Capella Emerada Lugnica Must Die

by ThatFicWriter

Lust was already on everybody's shit-list after what she did in Pristella. But then she kidnapped and abused everybody's favorite spirit knight, Natsuki Subaru. Upon his rescue and seeing the damage she had done to him, everybody close to Subaru vowed; Capella Emerada Lugnica will pay for her crimes. Arc 7 spoilers, M for adult themes and some violence Cover art by Owari

4. Tyrannical

A blonde beastmaid arranged the matching dinner plates for the Miload mansion's most secure residents, ensuring that both arrangements were equal in portions. A lean cut of steak, sliced bread, steamed yams, and a small salad decorated each plate, each one presentable enough to serve nobility. She placed a few cookies within each of their napkins, a nice little surprise for Subaru and Meili who were waiting patiently for their dinner a few floors below. Their underground residence meant they couldn't see the setting sun, so they were relying on her and the other maids to keep their meals indicative toward the time of day.

Proud of her work, Frederica wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, allowing herself to don a smug face in the privacy of the empty kitchen. She had a good feeling about tonight's menu, the ingredients were all fresh and the brilliant aromas still lingered and mixed in the air, reminding herself of the duties and rewards of being a good maid. She put both plates onto a decorative metal tray and hoisted it onto a single hand, moving to leave the kitchen and head towards the basement. Before she could leave the room, another maid entered and surprised Frederica with the way she came around the corner so suddenly, but the new maid greeted her with a tired smile which put her at ease.

Rem: "Good evening, Frederica. Off to deliver tonight's dinner?"

Frederica: "Rem, good evening! Yes, I was just about to head over now."

Rem: "Oh, be sure you don't forget tonight's code! Here."

The oni maid reached over to the countertop next to the door, picking up a small notebook then offering it to Frederica, who accepted it in her free hand.

Frederica: "Thank you Rem, it had nearly slipped my mind! I feel so embarrassed…"

Rem: "It's not your fault, Frederica. I believe we are all feeling a bit overwhelmed recently, especially Lady Beatrice and I who have irreplaceable roles. I think I feel my nose beginning to dry out."

Rem twitched her nose side to side, crossing her eyes to look at it, mildly irritated at the feeling in her nasal cavities. Nearly two weeks of constant smell-patrol had taken its toll on her in the form of drying out her sinuses.

Rem: "Ah, t-that's not to say that you shouldn't feel overwhelmed as well!"

Frederica waved her hand as if to dismiss Rem's concerns.

Frederica: "It's alright, I knew what you meant. Perhaps it would be best if you got Lady Beatrice to take over while you get some rest for the night, don't you think?"

Rem let out a cute yawn and rubbed at one of her eyes, then lightly nodded at Frederica's proposal.

Rem: "Perhaps you are right. I will seek Lady Beatrice out at once. Please give Subaru and Meili-chan my regards."

Frederica: "Of course. Have a good night, Rem!"

After a polite bow, Rem excused herself and returned the way she came. When she turned the corner, Frederica left the kitchen and continued on her errand to provide dinner to Meili and Subaru for the night.

As she walked throughout the hallways, she looked out upon the front lawn of the mansion, noticing the shift rotation of the soldiers and mages outside as the sun began to set. She gazed at their lackadaisical manner of moving about from the corner of her eye, sighing at how they dragged their feet and had casual conversations when they should be on alert at all times. With day after day of no action, they all seemed to be more relaxed than when they were first assigned to guard the mansion, taking the threat of an Archbishop infiltrating the mansion lightly, as if it was never going to happen. All Frederica could do was shake her head in disappointment.

It wasn't long before Frederica crossed the mansion, descended the spiral staircase, and arrived at the door of the mansion's bottommost room. She knocked on the large, reinforced iron door, then waited a few seconds for a response. After several moments, she heard a familiar voice call out through the heavy, metal entrance.

?: "Who is i~t?"

Frederica: "It's Frederica, I am here with tonight's dinner."

?: "... Is Rem or Beatrice with you?"

Frederica: "N-No, but Rem handed me the code book before I came over.

?: "Oo~h I see, I see. Well if Rem says it's okay, then I guess I'm fine with it to~o."

Frederica rolled her eyes. She expected Meili to take their collective security a little more seriously, even if Frederica herself was also allowing it to happen just so that Rem could rest and Beatrice wouldn't have to be pulled from her station. In the two weeks since Capella's second attack on the mansion, the idea of guards around every corner of the mansion was now the norm, but it would be all for naught if interior security slipped up and let an Archbishop waltz right in.

Meili: "Do you have today's password, Frederica-neesan?"

Frederica opened the small book she was given, skillfully using a single hand to flip to the page with the current date.

Frederica: "Today's password is one-nine-two zero."

After a brief pause, the sound of locks being undone echoed through the door, bouncing off the stone bricks that lined the basement's halls. One after another the locks came unlatched, until finally the giant door cracked open enough for Frederica to pass through. But when she went to enter, she noticed that the little girl on the other side was squeezing through the gap as if she wanted to leave.

Meili: "Sorry Frederica-neesama, but I re~ally gotta use the bathroom upstairs."

Frederica: "Is something wrong with the one in your room?"

Meili: "No, but Onii-san threw up in the toilet a who~le lot, so now it's su~per stinky in there."

Frederica: "Ah, that sounds serious! Is he alright!?"

Meili: "Mmmm I think so. When he was done he just curled up in his bed, but he wouldn't talk to me. Maybe you'll have better luck getting something out of him, Frederica-neesama."

Frederica's panic spiked a little, not at all expecting to hear of Subaru being possibly ill or in mental distress. Either way, it was her job, nay, her duty to check in on someone suffering under their care. She let Meili pass through the door and slip past, not bothering to watch her skip up the steps as she was far too concerned with Subaru's current status. The blonde maid used her powerful shoulder to open the door further so she could rush in, hurrying down the hallway until she nearly broke down the inner door instead of properly opening it.

Frederica dropped the meal tray on the small end table placed beside the door, letting it clatter down and spill food off the plates, more worried for Subaru than anything or anyone else. She frantically scanned the room until her eyes settled on a boy-shaped lump beneath a thick layer of blankets, lying motionless on the cot beside Meili's bed. Not hearing any breathing, Frederica's eyes widened in fear as she rushed over to his side, knocking aside a few chairs and kicking some stuffed animals as she charged across the room.

Frederica: "Subaru!"

Frederica fell to her knees beside his futon, hands up and shaking as she hesitated to lay a hand on his covered form. He even went as far to conceal his face and head, leaving her only able to speculate his current condition.

Frederica: "Subaru, it's me!"

She pleaded with him, trying to get him to come out on his own, but he still wouldn't budge. For the sake of his safety, she put aside her reservations and grabbed the sheets and pulled them off in one quick motion.

Frederica: "Subaru, please don't-! Eh?"

Underneath the many blankets was not the young man she was expecting, but rather a large pile of stuffed toys that half toppled over and scattered at her feet. Frederica's mind swarmed with questions, the foremost being 'Where the hell is Subaru!?' as she swung her head around for any visual clues to his whereabouts. Even her sensitive nose could not pick up any strong traces of his scent, even when she stood back up and checked in the bathroom she still couldn't smell a trace of vomit that Meili had complained about.

Just as she began to get even more confused, Frederica heard the sound of a large door slamming shut. Now a little panicked, the beast-maid hiked up her skirt and scurried across the room and into the hallway between the outer and inner doors, now hearing the sounds of the outer locks being bolted shut. She slowed down as she approached the metal door, giving it an experimental push to confirm that it was indeed bolted shut.

Frederica: "Oh Meili-chan? You seemed to have locked me in! I'm still in here, remember?"

She waited for a response, but there was no answer. Someone had to be on the other side, it's not like the door locked itself after all.

Frederica: "... Meili-chan are you there?"

She waited a few more moments.

Frederica: "Meili-cha-"

?: "It's me."

Frederica's heart skipped a beat when she heard that voice. Her brain instantly put a face to that voice, the very same that was a comforting sound to hear in dark times.

Frederica: "Subaru! I'm so relieved to hear that you're safe! Ah, but could you please unlock the door? I seem to be trapped."

Subaru: "..."

Frederica: "Subaru?"

Subaru: "... I know it's you, Lust. The real Frederica is currently evacuating the mansion's non-combatants, her assigned role after faking her injury so you could take her place."

Frederica: "Faked her—? *Tch*!"

Clicking her tongue, the woman locked in the chamber furrowed her brow in frustration, angry with herself for not trusting her instincts when she began her infiltration earlier that evening.

First was the Court Mage leaving the mansion via flight, apparently the Capital was hosting some event tonight that he was foolish enough to attend. She had thought it was too convenient that the rotation of the guard and that spirit left a single window wide open for infiltration, the very same window Capella saw a certain beastmaid trip and fall, retreating to her room to recover. From her arial form as a small white bird, she made her way through the window, assumed the maid's form, and slipped into the mansion's staff seamlessly and unnoticed. She had even managed to fool the oni maid who was supposed to be able to sniff her out!

Or so she had thought.

She began to sit down on the stone floor, her very form morphing and shifting as she did. By the time she was seated with crossed legs, her appearance had changed from a tall, half demi-human maid with green eyes into a short Archbishop with predatory red eyes, a skimpy outfit that revealed too much skin, and a long ponytail of gold-blonde hair. She ran between her fingers down the length of her hair until she reached her flower-shaped clip, fiddling with it for nothing more than her own amusement.

Capella: "You planned this… How did you know I was coming!? That oni and that spirit of yours couldn't have detected me that quickly!"

Subaru: "We requested some help from out of town. Gotta say, Frederica's grandmother came in pretty clutch for us! Well, grandmothers technically."

Capella arched an eyebrow. She had done as much research on the various backgrounds of the known members of the half-devil's camp, keen on giving herself every advantage for when she mounted her next assault to recover her property. But even with all the recon work her children had slaved over to provide, she had never heard of anyone outside of the known two who can smell the scent of the witch.

Subaru: "We had a perimeter of Ryuzus surrounding the entire Mathers Domain, each one lying in wait until you finally decided to show yourself. With a quick call through communication mirrors, we knew you were coming fifteen minutes before you even made it to the mansion grounds! That gave us all the time we needed to prepare the perfect trap for you, and you fell for it!"

Capella stopped playing with her hair clip and instead gnashed her teeth tightly together as her right eye twitched, seething with hatred that a few simple meat sacks thought they had gotten the better of her. Then she scoffed and softly shook her head, smirking to bring herself back from the brink of an angry outburst.

Capella: "So you lured me in here, but now what? Did you think you captured me? Do you think this measly door could hold me? Kyahahahahahaha! Sorry not sorry, but you're going to have to try a lot~ harder than that! Try again in a few decades, maybe by then you'll have a plan worth thoroughly crushing in front of you~!"

Subaru: "... *sigh*"

Even through the reinforced metal that stood between them, from the subtle vibrations through the floor she could tell that he had also decided to sit on the floor as well. It brought Capella such delight that her favorite meat puppet was mimicking her actions without even knowing it.

Subaru: "You know, I've been thinking about what I would say to you in this situation. For the past two weeks, all I could think about was what I could possibly say to make someone like you understand what you did to me."

Capella: "Ooooh~, do I hear a confession brewing? I knew it was only a matter of time, but this lovely maiden will dip into her well of infinite generosity and try to act surprised! You may continue~."

Subaru groaned loudly, she could just tell that he had his hand to his forehead, unable to properly vocalize his true feelings. But seeing as how she was a patient and delicate woman, Capella had no issue with waiting for him to collect his thoughts. Just so long as he didn't keep her too long.

Subaru: "But now that you're actually here, everything I rehearsed in my head seems pointless to me now. You're never going to understand what you did to me, what you took from me… There's no point in trying to make you see the error of your ways. All I can do… is tell you how much I hate you!"

Capella: "... Is this about those few times where I got a little extra feisty with you? Look, if you had just given me what I wanted when I had asked for it, then I wouldn't have had to resort to using force. So, if you think about it, this is mostly your fault to begin with."

Subaru: "... Feisty? Is that all that was to you? *hic* You don't even—..."

Capella could hear a faint sob come from Subaru's position, assuming that his boy-emotions were getting the better of him. She allowed him to relieve his stresses and woes, sitting patiently for him to finish crying to himself. It took a minute, but he eventually ceased his sobbing and began talking to her again.

Subaru: "Why… Why me? Why do you keep coming back for me?"

Capella: "Because I need you."

Subaru: "... What?"

Capella: "Listen,"

She scooted from her cross-legged sitting position to move closer to the solid door that separated them, leaning in to press her forehead onto the cold metal as she spoke.

Capella: "I can distinguish a quality cut of meat from the other lumps of fat and sinew that plague these lands. This lovely lady knows~ outstanding potential when I see it. And you? You aren't like the rest of the filth and scum! You are something ve-ry spec-ial~!"

She placed a petite hand on the door, palm flat and fingers spread apart, smiling cruelly to herself.

Capella: "There's a connection between us, one neither of us can ignore, one that bonds us for life! Surely you feel it as well? This tug? This pull? This draw? This alluring~ force that keeps bringing us together, as if you were made just for me? You can't lie, I know you feel it too~."

Subaru: "..."

Capella: "Do you also have your hand against the door?"

Subaru: "... No?"

Capella: "Oh."

The Archbishop withdrew her hand and her head from the basement door, clasping her hands together in mild embarrassment.

Capella: "Me neither."

Subaru: "Your a fucking monster."

Capella: "Now now now~! That's a little harsh, don't you think? I was so gracious enough to save you once, and now every time I try to get you back I'm greeted with this—this… resistance! All I'm trying to do is help you!

Subaru: "Save me? Help me!?"

He was raising his voice now.

Subaru: "What the hell are you talking about!? You kidnapped me from own bed, made me your slave, then you fucked me against my will! The only person you were helping was your own damn self! Who the hell do you think you're fooling!?"

Capella: "Let's be honest, you had it much better than your average slave. I have you nice meals, your own room, sex with me,-"

Subaru: "WHAT, LIKE THAT WAS SOME KIND OF HONOR!?"

Capella: "OF COURSE IT WAS!"

Subaru: "-!"

Subaru was silenced by her sudden outburst. He knew she had a temper, and she had been doing an admirable job holding it back until now, but this had been her breaking point.

Capella: "You think that half-devil harlott can give you the love you want? The love that you really really want? The love that makes your heart feel full? The love that lets you sleep at night, knowing that someone loves you more than anyone else? WELL SHE CAN'T! ONLY I CAN GIVE YOU THAT KIND OF LOVE! ANYONE WHO TELLS YOU OTHERWISE IS A DIRTY, ROTTEN, UGLY, STUPID, PUTRID WASTE OF FLESH THAT SHOULD BE PURGED FROM THIS WORLD!"

Capella jumped up from her seat on the floor and stood in a wide stance, placing a hand to her chest as she continued to angrily, yet passionately shout at the door as if she could see right through it and into Subaru's eyes.

Capella: "I know you have your little friends~, and your little spirit~, plus you even managed to give that brat Meili a new home~... BUT YOU DON'T NEED ANYONE ELSE! THEY'RE ALL JUST LIARS WHO WANT YOU FOR THEMSELVES! That spirit that loves you so dearly~? NOTHING BUT A PARASITE THAT WOULDN'T GIVE YOU THE TIME OF DAY IF SHE DIDN'T NEED YOU TO LIVE!"

She was breathing heavily now, her eyes wild with raw passion for herself and for her conviction to her sin. She didn't want anyone else in his life except for her, and she was set on making sure he saw things her way.

Whether he liked it or not.

Capella: "ALL LOVE IN THE WORLD BELONGS TO ME, SO I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO GETS TO SHOW LOVE! I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT GETSTO BE LOVED! I AM LOVE, YOU MISERABLE LITTLE WORM! ALL YOU NEEEEED~ IS ME! YOUR LOVING, CARING, WONDERFUL, MERCIFUL, IRREPLACEABLE CAPELLA-SAMAAAAAA!"

She threw both her hands in the air as if she were cheering for herself, smiling ear to ear, proud of her ability to tout her own greatness. She brought a hand down so she could caress one of her flushed cheeks, reveling in the warmth that Subaru brought to her face. It didn't take much effort to find the words that suited her best, but she still impressed herself every time.

Capella eagerly awaited his response, biting her lower lip in anticipation as to what he would say. She could practically smell the adrenaline seeping out of him through the thin crack under the door, his blood must've been pumping like crazy! After all, it's not everyday that the most beautiful Sin Archbishop takes time out of her busy schedule for the sake of an otherwise useless young man.

Subaru: "You're wrong. On so many levels, everything you just said was so incredibly wrong."

Capella: "What, you'd think I'd lie to you?"

Subaru: "Yes, you totally would. But I know you don't think you're lying to me. You don't know you're wrong, but I do."

Capella: "Nnnnn…"

The Sin Archbishop of Lust groaned in annoyance at the prospect of being wrong. She had danced circles around international law, underground society, and the general eye of the public for decades. The insinuation that she was incorrect about something, especially the subject of love, which she claimed herself to be an expert on, was inexcusable. However, she knew that a man's heart was a fickle thing, so she let him continue so he could get all those pesky emotions out of his system.

Subaru: "I'm loved plenty here. I'm surrounded by friends who would put their time aside just to keep me safe from you, each one putting their lives on hold because they want to help me. Sure a spirit needs mana and I need it constantly drained, but what Beatrice and I have is something that can't be defined with a single word or title, though I guess 'life-partner' is kinda close. And as for Emilia… I know she cares for me. Even if she can't find it in herself to say it out loud, even through her struggles to piece things together… I know her love for me is in there somewhere, and I'm willing to put the effort in to earn that confession someday!"

Capella was stunned. Floored, even. If he called what she said 'lies', then this was laughable to her. She should be laughing, taunting him about how stupid he was for mistaking his petty opinion on love for her seasoned wisdom on the matter.

But it didn't make her laugh at all.

Capella: "Well isn't that the sweetest thing my darling little ears have ever heard~!"

Without warning, Capella kicked the iron door hard, denting it outward towards Subaru with nothing more than her bare foot.

She was MAD.

Capella: "TOO BAD IT'S ALL A CROCK OF SHIT!"

She kicked the door in a few more places, each time her brute, rage-fueled strength caved large dents into it, loosening the door from its hinges.

Capella: "NOBODY CAN LOVE YOU LIKE I CAN! NOBODY DESERVES YOUR LIVE MORE THAN I DO! NO-DAMN-BODY WILL LOVE YOU EXCEPT ME!"

Subaru: "Well what about you then?"

Capella: "... Huh?"

Just as she was about to kick the door again, his question caught her off guard.

Subaru: "You keep talking about what I should do with my love, but what about yours? Do you think anyone would willingly give someone like you love? No! No one in their right mind ever would, so you resort to taking it by force! Your authority let's you change everything about yourself except for the one thing that prevents anyone from ever loving you; Your garbage personality!"

Capella's eye began twitching again, a clear sign that she was on the verge of a break.

Subaru: "Capella… has anyone ever told you they loved you before?"

Capella: "Of cour—"

Subaru: "Naturally, though? Has anyone ever looked into your eyes and told you 'I love you' without use of force? Or use of threats, commands, or some other type of manipulation? Has anyone said they loved you not because they had to, but because they wanted to?"

Capella: "..."

This was stupid. Entertaining this fool for this long was already asinine to begin with, but this was starting to piss her off.

Subaru: "Got an answer to that one, Capella!?"

He was ridiculing her at this point, insulting her very character. Of course she was loved, she was Capella Emerada Lugnica for Od's sake! Meatbags from far and wide should be honored to merely be in her presence, was he seriously suggesting that nobody wanted her? Her? She was the most charming of all the women in the world, the catch of all catches! Any woman that wasn't her would just be a step down!

Subaru: "Capella!"

Then again, despite all her greatness she was typically the one to seek out attention and admiration from others, there weren't any fleshbags that dared encroach upon their time and territory. Even when her precious children came to her with praises and confessions, she knew deep down they were just saying it to save their own skin. There wasn't a single one among them who showed her the kind of love that she truly craved, they were all bootlickers who valued their own lives more than her. Besides, it was only natural for royalty such as herself to hand pick suitors worthy of her company.

Subaru: "... Lust?"

She had found a man to call her own, but he was a fickle soul that stubbornly fought against her love when she offered her heart to him. Capella had heard about 'playing hard to get', but she could only take so many rejections of her advances before it started to annoy her. Keeping a fine maiden waiting was no good, not at all! Since he was taking his sweet time in giving her the response she was looking for, so after a couple weeks of settling for playful flirting she decided to… accelerate their relationship to a place of her liking.

Subaru: "..."

It wasn't like she had to push herself on him the way she did, she knew he would've come around on his own eventually! But when he so adamantly refused her advances, her desires, her Lust, it made her more furious than anything else in her life! But even beyond that… Capella felt hurt. She felt like her heart had been ripped from her lovely chest.

To be turned away in favor of someone else, left with the empty feeling of being undesirable.

To be ignored in order to pursue ambitions other than her satisfaction, leaving her to be cast aside as second best.

To be rejected for simply being herself, cursed to live her life in lonely solitude just because nobody could love her for the person she was at the core of her being.

All these feelings, all these tragic thoughts that made her fingers twitch as she looked down at the palms of her hands, they were bringing up memories from her past. Ones she had intentionally buried in order to obtain true happiness. The horrible, awful, gut-wrenching feelings made her recall the times when she was still—

Subaru: "... Emerada?"

The instant that last syllable left Subaru's lips, a large monster's hand with pink nails tore its way through the reinforced door, allowing the Archbishop to make direct eye contact with her obsession for the first time in weeks. Through the slashes she made in the metal, she could see his brown eyes and his tear-stained cheeks, his face painted with a blend of surprise and fear as he stumbled away from her. Meanwhile, her crimson irises swirled with madness and chaos, a window to the rage that was beginning to boil over. Her patience had finally run thin to the point of tearing, her sanity now hung by a thread.

Capella: "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME BY THAT NAME!"

Subaru: "Oh shit!"

The young knight wasted no time in scooting back, then standing up to escape from the crazed shapeshifter, running up the stairs as fast as his chicken legs would carry him. Capella meanwhile kept tearing away at the metal barrier, slashing and clawing away strips of iron with every swipe. Again and again and again she took her anger out on the barrier, venting her conflicting feelings in the form of frenzied violence. Once she felt it loosen from its frame in the wall, she raised her right leg and kicked the door off its hinges like an officer storming a building, sending the now scrap-metal flying into the wall across from her.

That's when the first trap went off.

Capella: "Oh?"

Right when the Archbishop took her first step out of her failed containment zone, her ears picked up on the faint sound of string breaking coming from above. By the time she looked up at the high ceiling above her, she had less than a second to register the number of crates that were about to fall on top of her. A simple trap of hoisting objects from above and setting a tripwire to let them fall; Not too distinguished of a plan, but it was the contents of the items dropped that made the difference.

Capella only got a brief glimpse of the various shards of fire stones within the boxes before the chain reaction began. Within an instant, the entire basement was engulfed in a large, fiery explosion that traveled all the way up the winding staircase and bellowed out into the first floor hallway.

After several seconds of stagnant, eerie silence, save for the sounds of crackling fire and crumbling mortar, Capella emerged through the billowing smoke, her breathing hoarse and ragged. Her Authority was already repairing the damages from the explosion; Nearly half the skin on the left side of her face had been either singed or blown away, a hole had been burned into the side of her neck and into her throat, and her arm dangled loosely from the parts of her tricep muscles still attached to her shoulder. However, within moments all those mortal wounds became less than a memory for the ex-royalty, a few knicks and burns were nothing compared to the myriad of injuries she had sustained in the past.

Capella stepped away from the door and out of the smoke, getting the cracks out of her neck as she approached the nearest ground-floor window. The sun had set during her conversation with Subaru, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the empty courtyard that had just recently been littered with guards. After an explosion like that she would've expected to see meatbags pouring in at her feet, practically begging to be turned into dirty, disgusting flies or worse.

But not a single soul was there to greet her, almost as if everyone had left. She almost felt insulted, but she had bigger priorities at the moment.

This respite gave her an opportunity to enhance her olfactory senses, allowing her to sniff out the very specific smell that she attributed to that boy. Even through the smoke she could make out his distinct scent, an imaginary path guided her to continue down the hall and away from the basement. There was only one trail that reeked of Subaru, and not only was it leading her towards the mansion's main exit, but it was recent too.

Meaning she wasn't far behind.

This fact brought a smile to the Sin Archbishop's cute little face, now soft and approachable like a lovestruck schoolgirl instead of her previous expression of someone ready to commit manslaughter. She even decided to prance down the hall instead of walk, the promise of getting her hands around her precious Subaru again made her heart jump in her chest. Her toothy grin widened while she swayed her head side to side, bobbing along to a beat only she could hear, fantasizing in her head all the delightful things she wanted to try out when she got her favorite little man back.

Right when she turned the corner, a naughty idea that popped into her head was cut short when her nearly-bare foot stepped in something wet. Capella raised her foot to inspect it, the dim moonlight reflecting just enough to make out the red color of the fluid she stepped into. Blood was her first thought, but through touch alone she could tell that the viscosity was way off, and that smell was far more metallic than it should be. With her enhanced nose, she was able to identify the substance as… paint?

She took a few steps back to see that she had stepped on a freshly painted red 'X' on the tile floor, placed at the first few steps of the new span of hallway she aimed to venture down. After a few moments of confusion, Capella's eyes widened and she looked straight up, only to gaze upon an empty ceiling free of any traps or explosives.

Puzzled, she looked behind her expecting an ambush, but none would arrive. She turned back towards the path that was leading her to Subaru when she started to smell someone else, who was very afraid and very close to where she was standing. From behind one of the many stone pedestals that decorated the long corridor, a young auburn-haired girl poked her head out to sneak a look at the Archbishop. She was visibly shaking and her eyes were riddled with fright, not even aware of the fact that Capella had noticed and was staring back at her.

Capella recognized this little maid as the one who helped thwart her first attempt to reclaim Subaru for herself, old feelings of vengeance paving the way for new ideas on how to torture children. Normally she would give herself a pat on the back for her creativity in making people suffer, but the sound of a toilet flushing ruined the mood for her. Both the Archbishop and the maid looked at the right side of the hallway where, after the sound of the sink running and turning off, the door opened and a familiar face walked out.

Meili: "Sorry about the wait! I really did have to use the bathroom."

Capella: "... Meili?"

At first she thought that Meili had somehow missed her presence entirely with how calm she was acting. But at the mention of her name, she turned to look at Capella with a fierce look in her eyes, as if she was bothered that she had been addressed. This little failure of an assassin should be shaking in her boots, groveling for her life on her hands and knees, but instead she was standing proud and staring her down.

That little shit Meili was starting to piss her off.

Meili: "Ready Petra?"

Petra: "Ready!"

Meili: "Ready Shaula?"

Shaula: "*Biishan*!"

Before Capella could speak, Meili's shout rallied the other girl to stand up straight and sharpen her focus. Petra raised an arm and pointed her finger at Capella with her thumb up, similar to the way Subaru would sometimes dramatically call out those he disliked.

The more intriguing thing said, however, was the name that mirrored that of the Sage the guarded Pleiades Watchtower. Even more surprising than the name Meili had called out, was the peculiar creature that hugged Meili's arm, securing its multi-legged body to her wrist while its tail pointed forward. Meili raised her arm with a closed fist, pointing the small creature's tail towards the Archbishop's face. Capella leaned in and squinted to get a better look at the unfamiliar animal.

Capella: "What is that, some kind of crab?"

Petra: "Huma!"

Meili: "Hell's Snipe!"

A thin, pressurized jet of water shot from Petra's fingertip at the same time a concentrated needle of pure light was fired from Shaula's little tail, both projectiles hitting their marks into Capella's left and right pupils respectively.

Capella: "GAAAAAHHH! MY FUCKING EYYYYYYEEES!"

The blonde shapeshifter immediately threw her hands to her face by reflex, the feeling of having her eyeballs pierced and ruptured was an uncomfortable and unwelcome feeling, even with her Authority. Though a direct shot to the eyes was atypical for her to experience, she could still overcome this.

From her temples grew two slug-like eyestalks that protruded from either side of her head, each with a human eye on the end, a temporary substitute so she could watch the two young girls flee from her down the hallway.

Capella: "Get back here you brats!"

As she stomped her feet in pursuit, her eyestalks moved down to replace her previously damaged eyeballs, merging seamlessly as if she had never been injured at all. Or so she thought, halting her movement and throwing her hands back to her right eye, recoiling from an additional burning sensation from the spot where Meili's little pet had landed a hit. Whatever that thing used as a projectile, its white-hot heat lingered even after the wound it created was fully healed.

Capella was disappointed in her child. She had expected Meili to succeed Elsa one day, turn her into the deadliest mabeast user the world had ever seen, perhaps even find a new head researcher to restart the Curse Doll program and give her an extra edge in combat. But just like Subaru, Meili was being stubborn and allowed her emotions to cloud her judgement. She would have been spared had she helped in locating Subaru for her darling Mother, but now Meili had to be cast aside along with all the other worthless bags of flesh here.

After the sharp pain in her eyes subsided somewhat, Capella continued on her quest to find her Subaru, marching down in the direction the two young girls had fled off to. All she had to do was keep going down the corridor, bear a left, murder some children, then claim her prize and leave. She morphed her left hand into the head of a lion and turned her right arm into a large snake, debating whether she should slowly let those kids' insides dissolve from poison, or just tear them to shreds manually.

So many choices, so few young ones to slaughter.

As she approached the end of the long hallway, ready to take a left towards the exit, another maid emerged from the right. She held a handle in one hand and a large spiked ball in the other, a chain connecting the two. The maid took a pitcher's stance, raising one leg off the ground and holding the spike ball back, her piercing blue eyes locked onto her target.

Rem: "DIE, MONSTER!"

With her wish clearly stated aloud for the Capella to hear, Rem hurled the business end of her flail at high speed directly at the Archbishop's smug face. She scoffed, holding out her left arm to catch the flying ball of death between the lion jaws that replaced her hand. The force of the throw pushed her back about a meter, but it wasn't nearly enough to break through her augmented body.

Capella: "Weak!"

Ram: "Ram's cute younger sister isn't very good at expressing herself when she's upset, so I will speak on our behalf."

Capella gasped in surprise at the sound of another maid in front of her. She didn't hear her approach at all, and she was fast enough that her scent didn't reach her in time to react, the pink-haired oni must have zoomed in while she was busy dealing with her sister's flail. Ram leapt into the air and carefully placed the top of her foot against the wrecking ball between its spikes, all while she made sure to lock her crimson eyes onto Capella's so that she may understand her fury.

Ram: "You laid your filthy hands on our little brother. Die for it."

With that said, Ram unleashed a kick that caused the flail to tear through the top of the lion's head, traversing the length of Capella's arm until it passed through the side of her head, taking a good chunk of her scalp, brain matter, and her one good eye with it as the ball continued to fly. It kept going with even greater force than when it was thrown, going so fast that Capella's blood and gore flew clean off, careening back the way Capella came where someone was waiting to catch it. It may have pushed him back several feet and even hurt his hand, but this wall of solid tiger muscles grit his sharp teeth and raised his arm back for a fastball pitch of his own.

Garfiel: "This 's fer Capt'n!"

Before Capella could turn her attention from Ram to the pissed-off voice behind her, she instinctively raised her snake-arm to catch the ball as she did before. However, the throw that the young beastman unleashed broke through the snake's fangs and jaws, the ball shredding through its insides and going down its tract until it burst through her shoulder, severing the serpent limb altogether.

With two useless arms and only most of her head left, Capella fell backwards onto her ass and her back, in shock over her shattered sense of superiority. These ugly fools had already desecrated her glorious body more than she was expecting, as if everything was going according to their dumb little plan. She snarled as her Authority began to piece her arms and head back together, sitting up to give these soon to be corpses a piece of her mind, when a metal shield slammed into her face and sent the back of her head into the tile floor. The shield rested on her face, then was immediately pressed into her head with the full force of one of Garfiel's punches aimed directly downwards.

Garfiel: "BITCH!"

The shield made it so her head's contents splattered away from him and against the wall opposite to where he had run up to deliver this blow, turning the Archbishops face into paste. With her head destroyed, Garfiel recovered his shield, cautious not to touch any of the blood on the other side, and joined Ram and Rem in running away in the same direction Petra and Meili had run off to.

While this was happening, Capella, even with her brains still reforming and her mind still murky with pain, had decided that she was done screwing around. Instead of letting Variation and Change simply repair her broken figure, she morphed herself into her favorite form in her arsenal of transformations.

Capella: "RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"

With scales as black as the night sky, nails like sculpted gold, and a pair of yellow horns that pointed straight forward, the powerful form of a black dragon emerged in the middle of the Miload mansion, tilting its head back and unleashing a mighty roar!

After shaking off some of the debris from her sudden increase in side, Capella stampeded down the rest of the corridor, not caring that her wings were tearing into the windows and walls on either side of her as she stomped onwards, her draconic head bumping into the ceiling every few steps.

She finally turned the corner and faced down the hall towards the mansion's main entrance. Subaru's scent was coming from just beyond those double doors, but a lone figure stood in her way at the opposite end of the hall. Out of everyone, it just had to be her.

Capella: "Well if it isn't the half-devil! What, did the slut orphanage run out of room and now you have to live here? Gyahahahahahaha! You can go ahead and live your life, this lovely dragon really doesn't mind… Just stay the hell away from MY Subaru!"

Emilia: "..."

Capella's voice in her dragon form boomed far louder than she could yell or shout in her human form. Her words were like audio poison to Emilia's ears, but she came prepared for this madwoman to use whatever underhanded psychological tricks she could think of, so she chose to ignore her venomous words. Though she didn't reply, the half-elf's displeasure was written all over her face, her usual soft demeanor was replaced with a consistent scowl that she held as long as she was looking Capella right into her solid yellow eyes.

Capella: "Do you really think he wants you? Do you honestly believe that Subaru would settle for some pig in the mud like you, when he could have the most stunning woman in the world instead? Do you see yourself as a more suited match for that boy than ME!?"

Emilia: "..."

Capella: "WELL YOU'RE NOT! You and all the other meatbags in this Od-forsaken shack you call a mansion are nothing more than mere puppets and dummies! Simple placeholders for the day that the esteemed Capella-sama would come and save Subaru from the evil half-witch! Try all you please, you rancid little streetwalker, but nothing you or your idiotic band of misfits and freaks can do to stop me from getting what I want!"

In lieu of a response, Emilia closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath, causing wisps of ice and snow to swirl around one of her hands until it solidified into a single weapon.

Capella: "... A knife? You plan to attack me with a measly dagger? What do you intend to do, give me frostbite on my pinky toe? Gahahahahahaha! Don't make me laugh, you lousy, stinking, no-good mistake of a life! Oh wait, I already laughed… Oh well! Gahahahahahaha!"

Emilia: "... Hmph!"

Though the fierce look on her face remained, the corners of Emilia's mouth curved upwards into a cocky smirk. Capella's mood turned around 180 degrees, going from cocky to seething with rage. The eye Meili had shot was twitching.

Capella: "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING!? DON'T YOU DARE SMILE IN MY PRESENCE YOU CURSED LITTLE HALF-BREED! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE TO SMILE ABOUT!? HUH!? ANSWER ME!"

Emilia didn't answer her question. All she did was shift her gaze from Capella to the ceiling above her horned head. Capella followed her gaze upwards and her heart sank at the sight that awaited above her.

Capella: 'You've got to be fucking kidding me.'

Several more crates and barrels crowded the spacious ceiling, nestled directly above where Capella decided to stop upon making eye contact with Emilia. Unlike the last batch, she could actually see the red glow of fire stones from between the cracks in the wood, showing just how much more potent than mere shards they were. They were all tied to the ceiling in a web of rope, all held together by one single master cord off to the side.

The very same cord that was severed by a soaring knife right before the dragon's very eyes.

Capella didn't just stand there like last time. She charged forward towards Emilia, looking to outrun as much of the impending explosion as possible. Emilia noticed this and turned to run out the exit herself, forming a long staff of ice in her hands as she did. When the first few fire stones hit the ground, the chain reaction created a large explosion that both the half-elf and the dragon sought to avoid.

Capella felt the heat on her tail through her leathery hide, going to show just how potent these stones were. Just as Emilia made it outside, Capella dove to chomp down on her feeble body and kill her instantly. Emilia foresaw her act of desperation and drove her staff into the ground, vaulting herself up and onto the overhang above the entrance, leaving Capella to snap her jaws around her pole of ice and fall onto her scaly belly, feeling the full force of the explosion that rocketed out of the Miload mansion's front archway.

Though this was leagues better than having an explosion drop directly onto her human head, her dragon form could still feel pain from the sheer force exerted from the blast. Though dragons were highly resilient to fire, not all were completely immune, so some of the burning sensations still bled through into her senses.

As her Authority healed her, Capella groaned deep in her throat in frustration, annoyed at how far her plans had derailed. This was supposed to be a quick in-and-out operation, just sneak in, grab Subaru, and get out. But now, she was lying on the ground like a dog, having just suffered her second explosion of the night at the hands of that damn Witch of Envy look-alike!

It was that same half-elf that was keeping Subaru's love captive, that vile skank had no intentions of ever giving him the love he so desperately needed. She was the one keeping Subaru from her.

With a newfound sense of vigor, Capella's dragon body rose to all four of its feet, shook off some dust from her scales, and whipped her head around to look up at the overhang Emilia had escaped to. She placed her giant claws on the edge of the roof, climbing up for round two of the bitch that would take her Subaru from her! It didn't take much effort in her enormous form to reach the first level of the mansion's roof, a small feat for such a smart lady.

Capella: "Come out, come out, wherever you are~! … Do as I say you insignificant little- GAHBADUBAUDABUDAHBURAGHHHH!"

Her attempt to provoke Emilia was met with a large amount of liquid from above being poured right down Capella's yammering maw. First she was pissed, but once she recognized the taste of high-quality oil, she would've broken out into a sweat if dragons were physically capable of doing so. As she coughed and sputtered on the slippery liquid, the draconic Archbishop looked up to see who would dare desecrate her mouth in such a crude way!

Looking equal parts vengeful and smug, Beatrice stood next to a knocked-over cauldron about as tall as the spirit herself. Capella backed down from the roof, fearing another onslaught of fire stones, but she scanned all the locations above her and couldn't find a single position from where more explosives could be hidden. It was unlikely they would make a mistake this late in the game, so there had to be some other angle to this plan, some other way to create a large spark other than-

?: "My oh my, I don't seem to recall inviting you to my place of residence, Miss Archbiiiiiiishop."

Capella's cursed blood ran cold at the sound of that annoyingly forced accent. She looked beyond Beatrice, beyond the entirety of the mansion itself and gazed up at the full moon, partially eclipsed by a flying man in a dapper formal attire, one she had hinged this entire plan upon not having to deal with.

Capella: "Y-You… C-Court Mage!"

Roswaal: "Ah, I see my reputation precedes me even within the Witch's Cuuuuuuult. I would say that I'm honored, but that would be a blatant liiiiiiie."

Capella: "B-But you're supposed to be—"

Roswaal: "Attending a banquet in the capital, perhaaaaaps? A commitment someone of my status should keep, but thankfully I have Felt-sama and Priscilla-sama to cover for my abseeeeeence. But more importantly,"

The man in clown makeup raised a palm towards the starry night sky.

Roswaal: "that young man's future… IS NOT YOURS TO MANIPULATE!"

Capella was not only aware of this man's large reservoir of magic, but she shuddered at the scariest fact.

Among all the affinities he possessed, fire was his first and foremost.

Capella: "WAI—!"

Roswaal: "AL GOA!"

With a simple incantation, a massive ball of fire conjured into Roswaal's waiting hand, which he threw down upon the Archbishop's head like a deity smiting an individual unworthy of life.

If the circumstances were normal, an inferno being cast upon her would be a momentary inconvenience at best, maybe a few serious burns she could recover from within moments. But with her face and throat thoroughly coated in highly flammable oil, the danger from a single flame skyrocketed. Unfortunately for Capella, there was nothing she could do to avoid a direct assault from the Court Mage, facing the same treatment the Ulgarm faced when she ordered Meili to attack the village over a year ago.

When the blast cleared, Capella was left screaming a shrill scream that burned the surrounding air, her entire head ablaze with a constantly searing flame that reached around her head and down her esophagus, quite literally roasting her from the inside out. Dragons had little fire resistance inside their bodies, so she felt this particular pain just the same as if she were in human form. While her tongue was seared and her eyes bubbled from the heat, she frantically surveyed her surroundings for a method to douse the flame until her eyes fixed onto her salvation.

She spotted the fountain in the courtyard, full of flame-extinguishing water, even through the oil it had to be better than nothing. Capella turned her back on the Great Spirit and the Court Mage in favor of easing her own suffering, making a break for the decorative lawn fixture.

Beatrice: "Emilia, now!"

The sound of that name being mentioned made Capella hesitate, but she dared not stop her progress, for the burning was starting to seep through her eye sockets and carry the flames inside her head. She couldn't afford to falter, so she didn't look up while Emilia leapt from her hiding spot on the roof and soared through the air, rapidly catching up with Capella's position with a comically-large ice mallet reared above her head!

Emilia: "STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY KNIGHT!"

With all the passion, fury, and raw elven strength Emilia could muster, she brought the hammer down onto Capella's head as hard as she could, creating a deafening crack that echoed throughout the otherwise quiet night atmosphere.

*THUD*

*THUD*

The sound of two large dragon horns falling onto the cobblestone one after the other rang out, much to Capella's disgust and horror. The fire spread to the nubs where her golden horns used to be as she stood just a few meters in front of the fountain, paralyzed in shock from the feeling of bones so close to her brain snapping off, the feeling shaking her very soul. The marrow in the center of each horn stub started to boil, adding another layer of overbearing heat to the Archbishop's head.

She wanted to cry. This hurt so incredibly bad and she wanted to cry. But real dragons didn't cry so neither would she. All she could do was move her feet closer and closer to the water so she could finally cease this inferno behind her eyes, but then she thought of the size of the water source. Capella's current size was far too big, so she shrank into something smaller as she made her final approach, something that could fit in the water with plenty of space to frolic and free her body from this fire.

Capella made herself smaller and smaller, reducing herself from a fearsome black dragon to a small white bird, the fire encompassing her tiny body for a few harrowing seconds before she hopped and fluttered into the water. She frantically used her little bird wings to splash water onto herself, using the fountain as an over glorified birdbath to achieve her goal. She tossed, turned, kicked, and twisted herself around in the water, making sure that every single part of her was cleansed of fire, wondering to herself what she possibly could have done to deserve this kind of treatment.

---

After several minutes of rolling around in the water to extinguish herself, Capella's human form rolled off the lip of the fountain and tumbled down the side and onto the lawn. She breathed heavily as the steam from the recently extinguished fire still radiated from her, giving her the appearance of someone who had just left a sauna. She rose to her feet with a hand on her head, her right eye still half-closed from that damn needle, as if that particular spot on her body had been permanently damaged.

Once her vision cleared a little more, she looked up to face down the paved entryway to the manor grounds, finally noticing where all the guards had gone off to. Soldiers and mercenaries from the Crusch and Anastasia factions alike surrounded the perimeter of the mansion's outer gate, facing inwards with their weapons drawn and gazes fixed on the Archbishop. They couldn't do much to her from so far away, but were she to try to leave flying there was a good chance they had anti-air countermeasures, so she had to rethink her escape route once she found—

Capella: "Oh."

Subaru: "Yeah. Oh."

Standing no more than a few meters in front of her, sharing the same patch of lawn she was on, was none other than Natsuki Subaru himself. His open jacket fluttered in the blowing wind, his popped-up collar partially obscuring the cute tattoos she had left on his neck as a little reminder who he belonged to. He was alone and unarmed, empty handed and lacking any form of backup. She considered just grabbing him and making an attempt to break through the wall of guards, but Subaru was precious cargo that she didn't want to risk losing after all this effort she had put into his recovery. Besides, he had gotten this close to her out in the open by choice, it would be impolite for a generous woman such as herself to deny such a silly little man an audience.

Capella: "If it's recognition you want, then this lovely lady will gladly give it to you; You and your little 'friends' have given me more trouble in one night than I usually experience in a decade, so kudos!"

She spoke like a mother praising her child, complete with clapping her hands together and cocking her head to the side with her eyes closed, like she was genuinely proud of him.

Capella: "Honestly it's fine. It's fine, it's fine, it really is fine. It's not every day that a pile of rejects can taste some semblance of victory, and my generous self is more than happy to let them all have their meaningless false accomplishments! After all, they are all without love, misguided fools bumbling about their feeble lives as if they were blind, deaf, and dumb! I am guided by all the love in the world, and Lust is the purest, most raw form of love there is!"

Subaru: "... But love can make people do stupid things."

Capella: "—!"

Subaru: "I know better than anyone the lengths someone is willing to go when they love someone enough. You go blind to everything around you, tunnel visioning on the person you desire most, ignoring what that person wants and selfishly playing your own delusional version of the hero. It's the mistake I made when the Royal Selection kicked off, and it's the same mistake you made here tonight, Capella."

Capella's bad eye squinted shut even further, her rage starting to boil again when he made it sound like he was in any position to be lecturing her. About love, no less! He thought he knew more about love than her, and that was unacceptable.

Capella: "'Love can make people do stupid things', huh?"

She repeated his phrase, thinking to herself how she could use this against him as he did to her. While maintaining eye contact with him, she willed her body to change, her hair becoming silver and eyes turning purple, but Subaru didn't react. He didn't get angrier or sadder, he just continued to stare her down as if her form had remained unchanged. Sucking her teeth at his reaction, she undid the changes that had started and reverted back to her normal form.

Subaru: "What, no transforming into Emilia-tan this time?"

Capella: "We both know that your sense of love goes deeper than flesh, so if you see me for who I really am, then why stoop so low as to make my beautiful~ self don the appearance of that half-witch whore!?"

Subaru: "After I went through the trouble of mentally preparing myself, you're not even gonna go through with it? *Tch* I'd say I'm almost disappointed but…"

Capella stuck her nose in the air and put a hand to her small chest as she once again boasted praises about herself.

Capella: "And why should I!? I'm already my most dazzling, respectable, intelligent, talented, caring, wonderful, reverent, loving woman who ever lived~! Why mess with perfection, am I right? I am right! I know I'm right! Of course I'm right! Isn't that right, Subaru? Right? Right?"

She indulged in her tangent, her inflated ego and sense of self-worth rose with every spout of nonsense that left her lips.

Capella: "Right? Right! Right? Right! Right? Right! Right? Right! Right? Right! Riiiiiiiight~?"

She stuck her index fingers at Subaru and swished them out and in again, over and over like she was conducting an imaginary orchestra, expressing immense joy from the sound of her own melody. On her last repeat of that word, she pointed her fingers at Subaru as if she was expecting him to pitch in to her tune.

Subaru: "... You're insane."

Capella: "Hmph! You should be far kinder to such a lovely lady that would take you into her bosom, especially after she went through the trouble to get you a gift~!"

Subaru: "Whatever it is, I don't want it!"

Capella: "Oh? Don't you want to at least see it before you say that with such certainty?"

Subaru's fingers were digging into his palms in disgust, his clenched fists yearned to slam into that woman's face, but for the sake of his plan he held himself back. He was going to settle for shouting more insults to her face, but the sight of her reaching into her hand into her chest was enough to creep him out into silence. After rooting around for a few seconds, her hand emerged from between her small breasts holding what Subaru presumed to be his 'gift'. Once he saw the familiar shape of the object she held, Subaru's knees gave out and he fell flat on his, causing Capella to chuckle to herself.

Capella: "Surpriiiiise! It's a brand new collar to replace the one you lost! Aren't you happy?"

Subaru: "A-Ah!"

Capella: "'A-Ah'? Is that a thank you? If so, it's pathetic, but I'll take it anyway! I know you didn't seem to like your last collar, but I made sure to make this one extra~ nice for you! Look, the inner part is lined with wool so it's more comfortable now! You should be grateful that your Capella-sama is such an endearing woman! Wouldn't you agree, Subaru? Subaru?"

All he could do was tremble. Though the blood-red collar she was currently spinning around her index finger indeed seemed to be of higher quality than the last one, the band was also twice as thick and the lock was solid metal and opened with a key. No surgical equipment was going to cut through that anytime soon, and you'd have to have history with lockpicking to get it to open without the key. Just looking at it made the scars around Subaru's neck tighten in panic, causing his breathing to be more shallow and panicked, making him feel as if that constricting thing was still on him. His fingertips lightly grabbed around his bare neck, trying to remove something that wasn't there.

Subaru: "You… You have no idea… what you're doing to me… what kind of suffering you've put me through!"

Capella: "... Your suffering? YOUR SUFFERING!? WHAT ABOUT ME!?"

As she stomped her foot on the ground in anger, she put a hand to her chest to both return her 'gift' to its hiding place and to punctuate her passion for what she was about to say.

Capella: "I was only trying to help you, Subaru! I ONLY WANTED TO HELP! And what did you do? You fought against me. You locked yourself away from me. You sent those outcasts after me like a pack of wild dogs! Do you know what they did to me while you were busy running away? Do you know what it's like to be blown up? To be burned alive? Stabbed? Skewered? Torn apart? Smashed to bits? OF COURSE NOT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE SUCH PAIN, SUCH AGONY, A SENSATION SO CLOSE TO DEATH THAT YOU CAN TASTE IT! SO DON'T YOU DARE SAY TO ME THAT—*Ghrk*!"

Before she could continue on with her rampant psychotic episode, Capella looked to Subaru and saw his face contort to something she had never seen on him or any other person in her life.

His face was scrunched into that of pure hatred, he had the look of someone who was ready to tear her apart with his bare hands. His eyes shot a message through his stare, one that said 'You have no idea what you're talking about'. Nearly every wrinkle on his brow aimed downwards, making his scary eyes seem several times more terrifying when enraged.

He was wrong. Of course he was wrong, he had to be wrong! There was no way a mortal boy as young as him could possibly understand the hardships she had experienced in her life, and there was no way he could ever bring any real harm to her.

So why was she shaking?

Why did her knees tremble as she stood before him, almost as if she was fighting the urge to run away from him?

Why did her hands feel so clammy and weak, her fingers twitching as if they were expecting to do something?

Why was she breathing so hard? Why was her face so warm. Why did her smile feel as if it was coming on naturally, as if she couldn't frown even if she wanted to?

Why did her heart feel so warm and beat so fast in her chest? But it was with that question she found her answer. With both her hands on her dainty chest and her pupils dilated to nearly cover her red irises, she reciprocated Subaru's scowl with the softest face he had ever seen on her.

Capella: "Aaaaahahaha! Subaru… No, Subaru-kun~! I think… I really am in love with you~!"

Subaru: "... Uh-oh."

While his face softened into something more normal, Subaru immediately turned away from her and hunched over, fighting the urge to vomit in front of her and everyone else on standby watching them talk. He would dry heave every few seconds, fighting the urge to void his stomach contents onto the lawn every time. Capella just giggled at his comedic response, her face flushing an even deeper shade of red than before. Her future husband was soooo funny sometimes! She knew he would make a great father to their kids someday, it was one of the many reasons why she loved him so much!

Capella: "Ahahaha~! Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun~! Look, look~!"

Subaru looked up from his failures to throw-up to see Capella extending a hand for him to take, the look of passion plastered all over her admittedly cute face.

Capella: "Take my hand, just take it~! I know I can take on all those weak meatbags over there, if you just hold onto me reeeeeally~ tight I know I can make it through and keep you safe! Oh, and when I eventually come back to kill all your friends, I'll be super~ quick and painless about it, just for you!"

Subaru: "... What are you—"

Capella: "Ah, are you still worried? Relax, relax, Subaru! Everything is different now! I promise, once we get back things will be soooo~ much better than they were before~! I'll be sure to give you a much nicer bed, finer clothes, and I'll never ever let you out of my sight ever again~! *gasp* Oooh, I'll even let you call me 'Cappy'! … But only sometimes though. We have to maintain appearances in front of our children, you know?"

The idea of having kids with her was almost enough to make Subaru puke for good this time, but again he fought the urge and kept it down, shaking his head at her asinine offer.

Subaru: "I'm gonna be real with you 'Cappy'. That proposal sucks and I hate it. So I've got one for you."

Capella was delighted to hear him use her nickname, but was saddened by his refusal, so she awaited his next words with a neutral mindset, hinging her mood on what he was about to say. Though she expected him to speak, she didn't expect to see him pull a familiar curved blade out of a hidden pocket in his inner jacket, the telltale black metal and light purple edge. Likely a souvenir that one of the Emilia Camp members had taken as a memento from the night the Bowel Hunter died.

Subaru: "Let me get one good attack on you, and if you survive… I promise to come with you quietly. No more fighting back. No more trying to escape. Just my undying loyalty… and my heart."

Capella's eyes widened and so did her thin smile. Such easy terms with such a rewarding outcome was a no-brainer for her. She knew he wasn't dumb, but he was still a moron if he thinks he can kill her with one of Elsa's old kukris, even if laced with the strongest poison or the most powerful curse it still wouldn't kill her. But if this is what he needed, if this was what he had to do to vent his frustrations and accept his new life with her, then she would happily oblige him.

Capella: "My darling Subaru-kun, is that all~? Very well then."

With dignity and grace, Capella put her heels together, spread her arms wide as if she were expecting a hug, and puffed her chest out to give him a dramatic target to aim for. Though one good and one injured, both her eyes swirled with lovestruck madness, gazing lovingly into Subaru's vengeful stare.

Capella: "COME TO MAMA!"

As if that phrase were the starting gun to a footrace, Subaru bolted from where he stood and charged the Archbishop at top speed, which wasn't much for a plain human like him. She peered over to the guards at the far side of the property, they had their weapons at the ready but they didn't seem to want to move in, likely waiting for her to make a move first. But they would get no provocation out of her. She would let her Subaru-kun do anything he wanted to her body, so she had no intention or retaliating in any way.

Right when Subaru got within striking range and lifted the knife to plunge into her chest, Subaru reached down and to the side in order to grab Capella's thin ponytail. He brought her decorative hair clip to her chest, where he stabbed Elsa's knife and pinned her hair decoration to her body.

Capella: "Oh?"

Capella looked down and stared at the knife in her chest with a blank expression for several seconds, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Then she shifted her gaze to Subaru's face, who was looking at her with belief in his eyes, hoping that she was going to drop dead at any second. It was that face that made her tilt her head back and howl with laughter.

Capella: "Gyahahahahahaha! Was that it? That was your best shot? What did you think that was gonna do?"

Subaru: "I-I thought that if destroying your head and your heart don't work, then maybe you had some kind of… core?"

Capella: "*PFFFFF* AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A core!? Is that what you were thinking? You're really dumb, Subaru-kun~! Dumb, dumb dumb! Every little bit of me is me, there is no core! So long as the curse that pumps through my veins continues to exist, the illustrious Capella-sama will never cease to be! Isn't that wonderful, my Subaru-kun? Now we get to be a family~!"

Subaru: "Gah!"

The young knight jumped back when he felt her hands on his face, caressing his cheeks in a way that only a lover would. When backed away from her enough to be out of reach, his hand went to his neck and his blood froze. At some point when he had stabbed her, she must have snuck her collar around his neck without him realizing, locking it in place.

Subaru: "N-No! NO!"

It really was less irritating than the last one, but the panic of the situation and the stress of reliving this trauma of being owned as property weakened his resolve, causing Subaru to fall to his knees in tears. He desperately pulled and tugged at all parts of the collar, looking for a way to pry it off, but he would find none as Capella laughed and laughed at his futile attempts to liberate himself. He struggled to breathe normally, his PTSD kicking in while he was on his knees at the mercy of his abuser, who maniacally cackled at his misery.

Capella: "Oh my sweet, precious Subaru~…"

Capella was still shaking with excitement as she took her first step towards the shell-shocked young man, reaching a hand out to stroke his delicate head, using her other hand to take the knife out her chest and hairpin and toss it aside.

Capella: "We're going to be so happy togeth—GRK!"

Before she could take her second step forward, a spear had pierced her from behind and came out through her belly, harpooning her in one end and out the other, almost knocking her forward off her feet. Capella turned her head to look behind her and saw a rod of ice sticking out of her back, and even further towards the mansion she saw Emilia in front of the partially blown-out entryway. All the other residents that played a hand in attacking her stood in a group behind the half-elf, each one sharing the same look of hatred towards the Archbishop.

It was a pathetic last attempt to keep her away from Subaru, but they would all be dead soon so she tried to not let those imbeciles spoil her good mood. All she had to do was grab the spear by its head and push it back out the way it came, then claim her prize and go home.

But when she put her left hand to the spearhead to push it out, her entire hand began to glow a bright white before detaching from her wrist and falling to the ground.

Capella: "... Huh?"

She watched her hand get smaller and smaller, turning into glowing white particles like the world's brightest confetti as it shrank, until after a few seconds there was nothing left at all. Losing a hand wasn't normally a big deal for her, she lost limbs all the time and thought nothing of it since they would always grow back every time without fail.

But her hand wasn't growing back this time.

Confused, she focused her Authority to concentrate on her stub of a wrist to get her hand back, but it would only regrow the base of her palm before fading into light as well.

Capella: "W-What… What is...? I don—understand this…"

She looked down at the onyx-black object that was affixed to the spear instead of a typical shard of ice. Whatever it was, the fact that it had remained inside of her caused the hole in her torso to expand to the point where the spearhead fell forward, falling out of her newly-formed body cavity and onto the ground where she could see it in full.

What cut through her so easily had been some kind of pointed stone brimming with power, it was about as long as her forearm and as dark as the night sky. She stared at the unknown object as Subaru managed to pull his hands away from his neck and rose to his feet.

Subaru: "Good, that worked. I had more faith in Emilia-tan's plan anyway."

Capella: "I… H-Huh?"

Subaru: "You're probably confused. What you're looking at there is a souvenir Emilia-tan brought home from Pleiades Watchtower. A little parting gift from Volcanica himself!"

Capella: "Pleia—…des? Volcani—...ca? Aaah?"

Capella fell to her knees. She could barely parrot his words through her shock, never in her several decades of life has she ever felt this vulnerable and frail. Not only was the glowing at her point of severance on her left wrist spreading up her arm, but the gaping hole in her midsection continued to expand as well, reaching down past her navel and up to the bottom of her ribcage. The light ate through her without causing her any physical pain, turning more of her body into a bright light that flaked off into the breeze like ashes from a burning log.

Subaru: "Emilia figured that if there was one thing that could fight off cursed dragon's blood and a rogue member of the Lugnican royal family, it would be a claw fragment from the Divine Dragon! Pretty smart, huh?"

Capella panicked, losing more and more of her body mass to this 'purification' for every second she wasted just kneeling there doing nothing. She morphed and changed herself into form after form, trying to find something that would save her from this fate that she seemed to be condemned to. After changing from person, to animal, to indistinguishable creature beyond normal imagination, Capella changed again and again, each form she took lacked a left forearm and had a growing hole in their chests that threatened to eat her body in half. After several failures to save herself, Capella relinquished her efforts and relaxed herself, allowing her body to settle back into her true form.

Lying on the ground in front of Subaru was an elderly woman, likely around Wilhelm's age. She had pale, pasty skin, faded blonde hair, and wore a medical gown that looked as expensive as it was tattered and covered in dirt. She looked up at him, which seemed to take a lot of effort for her to do so, those scarlet eyes were the only thing that held some familiarity to Subaru. She reached a wrinkled, pruney hand up to him, her arm shaking as she begged with her eyes for him to take it.

Capella: "Please… help… I don't want… to die… I just nee—… need you… to love me."

She was scared. She was scared, she was scared, she was scared! This was an impossible outcome for her. To be reduced to this state, do be on death's door for real, at the hand of the half-witch of all people? Despicable! Inexcusable! Deplorable, even! She just needed a reset, a few days to get her act back together before tackling this project again, but first she needed to get out of here. Once Subaru would accept her love and take her hand, maybe she could borrow some of the flesh from his body to-

Subaru: "Who the hell could ever love someone like you?"

---

Emerada Lugnica was born with two indisputable facts. The first came when she was born, she was always sick and in a state of weakness, never expected to live a full life like a normal member of the royal family. The second came to light when she first began to talk, her cruel and sadistic nature of tormenting those who cared for her into resigning from their duty and worse. Even at an early age the royal family tried to correct this uncouth behavior, but she was already set in her ways.

For several years Princess Emerada lived her life within the castle, spending her days berating and terrorizing the castle staff by choice while enduring the physical ramifications of her weak body. Though she was thoroughly hated by everyone who had to interact with her, she was still royalty and got the respect befitting of one all the same, no matter how much she acted out. The few times she may have said or done something that may be considered 'too far', she always had her illness to use as an excuse to avoid punishment. Through this method of living, Emerada got everything she wanted in her frail life.

Until one day, not too long after she had turned fifteen, the first nobleman her age was brought to the royal palace for Emerada to meet with. Due to her condition and her personality, Emerada had never interacted much with other children her age, but now that she was an adult by Lugnican standards, she was expected to keep up appearances even with her sickness.

When Emerada first entered the room the young lord was waiting in, she fell in love upon making eye contact, entranced by the mysterious aura she felt coming from him. Though she was instructed on how to properly greet and interact with the boy, Emerada disregarded all the hogwash and treated him the same way she did everyone else.

She pushed him, kicked his legs, called him names, and laughed at the long, elaborate words he would use to try and sound smart. An entire day of this the young boy endured, unable to snap back at her due to her higher social status, and her sickly physique left any sort of physical contact out of the question. All he could do was bear through her harsh treatment as she strung him around throughout the day.

When the end of the day finally came and he was set to go home, Emerada surprised the young man with a confession before his departure. She told him that her specific ways of tormenting him today was her way of saying she loved him, and asked him where he wanted to live after they got married. To this, the young lord could only meet her hopeful eyes with a look of shame and revulsion, even going as far as taking a step away from the frail young princess. Even if it cost him his family's position within the kingdom, the young man couldn't hold his words back as he said to her face:

'Who could ever love someone like you?'

In that exact moment, Emerada's heart broke into a million pieces, causing her to collapse onto the floor in front of the noble's chariot, which he stepped into while the palace staff rushed the Princess to her room to recoup from her rejection. As she was being carried by a maid, Emerada came to a realization that explained why her love didn't see her as she saw him. If she wasn't so sick and so frail, if she was more beautiful like the other royals, then he would have definitely loved her back. It was the only explanation that made sense to her, for her personality had never once stuck her as a flaw. As far as she knew, everybody who disliked her was simply jealous of her radiant beauty, sharp wits, and radiant personality.

On that day, Emerada made a vow that she wouldn't mind changing herself to suit the needs of the one she loved. She could change everything about herself; Skin, hair, hands, teeth, guts, even her very gate! The one thing she swore never to change was her soul. She was born to be a mad tyrant, and a mad tyrant she would remain. Her love would reach anyone and everyone that would admit their love for her first, voluntarily changing the appearance of herself and others within her reach, but never ever would she stop being the person she was always meant to be, no matter how 'cruel' or 'merciless' others would call her.

This all because of that boy from that day, if he had just said yes none of this would have happened. How she longed for that young man's touch, to run her fingers through his coal-black hair and peer lovingly into those small, angry looking eyes, and bask in that awkward, goofy smile. Come to think of it, the boy from that day reminded her of someone else. If she squinted, and blurred her memories just a bit, the suitor that broke her heart looked a lot like—

Like—

---

Capella: "NATSUKI SUBARUUUUUUUUU!"

With her own personal traumatic past fresh in her memory, Capella used all her willpower to transform what remained of her body into a black dragon once more, lifting her giant fist into the air so she could smash this kid into a fine paste! She had hoped that if this idiot could fall in love with a disgusting half-elf, that he could surely fall in love with her as well. But only when it was too late did she realize that Subaru never had any intention of loving her in the first place.

As she brought her fist down with blind rage, her arm broke in half at the elbow, letting her massive fist fall to the ground in front of her, both halves beginning to be overrun by the white light of purification.

Both of her arms were now gone, leaving her a limbless dragon on her belly, but that didn't deter Capella from her thirst for vengeance for making her relive her past! She inhaled in hopes to roast Subaru alive with her blazing black flames, but that was when she realized that everything below her neck, including her fire-breathing organs, had already been purified and faded away.

Now just a mere head on the grass, Capella snapped her jaws again and again at Subaru, hoping to at least nip at his legs, maybe sever an artery if she was lucky. But after a few chomps at nothing, the end of her snout began to dissipate as well, the purification now eating away at her disembodied head from both ends.

The only part of her that still functioned along with her consciousness was her one bad eye that faced up at the stars. Through the corner of her blurry vision she could see Subaru looking down at her, likely taking joy in the fact that her existence was about to come to an end. The look of hope in his eyes as she lay there dying was almost identical to that of the boy who left her to sob and break apart as he entered his dragon carriage all those years ago.

Capella: 'Is this… heartbreak?'

The light ate away at most of her head until just the eye and the surrounding ocular bones and muscles remained.

Capella: 'How… unfair…'

As the last bit of the Divine Dragon's power scrubbed Capella's soul from this world, her draconic eye shed a single, large tear of sadness, the final insult to her last few moments of existence.

For she knew that true dragons, the creatures that everybody could show love to, were incapable of crying.

Capella had failed to become a dragon, she had failed in her mission to recover Subaru, and she had failed to find true love. Three regrets that Capella would take to her bitter end as the last of her faded into glowing flakes in the wind, leaving behind nothing but a Gospel with a hole pierced through from cover to cover.

Henceforth, this would be known as the night that the Sin Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugnica, died at the hands of Emilia and Natsuki Subaru.

---

…

…

…

Subaru, the Emilia Camp, and everyone else that was hired to defend the Miload mansion stood there in silence for nearly a full minute, waiting for the Sin Archbishop to pop back up like she always did, laughing in their face at how stupid they all were.

But that crazed laugh never came back.

It was only after a single soldier in the background threw his hands up and yelled in victory that everyone else started to do the same, Crusch and Anastasia Camp members one and all cheering and hugging each other at the Archbishop's demise.

As if to confirm her Capella's demise, the cursed dragon's blood in his foot began to purify as well, small flakes of light leaving from the cuff of his pant leg, only healthy flesh in the form of a normal human foot remained. To his relief, he also felt the writing on his neck begin to tingle, then saw the same white specks leave from his neck as well. Somewhere far away was the Duchess Crusch Karsten, who was likely experiencing a similar form of relief as the source of her pain for the past several months faded away into nothingness. Even further away on the edge of the Lugnican border, there was a room that used to be occupied by a dragon and several large flies that would need to be unfrozen sometime in the near future.

Confident in the affirmation of his tormentor's death, Subaru smiled weakly and fell to his knees, finally allowing his mind and body to relax. However, his hands crept back up to his neck, whining at his inability to remove Capella's collar, the last 'fuck you' she left for the half-elf's knight to deal with.

?: "Subaru!"

As he continued to toy with the lock he had no chance at opening alone, he looked up towards the mansion's entrance. Everyone was making their way towards him, but one little girl outran all the rest, the tiny scorpion on her wrist hanging on for dear life as she sprinted as fast as her short legs could carry her.

Meili: "Subaru! Subaru!"

She continued to shout his name out until she got close enough to use her momentum to fall to her knees and slide on the grass until she stopped just in front of him.

Meili: "Here, let me."

Meili shooed his hands away so she could see the lock. She removed a hidden hairpin from her braid and began to fiddle with the lock, leaving Subaru to look over the top of her head at the rest of the camp members running over to catch up. By the time they made it over, Meili had just clicked the last pin into place and the collar popped open, which let Meili grab it and fling it off to the side into some grass.

Meili: "There! Subaru… I—"

*WHAM*

Before Meili could continue, Emilia slammed a large ice mallet into the collar that had been cast aside. When she lifted her hammer, the collar had been driven into the dirt entirely, only the very top was visible now. Just now realizing she had ruined a moment between Subaru and Meili, Emilia 'hid' the giant mallet behind her back with an embarrassed look on her face.

Emilia: "Ehehe, sorry! I don't know what came over me…"

Meili: "That's oka~y. Anyways, Subaru I—"

*BAM*

Garfiel had shifted his arm to his tiger form in a partial transformation in order to punch that collar even deeper into the ground, leaving behind a fist-shaped indent within the hammer crater.

Garfiel: "Sorry, just seemed like the right thing t' do 's all."

The young half-beastman changed his arm back to its default state to scratch the back of his head.

Meili: "Right. Anyway—"

*CRUSH*

Meili: "Oh come on!"

Rem: "Tee-hee, sorry!"

Rem just looked away and laughed innocently after smashing her flail into the collar's resting spot, slowly pulling it back into her hands, creating another layer in the crater slowly being formed on Roswaal's front lawn.

Meili: "... *sigh*"

Not wanting to be left out, Meili aimed her fist and bent her wrist down using the arm with Shaula affixed to the top, who fired a round of Hell's Snipe right through the lock of the collar without Meili having to ask. If that thing was ever unearthed, it would never be able to latch shut ever again. With a deep breath, Meili decided to simplify what she intended to say to Subaru.

Meili: "Subaru… Thank you."

That was all she had to say before she leaned in to hug her father-figure, who held her close to his side as she cried into his jacket, thankful down to her very soul that the being of her nightmares was gone for good. Mother was a horrid, wretched, vile woman that would never turn her or anyone else into frogs ever again!

And she had Subaru to thank for that. As if to show appreciation of her own, Shaula had crawled to the top of Meili's head to show Subaru a little dance, one that was reminiscent of a raving crab.

Once she had cried for several moments, Beatrice ran up to his side and hugged around his other arm, crying her own tears of joy into his sleeve as well. Then Emilia ran up to his front and buried her face into his chest, happy beyond belief that the monster who tortured her knight had fallen by the cooperation of them and all their friends.

One by one the rest of the present Emilia Camp members swarmed around Subaru with hugs and cheers of accomplishment, finished off with Roswaal standing a respectable few feet away as he smiled at the sight of all them coming together for a single cause. After enough time for everyone to get their feelings out and show their support for Subaru, they all began to stand up and back off until just one person remained clinging to him. Subaru moved his arms to wrap around Emilia's back, lightly patting her as if to tell her that everything was alright.

Emilia: "S-Subar-ru…"

Her voice was shaky, like she had been dreading to say her next words,

Emilia: "Do y-you… still h-hate… me?"

When he heard her say that, Subaru grabbed her shoulders and pushed her off of his chest so he could look into her crying eyes when he addressed her. He didn't look mad, he didn't look sad, he just looked at her like she had just said something incredibly stupid, even going as far as chuckling to himself as she looked upon him with worry.

Subaru: "Emilia… How the hell could I ever hate the girl I love? That kinda defeats the point, y'know?"

The smile he gave her was so genuine, so full of carefree energy that was just so…Subaru, that it inspired Emilia to do something some would say goes against her character. Without thinking, she lightly grabbed ahold of Subaru's cheeks and placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. She held the kiss for a few seconds before pulling back, the mood of the scene they were in and the mild taste of vomit compelled her to do so. Realizing her actions, her heart sank that she may have just done something she shouldn't have.

Emilia: "A-A-Ah! S-Subaru, I'm reeeeally sorry about that! I don't know what came over me! I just saw you so sad, then you were so happy, then that made me happy, so I just—just—"

Subaru: "*Pffff* Gahahahahaha!"

Subaru cackled with near-maniacal laughter, standing up as he continued to wholeheartedly laugh.

Subaru: "Emilia-tan, tonight I got to see an Archbishop fall and the girl of my dreams kissed me for the first time! As far as I'm concerned, this night couldn't get any better! Don't you think?"

After everything he had been through, after everything he had been forced to experience, Natsuki Subaru still held his head high with a bright smile on his face that could light the darkest pits of despair. Now standing up while she was still a crying mess on the ground, Subaru offered his hand to Emilia, who wiped the tears from her face and happily took his hand.

Emilia: "*sniff* Yeah!"

Subaru helped her to her feet, and after looking into each others' eyes for a few more moments, they hugged again, rocking each other as they held their embrace. After a while, someone had to cut in and get things moving again.

Roswaal: "*ahem* I'm glad that everything turned out alriiiiiight, but I think it would be best for us all to relocate our celebration insiiiiiide. Besides, we still have dinner to eaaaaaat."

Ram: "Of course, Roswaal-sama. Rem, Petra and I will resume the dinner we had set in motion before the intrusion."

Roswaal: "Very good then. Now, shaaaaaall we?"

Roswaal turned his back to walk back towards the mansion, Ram turning to do the same followed by everyone else, Subaru and Emilia included. With one hand being held by Emilia, he used the other to swing Beatrice up onto his shoulders where she could feel close to him and tall at the same time. With one hand free, he offered it to Meili, who stood at his side and accepted his offer without hesitation, smiling at her soon-to-be dad. Together, the Emilia Camp began to make their way back inside for a well-deserved rest, ready to put the memory of Capella Emerada Lugnica behind them…

All except for Subaru, who was incapable of doing so. As much as he wished he could just put those weeks he spent as her prisoner behind him, allow his physical and mental scars to heal over time, he would never be able to break free from her entirely. Committing one more act of violation against his body, the Witch Factor of Lust seeped into his body like a sponge absorbing water, even though the last thing he wanted was any part of that sadist inside of him. He didn't care what Authority it would grant him down the line, being powerless was a preferable alternative to having Capella be part of him for the rest of his life!

But much like several things in Natsuki Subaru's life, this was an unavoidable fate that he had to grit his teeth and trudge through. Though adding another Witch Factor to his collection grossed him out to his very bones, he at least had some lovely ladies to help him through the rest of the recovery process.

Beatrice, who remained by his side as much as he could, valuing his happiness and quality of life as if it were her own.

Emilia, whose heart ventured into dark and unknown territories in order to understand his pain, and came out strong because of it.

And Meili, the young girl that reminded him so much of his younger self that he almost felt compelled to tell her not to feel obligated to imitate him. But they had already discussed that, and she agreed (to try) to think with her heart, not just mirror the actions of those around her. She was his precious adopted daughter, and he didn't want her to grow up with any resentment towards her father that would just trouble her later in life.

Which reminded him, he had to speak to Otto. He was already up to his waist in debt with all those fire stones he had 'bought' off him, Subaru could only hope that he would be in a good enough mood to requisition some forms from the capital.

Subaru had some adoption papers he had promised to fill out.

---

And there it is! Capella Emerada Lugnica Must Die! (and she did!)

This was a good vent fic for me, worked a lot of personal stuff out by writing this

If you or someone you love has ever been a victim of abuse in a relationship, may the abuser share in Capella's fate

Remember that its not your fault, you are more than what one scumbag thinks of you

There are better people out there who will see you as a person worthy of love