The smirked remained on my face when I realized that the ACES from Hearts knew nothing when it came to the Kingdom of Spades. There was always somebody in the room, watching, as you continued through your day.

I made my way through the huge doors that lead into the meeting room. Even if there was already somebody in there, they would probably leave me to me own thoughts – which I wasn't even supposed to have. Thinking for yourself was pretty much considered 'out-rated' - as the Heart ACES would have put it – within the Kingdom of Spades if you were a Guard, and especially if you were a soldier. Being a personal soldier to the king only made it more operant to me – as much as I disregarded it.

A boy seemed to leak from the shadows as he spoke, "glad you could make it."

The fine hairs on my neck stood on end. I tensed, and then instantly relaxed. There was no point in turning around to know who was speaking, I already knew.

"Of course I made it, Daniel. We can't have an ACES meeting if one of us is missing, now can we?" I spoke to him with distaste as I turned to face the boy. I resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose or pinch my eyebrows together.

". . . Rude as always, I see."

"Forgive me, your princelyness." I said with an over-exaggerated bow towards him.

"Aren't you supposed to curtsy? Or have you forgotten that you are a girl, already?" Daniel rattled back to her with a smirk.

"The day you see me curtsy is the day I forget about Jase." The words poured out from my mouth like icy venom. I would never curtsy to anybody, not even my own King. That was reserved for the maids and townsfolk. I was a soldier to these people. Ergo, I could do whatever I wanted to when it came to bowing or curtsying.

"I never brought up your petty little boyfriend." Daniel said calmly as he sat down in one of the chairs that surrounded the long table in the center of the room.

In return, a laugh ushered its way from my mouth. "Stupid as always, Daniel." Did he seriously think Jase and I were a 'thing'? The possibility of us becoming a couple were obsolete, at best.

"It's not polite to disrespect your own royalty." He looked at his nails absentmindedly." I could have you hung for treason."

"Last time you tired to kill me, you were ten, and I gave Teto to the maid to have a thorough washing." She retorted.

Daniel grimaced as he remembered his beloved teddy-bear. After the maid had washed it, I had thrown it into the horse stables where it had been stomped on repeatedly and the stitches had finally broke. One of the stable boys had found it. But even after washing the bear five times, the smell of horse manure just wouldn't leave. A small victory, over somebody who was a hundreds of years younger than me, but I had never let that lessen the win before, so why should it have stopped me then?

I almost laughed as I continued, "you may be the JACK of Spades, but that does not mean I have to respect you. It only means I have to obey you."

"True, but that is all I need." A pause, in which I was almost alarmed at what he had been implying with his latest comment until he drastically changed the subject. "I see you're wearing a dress for once." I was really shaken up by how he was talking to me today. It was as if he had begun to hate our little quarrels and banters. And it was really because of the bickers that I kept talking to him.

"So close, Mr. JACK, but I am wearing a skirt. The top just blends with it."

"Well you should try wearing an actual dress for once." He almost seemed to be laughing at my choice of wardrobe. He and his parents should count themselves lucky that I even wore a skirt to this meeting. Most of the time I dress similar to the Guards or Soldiers – blue pants and a tail-coat.

So of course I scoffed at him, "like I would ever wear something like that." I snapped at the him just for good measure. Daniel just chuckled and sat down. He gave me a slight smirk as he stared at me from across the table where I had sat down.

"What about adding some color to the mix? All you wear is black when anybody can see you-"

"I wear blue as well, thankyouverymuch. It just happens that our Kingdom's colors are primarily black with blue."

"Suit yourself," he said casually while leaning back into his chair and lifting his feet up to rest on the edge of the table. His smirk just grew wider as he continued to stare. I was really beginning to wonder what was up with this kid and smirking. It was like he totally incapable of smiling normally or even grinning. "Just wear some yellow next time I see you, hunney."

"Why are you smirking at me?" I impatiently asked, most likely interrupted his thoughts. Daniel put his feet back on the floor, leaned forward, and looked up at me with narrowed eyes.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all."

"Creep," I threw the tease his way, with a only a hint of truth behind the words. I began to mirror him, picking at my nails, which I always kept short to keep the dirt out, and sighed. "Jase should have been here by now. It's almost second light. . ."

"Oh please, he's always late, SPADES. What do you expect from him now? For him to magically burst in through the doors, take a seat, and apologize for taking so long?" Daniel rolled his eyes at the me.

For once, I held my tongue and bit back a snarky retort. I looked up at the JACK, and actually gave him a genuine smile – something that he hadn't received from me since my second life of remembering him.

"You're right," I said meekly. "I don't know what I was thinking." And I seriously had no idea what my thought process had been. That Jase would finally be on time for once? That just because it was an ACES meeting and I had not seen him in a couple moons he would bother to wake up earlier or not start up a new brew before leaving?

I could tell that Daniel had almost choked on his own spit in surprise. He had been expecting some kind of witty little spitz between us over the Sorcerer, but there was really none to be had when he was obviously right.

Smite me now, Kamin. I just admitted that the guy I hate the most was right.