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. “You 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.”
“……”