Diamond no Kuni no Alice – Bet on My Heart - Volume 1 - Chapter 4

ACT 4  
At the Museum 

Alice took another step down the street, letting out a long breath. Her shoes tapped on the concrete. 
Here we go. 
With the exception of the Survey Meeting, this was the first time she’d left Hatter territory. Supposedly Diamonds was more violent than the countries of Hearts and Clover; fortunately, she hadn’t run into any serious trouble. Yet. 
She knew a graveyard and a museum lay in the territory of the Gravekeeper, but had no idea where to find Jericho himself. She flagged down two men walking nearby. 
“Um, excuse me. I-I came to see the leader?” 
She couldn’t decide whether to call him the Gravekeeper or the museum curator, so she stuck to vague language. One of the men seemed to understand her, though. 
“Someone from outside the territory has come to see Jericho? That’s unusual.” 
“I saw him headed toward the graveyard a little while ago,” the other man said. “So he’s probably still there. Just head straight down this road.” 
The first man frowned. “But it’s probably not worth going,” he warned. “Jericho’s a busy man, y’know? Nobody ever really knows where he goes or when he leaves.” 
“In the graveyard,” Alice repeated. “Okay. Thank you!” 
She continued on with mixed feelings. For a moment she thought of waiting for him at the museum, but if he was that busy—and it made sense, if he had three huge responsibilities—they could easily miss each other. 
As she headed down the street toward the graveyard, the Faceless around her thinned out. She saw several men who had stopped to have a chat a 
little farther down the road. Most of them wore suits, but one of them carried a shovel. 
As Alice approached, the man with the shovel turned to her. He blinked. 
“Oh! It’s you.” 
Alice stopped. “Huh? Have we met before?” 
She’d never been in this territory before; how could someone know her? Had he seen her during the Survey Meeting? 
“I heard that, urn, the Gravekeeper Jericho might be at the graveyard... Is he still there?” 
The man stared at her in surprise. His stem face had opened in confusion. 
“Huh?” 
Alice didn’t know what the problem was. “Like I said—someone said he went this way, so I was wondering if Jericho was here. If he’s too busy, I can come back later.” 
“Heh. Heh heh.” 
“Ha ha ha!” 
The group of men tried to suppress their chuckles and failed. When she just stared at them expectantly, they burst into raucous laughter. 
The man with the shovel seemed the most amused. He held his stomach in a loud belly laugh. 
“Ha ha ha ha! I’m impressed!” he boomed. “That’s the first time anyone’s said that to my face!” 
“Boss,” one of the other men said, flicking an almost sympathetic look at Alice. “You shouldn’t say that to the poor girl!” 
“You’re right. I can’t blame her when she isn’t used to it... Ha ha!” 
Alice scowled, not sure if they were making fun of her. The man with the shovel eventually wiped his eyes and leaned closer to her, grinning. 
“You really don’t recognize me?” 
“Recognize you from... Huh?” 
He closed his handsome face into a familiar, calm expression, and Alice suddenly noticed the scars. The scars that usually melted from people in Wonderland. 
Alice gasped. “Wait... Are you Jericho?!” 
He looked completely different. His suit and glasses were gone, replaced with rough outdoor clothes, heavy workman’s boots, and a pair of goggles hanging around his neck. She noticed a bird pin attached to his jacket.. .was that the same one 
he’d worn during the Survey Meeting? 
Jericho stroked his jaw and flashed a wry smile. 
“I’m sorry I laughed at you. But I expected you to recognize me from this close.” 
“No, I should be the one to apologize! The atmosphere here is so different, I didn’t realize it was you...” 
“No harm done. This is what the Gravekeeper wears when he does his job.” 
Alice was embarrassed, but the man seemed completely at ease. Just as warm as when she’d first met him. 
She smiled back, feeling reeled in. She slowly drew the ticket from her pocket. 
“Thanks for the priority ticket. I was hoping you could show me the art museum.” 
“Is that right? I’m sorry... After coming all the way to my territory, you’ve had to take the long way around.” Jericho shook his head; the men behind him started to speak. 
“Don’t worry, Boss—we can handle things here. Take the young lady where she wants to go.” 
“We can make the rounds ourselves. Besides, isn’t it 
on your schedule to return to the museum about now?” 
To emphasize their arguments, they all gave him farewell waves. Jericho smiled weakly. 
“Then I’ll leave it to you guys. Contact me if there are any problems.” 
“Got it. Bye, Boss!” 
Alice tried to say something, but the men quickly shuffled away. She looked up at Jericho. 
“Are you sure about this? I only came here to thank you—I didn’t mean to interfere.” 
“You heard them—it’s about time I returned to the museum, anyway.” 
Alice admired his casual kindness. After so much time with the restless Diamonds Hatters, Jericho’s mature attitude was refreshing. 
“Okay. Um, thanks.” 
Jericho didn’t take her hand; he just walked a few steps in front of her, turned, and smiled. 
“Let’s go.” 

They arrived at the museum in no time. Unfortu 
nately, a huge crowd had lined up at the turnstiles. As she gripped her ticket and prepared for the wait, she looked up at Jericho. 
And froze. 
He seemed completely different again. If she hadn’t just been talking to him, she would’ve assumed this was a different man. 
He answered her unasked question. “We’ve changed venues. I have to dress accordingly.” 
He’d worn a black suit for the Survey Meeting and blue-collar work clothes as the Gravekeeper— now, as the museum’s curator, the only thing his outfit shared with those two was the opening at the chest. He wore an unimposing, light brown coat and pants, his delicate spectacles resting on his nose once more. 
Other than the scars, he looked like a scholar. Fitting. 
He smiled. “You’ll get used to me soon enough. Now come over here—I’ll guide you.” 
Alice frowned. “I’d feel bad cutting in line.” 
Jericho laughed. “That’s what a priority ticket is for!” 
He beckoned her to join him. They walked alongside the line, she handed her ticket over at the turnstile, and they squeezed into the packed museum. 
Alice paused in the front room, her eyes widening. Other attendees bustled past her. 
The paintings on the walls were alive. 
Painted elks ran through fields of swaying grass, fish splashed in two-dimensional streams. A bird swooped out of a painting and flapped through the room, causing a few children nearby to clap their hands in delight. 
“This.. .this is amazing,” Alice breathed. “What is all this? How is it happening?!” 
“If I told you the trick, it wouldn’t be interesting to you anymore. Besides—we’re only getting started.” 
Alice felt like she’d stepped into another dimension. It wasn’t just that animals could leap out of their picture frames—the pictures lit up, featured shifting clouds, flickered with geometric patterns. Alice found herself squinting at the red glow emanating from the painting of a sunset. The beauty moved her. She knew it had to be some sort 
of illusion, but it still gripped her and wouldn’t let go 
A rabbit jumped out of a painting and bounced past Alice. She watched it run, dumbfounded. 
“Mommy!” some kid shouted as she pointed at it. “It’s a bunny rabbit! Let’s catch it together!” 
“Whoa!” someone else cried. “Did a flying squirrel just jump up there?” 
Alice rubbed her eyes. “I still want to know the trick behind it,” she murmured. 
Jericho gave a wry smile. “You came all the way here—take your time and enjoy the exhibits. You can have all the explanations you want later.” 
“Thank you. But do you really have time to be my guide? You seem so busy...” 
Skipping the line with her priority ticket had been enough of a blessing. She didn’t want to monopolize the time of the most important man in the museum. 
But Jericho pursed his lips. “No, I’ll stay. Right now, I’m more concerned...about you than anything else that may come up.” 
“Me? Why are you concerned about me?” She and Jericho had hardly spoken; she wondered what might make him worry about her. She glanced in a nearby mirror to confirm that she didn’t look sick or anything. 

Jericho’s reflection loomed behind hers. He gazed through his glasses at Alice’s reflection in the mirror. 
“You don’t look satisfied,” he said evenly. “Something’s wrong.” 
“It’s not that...” 
“It is that. And it concerns me.” His eyes were unreadable. “Did something happen to you in Hatter Mansion?” 
“Nothing specific.” Alice’s lips moved as if she were talking to herself in the mirror. She pushed her shoulders back, feeling a rare opportunity. 
“Jericho.. .I’ve just been wondering. Why did the move bring me to the Country of Diamonds? Why here? I can’t get the question out of my mind.” 
She’d never been able to say those words to anyone in Hatter Mansion. Jericho raised his eyebrows in response. 
“Then...before you came here, you were in another country?” 
Alice nodded. “But if I say more, it’ll only be 
complaints. You don’t want to hear that.” Alice didn’t like subjecting others to her grousing. 
The curator in the mirror puffed out a breath. “I don’t mind. And I don’t know what you’ve heard, but...I’m living on dead time.” 
Alice remembered a similar comment from Blood. “Dead time?” she repeated. “What does that mean? You’re alive!” 
The people of Wonderland were living embodiments of time. It was why when one person vanished, another quickly came in to take his place. Everyone in Wonderland said the same thing: We ’re replaceable. Life and death are cheap. 
But this was the first time someone had said he was already dead. 
Jericho stood there for a long moment, a fragile smile on his face. Then he tapped his chest.. .maybe referencing the clock inside. 
“Don’t worry about it,” he said quietly. “This is the Gravekeeper’s territory—I take care of the graves, both below and above.” 
She still didn’t understand the “already dead” 
thing, but it didn’t sound like Jericho would elaborate. And she was pretty desperate to talk to someone about her situation, so if he was offering... 
“Well, I first came to the Country of Hearts,” she explained. “I stayed in Heart Castle as a maid, sorta. Then I moved into the Country of Clover. I knew there was infighting between the different territories, but I still visited a lot of the other ones—including Hatter Mansion.” 
As Alice talked, Jericho listened quietly. She cleared her throat. 
“When I came to Diamonds, I went to Hatter Mansion again. And the same people live there, but...they don’t recognize me anymore. And little by little. I’ve realized that I never existed in this place before.” 
“Same people?” Jericho repeated. 
Alice ran her finger down the mirror. It left an oily mark from her skin, which quickly vanished. 
“I knew Blood, Elliot, Dee, and Dum in Hearts and Clover. And even if they didn’t recognize me, I figured it was safer to stay somewhere / knew. But now that I’ve been there awhile...I’m not sure that 
impulse decision was a good one. I feel a little stuck now.” 
If she’d gone to other territories and investigated them instead, or even if she’d been honest about where she’d come from the first time she re-met Blood, maybe things would’ve gone differently. Maybe they would’ve gone better. 
She knew what-ifs wouldn’t help her, but she couldn’t get them out of her head. Did she regret her decision? Something squeezed in her chest. 
“This place may be a ‘past’ version of the countries I lived in,” she offered. “Maybe not a pure version of the past, but some kind of earlier version. Maybe that’s why the people of the Country of Diamonds aren’t the people 1 know. I realize that, and still...” 
It was hard to think of everyone in Hatter Mansion as the people she once knew. They were so different now. Even if the twins hadn’t changed much deep down, they spent all their time as adults. She couldn’t get used to Elliot glaring at her in suspicion. And the way Blood treated her.. .that was a whole issue in itself. 
“How were you involved with the Hatters and the 
people in other countries?” Jericho suddenly asked. 
“They were all friends of mine. At least, I’d like to think so. And that didn’t change in the move from Hearts to Clover.” 
She conjured up memories that made her heart ache. The twins getting her tangled up in their dangerous pastimes, sometimes bringing along Boris—who they considered a friend—for fun. Or running around with Gowland and Pierce, or visiting an amusement park that didn’t exist in this country... 
Elliot had pointed a gun at her when they’d first met, too. But he’d swiftly dropped that animosity and treated her to his weird carrot cooking. She and Elliot had been friends. 
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, but Jericho opened his mouth to break the silence. “Then you got along well with the Mad Hatter himself?” he clarified. 
“Yeah. We were really...close.” She flashed back to his secret rose garden. 
Jericho’s eyes widened. “Really?” 
“I was a little surprised we became friends, too. He seemed like a difficult guy. But we’re both big 
readers, so we connected over that—he’d recommend books and lend them to me. If I went to the mansion, he would pretty much always invite me to a tea party... Oh, and if it was a nighttime period, he’d give me a guided tour of Hatter Mansion.” 
She’d often asked Blood if he should be so attentive to a wandering Outsider not attached to his territories. But Blood answered her every time with a smile playing on his lips: 
“It’s just a whim. And if you spilled my secrets, it would only lead to different fun. ” 
The way he said it always sent a chill down her spine. He was a nasty man, and she wasn’t stupid enough to test him. 
Back in her old world, she never would’ve gotten involved with a Mafia boss...but she’d been bold when she’d thought Wonderland was a dream. She’d visited him over and over. And his special treatment surprised her, especially with the secret rose garden. He’d accepted her, right? Even if he was so guarded about his feelings? 
That Blood accepted me, anyway. 
She tried to remind herself that it had taken a long time to foster her relationships in Hearts and Clover. She hadn’t been in Diamonds long, so it made sense that she was still struggling. 

She sighed. “It’s not like I want to get that close to the Blood in Diamonds. He’s similar here, but not the same person. And so much of our first relationship was based on lucky circumstances—I doubt I’ll have a repeat of that stuff.” 
“Then what relationship do you want with him now?” Jericho asked softly. 
For a moment, Alice said nothing. She’d been asking herself the same question for a long time. 
“I...don’t know,” she answered at last. “But I get the feeling that we don’t know enough about each other, even though we’re under the same roof—and that’s a problem. I’d like to at least get to know Blood of the Country of Diamonds.” 
She’d stopped longing constantly for Hearts and Clover. She was ready to dig into Diamonds—and she had a burning desire to re-leam these people she once knew. 
Jericho suddenly chuckled. She furrowed her brow at him. 
“What?” 
“Sorry, sorry. I wasn’t making fun of you. I just think you ’re the one person who could pull that off.” 
She eyed him suspiciously. “Hard to believe that when you’re laughing.” 
The man’s face, reflected in the mirror, swiveled around. When Alice turned from the mirror to look up at him, he rested his large hand on her head and mussed her hair. 
“I mean it. I don’t know the Mad Hatter very well myself, but I figured you’d be okay under his care. Otherwise I would’ve invited you to live with me.” He flashed a warm smile. “Although I’m starting to regret that I didn’t offer.” 
Alice paused at that. “Okay under his care?” she repeated at last. “But I told you—I had a relationship with a different Blood.” The imperturbable, dominating Blood of Hearts and Clover. The mature Mafia boss. 
Diamonds Blood wasn’t nearly that secure. 
“But aren’t both Mad Hatters the same at heart? I wonder if it’s something to get so upset about.” 
“This Blood doesn’t take me seriously. I’m not 
sure I can be friends with him.” 
“But you made friends with the Mad Hatters of the other countries.” He waved a hand. “You’ll be fine—we’re all connected to our other selves. The location, what comes before or after... None of those things make much difference.” 
Confused, Alice ran her fingers through her hair to comb it back. But the museum curator just let out a final, clear laugh. 
“Maybe the Mad Hatter you knew was the type to twist you around his little finger,” he pointed out. “But the Hatter here is still young. You should try to turn the tables on him.” 
How was she supposed to turn the tables on a man that dangerous? He’d already accused her of being an assassin just for following him into a garden! 
Arguments bubbled up her throat, but they died when she looked into Jericho’s face. She closed her mouth. 
His words were the first real help she’d been offered in Diamonds. She didn’t want to just throw that out. 
So she slowly nodded, wondering if she could take his advice. 

After returning from the art museum, Alice went back to her room to prepare for work. The library maid appeared almost immediately, as if sensing Alice’s presence. 
“Orders from the boss-,” she said. “He wanted you to visit his room as soon as you were back-.” 
“But I’m supposed to start work—” 
“Boss made it clear that this comes first-. Please go to the boss’s room, okay-?” 
Alice grimaced. She wasn’t a Hatter, so she didn’t technically need to listen to him...but it would be stupid to ignore an egotistical mobster who had cornered her with a crony. She didn’t want grudges later. 
Alice gave a reluctant nod. “Blood first, then straight to work. Do you mind starting without me?” 
“Not at all-. See you soon-!” The maid bowed and breezed out, cool as you please. 
When Alice arrived at Blood’s room, she saw the usual Faceless guards standing outside the doors. She took a breath. 
“I heard that Blood called for me. Can I go in?” 
“Oh, it’s you-.” One of the guards casually knocked on the door. “Boss, she’s here-.” 
“Send her in.” 
The two guards stood aside. Alice pushed through the door. 
Blood sat behind his desk, seemingly buried in more paperwork. He didn’t even look up when she walked in. 
“Did you enjoy the art museum?” he asked coolly. “Did the Gravekeeper allow any information to slip?” 
Alice scowled. “If you wanted a spy, you shouldn’t have sent a librarian.” 
His lips curled at the snub. “Then you’re not interested in changing jobs. Too bad—I’d be happy to make you an intelligence officer.” 
“It doesn’t look like you have time to jerk me around right now.” 
Blood finally dropped the papers in his hands and sighed. His lifted his blue-green gaze. 
“I’m busy—our organization is new. Anyway, have a seat. Some rare tea just came in, so I thought I’d forgo the sweets and listen to your stories of the museum instead.” 
“Uh...I didn’t see anything that special.” Although not strictly true, considering the paintings were magic, she assumed Blood already knew that about his enemy’s territory. 
Alice shot him a suspicious look, but she could tell he wasn’t going to let her go until they’d gone over what he was interested in. She lowered herself onto the red sofa. 
Blood grabbed a bell and rang it once; a maid appeared in the room seconds later. 
“You rang-?” 
“I’d like tea. The leaves should be... Hm. What would be best?” 
Then he hadn’t actually decided on the tea. Seeing Blood rest his chin on his hands in thought, Alice cut in. 
“Maybe you wouldn’t mind if I chose.the tea?” 
“Oh ho? You?” 
“Yeah. If my conversation’s taking the place of 
sweets, then I would know what kind of tea goes best with it, right?” 
Blood seemed to enjoy her longshot reasoning. He gestured to the maid. 
“Bring several different blends. If the young lady wants to choose the tea for my tea party, then I want to watch.” He let a chuckle slip, but he didn’t seem to have time to say anything else; he dropped his eyes back to his papers as the maid made her exit. 
The Hatter syndicate is young, she thought, a rehash of his earlier words. No wonder he was overloaded. She sat in silence as he worked. 
A few minutes later, the maid carried in a tray covered with an assortment of teas. The different cans and bottles were arrayed like the contents of a treasure chest. 
“Sorry to keep you waiting-. Which one will you have-?” 
Alice poked through the cans. “If you have a preference,” she called to Blood, “now’s the time to say it.” 
“I’m just looking forward to what you choose.” 
Ever since staying in Heart Castle, Alice had been influenced by Vivaldi and Blood’s interest in tea. She considered herself something of an expert. But the wide selection that stared up at her from that tray was daunting enough to make her hesitate. 
She saw classic Darjeeling, Assam, Uva...along with herb teas and what she guessed were original blends. It took her a while just to go over the brands. 
And she was.. .worried that Diamonds Blood was just as picky as Hearts/Clover Blood. He probably didn’t have a lot of tea parties here, based on the wasted condition of his garden, and the fact that good leaves were probably hard to come by with all the strife in the country. She guessed that this highquality tea was his personal collection. 
She eventually narrowed her choice to two options. But when she glanced up, Blood’s face was still tilted down, his hand quickly scratching out some notes with a pen. He didn’t so much as peek at her. 
The guy never seemed stressed from all his work, even if he was obviously overloaded. If he knew how much Alice considered his feelings in picking 
the tea, it might leave a bad taste in his mouth. He was a proud man. 
But she did consider him—silently—as she compared the two cans in her hands. She eventually handed one to the maid and returned the other to the tray. 
“Could you brew this up, please?” 
“This-?” the maid asked, staring at an unopened herbal tea. “Are you sure this is the one you want-?” 
“Yeah.” 
The maid carried out the overflowing tray, Alice’s chosen can resting on top. Alice’s lips curled into a small smile as she watched the maid leave the room. 
Of course the maid would doubt her decision— Alice had chosen a relatively common tea that she could probably buy at a normal store. But Alice had special memories tied up in that brand...so it was important to her. 
It’s good for a relaxing drink after work, she thought. The old Blood said it was one of his favorite herbals. 
That Blood had never looked tired, but he’d recommend the tea to her when she was exhausted 
with everything at Heart Castle. “III bet you want something calming, ” he’d say as he brought out two cups. 
She smiled, enjoying the bit of nostalgia. But then she frowned, since that hadn’t been so long ago that it warranted nostalgia. 
She wondered what would happen if she mentioned those memories to Blood. He’d probably make a weird face. 
“Sorry to keep you waiting-,” the maid called as she reappeared, her tray now bearing a teapot and two cups. 
Blood finally looked up from his work. His eyes followed the maid’s hands as she poured the tea with practiced ease. 
The steaming, amber-colored liquid released a refreshing fragrance into the room. The smell alone had a healing effect on Alice. 
Blood seemed to feel the same. He stood from his desk and headed for the sofa opposite her. 
“Herbal tea?” he asked. 
“Yeah. Smells nice, right?” 
“I can’t say I dislike the smell.” The maid left the 
room as Blood lifted a teacup and inhaled deeply. 
Alice picked up her own cup and took a sip. The warm, soothing liquid rolled over her tongue, flashing her back to the last time she’d had it. Her face relaxed unconsciously. “Delicious,” she murmured. 
“Agreed—it’s a favorite of mine among the herbals. I’d used all mine up; a new supply only came in last period.” 
“Oh yeah?” she asked politely. “I love the smell, and it’s so easy to drink.” 
“Hn.” 
Blood had requested conversation over the tea, but he seemed to have forgotten that. He just slowly sipped, which made Alice follow suit. 
He finally returned both the cup and saucer to the tray. He folded his hands together and fixed his eyes on her. 
She didn’t sense harassment or hostility in his gaze—but he did seem restless. Like he was searching for something. She waited, but he didn’t say anything. 
Finally, Alice broke the eye contact. She stood from her sofa. 
“I should be getting to work,” she murmured. “And you’re obviously busy here—” 
“How do you know so much about me, young lady?” 
The ice in his voice sucked the warmth out of the room. 
“H-huh?” Alice blurted. The question was so sudden that she didn’t know how to answer. 
The man flicked his teacup. The ceramic cup clacked loudly as it jostled on its saucer. 
“You acted like we were friends from the very first moment we met,” he said darkly. “The first time I called you to this room, you didn’t ask anyone for directions. You put all my books exactly where they should be. And now you choose a tea you know I’d like.” His eyes narrowed. “These aren’t things you could’ve learned from asking other people about me.” 
Alice swallowed. She tried a weak laugh. 
“You’re overthinking this,” she offered. “I knew your first name, so I called you that by accident. I heard the location of your room from the maids, and of course I’m good with books considering my day job now. The tea was.. .a lucky guess.” 
That clearly wasn’t good enough for the head of the Hatter Family. The comers of his mouth curved up as he rose from the sofa. 
“If you seriously think I would buy that, then I’m insulted you think so little of me. Coincidence is when something happens once, young lady. Three times points to fate. Or do miracles like that happen all the time where you come from? 
“After I told you to come to my room, I confirmed with my employees that you never asked for directions. If there’s a coincidence that would allow you to traverse this huge mansion in a beeline for my room without a single wrong turn, I’d love to hear about it.” 
She couldn’t answer that one. At the time, she’d figured the head boss wouldn’t change rooms on a whim, so she’d just walked to the same room she was used to in Hearts and Clover. That had clearly been a mistake. 
“You choosing this tea is the last straw. Not even Elliot knows how much I like it. So let’s change the question a bit, young lady.” He leaned closer to 
her. “Were you somehow involved with a different version of myself?” 
Alice was shocked at how certain he sounded. She could only nod. 
And to be honest, she probably had underestimated Blood of the Country of Diamonds—she never would’ve dreamed he’d see through so much. Maybe he seemed younger than the one she’d known, but Blood Dupre was still Blood Dupre. 
It’s not worth hiding the facts now. She took a breath. 
“You’re right,” she said quietly. “I’ve met you before—well, I met the Blood Dupre of the Countries of Hearts and Clover.” 
“You met him?” Blood asked softly. “It sounds like you did more than that.” 
“We were...friends. That’s all.” 
She went on to repeat a lot of what she’d told Jericho in the museum—what the Hatters and the other territories were like in the other countries, and what kind of relationship she had with them. When she was finished, Blood finally crossed his arms and stared down at her. 
“So that’s how you knew about my private rose garden. A version of me in a different country invited you into it.” 
“It didn’t happen right away.. .but yeah, he let me in there more than once.” 
Red roses and green vines; a man in a white suit and a beautiful woman in a red dress. Alice couldn’t forget that precious memory if she tried. It was a rose-rimmed world that perfectly suited the brother and sister. Just recalling it seemed to bathe her in the lush fragrance of the flowers. 
Blood’s voice cut through her thoughts. 
“Who else knows that you were involved with me in a different country?” 
She paused at that. “I discussed it at the museum with Jericho,” she admitted. “If I talked to anyone else about it, they just heard it as random complaints.” 
Blood puffed out a breath at her answer. “The Gravekeeper?” he muttered. “If your story is true, why did you tell him first? You claim you didn’t know him before this country.” 
“It’s because I’ve never met him before that he’s easier to talk to.” She didn’t add the mundane 
point that Jericho’s calm demeanor and the odd atmosphere of the museum had all encouraged her to open up to him. 
But it seemed that Blood didn’t allow for the mundane. 
“I see,” he said ominously. “It seems that you’re good at getting under people’s skin, young lady.” 
Alice’s face distorted. “I wasn’t trying to get under anyone’s skin,” she snapped. 
“But you did. First that other Blood Dupre, then me, then you moved on to the Gravekeeper. I don’t approve of your tastes.” 
Alice’s jaw dropped. “Blood!” 
The Mafia boss didn’t back off. In fact, his smile only grew colder. 
“What’s the appeal of a man who’s already dead?” he spat. “You’re even stranger than I thought you were.” 
“Will you stop saying that? Jericho is a living, breathing person.” She scowled. “And I like to talk to different people with different opinions. He’s not like the Blood 1 know from other countries. And neither are you.” 
Maybe Blood didn’t believe her; he only glared. Alice was already irritated, but his hostile gaze spoke volumes about how pointless the conversation had become. 
“If we’re done talking,” she said through her teeth, “then I should get back to work.” She slapped the table louder than she needed to as she rose to her feet. 
She marched to the door without looking back. As she reached for the knob, his voice rang through the room behind her. 
“The next Survey Meeting is coming up.” 
“If you plan on any more trysts with the Gravekeeper, I suggest you keep a low profile. If someone like Elliot saw you, it could turn into a noisy problem.” 
“Thanks for the warning,” she snarled, ripping the door open. 
As Alice stomped out of the room, the guards on either side of the door flashed her curious looks. Alice ignored them and stormed down the hallway. 
“Blood is such an idiot!” she hissed to herself. 
“Why does he always say garbage like that?” 
Every recollection of his words put her more and more on edge. It felt like she’d caught that disease from the Red Queen, even though Vivaldi wasn’t around to infect her. 
Blood of the other countries had always used sexual harassment or provocative words to rile her up. He’d shoot things off in a fake malevolent voice. She couldn’t count the number of times he’d used sarcasm to avoid getting to the point. 
He’d never irritated her as badly as this. She was a fool for assuming he was a straight talker—she should have answered him with banter. 
But if that were true, then why was she suddenly so angry? She didn’t know, and that uncertainty frayed her nerves. 
She swiftly climbed the steps. When she finally stepped into the reference library, Alice stopped. 
“Nn...!” 
Her balance wavered as the inside of her head went numb. A sudden dizziness made her knees wobble. 
She automatically stuck her hand out to steady 
herself. If the wall hadn’t been there, she surely would’ve crumpled to the ground. 
She furrowed her brow. “I’ve felt dizzy like this before,” she breathed to herself. “When Blood first threw me in a cell when I got to Diamonds. But it’s happened a few other times, too, hasn’t it?” 
The intensity of the dizziness had varied, though. Sometimes she just steadied herself against a table, other times she was ready to faint. 
Was she just so mad that her blood pressure had spiked? But with the way she’d left Blood’s room, there was no way she was going to tell him she couldn’t work because she felt sick. 
It’s just the blood rushing to my head, she told herself. It ’ll pass if I just calm down. 
She swallowed bile and shakily got to work.