It was Queen's second Christmas at Card Castle.
Her first Christmas was just celebrated with the Card Castle peers, and back then, she merely video-called the peers from her mansion via Spyke before the big celebration of both sides. It felt drastically different, and I can perfectly understand why. Nothing's the same when one video-calls someone after having seen them in real life for almost their entire life.
This year, however, the King of Diamonds actually did permit Queen to invite some of the peers from her mansion to Card Castle so they could celebrate Christmas along with everyone else.
Little did anyone know, however, that the King of Spades had a grand surprise for Queen in store, and he, too, was overjoyed when he heard that some of the peers from Queen's Mansion were coming to Card Castle. They'd love it, and he just knew it!
Recently, the King of Spades had spent many hours, including some very important hours that were completely wasted by now, at his computer to seek a certain type of accessory that'd look perfect on his girlfriend's handsome hand. And he found one pretty quickly, too! Wherefore, you wonder? …can you guess? Well, I'm not spilling any beans yet.
At only just 5 p.m., the kitchen was already bustling with busy chefs who were trying very hard to cook and bake everything just perfectly. Even Rouxls Kaard, who was now aged 18 and officially the servant of the King of Spades, was there with an experimental version of a recipe of his own, and he had high hopes that the other Card Castle peers would like it just as much as he did.
"Art thou all readyest for some tasteth-testing?!" Rouxls exclaimed after having stirred at his pot non-stop for half an hour. "Oucheth, my arm art sore…"
"I'm ready!" Igos the Rudinn Ranger said as he put his rolling pin down. "Johnny! Finish up the gingerbread monsters for me, will ya?!" He swiftly grabbed a teaspoon from one of the drawers and went towards Rouxls and his pot. "What's your recipe called, by the way?"
"Rouxls's Roux. Ay, quite simple, I knoweth. Be careful-eth, though, for it art piping-eth hot."
"Thanks for the warning. I'm never a careful taste tester myself, haha…!" Igos took a small spoonful of the roux from the pot, gently blew on it, waited, blew again and then carefully ate it.
Rouxls looked at his taste tester with a hopeful glimpse in his eyes.
To Igos, the roux tasted… umami? Somewhat similar to gravy with a hint of… cloves, bay leaf and steak? One of the most outstanding flavours (which, in fact, came from one of the worms in the roux) was a slightly dry one that perfectly absorbed the aforementioned hints and similarities.
The Rudinn Ranger chef subsequently smiled widely and hummed in approval, which made the young Duke of Puzzles react very enthusiastically.
"This is an amazing combination of flavours!" Igos exclaimed. "And you said you're the new Duke of Puzzles and a self-taught cook? Well, for one of the latter, you're a professional! This should definitely be served among all of the other foods!"
"I art very thankful that thou liketh it…!" Rouxls said, tearing up with joy.
"Fellow chefs! Come and have a taste of Rouxls's Roux! It's the most divine stuff you've ever tried! Grab the smallest spoons you can get since it can't run out just yet!"
"Well, food of mine art never been receiveth this enthusiastic-eth… I art baffled…"
"You should definitely continue with this exact recipe, Rouxls. It's beyond perfect. Even my daughter is definitely going to love this, I can already feel it…!"
Soon, many of the other chefs grabbed small spoons for themselves and indirectly made a mass queue towards the large pot of roux.
"With which dish do you think this goes the best, young man?" a Hathy named Castiel asked.
"Ooh, that art a tricky-eth one…" Rouxls replied. "I thinketh this goes best with… yams or meat? 'Tis similar-eth to gravy, so this mighteth go well with potatoes as well."
"Similar to gravy, you say?" Castiel carefully took a spoonful, carefully blew on it and then tasted his little dose of roux. "Mmm, yes… ooh, did you add nutmeg to this? This is wonderful!" He was found smiling widely upon the unique flavour combination.
Slowly but surely, the mass queue became smaller, and since it regarded professional chefs tasting the roux by the most modest of little spoonfuls, the pot of roux did not become significantly emptier.
It was ultimately needless to say that Rouxls was highly ecstatic that even those professional chefs thought very highly of such a simple original recipe. His roux would ultimately be confirmed as part of the Christmas feast as well.
Meanwhile, in the colourfully and somewhat magically decorated dining room, there were already some impatient folks waiting for everything to begin.
While they waited and chit-chatted, a galore of busy Rudinn Rangers and Head Hathies were frantically setting the table from its one end to the other. They started with the gigantic, white, laced tablecloth that was present during every event that involved dinner.
"Careful not to rip it, Tobias!" Aurea warned one of her fellow Head Hathies. "You know that the four kings' distant ancestors made this over hundreds of years ago, right?!"
"Yeah, I know, I know" Tobias sighed, "does it look like it's made of glass or anything?"
"Now, now, I know we're all nervous about the arrival of the guests soon, but that doesn't mean you can speak to me like that."
"I'm sorry, I indeed didn't mean to snap at you. I guess the nervousness is just taking over."
"Now, why won't you take a nice break after this? Take a few breaths, and maybe have some coffee? I saw that one of the chefs just indirectly offered us a whole pot full of it."
"Not a bad idea. I could use an energiser."
Both of the Head Hathies then adjusted the same tablecloth at the other side of the table with as little wrinkles as possible, and as symmetrically as possible as well.
"Make room for the plates!" one of the Rudinn Rangers shouted once the tablecloth was adjusted well enough. They looked to be a bit clumsy while balancing the massive stack of plates in their arms.
In response to seeing those many wobbly plates, Aurea and Tobias swiftly went out of the way and sprinted to get the aforementioned pot of coffee from the 'offer counter' near the kitchen.
"My Queen" the King of Hearts said, "do you think your peers will like the foods here again? Just like back during the day before you officially became a resident of Card Castle?"
"Very Likely Yes" Queen replied. "The Five Skittles Seemed To Be: The Most Enthusiastic Out Of The Bunch…" Her visor then suddenly showed a flashing lightbulb icon. "Ooh What If They Try Rolex I Mean Rouxls's New Recipe?"
"I'm pretty curious about that one as well. Rouxls did mention it a lot lately, but not its ingredients. Maybe it's a secret recipe?"
"Just Like Dad's Spaghetti Code! Ooh Now I'm: Very Excited!"
"In that case" the King of Spades suggested, "how about the next Christmas dinner is at your mansion instead, Queen? Our peers from Card Castle could possibly bring their own foods along, in that case!"
"Like Some Sort Of Cook-Off? Interesting Concept Yes."
"But just with the Spaghetti Code and Kaard's recipe, to make it more convenient."
"Bro No That Sounds Really Boring!" Queen's visor now showed the text 'bro?'. "You Know That Igos And Irene Have Their Own Beyond Yummy Ravioli Recipe Too Right? And What About Some Of Those Addisons That Occasionally Send Us Pipis Out Of Which We Can Make A Ton As Well?"
"What are Pipis again?"
"You Know Those Little Blue Things That Might Explode When Not Handled Carefully. No Wonder Most Of The Chefs Here Sustained Damage While Trying To Prepare Them…!" The cyber monarch burst out in hearty laughter.
"Oh, those. Sweetheart, my chefs aren't even trained to prepare those properly!"
"Oh But Kingy Wingy You Don't Have To Be Trained To Prepare Them, You Learn To Prepare Them By: Trial And 404 I Mean Error."
"Guess the chefs only know about error, then."
That statement made both of the lovebirds laugh heartily.
"But that doesn't even sound half bad" the King of Diamonds said, "a dinner party where people bring their own food for others to try. I mean, I could always use something else than just the same old potato stew that the head chef has been making us for decades now."
"Do not speak ill of that unbeatable potato stew!" the King of Spades snapped. "You know our head chef always uses different ingredients for it every year, right? A little variety doesn't hurt now, does it?"
"I do always notice the same kind of steak tips and gravy every year, in any case. In seasons like this, vegetables are just one of the most difficult things to obtain."
"Mmm, steak tips…!" the King of Clubs said, "I could surely use that by now…!"
"Now That I Think Of The Concept" Queen said, "There Is A 99,99999% Chance That Such A Dinner Party Will Almost Solely Consist Of: Pasta."
"Oh?" the four suit kings said in unison. "How come?"
"There's: Ravioli Peperoncino Con Aglio E Olio. Tagliatelle Carbonara. Spaghetti Bolognese. Linguini Con Spinaci E Pesto Alla Genovese. 99,99999% Chance Of: Macaroni And Cheese. And Of Course Spaghetti Code."
"That's indeed a lot of pasta…!" the King of Hearts laughed. "But macaroni and cheese?"
"Oh That's One Of Rouxls's Favourite Foods And I'm Pretty Sure That He Will Eventually Try To Make That One Of His Personal Specialities As Well. To Be Exact A Chance Of: 95%. Oh Don't Let That Number Concern You For It Represents: Nothing!"
"Maybe that's another one of his secret recipes?"
"404 Not Found. All I Know Of Is: Rouxls's Roux."
"I'm pretty curious about how that'll taste, actually. Will it be more similar to white sauce, or to gravy? Roux is always different, you know?"
Behind the five monarchs' backs, the table was soon fully set, plates, cutlery, glasses, candelabras and all.
"Ooh This Is So Exciting I Can Barely Contain Myself…!" Queen's core warmed up and started beating a little faster in excitement.
45 minutes later, Aurea and Rouxls welcomed those from Queen's Mansion into Card Castle, and guided them towards the dining hall, where the hustle and bustle was now even more present than ever before.
"I bet this is going to be the best Christmas celebration yet" Miguel said as he adjusted his bow. "Aren't you guys ecstatic about being invited here?"
"Well, ecstatic is not the word that I'd use that quickly" Bowen said, "but I'm pretty happy to be here, in any case."
"Well, at least you've beaten 'pleased'."
"Yeah, that's right."
"I wonder what kind of foods there'll be soon?" Tasque Manager said. "Just the Eastern Dark World's specialties, or also something like a roast? Because I could surely use a good roast with a thick layer of mushroom sauce and perfectly pan-fried potatoes!"
"You tell us, Tasque Manager" Fabio said, "now you got me hungry for such a scrumptious roast!" He and the feline maid-in-training laughed heartily up next.
Rouxls, who happened to hear all of this after letting the last few guests into the dining hall, made a zip gesture in front of his mouth and smirked, as if he said "I won't say anything!".
"Sis!" Swatch shouted once they saw Queen at the farthest end of the table and quickly walked up to her.
"Swatchy Watchy!" Queen exclaimed as she spread her arms, in response to which Swatch hugged her tightly and vice versa. "How Have You Been?"
"I've been great! My training to become a butler has been horrifically difficult, but I got this! Now, how have you been?"
"Being A Queen At This Castle Is Just As Difficult And Not Just Because I Miss You Sweet Swatchy Watchy. But Furthermore I Am Doing: Good." Queen kissed her younger stepsibling's forehead, accidentally leaving a blue lipstick mark there. "Whoops Sorry I Didn't Mean To…!" She grabbed a nearby napkin, dabbed one part of it in her glass of water and swiftly wiped the mark off of Swatch's forehead. "There That Should Do It."
"And you're sure it's gone?"
"Absolutely Sweet Little Stepsibling. Now Why Won't You Have: A Seat?"
"Can Dad and I sit near you guys?"
"Of Course You Can." Queen smiled sweetly while her visor showed the text 'nice' and petted Swatch's head.
The young butler-in-training had a seat at their stepsister's left side and immediately tucked the nearest napkin into their new blouse, which was black and white with some colourful hints.
"Ah, Swatch" the King of Spades said, "hello, didn't see you there."
"H-hello, King… of Spades? Good evening."
"How are you doing on this fine Christmas Eve?"
"Pretty good. It's an honour to be invited here. How are you?"
"Can't complain."
"That's good to hear."
Not much later, Castiel came to the dining hall with a large tray that contained five large glass jugs filled with different drinks each, and poured everyone's glasses full of them.
For those who didn't drink alcohol for whatever reason, there was fresh lemonade with ice cubes and an additional lemon slice, or sparkling water. Otherwise, there was Revive Mint and cucumber punch, high-quality white wine, or scotch on the rocks.
As soon as everyone had their drinks and Castiel briefly left, the rest of the chefs came to serve all of the foods at the buffet: desserts like Choco Diamonds, Hearts Doughnuts, Dark Candy and Top Cake, but also a galore of side and main courses like the head chef's special potato stew with juicy steak tips and seasonal vegetables, the iconic Christmas roast beef with peppercorn sauce and stir-fried miniature potatoes and broccoli, pasta bolognese, grilled yams with gravy, Double Darkburgers, Clubs Sandwiches… and, of course, the never-before-seen ginormous pot of Rouxls's Roux.
"Ooh, a giant pot of soup!" Lemmy exclaimed. "One of my favourite dishes!"
"As a matter of fact" Igos said, "that's not soup, my good gentleman. It is, however, something very good, trust me."
"Good food?" Iggy immediately beamed in response. "Daddy, please share some details!"
"No, sweetheart, that'd only spoil the surprise. You should taste it for yourself once we're allowed to eat, okay?"
"Aww… okay. Some of those from Queen's Mansion are wondering if there's a roast this year, by the way?"
"Oh, absolutely! I mean, what is a Christmas dinner without a roast, silly girl?" Igos chuckled, pointed at the roast at the buffet and patted Iggy's head in a friendly fashion as he sat down next to her. "What, you thought your old man didn't get Queen's permission to dine along with you? That'd make me a terrible father!"
"Yes!" Tasque Manager whisper-cheered after having overheard Igos and subsequently having seen said roast at the buffet as well. "Yes, yes, yes! Ooh, my tummy's already rumbling…!"
"It's seriously the finest roast in all of the Eastern Dark World" Cathy said with an excited smile. "Only the best quality meat has been used…! It's marinated for at least 48 hours before it goes into the oven for 2 or 3 hours, and the peppercorn sauce and stir-fried potatoes and broccoli that are served with it are just as unbeatable…!"
"Peppercorn sauce, huh? I usually eat mushroom sauce with the roast instead, but this sounds pretty nice, too."
"Ironically enough, the majority of our kings aren't too fond of mushrooms themselves, and when a poll was conducted about a new type of sauce 14 years ago when they were still princes - just imagine, I, myself, was only aged 10 back then -, one could choose between peppercorn sauce or cranberry sauce, and bam! Peppercorn sauce it became, because cranberry sauce is apparently only good with the traditional Thanksgiving roast!"
"They've got a good point somewhere. During Thanksgiving, we always eat our roast with cranberry sauce, too."
"Ah, so it's not that uncommon! Good to know. Shall we grab a bite? Everyone else is doing the same now." Cathy got up and grabbed her dining plate.
"Good idea." Tasque Manager copied Cathy and then went to the crowded buffet with her.
The four kings, Queen and Clover already got their own servings of food from one of the chefs, and impatiently waited for everyone else to be done at the buffet.
Clover was very pleased with her first ever portion of the same food as all of the others. During past Christmas dinners, she mostly had richly spiced hand-made French fries, roasted carrots and broccoli, and macaroni and cheese. Too childish, she eventually thought.
One week prior, the Princess of Clubs had asked one of the chefs if she could have the same food as all of the others for a nice change, and she was highly pleased about her wish having come true this year.
"Finally!" her left head said. "Some of that roast that Daddy always has and likes!"
"Those potatoes and veggies look divine!" the middle head said.
"I wonder what that wriggly gravy-like stuff is?" the right head said.
"Ugh I Wish I Could Start Already" Queen grumbled. "It's Too Tempting To Not Touch It!" Her visor showed the text 'not amused' while she spoke.
"Tell me about it" King said. "That roast looks just as nice and juicy as always! Baked to perfection! This is probably Castiel's masterwork again. He always prepares the best roasts ever since he came here."
"And Look At Those Potatoes! Look At Their Crispy Outside!" Some silence. "I Should Probably Just: Shut Up. I'm Only Making Myself Hungrier This Way."
"And if you're not hungry, I am."
"BTW Do You Know What This Second Dose Of Gravy Is?" Queen pointed at the roux next to her serving of potato stew with steak tips and peas.
"That doesn't look like gravy to me. What it does look like, however, I have no clue… wait, is that a worm?"
"Huh Worm Where?!" The cyber monarch's visor showed the text 'help'.
"Hey, Queenie Beanie, it's alright… it looks dead, see?" King put a hand on Queen's shoulder and pointed at the visible worm in the serving of roux, which indeed didn't move anymore. "No need to be afraid."
"Oh Thank Gigabytes You Almost Scared The Battery Acid Right Out Of Me Kingy Wingy."
"I think this might be Rouxls's secret recipe to that roux he repeatedly mentioned lately, since he always calls everyone worms, and there's a worm in there… hmm, this is going to be very interesting."
Slowly but surely, everyone else's plates became complete with most, if not all, of the available foods at the buffet, and they finally settled back down, looking ravenously hungry by now.
Once everyone finally sat, the King of Diamonds tapped his glass with his smallest spoon to start another brief speech.
"Good evening, everyone" he said, "and I'm very happy to see you all here. I'm especially delighted with the presence of the peers from Queen's Mansion, because that makes the atmosphere in this gloomy castle significantly livelier than last year!"
The last statement made everyone else laugh.
"I'm proud to announce that I surely don't regret this decision because it had frequently been requested after last year's Christmas dinner. I mean, it was pretty boring with just Queen from the Cyber World, right?"
"Yeah, I can agree on that" Miguel nonchalantly answered.
"That was actually a rhetorical question, young man, so I think more peers than just you would agree on that. Anyhoo, now that that's out of the way, I would hereby like to wish all of you a merry Christmas on behalf of myself, my three fellow kings, and, of course, Serial N- I mean, Queen." The King of Diamonds raised his glass of white wine, and everyone else copied him almost straight away. "Cheers to everyone!"
"Cheers!" A loud applause with matching cheering and whistling subsequently followed.
"And hereby, let this dinner party commence, and I hope it all tastes good since our chefs did more than just their best today! Bon appetit, my guests!"
"Ah Finally My Hunger Shall Perish!" Queen said as she took her first spoonful of the potato stew. "Oh My…!" Her visor showed two heart icons. "This Is Divine!"
"Which one did you try first, sis?" Swatch asked as they took their first bit of roast onto their fork.
"The Potato Stew. Those Steak Tips… They Taste Like: A Dream! Not To Mention That Fluffy Mashed Potato Which Has The Perfect Level Of: Creaminess!"
"That sounds very promising, I shall try it soon too." Swatch ate their forkful and immediately smiled widely upon sensing the taste of the roast. "Goodneth! The theathoning ith jutht perfect! Outthtanding, tho thweet!"
"I'm only very glad you like it, Swatch" the King of Spades said with a smile and a nod. "You probably wouldn't want to eat any other roast again, huh?"
"Haha, you took the wordth thtraight from my mouth!"
"Now, let me try what I presume is Rouxls's Roux…" King took quite the spoonful of the roux. "Whoa! This… this is… oh my goodness, this is terrific! Hey, Rouxls!"
"Ay, mine Kinge?" Rouxls said. "Did thou haveth a taste of mine roux?"
"This is the best recipe of yours that I've ever tasted! No need to perfect it any further!"
"Wahoo! Mine Roux art a greateth big-eth success even among mine Kinge!"
"Try it, Queenie Beanie, you won't regret it…!"
Giggling, Queen took half a spoonful of the roux and somewhat nervously ate it, expecting a weird flavour or anything remotely similar…
"Oh My Circuits This Is Cloud Nine At First Taste!" The heart icons on Queen's visor now started beating. "Rouxls Your Roux Is Perfect! Just The Perfect Level Of: Umami!"
The young Duke of Puzzles himself almost passed out from overjoyment, and especially when everyone else immediately tried his first, perfected try on his first and so far only personal recipe, and fell in love with it just as much.
"Kingy Wingy You Were So Right About This I Should've Never Underestimated Anything." The cyber monarch gave her boyfriend a somewhat roux-coated kiss on his cheek and giggled before she continued to eat.
Eventually, all of the present foods were a great big success among everyone who was currently present at Card Castle. Even Clover felt like she was on cloud nine upon first tasting the iconic roast, it was only a good thing that she requested to have the same food as the others, and she felt highly honoured about it.
After the whole hustle and bustle of dinner and dessert, everyone decided to wind down in their own way, but this time, nobody left the dining table, let alone the dining hall, since they were more than pleased with the large amount of company that was currently present.
As per usual, Swatch was permitted to play the grand piano again, and they proudly showcased the more recent music pieces that they had recently learned to play. For the sake of Queen, they started with Planet Observatory 2, since none of the Card Castle peers seemed to know about that song just yet.
"Is this what the Cyber World people typically listen to?" Cathy asked when the main part of the song only just started.
"Not exactly" Bowen replied. "It's a generic piece of music that somehow made it to the overall Dark World only just last year."
"I never heard it before, but I love it a lot." The usually feisty Hathy grabbed Bowen's hand and got up from her seat. "Wanna waltz…?" She smiled sweetly and blushed a little.
The Swatchling in yellow couldn't help but blush and let out a typical Swatchling scream before nodding in agreement and soon dancing a little waltz with his love interest.
"Look at them go…!" Mardi said with a smile of joy. "That's one of the sweetest sights I've ever gotten to behold… and if you disagree, then I don't know what is."
"I'm a little jealous of Bowen for finding love so quickly out of all of us" Miguel stated. "I wonder if this'll last? I mean, I'll feel bad if it won't."
"Well, you know me with my come-and-go-like-seasons relationships. I, too, am jealous, albeit not as much as you, I presume."
"It's no big deal if your love interest isn't what and who you expect them to be. Not everyone can be equally friendly, right?"
"Yeah, you're correct about that."
"I've never been in love with the perfect girlfriends either" Iggy said, "but that doesn't make me a bad lesbian, since nobody is a bad person because of their sexuality… except those grown-ups who love kids, logically enough."
"I can agree on love not being easy, Iggy. For me, it's just hard to find the perfect person who has a lot in common with me, but I won't stop searching until I finally reach my goal, no matter what struggles I must face."
"You're very determined, I like that about you! Keep that spirit up, man, you got this!"
"I… I am? Goodness, I've never been praised like this, not even by the previous Queen…!"
"Well, you're absolutely welcome. I might not be known as the best giver of advice, but I'm glad I could help and praise you!" Iggy couldn't help but give Mardi a quick hug. "You seem like an amazing friend to have."
The presence of romance seemed to increase slowly but surely, and not just among those who were waltzing around the grand piano along with Bowen and Cathy!
"My Queen" the King of Spades said.
"Yes My Sweet King?" Queen said in an equally endearing tone.
"This is a divine evening, isn't it?"
"Oh Absolutely I'm Enjoying Every Millisecond Of It." Queen gave King a peck on the cheek and smiled sweetly.
"What is one thing you enjoy the most about this evening?"
"That's A Tricky One."
In the meantime, Swatch had started playing the significantly slower and gentler Dark World Sonata on the grand piano.
"Do you enjoy the music? This one happens to be another work of my favourite composer."
"I Never Enjoyed Music As Much As When My Sweet Stepsibling Provides Us With It."
"I indeed somewhat envy Swatch, they outsmart every other wannabe pianist at this castle."
"But If I Had To Choose: One Thing I Enjoy The Most About Today? It's You Kingy Wingy And It's You Every Day Too."
"Oh, sweet Queenie Beanie, you're flattering me…!" King couldn't help but chuckle and blush. "But did you know the following? I enjoy you the most, too. Every second, every minute, every hour, every day… beyond time, even. Beyond the cosmos."
Queen giggled cutely and couldn't help but blush either.
"There's been something I wanted to ask you for quite some time, however."
"And That Is? I'm All Ears. Ask Me Anything Kingy Wingy Sweetheart Darling My Everything."
"I…" King got up from his seat and kneeled down in front of Queen, suddenly drawing the attention of all of the others. "Goodness…"
Yes, even Swatch couldn't help but stop playing the symphony that they were currently busy with, simply to watch a possible spectacle unfold itself.
"Is he…?" Tasque Manager whispered with her hand in front of her mouth and her eyes widened.
"Oh my gosh…!" Iggy softly squeaked, her eyes somewhat twinkling from joy.
"I have no words…" Fabio somewhat mumbled with his eyes also being widened.
"I'm not even dreaming…!" Swatch said after having pinched their cheek twice now.
"What is he doing?" Clover asked out loud.
"Shh…!" Rouxls whispered. "Watcheth closely…!"
"Queenie Beanie…" the King of Spades continued as his heart started beating faster, "my sweetheart… my darling…" From his chest pocket, he took a little, red, velvety box which he slowly opened… "Will you marry me?"
The box contained a very expensive-looking golden ring with a high-quality diamond that perfectly matched the blue that Queen had as one of her colours.
"Oh My Circuits…" Queen gasped, her voice being a tad shaky from the joy she suddenly felt increasing inside of her. "Kingy Wingy…! I…" She started to speak up with excitement as her core swiftly warmed up and also started beating faster. "I Will! Yes I Will! I 100% Will!" She jumped up from her seat and practically glomped King as if her life depended on it, while tears of joy finally managed to make their way out of her not-directly-visible eyes and her visor showed two frantically beating heart icons.
All of the spectators gasped before giving in to applauding, cheering and occasionally whistling soon after.
"That was honestly very unexpected…!" the King of Hearts said, dabbing at his not-directly-visible eyes with his handkerchief. "What a beautiful moment…"
"Now this is true love, my fellow king" the King of Diamonds said as he rubbed the back of the King of Hearts. "Unconditional, and ultimately resulting in the official question which is heartily answered."
Meanwhile, the King of Spades gently slid the ring around Queen's right ring finger before starting a gentle yet passionate make-out session with her.
Both of the monarchs cried tears of joy during their kiss. They could possibly never feel any happier than today. This was the best Christmas that they could both possibly wish for.
Swatch, who cried tears of joy for their stepsister as well, decided to start on a different piano piece to commemorate the sudden engagement. Gymnopedie First Movement by Eric Spamton, one of the easiest yet, albeit indirectly, most lighthearted-sounding pieces that they had ever learned in their entire life.
Of course, as a (step)father, Rolek couldn't help but shed happy tears either in response to seeing his stepdaughter in such a happy and blissful state.
"We shall let her arrange her marriage and probably not get in the way" the elder Tasque Manager said. "But who knows how beautiful that one will be as well."
"She shall have a gorgeous wedding, though…" Rolek somewhat sobbed. "As gorgeous as the flowers that my late wife once loved… my Queenie loves them just as much."
"Roses, right? They surely are beautiful flowers."
"It feels like rose petals are all around right now. It might not be me, but it feels like my life has suddenly improved because of this…!"
"I think a lot of us feel that way right now, Rolek." The elder Tasque Manager put a hand onto the Head Butler's shoulder. "Even I am smiling even wider from the inside than I am physically able to."
And right he was about that. Even when those from Queen's Mansion slowly but surely went back home around 11 p.m., the positivity still radiated among everyone, but also in all of Card Castle itself.
That night, King and Queen have both slept significantly better than ever before, now that a great big weight had been lifted off of the minds of the both of them. They fell asleep with genuine smiles, and even their subsequent dreams looked just as beautiful.