one of them. Careful to not implicate any member of the Chosen whilst looking out for a particular person, the reason being obvious. A familiar side of his psyche wanted to tease Alfred about his clear bias, but he refrained from doing so. He'd only had a puppy crush once before, so it was interesting to see how he'd react this time.

Maybe for once, he and his mentor would switch places – he'd always be the one to critique Alfred first, and Yao would usually give him more leeway. For that reason, he openly expressed his agreement with his brother.

"These kinda things happen with every Deciding, I guess." Alfred tried to play it off nonchalantly, but Matthew could tell that he was relieved that Matthew had his back.

"That is true," Yao acknowledged whilst he continued eating, "Though not every Deciding nearly has enough of the stakes that this one has, it is still yours. Let us hope that none of them make any missteps – oh, Matthew, there is no need to make that face."

He couldn't help but smile at the barely disguised humour in the Jack's face. "What? You know that it'll happen, as it is with you teenagers."

"Teenagers? We're-" the brothers chorused impatiently, only to be subdued by the servants arriving to collect their plates. "Uh, um, thank you."

"More importantly," Yao said after their plates were cleared down and they were waiting for dessert, which gave them an excellent time to speak whilst the Chosen were distracted amongst each other, "There is the matter of the delay. Matthew, as Katya is not here, could you announce it? Especially she has been so gracious in taking up preparations for the event. And are we ready for the other royals arriving tomorrow evening and Wednesday?"

"Of course, Yao." Not missing a beat, he went down the invisible list that he'd prepared for himself in his head earlier that morning when looking at what else needed to be done for the big week. "I'll escort both the Diamonds royals and Joker Gilbert," Keep your cool, you've been doing well, "From the train station to here. Yao, could you see to the Clubs when they arrive? The Hearts will be here by tomorrow's nightfall, so that's that sorted."

"Indeed. You're eager to see the new Ace, correct?" At Matthew's nod – he was happy for Yao to believe that that was the reason he perked up, he continued. "Right. Alfred, I do presume that you will be able to keep the lessons with the Chosen and the few other obligations you have in terms of meetings."

"Yeah, that's gonna work." Wonderful, his brother sounded distracted. "Though..."

Alfred took a look at the food carts coming out of the kitchen, pushed away his eagerness for sweets and spoke. "Actually, the point about the holding facility Chosen struggling. I think there's kinda a big point there."

"Hm?"

"Have you talked about this with Katya?"

"No, I...I don't wanna burden her with this more," he said. "There's eight of them still in the palace, and I don't think thirty minutes of lesson stuff is gonna help them become confident in dancing and stuff."

"That's a fair point," Matthew replied. With all his work with the people outside the palace, he'd come to realise they were all mostly around the Inner Circle and the more affluent members of society. "That's a poor oversight on my part, I'll-"

"No, you've got a lotta stuff on your plate this week. I have much more time," he interjected. "There's eight of them, I'll spend some more time with each of them in that case."

"Hm. How long, Alfred?"

His eyebrows furrowed in thoughts behind his glasses, and for once he wasn't staring at the delectable desserts that had started to be rolled out to the other members of the dining hall. "One hour more, at least."

"Depending on the person, but not too much that it'll cut into your duties."

"Not to mention, Al, spending too much time with a Chosen might separate them from the rest," Matthew pointed out. "Delicate balance right there, eh?"

"Yeah. We'll explain, so that no one will try to peg the blame on them." A little naïve, he'd admit, but it was a good step nonetheless. "Is it okay for us to keep meeting room six empty for up until Sunday?" That did annoy Matthew a little bit; he loved his careful schedule of rooms and meetings that he'd made with Carlos two weeks before. "It's only fair, I guess, to the other ex holding facility members. Not to mention for TV and stuff, it'll entertain everyone when they realise how boring this talks thing is."

"You're not really doing anything at all..."

As usual, the debilitating comment flew over his head. "That's okay, right? Right? It's not wrong, and it's what a hero should do," he was speaking much faster now, probably because the dessert was also moving faster. "What do you two think?"

Yao and Matthew exchanged a glance. That was pretty much the longest they'd had Serious Alfred make an appearance for a long time. "So be it," Yao said after a moment, nodding once. "Matthew?"

"I'm not announcing the fact that one group gets to have more one on one time with Al," he snorted, patting his brother's shoulder. "You have the honour."

"...Okay, you're right," Alfred shrugged his shoulders. "I'll just make the rest of the announcement as well. Though, it would be pretty good practise for your own Deciding."

He couldn't stop the full body shiver than ran through his system. "Fates, no," he visibly recoiled. "Not in a thousand years for me, that's for sure." Maybe he was a little too quick to turn back to his dessert which had just been placed on their table - luscious blood orange pudding. He didn't want to think about a meaningless competition for his already reserved heart. "Thank you."

Yao chuckled at his answer, and his brother glanced at him for another moment before they tucked into their desserts, which was also fair enough.

Whilst he was digging in the cream, a thought occurred to Matthew, one so obvious he was kicking himself for not thinking about it earlier before.

What if he pulled for Arthur? Not in a blatantly obvious fashion, naturally, but from what he could see, Alfred was already interested in him. Most winners were singled out from the start, from what reading and watching the twins had done together in the months before announcing the start of the Deciding. If Alfred going out of his way to look out for him wasn't 'singling out', Kuma was a Diamonds native deer.

Not to mention, having someone in the Primary Suit that accepted his and Gilbert's relationship would be much better in terms of easing everyone else into that knowledge. Two years was a very long time to disguise a relationship between high profile royals, and Matthew realised that it may not be a bad idea to reveal it before they were discovered the hard way.

Besides, it could be a good outcome to have a holding facility candidate win. Having that fresh perspective, as well as being more in touch with the common folk might be a way to improve their reputation even after the Deciding had finished and the excitement was gone. Not to the point of conspiring to get him to win – Matthew was not even sure that either of them had the temperament to pull it off – but encouraging his brother.

That was why, on Tuesday evening at five on the dot, he felt that it was still for the best that he had not waited for Gilbert's arrival on Wednesday to speak to Arthur Kirkland, finally. There was a short, polite knock, a rarity to Matthew's doors. After he called for him, he entered with a nervous look to both sides of the corridor.

"Don't worry, Sir Arthur, please take a seat," Matthew said. "Shall I send for some tea?"

"Oh – that's very kind of you, but I would prefer to have space for dinner tonight." At least he hadn't misinterpreted his attempt to be friendly for something else, as this was how untoward rumours were born. "Thank you for summoning me so, er, discreetly."

Matthew couldn't help but fight off a laugh – probably a jab to how his brother conducted business. "Not at all, you're doing me a huge favour just by being here. Just so you know-"

"May I ask – ah, no, please do go ahead, Your Highness." That was a little...unexpected. From the small chats he'd had with Alfred, he'd figured out that Arthur had stopped using honourifics with him, but perhaps that was an exclusive thing?

"Sir Arthur, I would just like to inform you that not waiting for Joker Gilbert's arrival was deliberate."

"May I enquire as to why? It feels as if it is an important enough conversation to be having with the both of you."

"Well, putting it simply, neither of us want to overwhelm you with the task." Gingerly, Matthew laid out a hand to pat Arthur's palm once. He hoped it was comforting, but paused at his apprehensive expression. "I'll explain quickly, but the task we'd like to entrust to you is simply continuing on with life as normal. As if the encounter with Joker Gilbert never happened."

Arthur's nose twitched. "T-That'll be all, Your Highness?"

Well, that's a little less profanity laden than I'd expect from the stories I've been hearing about him. "Yes, that'll be all," he said, reminding himself to smile pleasantly and keep his legs crossed. "We would just like you to continue on as if nothing has happened, as well as not disclose the secret. Forgive Gilbert and I, we did not intend for your meeting within the Hearts facility to occur. Did he tell you that?"

"No, it seemed to me as if he played it off quite well, I did not suspect that it was planned at all..."

Fortunately for Matthew, from this brief exchange he was able to discern a few things. First, Gilbert was simultaneously quick on his feet and an absolute idiot and he deserved a chewing out for both of those things. Second, Arthur Kirkland was sounding more and more like the person Kiku had described in their meetings – formal, polite, intelligent, and someone he could see as an asset to the palace...

He kicked himself in the kneecap, then immediately winced at the force of his business shoes, hoping that Arthur wouldn't see. These types of thoughts weren't fair to Al.

"Though, I must ask – who else knows?"

"Kiku, Joker Katya...that's all there is." I suspect Francis knows, but I can't give him a name based on a hunch. "And you as well."

"Have you not told Alfr...Prince Alfred? If there isn't a child, then..."

"No, I have not," he answered. "Even if there isn't a child, nor do we ever intend to. If this is the compromise we must make if the relationship is ever to be accepted, then so be it."

Arthur exhaled; rubbing the back of his neck in what he thought was relief. "Well, I was going to ask whether that was a factor in your decision in eventually revealing the relationship."

Some odd three hundred years ago, a child borne between an union of a Joker, allied with Hearts and the Clubs Ace, caused a scorched-earth war that led to most history about the continent of Cards before it had been split into the Four Kingdoms being destroyed, and a fifth of the population decimated. It was blamed on unstable magic inherited from their parents, but barely anyone knew the real cause of their rampage. Bottom line was that no such union had ever occurred again.

Though Matthew and Gilbert had started seeing each other when they were still young and Gilbert's grandfather had still been Joker, and the relationship had continued during Gilbert's very short lived tenure as Queen of Hearts, it had been expected of them to break it off once he'd ascended to his grandfather's position had anyone else known. Usually, Matthew had enough self preservation to know that continuing the relationship was too dangerous for both their sakes, but the other person had an uncanny way of disarming all his common sense.

So why had he decided to continue? "Because the Primary Suits around Cards are all filled with new people, now," Matthew said, answering both Arthur and his internal query out loud. "The old blood has been replaced with new, and the oldest people to rule Cards as of right now have not been doing it for more than three years. So I thought, with everyone knowing life past the epidemic and being more open minded to things, they'd be more willing to accept it. That is, at least, our hope."

I cannot reveal the news to Al, because if I do and the advisorship gets wind of it, they will take the anger out on him. And last time it happened, I... his stomach clenched, remembering the mound of unravelling bandages and the cries of pain beyond the bathroom door. Quickly hiding his expression with his hair so Arthur wouldn't see, he took a moment to compose himself before facing the Chosen with an adjustment of his glasses.

One day, he'd find the strength to warn everyone. But that day, and this person, was not suitable. "T-That's all."

"I do agree with your talking points, however I must say that you are taking great liberties in the possibility I wouldn't report this to Alf – Prince Alfred." There, the elephant in the room. "I will say though, I believe that you won't have the intention of raising a child with the Joker and-"

"P-Please, don't," Matthew blurted, cutting off what Arthur was about to say. Steeling himself, he took another deep breath before facing him once more. "Please, for both his sakes and ours, don't. He already has so much on his plate with the Deciding, and I appreciate you know how high the stakes are-"

"Yes, Your Highness, I do-"

"He must finish the Deciding with as little stress as possible, the Jack and I promised him that little. After the Deciding, Joker Gilbert and I will definitely let him know, but until then. I'll even be happy to provide some sort of incentive." He could not know about the advisors. Not yet. At Arthur's eyes widening, though, he realised he might have spoken too hastily. "A-Anything that is suitable."

"I...I don't want to blackmail you, Ace Matthew," Arthur said haltingly. He looked clearly uncomfortable, and another pang of guilt hit him. "That would be unfair of me. However, in terms of an incentive, well. You are aware that you can consult with essentially any candidate with the promise of aiding them to win the Deciding, and they would be happy to keep this secret?"

Ah, well. Matthew was starting to see the benefits of the holding facility programme, after all. "Correct, however...that is not how we want to play the game. The decision lies with Prince Alfred, and Prince Alfred alone." He conveniently omitted the fact that all the research done on the Spade mark essentially concluded that it was smarter than many took it for and could recognise manipulation when needed to. "So no, that is not on the table."

Once more to his surprise, Arthur Kirkland did not seem disappointed or annoyed, rather relieved. "Of course, Your Highness. I apologise if that seemed rude."

"No, it was a prudent question. Are you sure there is nothing else you can think of?"

He fell silent, legs resting squarely in a refined position not far from the ones he'd been used to whilst interacting with the upper class. Perhaps he'd been too fast to let Yao and Alfred's judgements cloud his own. At the same time, the controversy between the holding facility candidates and the other Chosen felt foolish. The clock ticking in his study seemed to fill the quiet minutes, until Arthur cleared his throat and spoke.

"Are you, er, aware of the compensation provided to families whose children are in the Deciding?"

"I am, yes."

"It doesn't have to be much, but..." he swallowed once before continuing, "I was hoping that there could be a little more sent to my family every month. I'm not attempting to sell you my silence or anything, and you don't have to do this, Ace Matthew, but I suppose it would be a good incentive."

"Oh," he said. Another moment passed, he picked up his blue metal pen and started writing on his notepad. "Sir Arthur, how much would five hundred extra gold sound? Per month? I will perform the payment discreetly, so no one will get wind of this."

His eyes widened, just a little, but from the distance between his desk and his chair Matthew noticed his shock. "F-Five hundred gold? Per...per month?"

"Yes. You have been gracious in not sharing your knowledge even before I spoke to you, and we both appreciate your aid. It's hard to find an ally even in this situation." Ally. Something neutral, something he hoped both of them could find the other as.

"In that case, that would be a massive help, Your Highness," Arthur said, getting to his feet and bowing once. Matthew had half a mind to stop him, but the motion was over before he could mention it. "Truly, it will be a huge aid to my family."

"Thank you, Sir Arthur," Matthew said, following suit and getting to his feet once he'd capped his pen. The meeting had gone far, far better than he'd expected it to. "Truly, even though it may not seem that much, having an ally in the palace is more important than you may believe."

A hint of mirth tugged at the corner of his lips, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm part of the Deciding, Your Highness. I believe I understand the extent of the importance of having people you can trust."

"That's right, eh? Though," he paused, squinting up at the clock once more. Had forty minutes passed already? "We must return before we are missed. Best of luck, Sir Arthur." Especially with my brother.

"I appreciate it, Your Highness." With another curt bow, he walked to the nearest staircase and started ascending immediately, footsteps forming a swift crescendo that quickly faded away.

Adjusting his pale blue tie whilst closing the door, Matthew collapsed into his chair with a long sigh. Great. He had to help welcome in the Hearts royals tonight, and then prepare himself for a long, long day of waiting for that stupid chrome yellow train to show up...

Fates forbid he try to get any rest.