Ever since she was young, the world had always appeared peculiar in front of Alice. Amidst the ordinary, there was an undeniable air of strangeness that surrounded her, as if she could
glimpse behind the curtains of reality.
"Alice, you're special,"
"I'm special?"
"Yes."
Throughout her youth, Alice couldn't shake off the nagging wondernt about the disparity between people's outward appearances and the complex emotions brewing within them. Behind the masks of happiness and contentnt, there seed to be an abyss of deeper hues, hidden from plain sight.
"What's so special about , your majesty?"
"Hmm~ Your eyes, your ears, your nose, your mouth, your face? Practically everything about you is special, Alice, even your soul," the white lady responded with an ethereal grace.
Unable to contain her amusent at such lofty praise, Alice burst into laughter. "Hihihi~, you're just saying that because you like , your majesty."
The lady in white smiled tenderly, her pale countenance glowing with affection. "That is true...."
"How many colors can you see inside of , Alice?"
"One, two... five, six! There are six colors inside of you, your majesty," Alice declared proudly.
"Fufu... you're getting good at counting. Did Cheshire teach you well?" the lady inquired, nodding approvingly at Alice's burgeoning skills.
She reminisced about the days when Alice could only discern a few colors within her, and now, witnessing her ability to perceive the full spectrum, she felt reassured.
Alice would be able to navigate the complexities of the world on her own, without the
constant guidance and protection she once thought indispensable.
"Ah no, it was Mr. Rabbit who taught numbers, and Mr. Hatter taught letters," Alice chid in, her voice carrying a note of innocence.
"I-I see...," the lady responded softly, a flicker of sadness crossing her features.
However, she quickly dismissed the somber thought, unwilling to dampen the mood.
These fleeting monts of joy with Alice were precious, and she refused to let frustration over an annoying cat mar them.
Gently running her fingers through Alice's hair as she humd a soothing lody, the lady spoke tenderly, "Alice..."
"Nn?" Alice murmured in response, her attention captured by the gentle touch.
"When the ti cos, I want you to always rember... Only red and white are the truths in this world."
Confusion clouded Alice's young features. "What are you talking about, your majesty? Does that an blue and yellow are not true colors?"
"Hmm~ no... but only red and white are the truths you need to trust," the lady explained cryptically.
"I don't get it," Alice confessed, her brow furrowing in perplexity.
"You'll understand when you're older," the lady reassured her, her tone imbued with a hint of lancholy. Yet, she couldn't help but notice the sadness in Alice's eyes, the reluctance to embrace the passage of ti.
"But I don't want to get old...," Alice admitted softly, the prospect of leaving this enchanting realm looming before her like an inevitable specter.
Moved by Alice's poignant words, the white queen gathered her into a comforting embrace. "I'm sure there will co a ti when you'll understand everything Alice. But for now, let's have fun, shall we?"
Reluctantly, Alice nodded, allowing herself to be enveloped in the warmth of the mont.
"Her Majesty said that only red and white are the truths I needed to trust... does that an I can trust you, Junior?"
Alice mumbled softly to herself; her gaze fixed on the slumbering young man before her. Ever since her accidental use of interdiate magic against him, she had been plagued by guilt and uncertainty.
Hastily, she had escorted him to the infirmary, where the nurse and academy doctor had swiftly attended to him, alleviating most of his injuries.
Yet, he remained unconscious, a tangible reminder of her mistake.
Despite the healing, she couldn't shake off the weight of responsibility for causing harm with her magic.
"I made a blunder when I used that magic against him..." she admitted to herself, her voice barely above a whisper.
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke materialized nearby, catching Alice's attention.
From within erged a pair of puffy, bright blue eyes, gradually forming into the familiar grin of a cat.
"Alice~ I heard so interesting news. Is it true you almost killed a first-year? You should've invited when you're going to do sothing fun... Oh, is this him?"
Cheshire's voice rang out, filled with mischievous curiosity, as his eyes settled on the sleeping
man.
The grin on Cheshire's face widened as he observed the unconscious figure before him, his head tilting sideways in amusent.
"Cheshire... where exactly did you go, stupid cat?" Alice grumbled; frustration evident in her tone as she addressed the enigmatic feline.
"Hmm? Why are you trying to change the subject all of a sudden?" Cheshire retorted, his voice filled with playful curiosity. "More importantly, is this really him? Wow-wow~~ wow~! You scored big ti, Alice. He looks quite handso. Did you have fun making him beg for his life?"
"What? No~! I just accidentally hit him with interdiate magic during the practical tests," Alice protested, her cheeks flushing with embarrassnt. "And do you think I'm the type to torture my opponents?"
"Well, you torture all the ti," Cheshire remarked with a mischievous grin.
"This and that are different~! Just like how you and everyone I've faced so far is different.
You're special," Alice retorted, trying to deflect Cheshire's teasing.
"Hmm~ as much as that sounded good, I can tell there's a unique sarcasm in the air,"
Cheshire observed, his eyes twinkling with amusent as he floated above the sleeping young man, scrutinizing him from every angle.
"What's his na, Alice?"
"Riley, Riley Hell,"
"Hell? I haven't heard of a noble family with that particular last na. Is he a country bumpkin, perhaps?" Cheshire speculated; his interest piqued by the unfamiliar surna.
"I don't know," Alice admitted, her brows furrowing in thought as she pondered over Riley's mysterious background.
Honestly, there were too many things she didn't know about him, which left her feeling unsettled, despite his seemingly trustworthy aura.
As he possessed the colors that the White Queen ntioned she could trust, Alice couldn't
help but feel a twinge of doubt creeping in.
"Cheshire, you said your mory is perfect, right?" Alice queried, hoping to glean so
insight from her feline companion.
"Yes,".
"Have we ever t this guy before during our adventures?"
"Hmm~ no, although we did encounter a couple of beautiful blonde n along the way, I
don't think we've ever t soone of this caliber," Cheshire responded, his tone
contemplative.
"I-I see...,"
Suddenly, Cheshire drew closer to Alice's face, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"By the way, Master, why are you here?" he inquired, his tone teasing.
"Huh? Why, of course, to take him here since he was injured," Alice explained, her voice
tinged with confusion.
"Hm- but you could've just asked the teachers for that. There's no need for you to move... I heard you also needed to help out in the other evaluation tests for the mage departnt students, yet you've spent and wasted your ti here~ suspicious" Cheshire remarked, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Alice intently. "Not to ntion he's a knight departnt
student..."
"T-that's just because I felt responsible for him. I almost killed him, you know? Isn't this just basic courtesy?" Alice defended herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassnt. "And besides, what's wrong with staying here?"
"There's nothing wrong, really. But you could've just left after taking him here or even taken just a few 5-15 minutes at most to check on him and go back to the gym, and yet here you are, sitting over here as if waiting for the man to wake up. You're even staring at him for no reason~"Cheshire pointed out, his tone laced with amusent.
"Is there sothing special about this man~?" Cheshire prodded further, a mischievous glint
in his eyes. "N-nothing," Alice stamred, her heart racing as she tried to conceal her true feelings, she truly didn't want this mischievous cat to know what exactly was going on.
"You're lying," Cheshire declared bluntly, his face inching closer to hers.
"Why would I lie?" Alice retorted, her voice tinged with frustration. Cheshire's face hovered inches from hers, his playful deanor intensifying.
"Reallyyyyy~~~?"
"Yes..." Alice murmured, her resolve crumbling under Cheshire's persistent questioning.
"Alice... don't tell , did you finally develop a crush? Oh my, no wonder you're here ehehehehe. Did a man finally break that crystal heart of yours? So you like the handso type, eh? I can't bla you for that- "Cheshire teased, his laughter echoing in the room.
"H-huh, what are you talking about, stupid cat? I don't like him...! As a matter of fact, he's the one who likes !!!" Alice exclaid, her cheeks afla with embarrassnt as she pointed at the unconscious Riley.
Her outburst echoed in the room, and in a split second of realization, she covered her mouth, hoping to contain the words she couldn't take back.
But it was too late; the mischievous gleam in Cheshire's eyes told her that her secret was out, and she braced herself for the inevitable teasing and mockery that would follow. "Pft hehehe - I see, so that's the case, but why try to hide it? It's not like I haven't seen a
bunch of n fawning over you. Is this one special?" Cheshire chuckled, his amusent
evident.
Although reluctant, Alice finally gave in, sighing heavily. There was no use in hiding things
when this cat got curious.
"H-he has it..."
"Has, what?" Cheshire leaned in, his curiosity piqued.
"The truth I can trust," Alice admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
Cheshire's eyes widened in surprise at her revelation. "Does that an you've found it? What
colors can you see inside him?"
"Pink... A big and unfiltered color of intense pink," Alice confessed, her gaze dropping to the
ground.
"Wow, isn't he perfect then? The perfect mixture of red and white," Cheshire remarked. "This man is in love with you Alice~!"
"H-huh? Why do you suddenly jump to that conclusion"
"Do you really need to spell out the aning of pink inside a person?"
Alice averted her gaze, feeling a mixture of embarrassnt and frustration wash over her.
Even if what Cheshire said was true, what could she do about this situation in the first place? Could a person she had just randomly t really evoke such intense emotions? "You finally found him, and yet you almost killed him. What were you thinking, Alice?" Cheshire's voice cut through the silence; his tone tinged with concern.
"Like I told you, it was just an accident. In the first place, how can you just say this man likes
? Does a person even exude so much emotion of love despite only eting the person once?" Alice countered; her voice laced with skepticism.
Cheshire regarded her with a knowing look, his eyes filled with wisdom beyond his feline
form.
"Love is a mysterious thing, Alice. It can strike like lightning, unexpected and intense.
Sotis, even a single encounter can spark a fla that burns bright"
"You, just made that up"
"Ahh~ seriously... the queen said to only trust your truth you know?"
"I know but..."
Ever since she t him, she had been curious about how peculiar he could be.
Their first encounter was aboard the floating ship, where he outright ignored her.
Although she hadn't sensed the truth inside him then, his actions weren't sothing soone in love with another would do.
But despite his cold deanor, there was sothing strange and unsettling about him.
Throughout the flight, he did his best to avoid her, yet exuding an intense pinkness that almost completely engulfed the room.
Even back when he appeared so cold while dispatching those three terrorists, when their eyes
t, the only thing she saw inside of him was the vast expanse of pinkness that threatened to consu her whole.
And now, that pinkness seed to spread out in waves, enveloping an entire area whenever
she was near him.
And yet, none of it showed on his face or in his actions.
Even at the gym, every ti they crossed paths, the aura he exuded was always filled with that uncontrollable energy of pinkness.
Alice couldn't help but wonder if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Honestly, she herself was finding it increasingly difficult to act normal whenever she was near
him.
'If he's truly in love with , why are his actions the opposite of what's inside of him?'
Alice pondered silently, her mind swirling with confusion, and is love really the aning of
her truth...?
It might just be so other emotion she confused him with.
"How did the accident happen in the first place?" Cheshire's voice broke through her
thoughts, his curiosity evident.
"Well, I thought he was strong..."
With eyes wide open, Cheshire looked at her skeptically. "Are you serious?"
".... Yes"
"Can you even see this guy?" Cheshire pressed further, his disbelief palpable.
"Yes," Alice replied firmly, though doubt lingered in her mind.
Even at a glance, one could tell that he was weak, but back at the ship, the strength he exuded
was clearly wasn't sothing a weak person could spread.
The aura, the gaze, and even the presence all of it concludes that he was a master.... yet the
results that happened just a while ago was the total opposite of it.
Sizzle...! Sizzle...!
Suddenly, a sizzling spark crackled in the air as a small fiery portal opened near them, making
Cheshire's already wide eyes beco wider in surprise.
From within erged a diminutive figure dressed in a magician's outfit, he was so small that
he could fit in one's palm easily.
"Sir Oz?" Alice greeted, recognizing the newcor.
"Hello, Alice. Is Cheshire here?" the small man inquired.
"Ye-," Alice began, but her voice was cut off abruptly as she realized Cheshire had vanished
into thin air.
"Cheshire?" she called out, scanning the surroundings in confusion. "Haha, he ran away again," Oz chuckled, his voice tinged with amusent.
"Is sothing wrong, Sir Oz?" Alice inquired, her brow furrowing in concern. "Nothing much. It's just that your, summon has a certain debt he has yet to pay," Oz
explained. "Oh yeah, Alice, Dorothy was looking for you so please visit the student council office, bye, bye!"
After bowing his head with his hat off, Oz disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind
small firework-like explosions where he vanished to.
|| ||
Left alone in the room, Alice sighed heavily, feeling a weight of uncertainty pressing down on
her shoulders. Despite the strange occurrences and revelations, nothing much had transpired in the end. With a resigned shrug, she rose to her feet, preparing to leave the infirmary behind. Before departing, she cast one last subtle glance at Riley, the sleeping figure on the bed.
"Do you really love , Junior?" she murmured softly, her words barely audible in the quiet
room.
'But why though?'
'You don't know , I don't know you, yet why are you so infatuated with ?'
In the end the young maiden couldn't understand the aning behind the colors that she saw.
----
Waking up was a nightmare.
As my eyes fluttered open, only to be greeted by a pair of big, blue sparkly round eyes looming
inches from my face.
"Hiii~~~" ca a cheery voice, sending a shiver down my spine.
'Sweet mother of God... WTF?'
Prompting myself back up, I squinted at the wide-grinned cat that stood before .
"Cheshire?" I couldn't help but grumble in surprise.
"Oya-ya? You know ?" Cheshire's voice was laced with amusent as he cocked his head
to the side, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
Shit...!
'I fucked up again...'
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