Matthew tossed the blanket onto the cushions, before pulling on the side of the loveseat to spin it around. It screeched against the floor horrendously, but he ignored the aggravating sound while dragging the loveseat across the lounge area of the Spade Queen's quarters. He finally got it into position by the bay window, facing out to look through the window.
"That should work," Matthew muttered as he adjusted the angle of the seat.
"Can you grab one of the little tables as well?" Erika requested, "We'll want somewhere to put these down."
"Of course."
Matthew left the loveseat and returned to the seating area, where both the small accent tables had vases of flowers on them. He approached one of the tables, and moved the vase to the coffee table instead. He then picked up the table and carried it over to the loveseat, while Erika followed him with the two cups of freshly poured mulled wine.
"This spot will be perfect," Matthew uttered as he placed the accent before the loveseat, directly against the windowsill.
He sat on the loveseat and scuttled over to the left side, grabbing the tossed blanket as he did so to clear Erika's space, while she placed the two cups of wine on the table before sitting down beside him. They giggled as she cuddled close to him, and he draped the blanket over their legs.
"There we go," Erika said as she reached for their cups of wine, "All nice and warm and comfy."
"Yes, we're all set," Matthew agreed as he accepted his cup of wine, "Ludwig and Roderich don't know what they're missing out on."
"Not that we'd want to share with them," Erika teased.
"Of course not," Matthew chuckled, "I'm sure they're both reading quietly in their own quarters right now."
They both paused in the silence to sip at their mulled wine and observe their evening weather. Although it was the middle of May, it seemed nature had one last solid rainstorm to provide them before the warmth of summer could come any closer. There was still enough light in the sky to watch the rain come down on Shoburgh, the capital city of Spades. The view from the Queen's quarters directly overlooked Lake Mulwin, with the forests and mountains beyond to the west where the sunset was still trying to poke through the grey clouds.
"This storm is a little late in the season, isn't it?" Erika noted.
"It is, but no need to worry," Matthew assured, "Soon it will be so hot out that we'll be waiting for autumn."
"Can't I enjoy spring and summer first?" Erika asked, "No need to rush the heat away when it arrives."
"I know you enjoy the heat, my flower," Matthew promised, "As long as there is shade for me, I'll be more than happy to stroll the gardens with you."
"I'm sure the gardens will be in full bloom within a few weeks," Erika envisioned, "I can't wait to see them."
"The staff know the local flora very well," Matthew commended, "The Shoburgh gardens will be a wonder yet again."
"Don't each of the palaces have their specialties?" Erika remarked, "I seem to recall that Zorora has heat-resistant flowers that can withstand nearly the whole year."
"Well, it helps that they're further south," Matthew explained, "Nodiff would certainly have the hardest time growing anything, with the colder weather year-round in the north. I think Oriasa is a little warmer than Shoburgh, the surrounding crops always seem to do well there."
"Maybe we should try to tour the four kingdoms this summer," Erika suggested, "See who has the best gardens."
"I doubt you can get everyone to agree on a best garden, they'll all choose their home turfs," Matthew predicted, "I'm sure Alfred and Basch would be more than happy to see us though, wouldn't they?"
"I'm sure they would," Erika concurred, "I know Basch will want to know how you've been treating me."
"What, as if I'd dare not treat you like the queen you are?" Matthew quipped, before leaning in to quickly kiss her lips.
They giggled and shared a couple more kisses, before turning to look outside again. While Matthew sipped at his wine, his thoughts turned to Alfred and the prospect of seeing him again. It's definitely been a while since they've seen each other, with Alfred as the King of Hearts while Matthew was here in Spades. As he tried to recall their last visit, Matthew's mind suddenly drew a blank, and he frowned as he concentrated harder on remembering.
He was quickly distracted by a kiss on the cheek.
"You're awfully focused on something," Erika noted, "What is it?"
"When's the last time we saw our brothers?" Matthew asked, "I'm trying to remember the last time I saw Alfred, but I'm drawing a blank."
Matthew awaited her answer, and turned to see her own confused expression as she thought about it.
"I can't remember either," Erika answered, "How very peculiar."
"Isn't it strange that neither of us can remember the last time we saw our brothers?" Matthew quizzed as Erika raised her cup to her lips.
"It might not be, actually," Erika countered, pausing to look more closely at her cup, "How much have we drank tonight?"
"There was the white wine at dinner," Matthew recalled, "Then there was this pitcher of the mulled red wine, which we shared a glass each with Ludwig and Roderich before bringing the rest up here to finish off."
"It must be the wine then," Erika concluded, "Finish that off, I'm sure we'll recover our memories tomorrow."
Matthew chuckled before he followed Erika's lead, finishing off the last of his cup of wine and placing it on the table beside hers. Once he leaned back, she snuggled in closer against him, and they both stared outside at the rain in a comfortable silence. As he held Erika tight and tried to relax, his mind wouldn't drop the strange topic.
When did he last see Alfred?