Author's Notes: Good (insert time of day here) to all of you! I feel as if I have been neglective this story, is that true? Oh, whatever. After all of that nonsense with Artie being practically dead and whatnot I've decided to give you a lighthearted chapter filled with nothing really special. By the way, Shang is just an OC-ish person seeing as the Shang civilization proceeded one with a pure dynastic cycle, any of the schools of thought or a strong empire, I've decided to exclude it from the personification of China. (Just in case you were curious about the name). I bet you can guess who is coming to visit *hint hint* By the way, I hate the ending. Urg. I feel like this story is a bunch of one-shots right now, but soon the real story will take place. I just need to set the scene and what not. Urg. I think I'm past the 1/3 mark which means around 60 chapters of this story. [What did I sign myself up for?] Thanks to all of you wonderful people! Honestly, I would reply to all of my comments but it is far too late to be doing that. I'm sorry. I hope you like this small filler chapter!

Warnings: Strong language.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

"Oh no, aru," Yao said rubbing his temples. His copper eyes read over the inscribed parchment again in disbelief at his desk in the library.

"What is it, your grace?" Alfred asked trying to read the note from over his slender shoulders and avoid his lesson for the day. There was only approximately two months remaining before his coronation and the marriage, which meant cramming as much knowledge as he possibly could before the Winter Solstice.

The Jack of Spades sighed. "Today is the day my family comes to visit."

Alfred stared blankly at him. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

"It is, your majesty," he said desperately and pulled out his royal blue desk chair to stand up. "It's bad enough we have Karou in the kitchen, but I cannot handle much more of this."

"Wait - you're related to Karou?" he asked thinking about how different they emotionless, mature and solemn, qualities Karou obviously lacked.

He rolled his eyes at his lack of common sense. "He is my cousin, as well as Arthur's. Could you not see the resemblance?"

Now that he thought about it, Karou did have Arthur's untamable eyebrows andYao's shoulder length raven black hair; although it could have been a coincidence. It was a common occurrence in Spades to have charcoal colored hair or unkempt eyebrows. "I guess…so could I help out?"

"Oh no," Yao said shaking his head angrily. "You have studying you need to do."

Alfred pouted. He had been studying all day since he returned to Spades from Hearts, what else was there to learn? "But I am great with kids! Please, please, please," he begged quivering his lip. It was true, in his old town, Alfred helped out multiple times babysitting the kids that lived there; although Matthew was usually the one stuck with the hard work through and through.

Yao folded his arms, managing to wrinkle his royal blue tunic, the official color of Spades. "You know your pleading will not work on me, aru."

"I'll behave, I promise!" he said holding out his hand forYaoto shake.

"I don't know," he said hesitantly gazing at his hand and swallowed. It was his family after all, and Yao should decide who they meet, correct? And Alfred would only be another hindrance, seeing as he was just as immature as his family.

"Your grace, your family is requesting to see you," Devin said after rapping at the library's door and standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Come on, you can't keep me locked in here!" he shouted crossly. "I'm the King of Spades."

"You are not, yet. You are far too naïve."

He pouted and watched the Jack gracefully walk out of the luminous lit library. "Artie!" he called.

Arthur jolted up and asked curtly "what could you possibly want?" Yao was supposed to teach him for the rest of the day, which gave Arthur a free morning before the business he had to attend to. He was reading a book on magic spells and hexes to surprise Alfred before the coronation. Since his heritage lies in both the King and Queen, he does not have the full magic powers a Queen was capable of maintaining; and usually, his spells would end in disaster.

"Why doesn't Yao want me to meet his family? He met Mattie, and he met your brothers!"

His eyes returned to his novel and shrugged. "He does not want anyone to meet his family. His family is rambunctious and irritating. Be grateful." He thought back to the time his Jack made him help out with his family, and it was not a pleasant experience. Children pulling at his hair with slimy hands and always trying to steal the crown that was propped on his head.

Alfred pouted and slumped further into his blue padded arm chair. "I wish I had a family."

"Yao and I are your family," he said keeping his eyes fixed on his novel as a subtle hint for Alfred. But Alfred was not very good at taking subtle hints.

"So technically I'm part of Yao's family, so I should meet them!"

He rolled his green eyes.

"Please Artie!" he begged giving him his famous puppy dog eyes.

"Fine, if you do not bother me again," he fumed slamming his novel closed. So much for a peaceful morning. The two walked side by side down to the main room, where Yao was greeting his family. The main room closely resembled the throne room featured high walls that towered around them, blue tapestries hanging from the soaring windows and a rolled out blue carpet that stretched to the throne room. The only things missing were the thrones itself and the portraits of all the past Royals.

There were three children all together, not to mentionYaoand Karou, and an elderly woman who appeared to be his mother. "Ooh, Yao, who is that?" one of the children asked naively and pointed to the Royals. He went over to greet them, but ended up falling over his oversized dress-like outfit. His hair was a shade darker than Yao's with an odd curl sticking out of the crown of his head.

"Someone who should be studying, aru," he said sourly and propped his brother back onto his feet. "What are you two doing down here?"

"Ask the royal pain in the ass," Arthur said brusquely pointing to Alfred.

"So, are you the King of Spades?" the youngest girl asked playing with the chain on Arthur's Clock after noticing the crown situated on his platinum locks.

He smiled sourly. "I'm actually the Queen. This is Alfred, our new King."

"But you're a man," she replied innocently with a confused look plastered on her face; although it was mostly covered by a circular shaped hat used for farming. "Queens are supposed to be girls."

"Well then she's one ugly girl," the second girl replied scanning Arthur. She was the only one in the group who was not wearing a shade of blue, and instead wore a pink dress to match the pink flower tangled in her messy dark hair.

Arthur slapped his forehead, leaving a small red bruise. "It is only a position," he tried to tell the girls, but their eyes were already fixed on the golden Clock instead.

"Ouch! Your Clock shocked me," the first girl said sucking on her finger.

"Give me that!" he shouted taking the Clock from her sticky hands. He would not want that to be tampered with, seeing as it contains some of the purest magic in all of Spades. "If you do not mind, I am going back upstairs."

"No Artie!" Alfred exclaimed tugging on Arthur's cloak.

"Ah, Queen Arthur, nice to see you again," the eldest woman said, probably twice the age ofYao. She had the same eyes and messy black hair as the rest of her children; however it was beginning to grey towards the edges and above her ears. She bowed politely before scanning Alfred and grinned. "Ah, this must be the lovely manYaotold me was destined to be King. It is an honor to meet you, I am Shang."

He bowed in return. "Nice to meet you. You have a lovely family."

She smiled once more, causing wrinkles to form around her porcelain face. "And one day, you and your Queen will, your majesty."

"Please, call me Alfred," he corrected ignoring her statement completely. He hated to think about raising a family with Arthur, as it frightened him. Everything about his future was worrisome.

"Nana, Im Yong Soon and Mei are fighting again," Karou explained pointing to the boy in the oversized white and sapphire dress and a young girl in pink.

"Those two never learn," she said to Alfred before running off to comfort her children.

"Now that you have met my family, will you please leave us be?"Yaoasked quite irritated. "You have studying to do, anyhow."

"But I like your family, they are very nice," he said reassuringly thinking back to how wonderful his family once was.

Yao sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

To Be Continued...