"Ohh! That explains why your being so edgy right now!" Alice voiced aloud.
"I was wondering if this is how you treated all your guests. Granted, i did sneak into your room while you were away. But that's not why. It's because you've been on edge of the culprit behind the letter returning!"
She grinned smugly at like she deserved so praise. With a blade to her neck, it was an almost novel sight.
Sadly, i wasn't amused. I was the opposite.
Almost livid
"So you're the bastard behind the letter after all." My bloodlust surged out and Alice shrunk a bit in her seat.
At that point, i almost let out all the pent up frustration I've held back all this while. But before i could lose control of my aura, i put a reign on my emotions and inhaled coldly.
I needed to calm down think things through. Unfortunately, the current situation and my state of mind didn't let .
Finding the culprit behind the letter was just one thing. What was more important was what they knew and their motive.
When i thought this far, i cald down a little and managed to finally realise how i had overreacted whol observing Alice being held at knife point.
What if Alice hadn't actually been the culprit? She did sneak into my room, but what if her identity and purpose could have been farther away from the culprit behind the letter?
If that were the case, then i had carelessly just revealed the existence of Hamlet to a Cadet.
And did I seriously consider threatening to 'get rid' of her if she didn't comply? Well in hindsight, just like Alice said, that would be almost impossible for to do in the Academy.
Even in the likely scenario i had Hamlet devour her body and pretend to be Alice for a whole before i could orchestra away to 'officially kill her off' in the eyes of the Academy, how long would it be until i was found out.
My thoughts trailed, rambling on incessantly like a spiral.
I was the one preaching about staying level-headed at tis like this, yet here I was—letting my emotions take the lead.
'Dammit. Ever since i ran into Arslan my whole head has been ssed up.'
Realizing how reckless I'd been, my expression soured.
At that mont, Alice's voice cut through my thoughts.
"I said I'll talk, so you don't have to make such a scary face, okay?"
Snapping out of it, I glanced down at the Ring of Solomon, then back at the Tenth-Ranked Cadet.
Alice smiled, her starry eyes gleaming as if she could read every thought running through my head.
I had a lot of questions, but I didn't even know where to start.
No—it wasn't that I didn't know. My mind was just too cluttered, filled with too many overlapping thoughts to focus on one. My self-awareness was at an all-ti, brutally uncomfortable high.
Eventually, I managed to part my lips and get sothing out.
"What did you an by what you said earlier? About thinking I never received the letter—and that being part of the reason you showed up like this?"
Alice lingered for a beat before answering.
"That's because you acted completely indifferent in your day-to-day life. After getting such a provocative letter, anyone else would've shown at least so reaction. But you? Nothing." Her tone carried a note of disbelief, almost disappointnt. "And then there was what you did today in Derrick's class."
Before I could ask what she ant, she continued, her expression sharpening into a judgntal glare.
"Suddenly raising your ranking—and in such a provocative way? Even if you'd been strategically laying low after the letter, doing sothing that bold completely defeated the point."
I understood what she ant imdiately.
Just as I suspected, Alice had been watching all this ti. The letter hadn't just been a ssage—it had been a test. A psychological play designed to corner into one of two reactions: either I'd beco reckless and slip up, or I'd withdraw and grow quiet.
For a while, she must've thought I was the latter—until I went and shattered that assumption myself.
And as if that wasn't enough, I went and put on a show for all the first years—raised my rank with a brutal display of strength.
I sorted my thoughts while Alice stared at in silence until she couldn't anymore. Her earlier playfulness and arrogance drained away, replaced by a sober seriousness.
"Victor. Like I said, I know you have questions. But revealing myself to you this way doesn't an I ca here to harm you."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Right. Because sending a provocative letter wasn't already more than enough cause for alarm."
Her smile was faint, stripped of its usual wit—almost sad. "It was the only way I could think of to get your attention," she said. "The fastest way to get involved without lies, manipulations, or illusions. It would've taken much longer for you to even learn I existed."
She tilted her head and offered a small smug grin. "Plus, the ti between when you got the letter and when I showed up should've given you space to llow out and sort your thoughts. Or at least, that's what I hoped. Have you always been this prickly?"
"I get the feeling, you're trying to strike so kind of deal with right now," I said flatly, "but you're only making it harder to see why I shouldn't just shut you up."
Alice smiled at my not-so-subtle threat, then went deadpan. Her violet, starry eyes were calm—almost painfully sincere—as she t my stare.
"Trust , Vic, when i say I'm not her to make enemies with you." She shrugged.
"Quite the opposite in fact."
"What are you talking about?" I urged.
I realised the conversation was slipping into her control, but I let it—partly because I wanted to see where she was going.
She paused, blinked, then said, almost cryptically, "You're important."
"What—"
Beep! Beep!
Before i could press for what Alice ant, i was interrupted by a high pitched ringing chi that suddenly resounded from seemingly nowhere.
Imdiately, Hamlet tightened his grip around Alice's head and prepared to drag the blade across her neck, but stopped as Alice froze and stumbled for her wrist, flashing her bracelet before .
"Wait! It's just an alarm i set before coming, i swear!" She managed to wave her left wrist and i coldly observed her.
"It ans there's little less than ten minutes to curfew. And while i may be privileged as one of the first Year Rankers to ignore the ti limit, i wonder what people and staff would say to see walking out of your room this late into the night." Even in such a case like this, Alice still tried to force a teasing smile.
She looked around — specifically at Hamlet who was a direct replica of my appearance, and back at — and said.
"Why... don't we wrap this up and continue so other ti. I've revealed who i am, so I'm sure you know how to find after tonight. Don't worry, we still have a proper amount of ti for us to get to know each other — , you and your...Sli both."
I quietly regarded her words for a few seconds. But just because she was right didn't erase all of my suspicions and from a glance Alice could tell.
"You don't have to worry. I won't reveal anything about you or what happened here to anyone. You have my word." She said, still failing to sound convincing to .
But her earlier words still bothered the most.
I loweredy voice.
"...Fine. But before i let you go, explain what you ant by what you said earlier." On my command, i let Hamlet fall back, finally letting go Alice from behind. The shadows ebbing around the room slowly vanished leaving behind no trace.
Alice rubbed her soar neck, exhaling a sigh. A then vertical red line spread across the surface of her neck, and she finally seed the most relived.
"Well, i guess you'll be most curious about that and my overalls intentions." A not so pleasant smile made it to her lips as she looked at . It felt like she was vividly enjoying the fact she had the most leverage over .
"Before i leave, i could at least tell you what this is all about." She said and took a breath.
Her tone shifted—playfulness drained away, leaving sothing cold and deliberate. She lifted a finger and pointed to her eyes.
"You might find this hard to understand right now, but...i can see things with my 'eyes'."
Then she lowered her hand and pointed the sa finger at .
"And i saw you." Her voice dropped to a whisper that seed to pull the air out of the room.
"You were at the End of the World."
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