Beauty & The Beasts (Twisted Wonderland x Reader)

An Unhinged Tyrant -27-

Riddle huffed and crossed his arms. "Enjoy your moment of freedom. The collar will be back on soon enough. I could hardly believe it when I heard you two intended to duel me. Is this a joke?" He questioned with a small eyebrow raise. Ace glared in return. "Do I look like I'm joking?" He resorted. Deuce nodded in agreement. "I'd never propose a duel as a joke."

You took a deep breath in and held Grim closer to your chest. Riddle raised his chin. "Hmph. Have it your way. Let us get this over with." Meekly, Cater raised a finger in question. "Uh, Riddle, what do you want to do about today's afternoon tea?" He questioned.

The redhead gave his fellow student a pointed glare. "A foolish question. You know that the rules stipulate I take my tea every day at 4 p.m. sharp." He resorted. Cater glanced at his phone with an unsure look. "It's just that it's already past 3:30..." Cater mumbled.

His glare intensified. "And you fear that I will be late? All the more reason to end this promptly. It appears I have little time to waste. Rather than facing my opponents in succession, I will take on both at once." Your eyes widened. "W-Wait, you can't be serious." You stammered only to regret even opening your mouth when Riddle looked your way.

The same complete and utter distaste evident on his face as he began to speak. "And you. I'm not sure why you're here. You're not even part of this dorm. Unfortunately, there are no current rules stating you are not allowed to witness this duel, but I assure you that after this, you will be permanently banned from Heartslabyul and all it's related events." The boy hissed out.

Your heart cracked as you tried to look anywhere but the boy, clamping your lips shut. Grim glared, letting out a small growl and 'hey!' However, you knew those words were directed at you. For you. Said specifically for you. It hurt. It really did. For the first time you've felt welcomed by people your age who genuinely seemed to want you there. Now it was all going away.

The four boys around you stiffened. Ace and Deuce glared, gripping their magic pens as small growls left their lips. The third years beside you sucked in a breath. "C'mon, Riddle..." Cater mumbled in a soft disappointment and distress. Trey continued to stay silent, eyebrows furrowed and frown painted over his face.

A few students in the crowd pumped their fists. "You can do it, Housewarden! Knock 'em dead, sir!" They chanted.

Deuce clenched his fist and scowled. "Cowards." He hissed under his breath. Grim twisted his face up, curling in closer to you. "Myah. I got a bad feelin' about this." He mumbled. Ace sighed and readied his pen. "Hey, at least we got a plan!"

Riddle turned to Crowley, blank look on his face. "Headmage, please give us the signal." He said calmly yet firmly. Crowley raised his chin and brought a small mirror into the air. "When the mirror I've thrown shatters upon the ground, that is your signal to begin." What kind of practice was that?

"Ready... Go!"

The battle didn't last very long. Although Ace and Deuce were able to throw a few spells at their housewarden, Riddle easily dodged and used his unique magic, effectively clamping collars around both Ace and Deuce's necks yet again.

"Bwaaaaah!"

You flinched, backing up a few steps as Trey pursed his lips and sighed.

Ace slumped forward. "Urrrgh... Not again. I didn't even have time to finish my spell!" He complained. Deuce stood there wide eyed, completely stunned. "He shut us down like it was nothing..." The navy haired male babbled.

Crowley smiled without a care in the world, hand upon his hip. "Visualization is key to spell casting. The better you are at accurately visualizing your magic's effects, the stronger and more precise it will be. It would appear Mr. Rosehearts has finely honed his magic." He explained.