King of Hearts

38.

Hamza is sitting by a round table with a sheer blue tablecloth with gold stars on it. A tarot deck with a starry sky depicted on the back of the cards is sprayed on the table. He was indeed waiting for her.

"Good evening, lovely, I hope you're enjoying yourself," the braided man smirks. He gestures her to sit down. She takes a seat opposite him and decides not to respond. Instead, she wonders where the blue light is coming from. There are no light sources. Or at least she doesn't see any. Unsure of what to do next, Val waits for instructions. Hamza observes every little movement of her, even her breathing. She is starting to feel uncomfortable.

"You're very insecure, although you hate to show it," he begins. Val listens closely. "You hate to feel weak, which is not only a common trait of your zodiac sign but also the blood you carry. Mars's blood", he affirms in a serious tone. Val remains still. He's right about everything, which is why she won't react to it.

"You have insecurities for a reason, and the right person to talk to is no one other than your soulmate. You know I'm talking about Ulio. He has always been the one. In every life, you lived. Even though you as Val may not have feelings for him, Medéi Mars does, and there is no way around it." Val is unsure of how to interpret his words. She already knows that the reincarnations of Venus and Mars are opposite poles, thus soulmates. But she prefers not to talk about that.

"What are you trying to say?" she narrows her eyes in suspicion. He smirks foxily in response. "That your souls are intertwined. You will love each other in this life and continue to love each other in the next. He's your destiny. You're his true love." 

"I still don't know what I should do with this information."

"I just want you to finally face the reality you always tried to avoid so badly," he stops for a moment. He's reading her and Val doesn't even know how he does it. He knows much more than he says. "And now let's get into the reading." His ringed hand flies over the cards. "Pick one."

Val doesn't think, she straight-on picks the one on the far left. He carefully pulls it out and reveals the image, and Val is not one bit surprised. Hamza chuckles but Val doesn't find it funny at all. The card shows two figures wearing both orange capes, facing each other, hands touching.

The Lovers.

"Well, we somewhat predicted this card, didn't we?" he grins but Val remains stiff. He continues, nonetheless. "This card is self-explanatory. Love and friendship are on the way. Harmonious friendships will enlighten your next days. You will soon experience the beauty of falling in love, and what's more beautiful than falling in love with the same person over and over again? I must say, it's quite romantic, and I'm not really the emotional type. I'm an Aquarius," he chuckles lightly but soon composes himself. Val examines the card and curses at it. Coming here was a bad choice. 

"Now pick another one," he insists. This time, Val takes a moment before deciding. She picks the one that is slightly hidden under another card. Hamza displays it in front of her and reveals an image of a white horse riding through stormy waves. Next to him, a white-haired merman is swinging a trident. At the back, a silhouette of a man hanging upside down is barely depictable.

The Hanged Man.

"Interesting." Val doesn't like his low and serious tone. "This card represents sacrifice. You'll need to let go of something in order to go on, and it will certainly not be easy for you, although, it's the only right thing to do. Sacrifices must be made for our lives to keep going", he explains lost in his thoughts. Val feels nervous about this reveal, but she adds nothing. She wonders what it could be and if it has anything to do with her mission. 

"Pick one last card," Hamza instructs. Val picks this time the most noticeable one, the one in the middle. Hamza frowns at the revealing of the card.
A crown with a butterfly in the middle is floating above three sharp swords.

 Three of Swords.

"You will experience grief and loss. You will suffer, there is no point in denying that. This even might change some aspects of your life. You will break, but oh you will also heal. You will grow and learn to be stronger. You will accept your destiny and the pain will form into maturity and wisdom." This card doesn't feel positive at all. It makes her anxious, in fact. Val wonders what he must be referring to, but she has no idea. It's actually quite horrific to be told that you will suffer without knowing how.

Suddenly, the room feels as though the temperature has sunken. Val can't help but shiver. She rubs the bare skin of her arms. The more she looks at the card, the more she can feel the sword prickling her skin like teasing snowflakes. Before it could turn into a snowstorm, she asks, "Is that it?"

Hamza's intense gaze bores into her skull. "Are you going to tell me, you don't believe in magic?" Val freezes. And not because of the cold. 

"I certainly don't want to harm you, Val. If Prince Ulio cares about you, then I do too. I just want you to be prepared about what's to come." His eyes have gotten softer. If this is supposed to sound reassuring, then he's failing miserably.

"Thank you very much. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I thank you, nonetheless. I think I'll go now," Valawkwardly arises from the chair, doing her best not to stumble or sprint out of the room. She almost feels like suffocating.
"You're welcome, dear. I wish you a splendid evening," he smirks foxily. If Val wasn't that anxious, she would've probably responded, but she only cares about leaving. 

Coming here was a bad idea, if not the worst. As if not all of her decisions turned out to be bad.