The Joker

WITHIN FIFTEEN MINUTES of Wyatt's departure, Alice had picked out over forty different books. By the time she hit her tenth book, she no longer had the strength to heave them around with her. So instead, she found a quiet little corner tucked away from the rest of the library on the second floor, hidden behind a row of shelves. There, she had set the books down on the small square side table before continuing her journey in scouring for more books to read.

She wasn't confident that she could finish that many titles within the few hours Wyatt would be working, of course. Even though it was just past sundown and the night was still young, reading forty books within five hours was definitely not an accomplishable feat. However, Alice had picked out those books on the assumption that she could borrow them just like she had often done back in Riverside Creek's public library. Wyatt, after all, had affiliations with the royal palace and the crown prince himself. Surely they wouldn't mind missing a few books out of possible millions for a short two weeks?

On the shelf, a book with a leather-bound dusty rose cover caught Alice's eye. She pulled it from the shelf, her index finger resting on the shimmery silver letterings that carved out the title of the book. By the edges, flowers were drawn onto the cover in the same ink, decorating the book just enough to add life to it. The book was fiction, Alice was sure, for that was the shelf she had picked it out of. It was classified under fictional romance stories, a genre that Alice had a particular taste for.

'Beyond the Peony Field,' that was all the title read. The author's name couldn't be found anywhere on the cover.

It didn't reveal much of what the story could possibly be. Nevertheless, she flipped it open, scanning through the contents of the plot summary only to find none. This book, unlike the others she had picked out, contained pages that weren't yellowing yet, still fresh and pristine as if it had just emerged from under the author's pen. The ink in the book was still jet-black, fresh and not yet ruined by time. In the center of the page were two simple words, written just to reiterate the title. Below it was a single line of symbols — the same ones found on a deck of poker cards — that was filled in with red and black ink respectively.

'Peony Field.' That was all the page said. Then, beneath those two words came the symbols of hearts, clovers, diamonds, and lastly, spades.

Alice was about to flip the page to glance through the chapters before a voice spoke up, causing her to jump and accidentally drop the book.

"That's a unique book you've got there. I didn't think anyone would find it."

"Ah!" She gasped. The cover slipped from her fingers, hovering in the air for a split second before descending.

"Careful there." Dipping down swiftly, the man caught the book right before it hit the floor, holding it securely between his fingers before holding it out for Alice to take. "My apologies, Miss. I didn't mean to frighten you."

When Alice finally looked up at the man that had stepped a little too close towards her, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of mesmerizing blue eyes that seemed all too familiar. They were a startling shade of sapphire, bright and almost luminescent. The man's eyes were the first things that Alice noticed about him. Only after taking a step back to create some distance between the two of them had she realized he was the spitting image of the prince drawn in the portrait she had seen earlier by the staircase landing. With a head of raven hair, a pair of luminous eyes, and skin as pale as snow, the second prince seemed like art even in real life. The artist had indeed captured his ethereal details perfectly.

"Are you alright, Miss?" He asked, taking a step forward so that the distance Alice had created between them was now gone once more.

The man — no, the prince — wore a gleeful smile on his face that was seemingly innocent on the surface. However, having been on the receiving end of Wyatt's cheeky grins every single day, Alice had seen her fair share of smiles to discern the fakes from the sincere ones. The one on the second prince's face was almost mocking and bemused as if he was waiting to see how Alice would react if he pushed her buttons a little too far.

Taking another step back, Alice dipped into a curtsy. She held onto her skirt right before bending down just a little in greeting, masking the reason the stepped backward as finding space to execute the proper routine and etiquette when facing royalty.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Not daring to meet his eye, Alice kept her gaze glued on the carpeted floor.

"Ah, that's no fun. Have I been found out so quickly?" The second prince mused. "No need for such formal etiquette, Miss. Please get up."

With that said, Alice rose back to her full height, straightening her back as her grip on the storybook tightened. She held her breath and waited for the cheeky prince to take a step towards her again. Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he kept their distance, turning towards the bookshelf before running his finger down the spines of various books.

"You're the girl that Wyatt brought to the ball yesterday, aren't you?" He asked, idly pulling a book out from the shelf before flipping it open. As he spoke, his eyes not once left the yellowing pages. "Alice, is it?"

Alice nodded once. She hugged the book tighter towards her chest, nearly squeezing the life out of it if it was a living being.

"Yes, Your Highness," she responded. "I'm Alice Clemente, a distant relative of the Ragans."

"The queen was right. For all my years of knowing the Ragans, I never knew they had such a lovely relative." Closing the book shut, Spade returned the novel back to its allocated space on the shelf, slotting it back neatly. He turned to face Alice, still wearing the huge Cheshire Cat grin. "I wonder where a little bird such as yourself came from."

His words were more of a sentence than a question, almost as if implying that he knew Alice wasn't actually related to the Ragans. However, as long as he didn't say anything outright, Alice wasn't as silly as to rebuke or confirm his suspicions just because of a little pinch of guilt or panic. It wouldn't be wise.

So she stayed silent, chin tilted high and defiant, refusing to back down or show any sign of anxiety. The look she wore only made the prince chuckle, two dimples appearing in his cheeks as he laughed with mirth.

"A pleasure to meet such a lovely lady like yourself. My name is Spade and you can call me as such. There's no need for such stifling formalities." Spade waved nonchalantly with a gloved hand, banishing the title that had been imposed on him since birth. The corners of his lips were no longer raised as sharply, his smile softening and the look of his eyes were now gentle. "And if it's alright, can I call you Alice as well?"

All of a sudden, there was a change in Spade's tone and manner of speech. Gone was the suspicion and mockery and instead, it was replaced with sincere curiosity and friendliness. It was a complete hundred eighty degrees switch, causing Alice to quirk an eyebrow up in wariness. She squinted slightly at the prince, waiting to see if he would suddenly change his tone once more but he simply smiled back, calm and peaceful like the sky after a thunderstorm.

"Are you… Are you sure, Your Highness?" She queried again to double-check.

"Of course," he said without any hesitation. "And like I said, there's no need for you to use terms like 'Your Highness' whenever it's just us. I would like for us to be friends, Alice."

"Well, if you're sure then…" She paused, testing the royalty's name in her head before she spoke, "Spade."

The second she said his name, Spade's face seemed to glow bright with delight. His cheeks turned rosy, the blush showing very clearly despite the dimness of the section they were in since they were tucked between shelves. However, because of his frosty pale skin, the color headed towards the apples of his cheeks showed even more clearly than it would on an average person. Spade's smile was just as bright, just as pure as an angel's and Alice thought for a second there that she was about to be blinded by the beauteous man that stood before her.

"Perfect," he commented, nodding a little. "So, Alice, what brings you to the palace library at this hour? You should be having dinner at home by now."

"Oh, erm…" Alice's grip loosened a little around the book she was carrying. The tenseness in her shoulders had eased the second Spade switched to a more amiable tone. It almost felt as though she was back in Riverside Creek's public library instead of a stuffy palace where etiquette meant the difference between life and death. "Well, I'm waiting for Wyatt. He has some paperwork to do for the crown prince before he can head back. He told me to wait for him here in the library before leaving together."

"Well, to be honest, I doubt he will be done anytime soon. Perhaps you would like some company? I see that you have a great interest in books," he said, pointing to Alice's growing stack of to-be-read titles. "I can offer you some recommendations."

"I don't know…" Darting her eyes around the library, Alice checked around the corners to see if she could find any of the palace guards spying on both of them. It still didn't ease the gnawing on her heart even when she found nothing out of the ordinary. "Surely a prince has things better to do than to accompany a random girl in the library to search for fables."

Spade didn't reply to her statement. Instead, his gaze lowered towards the book Alice clutched, his lips quirking once more.

"That book," he started, nodding towards the rose-colored cover. "It's a good one, albeit a little tear-jerking."

Peeling the book away from her chest, Alice looked at the book she held. The short and sweet title greeted her, reminding her once more that she held onto a book that was just as every bit mysterious as the people that dwelled within the palace walls.

"You've read it?" She asked, a little stunned that a prince would pick up a tale from the fictional romance category.

"Oh, yes." Spade shrugged it off, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the bookshelf on his right. "I've read every book in this library. You said that a prince had better things to do than to accompany a random girl in search of fables but the truth is there's no one in this palace that knows these books like I do for you see," he paused, tilting his head to one side. "There's not much else to do when you're the second-born prince with a talented older brother striving for the crown."

For a split second, the color of Spade's gleaming eyes dulled and darkened. What was once an azure spring sky suddenly descended into a storm that gathered in the open seas. It raged, crackled, seethed with unspoken anguish and fury. Nonetheless, it dispersed as quickly as it came. The temperamental storm didn't stay.

Biting her lip, Alice was about to speak up and change the topic before she was beaten to it.

"But enough about that. You have a hearty number of books picked out and I doubt you'll be able to finish it before Wyatt finishes his duties. Would you like to borrow them? You can always return them to the palace library once you're done. Wyatt comes over very often, after all," Spade offered.

"For real?" Alice exclaimed, her eyes glittering with delight. "That… That would be wonderful. Thank you."

"And in return," Spade added, putting a pause to Alice's internal celebration. Her heart dropped, wondering what the prince could possibly desire from her in exchange for a few books. The break in his words seemed to drag on forever. When he finally spoke again, Alice's jaw went unhinged at his proposal. "Have dinner with me."

"Huh?" She blurted out, stunned. Choking a little on air alone, Alice winced, hacking away to regain her composure. The hand that she had slapped on her lip to keep her voice muffled slowly removed itself so that she could speak again. "I'm sorry, come again?"

"I know a place that sells great food outside the palace and I was wondering if you could be so kind as to spare me some time and join me for dinner," Spade repeated.

"I…" She hesitated, not knowing what to reply. "I don't know about that. I'm not too sure when Wyatt will be done with his work and I also don't want to inconvenience you."

"You'll never inconvenience me." Taking a step forward, Spade maneuvered himself so that Alice was trapped between his large frame and the shelf of books behind her. He placed an arm on the bookshelf, keeping her locked inside and forced to meet his eyes as he spoke. "I rather have the company of a lovely lady than have dinner alone again," he confessed. "If you're still worried, I can get a servant to relay a message to Wyatt. The Ragan estate is in between the palace and the town so I can send you back after dinner as well. I reckon my brother will keep the poor man in the palace until the wee hours in the morning. Surely you can't possibly wait for him through the night here?"

Spade, who stood half a head taller than Alice, smiled down at her with his rosy lips. Alice had to tilt her head significantly upward in order to match his gaze, gulping when she finally met his eyes. It was another expression that he wore, one that was a little friendly, a little scheming, but very mischievous. There were so many faces that Prince Spade wore as a mask that it was now difficult for Alice to fathom his thoughts.

Yet, despite everything he placed in that facade, Alice saw genuine longing in his eyes. There was a desire to know, curiosity to learn, and perhaps even a touch of affection that formed a look that screamed his sincerity in wanting to spend time with her. Alice, a girl who thought that her heart had hardened, felt the organ beating again.

"If you're so sure then…" She trailed off, dropping her head to stare at their shoes. "But in exchange, tell me what you know about this book."

Raising the book in her hands, she used it as a shield to separate Spade's face from hers. He had leaned in so close that she was worried he would hear her wildly thumping heart. It wasn't that she was struck by cupid's love arrows but rather it was a physical reaction she always had whenever a boy moved too close to her.

'It's normal,' she reasoned with herself in her head. 'Stop making this so weird. Stop overthinking things.'

Pushing the book aside so that he could see her face, Spade grinned. He knew what Alice was trying to do with the book and he respected her wishes. Stepping back, he created some distance between their two bodies once more, giving Alice the space needed to breathe.

"Deal," he agreed, beaming. "I'll have someone fetch a carriage. And no need to look like such a frightened bunny, Alice. I'm not a wolf."

'Not in plain sight, at least,' he thought to himself, leaving Alice completely clueless to what ran through his mind.