His sharp tongue was only part of his charm, though he was never so harsh toward me or the twins. Jack set the plate down gently on the table.
“Miss Alice, what’s with all these letters?”
I looked at the sea of mail.
“They’re nothing important. Just invitations.”
“Invitations?”
Jack frowned at my response, and the twins slammed their forks down on the table.
“That’s right! They’re all from men who want to cozy up to the famous Alice Liddell!” they cried in unison.
“Dum, Dee, that’s not how we should be putting it.”
I hurriedly tried to warn them, but it was too late.
I could see the tensed vein bulging along Jack’s temple. He was gritting his teeth. “You mean it? These nobodies want to seduce our Miss Alice?”
“I didn’t say that. No one said anything about seducing me!”
Jack’s anger caused his white-gloved hands to erupt into flames. The cloth turned to ash and fell away, revealing images of black roses on the back of each of his hands.
This was Jack’s “stigma.”
To live is to eventually reach the point of death, but if the circumstances of a death are particularly tragic, a passing demon may just take enough of an interest to bring you back to life.
Any person given life by a demon will never be allowed to enter heaven. Thus, they are branded with the stigma as a mark for those who are damned to hell upon their deaths. These individuals are also known as demon children, or “stigmata,” and their existence is even more fabled than that of fairies and nymphs to the people of Great Britain.
It was only natural that most people would never lay eyes on the power the stigma contained.
Jack’s stigma produced flames that burned away the objects of his hatred.
Sparks shot from his hands and landed on the table, sending the letters up in flames. The twins let out amused cries as the invitations turned to a pile of ashes atop the plate they had once sat on.
I suddenly worried that the house itself might be the next thing to burn down.
“Calm down, Jack.”
I clasped my hands together and turned to him, but it was as if he couldn’t hear me.
“Don’t worry, Miss Alice. He’ll burn out soon.”
Immediately after Leeds spoke, the flames extinguished like candles on a birthday cake.
The object of Jack’s rage—the invitations addressed to Alice—had all been turned to ash.
“Now we’ll never know which families sent these…”
I sighed, staring at the mountain of ash.
Small scraps of paper drifted through the air, sparkling in the light of the afternoon sun.
“Look, Miss Alice. This one didn’t burn.”
I followed Leeds’s gaze to a single envelope beneath the ashes. “Was this there the whole time?” I asked as I turned the letter over to observe the sealing wax.
It bore the crest of a shield being guarded by a lion and a unicorn. This was none other than the mark of Queen Victoria, the ruler of our kingdom.
“This isn’t an invitation, so it looks like it survived. It’s a letter from Her Majesty.”
I sliced through the envelope with my letter opener and removed the contents. The Queen’s handwriting on the paper was smooth and elegant.
Good day, my dear little lambs. I heard you’ve already taken care of a certain prominent arson case. Such hard workers you are. My palace maids could learn a thing or two from you all.
“What does it say, Alice?”
“What does Her Majesty have to say?”
The twins, unable to read, had to wait for my explanation.
“She says that you two have been a great help to her.”
“Yaaay!”
“Yaaay!”
They bounced out of their chairs and high-fived. I continued to read the Queen’s letter.
Now, I have a very important subject to discuss with you, Alice, my dear friend. Be sure to read this next part away from prying eyes.
Jack scowled as he read over my shoulder. “Miss Alice only? What kind of order is it?”
“It’s not an order. It’s simply normal chitchat that girls like to write to each other.”
Her Majesty would address private messages to me from time to time.
It was usually a frivolous discussion of things like her recent dress purchases or the handsome foreign men she’d hired as servants. Women always enjoy having someone to share in their excitement about these kinds of things.
I hid the letter behind my back so that Jack couldn’t read it. Leeds came up from that direction and wrapped his arms around me.
“If it’s for girls only, then you won’t mind if I take a peek, right?”
“You’re no girl! And we all see you trying to rub up against Miss Alice!”
Jack smacked Leeds on the head with a serving tray. It made an impressive clang, but Leeds just stood and smiled as if his skull were made of stone.
“Her Majesty ordered me to read this alone, and I have no intention of disobeying.”
I left my seat and placed my back to the window, turning my gaze to the Queen’s secret message.
Alice, it’s thanks to you that our kingdom can sleep soundly at night. As a token of my gratitude, I’ve instructed that the Liddell family be eligible to receive the money set aside to pay off informants.
Her Majesty was a private supporter of the Liddell family’s work. She believed that preserving the harmony of Great Britain by any means necessary would keep the population satisfied with their government.
Previous monarchs never openly praised the Liddells either, but they did provide us pay for the crimes we solved. As a family that didn’t rule over any land, we were only able to avoid a life of poverty thanks to this tradition.
You have my sincerest thanks, Alice. You’re a very strong woman, though I know it is difficult in this kingdom for a noblewoman to live on her own. I believe that someday our sex will be able to live strong, independent lives, but that era has yet to grace us. For that reason, I’ve selected a number of men I believe would make suitable husbands for you.
“I beg your pardon?”
The response left my lips involuntarily when I read the last line. What was she talking about? Selecting men for me?
I’m sure by now you’ve received a large number of invitations to various balls. I’ve seen to it that each man is of satisfactory rank and personality, so all that’s left is for you to take your pick. Enjoy!
“So, Her Majesty was responsible for all those invitations…”
Of all the routes in the game, I never encountered a plot involving the Queen trying to set me up with a husband. It appeared that my life was not following the script of Evil Alice’s Lover anymore, which was why the usual choices weren’t appearing like they were supposed to.
I don’t want to go along with this, but if I stay on a new course, maybe I won’t have to be afraid of all the death flags anymore.
Alice will meet with a swift death if she becomes too desperate in her search for wrongdoers.