Finding his Place in this Harsh World

by supertone4671

After his worst nightmare involving Emilia comes to fruition and Return by Death fails to reverse it, Subaru must learn to accept the help of his friends and begin to realize a new purpose in the world of the four nations while the manor's senior maid helps him learn to love again...

Hey Everyone! Before we get on with the story, I'd like to add a shout out to my beta readers who've been invaluable in helping me make this story as high-quality as possible. Strandenstein, The Appa Man, WarlockofVainglory, and Reactionist all helped me out greatly through their careful editing and suggestions to improve the flow of the story.

Just so everyone knows, I'm still a SubaruxEmilia shipper. This is just sort of an idea that popped in my head, and I thought our girl Frederica could use some additional love. Please enjoy the story!

Dedicated to u/Notsk on Reddit, a lover of everything related to Frederica.

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Her words reverberated ceaselessly through Subaru's head. The pain that those words caused him as well as the number of times he used Return by Death to try and prevent them from being spoken would haunt him forever. The boy sat alone in his room at Roswaal's new mansion, with only Otto, Garfiel, and Beatrice interrupting the deafening silence for more than a minute or two at a time.

His two friends and devoted spirit companion would bring him lunch and dinner every day and get what conversation they could out of him. The maids of the Mathers mansion would rotate who brought him breakfast, but he usually dismissed them before they could do more than greet him and give him his food. Petra felt miserable whenever she saw Subaru's melancholic state, but never knew what she could even say to comfort him. Ram felt bad for him, but ultimately decided it was out of her hands if he couldn't pick himself back up. Rem, who'd recently resumed her life as a maid, worried endlessly about him. She wanted to go and talk to him, but she was having trouble finding the right way to support him.

Frederica, on the other hand, tried her hardest to keep a brave face. She brought his breakfast more frequently than the other maids, and always attempted to start a conversation with him. Her heart ached terribly for what happened to such a cheerful man. Frederica had unfortunately been just outside of his room with refreshments for three when Emilia delivered the single most ruthless monologue the maid had ever heard in her life:

It's over between us, Subaru. This relationship has always been pretty one-sided, and it's not very fair for me. I need to be my own person, and not just the damsel in distress that you come to save every time. For a while, I thought maybe I loved you too. Truthfully, it was nothing more than my own misdirected feelings of inadequacy. If I'm going to be the Queen of Lugnica, I can't be reliant on one person always coming to my rescue. It's time for me to become dependable and strong on my own. Due to your services to us, I won't kick you out of my camp, but I don't need you to be my knight anymore.

She was absolutely shocked upon hearing it. Emilia had left the room with an expressionless face, and when she went to check on him, Beatrice was clutching him as he lay on his bed, desperately trying to keep him from breaking down entirely. His face portrayed his feelings of brokenness, and she watched in horror as he clawed at his own skin, stopped only by Beatrice binding him with magic. The spirit girl pleaded with him to not give up on himself, begging him to not leave her behind.

The next day, Roswaal sadly announced to everyone that Subaru was no longer Emilia's personal knight, but would remain in his service. Aside from Frederica, the camp was in shock. She remembered how Garfiel and Otto ran out of the room to go find Subaru, and Rem put her hand over her mouth as she quietly murmured, "No, no no no, please not again..." Petra had demanded to know why, but Roswaal could offer no explanation. The rest of that day had a dismal, gloomy feeling to it compounded by a chilly rain outside.

From then on, Subaru never left his room. Roswaal seemed content to allow him to stay there and be inactive, much to everyone's surprise. The selection had been going on for slightly more than two years, and only three competitors remained. Anastasia recently dropped out due to poor health, and Crusch soon followed after her. Priscilla maintained a lead over Felt and Emilia, with Emilia barely polling ahead of Felt. The deeds of the Emilia Camp had made her a relatively popular candidate, though many still preferred the buxom orange-blonde. Just three days after Emilia dismissed Subaru, she discovered and single-handedly broke up a Witch's Cult operation, which provided a boost to her popularity.

When Subaru was told of Emilia's success, he fell into an even deeper depression. It seemed she really didn't need his help—his Return by Death—if she could do that all on her own. Everyone could notice his dead expression as they went to see him for various reasons. Beatrice spent as much time as she could with him, but even she seemed to have trouble getting through to her contractor. Even the brotherly bond between Otto and Garfiel could not break the disgraced knight out of his state. The boy just wasted away in his room, silently staring at the wall or out the window.

After three weeks, Roswaal finally paid Subaru a visit. He let himself in, and waltzed right over to the desk where Subaru sat. The boy barely acknowledged Roswaal's entrance, not even bothering to question why he would come to visit. Roswaal decided he needed to be the first one to speak.

"Su~baru-kun. I think we need to chat for a little while." Even Roswaal himself was surprised at his own directness. He took a seat near the boy and adjusted himself to look directly at him.

There was a momentary pause. Subaru looked over at Roswaal with a blank expression before finally quietly saying, "Alright. Let's chat, then."

"I want to make one thing perfectly clear, Subaru-kun." Roswaal spoke in a completely serious voice, dropping his accent. "I still need your help. Until my Sensei has been reawakened, I can't have you leaving me. Emilia's decision was frankly mind-boggling to me too, so I am more than willing to give you some time to recover, but ultimately you still have to fulfill your end of the bargain. In exchange for my full support for her campaign, you promised to help me achieve my goals. When Echidna walks the land like she did four hundred years ago, our bargain will be completed, and you will be free to do as you wish without my interference. If the selection is still ongoing, you can go join another camp if you so desire. Also, I intend to provide you with a remarkably generous gift once my goal is accomplished. That is enough to continue working with me, I hope?"

Nothing indicating joy or excitement went through Subaru's eyes or facial expression. However, the boy answered anyway, "What sort of 'remarkably generous gift' do you mean? I was never in this for money."

Roswaal leaned back into his chair. "Subaru-kun, I intend to offer you everything. Not just money, or a title, or a bit of land. You will be named the new Margrave Mathers, the first in eleven generations to not inherit the name "Roswaal". Everything that I've spent centuries building up—all yours. You may choose to keep the title, or you can have someone else in my extended family take on the duties that come with the Margravate. Annerose Miload should be ready for such a capacity no later than eight years from now, if you can wait that long. My maids would certainly be willing to pledge their loyalty to you, considering how much they respect you. As for your other friends, as a lord, you could simply make up positions for them so they can stay around. Being a noble does have its perks, Subaru."

Subaru looked down, deep in thought. Roswaal's offer really was, as he said, remarkably generous. He would never have to worry about anything ever again, just living in the mansion, and having his friends around for company while the maids could keep something of a normal life going for him. It would be easier to see people like Reinhard and Crusch after the Royal Selection was over, and he might be able to coast to the end of his natural life without ever relying on Return by Death ever again. It would sure make Satella happy, especially after how many times he had used it purposely to try and revert Emilia's words.

"Will I have to interact with—with Emilia a lot?" The words hurt to say, considering how much he still cared. He just knew he would have a hard time being around her after being so cruelly dismissed.

Roswaal shook his head. "I will deal with her entirely on my own. If she requires an escort of some kind, I will either provide it myself or I will hire other knights unrelated to our current staff for the job. You will not have to even cross paths with her in the hallway. I do not mind having the maids continue to bring you breakfast every day, if it will help you complete my goal."

Subaru didn't really care about the ethics of Roswaal's goal anymore. Without Emilia in his life, very little mattered. All he could do now was just live the rest of his life out, and he realized this would be the easiest way to deal with it. Money can't buy happiness, but it can provide you with enough creature comforts to minimize sadness.

"One more question. At what exact point does my gift come?" It sounded callous, even by Roswaal's standards, causing Subaru to flinch at his own words.

Roswaal smiled. "I can guarantee you that the same day we retrieve Echidna after her successful revival, you will inherit everything I own—wealth, titles, and land holdings. Legally speaking, there is also a ceremony to officially name you the new Margrave, but that is merely a formality. Most of the necessary arrangements can be made ahead of time, and I'll begin on those immediately."

Subaru wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that, but he could live with that. "Alright Roswaal. You've got a deal. I still need some time to recover, but I'll continue to help you in your quest to revive Echidna."

Roswaal straightened his back and resumed his more characteristic smile. "Ve~ry good, Su~baru-kun. I'm cou~nting on your help."

He got up and left, passing Frederica who was carrying Subaru's breakfast. Seeing his unreadable smile, she couldn't help but grimace ever so slightly after he passed by. She would never openly be hostile to him, but she couldn't help feeling that he wasn't helping Subaru's mental constitution in anyway. The boy was already in a poor state of mind; she couldn't see how he could make anything better for him at this point. Putting on her finest smile, she walked to Subaru's room with a plate of eggs prepared the way he liked them best.

She lightly knocked on the door. "Master Subaru? I'm here with your breakfast." The blonde maid gently entered his room, not awaiting a reply. He was sitting at his desk, with the same pained expression that had adorned his face for the past three weeks. While she had grown accustomed to it, it hurt her no less to see it each time.

How could Lady Emilia treat him like that? He only ever helped her because he genuinely wanted to, not to control her or trick her. No one would've gone to the lengths he went to, risking life and limb, for such a shallow reason.

She shook her head, getting the thoughts out. She presented the plate and silverware to Subaru, who silently accepted the offering. After carefully placing it down, she moved back as Subaru stared at the food. In the back of her mind, she felt a nagging feeling, like there was something else she needed to do. There had never been a time she needed to attend to Subaru more than anyone else, but she couldn't help feeling maybe it was time to do more.

"Master Subaru?" She quietly tried to get his attention. He didn't move a muscle, and nor did he respond to her. After working up a little extra courage, she tried again, but differently.

"S-Subaru?"

His eyes shifted. He slowly turned to face the blonde maid, who'd referred to him without a title for the first time in a long while. Instead of being addressed as a superior or a knight, he had been addressed as a friend. It was so rare coming from Frederica that he felt compelled to turn around and pay attention.

She was finally on the track to getting more than silence out of him for the first time in weeks, and she didn't want to squander it now. "Subaru? I know you have Otto-san, Beatrice-sama, and my brother, but I thought that maybe it would be nice to have someone else you could talk to as well, that is if you don't mind. I know I'm just a maid, but if it would help you to talk to me for a while, I'd be delighted, Subaru."

There was a pause as Subaru considered what she said. He responded, "You're not just a maid, Frederica. You've helped me out on countless occasions, not in the least just by being here and doing your best. Don't you remember how we met? You helped me get to the Sanctuary, where I met Garf and solidified my friendship with Otto. Then, you helped fend off both Elsa and Meili when the mansion came under attack. You're already several leagues above 'just a maid'. I know this is rich coming from me, but please don't devalue yourself so much."

Frederica was taken aback, and she felt a tingling sensation on her cheeks upon hearing his complements. After another pause, he continued.

"I'm sorry, Frederica. I guess I've been wallowing in my own melancholy for so long, that I didn't realize the undue pain I was causing everyone around me," his tone turned more deprecating with each word he spoke.

"You, Rem, Ram, and Petra are always checking up on me, and then my friends bring me lunch and dinner every day without any prompting," he said with a pained look on his face that revealed the immense guilt he felt. "If you really mean it, then...I wouldn't mind spending some time talking with you. After all, you've always been so nice to me, even when I didn't deserve it." He looked down again, wallowing in a new kind of self-pity.

She quietly sighed and walked over to him, lifting his chin up with her hand. "Subaru, if I'm going to work on not devaluing myself, then it's only fair that you work on the same problem. I'm going to let you eat your eggs and rest for a while, but I'll come back around after I've done some chores and we can talk for a while before I have to help Petra and Rem make today's lunch. Speaking of which, Petra was wondering if you would prefer tatoes or carrots with your lunch today. She learned how to make mashed tatoes recently, so I'm sure she'd be happy if she could make them for you."

A small smile crossed Subaru's face. "She would be happy? Well, I know Petra has taken after you and your training very well. I'd be delighted to try her mashed tatoes out."

Frederica smiled wide, flashing her sharp teeth. "I'm glad to hear that, Subaru. I'll make sure she makes plenty for you. Alright, enjoy your breakfast, and I'll see you again before too long." She bowed gracefully before exiting his room. He turned back to face his eggs, finding them far more appealing than he did just a few minutes ago.

Out in the hall, Frederica felt the need to fan herself. She felt strangely warm after her talk with Subaru. It wasn't like he'd never complimented her before, just that this time felt different. An unfamiliar feeling had awoken inside of her, something that had laid dormant in her many years of being a maid. However, she felt like she had to ignore it. Was it really okay for her to suddenly feel this way about someone she's served for a little less than two years?

As the quarter-beast maid walked to her next chore, she passed the newest maid, Rem. Subaru had explained to everyone that she had worked under Frederica's tutelage once before, but all those memories had been wiped out by the now-dead Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, Ley Batenkaitos. The fact that Rem was awake at all was something of a miracle, considering most victims who lost their name and memories were braindead, stuck in a false life where the body lived without a mind. Despite only her connection to Subaru bringing her to the mansion, she quickly bonded with her twin Ram as well as Frederica, Petra, and even Garfiel.

When Roswaal announced Subaru would no longer be Emilia's knight, Rem recalled the night she found Subaru on the verge of death after smashing his head into a wall. She had tried to reassure him by saying he wasn't a hero and didn't need to keep pushing on endlessly when he could leave it in the hands of others. Instead, it had backfired horribly because she was the one who told him that. As he began to deliriously ramble in his barely conscious state, she found out one of the few memories that kept him going was of the previous Rem telling him he was her hero, and the overwhelming guilt she felt left a scar on her heart that would never fade.

Subaru had long since told Rem he could never blame her for what she said, given that she couldn't have known. As a penance, she silently swore to forever stay with him, and to try and support him as best as she was capable. There was no romantic factor involved; Rem knew that he needed her, not as a lover or a mistress, but as a friend. She realized after that incident he was little more than an innocent boy that had been hopelessly trapped in a horrible situation from the very beginning, and he desperately needed support.

During their terrifying journey through Vollachia, she learned a lot about him. Sometime after the head injury incident, he began to open up to her about his life at the mansion, his home. The one person constant in every story was Emilia, the love of his life. From how he described it, he fell in love at first sight, and stupidly rushed into a situation where he could've easily died for her. After overcoming trials and going on adventures together, he believed she was beginning to fall in love with him, too. Rem was overjoyed that he had someone special like that waiting for him at home, because it meant he had a chance to be happy. Rem reasoned that Subaru was among the people in this world that truly deserved a happy ending after everything he'd been through.

Her hopes for Subaru came crashing down after the announcement that Subaru was no longer Emilia's knight. She had to restrain herself from immediately running out of the room like Otto and Garfiel had, and even then she still wanted to kick herself for not following them. Due to her fear of making things worse, she had avoided making conversation with him beyond simply saying hello and asking how he felt, which he never responded to. She could only imagine how he must've felt on the inside; An innocent mistake from her caused him to nearly destroy his own head, so having the one person who meant everything to him cut him off must have absolutely destroyed him.

As she walked by Subaru's room, she decided she needed to try and talk to him again. She took a deep breath, and gathered the courage to knock on the door. "Subaru? It's Rem. Can I come in?"

To her surprise, a response came soon after. "Rem?...Yeah, you can come in." With that, she entered to see him leaning back in front of an empty plate. She grabbed a chair and sat down next to him with a small, reassuring smile.

"Hey, Subaru," she said gently. "I'm sorry I haven't really stopped to talk with you in a while. How are you feeling?"

"I've—been better," he said in a flat tone. "I mean, I'll be okay eventually, but I've definitely been better."

She paused to take a breath. "Are you sure? You sounded better than this back in Vollachia, and that was a pretty brutal experience."

He let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, that was brutal, but it just doesn't compare to now. I'm sure you can remember how much I annoyed you talking about 'Emilia this, Emilia that'. When I wasn't promising to bring you home or talking about memories, I guess I did mention her a lot later on in our adventure."

She smiled. "As much as I enjoyed teasing you about your obsession with her, I could really tell how much you loved her. I was honestly kinda happy you had someone you really, truly loved waiting for you back home. When you talked about my previous memories, I felt a little guilty that I couldn't feel the same way about you that my previous self did, but hearing about Emilia put that guilt to ease. At the time, I had no way of knowing that you really were some kind of miracle worker and that your accomplishments weren't just things you made up to fool me. Now that I know the truth, you really are amazing. Even my twin thinks you aren't completely useless."

He snorted, "Not completely useless? Her opinion of me sure has improved since I met her!"

She giggled as well. "It would seem so. There are a lot of incredible people living here. Roswaal is really unsettling, but he's a powerful mage with the resources and social power to give our camp political mobility. My twin is a talented mage and martial artist as well, though limited by her lack of a horn. Garfiel and Frederica are both powerful demi-humans that are more than capable of holding their own in a serious combat situation. Otto is wise and he knows how to manage almost any problem thrown at us. Finally, we have you, Subaru, the legendary hero whose name is nearly equal to that of the Sword Saint."

Subaru interjected, "I don't know about nearly equal to Reinhard—"

She put her hand on his mouth. "You led the battle against the White Whale, defeated the Sloth Archbishop, banished the Great Rabbit, prevailed against the siege of Pristella and took down the Greed Archbishop, conquered the Sage's Tower, and prevented another war between Vollachia and Lugnica by restoring Vincent as the Emperor of Vollachia."

She continued with a slightly exasperated tone. "That isn't even all that you've done, those are simply the most notable of your achievements in the eyes of the public. Do I really need to continue, or will you just admit I'm right?" Her face softened and she smiled again.

He sighed in defeat. "Okay, alright, I get it. You're right. As far as the public is concerned, I'm a legendary hero."

She facepalmed. "It's a good thing the public doesn't know that the hero of the Emilia Camp has zero self-respect. Regardless, Subaru, I wish you would keep it in mind. You are our hero. The overwhelming majority of this camp cares about you, and we want you to be happy. I can tell that even my sister cares, despite her words to the contrary. I've known you for a year now, and I know that I can trust you with all my being. You and my sister are the only two people I feel that way about."

A small figment of hope began to bloom inside of Subaru's heart, and Rem could see the faintest sliver of the old Subaru returning to his eyes after weeks of sunken-eyed stares and misery.

She continued, "Yes, Subaru, I trust you completely and wholeheartedly. I know it was shaky through our time in Vollachia, but I understand the kind of person you are now. Even if it's just because of your memories of who I used to be, you would never dare to abandon or betray me in any way. In that sense, I'm starting to understand why I called you 'my hero' before I lost my memories."

Why do you like me so much?

Because you are my hero, Subaru-kun!

Rem felt like she could see a memory pass through his eyes as he lost focus of the conversation. Even though she didn't know what he was thinking of, she knew that it was clearly a memory he treasured greatly.

When you woke up, you smiled, and said the words I wanted to hear most, when I wanted to hear them most, from the one I wanted most to hear them from.

Through all his troubles and trials during the past two years, Subaru couldn't remember the entire speech at once. What he did fully remember were the raw feelings behind those words, and how important it was to the person who said them—and how important it was for the person she said them to.

Ever since that fiery night, the night I lost everything except my sister, my time has been stopped.

It was you who melted my frozen heart, and kindly made my stopped time begin to move forward again!

She waited patiently for him to finish recalling his treasured memory. If this memory could help bring back the reliable, thoughtful, and kind man who saved her from certain death in a strange land, then she wouldn't dare to interrupt.

When no one else in the world believes in you, when you don't even believe in yourself, I will believe—

The Subaru-kun who saved me is a true hero.

She continued to watch silently as tears began to fall down his face. He slowly began to return to reality as he let his arms hang loose and his head tilt forward. After a few minutes of silence, he was able to make eye contact with Rem for the first time since she entered. She smiled in a way that was different from how she did before being attacked by Gluttony, and yet was similar enough to bring him some measure of comfort. It didn't matter that she wasn't the same Rem he once knew, because ultimately she was still someone who could see him for who he really was. More importantly, she was someone he could safely share the darkest parts of himself with, because she will stick with him through thick and thin. Now that she was no longer saddled by her previous self's inferiority complex and self-hatred, Rem was a far better judge of him than ever before.

He started to say, "Rem—"

She held her hand up once again. "It's okay, Subaru. You don't need to say anything else, not right now. You understand now, don't you? I don't love you like the previous me did, but you're still my closest friend in this world, and I care a great deal about you. I could stay here and remind you all day, but I should get going before my sister wonders where I went."

She took a deep breath and stood up. "Subaru, thank you for letting me open myself up to you. I'll be sure to stay with you when it's my turn to bring you breakfast, and we can talk some more. I sincerely hope you'll open up to me, too."

He watched as she gracefully walked to the door. Before she left, she added, "Don't forget, Subaru, I'm not the only person here who cares. It's okay to lean on other people for help when you really need it." With her final thought out, she gently closed the door and left to meet up with Ram.

"It's okay to lean on other people for help, huh." Subaru took a deep breath as he thought about her words. Normally, the problem was dealing with the effects of Return by Death, which he couldn't talk about without risking punishment. This time, though, he had the far more 'mundane' problem of heartbreak. He doesn't need to keep it all bottled up, and he can absolutely talk to his friends about how it hurts him.

He got up from his desk and went to sit on the bed. This was normally how he would spend his days: eat breakfast, sit on bed, eat lunch and listen to his friends, more bed, dinner, then be tormented by his thoughts until he passed out in bed. Today, though, he would have something else to do before lunch. Frederica was going to come back and let him talk about anything that he wanted to talk about. When he thought about how incredible and kind of a person she was, he would inevitably feel guilty whenever he remembered his very first interaction with her.

Look at those chompers!

Calling attention to her teeth was a sore spot for her, since they were a clear indication of her demi-human genetics. Subaru didn't know better, since he was—and kinda still is—a clueless guy from another world. The subsequent scolding from Emilia was well deserved, but even with that terrible first impression Frederica consistently treated him with full respect.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. "Subaru? I've returned. May I come in?" Frederica came back, like she promised.

"You can come in, Frederica." He sounded a bit livelier than usual, much to her relief. She opened the door smiling, and walked over by the bed where he was seated.

She asked, "Should I pull up a chair?"

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. You can sit next to me." He moved toward the head, making extra space for her to sit. She raised her eyebrows ever so slightly in surprise, but offered no objection as she gently sat down beside him.

"So, are you feeling a little bit better Subaru?" She turned toward him as she asked.

He shifted to look more at her and answered, "Yeah, a little bit. Rem visited a little while ago too, and she reminded me that everyone is worried about me. I guess I'm so used to dealing with everything by myself that I don't think about asking any of you for a little help."

She giggled a little, to his confusion. "Sorry, Subaru, I don't mean to make fun of you. It sounds just like you to battle your demons by yourself. Rem and Ram have both told me about your tendency to bottle up everything, and I've noticed how annoyed my brother gets talking about it. Just recently I overheard him saying, 'Why won't Cap'n jus' talk t'us 'bout his prob'ems?'."

He leaned back and sighed. "Yeah, I can understand why he'd act that way. After I went through the trouble of getting him to open up, all I do now is stay closed off."

She moved a little closer to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Subaru, it's okay to be unsure of things. You'd never guess it, but I'm often unsure of what I'm doing. I'm not referring to my tasks as a maid—I just mean my life in general. There's nothing wrong with a career as a maid for a prominent noble, but sometimes I feel like I could aspire to be something greater."

Subaru became stiff with her soft hand on his shoulder. It wasn't because he objected to it, but rather because it felt nice. While he had spent a lot of time with Emilia, aside from a few lap pillows and holding his hand she was never the first to make an effort to engage in contact. Rem had been fairly forward with him in that regard, but that was before Gluttony devoured her name and memories.

For him, it had been quite some time since a woman offered him any sort of physical comfort. Even Frederica's hand on his shoulder helped to relieve a surprising amount of stress, and it created an additional bond between them. He began to feel something he'd never felt for her before, and that's the true, subconscious reason for why he was stiff to her touch.

After letting his feelings quickly bounce through his head, he asked her, "Did you have any particular dreams or aspirations you wanted to make a reality?"

She moved her hand back from his shoulder, which made him subconsciously loosen up. As she stared at nothing in particular, she explained, "Well, I had a couple ideas. At first, when I was really young and Garf was just a baby, I dreamt of becoming a healer. After I learned I could only use basic wind magic, I wanted to become a knight to protect people. The villagers told me that Lugnicans frown on demi-humans and very rarely allow any into the ranks of the knights, so I gave up on that too. Before I knew it, I was old enough to work, and ended up accepting Lord Roswaal's offer to become a maid at his mansion."

She laughed at herself for a second, then turned back to look at Subaru. "If you're wondering why I don't try and become a knight now, well, I guess I've grown to enjoy being a maid. It's not a terribly difficult job, aside from doubling as the mansion's security force. It's better to have people like you and my brother as proper knights under Lord Roswaal, when I already have the skills to be a maid."

He was impressed how she accepted her circumstances, but at the same time he wished she didn't have to accept how it was. Her life was considerably different from his own; he had the upbringing and background necessary to do almost anything he wanted with his life. Unfortunately, he chose to squander it and wasted his time doing nothing to improve himself before being ripped from Japan altogether. She wasn't afforded any of these things, and was left with only one way to support herself. Despite that, she made the best of her situation, and she did her best to educate herself and become wise.

"Hey Frederica," he asked quietly, "Have you ever dealt with heartbreak before?"

She paused and felt her pulse get a bit heavier. Given that she hasn't even been in love, she only really had one answer. "No, Subaru, never. I've yet to even be courted by another person."

"I guess you are quite busy as a maid," he said. "It's kinda hard to believe, though. A woman as beautiful as you must attract a lot of attention, and surely not every person who came through was terrible."

Her face reddened at his compliment. She nervously replied, "W-Well, I'm flattered you think I'm beautiful, but most of the visitors here are nobles. They either have an arranged marriage, or aren't interested in a demi-human like myself. As far as most common folk are concerned, humans more often than not won't find demi-humans attractive, and full beastfolk are very rare, even in the Mathers domain. Honestly, even if someone interested in me did ever show up, I'm not supposed to fraternize with guests, so I'd probably turn any offers of a relationship down." She sounded a little disappointed in her last line.

"I see," he awkwardly responded. "So, that just leaves anyone you might find when you're not on duty, or someone else on the mansion's staff. Talk about a tough break."

She smiled again. "Yes, it is. That's okay, though. I'm happy because my coworkers are kind and everyone else makes it into a weird little family. Having Garf around also helps fight off the loneliness."

He looked down, and closed his eyes. "The loneliness, huh. Having good friends and family around would help. Well, I hoped that would help me too," he said as his voice began to crack. "Somehow, it just isn't enough to fill the hole that's been left." A tear fell down his face, prompting him to wipe his face off and lightly shake his head.

She moved closer again and asked in a worried tone, "Subaru, are you alright? I'm sorry, I don't intend to force you to talk about anything if you're not ready to talk about it."

He had to put his head in his hands to hide the pained grimace covering it, and his eyes refused to stop watering. He stammered, "I-I don't know—"

He suddenly felt himself get caught. He had begun to fall over without realizing it, and Frederica had wrapped her arms around him so he would fall onto her instead of the ground in front of him. She gently moved his head so that it would lay in her lap, allowing him to lay across his bed. With a reassuring smile on her face, she stroked his head with her strong yet soft hands.

Her cheeks turned slightly red as she timidly said, "I once heard that this sort of thing is sacred for you, Subaru. You can stay where you are for a while if you'd like. I just hope my lap is soft enough for you."

He wasn't even concerned about how her lap felt under his head, as far as he was concerned it was a pillow of the most divine quality. She happily allowed him to look directly upward at her as she continued to rub his head, and he felt the stress of the past few weeks finally start to melt away. Her eyes reflected her feelings and her concern for him. The warmth of those feelings put him at ease, and he soon fell peacefully asleep as he closed his eyes.

As she watched him doze off in her lap, she recognized that her own feelings were spiraling out of control. All that talk of love and heartbreak brought down her emotional barriers, and she started to feel much closer to him.

She thought to herself, Is this really okay? Can I allow myself to feel this way about Subaru? He's the hero of the camp, and he even saved my life back when the old mansion burned down. I mean, he did call me beautiful...no one has ever said that about me before. Of course, he considers Emilia to be very beautiful too, so his sense of beauty is probably warped compared to what's normal—

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. "'Ey, Cap'n! Any chance I c'n fin'ly talk t'ya about how ya feel?"

Before Frederica could say anything, Garfiel came barreling into the room. He was in for a surprise when he found him not at his desk, but instead face up in his big sister's lap. He was stunned as soon as he saw his sister's bright red face.

"Um, well, I eh...wasn't expect'n this." He spoke sheepishly as she hid her face in embarrassment. "Hey sis, did'n think I'd see ya in here. Should I um, give ya some time? Did'n realize Cap'n an you had somethin goin on—"

She yelled, "Subaru and I do not have 'something going on'! Just—just go away! I'll explain later!"

Garfiel chuckled and slowly walked back to the door. "Sure, if ya say so, sis." He winked at her, much to her further embarrassment.

"I said go away!" She threw a pillow at him, prompting him to finally leave and shut the door behind him.

Out in the hall, Garfiel had a big smile on his face. He quietly said to himself, "Big sis and Cap'n, huh. Gotta say I did'n see that comin'. 'T least I could'n think of a better man fer my sis t'be with. She says they ain't t'gether, but I bet 't won't be long 'fore they are." A wave of relief fell over him, happy that his role model may have found a new partner, and that they might become brothers-in-law one day.

Frederica, on the other hand, was burning with humiliation. "Oh by the Dragon, what sorts of ideas are going through his head right now? The last thing I want is for him to go around telling everyone what he just saw." She was muttering to herself, while still subconsciously rubbing Subaru's head. She finally took notice of what she was doing, and made herself stop.

"I'll definitely have to talk to Subaru about this. It's not his fault this happened, but I either need to apologize, or—I don't know." She honestly didn't know what to do. One part of her wanted to follow her newfound feelings for him, but the rest of her was afraid. There was no telling how the other residents of the mansion would react, and that isn't even including Emilia. The half-elf did cruelly dismiss him, but if she was capable of something so black-hearted, then there was no telling how she would react to her former knight becoming attached to a servant.

She quietly let him remain asleep in her lap despite Garfiel's discovery of the situation. After twenty or so minutes passed, he finally began to stir. He opened his eyes and saw her staring at the wall.

He groggily said, "Frederica?"

She immediately looked back down to him to see that he was awake. "Oh, Subaru! Looks like you're finally finished with your, um, late morning nap. I was starting to wonder if I should wake you." Her cheeks turned a slight shade of red as she looked to the side.

His own cheeks turned red when he realized the position he was in. Thanks to falling into a deep sleep so quickly, he'd totally forgotten how he fell asleep in the first place. He stammered, "O-Oh my gosh, Frederica, I'm so sorry! I just felt so relaxed when you laid my head down, I dozed off without even realizing it!" He quickly readjusted into an upright position.

She nervously giggled. "It's okay, really! I normally wouldn't allow this sort of thing, but I don't mind if it's you."

She'd let her true thoughts slip out without a hint of hesitation. They both turned quite red realizing the implication of her statement. She hurriedly got up and moved to the door. However, before she could leave, Subaru called out to her.

"Wait, Frederica!" She turned around to see him with his hand outstretched.

"Y-Yes, Subaru?"

"Um, if you don't mind, I'd be happy if you came back tomorrow at the same time. It was nice talking with you, really." He scratched the back of his head, feeling like he'd given her the lamest invitation in the world.

She gave an earnest smile. "Alright Subaru, I can come back tomorrow. I enjoyed talking to you, too." With a slight bow, she left the room.

Subaru sat on the bed with his head in his hands. He thought, How did that even happen? We were talking and then...wait, that's right. She mentioned loneliness, and I don't exactly remember what happened, but I woke up in her lap. And then, she said she doesn't mind doing that for me!

Blood rushed to his head. He said to himself, "Does Frederica...like me?" The very thought surprised him. She'd never given any indication of a romantic interest in him before. Then again, she'd always seen him together with Emilia, so maybe she only began liking him after the break up? Maybe it was entirely different. Could it be that this very encounter is what spurred her to allow him a lap pillow?

He shook his head. I'm getting way ahead of myself! He thought. There was no doubt that he always thought she was quite attractive, sharp teeth or not, and while he'd never considered her a potential love interest, he wasn't opposed to the idea. Frederica always describes herself as being 'bulky' due to her muscular frame, but any normal person would see her as fit and in shape. Subaru was also quite accustomed to being around women significantly stronger than him, so her strength didn't even factor in for him.

After much consideration, and taking his own feelings into account, he made a decision. When she comes over tomorrow, I'll ask her how she feels about all of this. It was a simple plan, but it would be all he needed. If she does have feelings for him, then the two can try having a relationship. On the other hand, if today was a fluke, then he could put it all to rest. It would be a little disappointing in the latter case, because he realized he had developed some feelings for her in the past few hours.

Outside of the kitchen, a certain maid came to the same decision. If he feels the same as I do, then I should go for it! Frederica was trying hard to suppress her 'giggly' smile so that she could avoid any prying questions from her star pupil, and as well as her coworkers. She hated that she could potentially upset Petra, but she knew the young girl would get over it and find love for real one day.

After thirty or so minutes, lunch was finally ready. Even Ram couldn't find fault with the wonderful mashed tatoes that Petra made, so they prepared to serve them as part of the lunch. Frederica turned to the door as a knock came to it. Beatrice let herself in, for the same reason as every other day. Petra gleefully handed her a tray with four prepared lunches, earning a rare bit of praise from the notoriously confrontational spirit.

"You've made some particularly nice-smelling lunch, I suppose. Maybe it'll finally convince my contractor to eat more than the bare minimum. Th-Thank you, young maid, I suppose." Beatrice left without another word, and Petra couldn't stop herself from fidgeting with glee. Ram ignored it, but Rem and Frederica both smiled witnessing her innocent joy.

Beatrice carried the tray through the hallway. She always wanted to carry it for lunch, seeing it as her duty to her contractor. Otto and Garfiel were allowed to take turns delivering dinner instead. Of course, calling it 'her duty' was nothing more than a convenient excuse, just as 'allowing them' to deliver dinner was. They were all worried about Subaru. She worried because of his self-harming habits; Garfiel worried he could lose his leadership ability; Otto feared that if Subaru left, he would lose his best friend but also the first job that actually paid a decent wage and wasn't predicated on luck.

The one fear they all shared was the worst scenario: Subaru would reject everyone entirely and become a recluse. Beatrice had been one for centuries, Garfiel had all but resigned to be one, and Otto simply knew what it was like to feel the weight of the world against you. No matter what, they would refuse to let him go down that dark road. That was the mutual agreement the three made the day they got the bad news.

Imagine Beatrice's surprise when right outside her contractor's door she saw Garfiel with an incredibly stupid look on his face. It was as though the beast-boy had been holding in his laughter all day.

She slightly glared at him. "What even is that expression, I suppose? Is there something funny about visiting my con—Subaru, in fact?"

He shook his head. "Na, s'nothin like that. Jus' gotta question s'been burnin in me all day. It can wait 'till after lunch wif Cap'n." She swore she heard him snicker beneath his breath, so she gave him the stink eye.

Otto soon arrived, and the three entered Subaru's room. Otto and Beatrice were surprised to see Subaru looking more upbeat than usual.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming again," said Subaru. "I'm really glad you're always bringing lunch and dinner up for me."

"Excuse me, but I bring the lunch up, in fact," said a certain indignant spirit girl. Unfortunately, her little ploy for attention backfired when Subaru picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Beako, I'm sorry, of course it's been you bringing up lunch! Silly me, getting that all wrong. Thank you so much!" Otto and Garfiel tried not to laugh as they heard the mischief in his voice.

"I'm...glad...you...like it...I suppose...put down...can't speak…" Beatrice could barely croak out.

He set her down, prompting her to dramatically hyperventilate. Subaru found himself giggling uncontrollably through it, much to Beatrice's surprise. As she finally caught her breath, she was going to chew him out, but decided that if a little mischief allowed him to giggle, she could let it slide.

"Be glad Betty will tolerate your insane idea of gratefulness, I suppose," she said in her characteristic tone.

The four enjoyed a nice lunch together. Subaru finally apologized to all of them for worrying them so much, and assured them all that he was going to be okay. He explained that he would need some more time to stay in his room, but he promised to start spending time with them outside again. Otto and Garfiel were very visibly relieved, and he could tell Beatrice was relieved too. Even if this new possibility of love with Frederica doesn't go anywhere, he has her words as well as those of Rem to remind him: he isn't alone, and he never has to be ever again.

Otto and Beatrice moved to leave, but Garfiel asked to stay behind for "reasons". After the two left, he grinned as he faced Subaru.

"So, Cap'n, when was you plannin' on tellin' me 'bout you 'n sis?"

Subaru froze. Garfiel snickered at his stunned silence. "What, Cap'n, ya think I would'n notice? Na, I'm kiddin'. I accident'ly saw ya gettin' a lap pillow from her. She made it sound like it was'n anythin regular, but I gotta know! Is't really the only time somfin like that happened between ya's?"

Damnit, of all the rotten luck! Subaru couldn't believe it. Garf had walked in on that moment when he must've been passed out. He didn't know how Garf was going to react to the idea that his "Cap'n" might be interested in his sister.

Well, here's hoping Return by Death doesn't send me all the way back to the worst moment of my life again.

"Well, Garf," he started to nervously explain, "It's true, that's the only time anything like that has happened between us."

Garfiel looked at him a little more intensely. "D'ya hope it happens again?"

Sweat dribbled down the back of Subaru's neck. "Um—yes?"

Garfiel stared just a little longer, before bursting out into laughter. "Ha! Sorry Cap'n, I could'n resist. Ya shoulda seen the look on'er face when I walked in! She was red as could be! I think she likes ya, too. Jus make sure you don't hurt her, Cap'n, and we ain't got any issues. After all, ain't many men in tha world I'd approve of for her more than ya."

"Why'd you have to go and scare me like that!" Subaru yelled indignantly. Garfiel started laughing again at his incensed role model.

"C'mon Cap'n, it'll be fine. 'M sure you an sis will end up gettin' along great." Garfiel smiled wide, showing off his sharp fangs.

Subaru sighed. "If you say so, Garf. Have you told anyone else about what you saw?"

Garfiel shook his head. "Nah, 'f course not. 'M the only one 'sides the two of ya who know. 'Aight, s'about time for my afternoon trainin. Lemme know when ya want ta train wif my awesome self again!" He lightly slugged Subaru's shoulder and waved as he left the room.

Subaru groaned at the dull pain in his shoulder from Garf's hit. At least he's supportive, I guess, he thought. Since Garfiel would keep the secret, he wouldn't have to worry too much. When Frederica arrived the next day they would talk about what happened today and settle things. In his still-hurting heart, he hoped that she would be interested in something more.

The rest of the day flew by before he realized it. For the first time in weeks, he went to bed looking forward to waking up the following day.

Frederica woke up the following day feeling just great. She was a little antsy getting to sleep, but she still slept very well. It was the crack of dawn, and time to get to work. The more she got done early, the more time she would have to talk to Subaru before lunch. She knew Ram was assigned to bring him breakfast that morning, so she hoped the oni's attitude would leave Subaru wanting for her more tender approach.

Ram, on the other hand, was quite looking forward to trying to aggravate Subaru. She didn't bother him the first week, but she wanted to try and get him back to where he was, and she knew that he did enjoy bantering with her. She liked to banter with him too, but she wasn't about to admit that to him or anyone else. Rem, who was still re-learning how to cook, ended up producing some surprisingly fluffy pancakes because she didn't mix the batter as long as the other maids did. Ram decided that the super fluffy pancakes would do fine for Subaru, so she got some syrup and butter and brought them up to his room.

She knocked on his door. "Barusu, open the door so I can bring your food in before I eat it."

The door quickly opened, revealing a glowing Subaru. She remarked, "It seems you managed to actually sleep well for once, Barusu. Did you perhaps convince my sister to give you a back rub or something equally gross? That's something a pervert like you would definitely do."

He retorted, "Even if I had, which I didn't by the way, she wouldn't have done that. I already told you many times that she has no memories of her feelings from before she fell asleep."

She smirked and sarcastically replied, "As if my wonderful twin sister would have feelings for a gross pervert like you, anyway. I only thought she might have been convinced because you've been looking even more pathetic than usual for the last three weeks." She said that, but this is the first time he's engaged her in a back-and-forth banter since before the break up, so she already felt a bit better about him.

"Pft, it's just like you to say that," he dryly replied. "I get it, I don't look like the hole I crawled out of this morning. No, Rem had nothing to do with it. I just feel a little better than usual, you know?"

She sighed. "A little better than usual? Considering how low your standards for 'usual' are, I'm not entirely convinced you are any better. Anyway, Rem made these pancakes today, and they're very fluffy. If you don't finish them, I'll come back with more and force feed you until you can write a ten-page essay on the full taste and flavor profile of my dear sister's pancakes."

She lackadaisically placed the tray of food on his desk. After a light huff, she suggested, "I guess if you have anything worth talking about, I could be convinced to half-listen to what you have to say, Barusu."

He looked up at her, and saw she actually had a look of mild interest. He sighed and said, "Well, I guess technically Rem did help a little with my mood. But only through words, nothing else. She reminded me that just because Emilia doesn't want me by her side anymore doesn't mean there aren't other people who care about me."

She raised her visible eyebrow. "I see. It only makes sense Rem would know what to say to help you feel a little better after what Lady Emilia did to you. After all, Rem is without a doubt my twin sister." She said 'Lady Emilia' with a very noticeable grumble, which didn't slip by Subaru.

"Ram?" He sounded surprised. "Are—you upset with Emilia?"

She looked at the wall. "I would never be upset with a dignified, royal candidate like Lady Emilia. It wouldn't matter if I thought she had managed to perform the single most moronic and hare-brained action I'd ever seen, nothing would ever motivate me to speak poorly of her." He was very surprised by her willingness to reveal her true thoughts to him.

"I would never think less of her for shattering the heart of a lazy minstrel like you, Barusu. It's not as though you've worked incredibly hard all in the name of supporting her." There was enough sarcasm in Ram's voice that even the most oblivious person in the world would've understood what she really meant.

He inaudibly chuckled. "I guess Rem was right about you after all, Ram."

She looked right back at him with annoyance in her eye. "I know she wouldn't tell lies about me, so you've almost certainly twisted whatever she has said into some convenient lie about me."

He answered with a smile, "Of course, Lady Ram. I would never be foolish enough to believe that I'm anything other than an annoying pest that's occasionally amusing to you."

She smirked. "Reduce occasionally to rarely and you are closer to correct. Perhaps if you keep calling me Lady Ram, I will one day deign you to be only a slightly annoying pest. Now eat your pancakes that Rem very kindly made and I very kindly delivered. Frederica informed me she will pick up your tray later. It's a pity, I was looking forward to making you call me Lady Ram some more."

Her smirk reformed into a more genuine smile as she went to the door. As she opened the door, she turned around to say one last thing. "Until next time, thirsty Pervusu who stared at Ram's cute behind while she walked away."

"I did not!" He yelled as she shut the door. He facepalmed and grumbled before quietly laughing at the whole situation. It had been some time since he had actually talked to Ram beyond a simple acknowledgement. His smile grew wide when he realized he was able to actually talk to his friends again.

About an hour later, Subaru sat on his bed. He finished the entire plate of pancakes, remarking that they reminded him just a little of Japanese pancakes. Right as he began to reminisce about Japan, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Subaru? I'm here, like I said I'd be. May I enter?" Frederica's down-to-earth voice was always gentle on the ears.

"Yes, please come on in!" He responded. The blonde beast-woman entered wearing the same type of uniform she wore yesterday. She smiled warmly at him as she walked over to him.

"So, um, about yesterday," Subaru nervously started saying.

"..."

Both of them were nervous and had a hard time speaking. Frederica quietly responded, "Yeah, yesterday. It was interesting, wasn't it?"

Another silence hung through the air. After a minute he finally responded, "Really, I don't think 'interesting' is the word I would use."

She looked over at him with reddened cheeks. "Oh then, um, what would you say about it?"

He steeled himself and finally said, "I think it was kind of wonderful, actually."

Her eyes went wide. "W-Wonderful? Really?"

"Yeah, really," he answered. "That moment really helped me out, but I think it did more than that, too. I've always thought from the start you were very pretty, and honestly I'm still kicking myself for what I blurted out to you. I guess being with Emilia all that time made me not think about all the attractive women that I either worked around or happened on. So, what happened yesterday was wonderful, and—I was wondering if you were happy about yesterday, too."

She had to cover her mouth. After fidgeting around for a moment, she gently nodded her head. "Subaru, I was happy about yesterday. I think over the course of the past few weeks, I've begun to develop feelings for you. After the treatment you got from Lady Emilia, it made my heart hurt. I think I wanted to hold you close, and try to make sure you'd never have any problems like this again. Regardless, the feelings are there."

He couldn't believe it. The lap pillow wasn't a complete fluke—this might lead to something wonderful. "You have feelings for me? Well, that's great, because I think I have feelings for you too. Do you—do you want to, um, what's the word?"

She helpfully replied, "Enter a courtship?"

They both fell silent for a moment as the words hung in the air. He swallowed and replied, "Yeah, that's it. Do you want to enter a courtship? With me?"

Her face really turned red. However, she was beaming at the same time. "Subaru, yes, I'd be delighted to be courted by you."

So, Subaru began to court Frederica. He extended out his hand, and she happily took it. The two smiled as they thought about what lay ahead in their futures.

At least, until the moment was totally interrupted by a wild Garfiel. With all the grace of a bull in a rodeo, he barged into the room, barely managing to close the door behind him.

"I knew 't was jus' a matter of time! Cap'n gonna become my bro fer real now!"

"Garfiel! You've seriously been eavesdropping on us this whole time?" Frederica was ready to smack him for ruining the mood.

Detecting her anger, he quickly backpedaled. "H-Hey now, sis, ya can't blame me fer bein excited, can ya?"

Subaru replied, "You can be excited without crashing in here like a wild animal!"

Garfiel backed up to the door. "Okay, okay, I get it, I'm leavin. But ya gotta let me know when yer takin' this public!" With that, he hopped out the door.

Frederica gave a long-suffering sigh. "Oh Garfiel. I appreciate his intentions, but he has a while to go in terms of maturity."

Subaru suggested, "Well, maybe later tonight the two of us could enjoy some dessert? We could eat it in the courtyard, maybe?"

She smiled. "That sounds great, Subaru. Well, I have to go back to work now. Today was wonderful, and I'm glad we both feel the same way. I look forward to dessert tonight!"

With that, his new blonde girlfriend left to do her job. With a renewed vigor, Subaru decided the first thing he would do to celebrate would be to invite his lunch mates to do some radio calisthenics to get him back in shape after three weeks of almost no activity.

The rest of the day went by wonderfully. Garfiel dragged Otto outside with Subaru and Beatrice as they went through Subaru's 'famous' radio calisthenics. Dessert in the courtyard also ended up being a smart move on his part, as he and Frederica got to enjoy a completely clear night sky as he told her about star constellations. For the next month, Subaru would chat with either Rem, Ram, or Petra along with Frederica in the morning, do radio calisthenics with Garfiel, Beatrice, and occasionally Otto after lunch, then after dinner he spent some time with Frederica before bed time.

During this time, everyone in the mansion took notice of Subaru's improving mood. Aside from the one in the know, everyone had a separate theory on why his mood had improved so greatly. Rem was under the impression that her words alone had allowed him to see the light and realize he didn't need Emilia to be happy. Ram believed Rem was secretly massaging him, which the latter fervently denied. Petra and Beatrice independently believed he simply got over Emilia, making them each happy in their own ways. Otto had started keeping a closer eye on him because he thought perhaps Subaru was now using some kind of alcohol or drug to keep the sadness at bay.

Roswaal didn't really care about why his mood changed, but he was glad for two reasons. The first reason, obviously, is because now Subaru can focus on moving forward and accomplishing his goal. The second reason, surprisingly, is because the eccentric lord genuinely cares about Subaru in his own strange ways. After all, Roswaal had always planned to give his estate and titles to Subaru anyway should Emilia lose the election. Now that the half-elf was no longer a factor in Subaru's future plans, he would make Subaru the new lord of his domain, asking only that he give special consideration to Annerose and the rest of the Miload family.

In the meantime, Subaru and Frederica were figuring out how they wanted to move forward with the courtship.

"Are you sure, Subaru?" Asked Frederica. "Do you think it's okay to let everyone else know about our courtship now? Aside from my intrusive younger brother?"

"Yeah, I think it's time," he responded. "The most difficult part will be telling Petra, if what you tell me is right," he sadly concluded. He knew the young girl was crushing on him, but he didn't realize how deeply held Petra's feelings were.

She nodded in agreement. "It feels like I'm betraying her, if I'm honest. I never imagined a circumstance like this happening either, but I understand. To you, she's a precious child. You won't be able to ever see her as anything other than that, and I wish I'd realized sooner so I could have helped her move on. At this rate, once she finds out about this, I will no longer be able to help her out." She sighed disappointedly.

He steeled himself and said, "It can't be helped. She would be sad if any other woman got to me anyway, so all we can do is work on ensuring she understands why it is the way it is. Frankly, I'm surprised that no one let the knowledge out that Emilia was through with me. Who knows how the other camps would have reacted to the knowledge?"

He paused for a moment as he realized a critical flaw. "Well, okay, Priscilla probably wouldn't have cared, and Crusch and Anastasia aren't in the race anymore. Felt might have sent an offer to have me join her camp, though. In the end it doesn't matter because I would've declined anyway. I still need to follow through with certain things first."

Frederica closed her eyes. "Your deal with Lord Roswaal, of course." She then looked at him with a concerned expression. "You haven't exactly shared all the details with us, but you can't leave the camp while it remains unfulfilled, right?"

"Yeah, I can't," he said. "However, once it's fulfilled, he said I'm free to do as I wish, even if it means leaving the Emilia Camp."

Her face lit up again. "Well, that's good. I can only imagine it's difficult to serve someone who hurt you so badly. You know I would happily follow you out of here if you want to go. Beatrice will also come along since she's your spirit, so it'll be the three of us plus anyone else who would rather follow you out of here."

Someone knocked on the door right then. "Su~baru-kun, may I have a word?" Both sighed as Roswaal's voice came through.

"Yes, you may enter," Subaru reluctantly said. The bizarrely-dressed lord walked in to see the two seated around Subaru's desk, and he took a seat on a nearby armchair.

"Ah, if it isn't my de~ar head maid Frederica in here as well," he said in an aloof tone. "I ho~pe I haven't interrupted anything." He winked at her, causing her to subconsciously wince.

"You don't need to mind my presence, Lord Roswaal. Shall I wait outside?" She answered in her professional tone.

"No need, my dear. You may listen to my conversation with Su~baru-kun," he explained. He turned to face the young man and switched to his serious tone. "Now Subaru, something very important has just come to my attention. Our plan was to resurrect my Sensei and restore her to her original body. However, I just detected magical energy closely resembling hers the other day."

Subaru's eyes went wide. "You mean—Echidna, or at least her soul, is back here? In this world?"

Roswaal nodded. "It would seem so. I discovered it by accident myself when I was visiting some nobles in the Karsten domain searching for support. After all, I could never fail to notice my Sensei's mana within my magical detection range. I intend to return to the area I was in once before to search, but I would like to request you and Beatrice to accompany me. If you are worried about mana, I will happily provide as much as she needs to follow me via teleportation."

"Wait, why Beatrice?" Asked Subaru. "She spent four centuries doing a thankless, unending task for Echidna, and you want her to be in the vanguard that goes to collect her?"

Roswaal nodded. "It is not to be punitive or petty, Subaru. Rather, I am incapable of teleportation magic, and I am unable to fly great distances while carrying someone else. I must ask her to come along purely out of necessity. If you are concerned about how I can give her mana, I can channel it directly through you to her without using your broken gate. Our goal is to determine if what I felt was truly my Sensei from four hundred years ago, or something else."

Frederica observed silently with a confused look. Roswaal then said, "Subaru, I have one more question. I've noticed you seem considerably better than you did a month ago when I last had a talk with you. Is that because of her?"

Both Subaru and Frederica looked wide eyed. Roswaal smiled and resumed speaking in his usual tone. "We~ll then, Subaru-kun, I cannot say I'm unhappy about this. If my de~ar maid Frederica has helped fill the hole in your he~art, then the two of you have my blessing. You may tell her abo~ut our deal, after we return from our mission."

The body-snatching lord rose from his seat. "Su~baru-kun, meet me in the grand foyer in about ten minutes. Then we sha~ll depart." He left the room immediately afterwards.

Frederica looked at Subaru with a worried expression. "Subaru, are you going to explain to me what just happened when you get back?"

Subaru looked down. "Yeah, after that I think I'll have to. I promise I'll be safe, and we'll see you later." He got out of his chair. "Right, now I need to find Beatrice and explain to her what's going on. I'll be looking forward to seeing you again when I get back!"

He left the room in a hurry. She was left to consider what just happened. After shaking her head, she got up as well. It was no use trying to guess what was going on if Roswaal was involved, after all. As far as she knew, no one in his staff really understood what went through that head of his.

After explaining everything to Beatrice, she and Subaru met Roswaal in the grand hall. As the three got ready to depart, a voice called out to them that Subaru had hoped never to hear again.

"Where are you three off to?" They turned around to see Emilia.

Roswaal immediately answered, "I'm afra~id it is an important matter that does not concern you, Lady Emi~lia. We will return as so~on as we can. Ga~rfiel and the others here are more than capable of protecting you, yes?"

Emilia closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Do what you must. Just as long as you don't put Subaru in unnecessary danger. It would make me look bad if a knight working under my sponsor died for a dumb reason."

After cruelly crushing Subaru's mood once again, she turned around and left. Roswaal calmly replied, "Du~ly noted, Lady Emi~lia."

While Subaru wasn't looking, Beatrice made a rude gesture at Emilia's back before turning around. "Come on, Subaru. We have more important things to do, I suppose." He nodded and followed behind Roswaal.

Outside of the mansion, Roswaal began to channel mana through Subaru so Beatrice could prepare her teleportation spell. Subaru heard Roswaal say under his breath, "I never thought that girl was capable of being so ungrateful. How did Subaru-kun's personality completely fail to rub off on her?"

Subaru was surprised. Even he thinks she's gone too far? He thought.

Beatrice then said, "Roswaal, where are we going, I wonder?"

Said man responded, "I have le~ft a magical trail for you to follow."

Beatrice nodded, and then the mana began flowing around them. Suddenly, Subaru felt everything shift around them as they were teleported far from their original location. He opened his eyes to find they were in a relatively nice looking village. Before he could say anything, Roswaal declared, "This way. I can sense her around the nearby lord's manor."

Subaru and Beatrice just quietly followed behind him. Many eyes followed the strange-looking trio as they approached the manor. Compared to Roswaal's, Subaru thought the manor seemed relatively modest. Once they reached the front door, Roswaal knocked on it. A butler opened the door, and Roswaal explained why he was there. Moments later, the manor's lord appeared.

"Margrave Mathers, it is a surprise to see you here unannounced. Is there something I could do for you?" The lord seemed very on edge.

"Do not fe~ar, I am only here in search of someone. She is a magic user, though I'm uncertain of her appearance. I kno~w she is around, however, due to her mana profile. Ha~ve you taken in a magic user recently?" Roswaal smiled politely through the entire interaction.

Another voice spoke from behind the lord, "He means me, I'm afraid. I will talk to him." The lord moved and they found...Ryuzu?

"I apologize for keeping away from you, Roswaal Mathers." She spoke in a tone that reminded Subaru heavily of Echidna from the Sanctuary. "I assume you want me to come with you back to your mansion so you can ask me a few questions?"

Roswaal nodded. "I would appre~ciate it greatly, she whose name I am unsure of."

The girl smiled. "You may refer to me as Omega for now." The girl walked out of the manor and beside Subaru. "Thank you, Lord Tymus, for granting me safety for a few days. I will always appreciate it." The lord bowed to her.

Roswaal smiled. "I will tha~nk you too, Lord Tymus. When I retu~rn to my mansion, I will make arrangements to send you a gift." The four turned around and distanced themselves from the manor. "Lady Be~atrice, would you do the honors?"

The spirit nodded. Mana swirled around them, and they were back to Roswaal's mansion just in time for lunch, judging by the smell from the kitchen ventilation. Roswaal turned to Omega. "No~w, we will enjoy lunch first. My questions can wait until after then. Tha~nk you for your cooperation, Omega." He walked off, leaving Subaru and Beatrice who couldn't help but stare at her.

Omega smirked and said, "You know, you're going to make me embarrassed staring at my maidenly form like that, you two."

The two blushed, and looked away. Subaru asked, "I had a feeling when I first heard you, but now I'm certain. You're not a Ryuzu clone at all, are you? You're Echidna."

Omega smiled. "You are quite the smart young man, Subaru. Even in this form, you are able to recognize me on how I speak alone. It is truly satisfying to have escaped the Castle of Dreams if for no other reason than to see if I was right or wrong about you."

Beatrice looked back at her with wide eyes. "M—Mother? But, that can't be right. You're not exactly her, I suppose. You're different. How did you come to be, I wonder?"

Echidna answered, "Your mother and myself are very similar. You could say I'm a derivative of her. I remember what she remembered, and I understand what she understood. Thanks to that, I understand who you are and what you represent to her. Was there anything you wished to ask?"

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. "Who was 'they', I suppose?"

Echidna sighed. "Does it matter? You chose Subaru in the end. For the record, your mother would've been happy with that choice. I understand that much."

The spirit girl widened her eyes. "Happy with my—choice?"

"Your 'they' was always your choice," Echidna said nonchalantly. "Frankly, I was surprised it took so long for you to make up your mind. Even Roswaal A. Mathers would've been an acceptable choice. In the end, Subaru Natsuki was certainly...the most interesting choice I could foresee."

Subaru groaned. "Did you have to put it like that?"

Beatrice looked down. "Any choice...it was all mine, in fact. I really had no 'they' after all. Was this truly Mother's intention, I wonder? Just an exercise in independence?"

Subaru knelt down and wrapped his arms around her. Normally, she would object to a sudden hug like this, but she silently nuzzled her head into his chest. Echidna had just told her that she waited so long for no good reason, and only because she was uncomfortable with making a single major choice on her own. The spirit girl did not cry, but she let him hold her tight for comfort.

"I guess there's no point in crying anymore, Beako." He sounded melancholic as he comforted her. He turned his attention back to Echidna. With a flat, sarcastic but not angry tone, he asked, "You actually just went and told her straight up, huh? I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. You are you, after all."

Echidna shrugged. "Of course I am me. Anyway, we should go get some lunch. Will we be joined by that special half-elf you doted on so much?"

Subaru froze. Beatrice took that moment to free herself from her contractor's loving grasp and turned around to face Echidna. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention the brat around my contractor again, I suppose. How much do you know about him, I wonder? You seem far too familiar with him for someone who supposedly died four centuries ago, in fact."

Echidna smiled darkly. "I know everything I need to know about him. I trust that will suffice?"

Subaru quietly said to Beatrice, "I'm sorry to request this of you Beako, but please don't ask for more specific examples. Let's just say I've run into her more than a couple times during my time in the Sanctuary and leave it at that."

Beatrice looked at him with an alarmed face. However, she soon calmed down. "If that's what my contractor wants, I will heed him, I suppose. I will cease my interrogation of not-quite-Mother."

With the matter settled for now, the three went into the mansion. Subaru was happy to see Rem and Frederica waiting for them directly inside.

"Welcome back, Subaru! Good day, Lady Beatrice! I'm glad you're both safe!"

"Good to see you again, Subaru-kun and Lady Beatrice."

Rem had recently re-adopted the honorific '-kun' for Subaru, which served to further promote his mental healing. She had grown even more fond of him after seeing him rebound from his absolute worst and had become one of his closest friends again.

"Subaru-kun, congratulations on courting Frederica-senpai," Rem announced. "I'm truly happy for you!"

Beatrice turned to face Subaru. "You're courting the beast maid?! When did this happen, in fact?"

Subaru sighed. "Rem, thanks for the sincere congratulations. Beako, I promise I'll explain more later. We've gotta eat the lunch they've generously prepared for us first."

Frederica tried to quietly reprimand Rem, "Rem, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't say such things in front of guests! It might look inappropriate to those unfamiliar with our household!"

Echidna said nothing, merely adopting a sly smile. Even on Ryuzu's face, Subaru could tell what she was thinking. 'How interesting, Subaru. You finally developed a sense of taste in women', or something like that. He groaned at the very thought of Echidna teasing him.

Emilia, unsurprisingly, was not present for lunch. Ever since that day she always took her meals in her room so she could keep studying. Everyone was eager to have Subaru join them, although he felt like someone was giving him a stink-eye. He finally found the source—Petra looking at him from inside the kitchen. As soon as he made eye contact, she quietly closed the door. It seems that everyone really knows about him and Frederica now.

Roswaal called everyone's attention from the head of the table. "E~veryone, we have a special guest with us today. Her na~me is Omega, and despite her look, she is not a Ryuzu clone. Please be consi~derate of her while she stays with us."

Garfiel absentmindedly said, "She's not a granny? Huh."

Frederica bopped him on the back of head. "Were you not listening to Lord Roswaal just now? Be considerate."

He quietly groaned. "Erk, sorry, sorry! I'll be considerate!"

'Omega' said, "Thank you all for having me. I look forward to your generous hospitality." She sat at the table with a pleasant, rehearsed smile.

Lunch went about as usual for the day. Petra didn't come back out of the kitchen, so Beatrice said she'd try to find her later and talk to her. With lunch wrapped up, Roswaal invited Echidna to his office with Subaru so they could determine whether she was truly the 'Echidna' he was looking for.

When all three were seated in his office, Roswaal dropped his accent. "Now then, Omega. When I felt your mana pattern, it seemed the same as that of Echidna, the former Witch of Greed. So, I would ask you—Are you her? Are you Echidna?"

She made her face unreadable. "From my point of view, yes, I am Echidna, the Witch of Greed, though I do not currently hold the Greed witch factor. I certainly remember you from four hundred years ago, and how devoted a student you were. In addition, I was well aware you possessed a Tome of Wisdom until about a little more than two years ago, when Subaru here got you mixed up in a plan that reduced that book to ashes."

Roswaal narrowed his eyes. "So, you are Echidna, and I don't sense you're lying. You're not telling me the whole truth, though. Are you the same exact Echidna that I knew four hundred years ago?"

A sly smile appeared on her face. "Four hundred years does help one become more perceptive, doesn't it? To call myself the same exact Echidna would be...an exaggeration. The most accurate way I can describe myself would be that I am a derivative of the Echidna you knew. I have her memories and I know all that she's experienced, but I am a bit different from her now."

Roswaal hummed lightly as he looked her over. "I see. Would you be troubled if I asked for your help in reviving my Sensei? My...Echidna. I wish nothing more than to see her again. She was taken far too soon from me."

Echidna stared at him for a little bit. Eventually, she said, "I could help you with that. However, I would need to negotiate with Subaru in order to make it happen. After all, you are sworn to never act against him, so I must ensure he supports my plan so you don't get your soul destroyed before your Echidna is brought back."

She turned to face Subaru. "Subaru, you've promised to help him complete his goal, yes? Then you'll surely agree to my assistance as well."

He said with exasperation, "You haven't even started explaining your plan yet!"

She smiled. "Oh, must you always know every detail to every plan, Subaru? You can't just trust me to complete my plan as easily and painlessly as possible?"

He looked at her with disgust. "You already know the answer to that, Echidna."

She sighed and said, "There's no changing your mind once it's made up, it seems. Very well, listen to me well because I hate repeating myself. Right now, everything about Echidna is contained within this body, including her personality and memories from how she was four centuries ago. With a little healing magic, Roswaal's soul transfer ritual, and my guidance, we can effectively copy those memories and personality traits, turn it into a soul, and insert it into the body of Echidna within my tomb. When the healing magic restores her vital functions, the artificial 'soul' will cause her to awaken as herself."

Subaru asked, "But I thought healing magic alone couldn't bring a dead person back to life?"

Echidna smiled again. "Normally, this is true. But that is because of the soul component, which healing magic can't replicate. Since we are inserting a new soul into her, all the healing magic is doing is re-activating her vital functions, which is an easy enough task for any competent healer. Beatrice would be fully capable of such a task, as a matter of fact."

Subaru grunted as he thought. "Ugh, alright. I insist on supervising everything, though."

Roswaal remarked, "It seems like this has been settled, then. I will begin preparations immediately. Subaru-kun, why don't you go talk to Beatrice? You should also take time to talk to Frederica as well. This will have large consequences for your future, if you recall the deal we made a month ago."

Subaru began to feel a strange anxiety as he recalled it. "I'll go and talk to both of them. Echidna, I guess you can do what you want to until it's time to do this."

He got up and began to walk to the exit, when he heard, "Subaru, would you allow me to accompany you? You did say I could do what I want to, after all."

"Fine, whatever," he said in a clearly annoyed tone. Echidna walked beside him as he went to go find Beatrice and Frederica. Soon enough, he ran into his spirit, and he explained what was going on. She had no objections, so she was in on the plan. Not long after, they ran into Frederica.

"Hey, Frederica," he called out. She smiled back at him as he continued, "Can you come with me? I'll try to explain everything I can right now in my room."

With that, the four all went to Subaru's room. It wasn't a terribly large room, but it was significantly more spacious than the room afforded to him when he was a simple servant. They all settled in on the few chairs in the room, with Beatrice seated in his lap.

Frederica asked, "So, you can tell me what is going on now?"

Subaru nodded. "Yeah. Like you already knew, I had a deal with Roswaal going this whole time. The original deal was that I'd help him revive his Sensei, known as Echidna, the Witch of Greed. She was called a Witch, but she isn't comparable to the Witch of Envy. He has sought her revival since she died more than four hundred years ago. And yes, I mean 'he', that Roswaal. He is the exact same man who lived back then."

Her eyes went wide. "Wait, Lord Roswaal is over four hundred years old? But he's only in his thirties!"

He explained, "Roswaal has been using a forbidden soul transfer magic to magically usurp his descendants' bodies and take them for himself. The reason each new Lord Mathers adopted the name Roswaal was merely for his own convenience. Each descendant was identified by a middle initial, and thus Roswaal A. Mathers is the actual man residing inside the body of Roswaal L. Mathers."

She stared at the wall with a bewildered expression before turning back to Subaru. "No way. I know Lord Roswaal is a powerful mage, but this? He effectively hijacked his children for generations for his singular goal? I never thought I could further lose respect for him after the events of the Sanctuary. It seems I underestimated him once again. You really do have a good reason to dislike him so much."

Subaru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he's a bastard, but he's a useful and powerful bastard. Also, he does somehow actually care about all of you, so I can't hate him so much that I won't work with him. Anyway, onto the next thing. He mentioned that we made another deal. You heard that too, right?"

She nodded. "I did hear that."

"Well, he seemed afraid I might leave," he explained. "He offered me everything he could possibly offer me. His wealth, titles, estate, everything. He promised to make me the next Margrave Mathers, and the first one in generations to not be a Roswaal. Apparently, he's made virtually all the arrangements already. The craziest part is, he only asked in exchange that I complete his goal and take care of the Miload family."

She was stunned. "You'll succeed Lord Roswaal as the next Margrave? That's quite the responsibility. It does mean that you'll essentially be set for the rest of your life. I have no doubt Rem and Ram will remain servants, and perhaps Petra will as well. What will happen with me, though?"

Beatrice flatly replied, "If my contractor continues to like you so much, you'll become the Lady Mathers, I suppose. Just don't forget that I will be Lord Subaru's precious Great Spirit and we'll get along just fine, in fact."

Subaru started giggling uncontrollably. Frederica found herself smiling as well as Beatrice looked confused. He calmed down after a moment and said, "Beako, I haven't even become the lord and you've already called me Lord Subaru! You're so adorable I could squeeze you!" After saying that, he naturally began to lightly squeeze her.

The flustered spirit girl complained, "B-Betty is adorable, but there's no need to squeeze her like some kind of doll!"

Frederica giggled a little at the overwhelmingly cute display. "Well, if being the Lady means I get to see things like this all the time, then I guess I would be fine with that position," she said coyly. Then she laughed before finishing, "You know, just in case being the lady of the manor isn't enough!"

Both she and Subaru broke into a small fit of laughter. Beatrice sighed as she remained trapped in her contractor's arms. Echidna looked at the spirit and said, "Is this sort of thing normal around here?"

Beatrice replied, "You get used to it, I suppose."

After Subaru and Frederica calmed down, he looked back at Echidna and said to her, "So, about reviving Roswaal's Sensei, how soon could it be done? Does it require a lot of preparation?"

She answered, "It wouldn't take too long, honestly. As soon as Roswaal has made all the preparations he wants to make, we can go straight there and perform the ritual. It would take about half an hour to complete, if my calculations are correct."

Frederica asked, "Subaru, how does she know so much about reviving Roswaal's Sensei?"

He looked back at Echidna and asked, "Do you want to explain, or should I?"

The witch in Ryuzu's body nodded. "Frederica, I am actually Echidna, the former Witch of Greed. It just so happens I hold the memories of the woman Roswaal knew as 'Echidna, the Witch of Greed' from over four centuries ago. You could say I'm intimately familiar with her as a result."

The beast-woman looked confused. "You are not the same Echidna as the one he knew, despite sharing a name and title with her?"

Echidna sighed. "It is a terribly complex tale, so I will simply say that while she and I are similar, we are not exactly the same person."

Subaru added, "She's telling the truth, Frederica. I've seen her and the body of the deceased Echidna, so I know they are not quite the same too."

Before the conversation could continue further, someone knocked on the door. "He~llo, I am ready now, Subaru, Beatrice, and Echidna. Let us aw~ay."

Subaru sarcastically said, "Looks like Roswaal is finally ready. I guess we should go now."

He bid Frederica goodbye, and he left with Echidna and Beatrice to get underway for the journey to Echidna's tomb.

The four met up with Ram and Rem in the grand foyer. Rem smiled and said, "Good luck, Subaru-kun. Don't let the forest creatures nip at you too much." She playfully winked as Subaru groaned.

Ram, on the other hand, said, "If you do get chewed up by the mabeasts, then at least make sure it's so Lord Roswaal and Lady Beatrice can get away safely. Ram will then lay flowers on your grave for trying to be a hero."

He dryly replied, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, big sis."

Outside the manor, a dragon carriage awaited them. Garfiel sat in the driver's seat slouching in boredom. He turned to see the group coming out, and he shifted himself back upright. "So ya guys 'r finally ready? It ain't too much further from here ta get ta Sanctuary, but we still gotta get movin' if we're gonna stop in Arlam fer the night!"

It took an evening to get to Arlam, where they stayed in an inn that Roswaal had built just for situations like this. The next day, it took about a half-day to get all the way to Sanctuary again. Garfiel went to chat with some of the remaining villagers while the other four went straight to Echidna's tomb. In the deepest part of the tomb, the perfectly preserved body of Echidna awaited them.

The present Echidna said, "The process will begin soon. Beatrice, please begin to cast healing magic on her. Once she has begun to breathe again, we can begin the soul transfer."

Beatrice began to cast healing magic on the body. Subaru immediately began to notice changes as the magical light in the room faded and was replaced by candlelight. The previously unnaturally still body started to pulsate with life signs. After about ten minutes, all of its vital functions were restored, and it was breathing with a normal rhythm.

With this, Echidna cued Roswaal, and he began his soul transfer ritual. She quietly instructed him on how to obtain the desired memories from her, and a small shining ball of blue light appeared. The blue light was slowly lowered into the body, and it began to embed itself into it right above the heart.

The process seemed painstakingly slow as Subaru watched the light very slowly creep under the skin. As it descended, the body's skin color changed from a very sickly pale to a shiny porcelain white, much like that of the Echidna he remembered. After another twenty minutes, the blue light was no longer visible, and Roswaal stopped casting. The group watched as Beatrice kept her healing magic running.

For a couple minutes, there were no changes. Soon enough, though, the body opened its eyes, and the previous Echidna began to re-awaken. She seemed confused at first, and blankly looked around the room. Roswaal waited for her to acclimate, and then he went to gently take her hand. She was finally able to focus on him, and became more aware of her surroundings.

"Roswaal? Is that you?" She spoke with a gentle tone, unlike that of the Echidna that Subaru knew.

"Yes, Sensei. I know I look a little different, but it is still me, Roswaal." He had dropped his accent entirely.

She asked, "Where am I? Am I still in the Sanctuary?"

"Yes, Sensei. You have been kept here safe and sound under my watch," he said somberly.

She looked around, and spotted Beatrice. "Beatrice? You've come here with Roswaal?"

The spirit quietly responded, "Yes, Mother, I came here with him, I suppose."

"Who is the other man with you, Betty?" She looked at Subaru.

The same Subaru responded, "I am Subaru Natsuki, and I'm Beatrice's contractor."

For the first time, Echidna smiled. "I see. So, you found your 'they', Betty. That's good, I was afraid you would end up alone and friendless for the rest of your days. Has he been a good contractor?"

She nodded. "He is the best contractor I could have asked for, in fact." Subaru smiled when he heard how proud she sounded saying that.

Echidna replied, "That is also good. I knew you had a discerning eye, Betty. Roswaal, did the Tome of Wisdom I gave you guide you to this point?"

Roswaal said, "It guided me most of the way, Sensei. I had to surrender it during a challenge with Subaru here, and he helped me find a less bloody path to resurrecting you."

"How interesting," she remarked. "This Subaru fellow is remarkable, isn't he? Well, Subaru, it appears I owe you my thanks for becoming Betty's friend, as well as helping my student out. Despite his immense talent for magic and his ability to discern things about the world, he never did learn to truly think for himself. It is one of those things that endears him to me, but I wish I had taught him better."

Subaru was stunned by the difference between the Echidna from centuries ago versus the one he met at the tea party. She still wasn't really emotional, but she seemed to have some level of humanity at least. He could understand somewhat better why Roswaal would be attached to this Echidna as opposed to the other. Her sweet, gentle voice and her approachable aura made it easy to get to know her. Everything else about her was just the cherry on top.

Roswaal then asked, "Sensei, shall we depart this place? I have a manor in which I can provide you a very comfortable residence. My carriage is waiting nearby."

Echidna nodded. "That seems like a good course of action for now." She gently stood up from her clear coffin with Roswaal's assistance and climbed out. The two walked ahead while Subaru stayed behind for a moment with Beatrice and the other Echidna.

He remarked, "So, now we have two Echidnas walking around. This doesn't seem like a recipe for disaster or anything."

The present Echidna said, "Relax, she'll just live out her natural life with Roswaal constantly clamoring for her attention. Without the witch factor of Greed, she's essentially just a normal woman with great magical powers now. She may even open up to the four hundred year old man who never outgrew his early teen years. Of course, I wouldn't know that for sure, since I only have her memories up until she was reunited with her body. I can only guess."

Beatrice said, "What will we do with you then, I wonder?"

Echidna took out a dark purple crystal from her concealing cloak. "You know, it's not just me who's out and wandering about. Well, okay, it's mostly me, but I have some more friends of Subaru's here if he'd be interested in having us around the mansion a while longer."

Subaru and Beatrice stared at the crystal with mixed emotions. She obviously had no idea what Echidna meant, but Subaru began to wonder. He reached his hand out and Echidna brought the crystal up so he could touch it. Suddenly—

"Baru! I was wondering when we would get to talk to you again!"

"Hah...hello, Subaru. I'm...hah...tired from watching Typhon...hah..."

"Subarun! You got rid of my rabbit! I was so impressed, I briefly felt full!"

"H-H-Hello, I-I'm so sorry that Emilia broke up with you. M-Minerva was really quite sad about the whole thing."

"I was not sad! I was angry! Were you even paying attention to how awful the whole thing was?!"

Wait, Typhon, Sekhmet, Daphne, Carmilla and Minerva are all here too? And how do you all even know about Emilia? Subaru thought.

"Mili is a sinner now, isn't she Baru? She made you cry. Can I punish her?"

"Phon-phon, Subarun doesn't want you to hurt her. That wouldn't make him less hungry."

"S-Satella isn't with us, S-Subaru. I-It's just the five of us, a-and Dona."

"Of course she isn't here, Carmilla! Unlike us, she isn't a soul in a jar!"

"Hah...relax, Minerva...Is it so wrong...hah...to let Dona carry us around...hah..."

"It'd be more fun if Subarun carried us! Our thoughts and ideas might help him feel full!"

Subaru let go, and the voices stopped flooding his head. Echidna smiled as she gazed at his shocked face, and retracted the crystal as she addressed him.

"So, Subaru, how's that for a surprise?" Echidna asked. "Those voices were exactly who you think they are. Typhon, Minerva, Sekhmet, Daphne, and Carmilla. They've all taken quite an interest in you. Naturally, I can't blame them. You are a very interesting man after all. How about this for an offer: Let us stay at the mansion, and you can consult with any of us whenever you'd like. I'm even feeling generous, so I won't ask any other conditions."

She held out the crystal again, so he put his hand on it again.

"It's ok, Baru. She isn't lying or hiding anything this time."
"Y-Yes, Typhon is right. D-Dona is being honest."

"I admit, I'm surprised, but I agree. I'll be angry if she walks all over you, though!"

"Hah...she isn't lying, Subaru."

"Chid-chid's rare honesty helps keep the hunger at bay!"

He took his hand off. Echidna waited with a grin on her face. "So, what'll it be, Subaru?"

He sighed. "I guess you're welcome to come along, then. Just promise not to be a nuisance to Beako here. It'll be hard enough for her to handle her real mom without dealing with another 'sorta' mom."

Echidna smiled. "Very well. I'll promise not to be a nuisance to Beatrice. We should go ahead and catch up with Roswaal and the other me, not that he'd leave you and Beatrice behind for any reason."

With the 'contract' forged, the three left the tomb to meet with Roswaal again. He was waiting right outside the carriage with Garfiel, who was chatting with some of the villagers that came over to the tomb. When he noticed Subaru walking over, he called out, "Are y'guys finally done 'n there? We gotta get goin if we're gonna get back ta Arlam 'fore sundown!"

The group bade farewell to the villagers, and off they went. Subaru found himself astounded by the fact that neither Echidna bothered to acknowledge the other. Roswaal spent the majority of his time reminiscing with the revived Echidna, while Subaru and Beatrice discussed various topics as the vessel-bound Echidna occasionally chimed in. They reached Arlam after their second half-day journey, and settled in for the night at the inn. The next day, they wasted no time in heading back to the mansion.

When they arrived at the mansion, all four of the maids were waiting outside. They collected up what little luggage had been brought along, though Petra stood off to the side for a moment. Subaru greeted Frederica with a hug and a promise to spend some time with her that evening. She then pointed out Petra, who slowly walked up to Subaru.

"Master Subaru, I'm sorry," she said. "I was being a brat the other day. I-I'm happy for you and Miss Frederica. Did I make you angry at me?"

Subaru shook his head. "Of course not, Petra. I could never be angry with you. Just promise me you'll really think about things, and we'll be friends again, okay?"

The young girl smiled. "Yes, Master Subaru!" She dutifully collected up a small briefcase and walked with Rem and Ram back to the mansion with the rest of the luggage. Frederica got the group's attention before they could begin walking back to the mansion, however.

"Lord Roswaal, we received a messenger while you were away," she began. "Something very important concerning the Royal Selection has just transpired."

Roswaal asked, "Yes, Frederica, what happened?"

She explained, "First, the Vollachian Emperor, Vincent, suddenly fell gravely ill. Candidate Barielle went to Vollachia to visit him, and he asked her to take the throne of the Empire, as he feared he could no longer effectively rule. She accepted, and she is no longer a candidate for the Lugnican throne. This all happened within the last week, and confirmation of this news just reached us."

Roswaal put his hand on his chin. "How very interesting. So, this leaves just Lady Emilia against Lady Felt, correct?"

Frederica nodded. "Yes, Lady Felt is the only opponent to Lady Emilia. We've also been notified that Duke Karsten has publically thrown his support behind our camp for the throne, as has the Hoshin Trading Company. The majority of Priscilla's supporters, however, now support the Felt Camp. As a result, Emilia is now polling barely behind Felt."

Subaru interjected, "So what are we going to do now?"

Roswaal explained, "I will do what I must to see through Lady Emilia's candidacy to the end. The first step will be to try and form an alliance with Lady Felt. This way, even though only one can win, both parties could benefit. Emilia may be able to reach her goal even if she does not win the selection. If I can manage that, then I will have fulfilled my promise to help her save her people."

He then looked at the revived Echidna. "Sensei, you need not follow me around as I conduct this sort of minor business. I would be more than happy to let you enjoy yourself around my mansion, and I will catch up with you when I am done."

She responded, "Very good, Roswaal. I will ask one of your maids if they could prepare a room for me, if that's alright."

He smiled. "Of course, Sensei. I have a special stateroom I've kept reserved for your return. I will ask them to prepare that room for you, and they will gladly do so."

"I will wait until it is ready, then," she responded. With a graceful bow, she walked away to the garden.

Roswaal continued to detail his plan. "I also intend to look for any other lords I can to convince them to pledge their support to Lady Emilia. Now that we are down to just two candidates, it is likely the Council of Sages will move up the selection. Both candidates have worked hard to endear themselves to their supporters, so the populace should have no trouble deciding which of the two they would prefer to see as the new King."

Subaru nodded his head. "Well, uh, that seems reasonable. If we negotiate with Felt, should I go to the negotiations?"

Roswaal said, "Of course, Subaru-kun. You are the strongest connection between our two camps, even considering Lady Emilia herself. She also gives your opinion serious weight, so she will listen if you extend the offer of alliance. Whether she accepts, however, is another matter."

Subaru was going to respond, but then he realized something. "Roswaal, sorry, but you are speaking normally. I just now noticed, ever since we awoke Echidna, you've been speaking without the accent you had when I met you."

He nodded. "It was always a reminder, Subaru-kun. A reminder to myself to stay on the right track, and to revive my Sensei. Now that she is revived, I do not need the reminder anymore. My apologies, but I need to start making preparations, Subaru-kun. I made a promise to you I must keep, after all."

With that, Roswaal walked away to the mansion. Subaru said, "Alright, we should go inside, too. Come on Beatrice, Frederica, Echidna." The three followed behind him as he went into the mansion.

Once inside, Frederica told them, "I nearly forgot, we prepared lunches for everyone. I'm certain Garfiel went straight to the dining hall already, so why don't we go join him and the others?"

Beatrice chimed in, "The beast maid has the right idea, I suppose. My contractor needs to eat something besides travelling rations."

Subaru said, "Beako, I think you need a new nickname for Frederica. She is my girlfriend now, after all."

The spirit girl's cheeks turned pink. "Betty was so used to the nickname that she forgot, in fact. If her contractor has a new suggestion, she's willing to listen, I suppose."

He rubbed his forehead. "Right. Why don't you start calling her 'Freddie'?"

Frederica's eyes went wide. "F-Freddie? Doesn't that sound kind of—you know, boyish?"

He explained, "I don't see what's wrong with it. It's a cute nickname coming from Beako, I think. In my hometown, no one would've batted an eye at a pretty girl named Freddie!"

She blushed. "W-Well, if you say so, Subaru. I'm okay with that as a nickname if you think it's good!"

Beatrice said, "You are 'Freddie' from now on, in fact. Be gracious to my contractor for giving you a nickname that I like."

Subaru patted her on the head. "See, Frederica? My little Beako is just the most adorable."

Frederica giggled while Beatrice said, "Betty can't help how adorable she is, in fact."

Echidna followed behind, silently observing them. She thought, Watching Subaru with his friends and Beatrice has certainly proved to be very interesting. With that loathsome half-demon out of the way, I will be able to truly enjoy experiencing what's in store.

Everyone was present for lunch minus Roswaal, the revived Echidna, and Emilia. He found himself quickly bombarded by questions.

"Subaru-kun, are you really going to become the new lord?" Rem asked.

Ram snorted, "I'm amazed Lord Roswaal is going to hand it over to a pile of garbage like Barusu. He must have made some kind of shady deal."

"Natsuki, you're going to keep me around, right?" Otto pleaded.

Frederica interrupted all the questioning. "Everyone, please settle down. The details are not yet settled, but yes, he is going to be the new lord soon. Please relax and enjoy lunch, I'm sure Master Subaru will answer questions afterward."

Subaru was completely flustered. "How did you all even learn about this? I thought it was a secret between Roswaal and I?"

Garfiel answered, "'The clown himself literally just told us! He's steppin down from bein' the lord and that by the end of the day, yer gonna be our new lord!"

The nasty-eyed boy was stunned. "Wow, I thought he was at least going to let me tell everyone. Well, the cat's out of the bag, huh?"

As Subaru prepared to sit down, Roswaal suddenly entered the room. They all turned to face him and he announced, "As of today, I will no longer be the lord in charge of this manor. Lord Subaru is now the head of the household. Frederica, Petra, Rem, and Ram, you are no longer my maids. You may leave if you so desire, but I'm certain Lord Subaru would be more than happy to immediately rehire you to be his maids."

Petra was the first to speak. "I would much rather work under Lord Subaru anyway! Please hire me!"

Rem said with a smile, "I would also be delighted to work under Lord Subaru-kun."

Ram huffed, but she said, "Barusu, you aren't going to forcibly separate me from my twin sister, are you?"

Subaru quickly responded, "O-Of course not! I'll hire all three of you starting immediately! And you can keep your original lodgings. Actually, I will make my first change."

Roswaal asked, "What change are you making?"

The new lord answered, "If it's just the residents eating, then the staff may sit down and eat alongside us. They don't need to wait until afterwards anymore."

He then turned to Frederica. "Frederica, um, what do you want to do? I'd be happy to hire you, but maybe you'd like to not have to work anymore?"

She smiled. "I'm sure you'll need a reliable head maid while you get used to running the household. Once you're feeling ready, you can hire some new maids and appoint one of these three to be the new head maid."

Roswaal spoke up once more. "Lord Subaru, I hope you won't mind if the Emilia Camp continues to use your manor as its base of operations. It would be a terrible setback if we had to leave. I can hand over all my land titles, but I alone have the qualification to be the Court Mage of Lugnica. As a result, I must still be Lady Emilia's sponsor for her to continue being a candidate."

Subaru stood there and thought for a minute. While he wouldn't mind kicking Emilia out, he had made a promise to help her, and he couldn't let himself become petty now.

"The Emilia Camp can stay here, Roswaal. I'll host it until the end of the Royal Selection." He spoke firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

In a rare display, Roswaal knelt down on one knee. "I greatly appreciate it, Lord Subaru. In return, I will use my magical skill to continue protecting the mansion."

Frederica tapped Subaru on the shoulder. "Lord Subaru, why don't you take your seat at the head of the table?"

Roswaal's huge former chair sat at the head, towering over the other chairs. Rem suggested, "Shall we replace this one with another chair, Lord? Or are you okay with it?"

"You're surprisingly into this, Rem!" Subaru quipped. "The chair's fine, really. Roswaal, are you going to eat with us?"

The former lord shook his head. "I appreciate the invitation, but I'm afraid I must start relocating my things from the master suite and main office to a different room so you can be moved into those rooms." He turned around and left, leaving everyone else silenced by everything that just transpired.

Subaru sat down in his new chair. He was amazed by how plush and comfortable it was compared to the other dining chairs, and those weren't even uncomfortable. He then looked to see everyone looking at him expectantly.

"What?" he asked.

Frederica whispered to him, "It is customary for the lord to call the beginning of a meal, Subaru. Roswaal never cared for it, but they are all yielding to you until you tell them it's okay to eat."

He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, don't wait on me, everyone! Let's eat! Petra, Rem, Ram, you sit down and eat too. Frederica, I guess you can sit next to me, and Beako can sit on the other side next to me."

Garfiel shouted, "Ya, milord! Let's eat!" He then began clapping. His clapping was so infectious that everyone except Ram began to clap as well, though Subaru didn't fail to notice that she was grinning just a little bit. It would seem that even Ram couldn't resist the mood in the room.

Out of all the lunches he'd eaten in this world, it was by far the strangest. He was now the head of the table, and the lord of the mansion he lived in. Nothing could have prepared him for such a crazy transition from knight to lord.

Roswaal promised him a month ago that he would hand it over, but he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed regardless.

"Are you feeling well, I wonder?" Beatrice said, bringing his focus back onto his surroundings.

"Sorry Beako, I guess I'm still kinda off-balance," he said.

The lunch wrapped up, and Subaru stood up. The maids began to clear the table after eating, but Garfiel and Otto were both looking at him.

"Garf, Otto, is something wrong?" he asked.

Otto said, "Um, Lord Natsuki? I know I was technically hired to work with the Emilia Camp, but—"

"Oh, stop that Otto! Of course you're staying. I don't know what I'm doing as a lord yet! I'm gonna need your help while I figure it out!" Subaru exclaimed. "Garf, you're staying too. You're going to be my first knight."

Garfiel's eyes went wide. "Yer gonna make me a knight? Fer real?!"

Subaru smiled. "Duh! Roswaal had no knights other than me, so I need to start hiring knights right away. You're first because you're going to help me figure out who else I need to hire. You've proven time and time again you can tell if someone has real skills or not."

Garfiel scratched his head. "Are ya sure, Cap'n? I mean, I dint even realize how strong ya were when I tried ta fight ya! Then there was that Archbishop of Greed guy, whatever the hell his name was, turned out he was strong 'nuff to take on the Sword Saint!"

Subaru sighed. "Garf, those cases were special. You've been right about literally everyone else you examined. I just had an ability you didn't know about, and so did Greed. We just had to do some clever thinking in order to figure out his power and defeat him. I promise that I will never regret making you my first knight, Garf."

The beast-boy's eyes lit right up. "'Aight, Cap'n, I promise I won't let ya down! Thank ya so much!" He dashed off, talking loudly about how it was the best day in his life.

"Now Otto," said Subaru, "we need to talk too. First, please don't start calling me 'Lord Natsuki'. If you feel compelled to use my title, then at least call me 'Lord Subaru'. I'd be happiest if you just kept calling me 'Natsuki', or even 'Subaru'. Keep doing your work to the best of your ability, and I'll keep your pay coming in, okay? Once the selection is over, you can decide whether you want to keep working with me, or if you just want to go and be a travelling merchant again."

Otto finally seemed to relax a little. "Thanks, Natsuki. I'll do my best, then!" The grey-haired merchant silently strode off to get back to work.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. "Well, what do you think?" said Frederica.

"I think this is going to be wild," Subaru answered. "Me, the lord of the mansion? And soon to be the next Margrave Mathers as well? It feels more like a fever dream than real life. Maybe I should ask you to pinch me to be sure?"

She giggled. "It's real, Subaru. Just because you got this in a 'deal with a devil' doesn't mean you didn't work hard for it. You've earned the right to be known as Lord Subaru. I know it'll take some time getting used to it, but you can still have your friends refer to you without the title. However, I get the feeling your friend Reinhard will never drop the title, if what you've told me about him is true."

Beatrice added, "That Astrea descendant is polite to a fault, I suppose. At least he is grateful to my contractor for seeing him not as a title, but as a man. I agree with the bea—I mean, Freddie, he will now refer to you as 'Lord Subaru' forever, I suppose."

Subaru lightly patted her head. "Good job Beako, you remembered to use her new nickname! This is going to be tough, though. I don't want Reinhard of all people to constantly be calling me 'Lord Subaru'! We're talking about a guy who could easily wipe me out of existence if he felt like it!"

Beatrice then suggested, "You know, you told me about how you and that purple-haired knight had something of a bad history. Maybe you could use your new status to make him call you 'Lord Subaru', I wonder?"

He chuckled and said, "As much as I'd love to rub it in his face, I couldn't. No one even remembers anything he did before Pristella, anyway. I could hire him to be a knight, actually. Making Garfiel his superior knight would be much funnier than making him call me by my title."

He paused and let the thought linger in the air. "Nah, I wouldn't. I hate to say it, but as the only person who remembers everything about him, I can't be so cruel to him. We'll just have to make sure he's on the invite list when the official announcement is made. I can let him enjoy a nice banquet while I tease him a little bit."

Frederica smiled. "Only you could manage to be simultaneously mature and immature in how you deal with a frenemy, Subaru."

The three had a laugh, and went to go check out his new office now that Roswaal was vacating it.

Echidna, meanwhile, had walked off on her own. She needed a room to practice a new spell she had been working on that she felt would significantly improve her interactions with Subaru. She no longer had a desire to contract with him, and nor did she have any romantic interest in him. Her new goal was nothing more than to enjoy being a minor thorn in his side using her new and unique magic. Watching the boy whose actions would leave a mark on the world's memory would truly be a worthwhile experience.

They found Roswaal taking the last few items from his office. He was shockingly eager to help Subaru figure out how to get started, so he offered to begin right then and there. Everything from his wealth, to how he managed and taxed the domain's citizens, even to how he dealt with matters of state. Roswaal gave Subaru a key to access his vault, which contained more money and valuables than he'd ever seen in his life. However, he was in for a serious shock when Roswaal presented him with a metia that opened a perfectly disguised magical door to an enormous treasury with literal generations worth of wealth inside of it. Roswaal explained that the smaller vault is the general fund, and he should only ever have to access the larger treasury to put funds into savings.

After an evening of surprises, Subaru felt like his brain was going to implode from the absolute insanity of Roswaal's resources. The man told Subaru that he had been incredibly conservative with it all throughout his years just to be safe, but even the general fund and the income he receives from both his court duties and governance duties could easily fund a larger staff and a domain military with minimal impact. Roswaal then told Subaru he should spend the next week making preparations of his own, because soon he will really be in charge.

Over the course of the next week, they gathered together Subaru's transition staff. It was time to plan the ascension ceremony where Roswaal would officially pass on his titles and estate to Subaru with the blessing of the crown. Between him, Rem, Frederica, and Otto, they wrote many letters inviting several important people as well as many friends to attend the banquet where the ceremony would take place.

"Alright, that's the last of the letters," said Rem. "We've sent VIP invitations to Felt, Reinhard, Rom, Julius, Crusch, Ferris, and Wilhelm, along with a special group VIP invitation for Anastasia and her entourage should they wish to come. The many lords of the kingdom have been invited as required, as have the Royal Knight Commander and a representative from the Council of Sages. Finally, an invitation was sent to Empress Priscilla to ensure she is not insulted because you didn't send her an invitation. We sincerely doubt she will come, but it never hurts to be safe in matters like these."

Priscilla was never really an ally of Subaru and the Emilia Camp, but due to their history of working together in common cause an argument could be made that she was at least a friendly acquaintance, thus an invitation should be sent. Ascension ceremonies of the major, land-owning lords were state events in which their peers and members of the Royal Family were typically invited, so they had to send invitations to anyone they believed might be relevant. Subaru had spent the previous week getting details ironed out with the help of Annerose Miload, who had immediately jumped on the opportunity to advise him.

"Thanks, Rem," said Subaru. "Now that the letters are taken care of, it's time to iron out the rest of the details. I guess we should start with—"

"Catering, of course!" Annerose chimed in. "Rem and Frederica may be good cooks, but we'll need a lot more to feed this many people. After that, we should hire a professional designer from the capital city to prepare the decorations. Costuul has good artisans, but the capital city is where the absolute best live and work. Once we have a designer, we can hire the local artisans to produce what we need."

"Roswaal wasn't kidding, you really do know a lot about this!" said Subaru. "Also, when did you become so interested in being around me, anyway? You used to look for any excuse to duck out and find Emilia instead."

She shot an annoyed glance at him. "Well, that's no way to treat your new prime minister, now is it? Do you really think I wouldn't be interested in helping you figure out what to do? It's honestly exciting for me to demonstrate what I'm really capable of!"

Beatrice teased Subaru by adding, "It looks like my contractor still hasn't figured out how to talk to people more mature than him, I suppose."

Frederica, Otto, and Rem tried not to laugh as Subaru complained, "Hey, that's not fair!"

Otto said, "Well, I for one am happy to see her take up the role, because it means it won't be shoved on me instead!"

Frederica agreed, "Considering Otto's drinking habits, it's definitely for the best that we have a level-headed prime minister like Lady Annerose."

Before Otto could complain, Annerose proudly said, "That's right! I'm glad soon-to-be Lady Frederica understands, unlike the lord I'm currently trying to help out."

Subaru and Otto simultaneously said, "I can't catch a break around here!"

All the ladies present had a laugh at their expense. While this was going on, Roswaal came to check on the group.

"Hello there, Lord Subaru. I trust you are still settling in alright?" Roswaal said. Subaru had really noticed how the man had changed since relinquishing his noble titles. He was actually fairly humble and surprisingly helpful when he needed to be, and Beatrice had even started to occasionally spend time with him now that he acted like he once did hundreds of years ago.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine," Subaru replied. "Annerose here has been incredibly helpful in helping me figure out the whole 'lord' thing, and everyone else has been putting in a lot of effort to help me out."

Roswaal nodded. "Most excellent. I'm glad it seems to be working out well for you."

The eccentric man nodded and walked away. Subaru decided to address the next matter. "So, I'll do what Annerose has suggested. Did we decide to have Garfiel knighted the same day? I feel like that's ok since it's a big event anyway, so we might as well?"

Annerose confirmed, "We can do that. Knighting ceremonies have historical precedence for occurring during other natural state events, so we can conduct his knighting after officiating your new role. In fact, by making your very first official act on the same day as your ascension, it should impress the other lords. The common people will also be impressed by your decision to immediately knight someone with a record like Garfiel's."

Rem asked, "Will it help that Subaru-kun was a knight before becoming a lord?"

"Absolutely," said Annerose. "Subaru's own extensive list of noted achievements will make the knighting even better. The man who led the fight against the White Whale and Sloth knighting the man who successfully fought off the resurrected Kurgan Eight-Arms is an incredible thing!"

"Sheesh, you're gonna make me blush," Subaru quipped.

Frederica gently patted his shoulder. "Relax, Subaru. I know you don't like thinking about it, but the populace really does look up to you for what you've done. It'll ensure you get to keep a lot of the popularity that Roswaal built up as a lord."

He then said, "That reminds me, wasn't there something else one of you told me I need to watch out for?"

Rem sighed. "You've already forgotten?"

Otto facepalmed. "Natsuki, you really don't think about these sorts of things, do you?"

Beatrice flatly explained, "My contractor has forgotten that he's probably going to receive dozens, if not hundreds of marriage proposals immediately after his ascension to becoming the official Lord Mathers, I suppose."

"What?!" Subaru exclaimed. "Th-that many? I'm not even going to accept any of them, surely I can just say 'sorry, no' and be done with it? Or at least announce I'm not accepting any proposals?"

Frederica sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, Subaru. As happy as it would make me for you to announce that, several nobles will want to try and pressure you into marrying their daughters so they can have a solid tie to the Mathers family. Some enterprising young women may approach you with their own marriage proposals so they can become nobles. There's also a good chance a powerful lord will threaten to disrupt your domain's economy if you refuse to marry a member of their family. Since each domain has its own specialties, it's not difficult to do."

Annerose added, "Only a few years ago Roswaal was nearly backed into a corner by a marriage proposal threat. A noble in the Astrea domain threatened to stop exporting the seeds of a particular crop grown by many of the small villages in this domain because it's bountiful and easy to raise in our slightly colder climate. It would have forced the villagers to turn to either more expensive crops, or those with lower yields, both of which could lead to starvation. From what I understand, Roswaal had to call in a special favor with a member of the Astrea family to force that noble to back down."

"Oh man. What have I gotten myself into now, this is gonna suck," Subaru complained.

Annerose proudly announced, "I have a solution! Subaru should make use of his network to create a false engagement to deter the proposal threats. As I recall, he's friendly with two relatively powerful women already—Anastasia Hoshin and Crusch Karsten. With some arrangements in advance, one of them could act as his 'fiancee' for a couple months, then we have a 'scandal' where Subaru proposes to Frederica. The 'fiancee' will admit they weren't all that in love with him to begin with and exit gracefully."

They all stared at her for a moment. She sheepishly asked, "What? Is that not a solution to the problem?"

Subaru said, "Well, it's not that, exactly—"

"We just weren't expecting that from you," Rem finished.

"Yeah, what she said," Subaru said flatly. "Uh, anyway, any objections to that plan? Frederica?"

Frederica said, "Well, I'm okay with it as long as you don't actually fall in love with your false fiancee, I guess."

"I'm not so sure about that," said Otto. "Lady Karsten and Lady Hoshin both dropped out of the selection due to poor health, didn't they? Wouldn't it look really bad if Subaru were to 'be engaged' to one of them and then break it off?"

Subaru, Annerose, and Frederica all flinched. Annerose muttered, "I hadn't thought about that."

"Why can't I just tell everyone I'm engaged to Frederica again?" questioned Subaru.

Annerose explained, "Please understand that I don't like saying this, but it's because she comes from a humble background. Up until now, she was nothing more than a maid serving the former Lord Mathers. Other lords will disregard her entirely and demand you break off your engagement to her in favor of marrying their daughters instead. You would need a woman with high status to dissuade them from trying to threaten you, since they won't want to risk angering a powerful woman or her family and consequently have you and possibly another family now against them."

She took a quick pause before she continued, "Anastasia would work because she runs the Hoshin Trading Company and having her against you would seriously impair your economy. Likewise, Crusch would also work because she is the heir of House Karsten, and their domain is home to most of the mines in the kingdom. Angering them would risk cutting off your access to a lot of raw metals needed for manufacturing goods."

"That's just frustrating," complained Subaru. "But okay, I get it. I understand Otto's objection, but I might be able to get around it. Crusch is still suffering from the cursed blood, but I seem to have the ability to absorb the curse. By doing this, it will look like I've worked hard to heal her, and perhaps she was only engaged as a thank you. It could be played as me letting her loose so she is free to pursue any engagement she wants instead."

Annerose supported the idea. "That seems really reasonable, actually. I think it will work even better than my original idea."

"Well, if you say so," said Otto. "I'll admit it's a lot better than trying to deal with proposal threats."

"That settles it, then!" said Rem. "Now we don't have to worry about Subaru-kun getting cornered immediately after becoming the lord!"

Frederica sighed with relief. "I'm quite happy about this, too. Hopefully Lady Crusch agrees to work with us."

With the new plan in place, they drafted a new letter to send out to a certain Crusch Karsten. They would need to act fast, since the ceremony would take place in three weeks.

The rest of the day was as busy as it started. Once nighttime set in, Subaru and Frederica relaxed in the master suite together. They were about to discuss the upcoming days when someone knocked on the door.

"Hellooo~! Can I come in, Lord big bro guy?" It was a voice Subaru hadn't heard in nearly two months.

"Meili! You're finally back! Yes, please come in!" Subaru sounded ecstatic.

The door opened, revealing the blue-haired teenager. "They told me you were the lord now? That's pretty cool, big bro. And you're also dating the strong blonde lady now? I never thought things could change so much in two months!" She smiled as she talked to Subaru.

"Well of course they can, silly!" Subaru replied. "How about you? Did you figure out what you needed to while you were gone?"

She looked off to the side. "Well, kinda. I didn't find exactly everything, but I figured out most of it. The orphanage lady in Flanders told me that she remembered hearing about a girl who could control mabeasts, but that no such girl ever came through any orphanage she knew of. It looks like I'll never meet my real parents at this rate. I could trace most of my wild time near that part of the country, so I must've just been dumped out there unnoticed."

He grimaced. "Some parents, just dumping an innocent girl because of an inconvenient Divine Protection. Well, don't worry, Meili. You'll always have me and the rest of us. Now that I'm a lord, actually, maybe I could adopt you?"

Frederica said, "Subaru, that's a great idea! She'll never have to worry again about her life if you just adopt her into the family."

Meili seemed stunned. "Big bro, would you really adopt me? Even after I tried to kill you three times?"

"It's clear to me that you've turned over a new leaf," he explained. "I honestly just want to make sure you have a place you can call home. You don't have to do anything weird like call me 'dad', I'm happy to just be an older brother for you."

"There you go being weird again big bro," Meili said sarcastically. "I woulda just called you big bro anyway, silly~." She wore a big smile on her face.

Subaru chuckled and said, "That settles it then! I'll figure out what I need to do to make it official. Frederica, looks like we're already going to have our first charge as a lord and lady."

Frederica smiled. "I know we'll do our best to make sure she's raised as lovingly as possible. Welcome to our weird little family, Meili! You get Garfiel as your—um, actually, what would he be? Uncle-in-law, or cousin? Adoptive sibling? I guess he'd be your adoptive brother. Try not to tease your new brother Garfiel too much!"

Subaru and Meili both laughed. He was really excited that he could now accomplish a goal that he can really be proud of: giving a vulnerable teenager a second chance at a healthy life. As she grew older, she could bond with Petra and Annerose and maybe they'd all become 'partners-in-crime' together. Beatrice might want to try and bond with them too, but she might be jealous that they're all at or above her height already.

"Alright big bro, I'm gonna go to my room now," Meili announced. "It is getting late, after all. I'm sure Shaula missed me while I was gone too! Good night Suabru, good night Frederica, or should I say Lady Frederica?"

"Frederica is fine, Meili," answered the former. "But only because it's you. Good night!" The young girl waved and walked out of the room. "Subaru, about the false fiancee plan—"

"Is it making you worried?" he answered. She nodded her head.

"Yes, it is. I know you aren't unfaithful, so I'd never accuse you of being that way. I'm just worried about Lady Crusch. I've heard from some of the others that she seems to have a soft spot for you, so I'm slightly nervous about her accepting the relationship to try and turn it into a real engagement. Again, I don't think you would betray me, I—I guess I'm just kind of a worrywart. Sorry." She looked down, and her face clearly showed how worried she really was.

Subaru put both his hands around her face and brought it up to meet his. He looked into her eyes, saw a reflection of himself in them, and then leaned in to kiss her. Despite having spent so much time together as a couple, this was the first time they'd actually shared a kiss, so she was momentarily stunned. However, it only took her a second to close her eyes and share in the passionate kiss with him. Though it only lasted a matter of seconds, it felt far longer. The two eventually parted lips, and a moment of silence filled the room.

"Frederica—I'm sorry I made you wait so long for that," he quietly said.

She shook her head. "No, it's okay, Subaru. I'm—I'm just glad it happened at long last. You've helped settle a lot of the unease I felt about this whole situation." She smiled wide, revealing her sharp fangs.

He commented, "I really love the way you smile, you know. You look so cute when you're smiling."

"Oh, don't you go teasing me," she said with a giggle. "You know, is this a bad time to tell you that unlike elves, beastfolk do get pregnant through kissing?"

She couldn't contain her laughter when he rebuked, "Oh, get real!"

"Haha, it was worth a try!" She held her belly as she descended into a fit of giggles. The two teased each other back and forth until they got too tired, and then Beatrice came in to scold him for staying up too late, citing her need for beauty sleep. Frederica did not yet sleep in the same room as him, so she bid them good night and went back to her room.

After a few more days of planning, Crusch had replied back saying she would like to discuss the details, and asked them to travel to the Karsten manor for the matter. Subaru, Frederica, Rem, Beatrice, Annerose, and Otto travelled to the capital in order to talk with her. After she lost her memories, her father ended up returning as the Duke of House Karsten because she was struggling without the lifetime of training she had gone through; Thus, the negotiation would also involve him, as well as her loyal retainer Ferris.

When they arrived at the Karsten manor, they were surprised to find Crusch waiting outside for them. She smiled as she stood tall wearing a long dress that covered her from the neck down with long white opera gloves that covered most of her forearms, but Ferris was standing directly behind her with a wheelchair. Subaru went to greet her immediately when he got out.

"Hello Crusch, it's nice to see you again! Thank you for having us over." He lightly took her hand and gently shook it.

She replied, "The pleasure is mine, Lord Subaru." She then held her hand over her mouth as she giggled just a little. "Sorry, I just wanted to get it out of my system. I promise I won't bother you with formalities when I myself don't want to be bothered with them." She wore a gentle, genuine smile.

He couldn't help but to laugh as well. "Well excuse me, Lady Crusch." The two both giggled before calming down and moving on to the topic at hand.

"So, shall we go inside?" Crusch gestured to the group before sitting down in her wheelchair. Ferris bowed, and pushed her inside as the six members of Subaru's party followed behind them. They were led to an office where Crusch was pushed behind the desk, and Ferris sat to her right side. To their surprise, a third person was present who they hadn't imagined would be there.

"Heya, Lord Natsuki. Didja miss me?" Anastasia cheerily waved, catching the whole group off guard. "Don'tcha worry, I'm not here ta interfere in anything. Crusch here just asked me to be a neutral party for her. She was worried her father wouldn't be impartial enough."

Otto put his face in his hands. "Oh, I didn't think we'd end up having the master merchant herself here as part of the negotiations!"

"Relax, Otto, she's just a neutral party," Subaru said in an effort to reassure Otto. "She's just making sure we're both being honest, even though Crusch has her Divine Protection of Wind Reading."

"That's right! I'm keeping the missy here honest for ya guys too!" Anastasia happily explained.

Subaru asked, "Why did you agree to be a neutral party, though? What interest is this negotiation to you?"

She answered, "Well, ain't it obvious? This whole 'false engagement' thing is awfully interestin' to me! In exchange for a little hard work on my end, I get ta bear witness to the whole shebang! I have ta admit, though, I've got no clue why you're even doin this. Are ya afraid some noble is gonna keep ya from marryin' Emilia?"

"I was wondering the same thing, Subaru," said Crusch. The room fell silent as the whole of Subaru's party simultaneously put their hands to their faces. They had forgotten that the news of the breakup somehow hadn't left the Mathers household.

"I—I'm sorry, there's some news I've had yet to share with everyone." Subaru solemnly said. "The truth is, Emilia broke up with me over two months ago, and declared that I was no longer her knight. I thought for sure the information would slip out somehow, but I guess our little 'family' is more tight-lipped than I thought. I should've indicated in my letter why I was looking for the false engagement, Crusch."

Crusch, Ferris, and Anastasia all had astonished looks on their faces. After the brief silence, Anastasia exclaimed, "What in blazes was that girl thinkin'? Romance aside, what kind of hare-brained imbecile gets rid of a literal legendary hero as a retainer? If I'da known about that when it happened, I would've rushed over with an incredibly generous offer ta bring you inta the Iron Fang, at the very least as co-captain!"

Crusch immediately followed up, "Like I would've let you get to him first! Subaru, my father and I have been looking for a Knight Commander for the Karsten domain's military for months! Wilhelm said he was too old for such a responsibility, otherwise it would've been his. I'd have offered you a nobleman's salary and your own stateroom at my manor. Of course, I guess it doesn't matter now, since you're going to be named the next Lord Mathers. Still though, I would've enjoyed the opportunity to ask."

"What even is a 'nobleman's salary', anyway?" Subaru quipped.

Ferris happily chimed in, "You don't know, Syubaru? A nobleman holding an office earns twenty Holy Coins a month from the Crown! On thyat salary, you could buy a small plot of land in the Noble's District the first month, build a three story manor with three wings the second month, then hire ten domestic servants, ten soldiers, five knights, and you could afford to pay them all a fair market salary along with food and board. That leaves you with five Holy Coins remaining! Then you only need one for your own dietary needs, and the other four are completely discretionary!"

Subaru and his party looked at Ferris with blank stares. Subaru barely managed to ask, "Are. you. serious. right now?"

Crusch confirmed, "That is indeed the standard, Subaru. My father earns that salary as the Duke of House Karsten. Of course, as a duke he's in charge of a domain as well, so he also receives a small percentage of taxes as additional salary. He doesn't just sit behind a desk drinking wine, after all."

"Anyway, we've gotten way off topic!" Subaru interjected. "I came to negotiate a trade. In exchange for me doing everything I possibly can to absorb your curse, you will agree to act as my fiancee for a contracted period of time. With that, let's start our negotiation."

Anastasia said, "First, Natsuki, ya need to add more details. She's gotta know what she's signin' up for, after all. Is this until ya find a new love, or do ya already have a new lover? If you're still lookin, it might not be in her best interest ta go through with this."

Otto spoke up, "Natsuki will not need Lady Crusch to agree to a long period of time. At most, we believe two months will be all the time he needs to move things along."

Crusch nodded. "I can see you aren't lying. However, I'd like to request that Subaru answer this next question. Please define what you mean by 'doing everything you possibly can' to absorb my curse, if possible."

Otto nodded at Subaru. The latter said, "I know that if I touch the parts of you that are heavily laden with the curse, it will get absorbed by me, but it does hurt quite a lot to absorb it. That said, it only takes about a week for me to recover from the pain of absorbing the curse. I will absorb as much as I can tolerate, then I'll continue doing this repeatedly after I've had time to recover from each session until I've absorbed everything I can from you."

Anastasia said, "Ya know, Crusch, if it really works like that, it sounds like you're really gettin the better end of the deal here."

Otto added, "Natsuki also wanted to say he would not ask more of you than to simply pretend to be his fiancee for a while until he can safely prepare a marriage to his current lover."

Crusch looked down. "Subaru, it's so lopsided in my favor, it feels unfair to accept it. Please, there must be something else I can do in exchange."

Anastasia shook her head. "Now, Crusch, I can't hardly imagine you of all people complainin about a deal being lopsided in your favor! But, I guess things did change after that awful Gluttony attack. Ladies and gentlemen, if I might make a suggestion to make this more equitable? Crusch could become a member of the Mathers household to create a permanent friendship and connection with the Karsten family. When she marries and has children, her eldest can become the next in line to be the Duke or Duchess of House Karsten, and any subsequent can help ta manage your outlying holdings."

Annerose said in response, "Subaru, in my opinion, it's really not a bad idea. Crusch could start another branch line from the Mathers, then you'll have two always-friendly families in your domain instead of just the Miloads."

Meanwhile, Crusch seemed slightly embarrassed by the whole affair. "Anastasia, that's really quite a lot. Are you sure that would be more equitable? I mean, I wouldn't automatically say no, but surely my father would object."

Ferris remained silent through the whole thing, which made Subaru a little bit worried. Anastasia told Crusch, "Oh, don'tcha worry! I can talk to him about all of this. I know how much he loves ya, but the potential here for a powerful friendship with the Mathers line might be enough to convince him, at least I think so. It might be good for ya, too. Your trusty knight can go with ya out to the countryside far removed from prying eyes while you recover from the curse."

Otto asked, "Is there any chance the Duke will be joining this negotiation? Or will we be negotiating separately with him?"

"He was busy this morning, I'm afraid," Crusch explained. "However, he'll be available before too much longer so we can officiate these negotiations. We just wanted to iron out all the details and try to make the best deal possible so he doesn't have to do much besides approve or ask for changes. He is a very busy man, so the less he has to worry about, the better."

The grey-haired merchant nodded. "I see. Well, for now we'll include Anastasia's suggestion as a concession from the Karsten side. If the Duke objects, Natsuki has already said he is fine with the original trade."

For a while, they chatted as they waited for the Duke. Anastasia asked, "Hey, Natsuki, outta curiosity, who is your new lover? I want ta know now!"

Subaru turned to Otto. "Otto, should I say? Or should I wait?"

Otto replied, "I mean, I'd probably continue to keep it secret, but considering the close friendships you maintain with her and Lady Crusch, I won't say you have to keep it secret. If you think they won't go blabbing, then I guess it's okay?"

Crusch affirmed, "I swear by our friendship, Subaru, I won't talk to anyone outside of this room about it. Ferris will too, right Ferris?"

The cat-boy gulped. "Ferri-chan swears, Lady Crusch and Syubaru!"

Anastasia giggled at the interaction. "Yeah, ya've done enough for me and the Hoshin Company that I'm willin ta stay quiet as a personal favor."

Crusch added, "She isn't lying, Subaru."

Frederica looked over at Subaru. She gave him a gentle nod, and he smiled back at her. He said, "Alright, I'll tell you three. She's actually here with us today. May I introduce the future Lady Frederica!"

She smiled and waved at Crusch. The three on her side of the desk all looked astounded. Anastasia said, "Well, Natsuki, I shouldn't be surprised! Ya seem ta have a thing for demi-humans, after all. Plus, she's real pretty!"

"I agree Subaru, she is very pretty," said Crusch. "Once you've made it public, I imagine it'll make you very popular with your domain, seeing how it's the most friendly to demi-humans in Lugnica already!"

Ferris said, "Syubaru sure likes stronger women, doesn't he, nya?"

Crusch bopped him in the head. "Come now, Ferris. It's rude to say that about a lady. Some women have real insecurity issues about how strong they are. You of all people should be aware that all demi-humans are naturally at least somewhat stronger than a human. It's clear to me that Subaru is the sort of man who chooses a woman based on her character, and not so much on her superficial features."

As Frederica blushed and hid her face, Subaru thought, Well, Crusch's mostly right. Frederica is a sweet, humble soul with an incredible work ethic who just wants herself and her partner to be happy. Of course, she's also straight-up gorgeous!

Ferris covered his head and whined, "Nya, I'm sorry Lady Crusch! And I'm sorry Miss Frederica!"

As the commotion died down, someone knocked on the door. A servant entered and said, "Lady Crusch, Duke Karsten is now ready to join. Are you and your guests ready for him to enter?"

Crusch nodded, and the servant opened the door fully and revealed the Duke himself. Contrary to Subaru's expectations, he wore a fairly mundane dark tan suit with only a gold lion-crest on black tie to give the outfit extra color. He wore a surprisingly gentle smile as he took a seat next to his daughter.

"Lord Subaru, I am Duke Meckart Karsten, and Crusch's father. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said. "I understand you've requested her help with a personal matter, a 'false engagement' I believe?"

Subaru nodded. "Yes, Duke Karsten. I—"

"As a fellow lord, you may call me by my first name," Meckart quickly clarified.

"Ah, sorry, Duke Meckart," Subaru said. "Anyway, you are correct. We've been discussing terms for this deal."

He nodded. "I see. Well, I wanted to ask why you wish for a false engagement. I understand wanting to ward off threats from undesirable noble houses, but if that's the case, why not ask to simply marry my daughter instead? I would be delighted to arrange for her to marry a powerful lord who was also a legendary knight that has previously lent considerable aid to our house."

Crusch's face turned red. "F-Father! We asked him about this already, he's not looking for someone else to marry, he already has a lover he needs to protect!"

Meckart appeared embarrassed by his gaffe. "O-Oh, my apologies. This is what happens when I can't be present for the important bits. In that case, I don't have any objections to the idea. I ask, though, what sort of deal are you two working on?"

Subaru pointed to Otto, who began explaining. "You see, Duke Karsten, right now the deal we have discussed with Lady Crusch is as follows: Subaru will take on the burden of removing as much of her curse as he can over the course of however many weeks it takes; in exchange, she will act as if she was his fiancee for public events, including residing at the Mathers mansion, for a period of two months. After the two months, she will then become a member of the Mathers noble house, although we have conceded that her first-born child after she marries will be raised as the heir to the Karsten noble house."

The duke sat for a moment, pondering everything. He asked, "Crusch, was everything his negotiator just mentioned a part of what you have been discussing?"

She nodded. "Yes, father. Anastasia here is the one who suggested the last part because I felt that helping him ward off threats was not enough compensation for what he'll have to endure to lift the curse from me. He can only do that by physically absorbing it from me little by little once a week."

"I see," Meckart said. "I agree that the trade would've been very lopsided in our favor. Are you certain that you would want to join a different noble house? I would have been against it, but the concession to raise your first-born as my heir helps to settle my objections."

"I—yes, I am willing to join his noble house," Crusch answered. "He does not owe me the treatment of my curse, after all."

"Very well then," he said. "I would like to add an additional condition to this deal. On top of what has been said already, the Karsten and Mathers noble houses will join in a mutual defense and free trade agreement. Should either of our territories come under attack, we both pledge to send aid in the form of economic and military resources. We will also charge no extra taxes on imports and exports to and from our territories. As part of this, both houses are required to upkeep a minimum of three mages, ten knights, fifty soldiers, and enough war wagons and ground dragons to transport them and other necessary aid that can be called upon any time by either party."

Otto gestured Subaru to move closer to him, then whispered, "Natsuki, it's honestly a great offer. I'm no military advisor, but you'll need to build a military force regardless, and a free trade agreement will steer many aspiring merchants into working exclusively between the Karsten and Mathers domains because they can sell the goods they've bought at a lower price and still have a good profit margin."

Subaru looked at Annerose, and she nodded back at him. Confident in their counsel, he responded, "Duke Meckart, I accept your additional condition, although we'll need several months to get our military forces together. If you're happy with the terms, I am ready to sign on it."

The elder lord smiled. "Very well, Lord Subaru. Why don't you and your party stay for dinner, and then we'll conclude the evening by signing on the agreement? We have plenty of rooms, so you can stay here and travel back home tomorrow morning." He then gestured for Subaru to follow him away from the table saying, "Please excuse us for a moment, everyone."

With a small distance away from the rest, he quietly told Subaru, "I feared that my daughter would have difficulty resuming her duties as a duchess in the future. She is naturally wise and has proven she understands the position, but without the memories of her many years of preparation the pressures of duty became too much for her. Honestly, I am grateful that you would have her join your house. The only subjects she ever enjoys discussing are history, her desire to travel, and how she would like more reliable friends like you or Ferris. Perhaps getting to be around you will help her to grow again as a person, and one day soon she'll be comfortable with the idea of marrying and having children."

He paused for a quick breath and continued, "I have a single request of you, Lord Subaru. Even though I'm certain you aren't going to control or restrict her, I ask that you only restrict a single thing. Under no circumstances should you let her find a husband on her own. I've no doubt Ferris will want that position for himself, but I fear he has become so single-mindedly devoted to her that he does not have the necessary attitude to be a good husband to her anymore. You should also spend time researching the late Lugnican Prince Fourier. He was the reason she entered the Royal Selection, though she doesn't remember. Any other potential suitor should be at least as ethical and admirable as he was."

Subaru asked, "Wait, was Crusch supposed to marry this Prince Fourier?"

Meckart sighed. "It would've been a wonderful thing, had the plague not befallen the entire royal family. Throughout her childhood, the prince had been her next closest friend after Ferris. Unfortunately, my daughter was oblivious to his affection for her. It was only on his deathbed that she realized her own feelings for him, and he was too far gone to have appreciated that realization."

"Somehow, that's even worse than 'supposed to get married'," said Subaru sympathetically.

"Quite," agreed Meckart. "Let us rejoin the group before a certain merchant princess decides we might be more interesting to listen to."

"Aw drats, right as I get here, ya figured me out!" Subaru turned to see Anastasia casually standing right behind them.

"One does not become the Duke of House Karsten without learning to anticipate these things," Meckart said with a sly grin.

"She should be ashamed of herself anyway for trying to spy on us!" exclaimed Subaru.

She jokingly chided, "Come on, Natsuki, ya can't blame me for bein' just a little curious!"

With that, Subaru, Meckart, and the failed eavesdropper Anastasia rejoined the rest and went off to dinner. After a relaxing evening enjoying the fine food made by the Karsten staff, the two lords signed a formal agreement, and Crusch's servants began to pack luggage for her and her knight Ferris. The rest of the evening passed with nothing of consequence occurring, and they all went to sleep.

The next day, Subaru's group gathered once more, but with Crusch and Ferris joining in. The two would be riding with Subaru's group, but Anastasia requested that her company deliver their luggage. She explained to Subaru, "I've wanted an excuse to come say hi, but I never could thanks to the selection. Now that I'm no longer participatin', I've got time to go around and do stuff again. I've also got a few people I'd like to bring along with me, if ya don't mind extendin' your hospitality to us."

"Who're you bringing, exactly?" he asked.

She nonchalantly answered, "Ah, just Mimi, Ricardo, and a certain purple-haired friend of yours."

He groaned. "Ugh, him again. Well, I'm not going to be a petty lord and deny Julius my hospitality. You and your party are welcome to dine and stay at my manor tonight. It'll be my thank you for graciously assisting with everything."

She giggled. "Sure thing Natsuki. Just don't get used to getting off easy paying this little for moving services!" She winked and hopped on a liger with a beastfolk mercenary, and they left to—presumably—get her crew for the transportation.

"When was it decided that I was footing the bill for this?!" exclaimed Subaru.

Frederica reminded him, "Subaru, we're the ones making Crusch and Ferris move halfway across the kingdom. Of course you're the one who'd have to pay for it! You're lucky to have a good relationship with Anastasia."

He facepalmed. "Oh, right. It would be rude to ask the guy whose daughter I'm taking away to pay for her stuff to get moved."

Beatrice commented, "There's my contractor for you, I suppose. Not even considering the important details."

"A scathing remark from my own Beako? I'll never recover now!" Subaru lamented. The other members of the group had a chuckle at his expense.

Otto remarked, "Natsuki, we'd better get going, or else the sun might go down before we reach home!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's go everyone!" Subaru declared. They all boarded the dragon carriage, and Otto got it underway. The journey was uneventful, to Subaru's relief.

Ferris remarked as they got to the remains of Flugel's Tree, "This ride has been better than the last time we rode through this way with Syubaru! Last time, we had to fight the White Whale!"

"You're making it sound like we ran into it by accident!" Subaru complained as Ferris laughed mischievously.

Thinking about the battle was a nostalgia trip for Subaru. As Ferris stopped giggling, he said, "Did I ever tell you and Crusch that Rem was a critical part of the whole battle?"

Rem looked over as he mentioned her name. Crusch replied, "I think I remember you mentioning that. Since her name was erased, no one remembers what she did that day except for you. From what you told us, without her your plans would've just gotten you and the rest of us killed."

Subaru looked over to Rem and said, "Yeah, I owe you big time for what happened here, Rem. I know you don't remember it, but you were a hero here too. The most important moment was near the end, the White Whale had created clones to distract us while it fled far above the field. You sent me flying on a giant icicle and I landed on it. Once I got up there, I used my 'special technique' to attract its attention and force it back down to the field so Crusch and Anastasia's forces could finish it off. Of course, I had to fall from thousands of meters up in the air, and you were the one that caught me so I wouldn't hit the ground at terminal velocity."

Rem's eyes went wide. "I did that? Really?"

He nodded. "Well, no one else here can confirm it. They only know 'someone' caught me in mid-air. It's true, though. I definitely would not have survived that fall if you hadn't been there."

Ferris added, "I still hate that the plan rested on Syubaru being the bait, nya."

Rem narrowed her eyes. "Hmph, that sounds just like you." She then smiled as she continued, "But, I guess having the courage to do something like that is why you're a true hero, Subaru-kun."

Frederica grabbed onto his arm and added, "Try not to forget that, Subaru. As far as everyone here is concerned, you are a true hero. In a few weeks, you'll be a heroic lord, and we're all incredibly excited about it."

A comfortable silence took over the carriage, and everyone felt at ease. The remainder of the journey seemed to fly by, and they were at Roswaal—no, Subaru's manor in no time. It was a mental change that Subaru would have to get used to fairly quickly. It would be very embarrassing for him to welcome guests as the lord of someone else's mansion.

Not very long after Subaru arrived, a Hoshin Company wagon arrived with Mimi driving and Anastasia riding shotgun, followed by Ricardo riding a liger and Julius riding a ground dragon. Subaru was surprised to find Julius not wearing his typical Royal Guard uniform, but instead a mercenary's outfit.

"Subaru! Mimi is here with a delivery for you!" Said the self-referencing beast girl. She carefully climbed down from the carriage and walked over, giving Subaru a hug. He reached down to gently pat her head, which the tiny demi-human seemed to enjoy.

"I'm glad to see you're doing so much better," he said. "How have you been keeping your condition so stable?"

Anastasia chimed in after she climbed down, "We can thank my spirit friend for that, actually. I don't know how she knew, but she told us how the Divine Protection of the Shinigami can actually be bypassed through surgery! We found a healer willing to perform the operation, and now as long as Mimi doesn't go running around and fighting, she can live a fairly normal life. Ain't it amazing?"

"That is amazing, actually!" said Subaru. "I would've thought a Divine Protection couldn't be fooled by a simple workaround like surgery. What did the surgeon have to do?"

She answered, "I'll spare ya the gorey details, but essentially by removing the bits that were directly affected by the Divine Protection's ability, it became possible to reattach blood vessels. Then all Mimi needed was a skin graft, and now she doesn't bleed anymore."

"Huh," Subaru said. It was really all he was able to say at that point. He was soon beset by Ricardo waving with his hook-arm, and Julius's simultaneously calming and infuriating smile. The two dismounted their steeds and walked over with Anastasia.

"That small bundle of joy really is somethin, ain't she kid?" said Ricardo. "Or, I guess I should call ya lord now. Rude to call a lord a kid, after all!" The beast man howled laughing at his own dumb joke.

Julius said, "Personally, I've always felt it best to refer to a person however they'd like to be referred to. I suppose in your case, Subaru, you'd probably want me to refer to you entirely as 'The Great and Honorable Lord Subaru Natsuki Mathers', yes?" He gave a knowing grin that even Subaru could enjoy.

The novice lord replied, "Well, I was going to have you call me 'The Great and Awesome Lord Subaru Natsuki Mathers', but I guess that title works too, Julius." Subaru gave his own knowing grin right back at Julius. After a moment, the two simultaneously broke out into laughter.

After he calmed down, Subaru said, "Yeah, of all people I definitely need you to just call me Subaru, Julius. If you go and give me a long, extravagant title, it might all go to my head. I'll need as many friends as possible going into this whole 'lord' thing."

Julius raised an eyebrow. "Friends, huh? So, does this mean you're finally going to add me to the ranks of your friends?"

"Urk," Subaru grunted. Julius had him right where he wanted him. Subaru reluctantly admitted, "Okay, yes, fine, you are officially one of my friends, Julius. Congratulations on earning the finest distinction in the Kingdom!"

Ricardo howled with laughter exaggeratedly while Anastasia giggled at Subaru's sarcastic remark. However, they knew as well as Julius did that Subaru genuinely considered Julius a true friend. It was incredibly important for the purple-haired man, since Subaru was the only person who even remembered who he really was.

Ricardo and Julius then moved to start gathering luggage, so Frederica and Rem went to assist them. Everyone else went inside to a large, rarely used parlor room. Subaru remembered cleaning the room with Ram many times and wondering how it never got used for anything, so he resolved to actually use it when he could. The room was easily capable of hosting a gathering of twenty people, which he realized was probably why the room never got used.

He thought, Considering how close it is to the grand hall, this is probably a good spot for the VIPs at the banquet. The other residents of the mansion, save for Emilia, started to file in so Subaru could address everyone at once.

"Alright everyone, please welcome Lady Crusch and her retainer Ferris as the newest members of our household!" he announced. "Lady Crusch will be posing as my fiancee for the next two months, and after that she will remain a permanent resident as a noble of the Mathers household. Rem, Ram, Petra, please prepare a room suitable for a noblewoman and a room suitable for a knight. After that, prepare guest rooms for Anastasia and her entourage. Frederica, you're in charge of addressing any aesthetic changes that Crusch may request. Annerose, you and I will work together on hiring new staff as we discussed with Duke Karsten prior to this."

The three maids bowed and left to go prepare the rooms as requested. Roswaal approached Subaru and said, "This is quite the development, Subaru. You've just taken over and you've already managed to expand the Mathers nobility. It seems that handing everything over to you was for the best after all." He bowed and walked off with the elder Echidna.

"Heya Natsuki, ya got a moment?" He turned around to see Anastasia standing with Julius. She wore her usual gentle grin while he looked almost a little embarrassed.

"Sure Anastasia, what can I do for you?" Subaru said.

She replied, "Well, it's about our mutual friend here. Ya see, despite all the good he's done since the Pristella incident, Julius hasn't been able to come to terms with himself about no longer being a part of the Royal Guard. They offered ta let him rejoin, but he felt like he didn't deserve it anymore. Until I ended up dropping from the selection, I had him remain my personal knight and retainer, but after that he couldn't be a knight since I have no ties ta the Lugnican nobility. More than anything, I think he needs to be a knight again for his own good."

Julius interrupted, "My lady, we really don't need to bother Subaru—"

"Oh shut it, purple hair!" she chided, shutting him down. "As I was saying, Natsuki, Julius needs to be a knight again. Seeing how ya need to hire new knights as part of your deal anyway, why don'tcha hire Julius? He's been a great member of the Iron Fang, but the mercenary lifestyle just doesn't suit him. It's just a bonus at this point that ya already know how good of a combatant he is!"

Subaru was surprised, to say the least. Wasn't I just joking about this sort of scenario the other day? I didn't think anything like this would actually happen!

After a short silence, he cleared his throat and said, "Well, um, Julius, would you want me to hire you? I mean, I guess I would hire you since you are pretty great at being a knight and all—"

"Yes, please." Subaru had to stop as he heard Julius. The former Finest of Knights bent down to one knee and said, "Subaru, despite how poorly our first meeting went, I've never truly hated you. After everything we've experienced, every battle we've fought together, I respect you, Subaru. I would be honored and humbled if you would have me as a knight for your domain."

Subaru froze for a moment. Beatrice poked at his side and asked, "Subaru? Did you blue screen, I wonder?"

Finally, he shook his head and looked at Julius, who was standing once again. He asked, "Well, Julius, I've got one knighting coming up already, I see no reason why I can't make it two knightings in one day."

Anastasia lightly smacked Julius's shoulder. "What'd I tell ya, Julius? Now ya can pay your penance, or whatever it was you were sayin'! Ya won't have ta worry about missin' me either, 'cause before long I'll have ta retire from runnin' the Hoshin Trading Company. I gotta make sure I can enjoy what few years I have left."

She paused and sighed whimsically before facing Subaru with a playful grin. "Say, Natsuki, any chance I can move in here in a few months? I've really come to like Lugnica, and there's no need for a retired merchant to own a mansion just for herself, ya know!"

"When did I become a hotel manager?" Subaru said, followed by a long-suffering sigh.

Ferris gently wheeled Crusch over as Anastasia was relishing her teasing of Subaru. With a sly grin on her face, Crusch added, "You know, Subaru, you should offer to let Anastasia stay here after she retires. Not only will the Pearlbatons and Ricardo follow her, you can have her keep Julius too tangled up in her nightly activities to bother you too much."

"Well now, that's rich comin' from the gal whose retainer is also an obsessive childhood best friend," said Anastasia. "When the duke asked why Subaru didn't want ta just marry ya, I thought for sure Ferris was gonna blow his lid! Imagine if he'd come ta me with the fake engagement thing, Julius would've just laughed the whole thing off."

"Okay, relax you two!" Subaru pleaded. "There's no need to let the teasing get out of hand here." He looked over to find a very red-faced Julius covering his face, embarrassed that his feelings toward Anastasia were obvious enough for even a memory-wiped Crusch to see them. Ferris, too, was covering his face, though no one needed to guess his feelings toward Crusch after the big Pristella meeting over a year ago.

Anastasia sighed. "Alright, I'll settle down. Anyway, Natsuki, think about it. I'm not so cheap as to demand a free room, after all. Like the fair lady over here said, Mimi, Tivey, Hetaro, and Ricardo will come with me anywhere, and between them they'll only need one room, since Mimi usually sleeps in my room. In return for their room, I'm sure they won't mind becoming auxiliaries for yer military."

The merchant princess winked at Subaru and walked off to rejoin Ricardo and the triplets. Crusch said, "Well Subaru, I don't mean to pressure you, but when do you want to start dealing with the curse?"

Subaru said, "I guess tonight after dinner. I'll treat you on your bed, with Ferris and Beatrice there to monitor."

She nodded. "Alright then. Thank you, Subaru." Her brilliant smile would've tugged at his heartstrings a bit more if not for the phenomenal woman who currently controlled them. Ferris silently nodded, and carted Crusch away to check on their rooms.

"Enjoying all the attention the ladies are giving you?" He nearly jumped as he could feel Frederica's breath on his neck. He spun around to see that she looked like she could barely hold in her laughter.

"Hahaha, I'm so sorry Subaru! I couldn't help myself," Frederica said with a smile. "I do have to say, though, it's a good thing for you that I'm not a very jealous person. Lady Crusch and Anastasia are good friends of yours and you care about them in that sense, and clearly they feel the same way. Admittedly, though, I was surprised by Anastasia's teasing attitude. It was almost like she was flirting, but also not flirting. If you're wondering, I did overhear a bit of the conversation, and I don't mind if you lease her a couple rooms in the manor. I remember what you told us about what happened in the watchtower, and that her life has been considerably shortened."

Subaru shrugged. "Well, I guess it's just my luck that all the people I've come to work with and be friends with want to move in with me the second they find out I'm a lord, huh?"

Frederica giggled, and Beatrice remarked, "It's only because my contractor is the single greatest person to exist of this age, I suppose. That, and they're no doubt mesmerized by my natural cuteness."

Subaru rubbed Beatrice's head and said, "Yeah, that's probably more the reason why. My Beako is just too cute and they can't handle not seeing more of her." He chuckled as Beatrice's cheeks turned pink.

"Subaru, I'm going to go check on Lady Crusch," Frederica said. "I'm sure her room is all ready to go now, and I know exactly which room they'll have picked out for her. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

Subaru smiled and replied, "Alright, I'll see you then." She walked away, leaving Subaru with Beatrice and Julius who was still reeling from embarrassment.

"Come on, Julius, you can't keep covering your face for the rest of the day," Subaru said. "Besides, think about what she said. Do you really think Anastasia would've shown any interest in moving in if I hadn't accepted you as a knight? She didn't bring it up until after that. I think she wants to spend her last years with you, Julius."

Julius looked stunned. Clearly, that thought had never even crossed his mind. His eyes widened as he asked in an uncharacteristically timid voice, "Subaru, do you really think so?"

"I know so, Julius," Subaru said while rolling his eyes. "But, I'll tell you what. Next time I can talk to her alone, I'll ask so I can confirm it. She absolutely likes you, she's probably just been too busy between running her company and until recently being a selection candidate to actually pursue it. I bet even before your name got erased by Gluttony she liked you a lot, and it's only natural she would quickly start liking you again."

Julius looked like he'd seen the light, much to Subaru and Beatrice's amusement. He stood there thinking about his life up to this very moment, dumbfounded to have been so oblivious. "It all makes so much more sense. I—I can't believe that once again you realized something about her that I didn't."

"Calm down, Julius. Let's go get Garfiel and go do some afternoon exercises in the courtyard. You're going to have to learn how to follow along in the daily exercise routines of Subaru Natsuki if you're going to be a knight here!" He waved Julius to follow him, and they caught up with Garfiel to go do some exercises.

Dinner that evening ended up being quite the chore for the four maids. With so many mouths to feed, they put out the largest offering they'd ever personally made for the large group. With all the changes coming to the mansion, the one they were happiest about was that Subaru would hire more servants to fill out the staff. Dinner passed without any issue, and after dinner Subaru managed to catch up with Anastasia.

"What's up, Natsuki? Got somethin on your mind ya want ta talk ta me about?" She innocently asked.

"Yeah, actually," Subaru said. "First, I'm more than happy to let you lease some rooms here when you're ready to retire. On that note, though, why specifically here? There are tons of beautiful views throughout the country. You could just as easily build a small villa somewhere to retire in."

She giggled. "Oh, come on Natsuki. Ya mean ta tell me ya haven't already figured it out for yourself?"

"I have a theory," he dryly replied. "Does it have something to do with that overly self-conscious guy you convinced me to make a knight?"

She smiled. "I know ya ain't a genius, but I woulda been worried if you didn't have a clue! Honestly, I was on the fence about asking ya about bringin him in here, but I'm glad I did now. It'll be nice being able ta really spend some time with him once I've sold the company. Anything else ya wanted ta ask?"

"I gotta say, I never expected you to be so forthcoming with me," he remarked. "The only other question I had was, do you want to be a noble member of the house?"

She put her hand on her chin to think. After a moment, she answered, "Nah, actually. I lived my life as a commoner, I'll end it as one too. Royal Selection aside, I never had much desire ta be a noble. I mighta done what Felt wants to do and completely reform the nobility. Who needs nobles when the cash is flowin', right?"

With a sad smile, she continued, "Ah, sorry Natsuki. I'm clearly havin' my end-of-life crisis if I'm blabbin' about all o' this to ya! Startin' tomorrow, I gotta start lookin' for who's gonna buy or take over the company. Once I've done that, you'll be hearin' from me again!" She regained her normal cheery expression and excused herself. Subaru watched as she went off to her room for the night.

"Well, I better find Beatrice and go up to Crusch," he said to himself. Despite having so many people under one roof, the large halls of the mansion still felt so empty. He thought, Is this why Roswaal always seemed to live in large mansions like his? Was that feeling of emptiness another reminder?

Soon enough, he reunited with Beatrice and the two talked on their way to Crusch's room. Subaru asked her, "Beako, how do you feel about all the changes around here?"

She replied without missing a beat, "It's going to be much noisier around here, I suppose." Subaru started to chuckle, but then she said, "Betty admits it is nice to have more people around, even if they are noisy, in fact. She knows her contractor wants to spend his days enjoying the company of his friends."

He paused for a moment, looking down at her. "Beako, I always forget how insightful you are. I'm proud you're starting to see the value of having lots of friends around, too."

She smugly replied, "Feel free to continue praising Betty and her endless wisdom, I suppose."

He offered his hand to her, and she took it. The two resumed walking to Crusch's room as they talked about nothing in particular. Upon arriving, Ferris opened the door and ushered them inside. Crusch was sitting up in her bed, reading a book titled "The History of the Lion Kings of Lugnica". She noticed her visitors and put her book down.

"Subaru, Beatrice, thank you for coming," she gently said. "Ferris told me that this book here was one of my favorites before I lost my memories, and I must admit I find it incredibly fascinating. The final chapter says that the late Prince Fourier was wise beyond his years and his tutors suspected he might have been a candidate to become a Lion King. It makes me wish I could still remember him."

Ferris said, "He was a magnificent man, nya."

She then shook her head. "Sorry, Subaru. You're here to treat me, not listen to me ramble on about my regrets." She then lied down flat in anticipation of Subaru's treatment. He walked up to her bedside, and Beatrice climbed up on it so she could observe.

As he readied himself, she gently pulled her nightgown up, revealing dense black patches covering her calves. The grotesque masses slowly moved around, causing her muscles to spasm constantly. How she managed to keep a brave face was beyond Subaru's imagination. He said, "Well, I'll try to absorb what I can out of your legs. Please stay calm, I'll put a hand on each leg."

He reached out and touched his palms to both of her legs, about halfway down the calves. She shivered for a moment, but then quickly relaxed. Beatrice was amazed as somehow the black patches destabilized and transferred into his arms, turning them as dark as charcoal. After holding on for a few minutes, her legs appeared to be completely clear and he let go. The newly-added curse in his arms was painful, but not terribly so.

"Alright Crusch, can you try moving them around some?" he asked.

She nodded, and moved her legs side to side. She then sat back up and stood on the floor, slowly walking around. Ferris sounded shocked as he said, "My lady, this is the first time you've walked around on your own since before you were cursed, nya!"

She turned around and said with an excited tone, "Ferris, I believe you're right! Subaru, this is incredible! I can walk again!" Immediately after saying it, she felt a spasm in her midsection and had to lean against a wall, prompting Subaru and Ferris to aid her.

"My lady! Don't overexert yourself, please!" Ferris pleaded. The two helped her sit back down on the side of the bed.

"It seems I overestimated my abilities. Sorry, everyone," Crusch said. "At least I will be able to relearn how to walk again. Subaru, I doubt I'll ever be able to adequately thank you for working to cure me of my curse."

Subaru gave her a gentle smile and replied, "It's enough to know that you'll be my friend for the rest of my life." Her cheeks flushed pink for a moment, but then she shook her head and bid Subaru good night as he left the room. With the soreness he felt in his arms, he walked with Beako straight back to the master suite where he flopped straight into bed without bothering to change clothes. She drained his mana, and he went straight to sleep.

The next day Anastasia, Mimi, and Ricardo departed, though Ricardo had to practically tear Mimi off of Garfiel before they could get underway. Julius was given a permanent room and he began exercising daily with Subaru, Garfiel, and Beatrice—who was really more of a cheerleader than a participant. Ferris helped Crusch learn to walk for longer periods of time, and within two weeks and another curse-lifting session she could walk around and even climb stairs unassisted. Annerose helped Subaru find a grade-A designer as well as hire several dedicated cooks to take care of the banquet food. Of the cooks, one was hired as a permanent head chef to handle all the major prep work and menus to reduce the burden on the maids.

Soon, there was only a week left until the ascension ceremony. The final bit of business was to hire two new servants. Ultimately Frederica recommended a brother-sister duo from Costuul to take up the roles, and they were hired as the newest butler and maid. Ben and Tasha Keystone were human fraternal twins who'd just turned fifteen and needed to start earning money to help out their family. Frederica saw a bit of herself in them, and determined they were hard enough workers to join the staff. They ended up bonding with Petra quite quickly since they were of similar age, Petra being fourteen at this point.

The designer came in and made a wide variety of custom items for the event. Among those were new navy with royal blue accented maid uniforms that offered more coverage for the maids while still being light and easy to move around in. The designer provided Subaru with five new outfits, Crusch with three, and Frederica with ten at Subaru's request. The tall blonde was embarrassed, but Subaru insisted that she try on some new dresses specifically made to accentuate her cute features instead of those that made her feel insecure. After soliciting opinions from every woman in the manor, she reluctantly agreed to accept the clothes when they all said they made her look fantastic.

Two days before the ceremony, Subaru was taking a break from planning in his office. As he thought about everything going on, someone knocked on the door. He asked, "Who is it?"

"Must you force a maiden to reveal her identity before entering?" Subaru groaned as he recognized Echidna's speech pattern.

"I guess you can come in, but not for too long," he answered. She opened the door and walked inside, still carrying her crystal containing the other witches' souls.

"Good day, Subaru," Echidna said. "You know, I've been working with the other witches to create some new magic that you might be interested in seeing."

"Oh boy," he sarcastically responded. "Well, if you want to show me, you've got my attention right now."

She smiled. "Certainly. Please watch closely." She held her arms out, and her clone-body began to shine brightly, causing Subaru to squint and look away.

When the light faded, he looked back to find not a clone of Ryuzu, but Echidna in the form she took in the Castle of Dreams, much to his shock. She wore a teasing grin as she said, "What's the matter, Subaru? Are you impressed by the level of detail that went into this transformation spell? Or did you forget just how attractive my form really is?"

"Don't even start!" he rebuked. "I will admit that the level of detail is impressive, I guess. So, you're able to walk around as yourself now?"

"That's not all," she said. "I'm certain you were thinking that I managed to drag my fellow witches into doing something incredibly selfish, but the truth is that's not the case. The spell allows any of us to take form from this vessel, and we can all interact with the world one-at-a-time. By default, I control the vessel's original form, but now my fellow witches have some freedom that they didn't have before. None of us have our witch factors anymore, so you don't have to worry about summoning the apocalypse by bringing the other witches out. Would you like to speak to one of the others, by the way? They are all eager to try it out, aside from Sekhmet who is indifferent."

Subaru was surprised by her attitude. "Well, alright, how about I talk to—maybe Typhon or Carmilla?"

"Typhon's taking a nap with Sekhmet, so Carmilla it is," she responded. Her body shined brightly again, and changed into Carmilla's shape. The absurdly shy witch stood there with her thick pink coat and green scarf covering the lower part of her face, and she shied away from looking directly at Subaru.

"Um, hi Carmilla," Subaru said. "How's it going for you?"

"I-It's going alright," she quietly answered. "J-Just so you know, I am r-rather excited to be out, I'm-I'm just bad at showing it. H-Have you been well? I'm g-glad I can talk to you without risking k-killing you."

He awkwardly smiled and replied, "Uh, yeah, I'm glad too! I've been well, I guess. It must be nice to not be trapped in the crystal for a while, huh?"

She slowly nodded. "I-It's nice. I forgot h-how the real world felt. O-Oh, it feels like M-Minerva would like to try out the spell, too. W-Would you mind if I switched?"

Subaru shook his head, and once again the bright light gave way to her body shaping into Minerva's. Like Carmilla, even her clothes changed to resemble what she wore in the Castle of Dreams. After she finished materializing, she walked around first to try touching some of the things in the office before she addressed Subaru.

"Sorry, Subaru, it's been a long time since I touched anything not created in that dream world," she said as she faced him. "So this is your new office? We've all been able to watch what's going on with Echidna's power, so I know you're about to officially be named a lord. For once, something happened to you that doesn't completely piss me off." She even looked relatively happy as she spoke to him.

Subaru said, "That's nice to hear, I guess? It's also nice to see you are not angry for a change."

She rolled her eyes. "I know, the Witch of Wrath not being angry, it's sure novel. Echidna suggested I might be the witch walking around more often than not since she wants to be able to observe from the inside sometimes. I hate being her replacement gerbil, but it means I get to enjoy feeling alive again, so I'll take the tradeoff. Hm, someone else wants to come out and say hi. Do you mind if Daphne comes out? It'll just be her, no Centipede Coffin. Like me, she'll have no witch factor, so she won't be able to hurt you, even if she touches or makes eye contact with you."

"Daphne, huh?" Subaru pondered. "Sure, I guess. I don't mind." Minerva nodded, and cast the transformation spell. Soon enough, Daphne appeared, complete with her eye mask. She smiled as she faced Subaru despite her eyes being covered.

"Subarun! This body is nice. Unlike my real body, it's not so hungry!" she remarked with a child-like glee. "I really like that Meili girl you became friends with. Being able to control my beasts is a neat ability. I'd have rather had that than the Authority of Gluttony! Anyway, how are you? Do you feel less hungry now than a few months ago?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by less hungry?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized. "Is your heart less hungry? That's what I wanted to ask!"

After that, he understood. "Oh, I see what you mean now. I guess it makes more sense to you in terms of hunger. Yes, my heart is less hungry now. I've got my friends, Frederica, and now even the six of you around. I'd say my heart is almost full."

She smiled and clapped her hands. "Yay! You always seemed like you were as hungry as I was, Subarun. Hey, Subarun, I don't have any family. The other witches are friends, but not a family. Can I join yours? I wanna try out all that yummy food I keep seeing!"

Subaru started laughing. "Somehow, it's just like you wanting to join my family because the food looks appetizing! You don't have to be in the family to eat with us, Daphne. You're now officially invited to join us for meals."

She became totally ecstatic as she starting running in place while holding her hands together. "Thanks, Subarun! You're the best!" Suddenly, she leapt forward and hugged him. He was caught completely off-guard, but before he could do anything she quickly let go. "Oh, sorry about that, Subarun. I know Nerva-nerva told you I couldn't hurt you, but I probably still gave you a fright."

He sheepishly replied, "Well, I won't lie, you did surprise me, but it's okay. You just wanted to express how full your heart was, right?"

She smiled again. "You get it, Subarun! Oh, Phon-phon wants to see you now. I think she's jealous that I hugged you and she hasn't. I thought she was still napping! Good to see you again!" Her body immediately became bright, and Subaru averted his eyes as Typhon made her appearance at long last. The first thing she did was rush over and hug him.

"Baru! This is from me and Sekhmet. She said she was too tired to come out, so I could say hi for both of us." She let go and looked up at him with a smile. "So, you don't feel so guilty anymore, right? I told you once before that you're not a sinner, but you didn't seem to believe me. What do you think now?"

Subaru paused to think for a moment before he responded, "I kinda believe it now. I always felt like it, but only because I felt guilty for not being perfect and saving everyone with ease. It really was silly of me, wasn't it?"

She giggled. "You understand a lot more than you did when I first met you, Baru. Well, I just wanted to make sure you were doing good! Nerva wants to go exploring, so I'm going to let her come out again. See you later Baru!" She waved before she turned bright, and once again Minerva was out.

"Alright, Subaru, I'm going to walk around for a while. I'm curious about Costuul, I remember visiting it when it was just a tiny village on the fringe of the kingdom. I'll be back in time for dinner so that Daphne can eat with you like you promised her she could." She turned around to leave, but Subaru stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Minerva," he said, "thanks for thinking about Daphne. I bet she's never been able to have a normal meal with people before."

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. She exclaimed, "G-Geez, don't tease me like that! Of course I'm going to think about other people, you dummy! I was the Witch of Wrath, not the witch of selfishness!" She huffed and left the room. Subaru chuckled at her reaction and got back to reviewing the plans for the upcoming ceremony.

Dinner that evening wound up being chaotic. Introducing Daphne to everyone was a bit of a chore, since he didn't want to call her 'the former Witch of Gluttony'. Thankfully, she already had a predetermined way of introducing herself to everyone.

"Hello everyone!" Daphne said. "I'm Daphne, and Subarun is my new best friend! He found me looking hungry and offered to let me come eat with you all. Thank you for having me!"

Julius chuckled as he remarked, "The Lolimancer strikes again, everyone." Everyone else present had a laugh at Subaru's expense, but he was glad that it would roll over relatively smoothly thanks to his unfortunate moniker. She sat next to Meili and bombarded her with questions every second she wasn't eating. Thankfully for Subaru, Meili seemed to enjoy her company nonetheless and the rest of the evening passed without issue.

After that and the next day passed, the day of the ceremony arrived. Every member of the household, save for Emilia, woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the day. Even Roswaal and Echidna were not excluded, as Roswaal was part of the ceremony and Echidna had volunteered to assist the maids with service, stating that she "felt she should at least try to contribute".

Of the six witches, Minerva was chosen to be the active one that day. Subaru decided that she should just blend in as a VIP guest, and she agreed to spend most of the day just watching. Subaru just hoped that nothing would happen that would cause her to blow a fuse and start shouting at everyone. In an effort to prevent confusion, he introduced her to everyone as another friend of his, which she rolled along with.

The planning committee got together the second everyone was ready. Guests were expected to arrive about an hour before fire time, giving them approximately three and a half hours to finish the last preparations. Subaru, Annerose, Frederica, Otto, and Rem all talked around a table in the grand hall. All the tables for the RSVP'd guests had been set up and decorated, along with a row of banquet tables for hors d'oeuvres and fine sweets that the chefs were already preparing.

"Alright everyone, it's the big day!" Subaru announced. "Annerose, you know where all the VIPs are sitting, right?

Annerose nodded. He then said, "Rem, the dinner menu is confirmed?"

Rem smiled and said, "Yes it is, Subaru-kun. The first course is a dinner salad, that 'caesar salad' thing you were telling us about which the chefs quite liked. The second course is a small portion of Kararagi-inspired sushi, prepared by a chef Anastasia recommended. The third and main course is fire-roasted beef with peppercorns, garlic mashed tatoes, and sweet steamed honey-glazed carrots. The fourth and final course is a rich bread pudding served with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream."

"My mouth is watering already," remarked Subaru. "Otto, reserved parking for everyone is set up?"

Otto answered, "Yes, Natsuki. Garfiel and Julius will be handling all the incoming traffic."

Subaru nodded. "Frederica, are the rooms for the guests staying tonight prepared?"

"Yes, Subaru," she answered. "A total of thirty guests are staying, and twenty of them will leave in the morning after breakfast. The other ten are your VIP guests, the Royal Knight Commander, and the Council of Sage's representative."

He smiled. "Alright, it sounds like everything is in place then! By the way, Frederica, do we know who'll be representing the Sages?"

She said, "It looks like Miklotov McMahon himself will be attending as the representative."

Subaru raised his eyebrows. "Really? I guess he does try to go to some of these events himself sometimes. I thought he'd be too busy running the country!"

Annerose interjected, "Subaru, you've forgotten you're a major lord. It makes perfect sense for him to attend. If the King was around, he'd probably attend the ceremony!"

They all went quiet for a moment. "Right," Subaru said flatly.

After a short pause, they discussed any other loose ends. During this, Otto remembered, "Hey everyone, did the RSVP list include Priscilla?"

Annerose said, "I didn't reserve any tables for her, so I don't think so."

"I didn't get anything indicating her arrival," Rem added.

Subaru hesitantly said, "So, did we get a letter saying no, or did she not respond?"

Rem and Annerose started to look nervous. Otto suggested, "Um, maybe we should set aside an extra table? Maybe she said yes, but her card got lost? Alternatively, she purposely didn't respond just to throw us for a loop?"

They all looked at Subaru. He groaned, but eventually said, "Yes, set aside a table. Don't label it 'Priscilla', just put 'Reserved, VIP'. We'll show our known VIPs to a different table. No one will be able to complain if we play our cards right here."

The tension among the group was high. While they seriously doubted her attendance, if she did attend the potential for chaos was significantly higher. Subaru remarked, "I can't believe this somehow never came up in the last two weeks. At least we're flexible enough to get through something like this. Alright, well enough of the self-pity. Annerose, let's go over the itinerary with everyone."

The young noble nodded. "Right, the very first thing is the arrival of VIPs, followed by Sage Miklotov and Sir Marcos. All the other guests should arrive between one and two hours after that. The ascension ceremony will begin an hour before water time, and should take half an hour. Then, the knighting ceremony will occur immediately afterwards. When it's all said and done, it will be water time, and dinner will be served to coincide with the sunset. After dinner is a general reception, and then a small VIP-only reception with desserts and drinks will open up in the large parlor room later."

Everyone was impressed by her meticulousness. Subaru remarked, "Should I warn the other nobles to not underestimate my prime minister just because she's young? Annerose, you're really something else!"

Annerose smiled smugly. Frederica asked, "When do we announce Subaru's 'engagement'?"

Subaru answered, "Oh, I actually remember this one! As soon as Roswaal finishes declaring me as his heir and signing the deeds and titles over to me, I call on Crusch to rise and invite her to the front. Everyone will be amazed when she gets up and walks to the front unassisted, and then we announce the engagement. We'll say it was set up in advance, and we're both anxious about what it holds for our futures, but nothing really too specific."

Otto sarcastically remarked, "It's so inspiring when you use phrases like 'I actually remember this one'."

Annerose and Rem both facepalmed, while Frederica sighed. The blonde said, "One day we'll make him into a real lord, but today is certainly not that day."

"Even on a day like today you guys are harsh!" Subaru complained.

Annerose then said, "Everyone, Roswaal will be here soon. We're going to go over everything he needs to be aware of, and then we'll do our rehearsal."

Soon enough, Roswaal showed up. The six ironed out the few remaining details of the ceremony, and Roswaal showed that he already had all of the paperwork prepped and ready to be signed in Sage Miklotov's presence. The ceremony was nothing more than a formal officiation, since the Council of Sages had approved the shift days after Roswaal sent in the notice, but they still wanted everything to go off without a hitch. As Annerose had pointed out many times, messing up a ceremony considered to be nothing more than a formality looks incredibly bad for a new lord.

The rehearsal went smoothly. Subaru and Crusch figured out their final lines, and he practiced knighting Garfiel and Julius. They would both wear the uniforms of the Mathers domain that he had once worn for the ceremony, and while Julius was far more obviously going to fit the look, Garfiel ended up looking quite dashing as well. Frederica had even jokingly warned him to watch out for any impressionable ladies that might become infatuated. Garfiel's uniform shoes were modified so the upper sole could be quickly removed for when he needed to directly touch the ground.

After the rehearsal was finished, everyone gathered in the normal dining hall for a light breakfast before guests started arriving. Everyone was so focused on the day's events that no one could focus on anything but eating quickly and getting back into position. They all finished their breakfast and got right back to where they needed to be. Subaru along with Crusch and Ferris would greet guests as they entered the main hall; Garfiel and Julius waited outside to greet parties arriving by carriage and settle their parking arrangements; Rem, Ram, Petra, Echidna, and the Keystone siblings stood by for table service; Frederica and Otto stayed near the kitchen so they could relay any information back and forth between the chefs and the staff; Meili acted as the sentry, using her control of mabeasts to surveil for threats; Finally, Roswaal and Annerose would keep Emilia busy enough that she wouldn't be able to interrupt anything and he would only show up for his part in the ceremony.

Beatrice had no official position in the whole thing, but she was more than happy to stay around the main entrance with him while he greeted the guests. Minerva also found herself mostly hanging around him for lack of anything better to do. Subaru found that the sorts of conversations between two super-tsundere personalities could lead to a lot of petty bickering.

"Betty is no dumb child, in fact! Betty is more than four centuries old, and she knows a brainless beauty when she sees one! If not for those things on your chest, no one would give you the time of day, in fact." Beatrice seemed quite incensed, as did her opponent.

"'Brainless Beauty'? Excuse me?!" Minerva cried out. "I was a trained healer! And a tiny flat child doesn't get to make comments about someone else's chest, I'll have you know!"

"How did this even start?" Subaru said in an anguished tone. "Both of you, cut it out! Minerva, you're supposed to be a noble, so act like one! And Beako, it doesn't matter what someone else says about you, resorting to mocking their physical features isn't the right answer! Now both of you, say you're sorry to the other."

Both winced at his rather intimidating glare in one of the few times his natural nasty look was suited for him. Beatrice huffed, but she quietly offered, "Betty is sorry, I suppose."

Minerva also huffed and replied, "Yeah, I'm sorry too."

Crusch remarked, "You know, that look of yours is quite effective in stopping arguments, Subaru."

He sighed. "I know you meant that as a compliment, but I can't help feeling it was really quite backhanded!"

Just then, the main door opened. The first few guests had arrived: Felt, Reinhard, Rom, and surprisingly, Wilhelm. The feisty Royal Candidate wasted no time in running over to Subaru and giving him a hug. "Big bro! Congrats on becoming a lord! Now when I ascend the throne, I'll have at least one lord who I don't have to get rid of!" She let go and stepped back, showing her snaggletooth smile.

"My lady, I really wish you wouldn't make such brash proclamations!" said Reinhard as he came forth. "Lord Subaru, it is my greatest pleasure to be here today to bear witness to your ascension to Margrave of House Mathers."

Subaru groaned. "Beako, you were right on the spot. First thing he does after opening his mouth is to address me as 'Lord Subaru'. Come on, Reinhard, we're friends! You don't need to call me 'Lord' every time you talk to me from now on."

Reinhard scratched his head with an awkward smile and apologetically said, "I see, Lo—Subaru. Regardless, I congratulate you on your achievement today."

Wilhelm then walked up. "Forgive me, Lord Subaru, but I fear I feel obligated to formally address you. It would be disrespectful of me to not proudly use your well-earned title after all the great things you've done not only for me, but for the kingdom."

"Urgh...I guess it's okay because it's you, Wilhelm," Subaru reluctantly said. "I see you seem to have come here with Felt and Reinhard?"

The old knight nodded. "Indeed. We had a run in a few months ago and we ended up talking at length for a while. I've come to understand my grandson's way of thinking, and especially how I'm mostly responsible for it. From now on, no one will tell me that Reinhard does not deserve to be my grandson. I can only hope I am an adequate grandfather after so many years of neglect."

Subaru wasn't sure how to respond to the news, but he was certainly happy to see Reinhard and Wilhelm able to try and make amends in defiance of their horrible past and failed attempts at reconciliation. Wilhelm then said, "Lady Crusch, I did not expect to find you here greeting guests alongside Lord Subaru. It is pleasant to see you again, although I find myself curious as to why you're greeting guests at another lord's manor."

Crusch blushed very slightly and answered, "Oh, well, I fear I cannot answer that right this second, but you and everyone else will find out in due time."

Subaru interrupted, "It's okay, Crusch, you can tell them. It can be a surprise to everyone else besides Duke Karsten."

Wilhelm raised an eyebrow, and the members of the Felt camp also turned to face her, curious to find out. Crusch sighed and admitted, "Well, after Subaru is officially ascended, he and I will be announcing our engagement." She did her best to sound excited, though she wasn't sure if she managed it.

To say they were shocked would be an understatement. Felt looked almost hurt as she looked back and forth between Subaru and Crusch. She demanded, "Big bro, what the hell? What ever happened to you and big sis? What, was she suddenly not good enough for you?"

Subaru grimaced at Felt's accusation. Beatrice angrily replied, "You do not have the right to lay false accusations against my contractor, in fact! Betty did not watch her contractor agonize for nearly a month just to hear someone accuse him of being some kind of playboy! That brat cruelly tore his heart into a thousand pieces, in fact."

Felt looked like she was about to argue when Reinhard stayed her. "My lady, Miss Beatrice is not lying. If anything, I believe she is underselling the truth. The look on Subaru's face alone tells me that whatever caused his separation from Lady Emilia caused him a great deal of pain."

Felt stopped for a moment, and saw tears beginning to form in the corners of Subaru's eyes. She realized immediately that Reinhard was right, and she had made an extreme jump to conclusions. Subaru attempted to compose himself and quietly said, "P-Please excuse me for just a moment. I'll return shortly." He turned around and walked into a hallway as Beatrice and Minerva trailed behind him, leaving just Crusch and Ferris.

Crusch facial expression turned sour. She lectured, "Lady Felt, look at what you've done. This is why people in a high station must do their best to not lash out and make assumptions, because all it takes is one mistaken impression to destroy a good relationship permanently. Luckily for you, Subaru has always been one to forgive. I hope you'll take this lesson to heart."

Reinhard also chided, "Lady Crusch is right, my lady. We have been trying to teach you proper manners for this very reason. You allowed your emotions to control you, and now you've hurt someone dear to you as a result. We're going to go sit down now and give Subaru some space, and he'll come talk to us when he's ready to." The girl quietly bowed her head and let Reinhard guide her over to a table as Rom followed behind them.

"Lady Crusch, do you think it would be alright for me to go check on him?" Wilhelm asked.

Crusch replied, "I'd wait just a few minutes before you go. He hates being seen without a brave face, but you already knew that."

Off in a small side room, Minerva was reluctantly holding Subaru as he quietly sobbed. They listened to him as he quietly asked himself, "Why, Felt? You know me, and you know I would never do something like that." Beatrice held onto one of his hands, which he was somewhat tightly holding onto.

"He is a bit of a baby, I suppose," Beatrice admitted. "But it's a part of what makes Subaru, Subaru."

Minerva sighed. "We can agree on that. It's a good thing you were there, otherwise I might've blown up even harder on that girl. Also, it's hard not to feel terrible for someone who seems to always end up getting the short end of the straw." She held him a little tighter to make up for the light banter.

Beatrice said, "He always manages to overcome the worst scenarios, in fact. This too is just another of those scenarios." She took a minute to pause, and then asked, "How did he meet you, I wonder? You remind me of someone, I suppose."

Minerva looked to the side. "It's, uh, complicated. Let's just say I was in a position to learn about his troubles and befriended him."

Beatrice raised an eyebrow, but decided to let the matter rest. She long since figured out that there are some things about Subaru that were always going to be a mystery, and it was easier to just accept it and move on.

After another few minutes, Subaru was able to recover, and Minerva gently let go of him. Beatrice asked, "Are you going to be alright, I wonder?"

He sniffed a little and answered, "Yeah, I'll be alright. Reinhard has no doubt lectured Felt already, since his Divine Protections usually let him figure out anything he needs to figure out."

Minerva added, "That's good, because if you start crying like that again I'm making you go find your girlfriend instead. I don't normally hug anyone I'm not intimate with, for your information."

He managed to chuckle a little bit. "Heh, you're really going all in on the tsundere thing, aren't you? Soon enough I'll be living with two Rams instead of just one."

"I don't even know what that word means and it pisses me off!" Minerva exclaimed. "You're lucky I like you, otherwise I'd wipe that stupid grin off your face!" She loudly huffed and turned around.

He calmed down a bit and said, "Alright, let's go on back now. I think I can face everyone again." Before he could leave, though, Wilhelm poked his head in.

"Lord Subaru? May I enter?" He asked.

Subaru answered, "We're actually about to head back to the great hall, but thanks for coming to check on me."

The old man smiled. "Very good, then. I shall accompany you back."

After a short walk through the hallway, they arrived back in the great hall where Crusch and Ferris awaited them.

Crusch asked, "Are you feeling better now, Subaru? We didn't quite tell Felt why you reacted the way you did, so you can explain it to her yourself later. She understands now that she jumped to a conclusion too fast after Reinhard and I talked to her."

He nodded. "I'm feeling alright now, thanks. I'll make sure to talk to her again in a little while so she knows that it's okay now as well as the truth about what happened between Emilia and me."

As he finished his sentence, the main door opened again. Anastasia had arrived with her crew. In contrast to her usual dress, she chose to wear a stylish yukata, as did the triplets. Ricardo was a bit too large to wear something similar, so his formalwear ended up being his usual outfit plus a large purple sash wrapped from his shoulder to his waist that matched Anastasia's color scheme. They walked up to Subaru to greet him.

"Good ta see ya again, Subaru!" Anastasia said. "It'll be excitin ta see ya named Margrave today!"

Ricardo added, "That's gonna be wild, isn't it Subaru? 'Margrave Subaru Natsuki Mathers', right? That's a mouthful for ya to remember!"

"Mimi's here too!" said the eldest of the triplets. "Tivey, Hetaro, say hi to General Subaru!"

Anastasia giggled as Mimi shoved the other two up to Subaru. Tivey said, "H-Hey, Subaru! Glad to see you're doing well! Mimi, stop shoving me!"

Hetaro added, "I'm happy to see you're well, too! And Mimi, I swear if you get hurt doing this, I'll be upset!"

The demi-human girl laughed as she stopped shoving her brothers. Subaru said, "Thanks you all, it's nice to see you again! Wilhelm, since you're going to the VIP table, would you mind walking with Anastasia's group over there? I'll be coming over in a little while to chat with everyone, don't worry."

Wilhelm bowed his head. "Certainly, Lord Subaru." Anastasia waved at Subaru as she and the others walked with Wilhelm to where Reinhard and Felt were sitting.

Subaru wiped his head. "Okay, I know I haven't really done much, but I already feel tired. Crusch, Ferris, Beatrice, Minerva, are you all doing okay?"

They all nodded. Ferris said, "It's certainly not easy to anxiously await so many important people coming to your household, nya! Even Lady Crusch dreaded large parties like this."

Crusch sighed and said, "Unfortunately, I believe it. As I am now, hosting large parties was a large undertaking. It's truly a blessing that your staff are also your friends, and that they're incredibly capable."

"It's only going to be sixty people, and it still feels huge," Subaru said. "I guess it feels larger when so many of those people are incredibly important. A Duke, several Counts, and every lord in the northwestern realm will be in attendance. Granted the Duke is your father, Crusch. We don't even know if Priscilla is showing up or not, and casually hosting a Vollachian Empress seems like it would be stressful."

They all sighed at the thought of Priscilla actually attending. Subaru then said, "Well, let's go talk to our friends for a while. No one's coming for like half an hour, right?" The small group walked over to the VIP table where everyone else was waiting. When they got there, Felt stood up and slowly walked over to Subaru.

"Hey big bro," she said, "I made a bad assumption, didn't I? I'm really sorry." Her eyes reminded Subaru of a sad puppy.

Subaru put his hand on her shoulder and reassuringly said, "It's okay, I forgot that you weren't in the loop. The truth is, a few months ago Emilia told me didn't want me to be her knight and didn't want my help anymore, or something like that. I don't like remembering that moment, but it really hit hard when you accused me of doing what she did to me."

Felt's eyes went wide after the revelation. "Big bro, I can't believe she'd do that to you. I'm really sorry for what I said. Can you forgive me for being dumb?"

Reinhard started saying, "My lady, it's unwise to self-depri—"

"Shut it, red-hair!" she yelled. Reinhard stopped talking and settled back into his chair. "Sorry, Subaru. I'm standing here yelling at Rein while I'm trying to apologize to you."

Subaru sighed before saying, "I forgive you, Felt. I'd have a hard time staying mad at you for making a mistake. Regardless of how the selection goes, I'd prefer to have you as a friend. Just try to go easy on Reinhard, okay? He's trying his best for you."

She weakly smiled. "I know he is, big bro. I just wish that sometimes, he'd try slightly less than 'his best'. Despite that, I'm still glad he's looking out for me, and I'm really glad you're still going to be my friend through everything, too." She walked back over to her seat, prompting the others to sit down.

Most of the tables were round tables to accommodate smaller groups, but a few were larger rectangular tables, such as the table his friends would be sitting at. There were three other such tables: One for Duke Karsten; the second for the other members of the Miload family that had direct ties with Roswaal; and one last extra VIP table set aside for Priscilla. With the extra accommodation provided by the large table, the members of Subaru's household would be sitting with the VIPs when the time came for the ceremony.

Reinhard asked, "Subaru, when did you find out that Lord Roswaal intended to pass on his titles and estate to you?"

"Not that long ago, actually," Subaru answered. "After he had accomplished what he wanted to get done, he no longer had any interest in being a margrave, I guess. He told me that he wished to pass it along to me as thanks for helping him and for helping the Emilia Camp gain the level of prestige that it has." It wasn't the full truth, but Roswaal had instructed him to say this line in order to fool those who could detect lies. Sure enough, neither Crusch nor Reinhard seemed phased by his answer.

"It is quite the feat to inherit a lord's entire being as a thank you, Lord Subaru," Wilhelm pointed out. "That said, I am unsurprised that you were capable of such a thing. After concocting the plan to take down the White Whale and slay Sloth, I knew you were worthy to lead an army. After saving Pristella from certain doom at the hands of four Sin Archbishops through your strategy, you proved you had what it takes to be a proper lord. Finally, from conquering the Sage's Tower—a feat even my grandson was unable to complete—and preventing a war with Vollachia through your deft actions, even the Sage's Council themselves would agree you can handle a responsibility like being the Margrave of House Mathers."

"Wilhelm's right, Subaru," Crusch said. "Even though I cannot remember the battle against the White Whale, I bore witness to the events of Pristella, and I immediately knew then that everything I heard about that battle must've been true. Even now, you've somehow done the impossible and started lifting a curse from me that even Ferris, the best healer in the kingdom, could not do. What better person could inherit Lord Roswaal's responsibilities?"

Reinhard added, "It's only natural, after all. I could not defeat the Greed Archbishop on my own; it took Subaru's seemingly otherworldly knowledge to defeat him. Subaru's wisdom will make him a highly effective leader and lord."

Subaru was holding his head in his hands, trying hard not to blush. "You guys, you're all going to give me a huge ego if you keep this up!" he blustered.

"Don'tcha worry, Natsuki, if ya get a big head, we all know how ta deflate ya too!" said Anastasia with a wink.

Ferris added, "Nya, Miss Anastasia's right, Syubaru. We can all know how to poke at you until you're back down to earth!"

The table had a laugh at Subaru's expense. As it died down, Subaru said, "Okay, okay, very funny. It's high time I went back and waited by the main doors again. Sage Miklotov and Commander Marcos are the next due to arrive, assuming everything is going according to plan. It may be a while before I'm back over here, but please feel free to help yourselves to some appetizers and treats while all the other guests arrive. Rem should be coming back in a moment to get your drink orders."

He smiled and waved as he walked away with his greeting squad. Ferris continued to cart Crusch around in a wheelchair so they could surprise everyone with the reveal that she was able to walk again. Minerva still wasn't sure how she ended up in the greeting squad, but since it gave her something to do besides sit and look pretty until the ceremony, she was fine with it. As they all took their places by the front door, Julius came running in.

"Subaru!" he called out, "I don't know why or how, but Empress Priscilla has arrived!"

Subaru thought he felt his heart sink into his stomach. He reminded the others, "It's alright, it's okay, we had a contingency plan in place for exactly this reason. We have a table for her and an entourage, let's just greet her and show her to her table." He was more amazed that news hadn't come out that Vollachian forces were invading or something first. Also, how did Meili not notice them approaching?

The fiery-haired woman then marched through the door, with merely one person beside her. She was wearing her red and black dress that she had been well known for wearing throughout the Royal Selection. Subaru could recognize Al's beaten up helmet anywhere, even if he was wearing a formal outfit for once.

Priscilla approached Subaru with an intrigued grin. "Mineself was surprised to receive an invitation to watch a mongrel become a man. Perhaps thou art wiser than mineself thought, knowing when it was appropriate to send a formal invitation to your friendly acquaintance."

That's one bullet dodged, Subaru thought. He replied, "Of course, Empress. We weren't certain if you would be interested, given your new position, but we wanted to make sure you weren't left out."

She smugly smiled. "How could mineself possibly not be interested? 'Tis not often a commoner gets the opportunity to join the ranks of the esteemed. Mayhaps mineself should request thou as the kingdom's ambassador to Vollachia?" She snickered as she considered her idea. "Nay, while it would be very entertaining, mineself knows that thou will be too busy dealing with the northern kingdom to effectively deal with mineself as well."

Al said, "Well hey, Subaru. Er, Lord Subaru, I guess? Nice to see you again. Prin—Empress here asked me to come along today. Nicely done, getting a noble title and all!"

Subaru chuckled. "You don't change much, do you Al?"

Priscilla answered for him, "This boot-licker never changes. He will always be mine loyal boot-licker, which makes you far more entertaining than he ever will be. Pray tell, where might the silver-haired one be?"

He solemnly answered, "Emilia will not be in attendance tonight."

The orange-haired empress raised an eyebrow. "Truly? A shame. Mineself was looking forward to rubbing mine new position in her face. It is not entertaining to rub it in the faces of former candidates who can no longer achieve the crown, and mineself likes the blonde girl enough to not want to stoop to such depths around her. Very well, will thou show us to our table?"

"Y-Yeah, of course, right this way," Subaru said. As they made their way to the reserved table, Priscilla said to Crusch, "Thou seem to be in higher spirits than usual. Hast the curse diminished within thou?"

The seated former duchess replied, "Indeed, the curse is less prevalent within me than it had been before. It is much easier to feel happy when I am less wracked with pain."

Priscilla covered her mouth with her fan. "How interesting, indeed."

They arrived at the table set aside for them. Priscilla asked, "Thou truly intend to seat us at this large table alone?"

Subaru explained, "Well, we thought you would have more people with you, perhaps bodyguards or Divine Generals?"

She huffed disappointedly. "This seating arrangement is unnecessary for mineself and one mongrel. Mineself would be properly seated at the table where thine other friends and acquaintances are, unless thou lack the necessary room?"

Subaru looked at the VIP table. It was quite a large table, so he imagined it would be fine to fit the two of them at the other end of the table. He would just arrange a new chair at the opposite end for Priscilla so she could feel special.

He then replied, "We should be able to seat you at that table, yeah. Let me just get someone to help move this chair over there so you can sit at the other end, since there's one seat on the side where Al can sit."

She grinned. "Mineself seated opposite of thou? If mineself didn't know better, this could have been construed as a marriage proposal. Mineself art a generous soul, however, and won't leap to such an outlandish conclusion. Instead mineself will assume you wished to provide me a seat at one of the heads of the table since I am an Empress."

Crusch, Ferris, and Minerva winced. Subaru meekly replied, "Yeah, you're completely right. I just wanted to do that for exactly that reason."

She regally laughed. "How amusing, indeed. Very well, mineself accepts thine kind gesture." She began to walk over to the VIP table, and Subaru waved down Rem. "Hey Rem, she wants to sit over there. Can you move this nice chair over for her?"

Rem nodded. "Of course, Subaru-kun. I know this is one of those chairs you would've taken care of yourself, but it's a bit too heavy for you to lift." She winked, having successfully teased him for the day.

"Look at you, Subaru, making a lady lift a heavy chair for you," Crusch said with a giggle. "Next thing we know, you'll be making me walk on my own again."

"Rem I understand, but when did you learn how to tease me like a master?" Subaru asked with an exasperated tone.

"Anyone can tease you when they've known you long enough, I suppose," Beatrice countered. "Obviously no one will be better at it than Betty, but she can recognize the skill of others, in fact."

"Uwahh, an ice cold remark from my own spirit!" he dramatically said.

Ferris said, "Syubaru, you'd better introduce Priscilla to the VIP table before she has to do it herself, nya!"

"Dang it, gotta go!" Subaru exclaimed as he power-walked over to where everyone was seated. Rem was just finishing placing Priscilla's chair when he arrived.

He addressed them, "Hey everyone! Empress Priscilla will be joining us at this VIP table. Please keep her good company!"

Priscilla followed it up by saying, "That's right, mineself has decided to grace thineselves with my presence. Feel free to bask in mine presence, or not. Mine only reason for attending is that mineself wished to watch this boy ascend to nobility."

She took her seat, and Al sat in a seat adjacent to her. Everyone was surprised to see Priscilla, but the conversation started back up without too much trouble. The empress herself joined in the normal conversation, seeming to enjoy it.

Subaru rejoined the greeting squad, and they went back to their position by the front door. The rest of the guest introductions were uneventful, though they gave Priscilla's unused table to Miklotov and Marcos since they had a large group to keep the head Sage safe. Duke Karsten also brought a fairly large group, making full use of the table set aside for him. Little by little all the guests arrived, taking up the tables throughout the hall. Minerva embarrassingly had to deal with two young nobles immediately propositioning her, but Subaru was able to make up a story about why she couldn't accept their 'offers'.

After an hour, all the guests had arrived, which was slightly ahead of schedule. Rem, Ram, Petra, Echidna, and the Keystones were busy getting drink orders for everyone, and several of the nobles were walking around chatting with one another. Many stopped by the VIP table to congratulate Subaru on being chosen to take Roswaal's place while others asked him about his connections to many of the various people at his table, particularly Priscilla.

As water time drew nearer, Roswaal finally appeared and joined the party by Subaru's side. The mage used his magic to summon a small array of flashing lights to capture everyone's attention as he and Subaru walked to a point in front of the room that everyone could see them from. Roswaal started the ceremony with a short monologue.

"Good evening, great lords and ladies from across the kingdom," he started. "Tonight, I will be retiring from my position as the Margrave of House Mathers. It has been a hectic decade and a half, between tensions with the Vollachian Empire, the grave loss of our beloved Royal Family, and the many unbelievable incidents throughout the Royal Selection. As a symbol of improving conditions, we have here Vollachian Empress Priscilla as well as former candidates Crusch Karsten and Anastasia Hoshin. As an additional symbol of peace and unity, we also have Lady Felt, the only other competing candidate besides Lady Emilia, who could not be with us tonight."

Priscilla was absolutely not there for the reason he suggested, but she felt no need to correct him. It was an amusing reason for the others to believe, she thought.

He continued, "After much deliberation, I decided that I did not need to wait for an heir to pass down my legacy. Sir Subaru Natsuki, my first and only knight of the Mathers domain, quickly became a national hero recognized by all for his skill and wisdom. I, too, recognize his talents for what they truly are: the humble grace and leadership necessary to take on my role in our society. With the blessing of the Council of Sages in the absence of a king, Subaru Natsuki will receive the title of Margrave of House Mathers, while I will focus on my duties as the Court Mage."

Miklotov McMahon stood up and walked over to a raised podium where the formal paperwork was waiting. He declared, "As the representative from the Council of Sages, I will now bear witness to this moment for historical record-keeping."

Roswaal took a pen and signed his name on a line, and then passed it to Subaru, who signed his name on the line where Roswaal had earlier told him he would sign. Miklotov announced to everyone, "As of this moment, Court Mage Roswaal has relinquished his title of Margrave. Margrave Subaru Natsuki Mathers now bears the title, and has assumed the role of patriarch of House Mathers. May the Divine Dragon bless you with divine wisdom and a long life."

The crowd rose and began applauding. There was no raucous or shouting, which was a first for Subaru. Everyone at the VIP table, even Priscilla, were smiling as they clapped. Miklotov and Roswaal left to sit down in their seats and the applause died down. Now, Subaru had an announcement of his own to make.

"Hello everyone, it sure is an exciting night, huh?" he awkwardly started. "Thank you all for coming. I'm proud to accept the title of Margrave, and I intend to continue striving for the betterment of the kingdom like my predecessor. First of all, I'd like to invite Lady Crusch Karsten to join me up here."

The crowd's attention shifted to Crusch. Ferris wheeled her out from the table, then stood by as she rose out of the wheelchair. She began to walk over to where Subaru was standing, drawing sounds of surprise and delight from the audience.

Subaru continued, "I have invited her up here so that we could formally announce that the two of us are now engaged."

There were many gasps and 'oooo's from the audience. Crusch said, "That is correct. Lord Subaru has been tirelessly working to find ways to help me battle the curse I was stricken with nearly a year ago. During this time, my father asked Subaru if he would be interested in marrying me as a reward for helping to lift the curse, and I am happy that he agreed to it. I could never thank him enough for his hard work."

The best part of this was that, in a way, it was completely true. Duke Karsten himself smiled at their abuse of the truth.

Subaru added, "We were planning to announce this earlier, but we decided to hold off until today. After all, this happened before the decision was made for me to become a lord. The two of us are anxious about what the future holds, but we welcome it with open arms."

The crowd once again applauded for what they believed were the happy couple. Crusch bowed for the crowd, and she walked back to her seat. The applause died down as Subaru prepared for the final bit of the day.

"May I have your attention, please," Subaru said. "I will officially take my first actions as a Margrave today. Garfiel Tinsel, Julius Juukulius, please step forth."

The two, who had waited by the sides in their uniforms, came forth to Subaru and knelt down on one knee.

"Garfiel Tinsel," Subaru began, "You have been my right hand man for almost two years now. As a leader within the Emilia Camp, I knew I could count on you for anything. Today, I will recognize your effort and talent by naming you my first knight." He drew a ceremonial sword from his belt, and tapped Garfiel's shoulders.

"Thank ya, m'lord," Garfiel replied in his most refined tone.

"Julius Juukulius," he continued, "We may not have started off on the right foot, but I've always known you were an exceptional fighter and soldier. None but I remember, but you assisted me in defeating Sloth, and you helped defend many people from the Gluttony Archbishop in Pristella. You've been recognized for helping me to conquer the Sage's Tower, as well. There are few people in this world more suited to be a knight than yourself, and I am honored that you wish to serve me. I name you my second knight." He used the same ceremonial sword to tap Julius's shoulders.

"The honor is all mine, Lord Subaru," Julius responded.

Subaru declared, "Both of you, rise." The two knights stood up. "Go and take your seats with our household. You are both officially members now." They bowed and went to sit in the two seats at the table that had remained unoccupied until then.

He smiled for the audience and said, "Thank you all so much for coming for the ceremony. Please relax and enjoy the rest of the evening, and dinner will be served soon!" The crowd applauded one last time as Subaru walked back over to the VIP table, where he took the head seat. His friends all watched as he dramatically sighed upon finally sitting down.

"Nice speech, big bro!" Felt said. "How many times did you rehearse it?"

Reinhard chided, "My lady, it's rude to ask someone how often they rehearsed a speech!"

Anastasia giggled. "Enough times to make it perfect, eh Natsuki?"

"Such an inspirin' speech, Cap'n!" Garfiel said while saluting Subaru.

Priscilla commented, "Mineself admits, thine speech was befitting of a noble."

Beatrice smugly said, "My contractor is the best at inspiring others with his words, in fact."

Crusch said, "I can agree with Lady Beatrice on that. Supposedly, his cry to battle is what roused the army that faced the Whale."

"Don't forget his eloquent announcement that kept everyone's resolve high in Pristella," Julius reminded everyone.

"I wonder what songs will be sung about the deeds of the hero, Subaru Natsuki?" Wilhelm wondered aloud.

"You guys, you're too much for me," Subaru said with bright red cheeks. "Felt, for your information, I practiced three times a night for the last two weeks. Everyone in the household has probably heard it enough times that they'll lose their mind if they hear it again!"

"It's still a great speech, Cap'n!" Garfiel proudly said. "I could listen ta it all day!"

Subaru sighed. "Aside from Garfiel, they'll lose their minds if they hear it again."

Rem came over with drinks for the table. As she passed by Subaru, she whispered, "Good job, Subaru-kun. Frederica said she thought you were wonderful."

He smiled at her words, and she left to get more drinks. Of all the things he was looking forward to, spending more time with Frederica was at the top of his list. Ever since the first kiss, they'd grown closer and closer. He couldn't officially move her into his room because of the false engagement, but he hoped soon she would feel comfortable spending a night with him. Truthfully, he really owed Crusch so many thanks for agreeing to her role so that he won't have to lose Frederica.

The rest of the night went on without issue. Subaru had a great time talking with everyone, and the dinner came out tasting fantastic. After the reception ended, the guests staying at the manor were brought to their rooms, and the VIPs all went to the parlor where Subaru had planned the small reception for just friends. Priscilla took off before joining, however. She said that she had made 'other arrangements' for her stay and needed to get moving.

"Tonight has been entertaining enough for mineself," she said before leaving. "Until mineself graces your presence again, Subaru." Al waved goodbye as she dragged him away with her.

"Did she just call you by your name?" asked Julius.

Anastasia commented, "Subaru sure knows how ta wrap important women around his finger."

"Oh no, here we go again," Subaru sarcastically said.

Crusch and Ferris both started giggling, and Reinhard said, "Subaru simply has the ability to befriend anyone, even someone with a harsh personality like Priscilla."

"It's true, I suppose," Beatrice added.

Once more Subaru suffered a laugh at his expense. In the middle of this, Frederica came by. Subaru invited her over to stay around him, which she gladly did.

Crusch asked Subaru, "Subaru, you still need to tell Felt the full truth, don't you? About what's going on between us?"

His eyes went wide. "Oh, shoot! That's right. Alright, Felt, I forgot to tell you earlier. Crusch and I being engaged is entirely fake. She's just pretending in order to protect the person I really love."

Felt looked like her head was about to explode. "What? How deep does this even go, big bro?"

He took Frederica by her arm and pulled her right beside him. "This is Frederica. Sometime after Emilia split up with me, her and I started talking, and eventually we decided to form a courtship. The only problem is she isn't from a noble family, so there was a risk another noble could threaten me to marry their daughter instead if I announced my intention to marry her then. Crusch is the daughter of a duke, so no one is going to try and break that off."

"That's so lame!" Felt exclaimed. "Not what Crusch's doing, I mean. That's really nice of her. Urgh, the corrupt nobility really pisses me off! Subaru, if I become King, you'll help me get rid of the bad nobles, right?"

Subaru sighed. "I'll try, Felt, I'll try. Just keep in mind that not all nobles are bad people. Crusch, Ferris, Reinhard, and Wilhelm are all from noble families, and they're all decent, upstanding people."

Frederica gently interrupted, "Subaru, I really appreciate you openly doting on me, but you're kinda crushing my arm."

Subaru quickly let go as his cheeks flushed pink. Frederica giggled and said, "It's okay, Subaru. You're so used to everyone around you being so strong that you forgot you aren't weak."

Julius remarked, "It's true, Subaru. You may not be a swordfighter, but your ability to dodge and grapple is impressive."

Subaru exasperatedly replied, "You have to be able to dodge if you're terrible with a sword!"

As the evening continued to pass by, everyone started excusing themselves to go get some rest. The day had been long and stressful, and even the travellers were exhausted. After everyone who wasn't part of the household left, the staff and residents had one more chat to finish the night off.

Roswaal started, "Well, everyone, that went just fine. Lord Subaru is legally in charge now, and not one person raised an objection."

Subaru exclaimed, "People could've objected? Why wasn't I told about this?"

"Anyone who'd have objected would've been laughed out," replied Crusch. "Were you not listening to the whole thing where Roswaal referred to you as a national hero?"

Subaru weakly commented, "I'm sure glad everyone agrees with you on that."

"I would've thrown them out myself," said Ram. "After all, they'd be denying the words of Roswaal, and I wouldn't be able to tolerate that."

Rem added, "My sister has the right idea, if maybe not quite the right reasoning."

"I can always count on Rem and Ram for moral support," Subaru sarcastically said.

"I would've made Roswaal give me enough mana for an Al Shamak, in fact," Beatrice said.

"Beako! We don't need to go that far!" Subaru exclaimed. "That's the spell you used to get rid of the Great Rabbit, that seems excessive for kicking out a misbehaving noble!"

He sighed as Roswaal finished, "Now that today is over, I will also announce my intention to leave the manor once the Royal Selection is over."

Ram asked, "Why, Roswaal?"

He calmly answered, "I have little reason to remain. Everyone has tolerated me for being the leader and financier of the Emilia Camp, but now Subaru is the lord of the house. Using my funds as Court Mage, Echidna and I will move out to a house on the outskirts of Costuul so that if you need me, I will be relatively easy to find."

Subaru was stunned, but he wasn't about to ask him to stay, either. Instead he said, "Alright, Roswaal. When the selection is over, we'll all wish you good luck."

After that conversation, everyone decided it was time for bed. Subaru invited Frederica to join him in the master suite to talk for a little while, which she accepted. The two of them and Beatrice walked up there together. The spirit girl had grown accustomed to seeing Subaru and Frederica being 'lovey dovey' together, so she generally just kept to herself while they talked. Subaru was very good about spending afternoons with Beatrice, so she didn't mind.

Subaru felt bad, though, because now he was going to ask Beatrice to deal with someone else sleeping beside him. It took him some nerve to work up, but after talking for a while, he asked her, "Frederica, want to stay here tonight?"

Beatrice perked up and started paying attention, while Frederica looked surprised. "Subaru, this is a first. I—I've never slept in the same bed as another person, much less a man. Are—Are you sure?"

He smiled and nodded. "Of course I'm sure. I mean, Beako will be here, too, but we're tired anyway, so tonight it's just sleep."

Beatrice interjected, "I had a feeling this day would come, I suppose. Betty sleeps against his back, so Freddie should sleep on the opposite side."

"Facing his f-front?" Frederica replied nervously. "Well, I guess I can do that. We are courted, after all."

She excused herself to go get her nightclothes, leaving Subaru and Beatrice to talk for a little while. Subaru moved next to her and asked her, "Beako, are you okay with this?"

She nodded. "It's natural, I suppose. Betty doesn't mind sleeping beside her contractor while he sleeps alongside another person. Her only request is that her contractor should let Betty know ahead of time if she should come to bed late, I suppose. She will understand what her contractor means."

His eyes went wide, but he remembered that she's been around for four centuries, so it made sense that she understood how these things work.

"Thanks, Beako," he quietly said. He gently rubbed her head, and she leaned into his side.

"Betty is thankful for her contractor, in fact," she said. "He made the world a less scary place for her, and gave her life new meaning. She will always be understanding and accommodating of him."

He smiled as he quietly contemplated her words. Beatrice had suffered alone for over four hundred years, but the new lease on her life he gave her was another thing he was truly proud of himself for. People can talk about White Whales and Sin Archbishops all they want, saving people from doom is something any hero can do. He firmly believed that it takes a truly special hero to save someone from themselves.

A quiet knock came at the door, and Frederica slowly opened the door. She wore a simple yellow nightgown that went down just below her knees. Subaru smiled as he thought, I guess it's just a thing that the maids all wore nightgowns that match their hair color.

Frederica asked, "Do I look alright? You're not going to tease me for wearing this, are you?"

He shook his head. "No, sorry. It's just funny because Ram wears a pink nightgown and Rem wears a blue nightgown. You all seem to have clothes matching your hair color."

She seemed to visibly relax. "Oh, I see. I guess we all just went for whatever we wanted, and it turned out that way. Anyway, um, are you ready?"

Subaru was wearing a long robe, and Beatrice was simply wearing her normal dress. Frederica asked, "Does Beatrice always wear her same daytime dress to sleep?"

Beatrice answered, "Yes, I suppose. I could change it if I wanted though, in fact."

Subaru said, "Beako, I bet she thinks you'll be uncomfortable wearing that dress in bed. Do you want to try making a nightgown similar to the one she's wearing?"

The spirit thought for a moment, and then she spun around. In the process, her dress suddenly changed into a pink nightgown, and her twin drills simply became long, straight hair. She asked, "What do you think, Freddie? Does this look 'cute', I wonder?"

Frederica and Subaru both smiled, and she answered, "Yes, Beatrice. It looks very cute."

Beatrice blushed, and then she climbed up onto the bed. Subaru and Frederica climbed in as well, and Subaru got positioned so Beatrice could have full access to his back. He explained to Frederica, "In just a moment, Beako will drain my mana, and I'll become so tired I'll go straight to sleep. I guess the best thing to do is for you to figure out how you want to be positioned."

She thought for a moment, and ultimately decided to face her back to him and move in close to cuddle. "Subaru, you can put your arm around me if you'd like. I—I'd like that."

He put his arm around her, and she gently took hold of it. Subaru's breathing quickly turned heavy, and she could tell he was completely knocked out. On the other side, Beatrice said, "Good night, Subaru. Good night, Freddie."

She responded, "Good night, Beatrice."

That was the first night of the rest of his life. After the first day, every day began to blend into one another. After Anastasia moved into the mansion, the Royal Selection came to an end, and Emilia left. Ricardo quickly became the third knight, and Subaru worked hard to find many more afterwards. Thanks to his friendly relations with the many demi-humans in the domain, he quickly built up an army of nearly two hundred soldiers, thirty knights, and ten mages. The Royal Army was far, far larger, but this force was enough just for the needs of the domain.

Before he knew it, two years had passed. He started to reminisce about how it all started in his office with Frederica.

"Remember that day, Frederica?" Subaru asked.

She smiled and nodded. "The ascension ceremony, right? It doesn't feel like it's been two years, but it has, hasn't it? So much has happened since then. First we got married, then Julius and Anastasia, and finally Crusch married Herald. It was tough to check his background out, but he's been great so far. Not long after that, the selection ended, and Felt became the queen. Working alongside her, you convinced her to let you introduce a new sport to the kingdom, baseball. Then somehow she even approved funding for a public stadium."

"It's a great activity for the youths!" Subaru proclaimed. "I was never very good at it myself, but in my homeland it was very popular. When we built it, Vollachia and Kararagi also built stadiums, and now each of our countries has three teams. Since I introduced it, I got to make the first team: The Costuul Ice Dragons! Last year we beat almost every team in the final tournament, only losing to Empress Priscilla's favored team, the Lupghana Flaming Wolves."

She giggled. "Look at you, getting so excited about this. It still hasn't struck you that relations have never been better between our three nations since we started playing baseball in organized tournaments. If only the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko was willing to join us. At this rate, Queen Felt is going to ask you to introduce more sports!"

Someone knocked on the door to Subaru's office. He said, "Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Meili, Petra, Annerose, and Beatrice. The former three had started outgrowing Beatrice, but the four had bonded well over their time in the manor together, especially with Subaru's encouragement. Meili called out, "Hey big bro! Petra and I are going shopping for supplies soon with Miss Rem. Is there anything in particular you really want?"

"Let's see," he responded. "Aside from the normal food we're low on, go ahead and splurge a little on extra fruits. It has been a while since we've done fruit pies for dessert. Petra, you figured out how to make a really good appa pie, right?"

The chestnut-haired girl smiled. "I sure did, Lord Subaru! Miss Rem said it was amazing, and Miss Ram said it wasn't awful!"

"That's high praise coming from Ram," Frederica remarked.

Subaru added, "Petra, you've really become an incredible cook, you know. Rem tells me that you make lunch and dinner two days a week with Chef Occai."

"It's true!" she excitedly confirmed. "Chef tells me I'm a natural! She wants to make me her sous chef."

Frederica said, "Well, Subaru, we ought to consider it. Chef Occai is one of the most talented chefs in the kingdom, after all, so she would know."

"Duly noted!" Subaru said. "Meili, Petra, thank you both. Annerose, Beako, did you two need something?"

Beatrice said, "I thought I might join my contractor again for a while, I suppose."

"And I need to get back to work," Annerose said right after.

Subaru nodded his head and said, "Alright, well come on in. You both know where your seats are. Petra, Meili, be safe!"

The two girls waved as they left, and the remaining two took their seats around the desk. Subaru replaced Roswaal's old desk with a very large custom desk that could handle eight people working simultaneously. It also made for a convenient space where he could have a private meeting with nobles and other important figures.

"Hey Subaru," Frederica asked, "have you given any thought to where we should go for a vacation? I know you've made plans for our anniversary, but I know a vacation with everyone just for the fun of it would be quite nice."

He put his hand on his chin. "A vacation with everyone, huh? I've yet to visit Kararagi, that one incident aside, but that wasn't exactly a vacation. Perhaps we could arrange to visit some of the larger cities there?"

Annerose added, "You know Anastasia used to live there, right? If you ask her, I bet she'd personally give you a tour."

"W-Well of course I remember!" stammered Subaru. "I'll ask her about it. I think she mentioned being a little homesick recently, so a vacation to Kararagi would probably be good for her. Julius really wants to take her on as many fun trips as possible since we aren't positive how much longer she'll still be healthy enough to walk around on her own."

He sighed. It wasn't his fault that Anastasia had lost so much of her life at the watchtower, but he felt guilty that he couldn't do anything to stop it. As a result, he was more than happy to give her opportunities to have fun. Julius deserved to see her having the time of her life, too. After staring into space for a minute, he shook his head.

"Hey Annerose, remember that new merchant guild from the other day?" he asked. "They were aiming to become the number one group trading between the Mathers and Karsten domains. What did you think of them?"

Annerose thought for a moment. She soon answered, "They seemed alright to me. I did a background check on them, and the only thing I could find was that their leader once ended up in a holding cell for starting a drunken fight."

"Ha, I'd have guessed it was Otto if I didn't know better," he replied. "I wonder how he's doing. Last we heard, he started trading in Vollachia. Hopefully he doesn't get himself tangled up into anything weird!"

"That merchant always seemed to have bad luck if he wasn't around you, I suppose," Beatrice remarked. "When you were lost in Vollachia all that time ago, he was far more prone to tripping, stubbing his toes, and getting a face full of Earth Dragon tail, in fact."

Frederica giggled. "Poor Otto. He tried his best through it all, though. I bet he's still working hard as a travelling merchant regardless. Actually, that reminds me, what about your friends Minerva, Daphne, and Echidna? Maybe we should take them, too."

Subaru looked off to the side. "Yeah, sure. I'll talk to them and see what we can figure out." He thought, It's hard to believe Echidna could be called my friend. But really, she hasn't done anything to harm anyone here. She does seem to enjoy teasing me whenever she gets a chance, though. Typhon and Carmilla have only talked to me one-on-one, so no one else knows about them. Sekhmet, of course, is too lazy to actually leave the soul crystal, so I only talk with her seldomly.

He then asked, "Frederica, between Petra, Rem, and Ram, who do you think we should bring with us? I think Petra went on the last vacation."

She replied, "Let's take Rem, she never rests enough as the head maid anyway. Petra can take her duties while we're away. Ram goes to visit Roswaal whenever she has a chance, so she usually turns down vacations anyway."

He nodded. "So, the four of us, Meili, Rem, Anastasia, Julius, Crusch, and Herald are for sure, and we'll see about Minerva, Daphne, and Echidna. Garfiel is more than capable of keeping the mansion safe, but in return we'll take him on the next trip. Should we invite anyone else?"

Frederica suggested, "It's unlikely she could go, but we could invite Queen Felt. You and I both know how much she complains about constantly being cooped up in that huge castle."

He smiled. "She would be happy to get the invitation, though. She's at least eighteen and rarely goes anywhere. I'll put that on my list for future ideas, vacations Felt could join us on."

Annerose interrupted, "Subaru, sorry, but I've been looking through the mail, and it looks like we got something from Duke Karsten. We should probably see what he needs." He nodded his head, so she opened it up and read the letter aloud.

"Margrave Subaru, we've recently discovered intelligence that the final Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult may have been located. Some sources from my northern villages claim they've seen a black dragon flying around, so I sent some soldiers wearing that new 'camouflage' you designed to investigate. They were able to successfully locate a small hideout right on the other side of the Gustekan border without alerting the cultists to their presence. I am currently preparing my troops for an assault in one week. The hideout is closer to you, necessitating that my army will travel to make camp outside your manor. Prepare your best warriors so we may finally rid the world of the Witch's Cult! Regards, Duke Meckart Karsten."

Subaru's face turned pale. He thought, so it's come to this again. I'll try to call in Reinhard on this one, as well. He said aloud, "Well, looks like we're pushing that vacation back. Garfiel, Julius, and Ricardo will be the leaders of the army we're putting together. I'll send Ram to request Roswaal's aid while Frederica and I travel to the capital to request Reinhard's aid. If we're going to fight Capella, we'll need all the help we can get."

Beatrice said, "It's finally time to defeat the Witch's Cult, I suppose. I thought they'd been quiet for too long."

Frederica added, "We can finally get revenge on Capella for Pristella, as well as that month you were tricked into going to the city of Banan. It's a miracle you, Garfiel, Beatrice, and Rem made it home alive in one piece."

He thought, Yeah, if by a miracle you mean my Return by Death. It took nearly thirty loops to figure out how to escape that one, and twenty of them I couldn't even figure out how I died!

He awkwardly answered, "Yeah, we got lucky that I noticed Capella sneaking into the room as a rat. We would've been toast otherwise."

Annerose said, "Subaru, should we gather everyone for a meeting over lunch? We should let everyone know what's going on. A fight against the Witch's Cult is no small thing."

He nodded and said, "Yeah, good idea Annerose. You can go ahead and inform everyone of what's going on, and we'll meet up at the dining hall. We've got a Sin Archbishop to hunt down."

She smiled and got up to let everyone else know. Subaru got up and took Beatrice and Frederica's hands, and they began walking to the dining hall. It was the first step to the start of a peaceful life, and he wasn't about to miss it for the world. Now that he's found where he fits in, he won't give it up for anything.