At 11 a.m. the next day, King and Queen headed out of Card Castle to go onto their planned miniature honeymoon together.
"You May Or May Not Love The Looks Of: Cyber City" Queen said, "And If You Don't We'll Just Leave Is That Okay?"
"Of course" King replied with a sincere nod. "And if anyone suspicious wants to scam you, I'll still pummel them to pieces. I don't want you to end up like your mother." He kissed Queen's forehead for several times.
"Thank You Sweet Kingy Wingy You're The Kindest Gentleman In Existence."
"My pleasure."
"Now When We Go Through The Warp Door Soon You Should Picture Nothing Whereas I'll Picture Cyber City. All You Have To Do Is Hold My Hand So You'll Be Warped Along With Me."
"Should I hold your hand tightly or loosely?"
"Either Is Fine But Preferably More In The Way Of: Tightly." The cyber monarch giggled while her visor showed the '^^' emote and kissed her husband right onto his mouth. "What Else Would You Like To See In Cyber City Aside From: The Foods?"
"I don't know. I'd say you should surprise me."
"Oh Absolutely."
It didn't take long for the couple to arrive at the warp door at the end of Scarlet Forest.
"Now Let Me Just Confirm You're: Ready To Go. Magic Pendant? Check. Formal Fit? Check. Phone And Wallet In Your Inner Pocket? Check. Are You Ready Yourself Too?"
"I… I think I am, Queenie Beanie." King grabbed Queen's left hand somewhat tightly and took a few deep breaths. "L-let's go…"
"Let's Go Indeed."
The couple took their steps into the warp door while Queen pictured Cyber City.
Within the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a distant yet iconic alley of Cyber City.
The vast majority of said alley was full of trash, which consisted of dozens of trash bags and even old street signs.
"Queen?" King asked, "did you just escort me to Cyber City or the Cyber Barracks? This looks as horrid as an apocalypse and heavily goes against my expectations."
Queen started laughing loudly upon hearing King say 'Cyber Barracks', her visor showing the text 'LMAO' while she did.
"This Is Not The Entire City Sweet Kingy Wingy!" she laughed. "This Is A Long-Forgotten Part Where Everyone Gets Warped To When They Picture Cyber City. Beyond This Is A Much Better Sight To Behold. Come With Me."
"Phew, I honestly thought I saw the entire iceberg already…"
King and Queen headed out of the trash-filled alley, where they were almost immediately met with a galore of different sounds, screens and neon lights, and were simultaneously greeted by a giant sign of which the neon-lit letters read 'Welcome to the city'.
"See Kingy Wingy? Welcome To Paradise I Mean The City!"
"Oh… oh my…!" King had to shield his face spade with his free left arm. "Th-those lights and such are honestly v-very overwhelming, if I m-may be honest…!"
"You're Not Used To It Huh? That's No Biggie For You're Not The Only One Who Wasn't Born And Raised In: The Cyber World. I Hear This From More Eastern Dark World Denizens."
"W-will I eventually get used to it?"
"Maybe Or Maybe Not. If Not Then You Should Look Down As Much As Possible Since Down There Isn't Much Light Stuff!"
"Good idea." King immediately looked down, where the overwhelming sensation of being greeted by so many lights indeed decreased drastically. "Wow, th-this actually worked! Thanks a ton, sweet Queenie Beanie." He kissed the back of Queen's hand for a few times in appreciation.
"Shall We Go? There's So Much You Have Never Seen Just Yet."
"We definitely should go. I'm more than ready."
And with that, the royal couple made their way into the city, where the whole cocktail of city-related sounds gradually became louder as they progressed.
Ambyu-Lances were chasing quirky and feisty Virovirokuns in some of the street corners, a colourful array of dozens to hundreds of cars could be heard revving and honking on the busiest of nearby roads, catchy music could be heard from some of the shops and advertisement signs, and the miscellaneous citizens felt highly energetic in their favourite environment.
King and Queen soon found themselves near one of the significantly busier highways.
"Okay This Is Going To Be A Little Tricky" Queen said, "But Once I Press The Main Button On This Traffic Light The Cars Will Briefly Stop. However I Require Mathematical Symmetry For This So Please Bear With Me Figuring This Out." She then focused her gaze on all of the pink cars on the first part of the public road. "One, Two, Three, Four… Okay Now…!" She swiftly pressed the button on the traffic light and speed-walked onwards. "Come Sweet Kingy Wingy."
King followed suit with his wife as quickly as he could, but had to stop to catch his breath once the two had crossed the road successfully.
"Goodness…" he gasped. "Th-that was intense…"
"We're Not Done Yet Unfortunately For There's One More Session Of Mathematical Symmetry For Me To Time And Solve."
"Hopefully we'll b-be there quickly… man, I can't believe I actually h-have to run that fast in my life!"
"I'll Make It As Quick As We're Both Capable Of!" The cyber monarch then started timing the three differently coloured rows of cars on the next road. "One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven… Now!" She swiftly pressed the main buttons of the corresponding traffic lights. "Go!"
After the second cross, both King and Queen had to catch their breath now. That second road was always an intense and tricky one for those who wanted to cross it.
"Are w-we there yet? Please let this be th-th-the truth…"
"Oh My Circuits That Was Epic!" Queen's visor showed two star icons that flashed from red to green and vice versa every half second.
"E… epic? How come?"
"It Reminds Me Of The Days When My Mother And I Crossed Those Roads When I Was Still Young! Even Back When She Still Strapped Me In The Stroller It Already Felt Like An Epic Wild Ride To Me!"
"I kind of envy your childhood there. My own parents never let me have such fun where I could feel the butterflies fly through my stomach like crazy. Whenever we went out in public, I wasn't even allowed to run or let go of their hands, so childish!"
"Oh But Kingy Wingy Dearie I Wasn't Allowed To Let Go Of My Mother's Hand Either Once I Started Crossing Those Roads By Foot As Well. It Was A Whole Decade Ago When She Taught Me How To Cross The Roads Solitarily But It Honestly Feels More Like A Mere Minute To Me. But Okay Safety Goes First I Guess."
"This city clearly lacks the true definition of safety, to be frank."
"I Second That Opinion." Queen hugged King tightly and peppered both of his cheeks with several small kisses, her visor continuing to show the two flashing star icons. "But You Did Amazing Just Now NGL! We Just Arrived At The Side Where The Real Fun Starts!"
"The real fun, you say? Sign me up…!"
"Then What Are We Waiting For? Let's Go! Oh And Don't Forget To Keep Your Eyes Low Again Since We'll Be Greeted By Blinding Lights Again Soon!"
Chuckling, King did as he was requested as he followed Queen towards the biggest part of Cyber City.
In Cyber City itself, King and Queen had marvelled over almost everything that they could possibly see and hear, including even the smallest street corners.
Addisons were present here and there, but the vast majority of them fortunately left the couple alone, for the former knew that they were of royalty and thus not to be disturbed out of nowhere.
Among all of the Ambyu-Lances that even chased the unwilling Virovirokuns on this side of the city, there was just one pair of those two that happened to be a platonic couple who were just having lunch in peace near the closest street food row.
"It's a nice day, isn't it?" the Ambyu-Lance asked after she took a sip of her iced tea.
"It surely is" the Virovirokun replied. "You perfectly chose the market day for us to hang out."
"That's what you get when your new partner happens to be the city chick, Frankie. I know this city like the back of both my hands!"
"And what if there is no market day in the city? Is it boring by then?"
"Of course not! The city is always ex…citing…" Then suddenly, the Ambyu-Lance was amazed at a certain sight that she saw.
"Whoa, Sunny, you're suddenly so quiet. What gives?"
"Is… is that the Cyber Queen? And who is that other guy she's with? He doesn't look familiar… are those spades he's got there? Any chance he's…?"
"Hey, you're right! But seriously, haven't you heard? She and the King of Spades just got married yesterday! Everyone is on about it, except for the majority of the citizens!"
"They what?!"
King and Queen happened to overhear the platonic couple about the former's most recent wedding.
"Turns Out Our Wedding Is Not Familiar With Everyone Just Yet" Queen said with a shrug. "Come On I'm The Cyber Queen Who Else Does Everyone Think I Am?"
"Maybe our peers decided to take it a little easier on us ever since we got married?" King stated. "Remember how they never kept silent about us when we only just started dating?"
"Oh Those Were Such Weird Days Indeed. I'm Only Just Glad They're Over If I May Be So Honest."
"I'm just as glad. Now, where shall we sit to have our lunch?"
"Somewhere Calm In Any Case. If Any Of Us Is No Longer Hungry We Can Leave Our Leftovers For The Maice If We Want."
"What are they anyway? Homeless vagabonds who always scavenge for leftovers?"
"Not Necessarily. A Maus Is One Of The Native Creatures That Lives In Cyber City And In All Honesty They're Pretty Adorable Even If My Mother Always Thought: The Opposite."
"How big are they?"
"As Big As: The Average Computer Mouse."
"Then I should be careful not to accidentally crush one soon with my galore of weight."
"Kingy Wingy You're Not That Fat You're Just You And That's Nobody Else's Problem. Ah This Is A Perfect Spot." Queen gently sat down on the cleanest and sturdiest-looking bench that she could find.
King sat down very carefully, and sighed in relief once the bench did not instantaneously collapse underneath him.
He then opened the large paper bag of street food that he and Queen just bought at its corresponding district, and handed her some Record Bagels and her identical-looking tea.
"Thank You Sweetie." The cyber monarch gave her husband a quick but loving kiss.
"No problem." The spadeling kissed Queen back just as lovingly. "Please enjoy the food."
"Thanks Kingy Wingy You Too."
For the next few minutes, the couple peacefully had lunch in one another's silence.
The city life idly passed by them. It somewhat drowned out to the background while they enjoyed their food and one-on-one time in their own little bubble.
The cars? No longer an issue for now. The bright neon lights and signs? They were just there living their own mundane 'lives' now. The catchy music from the nearby sample shop? It represented nothing but some lame beats that nobody really cared about. Said sample shop itself? The Addison that worked there didn't even seem to give a single squid about King and Queen's nearby presence. What about that massive amusement park in the vast distance? No, nothing special. It merely acted as an idle background ornament, like one of those Christmas villages at the big garden stores during every last month of the year.
The Record Bagels had a nice blend of several savoury flavours, of which their iconic seasoning stood out the most. It was obvious that barely anyone asked for extra catsup or an additional serving of fried Pipis whenever they ordered those scrumptious, crunchy and divine freshly-baked bagels from the street food market.
Whoever would order tea, on the other hand, would always get their own unique, identical-seeming flavour and temperature of it. Some say it matches someone's personality, others say it matches someone's interests… the rumours would always go on and on, and yet had never been confirmed so far.
King's tea was warm, coloured as blue as most of his head, his gloves, boots and stomach spade, and tasted like a strong blend of cinnamon, green apples, dark chocolate and a slight hint of freshly-baked caramel shortbread biscuits.
Queen's tea was iced tea, coloured as light blue as most of her head, her favourite lipstick, gloves and collar piece, and tasted like a fair but obvious blend of rose water, Slurm, perfect bananas and freshly-baked macarons.
We probably wonder what our own personal tea would taste like, don't we? Well, I have no clue how mine would exactly taste, so yours would very likely remain a mystery just as grand and unsolved.
Life in Cyber City was like how we'd experience our usual lives if it came to the citizens that always lived there, whether or not they'd been born and raised there as well.
For those who visited the city only occasionally, it was always like a wild ride, a utopia, a big metropolis, a party… you name it. Those who resided in Cyber Field or even Queen's Mansion loved to spend a few hours in the city to take a break from their usual confusing lives.
King and Queen surely didn't regret going to Cyber City to take a brief break from all of the wedding hullabaloo that happened only yesterday. In fact, the city's atmosphere seemed like it made their foods taste a little better today, judging from the fact that they were both done with their lunch a little faster than usual.
"That Was Pleasantly Delicious" Queen said as she shuffled the leftover bagel crumbs and seeds off of her lap with both of her hands.
"It surely was" King said as he dabbed his mouth with a paper napkin. "We really are living our best lives now, aren't we? I bet everyone else back at Card Castle will be very jeal- wait…"
"What Gives Kingy Wingy?"
"I thought I felt something touch the back of my heel?"
"Well That Most Certainly Wasn't Me Since My Feet Are Literally Next To Yours And Not Diagonally Behind Yours."
"It didn't quite feel like the tip of your boots either."
"Hmm This Sounds Strange. Shall I Have A Look?" Without awaiting an answer, Queen briefly got off of the bench and crouched to take a gander underneath. "Hmm…" She focused her gaze on the void behind King's legs. "It Could Not Have Been: A Ghost…"
"Ghost?" a strange yet soft voice asked. "There is no ghost in the city."
"Wait Who The Beep Said That?"
"Nubert said that."
"Who?" Queen reached her right hand underneath the bench and was soon met with the soft touch of… wait, what was it? A marshmallow? A cushion? It felt pretty soft, in any case. "Please Come Out Wherever And Whoever You Are. You Shocked My Sweet Husband A Little Just Now."
"Is someone there?" King asked as he, too, got up from the bench and sat down on his knees. "Ouch, I hate how this concrete sidewalk is not comfortable…"
"Shh Don't Talk Too Loudly…" The cyber monarch put her left hand onto King's shoulder and waited. "They May Be A Tad Afraid…"
The couple silently waited, and within 15 seconds, a small, red, blob-like creature revealed themself from underneath the shadows of the bench.
"I…" the creature said. "I'm Nubert… nobody loves me…" They looked sad, judging from a slight gleam of tears in both of their dark, slanted eyes.
"They Don't?" Queen reached her right hand out and gently petted Nubert's head with it. "Why Not?"
"Nubert doesn't know…"
"Aww You Poor Little Thing. You're Too Adorable To Not Be Loved."
King cocked his head upon hearing the word 'adorable' about Nubert.
"Oh… haha… that's the first time Nubert has heard anyone say that he's adorable…"
"Because You Are…! Isn't That Right Kingy Wingy?"
"Huh?" King said. "Y-yeah, yeah! You look so squishy and cute…" He reached his right hand out and gently squished the top of Nubert's head with it.
"Sweetie What Are You Doing?"
"Relax, I'm not hurting him. He feels just like a marshmallow…!"
"Nubert Can I Squish You Too?"
"Nubert loves squishes…!" Nubert squeaked, his tears somewhat clearing up and his frowning mouth making place for a wide smile.
Queen then used her right hand to squish the red blobby Darkner's left cheek. All of the squishing made him feel a lot better than beforehand.
"Oh Kingy Wingy Could I Please Take Him Home?"
"No" King sternly said as he shook his head and pulled his right hand back. "I don't want my castle to become any more crowded than this."
"Aw Come On He's Not That Big!"
"Who will look after him? It's not going to be me."
"Pssh Fine If You Really Don't Want Him To Live With Us He'll Just Live At: My Mansion."
"What are the two of you on about?" Nubert asked. "Nubert doesn't understand."
"Silly Kingy Wingy Doesn't Want You To Live At His Castle So I Permit You To Live At: My Mansion."
"Oh? That big palace at the end of the road that reads 'Queen'?"
"Yes That's The One!" Queen proudly squished Nubert's left side.
"Nubert has never been there before. Can he really live there?"
"Of Course. Everyone There Is Very Friendly So Don't Worry About Nobody Loving You."
"Wow, thank you!" The small Darkner's face immediately lit up in joy. "Are you Queen? You're very generous."
"Yes That's Me…!"
"Nubert is very grateful for you."
The cyber monarch gently grabbed Nubert with both of her hands and held him against her bust, as if she held on to a pet of sorts.
"However" King said, "you could always pay us a visit at Card Castle, if you'd like, but only for a maximum of 12 hours. Do you agree with this?"
Queen sighed deeply from the inside, being relieved that Nubert is allowed to visit Card Castle after all.
"Nubert agrees" Nubert said with a sincere nod for as far as he could nod. "12 hours of Card Castle, no more." He held one of his stubby little hands out.
"Very well then." King put his sole index finger onto the little red Darkner's stubby hand and moved it up and down to 'shake hands' with him. "Shall we go back home, Queenie Beanie?"
"Oh We Definitely Will Sweet Kingy Wingy" Queen replied. "But I Honestly Don't Feel Like Crossing Those Roads Anymore Now. Good Thing I Know Just One Of These City Things."
"Ooh, city spirit, I see?"
"Well Duh Why Else Did My Mother Always Take Me Here? Oh Ho Ho Ho!" While Queen laughed, her visor showed the text 'LMAO' once again.
"Yeah, that's a good point. You're the city veteran whereas I'm the forced homebody… well, until you came, which is a good thing, of course."
The cyber monarch gave King a few small kisses on his cheek while the two walked on towards the next road, with Nubert still in tow.
"I Had An Amazing Day With You Today. Feels Good To Have Been Outside After Only Just Having Gotten Married."
"It surely was a blast! We should definitely do this again someday." The spadeling hugged Queen in a loving fashion, but not too tightly since Nubert was also still there.
"I Agree." The cyber monarch held her thumb up and somewhat waved it. "Ah Nicely Timed! There's The Cab That'll Take Us To My Mansion Before We Can Go Home For Real!"