“Is this place…the way it was before I came…?”
Her tiny voice melted beneath explosions and gunfire. It was so weak, she hardly recognized it as her own.
She didn’t want to believe it, but the theory fit. It even explained the battle currently raging so close to the mansion—the first time Alice had met Blood in the Country of Hearts, the Hatters had already claimed this territory, and everyone knew to fear it. Hardly anyone even visited.
Alice knew the rumors: if you arrived when the Bloody Twins were at work, you’d be cold cuts in no time. Even if you lucked out and they weren’t around, you’d still become a victim of torture for the mobsters who lived inside the mansion. The threatening stories were common knowledge in the territory, which was probably why Alice had never even heard of the Hatters having to defend against a frontal assault.
But if this was the past…a world where the Hatters were still building up a reputation and position in the world…
One of the maids made a face at her. “Why do you keep mumbling to yourself~?” she asked as she fired beyond the gate. “It’s dangerous here, you know~!”
“Huh…? Ah!”
A bullet grazed the gate with a high-pitched screech. Ripped out of her thoughts, Alice ducked into a crouch. She’d become used to guns in her time in Wonderland, but that didn’t mean she had a death wish.
“They don’t give up easily, do they~?”
“Over there~. Here they come~!”
The maids didn’t sound nervous as they returned fire, but that didn’t make Alice feel better. She scrambled back to her feet and peeked around the gate.
Outside—right around where Elliot had attacked a shadowy bomber—she could see a branch shaking. She hoped the surrounding gunfire and explosions had caused it.
Her stomach tightened as a man jumped out of the shadows of the tree. He raised a gun.
Sweat trickled down Alice’s back. “Over there!” she whispered at the maids.
“Could you please be quiet~? We’re a little busy here~!”
Alice tried to warn the maids again, but they were too busy shooting. The muzzle of the man’s gun trained itself on one of the maids.
Alice didn’t stop to think. She tackled the maid to the ground.
“Get down!”
“Whoa~!”
The bullet exploded into the wall above them, sending bits of stone to sprinkle into Alice’s hair. The maid twisted up on her knees and returned fire.
The gunman by the tree crumpled to the ground.
Alice breathed a sigh of relief. As the maid pushed herself up to her feet, her gaze briefly met Alice’s.
A hint of gratitude flashed on that indistinct face. “Thank you~,” the maid breathed.
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
The maid resumed shooting by her partner’s side as if nothing had happened. Alice got back to her feet and took a small breath.
She had no idea who the Hatter Family was even fighting. Maybe this was a dispute between mob families, or part of some turf war…or maybe it was just the result of some “rules” Alice couldn’t possibly comprehend.
She only knew one thing for certain now: this place was different from the Wonderland she knew. She wiped sweat from the back of her neck as bangs and explosions rang in her ears.
Then, unexpectedly, the sound of gunfire melted away into a flurry of retreating footsteps. Alice blinked as the two maids lowered their weapons.
“I think they’re done~. What a pain~!”
“No kidding~! I’m beat~!”
The maids sighed as their eyes met, their guns smoothly flowing from a lowered position to Alice again. Alice stared at the trained muzzles, then raised her hands in submission.
“I know,” she said quickly. “I’m not running away.”
“She catches on fast, huh~? I still don’t know what you were thinking when you covered me with your body~.”
Alice let out a breath. “Your boss ordered you to stand guard over me, right? So is it worth it for me to fight that?”
Alice knew the Role-Holder leader of each territory had absolute authority, especially when it came to Hatter Mansion and its tight-knit mob family. In the Countries of Hearts and Clover, Blood could only accept her as a visitor caught between warring factions because he stood at the top of his organization. But now, if Alice’s relationship with him didn’t exist anymore, all she could do was give up quietly.
“You’re a smart prisoner—you should stay that way~. That’ll help us out~!”
“Because if you run, even though the boss ordered us not to shoot, we’d still have to kill you~.”
“Yeah, right.”
Alice couldn’t figure out whether they didn’t want to shoot her because of the mess it would cause, or because they didn’t want to disobey orders. But before she could decide, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps outside the gate—and smelled a drifting stink of iron.
The Mad Hatter—followed by his lieutenants and Faceless mobsters—walked in, scowling in the aftermath of the battle. Fresh blood was splattered all over the place.
“Ugh,” Dee grumbled. “That was kinda sticky. I did a lotta cuttin’, but I never thought there’d be so many. I’m pooped!”
“We oughta get hazard pay, Boss!” Dum chimed in.
“Hn,” Blood grunted. “Maybe.”
Elliot whipped to the twins, his eyes blazing. “You little maggots! We told you it was part of the job—no way are you getting bonuses out of it!”
One of the maids guarding Alice took a step toward Blood, her gun still trained on Alice’s forehead.
“Boss~… There’s something we’d like to talk to you about~.”
“…Right now?”
Blood looked like he wanted nothing less, but the maid still started her report. She spoke in a low enough voice that Alice couldn’t overhear.
“……”
Alice wondered what the maid was saying. With a restless heart, she stared at Blood…until he turned those blue-green eyes back to her.
They were still cold as ice. She remembered a time when he’d turned that look on her before, but the recollection just made her feel even further removed from the man. He finally stepped toward her, his mouth twisting slightly.
“You protected one of my people, young lady. That was a pretty reckless thing to do… Perhaps you thought you could weasel into my organization that way.” He sneered.
Alice couldn’t say she’d never acted out of self-interest, but this time, she’d had no ulterior motive. She’d simply saved the maid instinctively.
“I just…don’t like seeing people die in front of me,” she argued. “I wasn’t trying to win any favors.”
“Oh?” Blood seemed mildly interested in that answer. His eyes narrowed beneath his hat brim.
He is like the first time I met him.