ALICE RAN THROUGH the winding hallways of the palace with no care in the world. She ran like the wind, as though there were beasts and monsters that chased her from behind when in all honesty, the only monster she had was the one in her head.
Without bothering to stop for anyone or care about the awful glares she received along the way, Alice sped headfirst for Hartley's office. It was the middle of the day and she knew without a doubt that both the crown prince and his trusty aide would be there, hard at work.
She had to get answers. Despite having just squeezed something more valuable out of Elise Lavender, Alice not faced a greater problem: the doctor herself had become a figment of her own imagination.
However, she was sure that she hadn't dreamed up an entirely new figure to cope with what had happened to her in the recent months. Alice had so much evidence that Doctor Lavender had been real, and she had met and talked to her on many occasions.
