"Just so we're clear and since I'm Alice-chan's first best friend, I get to share her room." Ace said, glaring heatedly at Deuce as the group walked down the path towards the Ramshackle Dorm.

"Excuse me, but she clearly said we both are her best friends. You're not special and you're not sharing anything with her!" Deuce said. The two were glaring each other so hard that sparks were beginning to ignite between them. All the while, Grim was riding on the honey blonde-haired girl's shoulder, enjoying the show.

This had been going on for a good while now and Alice and Kira couldn't help but laugh at them. They were such fun people. Alice felt truly lucky to have wonderful friends like them. Even Kira truly appreciated their friendship, even though they were troublemakers who drove her crazy with their antics.

Then Alice paused. Wait a minute... Both Ace and Deuce were staying the night at their dorm. And didn't Ace call it...a sleepover? A real sleepover?! Alice's heart began to race with excitement as her lips formed a smile.

The girls had never had a slumber party before...in Twisted Wonderland, that is... But it does sound so exciting. Oh! If they're going to stay at their dorm, then she and the other girls must be magnificent hosts for them. Both as their best friends and as the Prefects of Ramshackle! Let's see...what would be good for a sleepover?

Some delicious snacks, nicely accommodated beds and good movies... Too bad they don't have a TV in their dorm. Alice was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Oi, Alice-chan? Are you sure it's a good idea to let those two clowns spend the night at our dorm?" Kira whispered.

"Yes. Why'd you ask?" Alice asked inquisitively. "Well, a boy sleeping in a girl's dorm, it's kinda weird. Not to mention, inappropriate." Kira whispered. "Is it?" Alice asked. Kira nodded.

"So, here's what I'm thinking: we clean up the extra rooms for them to bunk in. That way we won't have to share our rooms." she said. "Everyone gets their equal share." Alice hummed in thought before she nodded. "All right. Sounds like a good plan." she said.

"All I'm saying is I'm her favorite guy." Ace said, still arguing with Deuce. "Betcha you're not!" Deuce countered. "Betcha I am! Yo, girls, back me up here." Ace said. The boys turned to get Alice's thoughts on the matter, but they quickly stopped when they saw the serious look on Kira's face.

"Okay, boys. Here's the deal. We'll allow you two to spend the night at our dorm, but only on one condition: you guys sleep in your own rooms." Kira said firmly as she crossed her arms. "We'll clean up the extra rooms for you guys. No ifs, ands or buts. Understood?"

Ace and Deuce looked at each other before turning towards the girls. "Yeah." Ace said, nodding. "Sure. Okay." Deuce added. Then Ace remembered. "Oh, by the way, girls, which one of us do you think is your favorite?" he asked inquisitively.

Alice and Kira looked at each other before turning back to the boys. "Hmm? I don't really know..." Kira said, putting her hand to her chin. She then turned towards Alice. "What do you think, Alice-chan?" Alice hummed in thought. "I think..."

Ace and Deuce both leaned forward towards Alice expectantly, eager to hear her reply. "...You know... I don't think I have a favorite at all." Alice then said. "What?!" Ace and Deuce both cried out in despair. "I don't have a favorite because I like you both. There's obviously no need for any competition, is there?" Alice asked.

"Oh, c'mon, Alice-chan!" Ace whined. "Surely there's gotta be one guy you like?" Kira glared at Ace. "She clearly said that she has no favorites, so don't even try to compete yourselves. Just take it." she said, a bit impatiently.

Ace then shrugged. "Alright, alright. No favorites. No competition. I can deal with that." he said. Deuce nodded. "I concur with him." he added. Kira smiled. "Good." Seeing that it was getting late, the four teens turned and headed back to the Ramshackle Dorm with Grim following close behind.

Later that night, while the girls and boys were having fun with their sleepover, along with Grim, Trey and Cater were walking down the pathway towards the Heartslabyul Dorm, hoping to get themselves a good night's sleep.

"Phew! What a day!" Cater sighed as he and Trey entered the building and walked down the hall, heading towards their dorm rooms. "You said it." Trey agreed. "Man, that Alice-chan is one mega cutie." Cater said with a grin. "I'd really like to take her out on a date sometime."

"Even if she was interested," Trey began, "I've known you long enough to know that you probably won't even take her seriously, Cater." Cater just shrugged casually. "Well, still, it would be nice." he replied. "So... have you noticed?"

"Yeah, I've noticed." Trey answered, his expression turning serious. "Alice and her friends aren't just some girls from a far-off country. They're from another world, aren't they?" Cater turned to face Trey. "I thought that something was kinda off about her and her friends." he said.

"And not just because they don't have any magic. It's a bit difficult to explain, but they've got this... I dunno, strange aura to them or something." Trey nodded. "Yeah. Especially Miss Alice. She seems so strangely familiar..." he said as he and his friend headed towards the doors of the dorm's lounge.

Trey then paused and smiled. "Anyway, I guess all we can really do is wait and see what happens. We'll talk more about it tomorrow. Right now, let's just get a good night's sleep..." But as soon as they opened the lounge room's doors, Trey and Cater both gasped in surprise at the sight that greeted them.

At least 10 Heartslabyul students were sitting around the lounge with dismal expressions on their faces, some of them were wearing locked collars around their necks. One of them, a young first-year student with dark purple hair, immediately jumped out of his seat when he saw Trey and Cater and ran towards them.

He looked very distressed and was trembling all over. "Trey-senpai, Cater-senpai, thank the Great Seven you're finally back...!" the dark purple-haired student exclaimed, trying to catch his breath and stay calm.

"What's the matter?" Trey asked. He was initially taken aback by the young student's anxious expression, as if he had witnessed something awful. Confused, Trey then tried to calm him down with his usual friendly smile.

However, both his and Cater's smiles dropped when they heard what the dark purple-haired student said next. "There were ten residents in violation of Law of the Queen of Hearts No. 256, "One must never drink lemonade with honey after 8pm." They all got their heads offed by Riddle..." he said, trembling.

He was one of the many students who had stood by in fear as he watched Riddle mercilessly behead them. He didn't even hesitate. He was extremely furious and sealed their magic away without so much as a second thought.

Cater and Trey gave each other a concerned look as they both took in a sharp breath. The young student then went on to tell them that Riddle had just beheaded three more of their members because they had broken Law No. 57. Just how many was this again? ...Oh, no... had they lost count?

So many of their dormmates were getting their magic sealed away left and right that it was starting to take a fearful toll on the rest of them. They were living in constant fear and were very on edge. If they so much as mess up or make even the tiniest mistake, they would find themselves at Riddle's mercy.

He would immediately collar them right where they stood. Instead of feeling like they were living freely in their dorm, the students felt like they were trapped within a prison, under the constant watch of a mad, tyrannical monarch.

"I can't live like this anymore! I'm bound by all these rules I don't even know or understand... I want to transfer to another dorm...!" the young student sobbed, gripping his head as he struggled to keep the tears brimming in his eyes from falling. He and the others were so scared, they didn't know what to do.

Trey noticed this as he walked over to the sobbing student and gave him a comforting pat on his back. He gave him a smile only an older brother would give. "...Everything's going to be fine. I'll go have a talk with the Dorm Leader. You should all go back to your rooms." he said gently.

The young student nodded slowly and wiped the tears away from his face. He, along with the others quietly left the lounge and headed off to their rooms. Cater rubbed the back of his neck as he let out a sigh. "I suppose I should go get some tea ready to try to win favor with the queen." he said.

"I'm sorry, Cater." Trey apologized. "Oh yeah. Make sure to pick herbal tea instead of black tea? I'm pretty sure rule No. 153 mentions something about evening tea..." Cater nodded.

"...Okay, will do." he replied as he headed off towards the kitchen to make tea for the "Queen" of Heartslabyul, hoping that it'll calm Riddle down, at least for the night until the Unbirthday Party tomorrow.

Hopefully, the party itself would please him, as while the Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul himself sat in his dimly lit room, Riddle held his head in his hands, taking in several deep breaths. Though his magic was strong, beheading ten students at once had taken a toll on him.

But it was their fault. Those brainless fools broke the rules and defiled the sacred traditions of the Queen of Hearts. So, of course, they had to be punished. Just as the Queen herself would've done. And as dorm leader of Heartslabyul, Riddle must represent the Queen of Hearts perfectly to the letter. Because... because...

"It's better to be feared than loved. That is the rule. That is the Queen's way. That is the perfect way." he muttered.

...Drip, drip...!

Two more drops of ink appeared in his pen's magic crystal, causing the blackness within to grow. Back at the Ramshackle Dorm, Alice was in the kitchen, filling herself up a cup of water from the sink.

Ba-bump!

Suddenly, a strong, sharp pulsation shot through her heart, making her cry out in pain as she dropped her water-filled cup. The cup fell towards the wooden floor, shattering into pieces upon impact as the water spilled over.

The others heard the commotion and quickly ran into the kitchen. They all gasped when they saw Alice kneeling on the floor near the broken cup shards, gripping her chest tightly and gasping arduously in pain. "Alice-chan!" everyone cried out in panic as they rushed over towards Alice.

Ace gently grabbed Alice's shoulders as he helped her stand up. "Oh, my gosh! Are you hurt, Alice-chan?!" Deuce asked worriedly. "What happened?! What's wrong?! You okay?!" Ace asked, almost frantically. "Alice-chan?!" the girls chorused. Alice nodded and stopped panting as the pain quickly diminished.

"Yes. I'm alright. Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Really, I am." she said, giving them an assured smile. "You sure? You don't need to go to the infirmary or...?" Deuce asked worriedly. "I'm fine. Really. It's nothing serious." Alice insisted.

"Don't worry about me. It's okay." Deuce then nodded. "Okay. If you insist." he said as he and the others left the kitchen and headed back to the lounge. As they disappeared, Alice frowned as she clutched her chest. That sharp pain just suddenly came out of nowhere. It felt as if a sharp arrow shot straight through her heart.

"That pulsation again...?! What's...happening to me...?!" she wondered worriedly. "Am I... getting sick or something?" She hoped that it wouldn't be anything serious. Hopefully, it won't.

As the moon rose high in the sky, everyone bade each other good night as they slept peacefully in the lounge. Apparently, they had so much fun playing card games that they forgot to go upstairs and clean the other rooms for the boys. So it was agreed that the boys slept in the lounge.

Alice and Grim slept on one of the sofas while Ace and Deuce both slept on the other sofa. As for the other girls, Kira slept on the floor on a futon wrapped in a blanket next to Alice while Aria and Jazmin all slept in their rooms.

Everything was peaceful and quiet. Not a sound was heard. Then, from upstairs in Alice's and Kira's bedroom, the mirror glowed brightly as it did before. From within Alice's chest, the soft red light suddenly glowed again as she started to dream...

Madison groaned as she slowly stirred awake from her slumber when she felt a familiar hard surface underneath her. She opened her eyes to see that, somehow, she was back in the rose maze. But not just any rose maze. She was in the rose maze from her dreams.

"Huh? ...Another dream? Wh-What was I doing back here again?" she thought as she sat up. Madison had heard of recurring dreams before, but something didn't feel right with this one.

She then stood up and walked around to see where this new dream would now take her, only for her to stop right in her tracks when she suddenly heard aloud, booming voice echo. "Who dares to taint with vulgar paint the royal flowerbed? For painting my roses red, someone will lose his head!" the voice shouted out.

Madison looked up and let out a shocked gasp. Standing right before her was the Queen of Hearts herself. But instead of the calm, proud face she wore on her statue, the Queen's face was absolutely red with absolute fury as she held up a fully-grown rosebush in her hand.

There was fresh red paint dripping from the white roses on the bush as the Queen stared down at the Card Guards menacingly. Surrounding them were dozens and dozens of card soldiers, each a different suit.

Madison felt her body tremble as she tried to make sense what was going on when something—or rather—someone caught her eye. The little blonde-haired girl from before was lying down right beside her, looking up at the Queen with a paintbrush dripping with red paint in her hand.

The Three, Two, and Ace of Clubs Cards were also there, lying down on each side. The three cards were terrified under the Queen's presence and were quickly passing blame to the other. "Oh, no, Your Majesty, please, it's all his fault!" the Three of Clubs Card said, pointing over to the Two of Clubs Card. 

The Two of Clubs Card frantically shook his head. "Not me, Your Grace, the Ace! The Ace!" he said as he passed the blame towards the Ace of Clubs Card who had a bucket of red paint on his head.

"You?" the Queen angrily questioned as she took a step towards them, causing the Card Guards to panic even more. "No, Two!" the Ace shouted. "The Deuce, you say?" the Queen asked as she took another step closer. The Two of Clubs Card nearly jumped. "Not me, the Tres!" he shouted, pointing towards the Three of Clubs Card.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" the Queen of Hearts bellowed. As the three cards were being dragged away, pitifully accepting their fate, the crowd applauded. "Wooooooo!" they all cheered.

The Queen looked very pleased that everyone approved of this decision and that they were laughing all the while. "They're going to lose their heads for painting the roses red." the Two of Diamonds Card said, shaking his head at the doomed cards.

"It serves them right. They planted white, and roses should be red." the Three of Spades Card said woefully. This sent chills down Madison's spine. This was very different compared to Riddle. With him, he merely seals away one's magic with locked collars.

Yes, it was a horrible punishment for any magician...but for the Queen of Hearts...she was just downright psychotic! Though she may be the ruler of this land within her dream, the Queen of Hearts was very dangerous.

She was sending those three poor cards to their deaths. This...This was just awful. Absolutely terrible. Even though she is their ruler, why...? Why would she do this? "Why didn't anyone stop the Queen? Is there a need to take someone's head over rose colors? That's not right." Madison asked herself.

This whole scenario just seemed absolutely ridiculous and wrong. Is Riddle following the Queen's example? Just as with the previous dream, the scene faded away to black, leaving Madison standing alone in the darkness.

"...ce....Alice...Alice." a voice echoed. The honey blond-haired girl let out a tired moan as her eyes slowly opened to see the blurry image of Deuce standing over her, gently shaking her awake. "Oh...good morning, Deuce-kun." she said groggily.

"Wake up, Alice-chan. Today is the Unbirthday Party. It's off with our heads if we're late!" Deuce said, reminding Alice what day it was today. Alice sat up on the sofa and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawning. "Oh, right. Today's the day for the party..." she yawned, covering her mouth.

Suddenly, the memory of her dream came rushing back and her sky-blue eyes widened when Deuce mentioned the word "beheaded". "Oh! Oh, right! We mustn't be late for the Unbirthday Party! We have to leave right away." Alice said as she quickly got up from the sofa and began to straighten herself out.

She then touched the top of her head and noticed that her black hair ribbon was missing. She looked around, searching for it. "Where's my ribbon?" she asked. "Here, I have it." Deuce said, holding the ribbon in his hand as he handed it to her.

Alice took the black ribbon from his hand and adjusted her hair, tying the ribbon back. She then smiled up at Deuce. "Thank you, Deuce-kun." she said appreciatively. The navy blue-haired boy's face blushed red and turned away, feeling embarrassed. "Yo-You don't have to thank me." he said, smiling shyly.

Alice then glanced at her side and giggled softly when she saw Grim and Ace still asleep on the other sofa. Not that she blamed them, of course. They all did have an eventful night. She then heard a loud yawn beside the sofa.

She looked down and saw Kira stretching in her futon, trying to shake off the drowsiness as she looked up at Alice. "Mornin', Alice-chan. Sleep well?" Kira yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Alice smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did. And a good morning to you, Kira-chan." she replied sweetly.

She then noticed Aria and Jazmin coming down the stairs into the lounge. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the dorm doors. "Hm? Sounds like someone's here." Deuce said. "I'll go get it." Aria said as she walked down the foyer towards the front door.

Upon opening it, the redheaded girl was nearly blown away by the voice of an upbeat, preppy force. "Hello there, Alic—! Huh?" Cater began to say. He had expected to see Alice's cute face when the doors opened but he was instead greeted by another cute girl.

"Oh, Aria-chan! Hello! Did you sleep well, my dear?" Cater asked flirtatiously. Aria giggled at Cater's playful tone and nodded her head. "Yes, I did. Thank you, Cater-senpai. Please, come inside." she said, opening the door wider.

Cater smiled gratefully towards Aria and walked in, following her as she guided him towards the lounge just as Alice and Deuce began waking up Ace and Grim. "G'morning~! Did you enjoy your sleepover~? Was it a fun evening of pillow fights and card games~?" Cater asked in a cheerful tone.

Ace stood up from the sofa and cracked his back a bit, letting out a tired yawn. "Mornin', Cater-senpai. Yeah, we played cards. Grim didn't know how to play at all, so we just went with Old Maid." he said a bit drowsily.

Grim gave a sour expression from that. "It sucked! I couldn't win at all!" he said, shooting a glare at Kira who responded by sticking her tongue out at him. "And it's all because of that cheating lioness!" he shouted. "Ah, ah, ah~. Nobody likes a sore loser, tuna breath." Kira said, mockingly waved her finger at him.

"It was clear as day on your face whenever you pulled the joker." Deuce said, smiling at the cat. Grim huffed irately as he crossed his paws. Kira playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "Grim. Please, be nice." Alice said.

"All right, how about we go get that tart you made yesterday and apologize to Riddle? Honestly, there was a bit of trouble yesterday that's got us lacking in heads. The sooner you can come, the better." Cater said as his mind went back to the memory of the collared students he had seen back at his dorm.

"Heads?" Ace asked inquisitively. Cater then straightened up and shook his head, smiling his usual upbeat smile. "Nothing, just talking to myself~. Anyway, it's time we head off to the Unbirthday Party! Let's go~!" he said, performing a playful bow to Alice.

The blonde-haired girl gave a soft giggle at his performance, and she did a cute little curtsy. Ace and Deuce both glared at him for that. After giving themselves a quick clean-up, the group of seven followed Cater back to the Heartslabyul Dorm.

When the group arrived at the Heartslabyul Dorm, it seemed that everyone was still getting things prepared for the party, for they saw several students running around the dorm grounds, carrying silverware, platters, and even hedgehogs and flamingos, all in 7 different colors.

Needless to say, it was quite the sight. "Mmkay, just gotta hand him the tart and apologize, and then..." Ace declared with a determined look on his face as he held up a white box with a beautiful pink ribbon tied around it.

This is it! Today's the day! He's going to march right into the Unbirthday Party, give Riddle the tarts that he had to spend almost half the day yesterday baking, apologize and finally get that stupid heavy collar off his neck!

Alice smiled up at her friend and nodded in agreement. "Everyone loves sweets. I'm sure that once Riddle-san eats some of your delicious Mont Blanc, he will definitely forgive you." she said as she reached over to hold his hand, half for sharing her support and half for self-reassurance.

The dream she had of the three cards being dragged away to be beheaded made her feel a little worried for her friends. She didn't know how she'll do it, but she must do her best to protect her friends from that fate. Ace blushed at her words and gave her a little goofy grin as he tried to look confident.

"Yeah, you're right, Alice-chan." he said while shooting Deuce a smug grin. The navy blue-haired boy glared at him as he watched him drape an arm around Alice. As they were getting close towards Heartslabyul, a familiar boy with carrot-orange hair and leaf green eyes suddenly ran up from the corner and greeted them.

The group stopped in their tracks and gawked at him. Hold on... Cater?! "Yooo! You're here. I've been waiting, Me!" the orange-haired doppelgänger exclaimed. They stared at Cater, then back at his doppelgänger, then back at him again.

"I'm back~! Sorry for the wait, Me~." Cater A said with a bright smile, interacting with his mirror clone nonchalantly. "...??!!" Everyone was just gobsmacked as they stared wide-eyed between the two older boys. There were two of them?! Since when?! ...And how?!

"Is it just me, or am I seeing double?" Jazmin asked, bewildered. Alice rubbed her eyes, thinking that she might have been seeing things. But as she put her hands down, the two boys were still standing there. "Th-There are two Diamond-senpais...?!" Deuce exclaimed as he stumbled back a bit.

"You have a twin?!" Ace shouted in disbelief. "Nope. I'm the only brother of my family." Cater said, which Alice could one assume is the real Cater because of that statement, but she couldn't be entirely sure. "This is my unique magic, "Split Card." I can use magic to make clones of myself~!"

Now it did take a few minutes, but the information started to sink in as it began to make a lot of sense now. They thought back to when they first met, and fought, Cater. They took notice of how each time they struck him with their magic, he would always get right back up without a problem.

Now that they were seeing double, they now knew why. "So this is why we couldn't beat you no matter how many times we took you down..." Deuce mumbled. Alice let out a startled gasp as she stared at the two Diamond boys only to see another one walking up towards them.

"There's another one?!" she exclaimed. "Curiouser and curiouser!" The Cater clones all smiled at her. "Welcome back~!" Cater C greeted them. "And a hearty greeting to you, Alice-chan~♪." Cater D said, shooting the honey blonde-haired girl a flirtatious wink.

Ace and Deuce both glared at him for that. "Ugh, my body's aching. You guys are so late~." Cater B said. He tried to sound sad, but his smile betrayed that notion. "Uwah! There's even more of them!" Ace shouted, taking a step back as he was freaked out by what he was seeing.

"By the way, the real Cater here is yours truly~." Cater B said, holding up a peace sign as he pointed at himself. He gave out a small chuckle. "It gets pretty tiring to make copies like this, so I can't keep it up for very long. Anyway, it's off with our heads if we're late."

"We don't have enough people around, so give us a hand, would you?" he asked, bringing up his hands in a pleading manner. "More painting roses red?" Grim questioned him, already not liking where this was leading and was ready to go back home.

Kira shook her head at him, already knowing exactly what Grim was thinking. But what else was she expecting? Most cats, even monster cats can be rather lazy. "You're really full of yourself!" Ace shouted angrily at his senior.

"Let's get started~!" Cater said, practically ignoring his rant as he and his clones led the group towards the Rose Maze. Kira groaned. "Oh, joy..." she huffed with disdain, rolling her carnelian red eyes as she walked with the others through the Rose Maze.