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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 11

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕪 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕗𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕒𝕕𝕠𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕤. As always, you tilted your head to the side.

"We, in Heartslabyul, must abide by the Queen of Hearts' rules, as you know by now. One of them, coincidentally, falls on this day, which is; the Unbirthday party. It's a celebration we partake in when nobody has a birthday; if the Housewarden feels like it. So, would you like to join?" Trey gave you a brief explanation, and you thought about it for a second, poking into your unfinished F/F.

"There'll be cakes and all kinds of deserts."

You nodded your head quickly.

Cater chuckled and rested his head against your shoulder once more. "Aah, (Name)-kouhai is so gullible when sweets are involved~" he smiled and took a gulp of your drink. You playfully slapped his hand and giggled. "Sorry~!"

"We'll explain everything later, so why don't you come over to Heartslabyul? The classes are over, after all." Trey suggested, and you nodded again.

You, Deuce, Ace and Grim shared the same look of happiness. "We'll meetcha there then!" Grim laughed, and finished your food without you noticing.

"Well, anywho. While we're at it, what exactly caused the obsession over rules for Housewarden? It's insane!" Ace grumbled angrily, munching on the last piece of his food.

"Insane, you say?" A voice rang from behind you and Ace. You whipped your head around, causing Cater to look to the side as well.

"Yeah! He's nothing but a crazy, rule-obsessed douche who won't get off his high horse!" Ace looked at Deuce, who was looking behind Ace with a frightened look.

"Care to repeat that, Ace?" Riddle spoke with a dark tone. Ace whipped his head around impossibly fast, widening his eyes. You, by reflex, raised your hands up with a sorry look.

"(Name), don't. You aren't responsible for rule-breaking troublemakers. Ah, Ace. I've only come to thank (Name) for the cookies she's made on your behalf. She was apologizing for your behaviour. Isn't that shameful?" He said with spite in his eyes, and a vein popping up on his forehead.

"H-Housewarden?! How did-! When did-! Huh?!" Ace could only stutter, scared for his life. Deuce leaned over the table and smacked the back of Ace's head. "Apologize, idiot!" He whisper-yelled, hoping Ace would take action.

"Haha... Riddle, you're looking as rose-like as usual.. How's your day finding ya..?" Cater nervously asked, the tension at the table rising.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Cater. Ace, it seems to me you'd like to keep your punishment longer. Very well, I won't release the collar. You leave me no choice. ...(Name)." He spoke in a cold tone, but then diverted his attention to you. You let your arms down and raised your chin as an 'elaborate' sign.

"May we talk in private after lunch? I'll be in the Hall of Mirrors." You nodded nervously. "Oh, and Grim can't come along. Have a good rest of your lunch, (Name)." Riddle warned the trouble-making cat who was resting in your lap. "M-Myah?! Why?!" Grim shouted, but Riddle was already walking away.

"That was... Scary. Wait, did he wish a good lunch specifically to (Name)-kouhai?! He forgot we're here~" Cater faked sadness, wiping imaginary tears off of his cheeks.

"...You know, Riddle asking to talk to you in private may be a good thing." Deuce put his chin on his palm, a puzzled look on his face.

The whole table turned around to meet his face. "Huh?" They said, in sync.

"I mean, it's clear as day Housewarden Riddle has taken a liking to (Name). If she can get him to calm down and rationalize, he could remove Ace's collar... I think?" Deuce looked at you, a slightly jealous look coating his vision.

"I mean, he does seem to have a soft spot for her, that's true... How you did that though, I have no idea. It's like you make everyone like you." Trey said, forgetting to hide the fact he's also taken a liking to the underclassman. "Everyone, huh~? Sounds like Trey is in love~!" Cater snickered at the now flustered Trey, a snug look in his eyes.

"I-I mean! As a friend, of course." Trey fixed his glasses nervously. Ace and Deuce laughed, and you were still thinking of what Riddle said. 'He wants to talk to me... Did I do something? D-Did I break a rule?!' you thought nervously, the image of your angry upperclassman engraved in your mind. 'M-Maybe he just wants to talk about the Unbirthday party? He may have overheard it...' you could only ponder and wonder what the redhead wanted.

After lunch, you sent Grim to go with Ace and Deuce, passing them a note that you'd meet them there. Ace pat your head and Deuce gave you a quick hug as a goodbye. You got rid of your tray, and then started walking towards the Hall of Mirrors. 'Wait... So that means Ace and Deuce met Riddle. Oh no, I hope nothing bad happens...' You sighed in distress, but hoped for the best.

It wasn't hard to spot your short upperclassmen, as there weren't many students to begin with. You waved at him with a smile. He looked over at you, a blush instantly overtaking his cheeks. He looked to the side with a grumpy look. You let your arm down and soon, you were in front of him.

"(Name). I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. Not to worry, though, I'm not going to yell at you. I'm simply going to break down the rules of Heartslabyul. By accident, I've overheard your conversation with Trey and Cater. Just because you're going to be a guest at my party doesn't mean you don't have to follow rules. Understand?" Riddle started walking towards the Heartslabyul Mirror, you quickly following behind.

Once you were out in the dorm, he led you towards the rose garden you've met Cater in. You nodded your head.

"Good. Then, I'll be more than happy to welcome you." Riddle smiled proudly, and in your opinion, it fit him a lot more than his evil smirk.

Riddle explained the rules of being a guest, and it actually wasn't that bad. You were told you'd be sitting next to the Housewarden, as a welcome sign. You'll also be gifted a desert of your choice.

Riddle looked happy with you. That's what Trey and Cater saw from the Heartslabyul window, anyway. "Do you think he's calmed down by now?" Cater asked with a bored look, silently admiring your smile as you listened to whatever Riddle said.

Trey nodded and looked to his right, where Cater resided at the couch. "Yeah, just look how happy he is. If nothing goes bad, Ace could have the collar removed by this evening." Trey fixed his glasses and then looked at the time.

"Ah, I must go and help Ace, Deuce and Grim bake that chestnut tart. I think we don't have enough chestnuts, though..." Trey mumbled mostly to himself, and left.

"Remember to call me when it's done!" Cater shouted at the leaving Trey, who huffed out in disappointment.

You were almost finished with the tour and rules, so you took out your notepad and started writing. You smiled at Riddle and passed him the paper. You didn't wait for his reaction, and hugged him. You then left, leaving him to finally read the note, his blush overtaking his face.

'Hi Riddle, it was super nice listening to you! I hope I don't break any rules, and if I do, please let me know! I don't wanna disappoint an upperclassmen, right? By the way, you should smile more. It suits you! :D ~(Name)'

That's it for chapter 11. It may be shorter than usual, but I think it's pretty wholesome. Hope ya liked it :D