*
"Who's been painting my roses red?"
**
Frozen Heart of the Villains' World Summary
Once upon a time in a land so far away, there was a land that no mortal dared to face. Ruling with an iron fist and standing center stage, was a noble princess who attended an all-boys school, Night Raven College.
A lot has happened in a span of one night and a full day. From Y/n's unexpected arrival to being sorted into every single dormitory. On her first day, she was greatly injured at the same time the Queen of Hearts statue was charred. Instead of taking responsibility, Ace skipped the punishment but in the end, he may have involved another student, Deuce Spade.
While chasing Grim who too also tried to skip washing 100 windows only to end up the boys breaking the chandelier. As punishment for that, Y/n followed the three brain cells to the Dwarfs' Mine with the promise to not overwork herself. But she had no choice but to use a sword method from long, long ago, Mist Breathing, and killed the monster with some extra help.
In the end, Y/n managed to bring back the magestone with Grim back to Night Raven College, which earned Grim the title of half student with the crown princess.
~Presently~
*
Heartslabyul Dorm - Hallway
Ace and Deuce had just arrived back at their dorm. They were completely exhausted from today's events. After all, it's been a really long day. "Talk about an exhausting first day," Ace yawned, talking down the hall with Deuce. "I'm gonna grab a bite and head to bed. You?" he asked.
"I'm good. I'll just head to my room," Deuce says, yawning.
"Gotcha," Ace nodded.
*
Lumikuinen Minka - Your Room
Back at Lumikuinen Minka, Y/n slept comfortably on her bed as Grim slept on the pillow in front of her. They both were in a fetal position while facing each other, sleeping peacefully.
Unknown to the sleeping beauty, the mirror inside her room glowed, before the light engulfed her into a dreamland.
*
Somnia Irae
(Dreamland of Wrath)
"Hurry and paint the roses red! Slather them quickly, as foresaid!" Three different voices sang, echoing through the dream. Y/n groaned tiredly, aware of the change as she shifted to the other side, trying to sleep, unknowingly, she slept on soft grass as the gentle breeze blew.
"Hurry, hurry! There are still roses left to paint!" The Ace of Clubs panicked, eagerly painting the white roses with red paint. Due to their rush, the grass beneath the trees had red paint all over.
A piece of grass tickled her nose, causing Y/n to wake up sneezing like a rabbit. "Ugh...*sniff*" she groaned, sitting up as she rubbed her eyes. Upon her vision cleared, she noticed that she was laying on grass, causing her to look around in confusion. She then turned to where she heard the voices from, only to see that she was in a rose maze with three card soldiers carrying buckets of red paint and a brush. "Huh...? They're painting...Roses? But...why is that?" she pondered curiously as she blankly watched the card soldiers paint.
Suddenly, in the corner of her vision, she saw a little girl with blonde hair and a blue dress curiously approaching the three card soldiers.
"Why are you painting these white roses red?" The little girl asked.
Alice Liddle was the girl's name. Her curious question made the card soldiers halt. "Huh?" They pondered out loud.
"Why, you ask?" The Two of Clubs asked. "It's quite simple. We planted the wrong color, you see," he stated.
"The Queen likes her roses red. If they're white, we'll lose our heads!" The Ace of Clubs explained, painting the brush across his neck in a slicing motion that caused the other two to shudder in fear.
"Goodness!" Alice gasped, widen her eyes in surprise.
"And so, we're painting the roses red," The Three of Clubs concluded.
**
Y/n watched with utter indifference, blinking ever so often in confusion. She then tried to stand up, but something stopped her. She looked down at her hand and noticed thorny rose vines wrapping around her limbs, causing blood in drip down. "Huh...? Rose vines...? Ouch!" she yelped when the thorns pierced her skin as more vines wrapped around her body as they pulled her down.
"Augh...b-brother...!" Y/n shouted, struggling to release herself from the vines as they pulled her even further. She reached her hand out toward the light, unable to reach it before she was completely pulled down into darkness.
**
As Y/n sank into the inky abyss, she heard a voice that sounded ethereal but couldn't see where it was coming from.
"Hello and goodbye, Mr. Pere Noel.
I've set your house on fire, pick which way you want to go to hell~
Shall I pull this trigger or let you melt on your pyre?
Drown in eternal hellfire..."
Y/n shielded her body with her wings, feeling strong heat as she fell and fell, feeling a very emotion that wasn't hers. "This feeling...why do I suddenly feel angry..." she wondered until she landed onto a bed of red roses surrounded by ink. She landed on her stomach, using her arms as support as she winced. "Where...am I...now?" she coughed. The place was suffocating as it looked like she was in some sort of heart themed throne room. For the first time in forever, she felt fear, remembering the suffocating feeling of being trapped in a vase made of water created by a demon from long ago that she killed.
She remembered the feeling of holding her breath for a long time as the demon waited for her to drown so he could make her body into a beautiful piece of twisted art. Y/n coughed slightly, covering her mouth. But to her surprise, she saw bloody rose-petals in her hand. "This...am I...?"
"This is why..." A dark voice muttered, gaining Y/n's attention. She looked up to see a shadow figure kneel down to her height. She shivered from the touch as the shadow figure caressed her check with an inky hand. "You should follow the rules, my noble and pure princess...My lovely Rose~"
Upon instinct, Y/n grabbed her ice katana from her side before swinging it toward the shadow figure, attempting to decapitate it but she was stopped when its inky hand grabbed her wrist. She widen her eyes before the figure was able to overpower her, pinning her harshly onto the ground. "Augh...!" she whimpered in pain as she coughed, more bloody rose petals coming from her mouth.
"You WILL obey me!" The shadow roared before it leaned down, hugging Y/n's trembling figure gently as she felt her throat in pain, like a burning sensation that was oddly familiar to her. She closed her eyes, feeling the ink dripping onto her face, oozing into her clothes that easier burn away, revealing her bare chest and her Heart of Aurora. "Oh, my dear lovely Rose...Only I...knows what's best for you...Only I can keep you safe from those who dare break MY law,"
"Ugh...." Y/n whimpered in pain as the ink burned her clothes away, touching her skin like hot wax.
"After all..." The Shadow mumbled before she saw a white grin from the shadow. "I am...Positively...CORRECT! WITHOUT ANY SHADOW OF DOUBT!" it exclaimed.
"Mmph?!" Y/n yelped when the shadow's connected its lips with hers, harsh yet passionate.
'It hurts...it burns...' Y/n thought as she slowly went unconscious.
*
"Give...Give me back my body...!" An unfamiliar voice screamed. It was filled with agony as someone dragged themselves onto the ground seemingly toward someone.
"Hm? Give it back?" A mocking voice asked. "You gave it to me in the first place. Why should I have to give it back?"
*
Lumikuinen Minka - Your Room
Upon hearing a sudden knock from the front door, Y/n fluttered her eyes away with a gasp and quickly shot up from her bed. She panted a little as she placed a hand on her head. "Ugh...I feel like I was having the strangest dream..." she mumbled, not really remembering what happened in her nightmare. She turned her head at the shoji door, hearing the knocks again. "Is someone knocking at the door...?"
"Myaaah...who's knockin' this late...?" Grim grumbled, a bit grumpy from having been woken up. "Maybe it's those pesky ghosts again? They just don't know when to quit," he scoffed.
"I highly doubt that...let's go check it out," Y/n yawned, standing up from her bed and placed on a robe over her body.
Her hair was in a braid that went over her bare shoulder as her sleeve droop down. She then opened the shoji door and quiet stepped over to the door in front of her, which was Isfrid's room. She peaked her head inside, seeing that Isfrid was peacefully asleep while holding onto his sword. She carefully closed to door after making sure that Isfrid wouldn't wake up and gesturing Grim to follow her in to the front door.
*
Lumikuinen Minka - Entry Hall
"Hellooo? Who is it?" Y/n asked upon arriving at the front door with Grim.
"It's me, Ace! Just let me in, all right?"
"Ace?" Y/n asked in confusion.
"It's the middle of the night!" Grim shouted, completely dumbfounded as Y/n opened the door, only to see a very grumpy Ace.
"B-bwah! That collar!" Grim yelped upon seeing a familiar collar around Ace once more as Y/n widen her eyes in surprise.
"I can't go back to Heartslabyul House. I'm joining your dorm starting today. For good," Ace angerily exclaimed, causing both Y/n and Grim to gasp.
"Myah?! Come again?!" Grim yelped as Y/n's expression turned into a dumbfounded one.
*
Lumikuinen Minka - Lounge
"You're staying here...?" Y/n meekly asked as a pouty Ace walked into the lounge. "Are you sure that's gonna be alright?"
"It'll be fine. Sorry for intruding~" Ace huffed, patting the sofa to dust it off a bit.
"I'd recognize that collar anywhere. It's the same one that psycho stuck on me at the orientation!" Grim pointed out as Ace rested his head on Y/n's shoulder when she sat next to him.
"What did you do that made you get collared...twice in one day...?" Y/n asked bluntly, tilting her head slightly as she stared at Ace.
Ace blushed in embarrassment from looking at her face from so close. It was so ethereal looking, especially when he had a closer look at her scales underneath her eyes. "I ate a tart," he revealed.
"You...ate a tart?" Y/n asked, sweatdropping with a deadpanned expression. Grim, who hopped onto the sofa from behind looked just as dumbfounded.
"Are you serious?" Grim asked dumbfoundedly.
"Yeah, that's it! That's all I did!" Ace huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms. "I was a little hungry, you see, so I went down to the dorm kitchen and found some starts in the fridge. Three whole tarts! Big ones, too!" he admitted as he rubbed the nape of his neck, explaining the events when he and Deuce arrived at the dorm.
[Flashback Start]
*
Heartslabyul Dorm - Kitchen
"Man, I'll still tired from our little adventure. I missed dinner, too, and now I'm starving!" Ace bemoaned as he walked into the kitchen. He walked over to the fridge. "There's gotta be something in the fridge..." he muttered as he opened the fridge only to see three beautifully made strawberry tarts that almost resembled gems in his eyes. "...Whoa, score! Tarts! Those look amazing! And plenty to go around, too! No one would notice if I snagged one teensy little slice, right? Don't mind if I do," he grinned as he grabbed a nearby pastry knife and cut himself a slice. He grabbed ahold of it in his hand and immediately took a bite. "*munch* Mmph...The hell? SO good! I'm in a pastry paradise right now!" he gleamed.
"As one would expect," A voice stated from behind with Ace's notice. "Trey made them. His tarts are always exceptional,"
"No, like, seriously! These are CRAZY good!" Ace brightens, taking the final bite of the tart, completely not noticing the person behind him glaring daggers at him until it was too late. "Like, he could sell these at- wait," he wearily turned around and immediately saw Riddle Rosehearts, looking down at the idiot with a menacing glare. "Housewarden?!"
"That you would think to touch something of MINE... Well, I'm impressed with your audacity, at least," Riddle glared as he recited a rule. "But the Queen of Hearts's rule 89 is quite clear. 'Never eat a tart without the Queen's permission.' The theft of tarts is a serious crime! I had literally just removed your collar...and yet here you are adding new crimes to the pile...It's seems you're rather fond of the guillotine. Perhaps I should sing Permafrostine's Blood's Refrain during your beheading?" he asked in a menacing tone.
Ace paled at the words, Blood's Refrain. "N-No, anything bu-" he backed away. Blood's Refrain is known as one of the most terrifying singing art that only mages with a large amount of mana are capable of using, for this terrifying curse as a dangerous effect. The spell accumulates a dangerous amount of blot in the user's body. If one is not prepared or simply isn't magically gifted, the singing curse can kill the user. Magicians with a magical gift such as students from Night Raven College are capable of using the curse without dying, but the curse accumulates blot way above their limit in their magestone. Most of the time, they have to seize using magic for three days to prevent an overblot.
Due to how dangerous it was, Magical institutes is always being warned about by teachers and parents. "Very well. I'll grant your wish," Riddle stated before lifting his staff. "Off With Your Head!"
"Bwaaaaaaah!"
[Flashback End]
*
Lumikuinen Minka - Lounge
"And...here I am," Ace said after his finished his explanation.
"....." Grim stared at him in silence.
"......." Y/n was also silent, blankly staring at the idiot.
"So...The point is you're terrible?" Grim asked bluntly.
"You don't think that it's insane for my magic to get sealed away for eating ONE slice of tart?!" Ace exclaimed, trying to defend himself. "For a mage, that's like having your arms and legs bound and shackled! And there were three whole tarts! THREE! It's not like he could eat 'em all himself!" he pointed out. "C'mon, you KNOW this is messed up! There's gotta be a limit to how narrow-minded you can be! I don't know if that's a rule or whatever, but...Bein' bothered by such small stuff isn't good for anyone's health!"
"I guess...?" Y/n trailed off.
"What kinda wishy-washy answer is that?!" Ace exclaimed in disbelief. Y/n just stared at the boy, completely unbothered.
"But you did eat it without permission, right? You shouldn't be stealing food," Y/n says.
"Huh?!"
"I mean, if there were three of 'em, they were probably for a party," Grim suggested. "Maybe it was someone's birthday or somethin'? Lookit that! I'm, like, a master detective too!"
"A birthday party, huh...?" Ace hummed in thought.
"Then of course he would be mad. Did you even apologize?" Y/n asked, crossing one leg over the other.
"Man...I thought you'd be more sympathetic!" Ace huffed. "I'm a victim of the housewarden's tyranny here!"
"Stealing food is a serious offense," Y/n sternly says.
"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" Ace whined.
"If you apologize, I'm sure he'll forgive you," Y/n softly says in reassurance.
"You don't go messin' with another man's meal..." Grim scolded, earning a glare from Ace in return. "Hey, wait a minute! I just realized I never got those cans of tuna the headmage promised me!" he suddenly realized.
"You only just noticed that?" Y/n asked in mild concern. 'And I thought I was the forgetful one...'
"Why do I gotta apologize?" Ace sassily asked.
"Because it's your fault," Y/n added.
"But..." Ace opened his mouth but Y/n showed no signs of taking back her request. "Ugh..."
"All right, all right. Fine! I get that I should apologize," Ace exclaimed in defeat. "But you're coming with me, Y/n. This was your idea, after all,"
"Fair enough..." Y/n nodded meekly.
"Anyway, you got a place for me to crash tonight?" Ace asked, relaxing a bit on the couch.
"You were serious about that?" Ace asked, crossing his arms with an unamused expression. "Outside of the bedroom me and Y/n use, along with lounge and kitchen, this entire dump is still buried under a foot of dust. So if you wanna crash, you better start cleanin'!"
"Dude, no way! I hate cleaning!" Ace complained. Then, he had an idea and smirked. "Just let me stay with you, Y/n," he cooed, blowing hot breath on her neck as he got closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. Y/n stared at Ace in confusion while completely unbothered from how oddly close his hand was to her bootay. "I'm real slim. I won't take up much space,"
"Allow me to introduce you to the lounge sofa," Y/n says.
"Tch. You're about as flexible as a brick," Ace grumbled.
Y/n cringed slightly before sighing. "Fine...You can sleep with me on my bed," she says, standing up before carrying Grim and Ace's wrist, dragging him out of the lounge to her room, catching the boy off guard.
"H-Huh?!" Ace blushed immediately. "I-I was just kidding! I-I don't mind sleeping on the sofa!"
~To be Continued~