Chapter2 The Heart of the Red Queen
The sound of the snow changed—just slightly.
Each time the dry powder brushed against Alice’s cheeks, it crackled softly inside her ears.
As if something were drawing closer.
When she passed beneath the arched gate, the wind stopped, and the color of the air shifted.
A red glow drifted through the space—warm, faintly alive.
It was nothing like the world of snow.
The light felt gentle, pressing softly against the inside of her chest.
“…Warm?”
As Alice murmured the word, a large shadow wavered at the end of the path.
A red dress.
A deep crimson that seemed to swallow light itself.
Its hem swayed slowly as the figure walked toward her.
The shadow took shape, becoming a woman.
The Red Queen—
the Queen of Hearts.
“My, my. You’re quite late, Alice.”
Her voice was gentle.
And yet, it sent a shiver straight down Alice’s spine.
It sounded familiar—
but not like any voice one would hear on a modern street at night.
It was the kind of voice heard just before being scolded by a mother.
Without thinking, Alice pressed a hand to her chest.
Her heart made a small tap.
“…Late?”
“Yes. For a rabbit, you’re awfully slow.”
The Queen’s gaze settled on Alice’s ears.
The white rabbit ears stood upright, trembling slightly as they brushed away falling snow.
Alice took a step back.
Don’t rush me.
The thought surfaced quietly in her chest.
“See? I told you—you must hurry.”
That voice again.
The voice that sounded as if her heart itself were speaking.
The Queen stepped closer and gently lifted Alice’s chin with her finger.
Her nails were red.
So red they seemed to blend into the crimson of her dress.
“Grow up, Alice.”
At those words, something inside her tightened painfully.
As if invisible threads were tugging at her heart.
“Grow… up?”
“Yes. Your body is changing, yet you remain a child. You can’t keep running away forever.”
Alice shook her head, not knowing why.
“No…”
“Why not?”
The Queen took another step closer.
A red scent filled the air—
sweet and heavy, with something metallic hidden beneath.
The smell stirred something inside Alice.
A memory she was about to recall.
A memory she must not.
Warm arms.
The feeling of being held.
And then—
pain, and a scream.
(I don’t want to remember.)
Alice clutched her ears with both hands.
The rabbit ears bent softly beneath her fingers.
The Queen sighed.
“Alice. One day, you will come to this side. No matter how much you run.”
(I don’t want to run… but I don’t want to be chased.)
Deep inside, the rabbit’s voice whispered again.
“Run. Now!”
Alice’s body reacted before she could think.
The Queen’s fingers brushed empty air as Alice bolted forward, sprinting through the red-lit world.
The ground beneath her feet felt warm and soft.
The cold of the snow was gone.
Instead, the sound of her heartbeat filled her ears.
Thump.
Thump.
The closer she felt to the Queen, the louder it seemed to grow.
“Stop!”
The Queen’s voice echoed behind her.
Somewhere far away—
she thought she heard laughter, like that of a cat, drifting from beyond a mirror.
Thump. Thump.
Alice ran.
But the red world stretched on endlessly.
No matter how far she went, there was no exit.
“No… no…!”
Tears gathered in her eyes, blurring the world.
Then—
The direction of the air shifted.
The red atmosphere trembled, and a thin裂—裂け目—
a narrow tear appeared.
From within it, the cold scent of snow seeped through.
“…I want… to get out…!”
Alice reached toward the裂け目, forcing her fingers through.
The moment her fingertips touched the cold—
The red world shattered with a sharp crack.
Her vision flooded white as Alice collapsed onto a snowy path.
Her breath unraveled into pale mist, and the voice inside her chest finally fell silent.
The red light faded into the distance.
But the Queen’s words still echoed in her ears.
Grow up.
Alice shook her head.
Snow settled in her hair, glistening at the tips of her rabbit ears.
Somewhere, she thought she heard the Cheshire Cat laughing.
—End of Chapter 2—
