When they first met, a maelstrom of emotions surged within Mirana.

Surprise. Happiness. Sadness. Regret. Acceptance. Anger.

And a myriad of other feelings she had long since buried stirred within her, shaking the foundation of her once-cold heart.

To think that her mortal enemy—her destined adversary—was merely a child.

A child tasked with a fate so cruel, so unrelenting, that no matter how many times the cycle repeated, it never changed.

She cursed the roots of fate that had woven such a merciless design.

The burden of being the successor to the broken White Queen should have been hers alone.

It was a weight she had chosen to carry, a responsibility she had long accepted as her own.

Yet the cruel architects of fate had other plans.

They had placed that impossible burden upon the shoulders of a child—a gullible, innocent, and lovable child.

A child who should have never been given such a role.

A child who should have never been forced into this fate.

And yet—

She was.

—

“Your Majesty, look! It’s a talking rabbit!”

“Fufu… yes, it’s a talking rabbit….”

“Ah! Over there—look at those moving eggs! No, wait—why is that bird singing like a human? Ah—Mr. Hatter, welcome!”

Memories long buried surfaced within her.

A time when warmth, laughter, and innocence still existed.

A time when the child she once cherished still smiled without the weight of the world on her shoulders.

But that warmth was long gone.

Those days had withered into nothingness.

And in their place—a cold, unforgiving reality remained.

She was no longer just Mirana.

She was a being tasked with creating a new world—a White Paradise that would wash everything clean.

To do so, she had abandoned her humanity.

Because it was a necessity.

Because she had no other choice.

Killing her mortal enemy.

Killing the Red Queen.

Killing the innocent child.

Killing her daughter.

Killing her Alice.

It was a reality she needed to accept.

A truth carved into her very existence—one she had no choice but to fulfill.

For revenge.

For those who had betrayed her.

To reenact the catastrophe that had been forced upon her on that fateful day.

To fix what was lost.

Yes—many would die.

Innocents.

Strangers.

Entire worlds.

Everything would fall apart.

But in its destruction, a new world would take its place.

A world where the mistakes of the past would be erased.

Where everything would be pure.

Perfect.

‘For the sake of the world… yes… for the sake of it…’

‘You must die… my dear daughter.’

As her white pupils expanded within her ever-radiant form, the White Queen smiled.

It was not a smile of love.

Nor of sorrow.

But one of horror.

For in that moment—she felt it.

The last fragment of emotion she had for her daughter…

Disappear.

‘Ah…’

A strange sensation filled her.

Liberation.

It was a freeing feeling.

The final shackles of her humanity shattered into nothingness.

Pure white energy surged through the air, expanding into the very fabric of reality itself.

And then—

She laughed.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

A laughter that spread across realms.

A laughter that shook the heavens.

A laughter that tore through dimensions.

The laughter of a woman lost.

A laugh filled with pleasure.

With pain.

With madness.

As the power of the White Queen coalesced into something beyond mortal comprehension, her gaze slowly drifted forward.

There—

A bloodied, bruised figure stood.

A girl with red eyes like burning embers.

A girl whose body was already failing, already cursed to die.

And yet—she still stood.

The White Queen smiled.

Her perfect white paradise was about to begin.

A feeling of intrigue swelled within the White Queen.

Despite Death’s hands looming over her, despite the clear inevitability of her demise—Alice did not waver.

Her determination burned, unyielding, unyielding even in the face of oblivion.

The White Queen raised her hand.

With a single motion—

Red and white clashed.

Energy surged, colliding in an explosion of pure will.

The world shuddered.

Reality itself twisted unnaturally, reshaped not by fate, nor by time—

But by them.

-Destruction.

-Recreation.

The world around them was caught in an endless cycle—dying, reviving, dying, reviving.

A battle so grand, so beyond comprehension, that even time itself failed to grasp its beginning or its end.

Their fight had only just begun.

And yet—

The end of the world was already near.

She remembered.

All those times.

“Your Majesty… can I sleep here?”

“Hm? Is the bed prepared for you uncomfortable?”

“Mmhm… I just… wanted to sleep with you… um… can I—”

“Come here.”

“Hehe…”

The warmth of those moments.

The laughter.

The softness.

The feeling of home.

The past and present clashed within her.

A twisted contradiction of emotions—happiness, grief, rage, betrayal.

A storm within her crimson heart.

Alice gritted her teeth as the weight of pain bore down upon her.

The pressure of the battle.

The unbearable weight of everything that had been stolen from her.

Her power met the White Queen’s.

A collision of opposites.

A world reborn in chaos, reshaped by their clashing existences.

And yet, amidst it all—clarity.

Her eyes sharpened.

Her mind cleared.

She knew.

She knew exactly who the White Queen was.

The being who had killed her beloved friends.

The being who had stolen her childhood.

The being who had betrayed her entirely.

It all began on that fateful day.

The day the White Queen’s power awakened.

The day she wiped out everything Alice once called family.

The day her true family died.

She should be angered by all this she should hate the white being to her very core yet…. Alice couldn’t help but feel remorse…

“I’m sorry, Mother…”

For the first time—she called her that.

A word that carried the weight of love.

A word that once held warmth.

A word that now felt like an open wound.

Mother.

“If I hadn’t hesitated… it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”

The regret clawed at her heart.

The past she had grown to despise—a past where she failed to act, a past where she had let things spiral into this nightmare.

Maybe if she had been stronger.

Maybe if she had moved faster.

Maybe if she had made the right choice that day.

But regrets wouldn’t change anything now.

It was too late to rewrite the past.

But not too late to fix the future.

A soft, almost bittersweet chuckle left her lips.

“I know I’m a little late, but… I’ll make sure to fix all of this, okay? Hehe~”

Her energy ignited.

Alice knew—she was about to die.

The pain she felt was unlike anything before.

Her body screamed.

Her soul cracked.

Yet, despite it all—despite the unbearable agony—

She suppressed it.

She buried it deep inside her.

She couldn’t let it stop her.

Not now.

Not when everything depended on this.

Alice took a deep breath.

“You know… I actually met him,” she murmured, her voice softer, almost wistful.

“The person you told me I could trust. Red and white, wasn’t it? Hehe… I didn’t get what you meant back then, but now I do…”

Her mind drifted, memories flashing through the chaos.

“Ever since I met him… everything felt lighter.”

A warmth spread within her chest, something foreign yet familiar.

“At first, I was skeptical, you know? I didn’t understand how just meeting someone could change everything.”

Her lips curled into a small, genuine smile.

“But after spending more time with him… I understood.”

Her heart ached—not from pain, but from something deeper.

“There was never really a need for a reason for everything… just letting things flow, just letting myself be… it was the nicest feeling I’ve ever had.”

She closed her eyes for a moment.

And when she opened them again, her mind was clear.

Her resolve—unbreakable.

Alice smiled.

As she recalled the face of a certain Junior of hers.

“Despite being older than him, I’m usually the one who ends up getting embarrassed and played by him. Ah, but of course, I do get my chances…”

Alice chuckled softly, even as power surged between them, white and red energy clashing in an endless storm.

“Well, sometimes at least… You should’ve seen his face when I kissed him. Hehe~ It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Even in the middle of battle, the memory made her heart flutter.

“He’s a bit foolish, a bit secretive, and a very, very selfish junior of mine~ Despite the fate of the world clearly telling us that we were meant for one another, despite his heart already beating for me from the moment we met—”

Her smile wavered slightly, but the amusement never left her voice.

“He had the audacity to date two other women before me. Can you believe it?”

A sharp laugh left her lips, her body twisting midair as her blade clashed against the White Queen’s overwhelming force.

“But even so… despite all that—can you believe it? I actually think it’s cute.”

She sighed, shaking her head at her own foolishness.

“They say love makes you blind, and now? I finally understand where that saying comes from…”

Her gaze softened as she recalled him—the one who changed everything for her.

“Ah, if you’re wondering what he looks like—he’s really handsome. And his body…”

She hesitated for a second, a faint blush creeping onto her face despite the situation.

“H-he’s body is really well-toned and hard… and thic—”

She coughed, shaking off the embarrassing thoughts before she lost focus entirely.

“Although he rarely expresses his feelings on the outside, seeing the deep emotional affection he holds inside… that was really something, you know?”

Her voice turned wistful, her grip tightening around her weapon as she dodged another devastating blow.

“Hehe, even just recalling the moments we spent together sometimes feels suffocating—but in a good way, if you know what I mean.”

And as she continued to pour her heart into her words—

Their clash ignited even further.

“Ah, did you meet Cheshire already? He must’ve gotten even more annoying, right? You probably already punished him… well, he kind of deserves it.”

Alice let out a small laugh, though there was no real humor behind it.

“So go ahead, torture him more if you want. How dare he abandon me during a crisis like this, right?”

But even as she joked, she knew—deep down—that the being she once considered her mother was no longer inside the monster standing before her.

The realization cut deeper than any physical wound.

Her heart ached, a pain far worse than the searing agony burning through her body. Yet despite it all, she continued stepping forward, facing everything with a smile.

She was well aware that the worst had probably already happened to Cheshire.

And without him guiding her this time… everything felt hopeless.

For once, she actually missed his ever-sarcastic, whimsical voice.

“…Soon, I’ll be joining the place you put Cheshire in…”

Her voice was soft, almost whisper-like.

“That’s why, in order to make this the grandest reunion we could have—”

She lifted her head, eyes gleaming with fierce determination.

“I’ll make sure you join us too, Mother. Hehe~”

Her soul was breaking.

But Alice didn’t stop.

Harnessing the power deep inside her, the flames within her ignited into something more.

Her form shifted, her once familiar silhouette now wrapped in an overwhelming crimson light.

Her flaming red hair danced wildly against the winds of destruction, her crimson eyes locking onto the pale, cold gaze of the White Queen.

The world trembled as her body burned away, consumed by the intense energy she bore.

And then—

A crown.

A deep, blood-red crown formed above her head, lowering itself onto her as if it had always belonged there.

Reality itself rippled, bending to her will.

[Red Queen]

Alice Holloway.

“I love you, Riley.”

The words left her lips like a fleeting whisper, carried away by the crimson winds.

Saying her final goodbyes… she lifted her gaze toward the pale, endless white skies.

Soon—

Everything would be over.

…

As she felt herself crashing onto the ground, the impact barely registered.

The world around her blurred, yet the sky above remained painfully clear.

Millions of white spears—so numerous they seemed endless—formed above the heavens, their radiant brilliance casting an ethereal glow across the battlefield.

Like an omen of death, they hovered, poised to descend and pierce through everything.

It was as if the very sky itself would rain down metal and destruction upon the world.

Ah…

A faint thought flickered in her mind as her consciousness struggled to remain.

She had failed.

A bitter laugh threatened to escape her lips, but even that was impossible now.

Like fragile glass shattering, she could feel something deep within her breaking.

Yet, despite that, she felt no pain.

Only a numbing emptiness.

A distant part of her wondered—is this what death feels like?

That cold, yet strangely comforting sensation of everything being taken away?

The thought alone sent a shiver through her broken body.

Tears slipped from the corners of her crimson eyes, trailing down her face like silent confessions.

Her body trembled, her breaths ragged and shallow, blood staining her lips with every weak exhale.

She had accepted this.

She had accepted her death.

She had accepted everything—the pain, the suffering, the loss.

And yet—

She was afraid.

A deep, primal fear clawed at her chest, tightening around her heart.

‘…I don’t want to die…’

The words formed in her mind, but her voice no longer worked.

Even if she screamed now, even if she cried out, she knew—

No one would hear her.

Her vision flickered, the last strands of her consciousness barely holding on.

And through the dimming haze, her gaze lifted—

To meet the cold, unfeeling stare of the White Queen.

A being beyond her reach.

A force beyond her understanding.

A monster draped in pale, immaculate power.

Alice’s lips quivered, her final breath escaping like a fragile whisper.

“…I’m… sorry… everyone…”

Her eyes slowly closed, her body succumbing to the darkness.

And as the last of her strength faded—

The sky trembled.

The air sang with the sharp, piercing sound of falling spears.

The world was on the brink of being swallowed by white—

But then—

BOOOOOOM!!!!

The deafening roar of an impact shook the battlefield, like lightning crashing down from the heavens.

The sheer force of it sent a violent shockwave through the air, and for a fleeting moment, everything was engulfed in golden light.

Alice’s dimming vision wavered, her barely conscious mind struggling to process what had just happened.

But as the blinding radiance slowly faded, a familiar figure emerged.

Him.

His back was turned to her, yet there was no mistaking him.

No matter how weak she felt, no matter how close she was to losing everything, she could never mistake him.

The white spears that once threatened to erase everything—shattered.

Cracks of golden light spread across the sky, and in an instant, the countless weapons of destruction crumbled into dust.

For a brief, surreal moment, it almost looked like fireworks—beautiful, fleeting remnants of destruction scattered across the heavens.

Yet Alice barely noticed.

Her gaze remained fixed on the young man before her, as if the world around them no longer mattered.

And then—he turned to her.

His piercing blue eyes met hers, unwavering, unshaken, resolute.

A soft, familiar warmth spread through her chest as she saw the faintest smile grace his lips.

Kneeling beside her fragile form, he placed his hand gently on her head.

A comforting warmth flooded through her broken body, golden light wrapping around her like an embrace.

Her pain dulled.

Her trembling stilled.

Even as the chaos of battle loomed behind him, even as the enemy stood just beyond, he focused only on her.

“I’m sorry for being late, Senior…”

His voice was calm and warm—soothing, familiar—

And yet beneath that softness, something else lingered.

A cold, unrelenting fury.

A chilling killing intent she had never felt from him before.

It was terrifying.

But to Alice—

It was the most reassuring thing in the world.

Her lips parted; her voice weak—

“…Ril—”

Puck!

A sharp yet painless sensation struck her neck.

Her vision blurred, darkness creeping at the edges.

The last thing she saw—

-FOOOOSHH!!!

Was his golden light, expanding, consuming, protecting.

Wrapping itself around the world.

And then—

Everything faded to black.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep