Life shock

Alice stirred, her body shifting slightly as the last traces of sleep clung to her like a stubborn mist. With a deep breath, she finally opened her eyes, blinking drowsily at the ceiling.

The space beside her was empty.

For a moment, she sat still, staring at the spot where she was certain no, where she knew someone had been. But now, there was nothing. No lingering warmth, no trace of the presence she had felt so clearly in her half conscious state.

She frowned but shook the thought away. With a lazy stretch, she yawned loudly, as was her habit before pushing herself up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

Barefoot, she padded toward the door, still half-lost in sleep's haze, only to be met with the sudden, aggressive flapping of wings.

Before she could react, a familiar black shape swooped down directly toward her face. "Ahh! Stay away!" Alice said before falling on her butt.

Midnight's beady black eyes gleamed with something sinister or perhaps just insufferable as he ruffled his feathers dramatically.

She exhaled sharply. "What?"

Midnight let out a slow, deliberate caw, as if disappointed that she had spoken first. Then, with his usual theatrical flair, he finally declared, "The lord is not here."

Alice arched a brow. "And?"

Midnight clicked his beak. "I can only assume it's because he couldn't bear to see your face first thing in the morning."

Alice's jaw tightened. Her fingers twitched at her sides, her mind already painting images of every way she could violently remove each one of his feathers. Perhaps she'd start with the ones on his stupid little head.

Midnight, as if sensing her murderous intent, gave an exaggerated ruffle of his wings and hopped just out of her reach. "Tsk, tsk. No need for hostility so early in the day," he chided, his tone laced with mock concern. "You might get wrinkles."

Alice clenched her fists. "You might get plucked." Midnight let out a throaty, knowing caw. "Ah, but you won't. Lord wouldn't like that."

Alice rolled her eyes, then stood up, folded her arms and spoke in a cute, angry voice, "Your Lord won't like it if you treat me like this!"

Midnight looked at her as if a little jealous before he let out a squawk and charged at her head, "The Lord is mine!" Alice tried to push him away as he started pecking at her head. "Ah stop!"

Alice flailed, swatting at the feathery menace assaulting her head. "Midnight! Get off me!"

"Mine!" Midnight cawed again, as if declaring war. His wings buffeted her face, his beak pecking mercilessly at her hair.

Alice stumbled backward, grabbing at him, but the raven was faster.

He flapped up just out of reach, perching on the top of a wooden shelf with an air of smug triumph. His beady eyes glinted with mischief as he preened his ruffled feathers.

Alice sighed before speaking in a calm voice again, "Listen..." She was silent for a moment, waiting for Midnight's response.

"How about...we go on an adventure while Mr. Sebastian isn't around?" She said with a grin. Midnight remained silent before saying, "Stop, your smile is scary." The crow thought for a moment, then said in a voice pretending to be innocent, "But what if the lord gets angry about it when he finds out?"

"He won't find out!" Alice said, trying to play with his mind. "Just a harmless adventure~" She said with the cutest face. Midnight croaked before settling on her arm, "Alright, I'm with you!"

"Yes, and you will protect me if something happens to us, right?" She said while stroking his feathers. Midnight felt proud.

"Of course of course~"

Alice tiptoed toward the grand hall. Midnight clung to her shoulder, wings slightly flared, as if prepared to take flight at any moment.

They both knew they had to be careful. Dorian the ever watchful, ever listening but thankfully blind butler was somewhere nearby. His sharp senses made sneaking past him a challenge, but Alice was feeling particularly bold this morning.

Midnight, however, was less enthusiastic. "If we get caught, I just want you to know that I'm leaving you behind," he whispered, voice barely above a breath.

Alice rolled her eyes. "If we get caught, I just want you to know that I will tell Sebastian you were the mastermind behind this."

Midnight let out a strangled squawk. "How dare—!" Alice quickly pressed a finger to his beak, eyes darting toward the end of the hallway. Midnight glared at her, but thankfully, he got the message.

Just beyond the archway stood Dorian, his tall figure perfectly still, his hands folded neatly in front of him. His black blindfold, as always, was tied securely around his eyes, but Alice knew better than to think he was unaware of his surroundings. His senses were razor sharp.

She held her breath. Dorian tilted his head slightly. His lips parted, as if he were about to say something.

But from another hallway, a servant passed by, their hurried steps echoing against the walls. Dorian subtly turned his attention toward the sound, his expression unreadable.

"Now's our chance!" They both thought

Alice took the risk and slipped past him, moving as quietly as possible, Midnight gripping her shoulder tightly.

"Stop."

Alice froze, her feet barely touching the ground. The voice was quiet, but it carried such authority that it made her breath stop for a moment.

On her shoulder, Midnight clawed at her skin, as if trying to blend in with her and disappear.

Slowly, as if any wrong move could spell disaster, Alice turned, and her eyes immediately fell on Dorian.

He stood exactly where he had been moments before, but this time, there was no escape.

"Where were you going, Miss Alice?" His tone wasn't harsh, but it was steady, deadpan, and unquestionable.

Alice swallowed. One glance over her shoulder, and Midnight wasn't there.

"The traitor flew away and left me alone?!"

She tried to pretend to be calm, and raised her hand with a forced expression, "Me? Ah, nothing! Just a light morning walk, you know... The weather is beautiful today, the fog is so refreshing, so I said-"

"Outside the castle walls?"

Her words were cut off as if they were crushed under his feet. She felt her body stiffen automatically.

He took one step forward. "The lord order you to stay inside the castle"

"I just..."

His hand touched her shoulder gently, but it wasn't a comforting touch. It wasn't a threat either. It was a decision.

"Go back."

The word was an order, not a question. Alice didn't turn to look at him. She didn't even try to argue with him.

She pursed her lips in frustration, and before she took her first step, she heard a distant voice, familiar, but it only made her angrier.

"Ah, it was nice meeting you, Alice! I'll tell the Lord that you tried to kill me and that I tried to stop you but couldn't!"

She quickly lifted her head to see Midnight flying high into the sky, moving away from her as if she hadn't been his partner just moments before.

"I swear I'll make you crow soup one day!" she shouted angrily. But no one answered her...All she felt was Dorian's hand pushing her inside.

The moment was heavy, as though time itself had come to a halt. There was no escape, no way out. Alice wasn't the type to submit easily, but standing before Dorian felt like facing a cold wall of marble unmovable, unyielding, offering no chance for collision, only standing there, silent.

The light pressure of his hand on her shoulder was enough to ignite a fire of anger within her. He wasn't gripping her tightly, but he didn't need to. His mere presence made the air feel thick around her, crushing any desire to resist before it even had a chance to form.

She didn't need to see his eyes behind the black band. She knew he could see her, despite everything.

But there was something else Alice knew...If she couldn't break him, at least she could shatter this perfect moment of his.

And when he turned to lead her inside, just before his hand fully left her shoulder, she moved..she was faster.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and yanked the blindfold from his eyes.

Time seemed to freeze..The silky fabric was cold between her fingers, but it was nothing compared to the chill in his gaze beneath it.

His eyes...She hadn't expected what she saw..She had imagined an emptiness, a void of pale white, or an eternal darkness something dead, something lifeless. But no, that was not the case. His eyes weren't colorless, weren't empty. There was something in them, something she couldn't quite understand at first.

Dorian's eyes were a sharp shade of gray With a crimson Pupil, like the storm clouds on the horizon With red lightning. They seemed to hold the weight of untold secrets, a depth that felt almost unnatural. His gaze was piercing, as though he could see right through her, into the very core of her being. But there was something else in those eyes a flicker soft quickly masked by an overwhelming force.

He looked at her without blinking, unwavering, his eyes like a reflection of the world that she had never fully understood.

And for a brief moment, Alice felt something shift within her. She felt exposed, vulnerable, like a fragile glass about to shatter under the weight of a thousand unspoken words.

But Dorian didn't move. He didn't raise a hand to reclaim the blindfold, nor did he react with anger or surprise, as Alice had anticipated. Instead, he simply gazed at her quiet, unyielding. Then, slowly, he blinked.

The subtle movement of his eyelids seemed to draw her attention to the change. The vulnerability she'd glimpsed was gone, replaced with the same cold, calculating mask he wore. But for that fleeting moment, she had seen it the truth behind the shield.

And then he smiled. Not a smile of triumph or joy, but one that spoke only of challenge.

"Aha," Alice murmured under her breath, "So you've been deceiving us all along?"

He didn't answer. But his fingers, reaching toward her wrist, didn't need words.

In an instant, he had reclaimed the blindfold from her hand, and with unsettling smoothness, he placed it back over his eyes. As if nothing had happened. As if the whole exchange had been nothing more than a passing moment in time.

Then, his voice came, soft and low, barely above a whisper. "Be careful what you tamper with, Miss Alice."

It wasn't a threat, nor was it a warning. It was simply a fact. A truth. Unyielding. Cold.

But Alice? Alice had never learned to stop when it was already too late. She only chuckled softly, the sound laced with irony, and leaned closer, whispering in his ear, "Oh, I'm always tampering, aren't I?"

And then, with slow, deliberate steps, she turned and made her way back to the castle.