Chapter Text
Tucked away, in shadows so dark, stood a pristine, cozy kingdom of cards. The Castle town was brimming with folks from all around the fountain's reach: Ruddin knights with glimmering, diamond eyes, Shadowguys with jazzy voices, computer Tasques with their glitchy “meow”s, and all other kinds of wacky residents keeping the town busy. It felt like things couldn't get any better or worse, with every new recruit joining in on the fun of the simple life.
With the previous kings all released, their remaining subjects could finally be free from the unjust captivity in the spades prison. The most notable of which was Blanche, former Duchess of Diamond Military. The loss of her royal status was a hit to her ego, a strike so strong she couldn't bear a thought of someone with the same title, just prancing around proudly, taking her righteous spot as the King's right arm.
Now, deep in her sorrows and woes, Blanche could only dramatically swirl her beverage in a wine glass, hoping to drink her shattered pride away. Her sage green cheeks were flushing a deeper shade of emerald with each refill, signifying her further descent into a rather embarrassing, drunken state. She fixed the voile bowtie on her neck, supporting the ruffled cravat, all held together by a pin of an emerald, sparkling diamond. Her hair, formely in neat, short curls, now was more fluffy and loose, losing it's flapper-esque, slightly slicked up style. Her lips wrapped around the rim of thin glass, meeting the sparkling liquid that began to slide into her bright green mouth and down her throat, warming her chest.
“Anozer one, pleese!” – Blanche called out, her speech already becoming comedically slurry even after two glasses of barely alcoholic beverages. It didn't matter what it was, as long as it was filling up a status shaped hole in her heart - she was satisfied.
The bird-like barman quickly poured her another drink and took the empty glass from her gloves hands, his talons brushing against the leathery fingers.
Just as her lips were about to meet the rim of the glass again, the front door opened. First, Blanche felt the crushing aura of a pompous ego and smell of candle wax and old leather-clad books. Then, she finally saw the source of all things wicked. The tall, lanky frame, his royal blue uniform that seemed a perfectly tailored size for him, grand epaulets, that smirk and those silky smooth, white strands of hair he, no doubt, spends hours laying out just right before going out into the world in his full, overly grandiose glory.
Blanche's eyes blinked, and it seemed like he just appeared before her face on the seat beside her, his back straight in a show of intelligence.
“Alas, it appears this town hast a new arrival, and I am the lasteth one to knoweth!” –, The man started, tapping his chin thoughtfully, – “Who is't might thee beest? Thee befall not to beest one of the newly released prisoners, art thee?”
Blanche turned to look at him with her full body, her pride still showing through her proper posture and table etiquette, even though she only had a glass of mystery tea in a wine glass.
“You don ‘now ‘hoo I am? I zought I waz well ‘nown ‘ere. Very well, if you may ask, I am Blanche, ze former Duchess of Diamond Military, King'z zecond in command!” – The Duchess stated, a small smirk spreading on her flushed, sage green face, before she fixed her expression back. – “And ‘hoo are you? I ‘ave never ‘eared of ze likes of you…”
The man's blue eyes glinted with a sense of familiarity, even though they never met before. But, hey, they looked pretty similar, they could even be mistaken as distant relatives. He fixed his hair, with the strands of white now behind his shoulder, exposing one epaulet.
“Ah, well, I am none oth'r than the Duke of Puzzles himself, Roulxs Kaard! Everyone knoweth me, I wast the King's second in commandeth” – Roulxs stated with his usual pompous tone, almost shining with pride to her. – “How splendid it is, to meeteth the former Duchess! And to receiveth to knoweth her, perhaps? “
Blanche, on the other hand, was not at all happy to hear his status. So this was the person that took her title? That wore it as a medal of honor, even though he never earned it?! She was both shocked and infuriated at the person, who decided that Roulxs would be a good fit for the role of King's second in command. Couldn't he do better than a man with a fake accent and an ego bigger than his brain?
“Oh, I ‘ave ‘eared enouf about you from ze residents! I see, you are quite infamous ‘are?” – Blanche teased him, hoping to somehow get under his skin out of jealousy and her hurt pride.
”Ah, mind not those folk. Those gents art nothing but wrigling worms under mine own heel. Slimy, helpless worms” – Roulxs uttered with the usual grin on his face, clearly trying to impress the Duchess, who did not give him any signal of mutual sympathy.
Blanche briefly looked around, seeing the ‘wrigling worms’ the Duke was talking about. They all tried to ignore him with looks of hidden annoyance. They looked as though they got used to it, but were still finding new things in him to be annoyed about. She hoped his bad reputation wouldn't rub off on her from his growing interest in her origin.
”Doth bid me, what a being of royal descent is doing at a bar, high-lone, on a late night?” – The Duke added, leaning back in his seat slightly, with his elbow on the bar counter, propping his cheek.
It really wasn't her style, to be alone, in a bar, at any time of the eternal night in this kingdom. That was a good question, but not a good flirting line.
”Merely drinkin’ moi sorrows away. ‘Hoo am I now, wizout ze title of ze Duchess?” – Blanche took a sip from her drink and dramatically sighed after her reply, pressing a gloves hand to her forehead.
All her attempts at somehow push his buttons weren't working at all. It was almost like he didn't have a part in him to feel any kind of anger. He was practically getting under *her* skin! She peered one eye to gauge his reaction, but instead of seeing him confused or cringing from the dramatic gesture, he gave her a smooth chuckle.
“What a shame! In thy lodging, I wouldst has't been just as depressed as thou art, if it be true to relieves thy sorrows in any way” – Roulxs said it in a tone that seemed both condescending and mockingly sweet. He really didn't understand that his self-improtance didn't apply to others, and his words of ‘comfort’ seemed like an attempt to humiliate the former Duchess and make another crack at her fragile ego.
“Are you, perhaps, mocking me, Duke? Wiz ze fact zat you wear my status so proudly, while I am a nobody?” – She hissed with a fake smirk on her face, crossing her arms over her chest, where once hung a dozen of diamond medals, given by the King of Diamonds himself.
“Of course not, Duchess. In this Kingdom, the people chooseth who is't those gents wanteth to beest.” – He began explaining, like he was laying out the basics for a little kid. The Duke leaned a bit closer, his leathery, smoky fragrance now more noticable and potent. – “And i befall to liketh the title of a Duke bettrr than any other.”
This was it. His words made something in Blanche's head snap. So, it just happens that he kept the stolen title for himself, and now was actively rubbing it in her face! The Duchess slammed her fist onto the bar table, making the glasses jump and shift, spilling some of their contents onto the polished wood.
“Enouf of you! I will not be humiliated more zan I already waz!” – Blanche stated with an aggravated voice, her eyes now piercing through Roulxs’ whole being and mind.
She hastily paid for her drinks and left, the door slamming shut with the swing of her cape, only leaving a veil of her frosty and minty perfume.
The bar patrons sat in their seats, stunned, but none more than the Duke. All his efforts to try and impress the intriguing Duchess went horribly south. In fact, he did the opposite of his original goal - Blanche's first impression of Roulxs was of a pompous, narcissistic bastard, who always looked for an opportunity to rub people's faces in their failures.
And yet, the way the Duchess snapped like a firecracker, her flexible ego, maybe even her soft voice and french accent… It all just seemed so attractive in the eyes of the Duke. Like it all makes sense. Those were all the things he saw in a Duchess. Her royalty and status was everything to her, and the loss of it was practically a cross over her further life in Castle Town. Trully, she was of diamonds, and Roulxs may have saw a jewel in Blanche…