Work Text:
Before being accepted into Night Raven College, Riddle attended a private school in the Queendom of Roses. And, unbeknownst to his immensely strict and abusive mother, he went through…a “phase”.
A phase of absurdity, in which his future self would forever shiver in horror whenever remembering that period of time. He became the darling of a popular clique, not because of brilliance or magical aptitude, but because of his uncanny ability to act…stupid: laughing at the wrong moments, miscasting spells in spectacularly theatrical ways, and asking questions that made his teachers question the fabric of reality.
He was, by all appearances, capable of competing as the biggest airhead in a contest with Ace Trappola.
Of course, Riddle wasn’t actually dumb. He aced every test, completed every assignment with meticulous diligence, and secretly ran circles around every “gifted” student in the school. His antics were carefully crafted, part of a performance designed by someone far more cunning than himself: Lorian.
Lorian, the clique’s unchallenged Queen Bee, had recognized Riddle’s potential early on. Most students saw only Riddle’s bubbly smiles and seemingly clueless nature, but Lorian saw opportunity. He taught Riddle the art of social manipulation: how to smile at just the right angle, stumble over words at the perfect moment, and act naive enough that other students would volunteer to do his homework. The twist? That homework was never for Riddle. It was for Lorian.
“Do you see, Riddle?” Lorian had said, lounging in his usual impossibly regal posture. “If you make them pity you, they do the work. You look like the harmless fool, and I… reap the benefits. It’s the oldest trick in the book.”
Riddle had nodded earnestly, pretending to be slow to grasp the genius of the plan. The irony, of course, was delicious: he always did his own work in private, often surpassing Lorian’s expectations, and smiled politely whenever classmates tried to help him, letting them believe they were contributing to his success.
Eventually, the phase ended after he and Lorian split ways. Riddle, mortified at his own antics, buried the persona beneath layers of discipline, decorum, and unwavering adherence to rules. He became the Riddle Rosehearts the world knew: serious, exacting, precise. The mask of the carefree, ditzy socialite was tucked neatly away, to never see the light of day…until now.
~*~
It was the end of the world for Riddle; at least, it felt like it.
Night Raven College held many inter-school exchange events, and this one was supposed to be like the routine: introductions, meetings, and polite conversations.
Although there were a few Royal Sword Academy students, and it was bound to be a bit hostile, everything was supposed to be fairly normal banter between students from diverse cultures, values, and backgrounds.
However, what Riddle didn’t realize was that Verdancia Preparatory students were also attending the exchange event. Usually, he would be glad to converse with more students who came from his beloved homeland, but many of those who attended from Verdancia Preparatory came from the previous school he went to before going to NCR.
In other words, he was bound to meet someone who knew…his juvenile past!
He couldn’t be seen. At. All.
~*~
“Uh, Riddle, what exactly are you doing?” Trey asked, eyebrow furrowing.
Riddle, along with Idia, was tucked in one of the corners of a school cafeteria.
“Hiding.” Riddle said frankly.
Cater smiled, grabbing his phone.
“This is sooooo going on my MagiCam!” Cater exclaimed. “#AntisocialHousewarden, #SchoolExchangeEvent, #NightRavenCollege–”
“NO!” Riddle shouted, earning a few concerned and curious glances from nearby students just as quickly as they returned to their conversations.
Ace leaned over, grinning like he just smelled trouble.
“Whoa, dude, calm down. It’s just Cater. He’s harmless…mostly.”
“Harmless?” Deuce muttered, rolling his eyes. “He literally just threatened to broadcast your freak-out to half the school.”
“It’s not a ‘freak-out.’ I am maintaining strategic concealment.”
“Strategic concealment from who, exactly?” Trey said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He did not get paid (or paid at all) to deal with this.
~*~
Riddle barely had time to finish his dramatic groan when a familiar laugh echoed across the cafeteria.
“Wait…is that…Riddle Rosehearts?”
Riddle froze mid-breath, his eyes darting towards the source. A student from his old school, someone he vaguely remembered as part of the same clique, always lurking in the background.
Ace leaned over, whispering with a grin, “Uh…you look like you just saw a ghost, dude.”
“Oh. My. Gosh. It really is you, Riddle!”
Riddle’s spine stiffened as he came to hug him. A carefully curated mask of perfection threatened to shatter.
“How have you been?!” The student bubbly said. “I didn’t even recognize you at first!”
“I have been doing great. The current, entirely competent, perfectly composed me.” He added while essentially short-circuiting.
The student laughed, slapping Riddle’s back, earning several mouths agape from Trey, Cater, Ace, and Deuce.
“Did he just–”
“Riddle allowed him to do that?!”
The student barely noticed the shocked faces of nearby Heartslabyul students.
“Oh, c’mon, Riddle, stop acting so upright! We were all mind-boggled that you got accepted into Night Raven College, now this?” The student continued. “What did this esteemed academic institution do to you?”
“Uh…”
“Right, I forgot to dumb it down for you,” He chuckled. “Okay, okay—lemme rephrase. Uh…big fancy school makes you…like, super serious now?” He gestured exaggeratedly at Riddle’s posture. “You used to just, y’know—” he flailed his arms loosely, “—vibe.”
Riddle’s eye twitched, but he tried to maintain a polite smile. After all, it was his, and only his, fault that this was how he was treated by his past classmates.
Ace immediately bit the inside of his cheek, shoulders shaking.
Deuce turned away, coughing into his fist.
“…Used to what?” Trey blinked slowly.
Cater tried to press record on his phone, but Trey swiftly covered it with his hands, much to Cater’s dismay.
The student grinned, completely oblivious to the rising tension. “Like, remember? Had you mess up spells and just laugh it off? Or when you asked Professor Halden if fire spells worked better if you ‘believed in them emotionally’?”
Riddle inhaled sharply. “That was—”
“A rhetorical inquiry?” Trey offered carefully.
“A momentary lapse in—”
“Brain function?” Ace supplied helpfully.
Riddle shot him a murderous glare.
The student laughed again, nudging Riddle. “See? That’s what I mean! You were hilarious! Always saying the weirdest stuff. And now you’re talking all…proper and stuff.” He leaned back, squinting at him. “It’s kinda creepy, honestly.”
“Creepy—?!” Riddle repeated, voice pitching upward.
Deuce leaned toward Ace, whispering, “Since when is Riddle the creepy one?”
Ace grinned. “I dunno, but I’m learning so much today.”
Trey crossed his arms, now fully suspicious. “Riddle…what exactly is he talking about?”
Riddle straightened instantly, forcing composure. “He is clearly misremembering past events in a grossly inaccurate and exaggerated manner—”
“Ohhh, don’t even start,” the student waved him off. “You literally asked me once if math had feelings.”
Ace bursted out laughing like a madman.
The student blinked. “…Wait, seriously? You guys don’t know?”
“Know…what?” Trey’s eyes narrowed.
Ace leaned forward, grin widening. “Yeah, go on. I’m really interested now.”
Riddle’s soul left his body.
“Nothing,” he said sharply. “There is nothing to know.”
“Ohhh,” the student said, grinning wider, clearly not getting the hint. “So he hasn’t told you about his whole—”
“WE ARE DONE HERE.”