ACT 7
What I Would Exchange vfiere and Now
Alice didn’t know how they got out. And it felt like a long distance between the graveyard and Hatter territory...but Blood ran the entire way, holding Alice tightly against his chest.
He obviously hadn’t invaded Jericho’s territory alone; as they made the trip back, Hatter mobsters ran out of the woodwork to join them, shouting and reinforcing the lone Blood in his escape. Alice was relieved to see friendly faces, but at the same time, questions bubbled up in her throat.
Once they arrived back home, Blood carried her to his room and kicked the door in. He finally put her down to sink into one of his sofas.
Alice sat up nervously and looked up at him. His hair and clothes were disheveled and dirty, but he didn’t even look winded.
She swallowed.
“Blood...why did you come?” she asked quietly. “That was Jericho’s fight. With his enemies.”
“You catch on fast, young lady. I should’ve made you my chief of staff instead of my librarian.”
Alice’s shoulders drooped in dismay; she didn’t want him to make fun of her. As Blood made a theatrical gesture, she let out a frustrated breath.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Blood. Jericho had come to save me when you—huh?!”
Her words devolved into a yelp as he suddenly pushed her back into the sofa. He crawled on top of her, the couch creaking slightly beneath them.
“Alice,” he murmured. “I agree that we should get something straight .”
Frustration snaked through her veins, driving her hands up to ball against his looming chest. “Blood!”
He’d snatched her away from Jericho, the man who’d actually saved her, and kissed her right in front of him. She was humiliated.
“I don’t get you!” Alice cried. “Are you just making fun of me again?!”
“No. I just decided to make you give up on all the others, no matter who they are or how you feel about them.”
“What does that even mean?!” She glared as hard as she could, but it didn’t faze those blue-green eyes.
“Let me make this very clear ,” he said evenly, his voice a low rumble. “I don’t care if it’s some other Mafia boss or even another version of myself—I don’t have it in me to hand you over to anybody. I’ll never, ever give away the woman I love.”
Alice froze. Her mouth fell open in shock.
“Love?” she whispered without thinking.
“You may be in love with the other Blood Dupre, but I’m keeping you here with me. For good.”
Alice could only stare at him for a long moment, stupefied. Blood stared into her eyes, his ruffled hair brushing his face like tousled midnight.
She tried to organize the spinning thoughts in her head.
“Blood... You don’t understand.”
“I understand fine. You have stronger feelings for that Blood than you do for me.” He smiled darkly, like he’d never doubted his guess. “And those intense, lingering feelings are why you always argue with me. My similarity to him repulses you. And I get that, but I’m disappointed.”
“Like I said—you don’t understand! I like that Blood, but not as a lover!”
She and the old Blood had never crossed the line of friendship. She didn’t know how many different ways she could say it.
Blood’s brow furrowed. “So you admit that you like him.”
“What do you want from me, Blood?! I’d be lying if I said I hated him!”
“You had to be in love with him,” Blood insisted. “You’re an elegant girl and he was an underworld Mob boss. A fiend.”
Alice doubted he would believe her if she told him because I thought I was in a dream. That that had made her brave and reckless in the Country of Hearts.. .and had led to everything she valued by the time she stopped thinking she was asleep.
But since this Blood didn’t know how her life in Wonderland had started, his mouth tightened in dissatisfaction.
“If you were in love,” he said, “I could understand it. Even a bright woman like you can make a mistake of the heart. But I don’t believe it was just friendship.”
“But it was!”
“When I kissed you, you didn’t resist. You let your guard down because you had feelings for that Blood.. .and I share his body.” He clenched his teeth. “If you’re not even doing it consciously.. .that’s even worse.”
“Blood...!”
Why wouldn’t he understand? Why wouldn’t he believe her?!
She felt borderline rage radiating from her face. He just barked a wicked laugh.
“Did you show that expression to the man you love? I hope so—that’s exactly what I want.”
“ARGH!” she roared. If he hadn’t been crushing her arms into the sofa with his weight, she would’ve tom out her hair.
“What are you so upset for?”
She was about to screech a rebuttal, but then stopped. She felt the anger drain out of her as doubt crept up in its place.
Why am I so upset?
Why did she care that this Blood misunderstood her relationship with the old Blood? This was Blood’s M.O. Even in Hearts and Clover, he’d constantly teased her about being in love with Peter in Heart Castle, even though he was dead wrong.
And the old Blood hadn’t just teased her about Peter—he’d teased her about practically every man in Wonderland. She’d always told him to shut up before moving on. It didn’t frustrate her like this. It didn’t fill her chest with the tension she now felt tightening around her heart.
She stared up at him. Blood stared back.
And this Blood, with the face she knew, with the intimidation and sharp wit she’d known in other countries.. .he stared at her now with different eyes. And with an expression she didn’t know well.
Those eyes searched hers, exposing her doubts and trapping her in a blue-green prison. She saw a
hint of helplessness behind his gaze—like he was frustrated at not getting what he wanted.
She saw the true feelings that he always hid behind biting sarcasm and an unruffled countenance. His real intentions were here. And that was why she’d recognized him in her dream in the rose garden... only the Blood of Diamonds had these eyes.
And.. .they were the eyes she wanted.
Oh my God.
It was why she’d gotten so upset when he accused her of loving the other Blood. It was why she couldn’t just brush him off when he voiced all his doubts.
She hated that this realization had taken her so long. But she didn’t let a curse or a groan escape with her heavy sigh; instead, a wry smile floated on her lips.
/’m in love with Blood of the Country of Diamonds.
His lips tightened slightly. “Just admit it,” he rasped. “You’re in love with a version of Blood Dupre.”
She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “I.. .am.
She felt a sense of doom settle on her shoulders
with the realization. How could she be attracted to a man like this? A stubborn, cutting, jealous, egotistical, and overly analytical Mob boss? His personality was basically a list of negatives. She was so disappointed in her taste that she fell into silence.
What a headache.
“The Blood of Hearts and Clover has always been important to me,” she murmured. “And he always will be. I wish he were here to hear this.”
Blood’s body tightened over her; she shook her head to cut off his raging jealousy.
“But he’s not the one I love, Blood. You are.”
“...What?”
Blood’s dumbfounded voice leaked from his lips. He looked off-balance, like she’d dodged his best right hook.
The old Blood wouldn’t have revealed such an open face. She felt an urge to smile.
“I never had any idea what he thought of me. But I still knew he didn’t hate me...and I’m pretty sure he liked me. But I can’t tell you if it was the same ‘love’ that you just spoke of. He never told me.”
The old Blood hadn’t gone near her until he’d fully accepted her—and then he’d still held her at a safe distance, even if his affection had seemed too deep for simple “interest.” He’d considered her special. But how?
Maybe that Blood had been looking for steady, unwavering love, and she was an Outsider who could vanish at any time. Maybe he didn’t want to burden her with his feelings. Or maybe he’d been hoping for a different kind of love, or something she couldn’t give him. With them both in different countries now, Alice had no way of finding out.
He’d let her into his rose garden in Hatter Mansion—a juxtaposition of calm against cruelty. Like him. She’d been special enough to him for him to throw open those doors. Maybe he himself hadn’t known the reason.
But he’d cradled her in his secret world, and Alice had liked that. She’d never wanted more from him... and she prayed their relationship never changed.
She looked up into the gaze of the man breathing heavily on her lips.
“You’re a Mafia boss,” she murmured at last.
“You’re power-hungry, stubborn, prideful to a fault, hard to understand, and you kiss people in public.
“But...you tried to get close to me. You tried to find out about the real me. That’s probably the biggest difference between you and the old Blood. And that’s why I.. .fell for you.”
She knew what kind of person Blood Dupre was. But even knowing that, she wanted to know the Blood in front of her better. The younger Blood who didn’t keep his distance, even in a land of distrust and violent enemies. When this Blood had said he was going to investigate her, she’d felt, deep down in her heart...a tiny bloom of happiness.
He stared at her and didn’t say a word.
Alice let out a breath and scowled. “What, Blood? Are you seriously going to make me do all the talking?”
Blood blinked a few times, as if regaining his thoughts. “I just.. .didn’t expect that,” he murmured. “You stunned me speechless.”
“You’re blushing,” she teased.
Blood screwed up his face and sucked his teeth.
“Shut up. I didn’t think you even liked me, let
alone...” His finger gently brushed up the side of her face, and she was reminded of his soft touch when he’d nursed her arm. His finger slowly twisted into a lock of her hair, wrapping the strands around and around.
Alice couldn’t believe they’d been fighting a second ago.
She slanted her mouth. “You didn’t know whether I liked you or not, and you still.. .kissed me in front of Jericho?”
“Doing that made it more difficult for you to go back to him.” He hummed and twisted her hair. “Two birds with one stone.”
“Ugh. You’re an awful man.”
“Good—I can’t keep this job unless I’m an awful man.”
She smiled at him. Blood chuckled back.
The words weren’t sweet, but she felt a sudden hunger for his warmth. She slid her arms around the lean frame pressing down on her and tilted her mouth up.
“Ah...”
“...mm...”
The kiss was nothing like their first. As her lips caught with his, once then over and over as heat built up inside her, her mind went white. She closed her eyes.
His own arms snaked under her and up her back as he pushed down on top of her. Crushed up against his body as his mouth moved against hers, fear suddenly gripped her pounding heart.
“Mm—wait,” she breathed, the panic pushing words into his mouth. She couldn’t think of a good excuse. “Our clothes will get...wrinkled.”
He grunted, the sound a wet vibration against her mouth. “I envy your ability to think right now.”
Alice gasped as one broad hand slid over her body, caressing her through the thin barrier of her clothes. He slid his mouth off hers and instead chuckled a low rumble into her ear.
She wasn’t mentally prepared for this.
“W-wait, Blood—”
“You said you loved me, right? Maybe the other Blood Dupre couldn’t catch you, but I will.”
“Catch me? You... Ah!”
She felt heat in a risky part of Blood’s body and
her voice jumped an octave.
She wanted to run. She wanted to bury herself in her safe, familiar anxieties.
But his low voice changed her mind.
“I’ve caught you, and now you’re mine —more precious to me than anything or anyone. I’m the Blood Dupre who will take you away.”
The heat of his words melted her thoughts away. She felt drunk on the urgent, heavy desire that drove his hand around her body.
She let that hand wander.
“S-stupid,” she gasped, but it turned into a moan.
“Having fun yet?”
Alice looked up from the revelers at the Garden Party and turned her head. Blood caught her eyes, a small twitch at the comer of his mouth.
She nodded and placed her drink on a nearby table. “But...this is the last Survey Meeting, right? And you’re a participant—how long can you afford to be hanging around here?”
Blood shrugged. Excited Diamonds citizens bustled around him, enjoying the final party hosted by their castle.
“Without all four leaders there, they can’t start. Let them wait.”
She scowled. “That’s unbelievably rude.”
“Meh.”
Alice sighed. With the mood Blood was in, he didn’t care about the final results of the third Survey Meeting. But...he’d come in last, then second-tolast in the other meetings. That meant he’d already decided which of his forces to use at the end, right?
Unless he s just blowing the whole thing off now.
She tugged him toward the exit, and he finally complied. Their path took them right by the ticket windows.. .where two young men noticed them and shrieked their greetings.
“Boss-!” Dee cried as he ran up with his brother. “Perfect timing! It’s the last meeting, so you oughta show us your hand!”
“Brother’s right!” Dum yelled. “You gotta help us make up for what we lost last time! If we lose anymore, we’re gonna cry ourselves to sleep!”
Alice grimaced. “Boys, that isn’t just cheating, it’s out-and-out fraud.”
But the twins didn’t understand “morals,” and they just got louder.
“Don’t get cheap in the last stupid round! Boss, we wanna rake it in on every bet! Stakes are real high now!”
“Ya can’t hold back—not this time! Tell ’im, Big Sis—this is for a good cause! You don’t wanna waste our money!”
Alice winced and slid a finger in her ear. The twins ran back to the windows, taking their noise with them.
But for better or worse...they don’t treat me differently now that they know about Blood and me. They ’re the only ones who still look at me the same way.
Her treatment in the Hatter Mansion had changed a little since becoming Blood’s girlfriend. The guards trailing her had changed to “escorts,” and the watchful eyes of the mansion’s residents had softened considerably.
It was Elliot s behavior that actually bothered her.
She swore to get him to stop calling her “Sister.”
She pursed her lips. “It is the final Survey Meeting,” she admitted after a moment. “Maybe I’ll make just one last bet.”
“Huh? I didn’t expect something like that to come out of your mouth.” Blood looked genuinely surprised, and Alice couldn’t help but laugh at his face.
“True. But we don’t know if there will ever be another Survey Meeting, so I’d better get the full experience under my belt. I just won’t bet the farm like Dee and Dum.”
She lowered her voice. “Besides,” she added, quiet enough that he wouldn’t hear her. “I never know when I might move again.”
She knew that in the next move, she might be the only one to switch countries again.. .and she’d leave everything in Diamonds behind. That possibility renewed her desire to make as many good memories with Blood as she could.
Blood adjusted his hat and said nothing.
“Now,” she went on. “What should I do this time? Last time I bet on Hatter Mansion coming in third,
but...maybe you’ll come in second?”
She looked up at the window bulletin board; her eyes scanned the list of bet combinations and the predicted winnings of each. As the twins had said, Hatter Mansion wasn’t favored—clearly the result of Blood’s poor performance in the first two meetings.
Blood remained silent by her side while she hummed over the possibilities. He eventually let out a breath.
“Alice.”
She turned to look up at him...but he’d already clutched her hand and slid something into it.
The surprise softened her hand. She had to scramble to keep from dropping the top hat she now held.
“Huh?” She blinked. It wasn’t the hat he wore now—the one that matched the tailored black suit he wore to Survey Meetings. This was the hat he wore with his everyday clothes. The design was exactly the same, including the decorative card, roses, and feathers. The only difference was the playing card had a pattern separated into four colors.
“Is this...your normal hat?” She ran her fingers along the brim. “Why are you giving it to me?”
“It’s for a bet of my own.”
She paused. “I thought only regular citizens had the right to bet. The leaders can bet, too?”
Blood laughed and tapped the hat in her hand. “This is just a personal wager,” he explained. “A game.”
“Blood, what can you win by betting a hat?”
He smiled. He took her shoulder, drew her close, and whispered in her ear.
“I’m going to bet that my territory comes in first. When that happens, the hat is yours.”
His words sounded like the plot of a mischievous little boy, but his tone was serious.
Alice frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. That would mean that if you win, you don’t get any prize.”
“Of course I’ll win a prize. I win the one who won the hat.” He raised an eyebrow. “That’s worth winning, right?”
Heat flooded her face. “W-wait, then you’re saying... H-hold on a second, Blood!”
But he was already walking toward the arena—
saying his piece and walking off, like the twins. Alice cradled the silken hat against her chest and scrambled to follow.
When they reached their area, Blood stopped her before she could sit down in her regular seat. “No, Alice. Not there.”
“Why not? It’s where I sat before.”
“Before,” he repeated with emphasis. “But this time, your seat is here.”
Alice balked at the front row seat beside his. She’d felt self-conscious enough in the second row! She frantically shook her head.
“Don’t even joke, Blood. I’m an Outsider, and I’m not even one of your employees. What are you trying to make me do?!”
“There’s no need to be shy,” he drawled. “Not with our relationship.”
“Nngh...”
If this had been before their big confession, she could’ve gotten out of this with a cold smile. It was a lot harder to argue once she’d told the man she loved him.
She still hesitated. “But...”
Elliot, in his regular seat, threw her one of his new smiles.
“Go ahead. Sister! Blood says it’s okay, so we’ve got your back.”
She scowled at him. “You’re not helping, Elliot.”
She had a feeling none of the other Hatters would come to her aid, either. Still worried she was breaking an unwritten rule, she lowered herself into the seat. She twitched in discomfort.
“It’s about to start, young lady. And this is the last session—so try to enjoy it?”
“It’s because I want to enjoy it that I wish I wasn’t sitting here,” she grumbled. “I don’t want to be in any spotlight!”
Before Blood could retort, the familiar announcer appeared. He threw up an arm.
“Welcome to the final Survey Meeting!” he boomed. “Are all of you excited?!”
No. Alice shrank down in her seat as the crowds roared around her. She had the feeling Blood had dragged her to this seat for some sort of plan. She threw him a look through half-lidded eyes.
“What exactly do you expect me to do here?”
“You refused to assist me in the first Survey Meeting,” he replied, an infuriating calm under his ridiculous words. “So you’ll assist me now. You’ll choose the final card.”
“...Huh?”
“No, not ‘huh.’ This is the last meeting to settle our standing, Alice. I want you to conclude it.”
She leapt out of her chair, but he grabbed her arm. She struggled as he pulled her back down onto the seat.
“No!” she hissed. “Let go of me!”
“It’s too late to run.”
“I have no idea how forces are used here, Blood! And I’m not a territory leader—so I couldn’t do it if I wanted to!”
“It’s not hard. You just put your hand on the controls and bring up a mental image of the force you want. Anybody can do that much.”
Alice threw up a hand in frustration. “You’re not listening to me! Is this another one of your plots?”
His smile was cool and collected, which set off Alice’s warning alarms. The more placid Blood was, the more suspicious. And when she glared at him,
he just calmly brushed her off.
The other territory leaders, meanwhile, finished their plays. From the Castle to the Gravekeeper to the Station, each team showed their forces.. .leaving only Hatter Mansion. Alice squirmed in her seat.
Blood made no attempt to move, inciting louder cries from the crowds around them. Alice could feel the tension rising, all part of a good show... Unless he wasn’t planning to break it.
Argh!
Blood leveled those blue-green eyes on her.
“Everyone’s waiting for the results, Alice. And now, so am I.” He opened a palm toward her. “Give me your hand.”
Her anxiety and frustration exploding in her gut, Alice slapped her hand into his. “D-don’t blame me if I screw this up!” she blurted. “What forces do you even have left?”
She knew there were a total of five possible powers, and they’d already used one in each of the other meetings. Once a force had been used, it couldn’t be used again. Blood wanted her to choose a card without being able to see what was in the hand.
Blood hummed. “You want to know what’s left? I’d rather hear what you think is left, but then you might panic, hm?”
“Don’t you dare!”
Blood ignored her glare and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I’ve used natural resources and technology, not necessarily in that order.”
Alice licked her dry lips. “Okay. So I should choose from one of the others?”
That meant population, economics, and military were left. She wished she could give it more thought, but there was no time...and she knew nothing of those forces in Hatter territory, let alone within the other territories. She couldn’t compare things she didn’t understand.
She paused. “Do...do you want me to put out a winning card?” she whispered. “Or would you rather I put out something weaker?”
He shrugged. “Pick whatever you want. If you want to win, use a strong card. If you want to hide our strengths, then choose a weak one.”
“Then...you’re really leaving it up to me?” She was starting to feel stupid for taking the choice so seriously. Her shoulders drooped.
“I told you, Alice—this is just entertainment. What’s the harm in trusting your last hand to blind luck?” His eyes glittered. “And I know you’re a lucky girl.”
“Just.. .promise me you won’t blame me for what happens. I mean it!”
Blood was putting the entire outcome, whether they won or lost, completely in her control. And when she thought of it that way, her mind opened up.
Population, economics, military strength. Alice recalled as much of the Hatter Mansion as she could. The other leaders had made their choices; her eyes fell on the sand flowing into the glass receptacles.
Make a choice.
“Urn.. .population,” she murmured at last.
“All right.” Blood tugged her hand to the control stand, then let it go. “Go for it.”
Alice slowly lowered her hand onto the control stand. Blood placed his gloved hand over hers.
“Remember,” he whispered. “Keep your hand on the panel and just think of your chosen force. Then the stand will transmit it and the sand will react.”
“Okay...”
“Just concentrate, Alice. I’ll control the sand.”
She curled her fingers on the stand and thought of the people of Hatter territory.
She remembered the weary citizens, worn down with constant battles. But she knew that wasn’t the ultimate fate for that territory. She knew how strong the Hatters would become.
“Huh?”
Alice opened her eyes in surprise, then squinted as a light on the stand brightened. Blood pushed up closer behind her, his fingers closing over hers.
“Just stay like that, Alice. You’ve made the connection.”
She glanced up quickly at his smile, something welling up inside her. She nodded and closed her eyes again, her mind returning to their population.
“The sand has finally started to pour!” the announcer cried from elsewhere. “The climax of the Survey Meeting!”
Alice heard cheers, laughs, chaos swelling around her. But she tuned it all out...
And thought of all those people under Blood.
“Diamond Castle won the first meeting!” the announcer declared, his voice leaking into Alice’s ears. “And the Gravekeeper’s territory came out on top in the second! Which territory will take the laurels in the final round?!”
Alice anxiously gritted her teeth. Just thinking that Hatter Mansion might go through all three meetings without taking first position filled her chest with complicated emotions.
She finally opened her eyes. All four glass chambers were filled with sand, although the Hatter level was low and the other three seemed about even. She saw a slow overhead trickle in varying strengths across them.
“Is...the sand still flowing?” she breathed.
“Yes. In all four.”
Blood said he can control the sand. She saw the incoming streams increase, then decrease, riling up the audience. The leaders were trying to make it fun. Alice remembered what Blood had said about the Survey Meeting as entertainment.
The green sand for the Station finally stopped. The receptacle was almost full, but so were the
others. And the other three streams kept going.
Nightmare cried out in frustration. “No!” he wailed.
He’d had the most land area right from the start, but he couldn’t stop the other territories from adding to their totals. And now he was out.
The Castle and the Gravekeeper’s territory had slowed their streams...but then, suddenly, Hatter Mansion’s sand burst into a heavier flow. The crowd roared.
“What’s this?!” the announcer cried. “Look at Hatter Mansion!”
Alice watched, her heart in her throat, as their receptacle rapidly filled with blue sand until it was even with the other two leaders. Then it surpassed them, reaching the top of the glass chamber. Then it kept going.
Cracks raced along the glass as the blue sand filled the chamber to bursting. Alice recoiled in alarm.
“Huh?!”
With a loud, explosive CRACK, the front face of the vessel broke open, sending a spray of blue to
fan across the air. Sand spilled out into the arena, causing the announcer to leap out of the way in surprise.
“What?!” he blurted. “It’s...gone into overflow! What does this mean? The Hatter’s sand broke through the measurement chamber!” He blinked. “Oh—and the Castle and Gravekeeper’s flows have both stopped!”
A hush fell over the crowd, followed by a ripple of uncomfortable murmuring. Men started to gather around the announcer.
“How could the receptacle break?”
“Has that ever happened at a Survey Meeting before?”
“I bet on the Mad Hatter! What happens to my bet now...?”
The impromptu committee around the announcer didn’t last long. After a minute of discussion, the announcer nodded his head and turned back to the crowd.
“We’ve made a decision!” He threw his head back and bellowed, “The winner of the third Survey Meeting is definitely Hatter Mansion!”
The crowd went wild. Alice heard cheers and whistles mixed with booming complaints; the roar engulfed the entire Coliseum as she stared, amazed, at the broken glass receptacle. She slowly slid her hand off the control panel. “Your population force... was that huge?" she asked Blood in a daze.
It was so much more than the other territories. And why had the sand kept going, even when the structure couldn’t handle it? Why didn’t the stream just stop when the receptacle was full?
A disgusted grunt cut off her thoughts. She turned to the next group over and into the cold stare of the Black Rabbit.
“They cheated,” Sidney said thinly from behind his queen. “I wish I could prove it.”
And it wasn’t just him. Nightmare hunched his shoulders; Gray and Boris stared. Jericho watched Blood from the Gravekeeper section, Julius sighing behind him.
The young version of Ace, still sitting, just kicked his dangling legs. He tilted his head at Julius.
“Julius?” he asked. “Is this, y’know... that?"
“The rules don’t cover it,” Julius answered evenly.
“I don’t approve, but I can’t say it’s illegal, either.” “Seems kinda unfair.”
Alice figured they were blaming her, but why? At a loss, Alice looked up at Blood...but he was just watching the other territories from over the top of her head, a wicked smile on his lips.
The announcer stepped up again. “And that ends our final Survey Meeting! Will you help us close the events, Your Majesty?”
The Queen of Diamonds pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes slightly in dissatisfaction.
“The Mad Hatter is a tricky man. He didn’t dirty his own hands, but the act was dirty.” Crysta sighed, as if exasperated but not angry, and stood from her chair. She arranged her long skirts before turning to the stage.
“Rules are rules,” she announced, “and they indicate that this Survey Meeting is over. However, we’ll see to it that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Right, Sidney?”
Sidney nodded, his voice ice. “As Her Majesty says.”
A shiver ran down Alice’s spine. Blood shrugged at the queen, and she proceeded to ignore him.
At the queen’s command, the Coliseum began to calm down. The last of the blue sand trickled quietly through broken glass.
Alice walked down a deserted corridor with Blood, their footsteps echoing in the ghostly silence. She gripped Blood’s wagered top hat in her hands.
The underground hallway led far ahead of them and into darkness—a path from the arena to the waiting room. Crysta, as host, could have teleported them back...but Blood had refused this time, sending Elliot and the twins ahead of him. Judging by the completely abandoned hall, “walking” wasn’t a popular choice.
Blood had said he wanted to “enjoy the feeling of being a winner with the young lady awhile longer,” but she knew that was an excuse. Alice took a breath and looked up at him.
Her confusion was driving her crazy.
“Blood?” she asked, her voice careful. “What happened back there?”
“I’m surprised you have to ask. Hatter Mansion wound up in first place.”
“Don’t try to pull one over on me! Why did Sidney say you cheated?”
“Is there any real need to worry about the ranting of an animal?”
“Blood!” She scowled at him; she wouldn’t let him distract her with a smoke-and-mirrors act.
“More importantly,” he drawled, completely ignoring her pleas, “I won the bet, and I’ve warned you about punishment for breaching a contract with me. Put on your prize.”
“Huh? Whoa!”
He pulled the hat from her hands and dropped it on her head with a soft clump. It was way too big for her; it covered half her face, and she had to push up the brim so it wouldn’t block her eyes.
But when she lifted the dark band from her vision, Blood’s face was suddenly very close to hers. Her protest died in her throat.
“Like I thought,” he rumbled. “It suits you. Very cute, Alice.”
She grimaced. “Yeah, right,” she grunted. His flattery about an oversized, flamboyant hat engulfing her head was too much—even for him.
But she paused at the genuine happiness in his voice.
The hat stank of tobacco smoke. The other Blood—of Hearts and Clover—smelled like the tea and roses from his secret garden. The comparison made the Blood beside her seem downright barbaric.
If he’d done this a little while ago, I would’ve thrown this hat back in his face. She would’ve been afraid to even touch a hat so suffused with smoke.
But now, knowing that it was his.. .she delicately cradled the brim with her fingers.
“You promised,” he reminded her. “So take it. It’s yours now.”
She nodded, keeping the huge brim up with her hand. “Yeah... I’ll be careful not to lose it. This settles the bet, Blood.”
Blood answered her with an affirmative sound.
Seeing his gentle face made her so happy, but at
the same time, a creeping sadness threatened to ruin it. She swallowed hard.
The closer we become, the more anxious I get. And I could still “move. ’’ She dropped her eyes to the floor.
If she had to leave Blood some day, at least she’d have these memories, right? She wanted to be as close to him as possible in the time they had together.
But I don’t want to move. I want to stay here.
“You really did it this time, Hatter!”
Alice jumped. Heavy clumps of leather shoes echoed in the empty hallway.
“Wh...”
A familiar, broad shape appeared in the darkness ahead. He walked alone, without his followers, his piercing gaze leveled on Blood.
Jericho.
The limited light threw shadows over his face; his muscled form and severe expression made Alice recoil in fear. But when his eyes fell to her, his face softened slightly.
“I feel sorry for you,” he told her, his deep voice tinged with something. “Looking at you...I’m
guessing you didn’t know you were an accomplice in a scam.”
Alice went rigid. “ Accomplice? What are you talking about?”
“So you really don’t know? You just—”
“State your business, Gravekeeper,” Blood interrupted. He stepped in front of Alice. “We’re busy.”
Jericho’s face darkened at Blood’s tone. Alice could finally see the Mafia boss lurking behind Jericho’s kindness.
“The girl wants an explanation,” he growled. “I’m trying to give her one.”
“How thoughtful of you. Put that diligence into polishing your gravestones or something.”
Jericho clenched his teeth. “Back off,” he warned.
Alice swallowed. “Then...the thing in the arena really happened because of me?” she asked weakly.
Jericho waved a hand. “Tow didn’t do anything— the Hatter used you. An Outsider is like a random number in this world. If you introduce that to our numbers, it’s inevitable that you’ll have an influence on them—that’s exactly what Outsiders do here.”
Blood sucked his teeth. “You’ve got a big mouth,” he grunted.
Alice turned to Blood, her eyes wide. “Blood...?”
He let her unasked question dangle in the air for a moment. Then he shrugged.
“Look, as a territory leader, I couldn’t have predicted your exact influence. An Outsider is literally an indeterminate factor. You were just as likely to make me lose big.”
A high risk/high return strategy. That seemed right up Blood’s alley...but it still seemed like an unusually gutsy move for the Blood in the Country of Diamonds.
“Then...why did you do it?”
When she fixed her eyes on him, he seemed at a loss for words. Then he said with a breathy sigh, “I told you before—this was a personal competition for me. Nobody has the right to criticize me for it.” He snapped his gaze to Jericho. “Including you, Gravekeeper.”
“That’s big talk, Hatter. Don’t forget that you just made the rest of us look like fools. You’re a lazy winner to steal the spoils after someone else
does all the work.”
“Hn. Not over that yet, are you?”
Alice realized they were talking about her capture in the graveyard. God, how many times could she wrong Jericho?!
Blood snaked an arm around her shoulder. “He chose to rescue you,” Blood murmured, as if reading her mind. “Don’t beat yourself up over his personal decisions.”
“You can’t blow me off anymore, Hatter—I’m going to ask you to return that card to me now. The Survey Meetings are over, so the other rules end as well.”
The Gravekeeper spoke in a low voice, murder in his eyes. Alice unconsciously took a step back.
“Jericho...”
Blood tightened his grip on her shoulder and pulled her against his side. As she crushed up against him, she looked up to see his face...but he seemed completely unruffled.
“You’re already dead,” he said evenly, “so you’re not worth my time. But if you’re so anxious for your end, I can help you out.”
Alice could only watch the two glaring Mafia bosses in the empty, chilling hall. The few seconds of silence seemed to last an eternity. Alice was afraid to breathe.
Blood’s arm twitched.
As if in slow motion, Jericho drew his gun as Blood’s cane shifted into a pistol. She watched helplessly as they raised their weapons at each other with an echoing chak.
“Die!”
“Game over.”
Bullets exploded from their guns, making Alice cringe back in terror. But after the single round, she heard two heavy thumps, one after the other.
“Huh?!”
She snapped her eyes past Jericho, where a prone figure lay on the ground behind him. She turned to look behind her and Blood—sure enough, another Faceless lay crumpled on the floor.
Jericho let out a breath. His face relaxed, his fearful intensity gone in an instant.
“That clears up that mystery,” he said. “After all
the trouble of putting on the act, I expected... more of a fight.”
Blood raised an eyebrow. “You know, I think you might actually be disappointed,” he drawled. He turned to Alice. “Alice?”
She jerked her head up at him, then cursed herself for shaking. “Wh-what?!” she blurted. She tried to force herself to calm down.
Blood’s lips curled in a self-satisfied smirk.
“As much as I love having you wrapped around me, I’d rather do it in private so he doesn’t get a free show.”
Alice, in her panic, had clung to Blood’s arm in a death grip. She grunted and pulled back. She was suddenly glad for the huge hat shadowing her face— and its blush.
Blood turned back to Jericho. “Are these the last spies? You said you took care of all the rest, right?”
“Yeah. The only ones left were the ones closely tailing me. I gave them free rein for a while, but.. .as we figured, the final move had to be here.” Jericho flipped up a hand. “Had to let them get a good dance in first.”
“You do a lot of work for a dead man.”
Alice pulled the hat brim down, allowing her eyes to barely peek at the men. The way they talked—up close and almost casual—she would never have believed they were rival Mafia bosses.
She started to wonder if the animosity between them had always been for show.
Maybe Blood let me go to the museum because I lured their mutual enemy into attacking... ?
It was true that a Faceless probably couldn’t attack her directly in the museum—not when a RoleHolder was walking around. But maybe indirectly. Maybe those sneaking Faceless had sabotaged her route inside the painting. Or maybe...
“Blood, Jericho?”
They flicked their eyes to her. Blood let out a vague chuckle, and Jericho furrowed his brow at Alice’s hat.
“That thing is too big for you.”
Alice sighed and tilted the brim up higher. “You think?”
“And that style doesn’t suit you,” Jericho said. “If you’re going to wear a hat, you should...put some
thought into what you pick.”
Blood stepped back toward her and swept his arm around her back. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Jericho, although his gaze was locked on Alice. “She’ll get used to it. Let’s go, Alice.”
He hurried her down the hallway before she knew what was happening. Her feet stumbled a little.
“But Blood—”
“It’s the Gravekeeper’s duty to take care of the dead. Just leave them.”
That wasn’t what she was worried about, but Blood ignored her stuttered questions. He led her past Jericho, past the dead Faceless lying behind him, and down the dark hallway until she and Blood were alone in that corridor again.
She didn’t know how long they walked; time warped in the silence. When Blood finally stopped, she stumbled again.
She saw no sign of the waiting room up ahead. She opened her mouth to ask him, but before she knew it, he’d wrapped her up in his arms. He crushed her so close against his chest that she was dragged to her tiptoes.
“Blood?”
“I still haven’t taken my winnings from my bet.” His blue-green gaze burned. “But I’ll take you now.”
“Mm!”
He gripped her chin and roughly kissed her. Alice gasped into his mouth, her hand still gripped around the hat dangling from her head.
“The hat,” she breathed against his hungry lips. “It...mm...” Heat swelled inside her as his wet mouth devoured her own.
When he finally broke the kiss, she panted, trying to regain her breath. His lips broke into a smile.
“I don’t care if it’s before or after you get used to your hat. You’re mine now.. .and I won’t let you go.”
“Blood...”
Maybe he’d already realized that a move could tear her away someday. She tightened her jaw.
1 wish I could promise to stay with him.
But it was a promise she couldn’t make. Even if she’d gotten used to these countries of time, she was still an existence without a fixed place. She was an Outsider, and always would be.
But it was because of her ambiguous existence
that she’d come to Wonderland in the first place.
“Don’t go to any other territories in this country,” he rumbled. “Don’t go to any other countries. Not anymore.”
She swallowed. If she hadn’t moved, then she would never have met Blood of the Country of Diamonds. But now.. .she didn’t want to move again.
Alice nodded her head.
“I’ll stay by your side, Blood.” Without thinking, her right hand drew up to lie on the left side of his chest. She felt those familiar, gentle reverberations of his ticking clock against her palm. His ticking and her heart shouldn’t have overlapped, but her heart gave a pound at the touch against her skin.
But for a moment...she heard a very different sound within herself. She almost thought she heard a hard ticking in her own chest.
Just like the clock ticking in his.
Alice tilted her head in surprise, but before she could make certain, he stole another kiss.
“Mm. Ah...!”
Alice’s insides melted into sighs and heat, and she lost the ability to think.
Right then, for that moment only, Alice allowed herself to be completely ruled by Blood. She wasn’t going anywhere. She felt it, and with that came relief.
“Blood...”
“You’ll stay with me,” he breathed into her mouth. “Right?”
He wanted confirmation, a commitment. Alice pulled her lips free and nodded.
“Yeah. I’m staying.”
I’ll be here with you, the man before me now. No one else.
She lived in a world where everything constantly changed. Maybe it was foolish to count on anything for sure.
But even so, as she exchanged vows with him, she hoped that her heart would get its payout.
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