The afternoon sun burned bright above the main campus, though the silence was broken by the rhythmic tapping of Grim’s paws as he paced in frantic circles. You stood near the Queen of Hearts’ statue while Leona leaned his heavy weight against the base of Scar’s statue, looking as though he might fall asleep at any moment despite the gravity of the situation. Jack remained by your side, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as his tail gave an occasional flick.

Grim stopped his pacing and looked up at the group. “So let me get this straight. There was no magic attack, no clear biological cause, and the bio-data says he’s fine. But the guy still dropped like a sack of potatoes after visiting the octopus.”

You rubbed your temples. “Every clue says Octavinelle, but Azul hasn’t left proof.”

Leona let out a mocking scoff. “That’s because you’re looking for footprints in a place where everyone swims. It doesn’t mean anything yet.”

“It means that Octo did something!” Grim argued, his blue ears sparking with fire. “He probably used a secret, high-tech ink that Idia’s scanners can’t see!”

“We can’t accuse a Housewarden of poisoning another without proof. That’s how you start a dorm war,” Jack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

You exhaled and massaged your temples. “That’s the problem. Everything points in one direction, but the evidence is as thin as a ghost.”

“Then stop looking for it.”

The voice was as sharp as a guillotine. You turned to see Riddle standing a few yards away, his posture so rigid it looked painful. Trey stood just behind him, looking uncomfortable as he adjusted his glasses.

“I have told you once already,” Riddle continued, his voice tight with an emotion that seemed suspiciously like panic. “End this investigation immediately. This is an order from the Housewarden of Heartslabyul.”

Grim huffed, putting his paws on his hips. “Oh, here we go again. Ragin’ Riddle is back to give orders.”

“Riddle, we aren’t doing this to annoy you,” you calmly said. “You collapsed. We’re trying to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Nothing happened!” Riddle snapped, face bright red.

Leona pushed off the pillar, a smirk dancing on his lips. “We aren’t stopping, Red Demon. Some of us actually like solving puzzles, especially when the prize is watching someone like you squirm.”

Riddle’s gaze snapped to him. “Excuse me? You are a guest in this school’s public space, Kingscholar, not a private investigator. You have no authority here.”

“And you have no power over me.” Leona’s smirk widened. “What are you going to do about it? Put a collar on me? I’d like to see you try.”

The air around Riddle began to feel charged. Trey stepped next to his friend, placing a cautious hand on Riddle’s shoulder. “Riddle, maybe if you just explain the situation, they’ll understand why you’re being so cautious.”

“There is nothing to explain!” Riddle shouted. “I said the matter is closed!”

Jack frowned. “You’re acting defensive for someone who claims nothing is wrong.”

Riddle looked like he was about to explode into a full-blown tantrum, but before he could reach for his magical pen, Trey’s grip on his shoulder tightened.

“That is quite enough,” Trey said, his voice dropping into a tone so serious that even Riddle couldn’t ignore. “We are leaving. Now.”

Riddle stiffened, looking at Trey in shock. “Trey! Let go of me!”

“Not a chance,” Trey firmly said, physically pivoting Riddle around. “You need rest, not a screaming match in the courtyard. My apologies, (y/n). We’ll be heading back now.”

You watched in silence as Trey literally dragged a fuming Riddle away from the area. Once they were out of earshot, Grim blinked. “Well, that was a disaster. Why is he so scared of us finding out the truth?”

“Because the truth usually isn’t pretty,” a calm, deep voice said from behind you.

Grim yelped and jumped nearly three feet into the air. Malleus’s green eyes shimmered with amusement.

“Stop doing that!” Grim shrieked. “One of these days, I’m going to lose a whisker!”

Malleus ignored him entirely and focused on you. “I happened to overhear your conversation. It was quite difficult not to, given the volume of Rosehearts’ voice.”

Leona let out a groan. “Great. Now the lizard joins the party.”

Malleus’s gaze shifted toward Leona, his expression neutral but his eyes hinting at his irritation. “I am more curious as to why the Child of Man is accompanied by such a… boisterous group of beastmen.”

Leona’s expression darkened instantly. “You got a problem with us, Lizard Punk?”

“Not at all,” Malleus replied smoothly. “I simply find the combination of a lion and a wolf following a magicless human to be a fascinating biological study.”

Jack looked awkward. “We’re helping investigate…”

Malleus nodded and glanced at you. “Then I shall assist as well. It would be rude to leave the Child of Man in such questionable company.”

“No. Absolutely not. Go back to your castle,” Leona scoffed.

“I believe my presence would be quite beneficial,” Malleus calmly said.

“No,” Leona growled.

“Yes,” Malleus countered.

You let out a massive sigh, the sound of their bickering already giving you a migraine. Without a word, you turned and started walking toward the Hall of Mirrors. Jack followed you immediately, not paying heed to the bantering prefects.

Leona clicked his tongue, but he didn’t want to be left behind with Malleus, so he power walked to catch up. Malleus glided beside him, much to the lion prince’s irritation.

Grim ran to keep pace with your stride. “So, where are we going? We’ve hit almost every corner of this school.”

You didn’t slow down and kept your eyes forward. “The only dorm left. We’re going to Scarabia.”

“Scarabia? You think Jamil is the one who took out Riddle?” Grim asked.

You shook your head. “No, Jamil is too smart to get caught in something this messy. But if there’s a rumor on campus, Kalim has probably heard something.”

“That’s not a reason. You’re looking for an excuse to get a headache.” Leona huffed behind you.

“We’re going anyway,” you firmly replied.

The moment you stepped through Scarabia’s portal, the dry air scraped your throat, and the distant sound of rhythmic music drummed against your ears.

Grim winced, covering his ears. “What is that noise? Is the dorm collapsing?”

You stepped into the main courtyard and stopped to take in all the decorations. Colorful silks hung from the pillars, and students were dancing around tables piled high with exotic fruits and steaming platters of food.

Leona took one look at the crowd and turned around. “Nope. I’m out. I’m going back to my room.”

“Wait right there!”

An enthusiastic voice rang out over the music. Kalim came rushing through the crowd, his turban slightly askew and a massive grin on his face.

“You’re here!” Kalim shouted. “This is perfect! We just started the main course!”

Leona raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t even start. I’m leaving.”

“You can’t leave without eating!” Kalim pouted, reaching out and grabbing Leona’s arm with a strength that was surprisingly difficult to shake. “Jamil made the lamb stew! It’s incredible!”

Leona froze, looking down at Kalim’s hand with a look of disbelief. “Don’t touch me.”

“You have to try the dates, too!” Kalim insisted, completely ignoring Leona’s personal space as he began to drag the much larger man toward a buffet table.

Leona didn’t resist as much as you expected he would. He looked deeply unimpressed, but the promise of food seemed to be the only thing keeping him from jumping back through the portal.

“The predator got caught. That’s embarrassing.” Grim snickered.

Jamil approached the group, but his composure slipped when his eyes landed on Malleus. “This is certainly an unexpected group of guests…”

Malleus inclined his head with a faint smile. “Kalim invited us. It would be churlish to refuse such energy.”

Jamil recovered his composure, though he looked like he was already calculating the extra security needed for a party containing both Malleus and Leona. “Since you are all here…then, I suppose, welcome to Scarabia.”

Jack nodded politely, though he looked overwhelmed by the noise. Grim looked around at the tables of food, drooling. “Is this what you call a small gathering? There’s enough food here to fill a pool!”

“Kalim has a very loose definition of the word small,” Jamil sighed.

You looked over at the table where Kalim was trying to pile a mountain of food onto Leona’s plate. The prince looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on the campus but here.

“Let’s see what we can find out,” you said quietly to Grim. “And maybe keep an eye on Leona before he bites someone.”

Grim snickered, and Malleus smirked, not leaving your side.