know this. 'Tis... It was something she herself had once created on Kaito's request. It was an earthenware pot. What in the world was it doing there? No, no. There was something more pressing to consider. Namely, the fact that Kaito and Hina were standing right next to her. After looking down at her from both sides, they spoke. "No response. It looks like she's a corpse or somethiâ€” Mmph!" "Come now, Master Kaito! I love you dearly, but you mustn't make rude jokes like that about women! Lady Elisabeth is a sensitive soul!" "Y-yeah, you're right. My bad... Seriously, though, Elisabeth, are you okay?" "Well, I am a tad worried about the way Hina sees me." Elisabeth frowned. From her perspective, she thought of Hina like a little sister, yet for some reason, it felt like she was the one being pampered. "Hmhm!" Hina puffed out her chest in an inexplicable display of pride. A half beat later, though, she hopped into the air with a start. "Whoa! Why, Lady Elisabeth responded!" "Whoa! What's going on, Elisabeth? You were totally spacing out there." "Spacing...out? No, I was just... Vlad was..." "Did you not want your purin?" "...Purin?" On hearing that, Elisabeth looked back over to the earthenware pot. Its lid was still on, but now that he mentioned it, she could definitely make out the pleasant aroma of eggs, milk, and sugar. It was, without a doubt, packed full of wobbly, pale-yellow goodness. Elisabeth instinctively reached for its lid, but she then stopped and shook her head. "No, wait, the raspberry tart... What became of my tart?" "Hmm? A tart? Would you have preferred a tart, Lady Elisabeth?" "No, no, that isn't it. It feels as though I can't tell up from down." Assailed by another headache, Elisabeth pressed down on her forehead. Now that she thought about it, everything was just downright bizarre. Her memories felt like they flowed into one another, but there were no logical links among them. They seemed to defy not just time, but space as well. As they watched her start brooding over the subject, Kaito and Hina exchanged a glance. They stepped back from the table. Then they crouched down and started whispering to each other. "Did she say that she wanted a tart, and not purin? Am I just misremembering it?" "If I may be so bold, I'm quite sure she said purin... But you have to remember, Lady Elisabeth is a growing girl. It's not strange for her tastes to change from day to day. Not to worry, thoughâ€”we have plenty of apples, so I can go start making a tart right this moment!" "Wait, what? Elisabeth's still growing?" "Oh yes! Why, she'll probably end up being as big as me!" "Are you talking about my chest or my height over there?" At that point, Elisabeth couldn't help but cut in. It was a matter of some interest to her. Kaito leaped in place. "Oh God, she could hear us." Hina cheerfully raised her arm up high. "Your height!" "Very well, then!" "Huh? Wait, but if Elisabeth grows as tall as Hina, won't that make me the shortest one? This is bull." Kaito began quietly grumbling. Elisabeth considered poking fun at him but quickly thought better of it. She didn't want Hina scolding her and telling her that it wasn't nice to tease guys about their height. And besides, this was no time for snark, not when she still didn't know what was going on. Elisabeth turned back to the earthenware pot. Its lid seemed to have a sort of larger-than-life presence. EAT ME, it was saying. This is what appeared in the silver bowl's place... Elisabeth reached out again, but this time, she actually took off the top. When she did, the jiggly yellow purin within came into view. With the lid removed, the sweet smell of milk, eggs, and sugar was free to permeate the air unobstructed. Kaito and Hina started loudly chattering. "Hey, looks like it came out pretty all right." "Just what I'd expect from you, Master Kaito! Your powers of creation rival even God's!" For some reason, hearing that comment filled Elisabeth with annoyance. That aside, though, purin was food. A dessert. That was an undeniable fact. And as such, it would be absurd for her not to eat it. She slowly picked up her spoon and plunged it into the purin's soft surface, scooping up a spoonful that was syrupy and droopy on the sides. Its texture was as splendid as always. She carefully lifted it up. Then she popped it in her mouth. "Hey, she ate it." "Hooray!" "Mm, mm, mm, mmph." What Elisabeth had tried to say was Why are you two getting excited? Due to the spoon in her mouth, though, the words came out all muffled. This time, she could taste it like normal, and its sweet flavor filled her mouth. The dish had a full-bodied aroma, just as it was supposed to. Its deliciousness had a rustic simplicity to it, yet at the same time, the way it melted in her mouth was unlike anything else she'd ever eaten. It was hard to believe that such a sublime dish had come from such a foolish servant. Now that she thought about it, though, she remembered that purin was the only thing Kaito had been able to make properly. Wait, had been? Not was? Elisabeth raised an eyebrow a smidgen. However, she didn't let her discomfort stop her from moving her spoon. For whatever reason, Kaito and Hina were watching her with bated breath. She couldn't exactly stop now. Eventually, the spoon met the bottom of the pot. With great vigor, Elisabeth scraped up the final bite. "Ooooh." "Aaaaah." "As I said, what in the world is it that you two find so riveting about this?" When Elisabeth shot her quip at them, though, they responded with a round of applause. They clearly weren't listening to a word she said. It defied explanation. However, it was also kind of nice. She held her spoon up and struck a proud pose. When she looked back down at the mouthful of purin atop the spoon, though, she froze. Sitting on the smooth utensilâ€” â€”there was something small and white. "...A rabbit?" A white rabbit. The white rabbit had a matter-of-fact look on its face, and it was carrying a pocket watch. Both of the watch's hands, long and short, were pointing straight at twelve. And Elisabeth knew. The appointed time had come long, long ago. Days gone past would never return. And though the rabbit didn't look like it was talking, it was. It opened its mouth wideâ€” â€”and from inside, darkness cameâ€” â€”Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down Down. Down. Alice fell down a very deep hole. "Welcome, Elisabeth. Welcome to Wonderland." Elisabeth could hear a young girl. She was saying something about "Wonderland." But Elisabeth couldn't see a thing. Everything around her was pitch-black. Lying on her back, Elisabeth cast her gaze in every direction. No matter which way she turned, though, all she was met with was a dark that never seemed to end. The blackness had an oddly stuffy quality to it. It was as though she were surrounded by heavy cloth, like the kind that kept stage wings hidden from the audience. But right when Elisabeth began pondering her situation in earnest, she heard a thump on the floor. The wooden floorboards creaked. Then the noise repeated itself, eventually developing into a sort of pitter-patter. 'Tis the sound of someone running. Specifically, a child's footsteps. They were innocently running laps around Elisabeth. Suddenly, though, she could hear the heels snap together. The resultant silence was nigh deafening. Elisabeth heard someone exhale, then rattle off a quote that sounded like a monologue from a play. "After all that bouncing around, it's finally time for my debut, Elisabeth! Now, what act is this again? I haven't the faintest, you see. But neither do you, right? In fact, things have gone so far off the rails that nobody, not the actors or the director or even the playwright, can really tell what's going on. And you're also a spectator, so that goes double for you. Say, Elisabeth, isn't it sad? Even here, you're oh-so-very sad... No, actually, maybe that's wrong. After all, this isn't a tragedy so much as it is a farce... Wait, Father, where are we going? Huh? 'This isn't our place to appear,' you say? 'We weren't called for, so we should stand down'? You're ever so kind, Father... Hmm? Wait, hey, don't leave me behind! Wait for me!" With a peeved cry, the girl pitter-pattered off, then leaped. Right above her, the sound of someone's joints snapping sounded out, and the echo of the girl's footsteps vanished. It would seem that she was dangling off someone's shoulder. The other party's clothes rustled a little as they set off. A short while later, Elisabeth heard a door open in the distance, then close. Silence descended on her once more. Who were those people just now? She didn't know. What she did know, thoughâ€” â€”was that she didn't trust them one bit. "And then just when you thought the still darkness would go on forever..." "...Hmm?" "...someone showed up with an incongruous hello, hello, hello!" Elisabeth cocked her head. She could hear someone saying something stupid. There was obviously someone new present in the murk. However, she couldn't see anyone. She strained her eyes and cautiously scanned the darkness. Sure enough, one section of it had an oddly "occupied" feel to it. Yet I never heard any footsteps. It was like they had manifested out of thin air. She frowned. However, her concern went unnoticed by her mysterious guest. Intentional or not, they let out a merry cry. "All righty then, Madam Elisabeth! Time to wake up, hey, hey, hey!" "Wake...up? No, hold on, I'mâ€”" "Upâ€”andâ€”at 'emmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!" "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A shout that sounded like some sort of strange bird echoed through the air. Sensing danger, Elisabeth leaped to her feet, then rolled forward and opened her eyes. After, she shot a glance backward. Behind her, there was a scaly leg with gleaming claws resting atop a crack in the stone floor. The force of the kick had split open the ground where she'd been just moments ago. The perpetrator of this powerful attack let out a small breath. However, that wasn't to say Elisabeth actually saw them do so. The thing was, their entire mouth was hidden by the darkness beneath their hood. The man, concealed from head to toe in a tattered cloak, struck a pose. "Phew... That there was my Butcher's Knockout Alarm-Clock Kickâ€”and brilliantly executed, if I do say so myself!" "You never possessed any such technique!" Elisabeth couldn't help but shout back at the top of her lungs. The Butcher just stood there with his bag on his shoulder and his finger pointing at the sky. It was unclear if he'd even heard her. She turned toward his majestic back and gave him a piece of her mind. "And besides, was your aim to wake me or to kill me?! The latter makes the former quite a challenge, I'll have you know! You're inscrutable, illogical, and baffling to boot! Cough, cough." "Willing to even sacrifice your throat to deliver cutting jabs and comebacks... You never fail to impress, Madam Elisabeth. You're an artist through and through." "And don't go accusing people of bizarre forms of artistry, either! Cough, cough, cough." Elisabeth lapsed into a heavy fit of coughing. It had been quite a while since the last time she strained her voice that much. Before her, a nostalgic figureâ€”the Butcherâ€”hopped up and down in an excessive show of good cheer. Elisabeth sat cross-legged