Chapter Text
Riddle Rosehearts was an esteemed student at Night Raven College, a school where you go to learn magic, potionolgy, and broom flying. He was the housewarden of Heartslabyul, the dorm based on the Queen of Hearts’ strictness. He had become Housewarden within the first week of school in his freshman year by winning a duel with the previous housewarden.
Lately, Riddle had been receiving all sorts of flyers and emails for university offers. He had to go to university if he wanted to become a great healing mage like his parents.
“I guess I'll start applying. After all, I can't become a renowned healing mage, like my parents if I don't get into university.” he said to himself, looking at all the colorful flyers with happy people on the front. He sighed.
But, I don't want to be a healing mage. I want to be a lawyer! he thought. Whatever the case, he still had to go to university after NRC.
Riddle began by logging on to the Rosehearts family computer to apply for countless universities. He began to fill out the long, mundane application form. Then, he came across a section that required him to provide a copy of his birth certificate, since he didn't have a driver's license.
“But... I don't know where my birth certificate is. I am 17. I'm a perfectly capable individual. I can find it.” he said aloud to himself.
He went to his mother's room, and began to search. He looked under the huge, king sized bed, in the dresser drawers, and finally, in her closet, which was mostly full of clothes and shoes.
“Where would my mother keep important documents...?” he whispered to himself. He was searching in the closet when he found a lockbox. The lockbox was a maroon color with gold accents, with a leather shell. It smelled like it had been in storage for an eternity.
“Maybe... in here?” He began searching for a key, or a hint to what the PIN for the lock could be, to no avail. He sighed, and got a bobby pin to pick the lock, a trick he learned at NRC for opening stubborn dorm room doors.
Click.
It opened. Immediately, he was hit with a smell of old, stored away paper. He began to empty the contents, which consisted of old papers, photos, a pressed red rose, and, ultimately, his birth certificate.
Having completed his quest to find his birth certificate himself, he smiled and thought to himself, See? Perfectly capable.
He then decided to take a small peak at the rest of the contents of the lockbox. Some of the items were mundane, like a copy of his mother's birth certificate, the title to their house, and health insurance cards. Then, he came across an old handwritten letter. It read,
Dearest Lilia Vanrouge,
I’m writing this because I don’t know what else to do. My hands are shaking so badly I can barely hold the pen, but I have to tell you. I have to.
Remember that night? That… that beautiful, terrifying night we spent together? I know we both swore it wouldn’t happen again, that it was a mistake, but…
It happened, Lilia. It really happened.
I’m pregnant.
I know. I know what this means. What this could mean. My heart is pounding in my chest like a trapped bird, and I feel like the world is spinning out of control. I’ve taken three tests. All of them… positive.
I haven’t told Richard. I’m terrified to tell him. I don’t know what to do. The thought of him finding out… the look on his face… it makes me sick to my stomach. He trusts me. He loves me. And I’ve… I’ve broken that. I’ve broken everything.
And you… what about you? What does this mean for us? For you? I’m so scared, Lilia. Not just scared, terrified. I don’t expect anything from you. I don’t even know if I should expect anything. Just… please. I needed you to know.
I don’t know what will happen next. I don’t know what I’m going to do. All I know is that I’m carrying a secret, a living, breathing secret, and it’s growing inside me every day. And I’m so, so afraid.
Please, Lilia. I… I don’t know what to ask of you. Just… think of me. Think of… this.
With a heart full of fear,
Ruby Rosehearts
Lilia? And… my mother? This can't be true!
He continued to read the letters, or rather, drafts for letters.
Dearest Lilia Vanrouge,
The secret I shared with you… it’s still a secret. A growing secret. A secret that kicks and squirms and reminds me every second of every day of… us.
I’m halfway there now. Halfway to holding him in my arms. Him. The doctor confirmed it. A boy. Our boy.
I know what we did was wrong. A terrible, beautiful, life-altering mistake. And I’ve made another one. I’ve told Richard that he’s the father. He’s… he’s happy. Blissfully unaware. He talks to my belly, dreams of him becoming a doctor just as good or better than him, and I… I smile. I smile and I die a little inside each time.
It’s all an act, Lilia. My life has become a constant, agonizing performance. I play the doting, expectant mother, and beneath the surface, I’m crumbling. My guilt is a living thing, gnawing at me, whispering your name in the quiet moments when Richard isn’t looking.
I see your face in my mind’s eye. I wonder what you’re thinking. Do you ever think of him? Of our son? Do you ever wonder what he’ll look like? Will he have your eyes? My stubbornness?
I know I’m a coward. I know I should have told Richard the truth. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, of the scandal, of… everything. And selfishly, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing… him. Our son.
I’m keeping him, Lilia. I’m keeping our son. And I’m going to raise him, knowing that a part of you lives on in him. It’s a terrible, agonizing burden to carry. A secret I’ll carry to my grave.
I don’t expect you to understand. I don’t even know why I’m writing this. Perhaps it’s a confession. Perhaps it’s a plea for forgiveness. Perhaps it’s just… a whisper in the dark, hoping you’ll hear it somehow.
Just… know that he exists. Our son. He exists.
Ruby Rosehearts
My mother and Lilia… a son? No…
He continued to read the letters,
Lilia Vanrouge,
Our son has been born. I've decided to call him Riddle. He has your eye shape and hair texture, but everyone says he has Richard’s eyes, and my hair.
But this has to stop. It has to end. I know… I know what we created. A beautiful, innocent little boy. Our son. But the reality of our situation… it’s crushing me.
I’ve made my choice. I’m staying with Richard. I’m going to raise Riddle as his son. It’s the only way.
I know this will hurt you. It’s tearing me apart too. But I can’t… I can’t risk it anymore. The whispers, the glances, the ever-present fear of our secret being exposed… it’s suffocating me. My reputation… my life… it’s all hanging by a thread. And I can’t, I simply cannot, risk losing everything.
Richard loves me. He trusts me. And yes, I’ve betrayed that trust in the most profound way. But he’s a good man. He’ll be a good father to Riddle. And I… I’ll try my best to be a good wife.
You have to understand, Lilia. This isn’t about love anymore. It’s about survival. It’s about protecting my family, my name, everything I’ve built. And it’s about protecting Riddle. He deserves a stable life, a life free from scandal and whispers.
I know you love him too. I see it in your eyes when you look at him. But you have to let him go. You have to let us go.
Please, Lilia. For my sake, for his sake, for the sake of everything we’ve ever shared… disappear. Go far away. Start a new life. And never… never try to contact me or him again.
I’ll think of you. I’ll think of our son. Every single day. But you… you have to become a ghost. A memory. A secret I bury deep within my heart, never to be spoken again.
This is goodbye, Lilia Vanrouge. Goodbye.
Ruby Rosehearts
At this point, Riddle was shaking. His eyes were burning, his fingers tingling, and stomach churning.
Lilia… is… my father? But, why? Why did they tell me otherwise? My life… is a lie!
Shaking, he decided to get up, and pace back and forth, his mind racing.
My mother lied! Why!? All those times she said the truth is important, but she was lying about my father my whole life!
Taking deep breaths, he tried to regain his composure. “I'll just ask Lilia myself.”