A huge hunt for a selective mother for child was over. They had found the woman to mother the child. The one who exceled all in magical talent of the light. 

I still don't understand why i was chosen. But i was told it would be okay...

The dark seed embedded into my 'cradle'. I must wait for the arrival of 'The black God's child'.

--------------------

[LOCATION: Woods Behind Campus]

After school, Chernette, Ace, Deuce and Grim went over to the woods to get some wild chestnuts, and it was plentiful of them.

"Whoa! There really are a lotta chestnuts here! If we have this much, then it's all-you-can-eat marron tarts for us! Gehehe..." Grim chuckled as he started to walk without taking a certain thing into account. "Let's hurry and—Ouch!! Gah! The chestnut's thorns dug into my pawpads!"

"That's because chestnuts are prickly." Chernette told the cat.

"Looks like it'll be impossible to pick them up with bare hands. I would also like to have a bucket to place them all in, too." Deuce said looking around for a bucket.

"Maybe we can find those things in the botanical garden?" Ace asked.

"Good idea." Deuce added as they walked over to the garden.

"Whoa! It looks bigger on the inside." Ace remarked.

"We should be able to find the necessary tools here. Should we split up and look?" Deuce asked.

"Sure, Grim and I will check the inner gardens." Chernette volunteered.

"I'll go right, then." Ace decided.

"I'll check west." Deuce finished.

"Hey, come look at this. It looks like there're tonsa fruits here! They smell so good!" Grim expressed gleefully.

"These are all plants I've never seen before." Chernette said as she looked around, but she wasn't looking where she was going. And the same time, the same feeling she had back at the cafeteria happened, only this time, with her right shoulder.

???: Ow–!

'Wha? Did I step on something?' Chernette thought as she looked down

???: Hey. You've got guts stepping on someone's tail without apologizing.

"Are you the guy tending to this place? Wow, you've got quite a scary mug..." Grim asked the new individual.

???: "I went here thinking I can have a peaceful nap, but then my tail gets stepped on. This's the worst." He grumbled, ignoring Grim.

"I'm so sorry!" 'But It's your fault for letting your tail stick out on the path though.' She thought.

???: You... you're the new prefect everyone's talkin about." He said as he leaned in and...(sniffs Chernette)

'H-he's... sniffing me?' The girl thought in surprise and confusion.

'Urk... I don't know how to explain, but his glares are sending chills down my spine!' Grim thought as he shivered.

???: You think I'm gonna let you off scot free after you just stepped on the great Leona's tail? 'Leona' smirked as he pulled Chernette close to him, his breath ghosting on her ear.

"I can't describe it. You have an appearance not suited for a villain, but your scent says other wise. I can't even tell what kind of scent it is." 

As he snaked an arm around her waist, and Celeste's face heated up.

"I already said I was sorry!" Celeste said.

"I will need more than an apology to tie me over." Leona said using his other hand to caress her neck, licking his lips.

Chernette flinched at this and closed her eyes as his face came closer.

.....But nothing happened.

"Heh, but maybe not now. Next time, be on your guard, omnivore." Leona smirked as he stalked off.

"Gah!! That was nerve-wracking...! What's with that beastly attendant?!" Grim wondered with a look on his face.

"I don't think he tends to this place...He was kinda like a lion, though."

"Hey! We found a basket and some tongs here!" Ace said showing up with Deuce.

"Did something happen to you two?" The Spade boy asked.

" Oh, that's right! Chestnut picking! We won't be able to eat some tarts if we don't bring some back!" Grim said before he started telling them about the 'scary attendant'.

(Oh, boy. Daddy Boggy Wouldn't be happy of a predator preying on his only little kid like that!)

[LOCATION: Woods Behind Campus]

"That dude's definitely not an attendant." Ace pointed out.

"Now that I think about it, he was wearing a yellow vest. Maybe he's from the Mackerel Dorm?' Grim guessed wrongly, making Chernette giggle.

"No, it's Savanaclaw, Grim. He also had the animal traits that a lot of the students there do. He was a lot like a lion though." She said.

"Though it sounded that he was interested in you." Deuce said with a sour tone in his voice, looking away.

"Alright! We picked up a lot so this should be good! Let's go back to Trey-senpai!" Ace said changing the subject, probably because of the collar.

"Nyaha! I can practically taste the tart already~!" Grim laughed.

----Heartslabyul kitchen---------

"Welcome back. I see you've picked a bunch." Trey greeted them as he put an apron on.

"You can make a gigantic tart with these!"

"Though, you'll end up doing more work, but... Do your best." Trey said rolling up his sleeves.

"All of this, huh... I feel like we'll be here for a long time." Deuce sagged his shoulders.

"Preparing beforehand is necessary when making dessert." Trey pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's just get it over with!!" Ace said , really eager to get the collar off.

"I could help if you would like," Chernette said.

"Thanks. It looks like you know what to do." Trey said.

"Yeah, i learned how to cook from my mom. she even knew how to get ingredients from nature as well." 

"Wow! I bet your mom was proud when you were chosen for this college as the first female student!" Deuce said.

But then the boys noticed Chernette gained a sad smile. "...I don;t know what she would say to be honest. She passed away a year ago..." 

"!? Ah!...S-sorry about that Chernette..." Deuce said lowering his head a bit.

"Didn't your dad help you out through it?" Ace then asked.

"Actually, I never knew who my dad was. Mom pretty much gave birth to me and raised me on her own. And up until now I was homeschooled, and the only place I ever knew was our cottage and the woods we lived in. She told me that dad did really care for her but he had to send her away for her safety because there was a big war growing in their homeland. She was also pregnant with me then. So, I never knew anyone outside my mother." Chernette said. "I found out that my dad is actually from Twisted Wonderland, and Crowley's looking around to where he is since we found his identity."

.....

" so, you were on your own for a year?" Ace asked to break the silence earning a nod in turn.

".....Hey, Hey. There's no time for sad stories now!~ You have us now Chernette~" Cater said hugging her from behind.

"Cater's right. If you need any help, we'll do what we can." Deuce said with a smile as Ace gave a thumbs up and Trey smiled along with Grim.

"Guys..." Chernette said before smiling back.

Then after straining the chestnuts, the aroma got stronger.

"I'm getting hungry just by the smell, yanno~" The cat sighed.

"The marron base uses butter and sugar. And then, I also added some oyster sauce as a secret ingredient." Trey said catching them by surprise.

ACE/DEUCE: Oyster sauce?!

"Exactly. The savory flavor of the chestnuts gives the cream a rich flavor. And then, to make it better, I use this "Walrus-brand young oyster sauce." There's no famous pâtissière who doesn't use this for their tarts, you know?" He said, but Chernette had a feeling that this was a bluff.

"Really...? It's a pretty salty sauce, isn't it?" The Spade boy asked making a face.

"You know how they put chocolate in curry, too? It kinda makes sense..." Ace shrugged.

"(laughs) I was just joking! There's no way I'd put oyster sauce in a dessert, you know?" The green hair laughed.

"What the heck!? Are you making fun of us!?" Ace yelled.

"Haha! It's obviously impossible if you think about it a little~" Trey teased the two freshman. "The moral lesson here is that you shouldn't believe anything you're told. Learn to doubt a bit, okay~?" Trey said teasingly.

------------------------------------

"Next is the fresh cream—Ah!" Trey said in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Ace asked.

"I got carried away with the chestnuts you picked that I went overboard with making the marron base. We're a little short on fresh cream." The 3rd year frowned.

" I'll go buy some. Do they sell it in the school store?" Deuce volunteered

"That shop sells pretty much anything, so I'm sure it should be there. Can I also ask you to buy some other stuff while you're at it? Two packs of milk, two cartons of eggs, silicon cups, and five canned fruits..." Trey listed.

"I don't think I can carry all of that alone... Chernette, do you want to come with me?"

"Sure. I've haven't had a chance to visit the school store yet. To be honest, it'll be my first time at a store." Celeste said taking off her apron.

"I'm going, too! I don't wanna mix more dough!" Grim followed after them.

[LOCATION: Mr. S's Mystery Shop]

"Pardon us! Whoa, what an amazing shop... Crystal skulls, magical texts, and... wh-what sort of animal is this...?" Deuce asked as he looked around the store.

Chernette was amazed by some of this stuff.

"Wah~ Can we really find some fresh cream here?" Grim wondered as well.

SHOP CLERK (SAM): "Hey! Little lost lambs, what can I help you with?" He said surprising the group. The girl guessed that he was Mr. Sam.

"Welcome to Mr. S's Mystery Shop. What is it that you wish for today? A charm against cheating? An ancient king's mirror? Or maybe, some cursed tarot cards?" He asked.

"Wha–!? You startled me!" Grim said.

"Um... hello sir. Well, we were wondering if you have any of this stuff on the list." Celeste asked.

"And I also want some canned tuna!-" Grim said before being shushed by Deuce.

"No! We will not buy any canned tuna!"

"What do we have here~? Fresh cream and eggs... Oh, my! What a pretty sweet line-up~

OK! I shall bring them out now." Sam said as he gathered the ingredients.

"Here, thank you for the wait. It is rather heavy, so are you sure you can carry them all?

If you act now, I can throw in a special bag to carry all of those things for 30% off of its original price~!" Sam offered.

"What did you say? Hey, that sounds interesting~!"The cat said interested.

But that made Deuce panic, grabbing Celeste and Grim. "W-we'll have to decline! Let's go, Grim!"

"But why?! I wanna play more~!"

"OK, OK! Then, I shall be waiting for your return, lost little lambs!"

[LOCATION: Main Street]

"That was a very amazing shop, in a way..." Deuce trailed off.

"Boo, you're so stingy, Deuce." The magic cat teased the boy.

"Who are you calling stingy?!" He said before recollecting himself. "(clears throat) Prefect Duskstone, the bag with the canned fruits is heavy, isn't it? I'll hold it for you. I'm experienced with carrying heavy loads."

" You're used to shopping, aren't you?" Chernette asked her fellow freshman as Grim took a place on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Mother always takes me with her during timed sales. She buys a lot, so I end up helping her with the bags. I'm the only man in the family, so I'm used to helping a lot with hard labor. Ah, I'm sorry... I keep talking about myself." Deuce trailed off.

"It's nice that you would be willing to help your mom out." Chernette said with a smile remembering how she always helped her mother. Those were happy memories. But it dropped when she saw Deuce's expression.

"No... That's not true at all. I... Mother was..." Deuce trailed off when someone bumped into him

"Ouch!"

"Ah, the eggs!!" Grim freaked out.

"Damn it! All the eggs in the carton broke! The plastic bag's now reeking with eggs...!" Deuce said as he looked over the bag.

STUDENT A: That hurt! Where the hell're ya lookin' at—Wha—

STUDENT A: You're the guys who ruined my carbonara's soft-boiled egg during lunch today!

STUDENT B: Damn, it's you guys again. Ya better give us a break~

" ............Aren't you the ones at fault for bumping into me? Even during lunch. The egg wasn't really that badly harmed, but you made a huge scene out of it. Our own carton of eggs is totally ruined, though." Deuce countered.

"He's totally right!" Grim agreed.

STUDENT A: The hell? You sayin' it's my fault, then?

"Yes, please pay us back for the eggs. And also, please apologize to the chickens." Deuce said with a frown.

STUDENT B: Hah~? Makin' a ruckus over eggs, are we?

"Maybe not to you but we were gonna use them for tarts meant for Prefect Riddle. I hope you know what that means if he knew what exactly happened here?" Chernette said getting the boys' attention, and the two other students tensed up.

"P-prefect Duskstone!"

"W-we didn't see you there!"

"Maybe, maybe not. But I would appreciate that you boys would get more for us. PLEASE." Chernette said with a stern look and for some reason, Deuce swore he saw hellflames in her eyes which scared the two delinquents. 

"Yes Ma'am!" The two students scurried off and quickly got the new ingredients and apologized one last time before leaving with a run.

"Yeah, you two better run!" Grim snarked.

Chernette rolled her eyes, but then she looked over at Deuce and noticed he had a frustrated look before shouting. "Ah!!"

"What happened to you!?" Grim asked in shock.

"I-I almost did it again... I promised myself that I'd be a model student for sure this time, and yet...!" Deuce said, looking like he was going to break down.

"Eh?"

"What do you mean?" Chernette asked.

"...I wanted to be different from who I was back in middle school... I always skipped classes, and I got into fights every day. I didn't show respect to teachers and I hung out with a bad ilk of seniors. Even my hairstyle was pretty wild back then, too. I fought with anyone who I could fight with...I even used magic even on guys who couldn't use magic. I was an over-all bad person then." Deuce explained.

"It totally doesn't look too obvious now, though. If not, you sure could've fooled me."

"I could understand that from a few moments ago..." Chernette trailed off before letting Deuce continue.

"But one night while I was hiding myself from view... I saw my mother cry and talk to my grandmother about it. She was asking her where she went wrong with raising me, and about whether she was a bad parent for how I turned out. But that's not it at all. She's not to blame! Everything's my fault! That's why, when the black carriage from the prestigious Night Raven College came to pick me up, I made sure that I will never take that smile away from my mother again. I made up my mind to become a model student that my mother can be proud of. And yet... Damn it...!" He gripped his hair.

"....But, yanno... Is enduring all of that part of being a model student?" Grim asked.

DEUCE: Eh...?

"Grim's right. You actually are trying to make your mom be proud of you already. When one wants to change for the better, that's when they began to change." Celeste reassured him.

DEUCE: You guys...

"It's not good to bottle up all that stress." Grim added.

" I see... Hehe, the chicks will probably feel at ease now, too, huh?" Deuce smiled.

"Um. Deuce.....Those eggs can't become chicks cause they aren't fertilized." Chernette dropped onto her classmate.

" Wh-what?!?!?! You've gotta be kidding me!!!!!!" Deuce yelled in dismay.

Celeste giggled at his expression, wondering what caused him to think like that.

-------

After the tarts were finally finished, Ace and Deuce decided to stay over at Ramshackle again, mainly because of the collar issue. Trey and Cater thanked the female student and Grim for letting the two stay over.

"Just don't take advantage of her you two~" Cater teased.

Ace/Deuce: HEY!!!

-

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm – Lounge]

When Trey and Cater got to the lounge, they were ambushed by three other students with upset looks on their faces.

" Trey-senpai, Cater-senpai! I'm so glad you're finally back...!" One of them said.

" Did something happen?" Trey asked.

" According to Rule #256 by the Queen of Hearts, "One should not drink lemonade with honey when it's past 8 in the evening." " One student replied.

" Some students disobeyed the rule and the Dorm Head put collars on all of them..." Another of the dorm members sighed.

CATER/TREY: ..........

" I don't want to live this kind of life anymore! He keeps enforcing unreasonable rules... I want to transfer to another dorm...!" Another dorm member cried as the others agreed.

"It's going to be okay. I'll go talk with the Prefect. You guys go back to your room." Trey informed his underclassmen

"Then, I'll go make some tea to help calm our queen down." Cater said as he was heading for the kitchen.

"Sorry about this, Cater. Oh yeah, can you make some herb tea instead of red tea? If I remember correctly, Rule #153 states that herb tea is the only one allowed at night..." Trey reminded his fellow senior

"You got it." Cater replied.

--------------------------------------------------

Early the next morning...

[LOCATION: Ramshackle Dorm – Lounge]

"You up already, Chernette? Remember, today is the Unbirthday Party, remember? It's off with our heads if we're late." Deuce told Chernette as he was getting ready. Then he went to the door once he heard a knock. "Hello?"

It was Cater.

"Good morning~! How was yesterday's sleepover~? Did you experience youth fully by playing cards and other games~?"

Ace replied to him with a sleepy expression. "(yawns) Good morning, Cater-senpai. Yeah, we played some cards."

"And Grim didn't know the rules so he kept picking old maid." Chernette pointed out with a grin.

"Damn it...! I couldn't win at all!!" Grim complained.

"Your face completely shows when you get the joker card, you know?" Deuce pointed out.

"Then, shall we hurry and bring the tarts we made to apologize to Riddle?" Cater suggested.

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm]

The group approached the grounds as Ace had a look of determination. "Alright, I'll head on and bring the tart to the Dorm Head so I can apologize..." Then the group saw a group of ....at least three Caters?!

CATER B: "Hey, you're finally here~! What took you so long, me?"

CATER A: "I'm home~! Sorry for the wait, me~"

ALL: !!??

"Th-there are two Diamond-senpais...!?" Deuce asked.

"You were a twin!?" Ace yelled.

"Oh, no. I'm the only male sibling. This is my unique magic, Split Card. I can make clones of myself using magic~!"

"So this is the reason why we couldn't beat him at all the other day..."

CATER C: "Welcome back~"

CATER D: "Welcome, Chernette~ ♪"

CATER B: "It was so difficult~ You made me wait so long, Acey~"

"There's more of him!!" Ace said in shock.

"I'm getting dizzy just watching this." Chernette said holding her head.

"By the way, the real Cater is me~ Cloning myself is pretty tiring, so I don't want to prolong this. In any case, it's off with our heads if we're late. We'd better get going! Me army, we're done for the day~!" The original Cater said to his clones.

"Aye, aye, sir~" Said the clones before vanishing.

[LOCATION: Heartslabyul Dorm – Tea Garden]

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENT: "Make way for our leader, the Red Ruler: Prefect Riddle!"

HEARTSLABYUL STUDENTS: "Three cheers for Prefect Riddle!"

"Indeed. The roses are red and the tablecloths are white. Truly a perfect Unbirthday Party." Riddle smirked approvingly.  "The Dormouse is sleeping inside the teapot just as planned, correct?" He asked Trey.

"Of course. The jam to put on it's nose is ready, should the need arise, as well." Trey nodded.

"Well done." Riddle nodded.

"Whoa...! What's with that get-up! He looks so cool!" Ace said.

"Fufu~ The Heartslabyul dorm uniform is super cool, isn't it~? It's totally fashionable and very 'grammable~! ☆ I'm gonna go get changed, too. The Queen of Hearts states that a dress code is necessary for party days, after all~ I'll coordinate your clothes for you as a special service for today~" Cater said as he gave them the uniform for Heartslabyul.

"Whoa...!" Deuce said at his new outfit.

"Dude, this is totally stylish!" Ace exclaimed.

"Nyaha! I look so cool!" Grim said in his new bow.

"A little fancy for my taste, but I like it!" Chernette said as she looked at her own outfit.

"Don't forget to offer him the tart, got it~? Alright, off to the party!" Cater said as the group headed off for the party.

"Let us toast before we proceed with the croquet match. Does anyone have their tea cups already?" Riddle asked as everyone nodded and raised their cups.

"Now then, a toast to a day with no birthdays. A toast to the Unbirthday Party!" The redheaded prefect announced.

"Cheers!"

"Ace, now's your chance. Go apologize." Chernette nudged Ace forward.

"Alright... Um, Prefect...~

"You are... Ah, the 1st year who stole my tarts." Riddle frowned.

"Um... I was thinking of apologizing for what I did, so I uh... I made a new batch of tarts." Ace said as he presented the tarts.

"Hm? I'll ask just to be sure, but what kind of tarts did you make?" Riddle asked.

"Thank you for asking! It's a marron tart made with lots of chestnuts!" Ace said proudly.

But rather than giving approval, Riddle gave Ace a look of disgust to the female student's confusion.

"Marron tart, you say!? How atrocious!"

"Eh!?"

"What?" Chernette asked just as surprised.

"Rule #562 of the Queen of Hearts. "Refrain from bringing marron tarts for the Unbirthday Party." This is a capital crime! What have you done!? You've wasted a perfect Unbirthday Party!" The redhead shouted in accusation.

"R-Rule # 562!?" Deuce and Grim shouted in disbelief.

"Hold on a minute! Just how many rules are there!?" Chernette shouted incredulously.

"There are a total of 810 rules and I've memorized all of them. A small feat for a Dorm Head, I must say." Riddle said with a hint of prideful arrogance.

Cater and Trey were just as surprised and whispered to each other.

"(whispering) Oh, man... This is bad... Did you know that, Trey?"

"(whispering) I've only managed to memorize until Rule #350. I completely let my guard down. I didn't know there would be rules regarding the tarts, too..."

"As Heartslabyul's Prefect, I cannot simply turn a blind eye towards this appalling rule-breaking. Get those marron tarts away from me at once! And throw these two away from the grounds at once!" Riddle ordered as some students moved to take Deuce and Ace away, but then....

"Ring of Fire!"

In a flash, a ring of colorful fire kept those students away from Ace, Deuce and Grim away.

"What?!" Riddle yelled surprised as he saw Chernette defending her three classmates.

"You are..." He started.

"Chernette Duskstone, Ramshackle Prefect."

"'Chernette'? Never heard of that as a name..." One Heartslabyul student said.

"Look up Slavic baby names for girls. Chernette." She said turning back to Riddle.

And for once in his life since he was young, he felt small. Especially since he was 4 inches shorter than Celeste.

"I don't know what kind of world you live in, but Ace actually worked hard to make that marron tart as an apology. Aside from yourself, no one would be able to remember such a ridiculous rule. And The MAIN reason they may not remember it is because there are Too. Many. Absurd. RULES!" She yelled as she emphasized every word.

Riddle did feel some fear from her unforeseen anger and swore he saw some fire in her eyes, but he was still going to stand his ground. He had to make an example as a prefect of Heartslabyul!

"Because it is as The Queen did things! She was the absolute rule of Wonderland and all who defied her had their heads off. She was a true ruler." Riddle said, but it only made Chernette smirk at this.

"I was taught that such a thing wasn't the rule of a kingdom. That's the making of a dictatorship. I'll let you think about this; are you really a royal or a tyrant?" Chernette said before leaving with her friends with the Ring of fire still protecting them.

The air around the Unbirthday party was still cold even after she left.

"Y-yikes. Who'd thought a woman would be so scary?~" Cater shivered.

"Riddle?" Trey asked his shell-shocked leader.

"......No matter. We'll continue this party. I'll deal with Prefect Duskstone tomorrow after school."

"...Of course." Trey honestly didn't know whether to worry for Riddle or Chernette more.

----------------

Getting good! And Chernette's parentage will be revealed soon!

Stay safe!