"Laws of the Queen of Hearts Number #249: One must wear pink clothes when feeding the flamingos." Riddle stared down at the poor Heartslabyul student with his staff in his hand. "You were supposed to be in charge of feeding them today. Why are you not wearing any pink clothes?"

"I'm so sorry, my clothes were in the laundry…" He tried to reason with him, but Trey knew all those pleadings went deaf in Riddle's ear. "Prefect! Please, I'm begging you… Don't cut off my head!"

"This makes the second time you've broken the rules. I can't overlook any more than that." The gem on the staff glowed as a magic circle appeared around the boy's neck. "[Off With Your Head]!"

As the poor boy screamed as Riddle slammed his staff to the ground, locking the collar like he had done many times before. The child was trembling but Trey couldn't make a move to comfort him. He didn't dare to make the situation worse and trigger Riddle even more.

Riddle turned around, his side cape flying behind him. "Write me a 5000-word reflection essay, and do weeding in the garden for a week. After that, I'll remove the collar." He gave him a cold glance. "I'm not doing this because I enjoy it. It's your fault for breaking the rules. Nothing will become of you if you don't learn to follow the rules, you understand?" He sighed turning back to the window of his room. "Trey, Cater, please take him outside."

And like always, Trey just answered. "Yes, Prefect…"

Some friend he turned out to be…

"Senior Clover."

Trey turned his head to the side. The first-years from yesterday stood at the small hallway between the library bookshelves. Deuce and Ace were the closest to him, while Johan and Grim on his shoulder stood behind them, leaning against the shelf.

"How did you know I'm here?" Trey asked.

"A lucky guess, actually," Jonah said. "We hope that you haven't returned the cookbook after yesterday's party, so we just took that small chance."

Trey sighed, pushing the book onto the shelf. "Alright, you got me cornered," he said, turning toward him, arms crossed in front of his chest. "What do you want?"

"We still can't be convinced with the way the Prefect does things," Ace said. "What do you think? Have you always been enabling him like this since you were kids?"

Trey frowned. "Who did you hear that from?"

"From someone called Che'nya," Deuce answered. Trey noticed how Jonah hugged himself tighter. Of course, it had to be Che'nya. What was he doing here? Being a nosy cat like he always be.

"Hey, you're older than Riddle, ain'tcha?" Grim asked, flying to land on Deuce's shoulder. "Why don't you get mad at him?"

Trey held his arm tighter. "I'll do that if there's a need to, but…" he sighed. "I can't bring myself to scold him."

Ace frowned at him. "Why?"

"Everything that Riddle is right now is because he was raised with very harsh rules," he answered. At that moment, he could see the first-years was surprised.

Trey pushed his glasses up his nose and he continued, "The Rosehearts family is a family of doctors who is very close to the Rose Kingdom Court, even if they aren't noble themselves. Riddle's parents, especially his mother, Lady Mira, is the Rose Kingdom's Queen's private doctor and one of the strongest magicians in the kingdom. It's especially well-known that she wished for Riddle to be the same, maybe even surpassing her one day. That's why everything from what time he wakes up to what time he goes to sleep, and even what academic programs he'll do is decided for him."

Trey always remembered that innocent look. The way those grey-eyes widened in awe when he put his very first (successful) strawberry tart on his bakery window. Though Trey could notice other things from the boy, like the bags under his eyes and some red marks on his hand. Which was weird. From his clothes, he looked like he came from the upper-class district like Che'nya, unlike Trey's simpler middle-class outfit. A noble perhaps? A member of the court?

Before he could even wave his hand. The boy looked to the side with surprise and… A bit of fear? He glanced at the tart one last time before running away. And Trey just stood there, more confused and curious than ever.

Grim paled. "Geh… Everything…?"

Trey nodded. "What he can eat, what he should wear, and what sort of friends he can make were all decided for him. To answer his parents' expectations, especially his mother, Riddle kept quiet and did his best. And by the time he was 10 years old, he had perfected that unique magic of his."

"Is this the house?"

"Nyeah~ Look! There he is!"

Che'nya pointed to the second-floor window where a little boy was sitting next to it. There he was! The boy who stopped at the window bakery yesterday. The boy was writing something in his book, looking so serious.

"Che'nya!" Trey hissed when the cat-boy decided climbed the rose bush surrounded the house. Like it or not, Trey had to follow him, worried that Che'nya might ruin their chance. Damn it. Why did he like to go through bushes instead of around him?

Trey managed to crawl out just when Che'nya started shouting. "Nyaho~!"

The red-haired kid shot his head out, nearly dropping his book as he looked down. "E-Eh?" He was confused, Trey understood him. After all, what were some random kids suddenly appeared in your yard and shouting at you?

"Hey, want to play with us~" Che'nya shouted without any preamble or something. "It's a beautifur day~!"

The kid blinked in confusion. He looked into the room before looking at them again, hugging his book close to his chest. "I can't. I'm supposed to be studying now."

"Myah…" Che'nya pouted. "Don't worry just for a bit~"

"I can't mama will be angry-" Suddenly he turned his head and Trey could see his eyes widened and the same fear that he saw that day was back. "I-I was just about to close the window." He turned around, giving them a small shake of his head before closing the window.

"Mew~ He's no fun~" Che'nya sulked. "Though I heard his mowmew is scary."

Trey looked back to the window. He could see the boy again from here. He wondered… Maybe he could visit him again when he wasn't studying.

Jonah looked down at his shoes. "That's kinda… Harsh…"

Trey sighed again. "Riddle thinks that being harsh will benefit everyone in the long run. He believes that being bound to harsh rules and obeying them out of fear will make people grow because that's how he was raised. And he thinks that breaking the rules is a bad thing because…"

"Because if he overlooks the rule-breakers, it's as if… As if he's denying everything that he was made to be…" Ace finished. "Right…?"

Trey nodded. "I understand why you'd think of him as a tyrant, and I understand that the way he does things is a little wrong, too. But, I… I still can't find it in myself to go against him at all."

"Ah…" Grim's ears went down.

Deuce just looked uncomfortable. "So the prefect endured all that…"

Ace and Jonah was silent, didn't dare to look Trey straight in the eyes. Ace then sighed. "I think I get it now… The reason why Prefect Riddle is like that… It's all your fault."

Deuce and Grim looked up at Ace in shock. "Eh?"

Jonah glared at Ace. "Ace, watch your mouth…"

But Ace ignored him, stepping forward until his and Trey's chest were nearly touching. "Riddle can't do anything about his parents because he didn't choose to have them as parents. But at the very least, you've always thought that the way his parents treated him was unfair, right?"

Trey paled. "That's…"

"Why can't you just come down for a while?" Che'nya looked up again. He lifted a box filled with Trey's homemade sweet bean buns. "This taste really good, nyah~ Try it~ Come down~"

Like many times, Riddle shook his head. "I can't." Though he was biting his lips. "Mother says that too much sugar is not good for my body. I can get fat."

For some reason, Trey felt insulted. He could make bread that can be healthy and delicious at the same time. Heck, he could make a vegan crepe if he wanted. Riddle's mom just being mean. What kind of mother doesn't let her son eat cakes?

"If you think that the Prefect's making the same mistakes as his parents, then tell him directly. Put him on the right track." Ace poked Trey's chest. "What's gonna happen to him if you just feel sorry and spoil him? So you're just gonna watch everyone hate him and alienate him from a distance?"

"Why do you guys always visit?" Riddle asked, looking down at Trey. He was alone this time, Che'nya was grounded because he pulled some pranks in school.

"Because I want to be your friend," Trey answer. He remembered the way Riddle's eyes widened and cheek flushed. It was adorable.

"I… Never have a friend before…" he said, and honestly, that just broke Trey's heart.

"Ace, I'm warning you! Stop-" Jonah grabbed Ace arm, but Ace pulled it back, still staring straight into Trey's eyes, his voice became louder and louder.

"Or what? You're keeping quiet because you're scared of that collar? You're super lame! You call yourself his childhood friend, but the way things are, you're not even his friend at all!"

Trey clenched his fist. What was he supposed to respond to? Said that Ace was right? Denied it? He knew he was wrong for letting Riddle on his way, but what could he do? It was always like this. Trey maybe looks smart, but when it comes to Riddle, he always gets confused. His family was not as strict as Riddle, so how could he put himself on Riddle shoe? Why couldn't Ace see this?!

"EXCUSE ME, ALL OF YOU!"

A bird mask suddenly appeared in the gap of book between Ace and Trey, making the kids in the corridor scream.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

And of course, Crowley screamed louder.

"BE QUIET IN THE LIBRARY!"

"Headmaster, please," said Johan, clutching his chest. "Don't scare us like that!"

"You're the one shouting here, yanno," Grim mumbled, hanging on Deuce back, who was nearly fainted.

"Oh." Crowley cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Pardon me." He pulled himself back. The kids could hear some footsteps before finally, Crowley entered their hall.

"Good grief, the library is meant to be a quiet place where people can study and enjoy reading," he said in a much softer voice.

"Forgive us," Jonah said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But what are you doing here, Headmaster?"

"I was researching ways on how to get you back to your home. I didn't forget it at all, see?" Crowley fixed his vest, looking proud of himself. "Oh, how kind of me~ Research starts at the library, after all."

The first years looked at each other, for some reason weren't convinced with the answer. They stared at Crowley as if asking 'are you sure about that?' Crowley cleared his throat again. "So, what is everyone doing here with such troubled faces?"

All of them looked at each other again before Deuce spoke, "Well…"

"I see, so that's what happened…" Crowley nodded as he tapped his chin. They all decided to sit down at the corner of the library, near the restricted area, far from anyone, to recount everything that had happened, from the part where Ace ate the tart until the ruined Unbirthday Party. Trey noticed that the first-years skipped the part where Che'nya showed up for some reason.

"You don't want to apologize to have the collar taken off, but you know that convincing the Prefect will not go smoothly…" said the headmaster again.

Deuce nodded, his hands folded on top of the table. "That's about it, yeah."

"I see. If you dislike the way your prefect does things, you do have the option to switch dormitories," explained Crowley. "However, the Dark Mirror is the one that judges based on what it sees in your soul, so it is quite a herculean task to transfer dormitories."

"Transferring, huh…" Ace leaned back to his chair with arms folded in front of him. "I feel like I'd lose to him if I did that, so I don't really wanna go for it."

Crowley nodded. "Very well. Then how about challenging Rosehearts to a duel and then take the title of prefect for yourself?"

"EEEEEEHHHHHHHH!?"

Crowley shushed them again. "I said, please keep it down!"

"It's because you said something weird, Headmaster!" Ace whispered back.

"Nothing strange in it at all, My Boy," Crowley said again. "Young Rosehearts himself got the position by doing the same thing, after all."

"How is the prefect position decided here in Night Raven College?" asked Deuce.

"They can either be appointed by the previous prefect or they can win a duel against them. However, there are also other ways," Crowley explained. "A duel is one of the simpler ways, I'd say."

Jonah frowned. "But didn't you say that using magic for one's benefit was forbidden?"

Crowley nodded again. "For personal gain, yes. However, a duel appointed and approved by the Headmaster himself due to official and valid reasons is another story."

"If I remember correctly," Trey added. "It's forbidden to enforce a handicap on your opponent before a duel starts, so you can have the collar taken off without apologizing to Riddle. Ah, but…"

"New students are given the right to challenge their prefect should they want to." Crowley turned to Ace, staring straight at him with his glowing yellow eyes. "What will you do, Mister Trappola? Will you challenge him?"

Without hesitation, Ace stood from his seat, hands slamming the table. "Alright, then. I'll show him who is boss."

Deuce also stood up, which surprised Trey. "I'll do, too."

Grim flew to the air, pumping his paws up. "Me, too!"

"Unfortunately, you're from a different dorm so you can't participate, Grim," Crowley said.

Grim dropped back to the table, disappointed. "Then who's gonna take my collar off?!"

Ace grinned at him, patting him on the head. "If I become prefect, I'll order that Riddle to take it off for ya!"

Grim folded his paws in front of his chest. "Damn it… This is a chance for me to show off my skills, too…" he grumbled.

Ace laughed, his eyes burned with determination. "When I become the prefect, I'll have him say 'It's all my fault, I'm sorry' to me! And I'll make him stop enforcing all those dumb rules!" He turned to the boy who was sitting next to Trey. "Well, Captain?"

All eyes focused on Jonah, including Trey's. After a long silence, Jonah finally sighed. "I can't stop you, can I?"

"I'm sorry, Captain," Deuce spoke. "But as a man, wouldn't it be great to aim for the top at least once?" He gave them a nod. "I'll do my best for the team if we're gonna go ahead and challenge him."

"Your bad-boy side is showing again~" Ace snickered, which caused Deuce's cheeks turned red.

"Eh? It's okay… right?"

Jonah let out another sigh as he stood up. "Fine," he said, earning brighter smiles from the rest of the first years. He looked up to him, eyes shone as a warning. "But the second things get worse, I'm pulling everyone out. Understand?"

All of them gave him a salute. "Aye aye, Captain!"

Crowley nodded, somewhat satisfied with the decision. "Then, I shall inform you of the proceedings of the duel…"

Nobody was feeling like another card game night. That was understandable. Jonah sighed as he stared up his ceiling, playing toss-and-catch with the bronze orb. His mind still wandered to the incident earlier. So, Senior Rosehearts, Senior Clover, and that Che'nya-cat know each other. Not only that…

Down with the bloody red queen...

Why did he say that? He was sure he heard that before. But from where...

And how did that Che'nya-cat know that he said that? Who is he anyway...?

This thought was interrupted when he heard the sound of the trumpet. He caught the orb and sat upon his bed, looking around the room. Who blew that in the middle of the night? The trumpet kept going until Jonah finally looked down at the orb. Oh, is it time again?

After some clicking and turning several, the orb opened and release the strange light, at the same time his right eye glow in a similar glow under his bangs. However this time, it didn't take him to the rose garden, but toward a room and he was sitting in some sort of box. There were two stands in front of him, facing each other. On the lower stand, stood the blond girl in her blue dress.

"I'll give you a piece of my mind. What kind of a queen are you?! You're just a selfish and evil tyrant who does what she wants."

On the opposite stand, taller than the girl's, was the Queen of heart herself.

"What did you just say, girl?"

All of a sudden, a chubby pink and purple cat suddenly appeared, sitting on top of the queen's head, but strangely enough, she didn't even realize it.

"She called you a selfish tyrant~"

The Queen immediately turned red because of anger.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

Out of the shadows and from the black floor, cards suddenly jumped out, raining down the girl and Jonah. They were blocking his vision from the girl, but he could get a glimpse of her running away before the waterfall of cards blocked his vision entirely.

When the last card soldier fell, Jonah finally realized that he was back in his room. He stared at the ord. What is this thing anyway? Why is it showing stuff that isn't related to him?

Jonah fell back to his bed, lifting the orb in front of his face. He couldn't think about the vision/dream/hallucination right now. Tomorrow was the big day, and he needed to make sure his crew wouldn't go too far.