Total Eclipse of the Heart (Royal AU Wally x reader)

Chapter Twenty

"Baroness of Spades." he bowed his head. "How may I help you?"
"You see, my Lady instructed me to give you some documents."
"Your Lady?" Barnaby raised an eyebrow and a chuckle. "You're of a higher class than her, milady. Why addressing her as such?"
"As members of the High Council of Spades, we are equal, Mr Beagle. And she deserves all the respect one can give." she nodded towards him before looking back at the King. "I was wondering when I could come by your office to drop them off...?"
"Ah, yes. Tomorrow morning would be a good time."
"Very well," she curtsied. "I shall come by after breakfast."
"Before you leave, may I ask." he paused. "Have you received any news other than the official statement published this morning? Any news from Lady (L/n)?"
Catherine couldn't help but smile. Of course he'd ask about her, she thought.
"We received a letter from her this morning. A rather brief one, I must say. She is working very hard to house the sick, a task that requires a lot of time and energy, but she says she manages to the best of her ability." she sighed. "But in complete honesty, I worry that she is minimizing her wellbeing. The poor thing, housing more than a hundred sick people..." she looked down. "What a terrible birthday gift from nature."

Wally's heart dropped.
"It's her birthday?"
"Today, yes." Catherine nodded.
His eyes widened, but quickly resumed the conversation as perfectly normal. Still, he pondered over this...
Throughout his entire like, Wally loved celebrating birthdays, especially his own. Because on that day, he was allowed to put everything on hold and enjoy himself without a care. The fact that Lady (L/n) would go through all that trouble on her own birthday, the only day of the year when you are allowed to be selfish.... But then he remembered... He himself has been selfish for a long time. And Lady (L/n) was indeed selfless, she was now known to be, she was the talk of the Shuffling once again because of it.
But selfless people don't care about themselves, it's in the name. They care about the wellbeing of others, they care about...the people.
Everyone talked about the brave Lady of Spades, no one talked about the sick, the casualties. These people were already branded as dangerous victims of the plague that now shouldn't be approached. In the eye of the public, they were already lost cases...
'But that's not true.' he thought. 'Not yet at least...'

He realized something else as he looked around: here were the most influential and powerful people in the world, all in one place. News broke out about the Spades Plague infecting and killing people. Only one single person left to go help them, and it was a simple noble lady. She had no magical abilities, she wasn't a doctor, she was as clueless about this disease as was anybody else. But she did not hesitate to go back home. The rest stayed here and went about their business, for the news didn't affect them, for they were safe here at that moment.
And at that moment, Wally hated himself even more. But he realized something else: to hell with it. To hell with guilt! To hell with expectations! The only thing he should care about is the people, because that's what a good ruler does! Not just his own people, the people, those in need of help which he can provide! Even if he can't, he has to help, lend support in this very serious situation! A crisis might be happening and no one is doing anything about it! He's not doing anything about it, hasn't been for almost a year now...
'Well no more.'
"Barnaby, prepare a carriage or two." he walked away.
"Huh? Where are you going?" he followed him.
"To the Spades Kingdom."
"Huh?!"

Once he left his own Kingdom, Wally couldn't help but feel a familiar anxiety tightening his lungs. Each time he would go to the Spades Kingdom, he would make his stay as short as possible. For every time he went there in the past, it would be under some royal obligation, which meant he would reside in the Spades castle, with its King... He shook his head. This was different, he told himself, widely different. And besides, he'd get to see Lady (L/n) again. He held this comforting thought close to his heart for the entirety of the journey.
The clouds became denser and grey, the Sun was covered along with the entire sky, the colorful nature became darker, the air turned colder. They were entering the Kingdom of Spades. Of course, the guards at the border denied them entry at first, but as soon as they saw Wally, they let him in. He asked where the (L/n) estate was.