Alanna held my hand as the guards escorted us to court. My hat sat heavy on my head, its brim casting a shadow over my face—hiding the dread I couldn’t quite mask. It was the only piece of me that was still mine.
With each step, my heart grew heavier. The hallway stretched endlessly before me, leading to the moment I'd destroy everything.
"There's one more thing you need to do."
I stared straight ahead, refusing to look at her. "What?"
"In court, you will profess your love for me." She paused, savoring the words. "And propose. In front of Alice."
I stopped dead.
Torches flickered on the walls, casting shadows. I was about to become one of them—a dark version of myself.
"You said I only had to reject her."
"That's not good enough." She lifted my hand and pressed her lips to it. Her touch made my skin crawl. "I want her to know—beyond any doubt—that you belong to me."
Propose. She wanted me to get down on one knee and pledge myself to her while Alice watched.
This wasn't just cruelty. This was annihilation.
"If you don't..." She smiled sweetly, the expression chilling on her beautiful face. "You know what will happen. Nightmares forever.”
"How could I forget?" Hate wasn't a strong enough word for what I felt for her. But I would do anything to protect Alice. Even shun her—if that was the only way to keep her safe.
"Good." She motioned with her hand, and we continued forward. My death march to the Royal Courtyard.
The guards turned down another hallway—not the main corridor where nobles and courtiers entered. Alanna had her own private passage. Of course she did. The queen wouldn't mingle with her subjects.
Gilded doors loomed ahead, flanked by guards in crimson armor. Beyond them, I could hear the murmur of voices. The rustle of silk. The entire court gathered to witness my betrayal.
Guards opened the door and the music stopped. Hundreds of faces turned toward us—nobles in satin and velvet, courtiers dripping with jewels, all hungry for spectacle.
A herald stepped forward to announce us.
Rabbit.
My chest tightened. He stood there in a pristine uniform, his pale eyes red rimmed, his hands trembling slightly at his sides.
He looked broken. Hollowed out.
Part of me still wanted to hate him. To blame him for everything—for Alice in chains, for this nightmare wedding, for all of it. But I couldn't. Not anymore.
His children and his wife were in the Shadowsteel mines. Alanna had given him an impossible choice, and he'd done what any father would do.
I would have done the same.
His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second. Guilt. Shame. A silent plea for forgiveness.
I gave him the barest nod. I understand.
"The queen and the Mad Hatter," he announced, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands.
Whispers rippled through the crowd. The Mad Hatter. The rebel. The one who'd escaped her grasp for years—now walking beside her, holding her hand.
I felt their stares like knives. Let them look. Let them whisper. They didn't know the truth—that I was doing this for Alice. That every step beside this monster was a choice, not a surrender.
Alanna smiled, basking in their shock.
