Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure (Part 1)

(27) TCT: Rookies Taking Action!

"In the end, they refuse to follow the rule," Riddle sighed, setting his teacup and its saucer on the table. Trey stood in front of his table, nodding at the prefect. The red-haired boy huffed. "Alright then."

Trey stared at the prefect, eyes slightly widened. "What?"

The corner of Riddle's lips curled up. "You sound surprised, Trey," he said, standing up. "This is the perfect opportunity to show them what happens to children who break the rule. They will regret everything they had done."

Cater's breath hitched. He pressed his back against the wall near the prefect's bedroom. His trembling hands were clutching the end of his jacket. This is not real, right? There's just no way Ace and Deuce would dare to challenge Riddle to a decisive match for the seat of the dorm leader, right? They can't be that reckless. Riddle was already powerful back when he challenged him and took his crown, who knows how strong he is now. They wouldn't survive five seconds against the prefect.

The sound of a door opening and closing brought Cater back from his thought. Trey stared at him in concern. "You've heard it?" he asked.

Cater looked down at his shoes. "Are they for real?"

He heard Trey sighed. "I tried to stop them, but there's no changing their mind." The greenette stepped forward, putting a reassuring hand onto Cater's shoulder, somehow managed to ground him. "Let's just hope it doesn't end up causing more trouble."

Cater nodded. "Yeah..."

-----

The news of the duel had spread quickly throughout the whole dorm. The next morning, a crowd had gathered in the Rose Maze, watching the group who was standing in the middle of the area. The headmaster stood between Ace and Deuce on one side and Riddle on the other side.

"The decisive match for the title of the Heartslabyul Prefect will begin shortly," Crowley announced. "The challengers are Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade. Defending his title is the current prefect, Riddle Rosehearts." Crowley turned to Riddle. "In accordance with the rules of this decisive match, please remove the collars to start the duel with no handicaps for both sides."

Riddle huffed, but he still snapped his finger, releasing Ace and Deuce from their collar.

"The damn thing's finally off!" Ace sighed in relief.

"Don't worry, you'll have it back soon enough, so I'd say you best enjoy it while you can," Riddle said with a smirk. "Do you really think that you can solve your problem with this duel?"

Ace frowned at him. "Most definitely."

"We will never challenge you as a joke," Deuce added, cracking his knuckles.

"Unbelievable," Riddle sighed. "Let's get started quickly."

"Riddle~" Cater waved his hand. "What should we do about afternoon tea?"

"That won't problem," he said as he gave him a sideways glance. "The rule state that my afternoon tea always has to be at exactly 4 PM."

"But it's already past 3:30..."

"Do you think I'll be late for anything in my life? I'm pretty sure this will be over quickly." Riddle looked back at his opponents, not realizing the winch from Cater. "As you can see, I don't have enough time. Taking you on one at a time will be troublesome, so come at me, both of you."

"You can do it, Prefect! Put them in their place!" The rest of the Heartslabyul cheered, but Trey just pulled his hat down, somewhat disappointed and embarrassed.

"Ugh, that's so creepy!" Grim groaned from Jonah's shoulder and the boy just had to nod.

"They sure know how to run their mouths..." Deuce whispered to Ace.