Kiku's world was smashed into pieces, right before his own eyes.
Like a set of dominoes lined up meticulously in a neat little row, like a house of cards built with dishonesty and the feeble hope that maybe he would get lucky and things would go his way—
Either way, it was all destined to fall, in the end.
No.
He… he couldn't possibly…
Kiku's body was as stiff as a corpse. Even his pupils were still, frozen on the pile of cards laying on the tabletop.
That very pile of cards that he would have to accept.
That very pile of cards would be his demise.
Now, Kiku was well aware that this so-called 'demise' would be temporary. All games were, after all! Winning or losing doesn't even matter, after all!
Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
It mattered. A lot.
Because, in the Realm of Suits, winning was everything.
Victory fueled them, loss killed them.
And the moment Lovino Vargas, the Ace of Hearts who wasn't the Ace of Hearts, uttered those three words—those three, condemning words—Kiku knew he was dead. Figuratively.
This deck is so large. There's no coming back from it.
But, moreover…
What could have possibly urged him to make such a risky claim?
Kiku pulled his stare up from the cards and towards Lovino, his expression unchanging to match his current mental state.
"The eyes are the windows to the soul," they say.
However, Kiku's were very different. Kiku's windows were obscured by thick, dark, velvety curtains drawn closed. Impenetrable to the true emotion hidden within.
It was a developed trait of his. It took time and practice and experience to master that calm and regal mask.
Ludwig attempted to do something similar, but always ended up failing. He was quite young, though. Not quite used to the endless, tiring, masquerade that was the Grand Deck.
Kiku really couldn't blame him.
Admittedly, his ploy wasn't intricate by any means. It was quite generic, actually. It was just pricking tiny little holes into the cards and hoping no one would notice.
And, by a stroke of horrid luck, someone noticed. Lovino noticed.
The charade was up.
Slowly, wordlessly, Kiku reached out to reveal the pair of cards he had put down. Indeed, they were not sixes as he had claimed.
Kiku took the deck, accepting it as part of his hand. He didn't dare meet Lovino's eye once again. Those hazel-green eyes were scary in a different way.
How they just pierced right into a person's soul, how they could make accusations with a single glance… Lovino's eyes were something else.
It was the Ace's turn next. He put down a card and proclaimed it to be a seven.
Kiku gritted his teeth together, growing agitated at the sight of another card being removed from Lovino's already-dwindling hand.
He briefly stole a glance at the top-right corner of the card. The number of pinpricks lined up to the number the card was stated to be: a seven.
He's going to win, for sure. If he knows about my trick, if he could see through it…
Even if Ludwig's not losing as bad, he's bound to eventually.
A feeling of sickness churned the contents of his stomach. But then, another possibility was proposed:
Is it really so bad? Kiku wondered to himself. This match was to prove his gambling ability. If he wins, he will be able to go to the soiree, but neither I nor Ludwig will be losing anything.
That much was true, actually. However…
No. There is something to lose, isn't there?
My pride.
Pride was one of the most important things a monarch could possess.
Pride and confidence with just the slightest bit of cautiousness. Upon becoming the Queen of Hearts, Kiku had been taught that those were what made the perfect ruler.
But, evidently, neither Lovino Vargas of this world nor the Lovino Vargas of that world followed this formula. But somehow, they always ended up winning.
And this match—this game of deception and lies— was no exception.
The moment Lovino's final turn passed, his victory was secured.
He had no more cards.
"I win."
However, the King of Hearts was not so quick to accept this result.
Ludwig rose from his seat, snatched a card up from the deck—the one Lovino had just put down—and held it up so everyone could see it.
"Do you see this, Feliciano?" Ludwig asked loudly.
Feliciano nodded, surprise and worry mixed together to create his facial expression.
"This card, as well as every other card in this deck, is marked," Ludwig explained. "Therefore, it's fair to assume that cheating took place, which would nullify this match!"
Lovino sent a glare his way. He knew exactly what Ludwig was trying to do: reveal the cheating, deem the match as well as its result unofficial, and then propose another game—perhaps with a less obvious gambit—that would ensure Kiku's victory.
He would've opened his mouth to argue about this had the situation been different, but… he couldn't.
The bastard's right. If this was a casino of some sort, the match would be considered invalid.
And, if you think about it…
Lovino tightened his hold on the safety pin in his hand.
I cheated too.
"Let us hold another match. A valid match," Ludwig proposed. "Then, we can—"
"No."
Lovino's eyes widened slightly upon realizing whose voice that interjection belonged to.
What the hell is he doing!?
"S-Sorry?" Ludwig stuttered, looking equally as shocked.
"I mean what I said." Kiku lifted his chin and raised his voice. It was a show of confidence, but a different type of confidence. Not the cool, collected, intimidating confidence one would expect from someone like the Queen of Hearts.
It was fiery, bold, and stubborn. Unyielding.
It was almost like... Lovino's sort of confidence.
"Lovino may not agree, but I believe this match served its purpose excellently," Kiku declared.
Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "How so? The cheating defeated the entire purpose of the gamble, which was proposed to test Lovino's skills," he countered. "Cheating is not a skill."
"Perhaps," Kiku responded, holding his ground. "However, what about seeing through cheating? What about being able to take such a threat and play it to your own advantage?" The questions left his mouth one-by-one, back-to-back, giving Ludwig no time to answer. "It's like taking a sword pointed at you and making it double-edged, and as far as gambling skill goes…" He looked to Lovino and nodded a little nod. "I've seen enough to gauge his gambling proficiency."
"B-But—"
"Lovino." Kiku looked him dead in the eye, a demure smile on his face. "Congratulations. You have won."
Lovino didn't know what to say. He genuinely wasn't expecting that sort of thing from Kiku.
Shouldn't he be mad? Or annoyed, at the very least?
Still, those words were powerful enough to change his entire perspective.
Lovino had originally viewed Kiku's cheating as a nuisance. A cheap nuisance.
But with the way Kiku stood up, admitted to his faults, conceded the match, and even praised his abilities like that…
It made Lovino think that perhaps the cheating didn't ruin the match.
Instead, the cheating was what made the match so entertaining.
"Either way, I… I sincerely apologize. It was underhanded of me to use such tactics, and I'm truly sorry—"
"Nah. Don't be," Lovino interrupted. "Sure, it might've been a little wild, but that's what makes it fun, right?"
Kiku's eyebrows were raised in mild surprise. He probably didn't expect Lovino to even forgive the rigged game, let alone enjoy it.
Dammit. Even after this whole shit-show, I still can't find it in me to stay mad at him.
But… Lovino allowed his lips to curve upwards into a tiny smile. Maybe that's for the best.
"S-So, does that mean...?" Ludwig glanced at Feliciano and trailed off, his question hanging heavy in the air.
Feliciano hummed to himself and stroked his chin with his fingers. "Well, I don't really know. It's a weird situation, but I guess if neither party chooses to throw the match, it's official. Sort of."
"Fine. Then…" Ludwig sighed. "I suppose if Kiku agrees, I'm fine with it."
"What about you, fratello?" Feliciano asked, his innocent golden eyes overflowing with curiosity.
Lovino bit his lip and hesitated a little before nodding. "Sure."
Feliciano grinned and clapped his hands together. "Then, in that case, we have our winner!"
Lovino stood there awkwardly as Feliciano pulled him into a bear hug and Kiku clapped politely from a few feet away.
So, this is how everything ends up, huh?
I won. Hooray.
But… I'm not even halfway there, yet.
The real battle's gonna be—
"Soirée des fleurs," Kiku suddenly said, repeating word-for-word what Ludwig had said earlier, "Is a hotbed for gambling."
"What?"
"Please listen closely, Lovino. I truly respect your skills. That compulsiveness works well for you, in most cases…" Kiku paused for a moment, drawing out his words dramatically. "However, at the soirée, you will have to exercise caution. The Kings and Queens and Jacks and Aces of the other three kingdoms are ruthless when it comes to gambling and winning. They can and will do everything to get their victory," he warned. "So, be careful. Ludwig and I will try to help, but just… choose your battles wisely."
Lovino drew in a deep breath and let it out. Things were moving pretty quickly, already.
He never really liked lectures. Having to shut his mouth and be told what to do never sat right with him.
However, something deep inside his conscience told him not to disregard Kiku's words.
Lovino nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I'll... I'll do my best."