Author's Notes: Happy summer solstice everybody, even though that was technically yesterday. Luckily, all of my finals are over and now I have time to write! If you want, you could always send me suggestions, I am always up for it. I cannot believe I made it all the way to twenty chapters! By the way, twenty is my favourite number. Do you like the new cover? I got it off google images so disclaimer: I do not own it! Just saying. I hope you like this chapter, it's a bit of everything if you ask me. A pinch of romance a dash (more like non-existent) action. Also, spoiler alert: cliffhanger! I have not wrote a [decent] cliffhanger for this story for a while. And if I did, I am writing one anyways, so yeah. Wow I never realize how short my chapters really were. Sorry. Awesome reviewers deserve cookies. (: :) It's a cookie. Please follow betweendreamsandrealityy on tumblr for updates and more. Please enjoy my lovely readers.

Warnings: Strong language.

Disclaimer: I do not own hetalia or Cardverse AU.

"Ah, it feels nice to be home," Arthur said sentimentally sighing at the sight of the cobblestone castle. Hearts was pleasurable and all, but there was certainly no place like Spades.

"It's nice not to be judged by all of their watchful eyes every second," Alfred stated thinking back to his miserable journey to Hearts. Most of the time, he would be sitting through almost twelve hour meetings, either about the economy or alliances or new policies or some other nonsense, where he was not allowed to speak anyways. Except for the evening festivities, the days were monotonous cycles spent with people he barely knew and wanted to keep it that way. "It's like they want me to make a mistake or something!"

Yao rolled his copper eyes at how naïve Alfred was about the whole idea. "You know, your highness, you will have a lot more attention on you in the next year or so." Yeah, what could be better than more unnecessary attention, Alfred thought sarcastically, but he could not let Arthur know that.

"That's okay 'cause I'll have the bestest Queen beside me!" he said wrapping his burly arm around Arthur's neck.

"If your grammar was not so horrific I would be flattered," the Queen said peeling Alfred's arm from his neck and tried to hide his flustered cheeks. He secretly loved his awful grammar skills, no matter how many times he had to correct it. Not to mention his adorable accent that came with it.

"And we have a lot to do, seeing as the Winter Solstice is only three months away," Yao stated returning the two lovers to reality. Leave it to the Jack to be the only rational one.

Alfred scowled. "Can't we have anytime for relaxing? We just had a journey all the way to Hearts!"

"We cannot ha-"

Arthur placed a hand onYao's small shoulder. "I think a morning to ourselves is just what we all need."

Yao raised a poignant eyebrow at his Queen. "You cannot be serious, your majesty."

"Of course I am. You should not overwork yourself. You do far more than what is expected of you. In gratitude I am giving you the morning to yourself."

He bowed. "Why thank you, your majesty. I am eternally grateful," he said before walking off to the grand library. How typical of the Jack to spend his morning off studying.

Arthur turned around to Alfred and smiled seductively. "Now that he is out of the way. My King, would you care to accompany me for a nice brunch in the garden?"

"Only if you call me Al," he said with an inviting smile splashed on his face.

He frowned. "You know that is high improper, Al."

Alfred smiled reflexively. "Good. So back to bigger matters, what's brunch?"

He raised an unusually untamed eyebrow, that despite how many times Alfred made fun of he secretely loved about him, and began walking towards the garden. "You have never had brunch before? My Spades, you never know what you were missing."

"Hey, don't blame me that I couldn't afford to eat most of the time!" he said defensively and remembered all of the nights he had to sleep in the dark, practically starving to save his brother. Now he was virtually overfed and well built, but he was not about to forget eighteen years of his life for his new posh lifestyle. "Remember? Peasant?"

"Very well," he said trying to force Alfred to forget about his past. "I will go get a blanket for us to rest on. If you do not mind, could you go to the kitchen and ask Karou to bring out some food?"

Alfred nodded and skipped off to the kitchen. He had become highly acquainted with Karou over the past months, seeing as he would end up going to the kitchen for a midnight snack, which the Queen or Jack was still unaware of. "Hey, Karou!" he called into the extensive kitchen. There were only two cooks in there at this early hour, but he could always depend on Karou to be willing to make him a meal, no matter what time of the day.

Karou smiled simmering a frying pan over the stove. "Your majesty how was your trip to Hearts?"

Alfred groaned. "Uneventful and dull. And the food wasn't as nearly as good as yours." Karou smiled on impulse. "But I did get to see my brother!"

His copper eyes, almost the exact same shade as Yao's, were fixed on whatever was cooking in his frying pan. "Ah, yes, Matthew. How is he doing?"

He teetered his platinum wired glasses on his nose. "Good, I guess. He's dating that Joker."

"Peter?"

"No, the other one. I think his name is Gilbert or something lame."

His raised an eyebrow similar in size to Arthur's. "I can sense you do not like this man."

Sarcastically he answered "what gave it away?"

Karou chuckled humorously. "And what brings you to the kitchen this early?"

"Artie said something about brunch. Know of it?"

"Ah, just as I thought. Run along and tell him I will be out in just a few minutes with the snacks and tea."

"Got it!" he said cheerfully and bounced merrily back to the rose garden. Albeit Heart's garden was peppered with eloquent heart shaped roses but, to Alfred, nothing was comparable to the garden in Spades. Also, it was also refreshing to see the cyclic blue tones instead of cheery red ones.

"Hey Al, could you help me with this?" he asked practically tangled in the checkered blue and white blanket.

Alfred couldn't help but to giggle and walked over to help. "Sometimes, you could be so clueless." He laid the blanket out underneath the spade tree.

"Just in time," Arthur said noticing Karou setting down a basket of purple colored confections in his left hand and tea in his right.

"Enjoy," he said a bit coolly, leaving it at that.

Alfred snatched four loaves of bread from the basket and called "thanks!"

"Al," Arthur scolded hitting him playfully on his shoulder.

He took a large bite into the bread and asked "what? I'm starving!"

"Well, it is quite unhealthy, if you ask me," he said odiously and sipped from his porcelain tea cup.

"Don't be such a worrywart or you are gonna end up like Yao," he said patting the Queen's back, unable to notice Arthur's face flush to an ashen white. "I'm just kidding. Ya know I wouldn't do this in public!" He picked a rose and placed it in Arthur's delicate hands. "The ones in Hearts are nothing compared to these, and they haven't even bloomed yet!"

The stillness stunned Alfred.

"Artie, are you okay?"

More silence.

"Shit," he muttered taking it upon himself to toss him over his shoulder, as if he was a sack of potatoes, and to find Yao immediately. "Yao!" he called, his voice echoing off the cobblestone walls.

Yao peaked out of his study with spectacles hanging on the bridge of his nose and a book gripped in his hands. "I thought we agreed on a peace-what happened?"

"I think Arthur was poisoned."

To Be Continued...