Chapter 6: Moonlight, Sunlight

As the party at the Astrea residence came to an end, the several guests began to leave. Since all of them were nobles, each and every one had a personal dragon carriage for themselves. Much to Subaru's surprise, his carriage was gone the moment he stepped outside, and he was about to start freaking out (walking back to the castle would take days) when Emerada helpfully stepped in and offered him a ride home.

He would have declined had he not remembered that they both live in the same building.

So now he sat in her carriage, with Niko at the front as the driver and the princess all but passed out from exhaustion in her seat. While he was not one for conversations, Subaru found the need to break the silence that reigned in the carriage by moving to the front and speaking with the gruff bodyguard he knew so little about. Sure, there was the fact that Niko had killed someone, but apart from that little tidbit, the raven-haired boy knew almost nothing about him.

"It's, uh, a nice day today," he began, attempting to motivate the one-eyed driver into speaking.

"Heh, it's a nice day because of th' dragon's divine protection. Right now, it's supposed to be windy as all hell."

"The ground dragon? Doesn't it have a name?"

As Subaru between said ground dragon, a green, stocky, car-sized lizard, and Niko, he could not help but notice certain…physical similarities.

"He does have a name," the older man answered. "We call'im 'Smaragd.'"

"You don't seem to like him all that much."

"Oh, believe me, I don't. Old Smaragd here is quite th' beast, and we would have killed each other by now if the princess hadn' stopped us. Much as we might dislike one another, we can't just fight, ya know? Emerada would be inconsolable if something happened to any of us three."

"Yeah," Subaru commented. "I can see she cares a lot about you, an-, wait, did you say 'three of us?'"

With his good eye, Niko gave him a not-so-furtive glance. "I did. I migh' like to throw you off the carriage, but she'd be…just a tiny bit sad about that."

Subaru chose to respond not with words, but with an exaggerated expression of dismay that made the bodyguard give a faint smile.

"I can tell, kid," he spoke, making the young inventor freeze in confusion.

"Tell what? Wait, don't tell me I put my shirt on wrong or something!"

Niko shook his head. "No. I ca' tell you're hiding somethin'. Behind that act of yours lies someone else, and I know you ain't a threat, but the other you can be."

Hearing the man's suspicion, Subaru could not help but laugh. "Wait wait! This is too good! You, a trained soldier, think I, a loser who can only invent dumb stuff, is a threat!?"

"Let's see: ya gained th' favor of the Astreas, got on the princess's good side, built a company from th' ground up with the king, and – to top it all off – you're buddy-buddy with Yorghan Zerzel."

"What's that supposed to mean!? Is he secretly a demon or something!? Oh, no, I shook his hand! He's going to suck away my soul!"

He stopped his usual antics when the other grabbed him by the collar. "Pay attention, kid. Kararagians ar' sneaky bastards, and they shake your hand with one of theirs whil' robbing ya blind with the other. Zerzel is one of their worst."

"Wow, I never expected you to hate foreigners," Subaru said. "You, uh…you know I'm a foreigner too?"

With a toothy smile, Niko replied, "Absolutely! Why'd you think I dislike 'em so much?"

"Hey!"

While the inventor fumed, his companion gave a hearty chuckle and waved his hand in dismission.

Under the moonlight, the two men grew as close as friends.

In another carriage, silence threatened to drown the two men who exchanged glances and wished to be anywhere but there.

"So," the man in red and green began. "Quite the party, hm?"

"Yes, it wa~s, although it has gotten quite la~te," the one with make-up responded.

Their small talk finished, the two sat in silence once more.

Yorghan Zerzel and Roswaal I. Mathers, two of a kind.

Not that they considered that a blessing, mind you. If anything, the two despised each other. One considered the other a traitor to his country and the other saw his companion as a mere tool to be discarded when the time came.

Both were at odds with one another, and whoever broke their stalemate first would be assured a decisive victory.

Margrave Mathers, whose teacher had bestowed upon him the gift of foresight in the form of the Tome.

Delegate Zerzel, whose own under-the-table dealings he controlled and manipulated to suit his own ends.

"This silence is…just a tad annoying," the delegate spoke. "Good thing I nearly drowned in liquor, hm? Else I wouldn't be able to stand seeing your damn face in front of me."

"My, my, is there any need to be so~ hostile? Besides, I'm afrai~d I am not and have never bee~n one for conversation."

"Heh, you would have fooled me, had I not seen you blabbering away with that inventor boy. Whatever it is you see in him cannot possibly surpass what I do. That boy is going places, hm?"

"Oh, I don't dou~bt that. Unfortunately, you fail to understa~nd: his mind isn't his greatest tool."

That finally caught Yorghan's attention, and he leaned forward with evident distrust. "Not his greatest tool? And then, what could be his greatest tool? That boy earned his fame through his clever and innovative creations. If he had something to surpass that…I've no doubt he would have used it by now, hm?"

"We~ll," the clown countered. "Maybe he already has…"

Just as his companion was about to ask what exactly that meant, Roswaal leaned toward the driver's seat and asked, "Aria, ho~w much longer until we reach the delegate's re~sidence?"

"Not much longer, Margrave," a woman's voice answered. "It's just that…there's poor visibility, and we have to go slowly."

"Plea~se, don't worry. I'm sure lord Zerzel and I ca~n…find topics to discuss."

"Oh, I'm sure we can, hm?"

Under the moonlight, the two adversaries kept themselves at odds with each other.

"I trust ya know the way up?"

With the carriage having arrived at its destination, the royal castle, Niko presented an important question. To his right, off the carriage, stood the black-haired young man he had become acquainted with over the past hours.

"Don't worry, Niko," Subaru loudly whispered. "I know the building I live in. Do you take me for an idiot!?"

"Are ya sure you wan' the answer to that?"

The younger man stomped his foot and vowed, "I'll get you back for this one!"

"Yes, yes," Niko answered, snapping his fingers. "It's late, kid. Get going…and don't drop her."

Subaru, in his arms, carried the sleeping princess Emerada, who had proved impossible to awaken via more conventional means. To entrust the duty of carrying her to the inventor made him uneasy, but there was no other alternative, was there? Besides, it was the royal castle: if he tried anything, he would not even make it a step before having every single guard at his throat.

"I won't drop her, for God's sake! Give me some credit!"

Chuckling, the bodyguard leaned down and patted Smaragd. "Whaddya say, lizard? Should we give him some credit?"

The ground dragon answered with a snort.

Niko shrugged. "Sorry, kid. He says no, an' I agree."

Subaru would have shaken his fist at the older man, but his hands were currently occupied.

"Come on, you scaly fool," the one-eyed man spoke. "Let's get ya to the stables."

As Niko rode off, Subaru carried the sleeping princess to her room.

Of course, the moment he stepped into the castle carrying an unmoving royal in his arms, he stirred up quite a commotion. The castle guards apparently did not take too kindly to seeing him walk in at midnight with one of the king's heirs who could possibly be injured.

Much to his surprise, however, only one of the nearly dozen guards at the front gate ran up to him. While this lone guard frantically attempted to discover whatever had occurred as her co-workers just looked away, Subaru kindly explained that, as everyone could see, there was not a single scratch or wound on either of them, and both him and Emerada were breathing. That seemed to be proof enough, and he was granted access to the castle's inside.

It had been months since he moved into the castle, but Subaru could never grow accustomed to seeing the place from the inside.

The entire building was the very definition of the word "opulence." Gold and crimson adorned every single centimeter of the inside, expensive carpets that probably cost more than what ten people make in a year covered the floors, paintings of historical events and figures were hung on the walls, and there was a statue or two every couple of rooms, often depicting past royals, nobles, or significant individuals who were of great importance to the kingdom.

Remembering his days spent at the Astrea manor, he could not even begin to compare the two places. Fribal was a wealthy man, of course, especially given his position, but he was either humble or just hates decorations, since his family's residence is pretty much just what it sounds like: a manor. Nothing really special about it, especially when contrasted with a building that has enough gold to cause a financial crisis five times over and one more for good measure.

And, despite the castle's elegant interior, he never grew accustomed to it. There was not enough sound, not enough liveliness. Every day spent here felt like being in a library with an overly strict librarian who despised talking. At least the Astrea residence, for all its lack of adornments, felt like a house. No, it felt like a home.

This place felt like a hotel.

Truth be told, he felt conflicted about his living here. Yes, it was a beautiful building, well-protected, and he could conduct his business without complications, but it also lacked life. With the Astreas, he was always looking forward to every interaction with either the family members or the staff whose names – or, in some cases, appearances – he had memorized. These days, the only people he knew were the royals (who he barely met with), Yorghan Zerzel (who he barely met with), Roswaal I. Mathers (who he desired to never meet with again), Niko, and Emerada.

Subaru finally returned to his senses after spotting a familiar painting: one depicting a man in a cloak speaking with a redhead and a dragon. Even he, who had only the most basic knowledge over Lugnican history, could recognize the three Great Heroes from the past, and this painting in particular was one he used as a landmark of sorts because of its proximity to the royal family's rooms. Had it not been midnight, he would have chuckled at the irony: he had first used this painting to steer away from the princess, and nowadays he found himself actively going out of his way for a chance to speak with her, using the exact same painting to find his way.

After a couple minutes of traversing the darkened hallway, he found her room and remembered a little detail, one that could prove to be a problem.

It was locked, and he did not have the key.

He looked over his options. First, he could wake Emerada up and ask for the key, which is in actuality harder than it sounds, since she could probably sleep through a war in her backyard. There was also the option of digging the key out of her dress's pockets, though he was really not in the mood to stick his hands in a sleeping woman's clothes. Niko could have the key, but he went to the stables, which meant waiting for an hour for him to return.

His final idea was to simply carry her to his own room, since he did have the key for that one.

Proceeding with his genius plan, Subaru walked all the way back to the guest wing, feeling his feet protest at the fact that he had not stopped walking for a single second. To his pleasant surprise, the princess proved quite easy to carry, and she was light.

That did not mean his arms were not sore, though.

A couple of minutes later, he finally arrived at the guest wing and made his way to his door. The young man fumbled a bit as he attempted to avoid letting go of Emerada while also getting his key out and unlocking the door. It was definitely not fun, but he could manage, and after only half a minute, he was back in his room.

The first thing he did was walk over to the bed and leave her on it. All the things he needed to do, like changing his clothes or taking a shower, were most definitely not doable while carrying an unconscious person.

One can imagine his surprise when, coming out of his shower in his pajamas nearly fifteen minutes later, the bed was empty.

Thousands of questions ran through his mind. Where did Emerada go? Did she wake up and leave? Did someone take her? Oh, God, Niko was going to kill him for this, right? How could he explain this? "Yeah, I put her on my bed and she disappeared, sorry?"

What a mess!

Subaru began pacing around the room, as if walking in circles would summon the vanished princess. Maybe it would work, who knows? At this point, arcane rituals were his only idea to locate her before that one-eyed guardian found out and threw him off the castle balcony.

Finally, he sat down on his couch, his mind still racing through the various scenarios that could unfold from this. Man, Niko was right in not giving him credit. How can one even lose a sleeping person!?

Still on the couch, and mumbling to himself about how badly he screwed up such a simple task, he did not even register the door's creak until a pair of hands emerged behind him and covered his eyes, with an all-too-familiar voice saying, "Guess who?"

Thanks to his mind running faster than light, Subaru's response was, "Niko?"

That earned him a pinch in the nape.

"Who taught you to treat a lady like that!?"

"I was distracted!"

Turning around, he found the missing princess glaring at him in mock fury and with her typical smug grin. What surprised him the most was her obvious change of attire: instead of the emerald-green dress she had worn during the party, she was in the white, hooded onesie she wore at night. Under her armpit, she carried a plushie resembling a white rabbit with a horn.

"You must be wondering how I got this," she said, her smile somehow growing wider. "It was really easy, honestly. All I had to do was go back to my room. Oh, I also left a note for Niko, so he won't get scared if he does not find me."

"When did you wake up? You were practically dead when I carried you up here!"

Emerada laughed. "Oh, I woke up when you were talking to that guard at the gate! I would've told you but…I just didn't feel like it!"

As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he protested, "What do you mean you didn't feel like it!? It would've been so much easier if you had told me!"

"It sure would have been," she conceded, leaning toward him. "But would it have been as much fun?"

Before he could give an answer, she plopped the plushie on his lap.

Leaving him with the plushie, she made her way toward the bed and jumped onto it, quickly burying herself under the sheets. "It's late. Are you going to sleep or not?"

Subaru held up the plushie, examined it for a second, and tossed it at her. "I'll…sleep on the couch, yeah. Don't worry."

Emerada tossed the plushie back at him, landing a direct hit on his nose. "You're no fun! Come here, the bed's big enough!"

Turning to her with his own sly grin, he asked, "Oh? Are you asking me to? Or…are you ordering me to? You know no one can deny a royal's request."

"Ugh! Fine! As the third-born of the king, and princess of the kingdom, and this and that, just come here!"

Bowing, he walked over to the opposite side of the bed and got onto it, putting the rabbit plushie next to Emerada, who scooted closer to him. While he tucked himself in, the princess started grabbing the pillows, which numbered six in total, and rearranged them in a square-like pattern around herself, leaving one for Subaru to grab.

"You're quite the picky sleeper," he commented.

Emerada, surrounded by pillows on all sides and clutching the plushie to her chest, just nodded.

The inventor, trying to at least get some sleep, turned away from her and yawned. "Goodnight, princess."

"Goodnight…"

As he dozed off, he felt her hug him from behind.

Under the moonlight, the two of them got a much-needed rest.

Outside the royal castle, in the noble district, a man in green and red stood on a rooftop.

His face was completely covered by a scarf he had wrapped around himself, and all that one could see were his eyes.

On one hand, the man held a metia: a long, thin item with a lens that allowed the user to see things far away in great detail.

The metia was courtesy of his employer.

He aimed it at a far-away carriage.

A carriage transporting the Court Mage.

For just a second, the man considered taking aim and firing at the eccentric Margrave, but he brushed that thought away.

Said Court Mage was a rich man, and a good employer.

Now, the man turned his sights to the royal castle.

If anyone appeared on the balconies to spot him, he would simply have to reenact his little trick from Kyo.

The trick that earned him his moniker: "Spotlight."

Under the moonlight, the hired killer awaited his target.

The morning sun arose from its slumber to the east, and with it awoke many people, Subaru among them.

Princess Emerada, however, was proving to be the opposite of a morning person.

When he awoke, Subaru already noticed a couple of things. One, the rabbit plushie had somehow gotten under his pillow. Two, the pillow square Emerada had created was in ruins. Lastly, the princess herself was sprawled out on top of him in a position that was bound to make even the most devout yoga practitioners tremble.

It must have been an eventful night given that all of this happened while he was asleep.

Deciding that he was not going to spend today lazing about, he slowly moved onto his side and slid the blond bed-hijacker off of himself. He proceeded to stand up and go about his morning routine, mindful of the guest he did not want to awaken. As usual, he brushed his teeth, splashed his face with cold water, changed his clothes, went over to the fridge (which he created, a fact he took pride in), found the water "bottles" (they resembled canteens more than anything), and was serving himself some water when his guest turned in the bed.

"Hey," she called out. "Are you drinking water?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Get me a glass, I'm dying of thirst."

Seizing the opportunity, Subaru asked, "Hm, do you want water or are you ordering me to fetch you a glass?"

That seemed to have an effect, as the princess finally opened one of her crimson eyes and stared into his soul. "Get me a glass or I put you to death, meatbag."

He preferred to live, and quickly filled a glass of water. "You know, I thought you were asleep. What woke you up?"

"My thirst."

"Uh huh…and what are you gonna do today?"

"Drink water and go back to sleep."

Man, Subaru's respect for Niko was increasing by the second here. "A bit…boring, if you ask me. Why not go chat up some nobles or something?"

"Hate nobles."

"Alright, there's your fami-"

"Hate them too."

"Well," he said as he considered other possibilities. "There's…Niko?"

She yawned and stretched. "He knows I don't get up this early."

"Uh…is there…is there any other friend you might have or something?"

"You're here," the princess answered, putting a finger to her chin. "There's the pond, but I heard it's going to be really hot today. Brother Randohal is opening a new school or something, but I don't feel like going. Hm…"

Bringing Emerada the glass of water, Subaru asked, "How do you have so much free time?"

"I make it," she replied after drinking half the glass.

Satisfied with the drink, she placed the glass on the nightstand and sprawled out on the bed again, retrieving both the plushie and some of the pillows. She rebuilt the square and hugged the plushie while pointing to the windows.

"Close the blinds."

Subaru turned to her with a smirk.

"Yes," she said before he could even ask. "I'm ordering you, now do it."

He complied with her order and closed the curtains, blocking out the light. In the bed, Emerada grabbed her ponytail, which now had no hairpin at the end, and wrapped it around her neck like a scarf. Pulling up her hoodie, she rested her head on the pillow and remained there.

"Wow," the inventor spoke, mostly to himself. "Not even a 'goodnight?' I'm offended."

The princess made no sign of having heard him.

For a couple of seconds, he remained where he was, just taking in the silence. After that, he walked over to the door, and unlocked it. Opening it enough for him to leave through, he gave one last glance at his guest.

"Goodnight, Emerada."

"Goodnight, Subaru."

With a smile, he left the room and locked the door.

Under the sunlight, he began a new day.

AN: I live! I'm back! Chant it for the world to hear!