Back at the Heartslabyul Dorm, the Unbirthday Party was over. Riddle stood in the dorm lounge, sternly facing an anxious Heartslabyul student kneeling before him. The poor student was trembling nervously under his stone-cold glare.

"Law of the Queen of Hearts, No. 249 states: "The one in charge of feeding the flamingos must wear pink." You were supposed to be the one in charge today. Where is your pink? For whatever reason are you not wearing it?" Riddle harshly questioned the poor, trembling student.

The student hesitantly looked up at his dorm leader, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "My deepest apologies, Dorm Leader... I-It's being washed! Please, don't cut off my head!" he pleaded, begging him not to cast his brutal judgement onto him, that he would spare him and let him go.

He was terrified. He didn't want to be beheaded. He promised! He promised he'd do better from now on, just please let his dorm leader forgive him! Don't collar him, please! Unfortunately for him, his judgement has already been made.

Riddle narrowed his eyes at his cowering subject. "This makes the second time you've broken the rules. I can only overlook so much." he said coldly as he waved his magic pen. "Off With Your Head!"

"Guwaaaah!!" the poor student screamed as the collar locked itself in place tightly around his neck. He struggled to take it off, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't budge, and it refused to let him go until its creator gave the word to set him free.

"Write a 5,000-word apology and weed the garden for a week. Then I will gladly unseal your magic." Riddle commanded. "N-No way... That's...!" the poor collared student sobbed.

Riddle narrowed his slate gray eyes and crossed his arms as the sobbing student. Honestly, he thought he had made it perfectly clear at the Unbirthday Party. Guess he wasn't listening when he punished those rebellious, outspoken students.

"I'm not taking your head because I want to! It's because you all refuse to stop breaking the rules!" he said before he turned to leave the lounge. "Enforcing the rules so strictly is for your own benefit. Understood?" He then turned towards Cater and Trey. "Trey, Cater. Take him outside." he commanded.

"...Yes, Dorm Leader." Trey and Cater softly said in unison as they helped the sobbing student stand up on his feet and took him outside. Riddle then turned and walked down the halls back to his room.

Along the way, he saw some students who were conversing with each other. When they noticed Riddle walking towards them, they immediately went silent by his presence and stood stiff by the sidelines. Some of them even quickly got out of his way as he walked while others trembled fearfully at the sight of him.

As soon as Riddle closed the door of his bedroom behind him, he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honestly..." he muttered. He then thought about that blonde-haired girl, Alice.

If he recalled correctly, she greatly resembled the Alice from the legend of the Queen of Hearts. Alice was a rule breaker who went against the Queen of Hearts. She was an intruder who disobeyed all the rules and threw her court into a frenzy. "How dare those two bring her to the Unbirthday Party?!" Riddle seethed with anger.

...Drip...drip...! More drops of black ink fell upon his magic pen's crystal.

Ba-bump! As the seven friends walked across the halls, Alice again felt that sudden, sharp pulsation painfully hit her heart. She gasped in agony as she leaned against the stone wall for support. Ace, Deuce, Grim and the girls all stopped and turned towards her. "Alice-chan!" they all exclaimed in horror.

Thin beads of sweat rolled down Alice's forehead as she gasped. "Alice-chan, are you okay? You don't look too good." Ace said worriedly. Alice furiously shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I'm fine. Really, I am." she said, trying to sound confident.

"Are you sure? You might need to go to the infirmary." Jazmin said. But Alice shook her head. "No, I'm alright! I insist, it's nothing serious! I don't need to go to the infirmary. Please don't fuss over me so much." she insisted as she gingerly stood back on her feet.

"Come on. We need to find Trey-senpai." she said as she started to walk down the hallway. Ace, Deuce, Grim and the other girls looked at each other. "Are you sure she's all right?" Ace asked.

"I don't really know. It sounds like she could be hiding something from us." Jazmin said. "Yeah, she might be acting like she's okay..." Aria added. But Kira just shook her head. "Hey! If she says she's okay, that's it. No need to push her like that." she said firmly. "Like she said, let's go find Trey-senpai."

A little while later, Trey sat alone in the library, looking for someplace that was quiet enough to recollect his thoughts. So many... Just how many students has Riddle collared now...? He honestly didn't know. He had lost count. He let out a sigh as he took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.

What should he do? Is there something...anything he can do? What, exactly...? Trey wasn't sure if there was much of anything he could do. How could he say anything against Riddle of all people? Even so...the weight of his guilt and regret has been piling on his shoulders for years now...

As Trey put his glasses back on, he suddenly heard footsteps echoing through the hallway. As he turned, he froze when he saw Deuce, Ace, the four girls and Grim walking towards him. "Clover-senpai." Deuce said, greeting him.

"Oh, it's you guys." Trey said as the others took a seat at the table he was at. Ace, Deuce, Kira and Aria sat right across from him and Alice and Jazmin sat beside him. "We figured you'd come to the library to return the cookbook for the Mont Blanc and camped out here." Deuce said.

Alice looked over towards her bespectacled senior and reached over to place a hand on his arm. "Trey-senpai...there's something we need to talk to you about." she said. "We really can't agree with the way the Dorm Leader is doing things." Ace said, getting straight to the point.

Trey wasn't the least bit surprised. He knew that sooner or later they would come and talk to him about this. But...he won't have anything much to say. He hung his head and closed his eyes, taking in a breath. "...I bet." he muttered.

"What do you really think about him? Have you been his lap dog since you were kids or what?" Ace asked. "...?!" Trey shot his head up and looked at his juniors in surprise, but he then narrowed his mustard-colored eyes and went on the defensive. "Who told you that?" he questioned.

"From a guy named Che'nya." Deuce replied. "Che'nya...? Ah, that guy." Trey said, his expression softening. He was visibly confused at how his juniors could meet someone like Che'nya, but then remembered that he liked to pop out every now and then to come see him and Riddle for a little chat.

Trey let out another sigh before he felt a soft, gentle hand touch his hand. He turned to the young blonde-haired girl sitting next to him, giving him a tender, apologetic expression.

"Che'nya-kun told us that you and Riddle-san were childhood friends. I'm sorry, Trey-senpai, we don't intend to meddle with your personal life, but...we just want to know." Alice said. "Aren't you older than him? Just tell him what's what already. What's wrong with you getting angry at him?" Grim questioned.

He was still a little irritated that someone who was Riddle's childhood friend could be so tolerant and allow the wine red-haired teen to act the way he did now. Trey shook his head in response and gave a soft smile, but only for a moment. "I'd do if I really have to. But... I just can't bring myself to." he said.

"Why?!" Ace shouted, startling him for a moment. "Everything Riddle is was made under a strict upbringing." Trey replied in a dejected tone. Grim, the two boys and four girls were stunned by what they heard, but none were more shocked than Alice as she stared at him with wide eyes.

Harsh rules...? As in... Riddle was raised by strict parents? He was brought up in a strict upbringing? "Huh...?" Deuce asked. Trey pushed up his glasses, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before he told Riddle's story to the group. "His parents are famous Healers. So famous that there isn't a single person in his homeland that isn't aware of them." Trey began.

"His mother was especially talented, and she wished for Riddle to follow in her footsteps. So from dawn till dusk, his every move was decided for him, down to the smallest thing, as part of a regimented study program." The girls all gawked at him, not believing what they just heard.

"Geh... Everything...?" Grim asked in disbelief. He just couldn't imagine living that kind of life where everything was scheduled and decided for someone.

"Gosh, that poor kid..." Kira softly said, feeling sympathy for Riddle. "From what he ate, what he wore, what he consumed, to his friends, everything was decided for him." Trey continued. "Nevertheless, Riddle never complained and strived to meet those expectations."

"He even managed to perfect his Unique Magic at the age of ten. He's maintained his spot at the top of the class since middle school. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been."

A pained expression rested on Trey's face as he recalled the very few happy memories he had with Riddle. He remembered that smile Riddle used to have when they were still together, but now...because of his parents...because of his mother, that smile and that happy little boy were gone.

"To think his mom's a total control freak. That's pretty...harsh..." Kira remarked. "I almost feel sorry for that poor guy." She said nothing after that as everyone else was left silent as they took in Trey's words. Even Ace, who was infuriated with Riddle's actions from the very beginning, was left speechless.

They had no idea that Riddle had been living that kind of life. They didn't know Riddle was raised in that type of strict environment. Being told what to do through a series of strict regulations and have everything, down to even the tiniest things, be decided for you. To live in that type of life. It was as if Riddle was like a...

"He was a bird in a cage." The three boys and three girls looked over at the blonde-haired girl and quickly took notice of the heartbroken expression on her face. Her head hung low enough for some of her honey-colored locks to fall over her shoulders and partially hide her face from view.

A bird in an iron cage. A cage where you have no other choice but to obey your parents and follow every rule they have made... Even if you try and break one, the punishment is most certainly guaranteed to be severe.

"Riddle-san was in a cage, completely trapped and having no control over the situation at all. He was forced to do things that he may have never imagined of doing one day, and he was not allowed to make his own decisions." Alice said, mostly to herself, realizing that she and Riddle were a lot alike in this scenario.

"These things could be anything that is told to him or directed towards him." Though he had lived what might've been considered to be a luxurious life, he was stripped of any sort of freedom. She could understand that perfectly.

"How dare you use your pocket money to buy something so useless?!... Why can't you ever just do what I ask of you?! You despicable, traitorous child! Hiding things from your own father like that! Whose birthday party are you going to?!"

"You can go... if you wish to be just like your filthy, unfaithful mother and think that you could break your promises with me, betray and hurt me. You will go out there and tell those girls that you can't come. You and your sister must always stay with me. Love me always. That is my rule. I'm doing this for your own good, you know."

Alice felt the warm tears burning in her eyes as she remembered those horrible, painful memories and she wiped the tears from her eyes. "That's awful... It's just simply awful." she said, her voice nearly breaking.

Kira reached out and gently petted the girl's head while Trey placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. Ace, Deuce, Aria and Jazmin looked at their friend with concern on their faces. Even Grim was looking up at her in some amount of worry. Then Alice sniffed, shook her head and took a deep breath.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" she apologized. "No, no. It's alright, Alice. It's alright." Trey softly said as he gently rubbed her back, comforting her. As he held on to Alice, making sure she was okay, the green-haired senior continued on.

"Riddle fully believes being bound by strict rules is for one's own benefit. He's convinced that ruling by fear and bounding by rules is what leads to one's growth. After all, it worked for him, didn't it? Similarly, that means there's no greater evil to him than breaking said rules. I mean..." he said before trailing off a bit.

"If he encourages rule violation in any form, it would be like rejecting his whole existence that was formed by said rules. That what you're trying to say?" Ace asked, finishing for him. Trey nodded. He felt his heart wracked with guilt and sorrow. His best friend... how he wished he could've...

"... I completely understand why you think of him the way you do, and that his way of doing things is incorrect. But for me...I just can't bring myself to scold him." Trey said sympathetically.

"This sucks..." Grim said, his ears drooping down a bit as he too began to feel sympathy for Riddle. They all were. None of them had expected to hear that something as controlling and severe as an environment like that would be something that Riddle had to live through.

Deuce's head hung low to the table. "I didn't think the Dorm Leader had a history like that..." he softly said. Ace was silent. He didn't say anything as his mind began to process everything he had learned today. Yes, he was still angry at Riddle, but he knew that no one, not even Riddle himself deserved to suffer like that.

He then glanced up at Trey. "...There's one thing I know for sure after hearing all this. The way Dorm Leader Riddle is now, is your fault." Ace said, rather bluntly. "EH?!" Deuce, Grim and Trey all exclaimed as they looked at the terracotta-haired boy in confusion.

Except for the four girls, who were understanding on where Ace was going with this. Ace was right on what he said. Ace didn't even flinch from their stares as he continued to say exactly what was on his mind.

"Yeah, Dorm Leader Riddle didn't get to choose who his parents were. Who does? But you've grown up with the opinion that what they were doing to him was wrong, no?" Ace questioned Trey. That was the honest truth. You can't choose your own parents.

"You can't choose..." Alice thought to herself. "That's..." Trey began to say but Ace cut him off. "If you think Dorm Leader is making the same mistakes his parents did, say so. Put him on the right track." Ace firmly said. That was also true, because then it would just be a never-ending cycle.

"What good is it to coddle him just because you feel sorry for him? You're just going to watch while he becomes hated and isolated from everyone?" Ace continued. Alice looked over at Ace in slight surprise, but then gave a smile. Even Kira gave him a little smile.

While she knew he can be brash, straightforward and harsh at times, he did have a point. Trey was Riddle's childhood friend. And as a true friend, he could've helped Riddle realize his mistakes instead of staying quiet about it. You can't choose your parents, and it was important to learn from your mistakes as you grow.

"Ace-kun is right. To see him being alone and despised is just dreadful." Alice said. Trey was stunned and silent as he looked down at the table, taking in a sharp breath as the guilt within him began to gnaw at him. He was right. He knew he was.

Though he wasn't there as often as they were before, Trey should've done something, said anything to help Riddle and save himself from turning into what he became now. He cared about Riddle. He considered him to be his best friend. And he had failed him. "H-Hey, Ace...!" Deuce chastised, thinking he was going a little too far.

"Hold it, Deuce-kun." Kira said, stopping him. "Ace-kun here has a point." Alice glanced sadly at Trey and reached out to hold his hand, offering him comfort and support. Trey didn't turn to look at her, but he did accept her offer as he moved his hand to lace his fingers with hers, giving her hand a light squeeze.

Ace and Deuce both glared jealously at that but decided to ignore it for now. "Or is it something else? You just keeping quiet 'cause you're scared of losing your head? So lame!!" Ace continued. "Never mind childhood friends, you can't even call yourself his friend!" Trey couldn't help but flinch and bite his lip at his words.

"HEY! YOU BOYS OVER THERE! BE QUIET IN THE LIBRARY!" a harsh voice suddenly said. The group of students nearly jumped three feet from their seats as Crowley abruptly appeared from out of nowhere and suddenly began yelling at them.

Grim's ears drooped again. "You're the loudest here, y'know." he stated. Crowley paused as he blinked in confusion, then he realized what Grim had meant. "Oh my, Apologies." Crowley said, looking embarrassed.

He then cleared his throat before continuing his scolding. "Ahem. My goodness, the library is for quiet study or reading." he said, this time in a whisper. Alice turned to face the Headmaster and gave him an apologetic bow. "We're so sorry, Headmaster." she said.

Crowley gave out a small "humph" and nodded in approval. "Why are you here, Headmaster?" Jazmin asked. "I came to research how to get you girls back to your home world. See? I haven't forgotten." Crowley replied as he smiled brightly.

"For I am gracious~. There is no better place for research than the library." he cheered as he then started to rant. "Of course I didn't come here because I wanted to borrow the next part of one of my favorite novels before someone else got the chance, oh no, definitely not."

As Crowley then noticed the troubled and slightly annoyed looks on the students' faces, he again cleared his throat. "In any case, may I ask why all of you are loitering around with such grim faces?" he asked. The group of students looked at each other for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

They all turned towards Crowley. Hopefully, though it might be unlikely, he could provide some useful advice on what to do about their current predicament. "About that..." Deuce began.