Kane was sitting in his personal workshop, admiring a small box held in his gloved hand. He had the top opened on its hinges to reveal the jewelry protected inside. An expensive engagement ring sat within, a beautiful diamond mounted on a decorated shank with a special engraving of his beloved's name inside. He'd spent a long time making his decision. A petite band that would fit comfortably in Queen's glove, that still held enough elegance to impress the nearby eyes of others. Something that could properly express the feelings he'd grown for her, over this time.
It cost a great sum that was no trouble to him. He rarely bought anything at his own leisure, instead directing his finances to paying the bills or covering the cost of materials for his projects. He made this purchase the same morning he decided his Queen was ready. He'd been keeping it away from her eyes since, hidden in a secure drawer that only he could unlock. Not until he was absolutely certain.
He shut the box and placed it carefully on his desk. He'd been sitting in here all morning, contemplating. Trying to think of an appropriate time to ask for her hand in marriage. It was a difficult feat, with her leaving for the library early in the morning and remaining there for most of the day. He was curious as to what drew her there, and visited her one time. He found her reading one of his biographies and decided not to pry. He wasn't sure why she was reading them. He was tempted to ask…if he didn't have other things on his mind.
'I wonder where she is right now.' He thought. She left again, without a note this time. He already checked the library and couldn't find her. He assumed she was somewhere in Cadiz or even King Casimir's castle. He favored this time of reflection for himself, anyway.
A beeping sound suddenly drew him from his thoughts. The communicator on his wrist was alerting him of an incoming call. He brought his gaze away from the ring box and pressed a button to accept the intermission. Deacon's voice sounded through the static.
"Kane?"
The call was muffled. He was somewhere the connection couldn't quite reach that well. Likely in the ocean, on a ship as he usually was. He leaned in closely to ensure his voice came through.
"Deacon? What is it?"
There was silence, beyond the sound of static. More shuffling noises came in this absence. Kane was about to end the call, too busy to be trifled with at that moment. But his son's voice stopped him before he could.
"Are you alone right now?"
A look of interest crossed the Commander's blue eyes.
Deacon adjusted the binoculars in his hands as the wind picked up around him. His gaze was focused on the Tortellini family's island. He'd been in the middle of delivering a payment on a personal boat when he stumbled upon an unfamiliar vessel tied to the secluded dock. He used his to make haste visits to the family. The Tortellinis received regular compensation in exchange for keeping Gazpaccio prisoner. He was the one to usually give such payment on behalf of the Armada. He figured it was appropriate timing, with their annual party and all.
What he did not expect was to find the dock already in use. There was a singular man in a similar bauta mask standing and waiting out there, a black cloak completely obscuring his figure. He was more concerned with the missing company. Deacon witnessed two figures leaving the boat earlier. He must've arrived the same time they did. One of them belonged to his older brother, Phule, and the other to…someone else. He could not tell who it was, but he had his…suspicions.
Phule was known to sneak off to this island every now-and-then. Deacon didn't care. He seldom caused any trouble there. This visitor of his, however, was to be of note. And if it was who he thought it was, then he felt Kane should know. It was his job to inform him of such things.
"Someone is on the Tortellini's island. And I have a suspicion it is Queen." He stated factually.
A few seconds passed before the Supreme Commander responded flatly. "I have no time for jokes."
"I'm serious." He reaffirmed. He was distracted, trying not to lose sight of the cloaked man. "There's no one else that knows this location. But someone is here. And I think it's her."
"On what grounds are you making this assumption?"
Kane snapped. He couldn't blame him for doing so. Deacon didn't feel right, doing this. He promised Queen he would not tell of her curiosity with Gazpaccio. But he warned her not to do anything further. And it was too late to offer second chances. She must've fallen for one of Phule's antics if he led her here. He wasn't surprised he was behind this. He always was, when it came to troubles with the family.
His gut sank when he found two others joining the masked man. The colorful jester was running alongside the same figure from before. They boarded their boat and left in a hurry. Before they sailed off, Deacon caught sight of the woman lowering her mask. His binoculars revealed what he presumed. He held his breath. He wondered how to spill this to his superior and decided to take it slow.
He pocketed the tool. There was no use for them anymore. "She came to me and Rooke asking about Gazpaccio not too long ago. We kept quiet, but I assume she's been asking you as well..?"
"..."
"Phule led her here. That's how she found it." He heard the silence prolong. He grew anxious waiting for a response. Silence from his father was never a good thing. "...I'm sorry, Kane."
"Are you certain it's her?"
"Have you seen her anywhere else today?"
"..No. I haven't." Some movement came from his end, accompanied by the faint sound of a sigh. "I assume you're there to pay the Tortellinis. Get that done with."
"Are you alright?"
The call ended with no further exchanges. Deacon stared at his communicator before moving with the wind to approach the dock. His fingers felt numb as he knotted the rope and took his usual trail onto the island. He was worried about Kane - knowing he trusted this woman, to be with her this long and do as much as he's done for her…the emissary didn't feel pleasant being the one to bring this news. It always seemed like he had nothing good to report to him nowadays.
'We'll see what happens', he regrettably thought to himself, greeting the family in the Italian language.
"Robert? That's your name?"
Queen sounded smug with this newfound information. They'd been sailing on calm waters for a bit now. But she still had plenty on her mind from her encounter with Gazpaccio. He decided to put her curiosities to rest, just so he wouldn't have to keep hearing her voice over and over again.
"Enjoy it while you can, because the moment we're back, you can't use it anymore."
She blinked at him curiously. "Why not?"
"My name was changed when I became a jester." He rested his head on his knuckles. "I'm not allowed to use my old name, or anyone else, for that matter."
"I don't understand…why would you not be allowed to use your own name ?"
"I assume it has something to do with me being Kane's mistake." He spat out spitefully. "He'd rather not think of the times with Gazpaccio. And he was the one to name me. It's his way of not thinking about him, or the old times."
"That's ridiculous. You? His mistake? That can't-"
"Perhaps you should learn something about him." He interrupted in a dark tone. He was tired of pretending. She already learned the truth - why not some more? "My father told me countless times that I was a mistake. I was never meant to be here. I was just some screw-up when he didn't know any better. Everything about me - from my discolored eyes to my personalities…I am not perfect. And that's what he hates most about me."
Queen couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But he couldn't possibly hate you!"
"You don't know anything about him, do you?" The ends of his lips twitched. "He's a perfectionist who hates anything that's flawed. And me? I'm as imperfect as it gets. That's why I look and act the way I do."
She dropped her mask to frown at his words. She couldn't think of any way to console him. She had a hard time believing Phule. Was he being honest? She clenched her hands tightly as she struggled to understand this information. He noticed her silence and leaned in closer.
"Do you want to know the truth? Everything he's not telling you? It's a lot more than you think."
It felt like she had a knot in her throat and she couldn't speak. He took her lack of an answer to carry on.
"Think about it. Why has he put so much work into changing you? To give you these lessons on how to act, how to think..? He's doing to you what he's done to my family. Molding you to his perfection. It doesn't matter what you were like before - he wanted change. Maybe that's why he kept you around."
"That can't be true." She defended. "He wanted me to fit in here. To teach me how to act around royalty. I'm not like the others-"
"-You were impressionable. A woman he had every power over and can take advantage of. He's normally not the gentleman he's been to you. He's killed more people than you and I can imagine. He's heartless and ruthless…he imprisoned his own father! Tell me, do you think any normal man would do that?"
Her lips parted as she thought of a rebuttal. She came to nothing. He continued on.
"He wouldn't love anything that's imperfect. That's why he doesn't love me, and why he doesn't love a lot of things. If you asked him what he thought of this world, he'd want to get rid of it. And he'd have no issues getting rid of you, too."
Queen found herself choking. A tear involuntarily rolled down her cheek. Hearing of these things about Kane…the man she's grown to love, who has done so much for her even though he didn't have to…she couldn't believe it. How could she? She'd known this perfect man, such a gentleman who cared for her and gave her everything she could've asked for…who held her tightly during the night, touching her in ways other men haven't and calling her his queen and even his muse…her heart ached thinking otherwise.
She wiped her eyes. "Why do you hate him..? Why must you say these things about Kane?"
He looked to deeply reflect on something. "He changed when he came back from that war. He used to care about me. But he hasn't embraced me since I was a child. Not once has he said he loved me since then. He spent the rest of my life holding me to these ideal expectations - and my brothers had to deal with it, too. He always told me I was his mistake. And I believe him."
She remembered Gazpaccio saying something similar - that Kane changed when he returned home. It caused issues between them, and it must've affected him and Robert as well. Queen comfortingly placed her hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off immediately. He turned away and motioned to the bastion they were approaching.
"We're here. And remember what I said, if you want to understand who he really is."
The sun was setting in the sky. Phule left when they were on land, as did their chauffeur. Queen brought it upon herself to return to Kane's mansion. She wanted to speak with him. To see him. She refused to believe Phule's words until she had a good reason to. Maybe his relationship with his eldest son was troubled…but it couldn't be as bad as he described. Why would Kane call him a 'mistake' ? His birth might've been unplanned, but that sounded like a terrible thing to tell your own son…
She went up the stairs quietly and peeked into their room. He wasn't in there, much to her relief. She changed into one of her usual bright dresses, along with her father's pearl necklace. She glanced in a nearby mirror and her lips fell. She thought of Phule's words - someone completely different than who she used to be. But she liked this, didn't she? She felt good, and that's what mattered. She shook off her concerns and left the room to begin searching for her boyfriend.
She had little success. The last place she could check was his workshop. She hadn't placed a foot in there, as she was not allowed to follow him in. He worked on confidential projects in here - things she could not see. She was hesitant to approach the door. It took a lot of bravery to knock on it. She held her hands together and shifted her feet as she waited.
There were sounds of footsteps from the other side, accompanied by a lock unlatching. But there was no voice and the door did not open.
She took this opportunity to slowly push it forward. She was met with the sight of a figure facing the wall with something in his hand, standing in front of a window. He was watching the sun lower into the horizon. She recognized the back of Kane's coat and shut the door. Her heart leapt seeing him. Phule's words cleared from her mind. She was just so happy to be in his presence again. She cleared her throat to alert him she was here.
He lifted his head, vaguely turning in her direction. "Where have you been?"
It was an appropriate question. He was sure she knew she didn't leave a note.
She thought of a lie on the spot. "-I left for the library again. I forgot to tell you. I'm sorry if you worried about me."
He hummed lightly. He knew this was not true, but said nothing.
He returned to his work without a word. She stood where she was before stepping forward. Kane walked off to search the inside of a nearby cabinet. He collected a handful of gears and returned to the desk, where Queen waited for him. He didn't so much as glance at her as he worked. It wasn't unusual for him to be quiet, but that was seldom in her presence. They've spent so much time speaking with each other that she thought he would at least acknowledge her.
She didn't know what bothered her more. His sudden silence, or what she'd done today. She remembered what Gazpaccio asked for and chewed on her lip, wondering how to say it without sounding suspicious.
"I wanted to apologize for being so nosy lately. With your father, I mean. I'm sure he loves and cares about you, wherever he is."
He hummed again. This one sounded almost aggressive. Her heart began to swell anxiously.
"You must love him too, right? And if you could, you'd give him another chance? To patch things up between you two? For whatever may have happened, I mean.."
She was doing a terrible job trying to be discreet. Even Kane knew this. He started to feel a pain in his chest the longer she avoided telling the truth. She was lying about this situation - something he hoped not to happen. He expected her to be upfront about what she did, and ask for his forgiveness. The dishonesty hurt him the most. He wasn't sure where to begin.
"And how would you know all of this?" He finally asked, giving her the opportune chance to spill everything. She dodged the question.
"I just assume you two have, er, problems you can sort out if you see him again. I read books that say-"
He suddenly slammed down the mechanism in his hands. He may have broke it with how harsh he was. She jumped at the loud noise. He was tired listening to her excuses. He felt a strange coldness after his brief talk with Deacon, and this conversation is just making the pain worse.
"I know where you went today. I don't appreciate the dishonesty." He spat out in irritation. "I was hoping you'd be truthful with me."
She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean..?"
"Deacon told me where you were. You were seeing my father behind my back. You got Phule to help you. You two left this morning when I couldn't find you. And I checked the library."
Her heart beat rapidly as she thought of what to say. She was caught. That much was obvious. She didn't think he'd be as enraged as he was - noticing the coldness in his eyes. It would've been hard to tell if he hadn't raised his voice. She rarely ever heard it - and it wasn't a pleasant feeling when she did. She licked her lips and frowned, praying that this wouldn't end in argument. She didn't want to have one like this. Not so soon in their relationship…
"I wanted to meet him. And since you weren't going to tell me anything about him, I went to see him myself."
"-I asked you not to." He rubbed his temple. "You left knowing I didn't want you to see him."
She recoiled at his words. Did he imply she had to obey HIS word? That line wasn't going to be crossed. She'd been ordered around by men her whole life, and she thought him different. She wasn't going to let that happen now.
"You can't control me! I'm not some puppet you can give orders to and expect I'll fulfill your every-"
"-I trusted you." He interrupted. "This was something personal to me that I did not want to talk about. I asked you not to see him because I believed you'd respect that. And you didn't."
She grew quiet at this fact. Now she felt completely cold inside. Kane was right, wasn't he? He asked her not to pry, but she took it too far. She neglected to put herself in his position, imagining if he had gone out doing something she asked him not to...she felt guilty and had to swallow her pride. He turned away and inhaled deeply. He was getting frustrated. He crossed his arms indignantly.
"Why do you have to know everything ?" He asked. "This whole time I've known you, Valerie, you've done nothing but push matters you shouldn't. You didn't learn your lesson the first time - why did I expect that now..?" He ended with a forced chuckle.
She felt hurt by his words. But she had to understand - she hurt him first. "…I'm sorry, Kane. I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't know how personal this was to you."
"You have a good idea now, don't you?" He retorted.
Her confidence returned. She had the courage to snap back. "What's the deal with you and your father, anyway? You can't even talk about him! What else did you expect me to do? I don't understand!"
"Of course you don't." He dropped his arms to his sides. "That's exactly why I didn't want you to know anything about him. He's worthless to me. It shouldn't matter to you, either."
"But he's your dad! He looked so sad when I saw him...He regrets what he did to you. But you won't give him the chance to tell you. Maybe if you just talked to him-"
"I want NOTHING to do with that man!" He yelled, taking a couple steps towards her. "I don't want you anywhere near him. He's nothing more to me now. How hard is it for you to understand!?"
They were inches away from each other. The tension grew by the second. She matched his anger - narrowing her eyes as she screamed right back at him. "You locked away your own FATHER. How can you do something like that? Something so heartless and cruel...he's been neglected; he's starving! "
His eyes remained firmly on hers. "He treated me as nothing more but a machine - like I was a soldier, so that's what I became. What he wanted." He clenched his gloved fists. "He never told me he loved me while I made all of those machines for him. Painted those portraits. Worked to his every demand. The only time that man cared about me was when he exploited me!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, like you and Robert?"
His expression changed entirely - one of disbelief at her audacity. The anger was too much to express. She carried on.
"You're becoming exactly what you claim to hate..! Except what you've done to Gazpaccio is worse. He could fix his mistakes and become a better person. But he can't because you keep him locked in a ball and chain!"
Her breath became heavy as her heart pounded in her ears. Kane looked furious with her, as she did with him. She felt nothing in this moment - except the numbness in her body and the heat in her throat. She didn't think twice about her words. She couldn't possibly determine the emotional turmoil until they left her lips:
"Maybe you are just as heartless as they described…you don't care about anyone but yourself! Gazpaccio may be willing to change, but it's clear that you aren't! You're a selfish asshole!"
His look of anger was momentarily replaced with hurt. It was the first time she'd ever seen him that way. Her expression vanished as her mouth fell agape, realizing what she just said. She went to correct herself, but he sharply turned away before she could. He angrily stomped over to the door and turned back once. His voice was quiet, compared to the screaming they shared seconds ago.
"I don't think I can forgive you."
Everything was numb again, except this time it hurt. Her throat was warm as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes. was...nothing, right ? "Kane, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"-Maybe you should have thought before doing anything." He took a step into the open doorway, adding to the coldness enveloping her body. "I haven't done anything like this to you. I wasn't selfish about that, was I? But all the trouble you went through...I just can't understand why."
It was inevitable. The tears were falling from her eyes. She wiped them away hoping they would dry, but more fell out instead. She was crying. She made a mistake and didn't think about the consequences. What is he going to do now? Leave her because he has a reason not to trust her anymore? That thought made Queen sick to her stomach. She sniffled in an attempt to breathe.
"I'm sorry..."
He gave her one last look before leaving the room entirely. He went at such a quick pace, she had only a moment to react. She desperately ran after, only to find his figure retreating down the hall. He was walking so fast that she wouldn't have the chance to catch up with him. All she could do was desperately call out as he left her in the middle of his workshop.
There was no sight of him for the rest of the night. He wasn't there for dinner or when Queen later came into their room. She observed the chess game that hadn't been cleaned yet. She leaned down and gathered the pieces, returning them to the box and setting the table back wordlessly. She shook thinking how his hands were the last to touch most of these...After she beat him at chess for the first time. She looked at the misplaced chairs and remembered what they did here. She bowed her head in guilt.
Her chest ached. She felt empty.
She changed before climbing into the empty bed. She turned off the lights, hoping Kane would return in the middle of the night. To show forgiveness for her terrible actions - assuring that he wasn't truly mad, and they were inseparable. To warm her from this ever-growing chill. But he never returned to his rightful spot, even when the sun began to rise in the sky. Queen was left to stare at the vacant space and bawl her eyes out in the morning, realizing how hopeless her thoughts had been.
'Had he slept with another woman?' Was her default thought. 'I was terrible to him…Why would he want to be around me, if he can't trust me?'
She spent the rest of the morning in bed, eventually preparing for the day that awaited her.
