*
"So this is how you want to play? Use this magic and make you my prey. Eye for an eye, life for life. Come my 'friend,' this is my revenge"
**
Heartslabyul Dorm - Tea Garden
The group soon arrived at the dorm with Cater leading the way to the unbirthday party venue. Ace held onto a beautiful fancy small box that had the Mont Blanc inside. Due to how tired he was, he yawned.
Cater grinned as he turned over to the group. "It's time for Heartslabyul's Time-Honored Unbirthday Party!" he cheered, opening the gates to the tea garden. The scene was breathtaking, almost as if it came straight from a fairytale.
"Wow..." Y/n awed.
"Talk about swanky!" Grim exclaimed.
"...Hm?" When Ace took a closer look toward the crowd, he noticed that there were some students with familiar collars sealed around their necks. "Are there a lot of guys in collars or what?"
"It's a looong story," Cater nervously says. He gestured the group to follow him as he escorted them to their own table. As per a certain request from the housewarden, their table was near the housewarden's table.
Upon taking their seats, the sound of a trumpet was heard which immeidately caught the attention of all. "All hail our leader, the red sovereign himself...Housewarden Riddle!" A student announced as 5 students on each side lined up a path for Riddle, standing like the card soldiers of lore, making way for the Queen.
"We salute you, Housewarden Riddle!"
The students cheered in joy as Riddle walked into the tea garden with Trey following behind. Y/n had her eyes on Riddle, admiring how majestic he looked.
"Would you look at that...you've caught her attention..." A dark female voice says, only heard by Riddle. He couldn't help but mentally smile victoriously as the shadow figure of a young girl loomed over the housewarden. "Remember the plan we discussed...for Y/n shall be all yours if we succeed..." she reminded.
'Of course...Irina...' Riddle replied in his thoughts before he looked around the garden while making his way to his seat, inspecting it with a strict expression. "Hm. The garden roses are bathed in red, the tablecloths are decked in white...A completely flawless unbirthday indeed," he praised as took a seat. "Is there a dormouse asleep in the teapot, as there should be?" he asked.
"Of course," Trey nodded as he poured Riddle a cup of tea. "And should it become necessary, we've also prepared the jam to spread on his nose,"
"Very good," Riddle nodded in acknowledgement.
"Myah! Those are some fancy duds!" Grim beamed, admiring the Heartslabyul outfits that everyone wore.
"These are Heartslabyul dorm clothes. Aren't they fierce?" Cater smiled, showing off the dorm uniform he wore, especially in front of the crown princess. "At the forefront of fashion, and they look great on Magicam. One of the Queen's rules mandates formal dress on party days, for they are absolute and all that jazz,"
"Real shame that i can't just go grab mine at our dorm. Thanks to a certain SOMEONE," Ace snarkly says.
"Same here," Deuce sighed.
"I don't think I have one of my very own...noting that it is proper etiquette to follow the theme of a tea party," Y/n mumbled, sulking slightly for not having prepared a dress to match the theme of the party.
"Don't worry about it," Cater assured, taking out his magical pen. "As a show of kindness from a beloved mentor, I'll help coordinate your outfits," he says, waving his magical pen, causing the group's outfits to transform.
As Ace's and Deuce's uniform transformed into their Heartslabyul dorm uniform, Grim's Lumikuinen bow changed into Heartslabyul's colors and Y/n's school uniform changed into a female variation of the Heartslabyul uniform, customed made just for her.
"Whoa!" Deuce awed, completely blown away from the magic.
"Lookin' sharp," Ace grinned.
"Myah! So cool!" Grim exclaimed in glee, admiring his new bow.
Y/n grabbed the edges of her dress and gave it a little twirl, causing it to spin around like a blooming rose. "How lovely...This is certainly exceptional," Y/n praised, turning toward Cater and placed her hands behind her back cutely. "Thank you, Cater. You all look fantastic," she thanked. The three boys, including nearby students, blushed from how beautiful she looked. Like a spring blossom blooming after a harsh winter.
"No problem, N/n!" Cater smiled.
"You look beautiful too, lil' Rabbit!" Ace smiled, giving a thumbs up.
"I agree. You're absolutely breathtaking, Rabbit," Deuce smiled.
"Now, let's tear this party up! And don't forget to give Riddle the tart," Cater reminded with a grin, earning a grunt from Ace.
"Before we begin the croquet tournament, let us make a toast. I trust that everyone had their teacup ready?" Riddle asked as he raised his teacup with everyone else following right after. "On this most significantly unauspicious of days, I bid all in attendance...a very merry unbirthday!" he saluted.
"To a very merry unbirthday!"
Riddle looked over to Y/n as she took a sip of her tea. She caught his gaze, having Riddle gesturing for her to come to him. Y/n nodded and turned back to her friends. "I'll be right back. The Housewarden is calling for me," she says.
"Alrighty!" Grim nodded as he happily drank his tea.
Y/n tilted her head a bit before she walked over to Riddle's table, stopping right in front of it and politely curtsied toward the Queen. "How can I help you, Housewarden Rosehearts?" she asked respectfully.
"No need to be so formal with me, my Rose. For you can just call me Riddle," He smiled as he stood up, gesturing for someone to grab another chair for her. When Y/n walked around the table with a student placing a chair behind her, Riddle gently took ahold of her hand, kissing the back of it nobly. "You look beautiful in a custom made Heartslabyul uniform, indeed," he complimented as she took her seat. "Would you like to play a match of croquet together after some tea?"
"I'll think about it," Y/n meekly says. Riddle had a blush on his face as he conversed with his crush while she elegantly ate the seats he offered her to try.
Cater looked over to them and saw an opportunity. "Ace, now is your chance!"
"Right...Here goes," Ace nodded and grabbed the boxed tart before walking over to Riddle and Y/n. He held the box behind his back, wanting to surprise Riddle as he came over with a friendly smile. "Um, Housewarden, sir..."
Riddle and Y/n looked up toward Ace, with the redhead having a visible scowl of displeasure when the ginger interrupted his conversation with HIS Rose. "Ah, it's you. The tart thief," he says, narrowing his eyes slightly as he placed his teacup down. Riddle looked over to Y/n who nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, so, I wanted to apologize for eating that tart the other day," Ace says, wincing slightly from his nickname. "We made you a new tart to replace it,"
"Did you now? What sort of tart, exactly?" Riddle asked, raising a eyebow in curiously.
"I'm so glad you asked!" Ace says with a bright smile and placed the box on the table, opening it, revealing the Mont Blanc to Riddle. "It's Mont Blanc, made with tons of freshly made picked chestnuts! I swear, we weren't stringy with them,"
"Mont Blanc, you say...!" Riddle asked, his calm demeanor quickly shifting to one filled with disbelief. "Unbelievable!!!"
"What?!" Ace gasped. Trey and Cater quickly turned toward Riddle in surprise with Deuce widen his eyes. Y/n softly widen her eyes as her mouth opened slightly.
"By the decrees of the Queen of Hearts, article 562: One must never bring a Mont Blanc to an unbirthday tea party'!" Riddle recited as he stood up, slamming his hands on the table, causing Y/n to slightly flinch.
"This is an utterly flagrant rule violation! Do you understand what you've done?! You've ruined our perfectly ideal unbirthday!" Riddle snapped.
"Article 562?!" Deuce yelped.
"Huh...So that what article 562 mentioned..." Y/n remembered, unsure how to handle the situation.
"J-Just how many rules are there?" Deuce asked.
"Eight Hundred and ten," Riddle snarled. "And as Housewarden, I've memorized every single one of them," he says, pointing to his head with a glare.
"Wh- 810?!" Grim yelped.
"That's insane..." Cater muttered before turning to Trey. "...Did you know about this, Trey?"
"I was only able to memorize up to 350 or so," Trey nervously says. "Who knew there were rules on the type of tart...?"
"I did," y/n confessed, causing everyone to widen their eyes in shock.
"Huh?! How come you didn't tell us sooner, lil' rabbit?!" Ace exclcaimed in disbelief.
"I've forgotten until Riddle mentioned it," Y/n bluntly recalled, having an indifferent expression. "Sorry I guess..."
"Y/n....!" Ace whined.
"How could you forget such an important detail?!" Deuce asked her, causing Y/n to lower her head in guilt.
"They dare to yell at her majesty...they must be blaming her for her forgetfulness," The same voice taunted Riddle.
"Enough! You will not put the blame on her majesty when you're the ones who are incompetent!" Riddle exclaimed, causing the boys to flinch from his sudden insult.
"Riddle...I'm also at-" Y/n begun to say but Riddle refused to listen, completely blind with anger.
"As housewarden of a dorm established to honor the Queen of Hearts' severity over everything else, I can't possibly turn a blind eye to this infraction," he gritted hi teeth in anger. "Discard that Mont Blanc this instant!"
"Whoa, hold up! Is that one of your rules too?!" Ace exclaimed. "You're making zero sense here!"
"Yeah, he's right!" Grim shouted. "Lemme eat it if you're gonna toss it!"
"Housewarden, allow me to apologize," Trey says. "I was the one who suggested making a Mont Blanc,"
"I was a part of that too," Cater confessed with a nervously smile. "Who knew there'd be a rule like that anyway, am I right? Even Y/n had forgotten,"
"That it was made isn't important. The issue is bringing it HERE. Today. That is the source of the problem!" Riddle shouted.
"How can you be so mean after he worked so hard?" An indifferent Y/n asked, grabbing onto Riddle's cape. "After all, do we really need to follow that foolish rule?" she bluntly asked, causing the students to freeze up in horror. "Nobody seems to be bothered by the Mont Blanc's presence or anything..." she bluntly says, looking aloof.
"It seems that those vermin already have an influence on her..."
For some reason, Riddle felt an unfamiliar anger burn within him. He clenched his hair, making a fist as an illusion played before him triggered by the shadow hovering behind him.
*
"Please, darling...!" A familiar snow-white hair women pleaded, on her knees as she clutched onto HIS cape. "Forgive them...for they are only just learning how to control their magic at the academy...!" she begged.
A few students were behind the women, trembling in fear. One of them was bleeding from the arm, rapidly loosing blood "That doesn't change the fact that those fools decided to fool around with dangerous magic and injured you!" An angered voice exclaimed. "How dare they make the First Head of the Minister of Magic bow and beg like a servant in front of these lowly nobles! I shall make them and their family's pay at once! No matter what the king says!"
"Darling...Please wait...!"
*
"Yeah!" Ace shouted, agreeing with Y/n, causing Riddle to snap out of his trance. "All you do is cite one stupid rule after another! You sound totally foolish!"
Riddle halted in his movement and stared at Ace with widen eyes. "What did you just call me?" he asked, processing Ace's words before his face clenched with rage. "'Foolish'?!"
Cater flinched in surprise. "Everyone, stop! Don't dig this hole any deeper!" he desperately says before quickly turning to Riddle. "And Riddle, please try to remember that these are new students who've only been here a few days!"
"But I memorized all 810 rules even before I got here..." Y/n bluntly stated. "Even though I easily forget until something reminds me..."
"N/n!" Cater whined.
Ace glared intensely at Cater and then at Riddle. "Yeah, no. I've got a shovel and I am DIGGING. Throwing away a tart to obey some insane rule is about as foolish as it gets. Y/n even helped to suit your taste!"
"I agree with Ace," Deuce admitted, taking a stand against Riddle. "Of course, I understand that rules do need to be followed, but...This is going much too far,"
"You've got a lot of nerve to mouth off at me like that," Riddle says.
"Listen carefully," Riddle says in a warning tone. "By breaking even the smallest rule, you are throwing wide the gate to anarchy," he says, clenching his fists on the table.
"Everyone, I know you're afraid of getting your magic sealed away, but you know this is insane, right?" Ace asked, turning to the other students.
"No, we just..." A student began.
"Oh, really?" Riddle asked, causing the students to flinch in fear when he glared at them.
"Far from it, Housewarden Riddle, sir!"
"We trust in your judgement, sir!"
"You little..." Grim growled.
"You spineless, fair-weathered cowards..." Ace huffed.
"In the year since I became housewarden, not a single student from Heartslabyul House has dropped out or been held back a year," Riddle proclaims. "We are the only house that can boast such a feat. Furthermore, of everyone in this dorm, I have the best academic standing. Hence, I am the most correct! If you would simply obey me without question, we wouldn't need to contend so," he exclaimed loudly and firmly, glaring at the students as Y/n just staring up at the clouds.
"Listen, we-!" Deuce stuttered.
"They will never admit their wrongdoings..."
Riddle narrowed his eyes, clenching his hand that gripped his staff. "It's not like I want to send all your heads rolling. You rulebreakers are the ones in the wrong. Deliberately disobey me and it's Off With All Your Heads!" he exclaimed.
"Just go with the flow, guys and say, 'yes, Housewarden Riddle,'!" Cater told everyone so things don't get any worse than it already is.
"...I don't think so," Deuce replied.
"No way am I gonna kneel before this self-important tyrants!" Ace shouted.
"What...Did you just say?" Riddle asked, his face turning pale.
"Soon...Very Soon...Y/n will be in the palm of their hands,"
"He called you a tyrant for wantin' to destroy good food just 'cause you're throwin' a tantrum!" Grim bluntly exclaimed with his arms crossed.
"Guys, I don't think we need to escalate this-" Deuce nervously says.
"Riddle," Y/n sternly says, turning to Riddle with a harsh look in her dull eyes, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. "Ace and Grim are right. You're nothing but an incompetent tyrant!" she says, placing a finger at the center of his chest firmly. "Completely and utterly unfit to be ruler...to be Housewarden," she says fore she stepped away from Riddle only to be harshly grabbed by the shoulders by Cater.
"N/n you idiot!" Cater yelped in fear, shaking her angrily as she just stared at him with an unbothered expression. "You're not helping the situation!"
Drip...
"Off! With! Your! Heads!"
~To be Continued~