ᴄʜᴇꜱʜɪʀᴇ ᴋɪᴛᴛᴇɴ (UNEDITED)

"I never asked to be more than a pawn."

Born with a grin that hides more than it reveals, Nine-once just Thalia, the forgotten daughter of the infamous Cheshire Cat-was never supposed to be a player. She was a pawn, a footnote, a loose end waiting to be cut. She never asked to be part of this game. But fate doesn't wait for permission. And now, whether she likes it or not, she's becoming something far more dangerous-an asset.

Her father's unfinished war tightens around her like a noose, pulling her deeper into a world where power is bought with blood and lives are just numbers on a ledger. Her next move? Protecting a corrupt politician at an elite "tea party"-a front for a human trafficking auction where monsters masquerade as men. She should be disgusted. She should walk away. But if she wants revenge, if she wants justice, she has to play along.

Nikki is fighting for the crown, and in her eyes, Nine is no longer dead weight. She's leverage. A tool. A weapon to aim at her enemies. And if Nine wants to survive, she'll have to decide: let herself be used, or carve out her own place at the table.

But power struggles and betrayals aren't the only things lurking in the shadows. Something else is watching. A presence Nine can't explain, creeping just behind her thoughts, pressing down on her like unseen hands. It never strikes. It never speaks. It only waits. And somehow, she knows-it's always been there.

The board is set. The pieces are moving. And as the weight of a thousand shifting forces presses down, enemies and allies blur into something unrecognizable. In a world where trust is a gamble and survival is a razor-thin line, even the unlikeliest of players may find themselves standing on the same side.

"Cheshire Jr? Centre stage, my dear."