About ten months had passed since King and Queen had finally gotten married to one another.
Simultaneously, this day marked the one on which Queen had been living at Card Castle for four years now.
However, aside from all of that, the couple had gotten fairly strained with one another in the meantime, no matter how hard they tried to keep their marriage up as much as possible.
"I Have No Clue What Even Happened Just Now" Queen sighed desperately.
"It was that weird knight again" King said as he leaned backwards on his seat. "I don't even know how they came back in the f-"
"I Know But Why The Beep Did They Even Decide To Show Up Again? What Do They Need From Us While We're Innocent And Only Just Reigning Over Card Kingdom?"
"First, it was those incarcerated cretins of kings, and now us? Hello, where is the logic in all of this?!"
"They Probably Want Us To Break Up! I Can Feel It In My Wires!"
"They what?!"
"That Knight Also Ruined Your Chemistry With Those Three Other Kings Right?"
"Y… yes, they indeed did."
"I'm Afraid That The Knight Also Wants To Ruin Our Chemistry. Our Marriage. It's Unacceptable For We Haven't Even Been Married For A Year At: This Point!"
"Oh my goodness, that's a very worrying theory you just told me there. Maybe they know that we're currently strained with one another because of the way we both reign… differently?"
"Pff That's The Worst Timing To Come And Haunt Us Like A Weird Old Ghost. They Should Come And Haunt Us Once We're Dead Instead Or Whatever."
"Speaking of dead, I am wondering if said knight is a ghost? I mean, they oftentimes appear and disappear without even a smidgen of a trace, and there aren't many who know of their existence either."
Queen's visor showed the text 'processing…' while she thought deeply.
"Yes, I know, it's a theory that seems even more difficult to grasp than whatever that knight might be doing and saying to us."
Around the corner of the door of the main room, Aurea silently peeked before knocking on the door itself.
"Please come in, we're not discussing anything remotely interesting anyway."
"Alright" Aurea said as she entered the main room with a tray on which two mugs, two small spoons, a teapot and a little bowl of sugar cubes were present. "I made the two of you a little something to drink, if you'd like." She carefully placed the tray onto the table at which the two monarchs sat. "I feel like you could use a little break, too."
Queen then briefly gasped in surprise while her visor now showed the text 'Serial Number Q5U4EX7YY2E9N .exe has stopped working'.
"You're probably curious how I know, huh? I presume it's my motherly sixth sense. A mother knows when someone needs a break, even if it doesn't regard her offspring."
"You seem to be able to read all of our minds significantly better than even the psychic Head Hathy lady who used to reside in this castle until I only just became a teenager" King stated. "She knew a lot, but yet not every single thing, as one half, if not four-sixth, of her fortunes and predictions were often wrong."
"Ah, you're talking about Madame Azure. I indeed remember her. Yes, she was quite a kooky psychic in my humble opinion, but she could be very nice, too. It's a big shame that the mere flu suddenly took her life, though, but… I blame her old age for being so vulnerable like that in the end. She did have a very strong and determined spirit that nobody could attempt to even tip over."
"No, not even me…!" King chuckled somewhat while he poured himself and Queen some tea in the two mugs. "Queenie Beanie, would you care for some sugar?"
"Just One Cube Please" Queen replied, only just having recovered and rebooted from her error message.
King added one sugar cube to Queen's mug of tea and served it to her with a spoon.
"Thank You Sweet Kingy Wingy." The cyber monarch grabbed her husband's now free right hand and plated several little kisses on its back. "Even If We're Both As Strained As A Persistent Trojan Horse Right Now I Still Appreciate: Your Kindness."
"I appreciate yours just as much, sweetheart. We can't just let some moronic knight convince us to divorce for no reason in particular. We still have some goals to achieve since getting married, right?"
"Yes Exactly. You Said That Marriage Would Open The Doors To: Many Possibilities. And We Could Always Enter Those Doors Right?"
"Is… is one of those doors to humiliate the knight to the point where they'll no longer disturb us?"
"If You Insist. And Yet We Don't Know When They'll Come Again Since They Came Out Of Nowhere Twice So Far."
"Next time, I'll definitely humiliate him. You know I'm this castle's champion at it, right?"
Queen giggled sweetly with her hand in front of her mouth.
"I can still sense a thick layer of determination in your hearts" Aurea said with a sincere nod. "Is it okay if I leave the two of you be?"
"Yes, please, milady."
"Okay. Have a good day, my King and Queen." And with a deep bow, the motherly Head Hathy left the main room.
But as soon as King and Queen finally had some time alone, Rouxls knocked on the door of the main room.
"You just promised to leave the two of us be…" the spadeling grumbled after having added the rest of the bowl of sugar cubes to his own mug of tea.
"I promiseth nothing, mine Kinge" Rouxls said.
"Wait, Rouxls, is that you?"
"Ay, of course it art me. Whomst else would thou thinketh I wouldst be?"
"Please, Queen and I were just left to have some alone time, and now you have to interrupt us?"
"Well, I art terribly sorry forth interrupting thee. I hath nay intentions on angering thee." Rouxls slowly stepped inside of the main room and had a seat on one of the distant chairs at the table. He looked to be a little agitated.
"You know that Queen and I don't wish to be bothered right now, right?"
"Whatst hath happened? Did thou haveth a fight?"
"No, of course not!"
"Kingy Wingy Please…" Queen said in a somewhat begging tone while performing physical pressure on the back of King's hand with her two thumbs, attempting to calm him down that way.
"You're always so meddlesome at the worst of times, Kaard, and I'm honestly getting more than sick of it."
"Well, mine apologies to thee, mine Kinge, but I do not always meaneth to get in thy way. Sometimes, it just happeneth, but it art not that I can just… looketh into thy future and read that thou art angry! I can't properly explaineth!"
King sighed deeply and audibly, his spade frowning along with his not-directly-visible eyes.
"I Hate To Say It Kingy Wingy" Queen said, "But You Only Seem To Make It Worse This Way. None Of Us Currently Feels: Any Better." She briefly let go of her husband's hand with her right hand so she could take a careful sip of her tea. "Glad It's Not As Hot Anymore Now…"
"Y… y… you're right about that… s-sweet Queenie Beanie… I'm indeed only making stuff worse… I'm the worst king in existence…"
"No You're Not You're The Best King That This Kingdom Could Have. You're Striving For That Right?"
"I th-thought I was, yes… b-but… those weird occurrences only s-s-seem to make everything worse! It's hopeless, and I have n-no clue what the future w-will even look like if I continue l-like this!"
"You Still Have Me As Your Right Hand Lady."
"I kn-know I do, but…" King then suddenly burst into soft sobbing. "I don't even know w-what to do with myself anymore at t-times like this…!"
"Art thou alright, mine Kinge?" Rouxls asked. "Couldst I offereth thou a handkerchief?"
"No… no, you can't…"
"He Probably Wants You To Leave For He Hates To Let Anyone See Him: Cry." Queen grabbed her mug, replaced it elsewhere on the table and sat down in a vacant seat next to King so that she could comfort him.
"Good now. I shalt taketh my leave. My apologies forst the inconvenience I hath caused." The young Duke of Puzzles quietly left the room, feeling bad for indirectly having caused the situation to become worse.
"It's Not Easy Is It?"
King shook his head hard, some of his tears landing onto the surface of the table while he did.
"I Get Your Feeling. For Me It's Not Always As Easy Either."
"It's… it's just that ever s-since I became a solitary king… th-things are only getting worse f-f-for me! It's not even f-fair anymore! I don't want the k-kingdom to fall into shambles j-just because of those weird occurrences l-lately, including today!"
"Neither Do I." Queen had to stand onto her seat in order to properly rub King's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"I don't want anything to f-fall into shambles, not even our m-marriage! I still want to h-have a child at some point, and th-they must and sh-shall become the next one in th-the royal line for c-coronation…!"
"It's Too Much For The Both Of Us To Be Bothered By: Such Terrible Fates. Even I Feel Bummed Out Ever Since." The cyber monarch hugged King tightly and rubbed her nose against his large cheek. "Please Feel Free To: Cry As Much As You Please."
"B-but… but I…"
"Real Men Do Cry Sweet Kingy Wingy. Whatever Is Taught To Young Boys About Not Being Allowed To Cry Is: Wrong Error 403 Forbidden."
"I'm t-too mighty to cry… why am I even d-doing it?!"
"Nothing Should Stop You From: Crying! Not Even Your Status As: The King Of Spades! Men Are Also Made To Feel Emotions Just Like All Of The Others!"
Some silence was briefly present in the main room.
"It's Unfair How Everyone Is Treated In Such A Sexist Fashion, And Here I Am Proving That Nobody Should. Everyone Should Be: Treated Equally!"
"Th… that's right, sweetheart… and y-yet, none of us see it h-happen that often so f-far…! You kn-know, I'm very happy to h-have gotten to know you… you're one of the most g-groundbreaking Darkners in the Dark World… convincing everyone t-to live the perfect way that everyone sh-should know of…!"
"I Highly Appreciate Your Praise Kingy Wingy Sweetie Honey Darling Gravy." Queen kissed the crying King's cheek and offered him one of the largest handkerchieves that existed within the walls of Card Castle.
"Thank you… Q-Queenie Beanie…"
While King cried the rest of his strained tears into the handkerchief, Queen performed all sorts of physical pressure on him to comfort him further. From a mediocre shoulder massage to firm arm rubs on both sides, and from back rubs in whatever motions you could possibly think of to even the tightest of bear hugs.
For all of this time, they were fortunately left alone, just as they wished. Nobody would want to interrupt a strained and sad couple trying to solve things between them, right?
It eventually took quite a while before the two felt better.
"I…" King tried. "I'm sorry f-for being like this lately… It's not intentional. It's just… difficult."
"I'm Just As Sorry For Being The Same Way" Queen said, "And I Fully Forgive You."
"You don't have to apologise for being as much as a dumb cretin as I am. I'm the main ruler of Card Kingdom, and I should be the one who should do better in the first place."
"You're Not: A Dumb Cretin. You're My Sweet Kingy Wingy Who Just Got Affected By That Dumb Knight Just Like: Your Dumber Big Stupid Cretin Wife AKA Me."
King couldn't help but chuckle a little through the remainder of his tears.
"Well, we're even, in any case." He peppered Queen's left cheek in many big kisses, making her giggle and all smiles in almost an instant. "We're determined enough to keep trying, aren't we?"
"We Definitely Are."
The couple soon found themselves in a warm, loving and trustworthy lip-lock, relieving their souls even harder than beforehand.
I mean, If laughter wasn't the best medicine, then love would probably be that way instead.