"Uwaaah!"

The Spade King slowly opened his eyes, feeling drowsy as he was awoken by the sound of a crying infant in the bedroom. It seemed that the Spade Prince was awake. The King let out a sigh and grumbled quietly, feeling too tired to get up "Queenie, can you take care of him this time...?" He asked, tiredly closing his eyes again and trying to get back to sleep.

the Queen didn't respond to his request, and as the crying continued, the King took the hint, figuring that maybe it was his turn to tend to the prince. He wasn't even a year old and was as fussy as a baby would be expected to be, at nights making sleeping rather difficult for his parents.

As the King sat up in bed, he glanced at the side to look at his sleeping Queen, but as he did, he was surprised to find that she wasn't actually beside him. He blinked surprised. That was... strange... It was the middle of the night, where could she possibly have gone at this hour?

Worried, he went to check on the small princeling resting in his cerulean blue crib, his crying turned into sniffles once he saw his father, stretching his short arms as if asking to get picked up. The King couldn't help but let out a soft smile at the sight of him, picking up his son Lancer and cradling him.

The King was still not used to how small the child was, nearly small enough to be the size of his palm, where he nested comfortably. His crying stopped as his father fed him, closing his eyes as his small hands held the milk bottle. The King just sighed relieved, glancing at the small child. To think that something so small and fragile would one day grow up to be as large as him was an overwhelming thought.

After a hearty burp, Lancer seemed to calm down, resting relaxed in his father's arms. But yet, the King remained worried as he glanced at the door of their bedroom, hoping that at any second, the Queen would come in and reassure him that everything was fine and he had nothing to worry about.

Did something happen to her? After all that time, she still hadn't returned. The Queen had always been prone to fun and mischief, as well as easily enticed by strange contrived pranks that never failed to get a laugh out of him. But yet, this did not feel like one of those cases.

Things had seemed fine throughout the day, so could it be that someone infiltrated the castle and done something to her? Surely he would have heard it or the guards would have been on high alert. He looked down at the small prince in his arms, who yawned and nuzzled against him, eyes half-closed as if he was trying to keep himself awake.

The King's anxiety just made him fear the worst and he let out a sigh, trying to rationalize his thoughts about the situation. He was overthinking this, of course she was fine. Late-night walk, going to grab a drink from the kitchen, leaving unassuming banana peels at the doors of the other kings' bedroom doors...

Surely, she wouldn't just leave with no explanation, would she?

He once again glanced at her empty spot on the bed. However, underneath the messy sheets, he took notice of something that wasn't there before. A pure white rectangle, was that paper? Realizing it was a letter, within a perfectly folded envelope, the King's heart nearly stopped in its tracks.

Fearful, he walked to it, felling his son looking up at him, sensing his father's growing distress, he tried to reach with his small hands to him, with no avail. But the King just reached for the letter, holding it with one hand as he kept carefully cradling the Prince with the other.

It was from the Queen, perfect handwriting, even if the message appeared to have been writen in a rush despite its pristine presentation.

As he read through the letter his expression slowly shifted from realization to shock, anger and then an overwhelming look of resentment. He angrily crumpled the letter, hands shaking as he clenched his teeth and faced down as he tried to keep tears from filling his eyes. After everything that they had gone through, how could she just-?! What happened?! What triggered this?!

But he stopped, noticing his son Lancer looking up at him innocently, he had a distressed expression in his face, not understanding what was going on, but still feeling that something wasn't right as he began the sniff, his hands trying to reach for his father's face.

"...ma..." The baby sniffed, but the King just quietly shushed him, holding him close and placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Shh... Hush, my Prince... It... It will just be you and I from now on..." He looked sadly at the small baby who just mimicked his distraught expression, looking over where his mother would be sleeping then looking back at him, a small blue tongue poking out sadly.

The King was trying to remain calm but he jusy couldn't take it, the heartbreak he felt over the Lightners forsaking him had subsided when he met his Queen, and after the birth of their son, he had felt hopeful for the first time in so many years. They argued at times but they were still happy together, weren't they?

So why?! Why did the Queen decide to return to her old kingdom and not come back?! Why did she too have to abandon him?! Would his son have to grow up without a mother now?! She was free to abandon the King and the Card Kingdom all she wanted, but Lancer didn't have to suffer because of HER.

As the King once again looked at the small princeling who had begun to sniff again, he gently wiped the child's tears away, noticing how the little boy grabbed one of his fingers with his tiny hands. He was so small and full of life, that the King couldn't bear to imagine his son having his heart broken like he had been. Not by the Lightners, not by his mother, not by anyone.

"Lancer..." The King murmured, watching the baby slowly close his eyes while looking at him, yawning while holding on to his father's finger "Protect your heart, Lancer... Whatever you do, you must never let yourself get attached... Not to the Lightners, nor the darkeners." He quietly spoke, more to himself than to the now sleeping child.

But Lancer didn't hear him, nor would he understand if he could, the King imagined. He once again glanced at the crumpled letter in his hand, thoughts about his Queen filling his mind. She was dead to him, despite part of him still loving her, he couldn't bear the sight of her. And for that day onward, all mentions of the Queen would be forbidden, specially around the Prince.

As far as he was concerned, his son did not have a mother, and he'd be perfectly fine on his own.

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