“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 corner 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-to-last 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.