Review responses:

cherry-tree-of-life - I have some more good AND bad date ideas up my sleeves! Of course, life should center around bad dates with Shadow. We all know why Shun's upset, but let's all appreciate this rare occasion in which he actually shows his feelings XD

CookieDecor22 - Alice is the one and only cause of this! Thankfully there won't be any gaslighting done on Alice, but there's always that plot twist in which the bad guy suddenly has the upper hand, which I will address later. Keep your eyes peeled for what Alice is about to do!

MagicxMusicxMelody - Shadow is an idiot that only cares for himself. That's why his plan will be a failure. I agree that Shun will develop the same attitude and pattern in response to Shadow.

pretty-on-point - After practically being called useless multiple times by Shadow, Shun just wants to prove that he's not useless. ^-^" All kisses reserved for more suitable situations. Just bear with Alice's sad episodes a little bit longer.

ladyluck1668 - There needs to be someone that knows how to do everything, just for fun! Alice leaving her earrings at the sink was meant for Shun to pick up, but he doesn't have to like everything. Yes, get yourself a best friend like Soon!

Chapter 6: Spontaneous Revelation

xXx

Why did I think it was a good idea to put off balancing ledgers to the very end?

With a pen in one hand and an abacus in the other, Alice annotated every credit and debit on her bank account in her room. Soon knocked and informed, "Mister Shadow is here again, Miss Alice."

"I'm busy. Tell him to go home." After her auburn-haired housemaid left, the redhead pressed on her nose bridge before opting for a tablet of aspirin. Maybe I'm just stressed about finances. Grandfather left me with significantly more money and valuables than I can handle. She leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes until she heard footsteps at the door. "Soon, I told you to tell Shadow to go—"

"She already did, and he already left," answered Shun.

Alice sat up immediately and apologized. "My mistake. What are you doing here?"

"Just wondering if I can get that spring painting from you. I'll hang it up on my own."

"No problem. While you're here, maybe you can double check my work. Come inside." The redhead handed over the painting first, following by her bank statements and scratch paper. "I've done my math twice and still can't get the correct balance on my bank statement."

"Should I even be looking at this?"

"Basically, Grandfather passed his bank account to me as well. Turns out that he gets his returns from the shares as direct deposits from the company into his bank account. The calculated value I got is more than what's in the bank account up to the most recent—"

Alice groaned under her breath and placed her entire palm over her face. "Are you okay?" Shun asked. "You look like you have headaches again."

"I spent too much time doing math today. I think my ears are ringing from listening to the abacus." With that said, she dismissed him with a waving hand and leaned back into her chair again.

She straight up rejected Shadow's visit without even seeing him. He's probably going to yell at me for being incapable. Shun stuffed the papers into his pockets and sneaked outside to meet with Shadow. "Why am I not surprised to still see you here even though Alice doesn't want to?"

"Me? I should be asking you! It seems like she wants to see less of me ever since you started working there."

"Why did you even think this was a good idea in the first place? You should've asked Runo to be your 'informant' because I'm pretty sure Alice would have a lot more to talk about with another girl than with me."

"Alice already has two housemaids! She doesn't need another one!"

"Fine, we're not talking about this anymore. Today, I found out that Alice's grandfather literally transferred his bank account to her name, and that the account receives direct deposits when that whatever company's shares has a successful payout."

"I didn't even know that it's legal to just give your bank account away like that, especially since they're only extended family. Anyway, I have another idea." Shadow took out a tiny glass vial that contained a clear liquid inside. "Use this to drug Alice's food so that her health gets worse. The only way to obtain the antidote is to spend time with me, especially by having meals together."

"You'd better have the actual cure or else she dies alone."

"Sounds a lot like your mom."

"I'll pretend you never said that." Shun glared at his silver-haired colleague and snatched the vial from the latter's hand before gone home.

At home, Chris and Soon were preparing dinner, and Alice came downstairs after a long nap. "Someone told me that drinking water helps alleviate headaches, but I'm not feeling any improvement."

"Maybe the aspirin is causing rebound headaches," Soon suggested. "Oh! Sounds like Shun's back."

"Hi everyone. Dinner's early today." Shun helped himself to a glass of water and asked, "Alice, did you want water as well?"

"I do. I was so tired that I actually fell asleep on my chair."

"Oh. Then take a seat at the dining table while the rest of us get dinner ready." The raven-haired servant carried the glasses of water to the dining table and sneaked in a few drops from Shadow's vial into Alice's glass. "Here."

To his surprise, Alice drank the entire glass in a single prolonged sip and then continued to press her forehead. "Regarding my bank account and the company shares..."

Shun gripped his glass tightly. Did she notice that I stole her papers?

"...I remember some of the staff members saying that there would be job position shuffles and policy changes. Maybe I didn't get any returns during the previous cycle when the company was undergoing those drastic changes. No wonder my expected balance is higher than the actual."

"That is the most stupid reason to not make payouts to shareholders. If you're still confused, then ask the staff member or even the board of directors."

"You're right...better safe than sorry."

Dinner followed shortly, but Alice barely ate half the contents on her plate of food and kept pushing her food around. After watching her mistress forcing herself to hold back a yawn, Chris asked loudly, "Alice, are you okay?!"

"Say what?"

"Your plate's still full. You barely ate anything. The rest of us are done with dinner already."

Alice gasped after looking at her own plate versus her servants' plates. "I'm so sorry. I'm not feeling well at all."

Shun took the last bite of his food and bit his utensil firmly. What kind of drug did Shadow even gave me?

"No problem at all," Soon reassured. "Let's bring you back to your room to rest."

While Chris and Soon escorted Alice upstairs, the raven-haired servant placed the bank statement papers under the coffee table and then cleared the dinner table. If Alice asks why her papers are in the living room instead of her bedroom, the least I could say is that she's been confused the entire day.

After an hour of housework, Shun's task was interrupted by screaming from upstairs. "Is that Alice? I thought she was asleep."

Soon was knitting at the dining table and paused to listen closely. "That's not normal. We need to check on her." She led the way to Alice's bedroom door and knocked forcefully. "Miss Alice, are you alright? We heard you screaming."

Silence.

"Do you think there's an intruder inside?" Shun whispered.

"I hope not. She always locks her windows when—"

"I'm fine!" yelled Alice. "I kept tossing and turning with this throbbing headache and then fell off my bed."

Shun rolled his eyes while Soon patted her chest repeatedly in relief. "Thank goodness that there was no intruder in there! I'll let you return to sleep." The auburn-haired housemaid led the away again downstairs. "Wait until Chris hears about this."

"I'll pretend that this never happened." Once the auburn-haired housemaid left to find her colleague, the raven-haired servant breathed a sigh of relief and sat by the coffee table. Never drug anyone unless you know what the drug is. What made Shadow think this was a good idea? Alice could've injured herself when she fell of her bed. It would be the end of his scam if she just died.

"I need some help!" screamed Soon from the back door as she carried Chris back inside into the bathroom. "This girl twisted and lacerated her ankle after stepping on a broken tile in the backyard."

"I can get the first aid kit for you. Where is it?" Shun asked.

"Under the coffee."

After locating and passing the first-aid kit off to Soon, Shun went to the backyard to check out the broken tile in question. I thought garden tiles were supposed to withstand wear and tear. What was Chris even— "Alice, when did you come outside?! It's cold and dark out here!"

Standing and staring at the mighty tree in the garden was the redhead heiress, who didn't turn around to face the speaker until a delayed moment later. "I couldn't sleep. It's too hot in my room."

"Try opening a window next time. Now you're freezing out here." Shun removed his jacket and draped it over Alice's shoulders. "Come back inside?"

"I think the cold is helping with my headaches." Alice turned around and continued staring at the tree. "Why do you work so hard?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you choose to work here even though things could change any minute? You could end up without work again once I get—"

"Any opportunity for work is a blessing when you're unemployed with mouths to feed at home," Shun interrupted, making the redhead tense. "If you could just let me work in peace and not ask me so many unusual questions..."

"In that case...would you like to run an errand with me tomorrow in town?"

"Why me and not Chris or Soon?"

"Because I need help with carrying a lot of heavy items." Alice turned around and walked past Shun slightly before removing his jacket and draping it back on his shoulders slowly. "Get some rest. Tomorrow might be a long day."

The lingering feeling of the redhead's fingers tapping his shoulders sent chills down his spine, as the wind blew through his hair and jacket.

-x-x-x-x-x-

The next day, Alice completed a series of shopping and administrative tasks before arriving in front of a fancy office building. She opened the door for Shun and ordered, "Stay in the first floor lobby with all my merchandise until I come back."

"How much time do you anticipate spending? I just don't want the doorman or other people to remove me for staying too long."

"I don't know, but I already told the doorman not to bother you until I come back. I have some more serious matters to handle here, so it might take some time."

Shun watched the heiress wait for the paternoster to reach the first floor. Then he looked at the directory plaque on the wall by the doorman. All of these offices sound like fancy companies. Does her errand here have to do with the shares that she previously wanted to sell off?

Alice arrived at her desired floor and entered the office space's double doors. A tall, silver-haired man in a modest plum suit and sapphire tie placed his phone receiver down to greet his visitor. "Miss Alice, what a pleasant surprise! How are you today?"

"Just another fine morning, Klaus. I was wondering if I could discuss some serious matters with you."

"Serious matters? How can I be of assistance? Have a seat at this other office desk with me."

The redhead took the seat as offered. "After long though and consideration, I've decided that I'll sell the shares anyway."

"You mean the shares that your grandfather left for you in his will? I know we've discussed how to properly and legally change the ownership from him to you the last time you were here, but are you sure will want to sell them for real this time?"

"I've made up my mind. There's too much for me to handle at the moment, and I'm not particularly familiar with how this company works. Even if I held shares, I don't think I can contribute much to the company's cause."

"I see." Suddenly, a tall woman with turquoise hair wearing an aquamarine two-piece suit and thick yellow glasses walked up to Klaus from the back office space. She whispered into his ear, and he nodded before sending her back. "That was my secretary. She told me that there is another company that's interested in collaborating with us, with a possible exchange in share ownership for good faith. Sounds like perfect timing for you."

"What a coincidence. So what do we do now? More paperwork?"

"Most certainly. Please don't think of these as redundant procedures. Long story short, we cannot sell shares from a deceased person to a living person. Whether you choose to keep or sell the shares, they had to be under your name before anything happens."

"Understood. Just let me know if there's anything else I need to do."

"Nothing right now. I need to speak with this passionate person first to see if he's legitimate. We'll keep in touch."

"I look forward to your correspondence." Klaus escorted Alice to the paternoster. Once in the lobby, she signaled Shun to leave. "All done."

"That was fast," he commented. "Is this the company that your shares belong to?"

"Yes...and no. I know we had a detailed and analytical conversation about this before, but I've decided to sell the shares anyway."

The raven-haired servant's face turned pale, but he continued walking. I have no control over whether she keep the shares or not, but at least I tried. I could pretend I didn't hear what Alice just told me, and Shadow doesn't need find out. "Good to know."

"You're not mad at all? After all that you've told me last time?"

"It's your decision, after all. If you and the company weren't meant to be, then I wouldn't force it to be any other way."

"Thank you...for not judging me." The pair walked by a post office, but Alice immediately turned around and went inside, with Shun following quickly. "I should buy more stamps."

"To mail letters out with?"

"Of course. I don't remember the last time that Chris or Soon sent letters to their families. Same for you. Your one-way commute home must be pretty far."

"I actually don't live that—"

"Maybe I should buy more inkstones, too."

Shun sighed and watched Alice pay for all her desired supplies at the register. She's not paying attention to me, but at least she looks a lot better than that night when I added that unknown drug to her food. I don't think she noticed.

The pair returned home after buying stationery, and Alice was the first to notice a medicinal aroma drifting from the kitchen. "Chris? Soon? Who's making medicine?!"

"Miss Alice, you're back!" The auburn-haired housemaid exited the kitchen and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Chris has a fever. I'm trying to make an antipyretic remedy using feverfew, peppermint, and thyme."

"How on earth could she have gotten a fever?"

Shun spoke up. "On the night that you slept early due to headaches and lack of appetite, Chris twisted her ankle in the garden and also got cut. What if she has a fever from the infected wound?"

"Her wound look fine," Soon clarified. "Not as red as before, and definitely no abscess. We really need to bring her temperature down."

"Um..." Alice placed her shopping bags on the table and concentrated. "Soon, stay in the kitchen. I'll get cold water and towels for Chris. Shun, just get my writing implement kit from the sunroom desk and make some ink in the meantime."

Afterwards, the trio ate dinner without Chris. Soon then made a batch of plain porridge for the blonde and tended to the latter's fever for the rest of the night. In the sunroom, Alice proceeded to write letters with the fresh ink that Shun prepared. "Did you want to write anything, Shun?"

"I'm fine for now. I don't know what to tell them yet."

"You have nothing to say to them?!" Alice disassembled her fountain pen to refill the ink cartridge. "I am curious, though. Whose mouths do you need to feed at home?"

"Just...cousins...and extended family, more or less," he lied.

"What about your parents? Any immediate family?"

"My parents died when I was young, so I lived with extended family members until some of them died from disease or starvation. My hometown fell in one of the areas that the government tended to neglect. Then I picked up odd jobs around town until I encountered this rich family who took me in in return for domestic service." Shun took a deep breath to process the story that he made up. "What about you?"

"Not any easier than your life. My mother died with her second child—who would've been my younger brother—during childbirth. Then even my father died during a traffic accident later on, which left Grandfather and our former servants with the responsibility of raising me. Sometimes I wished I didn't exist. Everyone looks at me with caution because I remind them of my late parents and brother."

"Alice, it's not your fault that they think that way. Children are innocent and still need love and support. The problem lies within the previous generation. Just because someone brought you into this world but didn't raise you, doesn't mean they have authority over you in the future."

"Love? Support? It's not that simple." The heiress placed down her fountain pen and suddenly shoved Shun outside to the hallway. "Sorry. I need some time to myself."

So much for sending a letter to Dan, Runo, and Marucho. I shouldn't have pushed her over the edge. He walked over to Chris's room and knocked gently. "Soon, is Chris doing better?" whispered the raven-haired servant.

The auburn-haired housemaid exited the room and left the door ajar. "I finally brought down her temperature and got her to eat even just a tiny bit of food before she went to sleep. If she's still burning tomorrow, then she needs to see a doctor. How is Miss Alice?"

"That's good to hear. Alice locked herself in the sunroom to write letters. You should rest soon. I'll wash the dishes."

"Ah, much appreciated."

After cleaning the entire kitchen, Shun gathered all the food waste into a bucket on the way to the garden. The back door was ajar, which prompted him to exit with suspicion. I swear this door was closed when Alice and I returned. No one went outside because we were all tending to Chris.

Before he could even walk to the compost bin, Shun saw a familiar redhead climbing the tree in the garden with rope in her hands. He stared in confusion as the heiress tied one rope end around a thick branch and the other end around her neck.

"Alice, what the hell are you doing?!"

Me: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to those who celebrate it~! This is the "jumping off a tree" that I was talking about last time.

Runo: (eating lotus paste mooncake) I suddenly have no appetite...

Dan: (eating red bean mooncake) I'll eat your leftovers, if you don't—

Runo: You're not touching my food!

Marucho: Lava custard mooncakes have been really hyped up this year, and I don't know why. I don't find it interesting.

Me: Oh I'm just about ready to explode from all the rants I've made about lava custard mooncakes. The liquid ends up absorbed into the rest of the cake, so it's not fun to eat at all. Especially when you bite into a seemingly hollow center. The audacity! :(

Runo: I personally think you ate too much of other flavors. You are now extremely hyper...

Me: Ehhhhhhhhhhhh... Next chapter will feature a "confession" of sorts (guess who/m), another ridiculous change in plans, and an SOS letter.

Shun: The real SOS is getting Alice off that tree.

Me: Hehehe... leave a review on the way out ^-^"