Thank you for reviewing Black Wilted Lotus and Guest! I'll also thank Anime girl of light88 for both following and favoriting~

I know, it's short, but there was nothing else I could put in Gowland's point of view with how I was planning the next few chapters... so I apologize. Next chapter will return to Boris's point of view again, so you'll get to see what's going on in his mind finally.

And to those of you who have read some of my other stories... you know I'm not afraid to put on of the main characters on the brink of death. I've actually had one of my main characters die before... so be prepared. And for those who haven't, be scared. You can never predict what's to come. Plus, this is Alice in the Country of Hearts... that makes it so much easier for people to die.

So with that warning aside, enjoy the story~ Don't forget to review! Or follow and favorite if you haven't already~

[Chapter 8 - Constant Smiling]


I knew Ace was fucked up... but this was a little more than I was expecting.

Now with this going back and forth... I really need to find a way to end this and get back to the Amusement Park. This is getting really annoying.

"This is what I meant! Boris is way more entertaining than you! And that rat got away with him..." He was just stabbing him before! It did seem like they were both enjoying it actually... with Boris's constant smiling, it's impossible to tell. "You're not even going to talk? You really aren't any fun... boring, in fact!" His smile grew. "I guess that makes sense, with what Boris said."

With what Boris said...?

I barely made it away from his blade that time.

Dammit, he's trying to distract me!

"Yeah, I think he was bringing it up to try and convince me to kill him, like that'd happen! Hah-" Suddenly, his voice cut off, he lost a bit of his balance, closed his eyes, and twitched.

I won't even ask, this is the distraction I need to get out of here.

And so I ran.


After running for what can be estimated as almost 5 minutes, I found Pierce near the main path with Boris. I should have known he wouldn't make it very far carrying him...

"Gowland...! I was worried you wouldn't get out of there..." So even he knew that was pretty dangerous... Well, as long as Boris doesn't notice and question me...

I looked over at Boris.

He's still smiling... I thought he'd stop by now... weird.

I took him from Pierce and sighed. Pierce obviously isn't going to be any help until we get to the Amusement Park...

Or I could send him ahead, it'd be a lot faster than us all walking.

"Pierce, go ahead to the Amusement Park, and get some workers while you're there. I'll follow." He nodded and immediately ran.

I made my way to the main path and started walking. What's the point of running? It'll just waste my energy before I can even make it-

"Ugh!" What the... did Boris just kick me...?!

"That's for locking me in my room." And he's still smiling!

"You're going to die, and that's what you waste the last of your energy on?!" That silenced him.

I kept walking.

"If I'm going to die either way, then why do you even bother?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Why does he bring that up now?

His smile only grew.

"I mean, I'll only be replaced anyway, so it doesn't even matter whether I die or not!" Okay, he's definitely acting a lot more... unstable... than usual.

This is definitely Ace's doing. What did that guy say to him exactly...? I know Boris said some stuff to him too...

"Your silence is only proof. You're probably trying to come up with some excuse or something."

"That's not it at all. Stop assuming things." He only smirked.

"Oh yeah? Then what was it?" Might as well just say it then.

"What is going on with you?" He scoffed.

"Since when the hell did you care?" Wait... since when the hell did I care?

And he's smirking again. "I'm guessing from the look on your face that you don't know?"

"They're over here!" Huh... that was faster than I expected. Maybe all those years of Pierce running away from everything actually paid off.

Soon enough, the medical workers were looking over his wounds and everything was a havoc. Eventually, they brought him back to the park, bullets removed. I simply followed, not really having any major wounds myself, I don't need to get involved in that...

I guess I'll probably go visit Julius or something after they're done with this. This day has been annoying as hell and I don't want to sleep right now in case anything else comes up. And with Boris, it seems something always does...

I'll just bring a little gift with me when I go over... but does Julius like vodka or wine more? He'll probably complain about both at first... I might be able to get him to loosen up faster with the vodka though, so I guess that's the one!


On my way to the tower, I heard something go past me through the bushes. The only person who does that is Ace... but why would he just walk past me? It must be an animal or something... I shouldn't pay any mind. I'm probably just shaken from earlier.