Chapter 2: Quiet in the Dorms
I awoke the next morning on the second story of Lion Dorm.
I was lying on a wooden bed in a private room usually used by upperclassmen. The room was empty, the mattress was hard, and the curtains were thin. I’d changed into one of my negligees the night before, but it was so cold that I had to curl up in a ball until I finally fell asleep.
Hmm, I’m still tired…
I could tell it was light outside through my closed eyelids, but I couldn’t seem to wake up. That was when I felt my bed sink slightly, followed by hot breath against my ears.
“Alice…wake up.”
“Alice…wake up.”
“EEEEEK!”
This real-life ASMR sent me flying up. The Tweedle brothers (adult versions) were lying in bed to my left and right. They leaned their elbows into the bed and rested their heads in their hands like models from a fashion magazine. I could see their muscular bodies peeking out from underneath their shirt collars. They had defined Adam’s apples and lengthy limbs.
The way their long hair fell around the moles under their eyes created an undeniable sensuality.
They were supposed to sleep in Charles’ room last night!
“Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?!” I croaked.
“The usual.”
“Lying next to you.”
When they cocked their heads, their beautiful features so close to me, I felt like my face was going to erupt with heat.
I completely forgot that they’re extremely handsome as adults!
They were much younger than me, but right now, they looked like the ultimate love interest characters.
The Tweedle brothers’ route in the game was a wholesome, child-friendly story. In the true ending of their route, you see a special illustration of the two in the future, exchanging vows to be together with Alice forever. I loved how they were kissing each of her cheeks. Alice was wearing a wedding dress and clutching a bouquet of red roses.
It was why players looked forward to the fan disc of the twins’ route most of all.
Calm down. They’re my family! No more fantasizing!
I was taking deep breaths when the twins sat up.
“Leeds went out on a morning patrol.” Dum reached out and smoothed down my messy hair.
“Charles is still asleep.” Dee, with gentler motions than Dum, straightened the collar of my negligee.
“Now’s the time to form a plan.”
“Now is the time to form a plan.”
“R-Right! We have to find the demon who altered your ages and get us out of this strange situation. The longer we stay, the higher the threat to our lives.”
We didn’t know if the demon had targeted us specifically or was merely aiming to transform a lot of people. All we knew for sure was that the trap was laid for visitors to the island. If they knew we’d fallen victim to the trap, we were like butterflies caught in a spider’s web.
If the Liddell family met its end here…
This country would devolve into chaos.
Other figures besides the Liddells held power and influence in the underworld.
The Charons controlled the opium dens operating in Limehouse’s Chinatown.
Madame Catherine was the one behind the information brokers throughout the kingdom. Even the police acknowledged her superiority.
Goemon was a thief who stole from those who amassed their fortunes from wrongdoing, but he was caught and executed in London. However, his innumerable followers remained.
London was a diverse assortment of different classes and races, with many being unable to get by without getting their hands dirty. The dead thief’s followers now managed those low-level criminals.
One had to admit it was a necessary evil, which was why the Liddell family didn’t punish them. But if the Liddells were out of the picture, they would likely set themselves up to take over control of the criminal underworld.
Many had even tried to reach Queen Victoria when I was living in the East End after my family’s tragedy. I was eventually taken in by Bear and managed to rebuild my family, but if the various criminals out there began to fight for power, London would become even further stained with blood.
The Liddell family’s role was to maintain the delicate balance that kept the underworld in order. Eliminating evildoers served as a warning to others—they would meet the same fate if they did anything too rash.
It wasn’t hard to guess what would happen to London without our system in place.
“We might be killed if we don’t find the demon soon,” I said.
“We won’t be killed so quickly.”
“We won’t be killed so quickly.”
“What makes you say that?”
Dum was sitting cross-legged on the bed while Dee sat with his knees bent. They both shared their theory with me.
“They would have poisoned the food if they wanted to kill us.”
“They wanted us to live, which is why they used a spell instead of poison.”
“I suppose that’s true, now that you mention it.”
It would have been easy to kill us by lacing the food and drinks with poison. But I still didn’t understand the point of changing their ages.
“I wonder what the demon wanted to do to us…?” I mused.
Ding, ding, ding. A bell was ringing through the hallway. It was the alarm to wake up the students. Charles, who lived in the room across from mine, would be among them.
Our morning meeting would have to end there.
“You have to act like transfer students here, you two,” I said. “Keep in contact with Dark and Jack, too. The demon will probably try to get close to us, even if they aren’t after our lives. Come find me right away if you see anyone suspicious.”
“But who will protect you, Alice?”
“You’re in the most danger, Alice.”
Their light blue eyes were brimming with concern for me.
I placed my hands on their cheeks to reassure them.
“I’ll be fine. If anyone tries to hurt me, I’ll have a bullet with their name on it.”
I smiled and let them get a peek at the handgun hidden under my pillow.