Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Chapter 8 Crossroads-8

Even if he was created not by a god but by a human, even if this was an imagined place drawn through the end of a pen, even if this world ended at the turn of the last page, he knew that even at its end, his feelings would not change. And if that was true, then what did it matter if this was a novel or not?

"Also, didn't this place change a lot from the one you knew about?" Mad Hatter said in a bewildered tone. SoYoon recalled the time he had tried to tell her something without being able to finish it. "I have, for you..."

As if he had read her mind, he finally said the end of the sentence he had been holding at the tip of his tongue all this time.

"I have feelings for you."

Her arms tensed. His embrace felt warmer than ever before.

"I love you," he whispered. She lifted her head.

With love and affection, his cheeks blushed as his eyes met hers. His expression was so lovable yet regrettable that SoYoon extended her arm and hugged him tightly

.

The two bodies that had no space between each other were able to feel their beating hearts. Mad Hatter smiled as he felt her warmth against him.

"You...like me, too, don't you?"

She remained silent. Mad Hatter rubbed his cheek against her hair and mumbled, "In this type of situation, you should just say that you do. You sure don't know how to keep the mood."

His voice sounded so sad. SoYoon hesitated for a moment then lightly pushed him away. As she did, the blood from his already pale face drained.

"So—Yoon…?"

Mad Hatter was able just barely to utter her name with his pale lips. Her white hair swept across his nose as her lips touched his forehead, which had turned cold from anxiety.

.

Even on her tiptoes, she was too short, and so Mad Hatter had to lift her to help her succeed. SoYoon looked into his face. All he did was blink at her, then suddenly blushed red with mixed emotions. He stared at her like this for a moment then said to her casually, "Where were you going? Were you looking for that girl?"

"No. I was going to meet up with Baby," SoYoon answered in her usual tone and glanced over at his neck. Mad Hatter insisted that he go with her, and so the two of them finally arrived at Baby's house. Baby was waiting outside, and when Baby saw the two of them, the silence that SoYoon had maintained for the sake of manners was immediately broken down with a few words.

"Why are your face and neck all red? With Mad Hatter's personality, I don't think he would have done that without reason...Did you confess?"

"You are supposed to pretend as if you don't notice these types of things…"

"Close that mouth of yours."

Mad Hatter blocked SoYoon's lips. Even though she could have easily avoided him, she remained still, and Baby, seeing this, smiled slyly.

SoYoon received a thick envelope full of information regarding Alice from Baby and started to read it immediately. It noted everything that Alice had been up to since she arrived in Wonderland.

What SoYoon wanted to figure out was Alice's motive. Only after figuring this out would she be able to destroy that hope in front of her eyes. But based on the information, Alice's intention seemed to be extremely childish.

In this dangerous world, the only thing her movements reflected was that she wanted to receive love. SoYoon realized that Alice might just be crazier than expected.

SoYoon rubbed her fatigued eyes. As she did, Mad Hatter, who had been playing with her hair, asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Are you tired?"

"What do you think Alice's motive was in making contact with you?"

"I'm not sure. I think she was trying to seduce me...but I don't know what her motive for it was."

As the main character, Alice's greedy motive was to be loved, but that was not her main objective. As this was not a part of the original plot, it was understandable that Mad Hatter wouldn't know.

The man Alice wanted the most was in her grasp. SoYoon stared at Mad Hatter. Could this be a sort of revenge? As she thought this, she found herself surprised at how severely uncomfortable that made her feel. It was like witnessing someone dumping paint to ruin a valuable artwork.

SoYoon got up from her seat. She had wanted to check everything and thoughtfully create a plan accordingly, but she knew this was all useless.

Anyway, this place was Wonderland. If there was something she wanted revenge over, there were many ways to return the pain she felt multifold.

***

Right after SoYoon left Heart's house, his men, whom he had secretly told to tail Alice, reported to him on her whereabouts.

To him, Alice may have been a girl he was sorely tired of; to someone else, she was his savior. To make sure that his plans would go uninterrupted, Heart commanded his men to capture Alice the moment she returned to the house and, at the same time, lock up Peter.

Locked in the basement prison without knowing the reason, Peter was able to find out from conversing with the people passing by that Heart's intended target was not him but Alice.

Alice—she was the most precious and beautiful flower in the world to him. Not wanting ever to see that flower wither, he made up his mind after much back-and-forth.

In a couple of hours, Peter had succeeded in escaping and hid in an alleyway that led to the house.

It was when Alice returned home from her usual rounds of healing people. He watched her from afar and found Jeremy right at her side. Peter stuck his hands inside his jacket pocket. His fingers touched the knife he had hurriedly prepared before leaving.

A few moments later, the sound of one heavy and one light footstep came closer. Then, Alice's silverbell scented perfume hit him, and he breathed it in sweetly. He poked his head out slightly and saw the delicate blond hair and the pearl-like skin that shimmered under the afternoon sunlight.

Peter took out his knife. And for the first time in his life, he decided to dirty his hands to save the life of another. He plunged the knife into Jeremy's neck and sliced through his pulse.

"Ah! Jeremy! Pe—Peter?" Alice cried.

"You can't go back to the house, Alice! Heart is preparing to kill you!"

"What? What are you talking about…?"

Jeremy's blood had drenched Peter, whose eyes were wild, so that he looked like a crazy person. Alice, unawares, took a step back. Peter strutted up to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"Listen carefully, Alice. Heart doesn't love you. The person he loves is White Rabbit!"

Hearing his words, she blinked confusedly then burst out laughing. Frustrated by her lack of belief, Peter yanked at her arm.

"First, hide...No, let's go to Outhouse. Just in case, I've secured a hideout in Outhouse. You and I, the both of us, we can survive for a couple of months with the money I saved up. We'll run far away and live together."

"Peter?"

"Hurry! We don't have time! Heart will come after you soon!"

Peter pulled hard at Alice's arm. He didn't even notice her complaining that he was hurting her. It was then that Alice started to get scared and desperately tried to get away from him.

"Let go, Peter. It hurts! I said, let go!"

"Let's leave, huh? Let's leave and live together, just the two of us."

"I don't want to! Please let me go! Let go, you jerk! I'm not going with you!"

Alice looked at her surroundings and tried to find someone to ask for help. But even the few people that were there when the sun had been up had all disappeared.

Alice made eye contact with one of the two men standing inside the alleyway and desperately exclaimed, "Help me! This man is trying to kidnap me!"

The man smiled, however, and it was a smile that triggered something in her memory.

Gripped with fear, she tried to pull away from Peter's grasp and hit him, trying to get away. But it was useless to resist someone whose power was strengthened by fighting others his whole life. Feeling that she would be dragged away in this state, she looked again to the men inside the alleyway. The man had brought over a friend and was coming out of the alley. She rejoiced.

"Here! Help! I'll pay you handsomely!"

Frazzled, she had not noticed that the person next to the man was bloodied and that the two people were not friends. Alice only realized this after the man stepped out of the alleyway's shadows.

Bandages covered the man's left eye and cheekbones. The bandages curved in like a skull. He had blood all over his body and was leaning on the arm of the other man. The blood-covered man was in a suit like Peter, and there was a knife stuck in his chest.

There were not many people who wore suits in Wonderland, and the ones who did were mostly...Heart and his men. Alice felt a chill down her spine.

The man smoothed back his tousled blond hair with bloody hands and opened his mouth.

"Peter."

At this, Peter, who had ignored all of Alice's pleas and resistance, stopped walking.

"Chester."

When Peter said the man's name, Alice knew that this situation had taken a turn for the worse.

***