"Where has that idiot gone again?" Ram spoke out irritatedly, looking over at Beatrice.
"Betty doesn't know, I suppose. He just promised he would be back by dinner time." Beatrice answered with a sigh, just as clueless as they were.
Beatrice would have interrogated him more about where he kept going off to, but he had assured her that he wasn't in any danger and specifically requested her to not ask any questions, and to let him have his privacy. So she stayed quiet. She did feel hurt that her contractor didn't trust her enough to tell her all his secrets.
"Well, dinner time's over and Barusu isn't back yet."
The members of the Emilia camp were gathered in the common room of the hotel they were staying in after having finished their dinner. While it was rare for all of them to be in the Capital at the same time, none of them could stay behind in Costuul when such an important ceremony was to be held in three days.
It was the long overdue award ceremony for awarding the people involved in the battle of Priestella, the Watchtower capture and the Vollachian civil war for their services.
The reason why they had gathered at such an odd hour, instead of going to sleep, was simple.
"Ahh… I'm worried what Natsuki-san is going to do at that ceremony. If he doesn't come back now, he won't have the chance to practice later." Otto held his head in frustration, as all the worst case scenarios kept popping up into his head.
They had decided to help train Subaru in his knightly etiquette to make sure he did not make a fool of himself in the Royal castle like the last time. But the star of the show himself was absent from this gathering.
"Ottottottotto is an idiot! Subaru-sama won't mess up!" Petra came to Subaru's defense, making Frederica smile as she patted her head.
"...I suppose we should have informed Subaru-sama before we decided to do this for him."
"But Frederica, Subaru usually isn't gone-..." Emilia stopped herself from speaking any further.
It was true that Subaru usually didn't leave this long without telling anyone. But that was four days ago.
Ever since he had disappeared somewhere three days ago, it felt like she had been seeing less and less of Subaru with each passing day. He was never around most of the time, always going off somewhere. And whenever he was—
"Sorry, Emilia. I'm a little busy. Let's talk later. You should probably study as well. The Royal selection's going to end soon, isn't it?"
"You said you wanted to spend time with me today? I probably wasn't paying attention to you. My bad. Anyways, I have somewhere I need to be right now, so maybe next time."
"I'm really sorry, but I'm not really in the mood for a date. I feel like I've been running around all day and I'm really tired. I just want to take a nap. …I don't have any work now, right? I should probably confirm it with Otto."
She felt extremely hurt. Subaru was paying zero attention to her, to the point that she was actually beginning to doubt that he was actively avoiding her. But that couldn't be possible right? After all, Subaru loved her. Although, there was still something that felt odd to her, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it.
"Where the hell's been Cap'n goin' to anyways? It feels like my amazin' self hasn't even seen him in a while!" Complained Garfiel.
"Subaru…." Emilia whispered out his name with a disappointed sigh, wondering the same thing as Garfiel. And then, she pouted angrily. "I'm reaaaaallllly mad at him. Why doesn't he tell me anything?"
With her hands on her hips, she declared, "I'm going to punish him once he comes back. No more dates with him until he repents for making us worry." Despite her threat, she looked quite adorable saying it, and everyone just looked at her in pity.
Although they did feel sorry for Subaru who was about to be punished by the girl he loved. But it was his own fault. He should have at least told her where he was disappearing off to if he didn't want to make her mad.
"Who even says repents anymore, I suppose!" Beatrice retorted, imitating her contractor.
"Not fair! Don't start copying Subaru and teasing me as well!" Emilia pouted.
Everybody laughed for sometime, before the laughter died down and changed into an awkward silence. It was at moments like this that Subaru would come to the rescue with his witty remarks and carry the conversation forward. But in his absence, they simply sat there quietly with nothing else to talk about.
"Cap'n, where are you?" Garfiel shouted, completely fed up with the silence.
"My my, it is quiiiiite embarrassing, not being able toooo hold a conversation without our deeeear knight."
"...Seriously where has he gone?" Rem mumbled under her breath. Here Rem was, trying her hardest to make amends with him, and then there was Subaru making it hard for her to do so.
That day, if he was angry at her, he should have just said something to her. Instead, he disappeared for a day, making everyone around him worried and causing trouble for everyone. And ever since then, every time she went up to him to try to say something, he ignored her presence entirely. It pissed her off greatly and at the same time…. it also hurt her.
Ram, feeling her sister's troubled heart through her connection, was also displeased by his behaviour. She decided she would have to drag him away and have a nice chat with him later when he comes back.
"To be frank, I'm kind of getting tired of waiting. I don't think Natsuki-san's coming tonight." Otto sighed.
And just then, timed perfectly with Otto's words, the door to the common room of their suite opened up and in walked the boy in question, with a waitress of the hotel.
The moment they laid their eyes on him, their jaws dropped.
He had his back turned to them, so he hadn't really noticed the others yet, as he casually chatted with the waitress.
"I'm really sorry to bother you in the middle of the night. It's just that I think I lost my keys in my old clothes. I'll definitely find them and return them." He said remorsefully, patting his pockets in an attempt to search for the lost keys.
"Please don't worry about it, Natsuki-sama. If you need anything else, please feel free to call me." The waitress giggled and blushed, as she left the room, much to Emilia's chagrin.
Still facing the door, he took a deep breath, and scratched his head, thinking of what he would say when he went back to his room and Beatrice or someone else caught him.
"Subaru, what are you wearing, I suppose?" Beatrice asked all of a sudden, making him scream a manly scream, totally not like a girl, and jump up in surprise.
He turned around to see everyone awake, and was staring at him. He quickly hugged himself, as if to hide what he was wearing, while a bright blush spread across his face.
"Why are you all awake?! Shouldn't you all be asleep right now!?"
They stared at him speechlessly in shock.
When he had left earlier in the day, he looked like your average everyday guy with his worn out tracksuit. But right now, he looked like a charming prince that had walked straight out of a fairy tale.
Subaru was dressed in an attire befitting the nobility. His right hand fiddled nervously with the collar button of his pristine white shirt, while his left rested on the hem of the sleeve of his black coat. The few bangs of his neatly combed back hair, falling over the left side of his face, swayed side to side as looked around at everyone. The beet-red blush on his face, visible even in the reflection on his glossy jet-black formal shoes, beneath the edge of his shadow-black pants.
Subaru wasn't the kind of person who would take the effort to ever groom himself. He knew he was too plain-looking and he probably wasn't too attractive for it to have any effect. But, it looked like Priscilla didn't really share his thoughts.
"I would like to have some clothes tailored specially for you. After all, it is an insult to a goddess such as mineself if my boyfriend dresses like a pauper."
Boyfriend… No matter how many times he remembered, it never failed to make him blush.
"'Beauty' is proof of excellence. Do you not understand the meaning of that, Subaru?" She had responded, to which Subaru protested he was only wearing what he felt comfortable.
"Nonsense! Do you believe this dress I'm wearing is comfortable? Even so, you don't see me lowering mineself to the status of a commoner for the sake of comfort." She had very casually revealed something she would never speak out loud to anyone else. Although Subaru was a bit proud, he didn't want to make her waste her time on him. No clothes or makeup could ever make him look good.
"Is that really what you believe, Miss Natsumi Schwartz?" She had playfully asked him, making him blush once again. Obviously, he had argued that it was different but Priscilla once again countered him.
"You wouldn't have made such an attractive girl if you weren't attractive yourself in the first place. Now stop making excuses and come with me!"
He was still hesitating, but Priscilla had finally concluded her argument—
"'Beauty' is proof of excellence." She had reiterated. "If you look outstanding, obviously you will feel outstanding. And the more confident you feel, the less I have to witness your pathetic displays of self-deprecation. After all, it is an insult for a goddess such as mineself if my boyfriend behaves like a pauper with no pride in himself, rather than…. a King."
Subaru had no idea what she was thinking when she had uttered the last part to herself. However, he understood that Priscilla was trying to help him in her own way, and he couldn't refuse. He had stayed quiet and followed behind her as she took him to get his measurements taken.
That had happened two days ago. And now when she had successfully completed her objective of dressing him up, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the silent stares directed his way.
First, it was the entire Priscilla camp.
"What's the matter, bro! Looks like you've gotten an upgrade!"
"Onii-san, is that really you?"
"...I didn't even know this was possible."
And now as if that wasn't enough, even the entire Emilia camp was now staring at him.
"Please stop that! If I look weird, just say it!" Protested Subaru.
"...On the coooontrary, you look really good in that outfit. Roswaal was the first to speak up. "Miiiiiind telling us what brought on this change?" He asked with a cheshire cat smile.
"No!" Subaru answered immediately, leaving everyone at a loss of words. And then, suddenly realising what he had just said, he covered his mouth and looked around. "First of all, why the hell are you all awake at this time!? I was counting on you being asleep to sneak into my room!"
"Right! We almost forgot." Otto exclaimed.
"We were planning on training you for the awards ceremony. Isn't that great, Subaru?" Emilia announced the purpose of their gathering with a cheerful smile.
"...Train me?" Subaru was confused. Why did the others want to train him?
"Yeah! Don't want ya messin' up like last time, everyone said! Still, I know even if Cap'n messes up, it'll still be amazin'." Garfiel answered with a cheeky grin.
Subaru stared speechlessly at them. Did they honestly think that he would mess up that easily?
Almost all of their eyes said the same thing. We love you, but don't make a fool of yourself.
It hurt him more than he had expected. In the first place, they hadn't even seen him for a year. And they had kept excluding him from the parties and meetings. Just what did they know about his behaviour on formal occasions? It was ridiculous that they kept basing his current behaviour on an incident that had happened nearly two and a half years ago.
"Your collective lack of faith in me sure is encouraging." He responded, but his tone came out to be a bit more harsh and sarcastic than he had intended. "...And you wonder why I am never around you these days." He mumbled irritatedly to himself, not expecting his words to be heard.
However, the others were taken aback by his behaviour. Sure, he retorted back during their casual bickering sometimes, but it was obvious from his tone, that this time he really was angry. Which was another surprise, because he hardly ever got angry at them.
Emilia, who had never really seen Subaru truly irritated with them, shrunk back uncomfortably, and that did not sit right with Ram, who was observing her. The way he spoke made it seem like they had done something wrong.
"What is with your behaviour recently Barusu? First, you disappear without informing anyone. Then you go around, wasting time in your own enjoyment, and finally when Ram and the others try to help you, you behave rudely with us?"
"..."
Subaru followed Ram's eyes and he too noticed Emilia. He didn't mean to respond that way, but he couldn't stop himself from unintentionally blurting it out.
"...I'm sorry." He apologized, even though he didn't exactly feel like it. Letting out a deep breath, Subaru turned to Emilia, and said, "Emilia, I understand you're only to help, and thanks a lot for that… but I really don't need it."
"But Natsuki-san-"
"Please do not worry. I will take the utmost care to not embarrass you, Emilia-sama." And with that, correcting his posture, he gave Emilia the most formal bow he could do.
And in his current attire, it was twice as effective in shutting them all up real quick.
How to behave formally in public was something that had been drilled into him in Vollachia under Vincent's strict guidance for the past year, not to mention his previous knightly training under Clind. Obviously, he did break character sometimes, but it was never bad enough that he couldn't fix it.
"It seems we owe you an apology." Otto spoke out apologetically.
Subaru stood proudly as he accepted Otto's apology. If there was something Subaru enjoyed the most, it was doing things people firmly thought he could not. He knew it was the mark of a bad personality, nevertheless, it was still extremely amusing to him.
"Ignore those idiots, I suppose. Betty always trusted you, Subaru!" Beatrice beamed proudly, seeing her contractor shut everyone up.
"...I'm sorry to interrupt, but Subaru-sama, you have returned rather late. Have you had dinner yet?" Frederica asked, checking out the time. "If you wish, I could-"
"It's alright, Frederica. I've already had dinner with P-" Subaru stopped himself. "I've already had dinner, so you don't have to worry."
Unfortunately for him, his slip up had not gone unnoticed by the others, and their curiosity was aroused.
"Cap'n, where the hell are ya goin' to these days?" Garfiel asked him.
Subaru really wanted to tell them. In fact, he wanted to announce to the world that he was dating Priscilla. But something told him they would not really be as accepting of their relationship as the members of the Priscilla camp.
So, he knew he had to answer something to get them off his back. Sadly for him, he also knew his excuses were not the most convincing in the world. In the end, "...A friend," was all he could come up with.
"You're meeting a friend, Subaru?" Emilia asked curiously.
"...Yeah," Subaru answered. "I bumped into that person recently, and we have been spending time together, since we won't be able to meet very regularly after we leave the capital."
Subaru looked very pained answering it and it made everyone feel sorry for him. So that was why he was leaving so regularly. If that was the case, it wasn't any harm to let him visit his friend.
"That's alright, Subaru. …So you were meeting a friend." Emilia muttered. She felt happy that there were other people who took care of Subaru while she wasn't there. He looked so lonely sometimes, it hurt her. But she couldn't take care of him because of the Royal selection. "I would love for you to introduce this friend of yours to us as well, Subaru!" She wanted to thank this person for taking care of her knight.
Subaru's eyes widened. Subaru felt guilty. He was Emilia's knight but he had slept with her rival candidate behind her back. He wanted to come clean and confess, but did not want it to affect either of the girls' candidacy.
He was stuck in an odd situation where he couldn't be with the girl he loved and support her whole heartedly, because he was another candidate's knight. He just wished the Royal selection would be over as soon as possible. He didn't care who won, as long as he got to be with Priscilla at the end.
With a heavy sigh, he just answered, "Not now, Emilia. ….Maybe after the Royal selection. You should focus on the Royal selection for now."
Emilia was disappointed. It felt like recently Subaru wasn't really telling her anything.
"Suba-"
"Betty has had enough, I suppose! Subaru's been paying attention to everyone but Betty." Beatrice pouted in an irresistibly cute manner, making Subaru pick her up and settle her on his lap.
"My Beako is super cute!" He exclaimed, poking her cheeks. "I just want to keep hugging you like a teddy bear!"
"It is obvious that Betty is cute, I suppose." Beatrice nodded in approval. Normally, she would have been annoyed by Subaru squishing her this way, but lately he was out so often, she was missing her Subaru cuddles.
"As a reward, shall Betty pour out a glass for you, I suppose?" She got off from his lap to pour out a glass of alcohol and handed it to him.
"Wait Beatrice! Subaru doesn't drink. Did you forget that you dunderhead?" Emilia smiled teasingly at Beatrice.
"Who says dunderhead these days?" She expected Subaru to retort like he always did. But instead, he was staring at her with eyes wide open in surprise.
"Subaru?" Emilia tilted her head adorably in confusion.
"I've started drinking ever since Vollachia, Emilia. But wait, seriously!? You never noticed?"
Emilia was unable to give him an answer. It was slowly dawning on her why Subaru had complained that she was hardly paying any attention to him.
She looked around to see if anyone else besides her was unaware of it. However, everyone else was also looking at her in surprise. So, it was just her who never noticed?
"Subaru, I'm reaaaaallllly sorry. I haven't been paying much attention to you, have I?" Emilia felt terrible. She felt guilty. It was no wonder that Subaru wasn't telling her anything anymore. She had to make it up to him somehow.
Subaru sighed, while he drank from his glass. Now she realises it.
"Don't worry, Emilia. It's alright. The Royal selection is important for you."
Besides, if she had, he would have never been able to confess to her. The girl who had stood by his side when he needed someone the most. The girl who kept telling him how amazing he was just to make him love himself more. The girl he ended up falling in love with.
Emilia could finally focus on the Royal selection like she wanted, without Subaru annoying her, and him and Priscilla could finally be together like they wanted.
"But-" Emilia wanted to argue, but…
"I see our work is done. So why are we still awake? Ram needs her sleep!" Ram complained, while she yawned.
"I agreeeee. It is too late. Emilia-sama, please rest as well. You haaaaave to attend a party tomorrow."
"Y-Yes." She got up and watched everyone leave.
"Subaru!" Emilia called out to him one last time before retiring for the night. He turned back, wondering what she wanted from him.
"Good night, Subaru." She said. She hadn't been paying attention to him, but she wanted to change that.
"Good night, Emilia." He smiled before turning his back to her, walking away to his room, holding Beatrice's hand.
It was then that Emilia realised what it was that felt odd to her for the past few days. And it made her eyes water and her heart ache terribly.
"I love you. Good night, Emilia-tan."
"Emilia-sama, where is Subaru-sama? I believe he is twenty years old, isn't he? My daughter is the same age and…"
"Subaru-sama hasn't come? That's a shame! I would have liked to have him meet my niece…"
"My sister is a huge fan of Subaru-sama…"
"Subaru-sama isn't married yet, right? So…"
"Were there always so many marriage proposals for Subaru?" Emilia asked all of a sudden, drawing surprised stares from Otto, and Frederica, who were chatting leisurely in the dragon carriage as they were returning home from the party.
"...Yes, Emilia-sama. It was to be expected. Subaru-sama is currently one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Lugunica. But what brought this all of a sudden, Emilia-sama? Have you noticed it just today?" Frederica responded and asked a question of her own, while she looked at Emilia with concern.
Of course, she had noticed it, but it had never bothered her before that day. She did not understand why it had changed. Was it just because she hadn't heard him say the words, "I love you, Emilia-tan!" ever since he had returned?
But then how could he? She was always busy, and now when she wanted to talk to him, he was always gone to meet his 'friend'.
She knew it was selfish of her to wish this, but she wanted the award ceremony to be over as soon as possible, so they could return back and Subaru wouldn't leave anymore.
Otto sighed. "And he wonders why we don't bring him to these meetings. If he were here, Emilia-sama wouldn't be even able to get in the few words she does manage to now!"
Frederica, who was closely observing the expressions on Emilia's face, patted her back and spoke up, "Emilia-sama, are you alright?"
"Why doesn't Subaru talk to me like he did before?" Emilia asked weakly.
Otto and Frederica looked at each other at a loss for what to say. Of all the things Emilia could have said, they were not expecting her to ask this.
"...Emilia-sama, please don't worry. I'm sure he loves you." Frederica tried to reassure her.
"Really?" Emilia perked up, hopeful that Frederica was right.
Ever since yesterday night, for the first time in her life, she realised Subaru might be slipping away from her. And it scared her.
Frederica smiled and patted Emilia's head to comfort her. "...Of course, Emilia-sama."
Emilia gave a big smile as she let out an exhale in relief. "Right! I'm such a dunderhead! There is no way Subaru would leave me!"
Frederica and Otto were conflicted and looked at her in worry. Although they themselves were quite confident about it as well, the way that Emilia spoke felt extremely wrong.
"...Emilia-sama, please forgive me for what I am about to say, but…" Frederica began to speak.
Otto, realising what Frederica wanted to say, was signalling her to stop, but she understood she had to, lest this naive candidate continued to take everything for granted.
"Subaru-sama has no obligation to keep loving you forever. If you do not do anything, he might just get tired of waiting and stop-"
"No! That's not possible! He promised! He promised he would wait for me as long as it took! It's not fair! Liar!" As soon as Emilia heard it, her anxiety returned once again and she began throwing a tantrum like a small child, without even letting Frederica finish.
"I told you to not say anything, Frederica-san!" Otto exclaimed with a tone that seemed to say 'I told you so', annoying her greatly.
"...Emilia-sama, you're the one being unfair here." Frederica chided Emilia, making the silver-haired half-elf look at the beast maid almost in tears. It broke her heart seeing her liege so sad, but Emilia needed to be taught that not everything was so simple and went as she wanted.
It made Frederica wonder—how could a girl so discriminated against be so spoiled at the same time? Puck, Subaru and the other members of the Emilia camp had always taken care of her needs more than necessary, and it had ended up spoiling her.
"….At this point, after all he has done for you, even I find it extremely hard to believe he would stop loving you…"
"Then-" Emilia perked up.
"But if you don't do anything… it wouldn't be strange if he did stop. He has no obligation to keep loving someone who will never answer him back."
"But, Frederica, what am I supposed to do? ….I still don't know what love is-"
"Emilia-sama, are you serious?" This time it was Otto who cut her off. "You were sad the entire year he was away. You can't stand the thought of Natsuki-san drifting away from you. You got troubled hearing all the marriage proposals for him today. Are you still saying you don't understand?"
"..."
Emilia could still not find any response, making Otto sigh. If after all this, Emilia still can't find an answer, he had nothing else he could say. Perhaps it was best to leave it to Frederica and Ram, to make her understand.
He turned his head away from the girls, who were discussing Emilia's feelings, and looked out the window of the carriage. And then, among the crowd, he noticed, "...Is that Natsuki-san?" He said aloud, making the other two occupants of the carriage stop their conversation and look out as well.
"Stop the carriage!" Emilia shouted, ordering the driver, and making the carriage come to a half.
"...Emilia-sama? What are you doing?" Frederica asked in surprise.
"Aren't you curious too? About where Subaru is going? Because I'm reaaally curious!" Emilia exclaimed, and her two companions switched gazes between her and each other silently.
On one hand, it was a matter of Subaru's privacy. On the other hand, they wanted to know who Subaru's 'friend' was.
And fresh from the conversation that they had been having with Emilia just now, maybe it was just Emilia's paranoia spreading, but it was beginning to dawn on both of them that this 'friend' might not be a friend at all.
Otherwise, why would he have become so distant from Emilia—assuming she's telling the truth and she isn't just paranoid? Why would he be gone for so long frequently without informing anyone? And the biggest indicator of all—why had he started dressing himself up so nicely?
It was almost as if he had found a girlfriend. And Otto and Frederica would have laughed at the very prospect, if it wasn't for the advice they were giving Emilia just a few minutes ago.
And it wasn't strange if he did. He was smart, he was resourceful, he was talented in a lot of ways, and he was attractive when he actually tried, something they had discovered recently.
They thanked the driver and climbed out of the carriage, to follow behind the raven-haired knight. Subaru, who was dressed handsomely, strolled in the crowds, blissfully unaware of his three friends stalking him at that moment. Occasionally, he would stop by the window of a store to fix his hair or clothes before continuing on ahead.
"Since when does Natsuki-san care about his appearance so much?" Otto had to ask. He had never seen Subaru lift a finger to groom himself before Vollachia, even though the members of the Emilia Camp had requested him to several times. So what had changed.
"I cannot believe that it might actually be true!" Frederica gasped, and a faint blush came over her face. She knew she should not be excited about this, when Emilia was so clearly bothered by it. But the romantic enthusiast she was, she couldn't help but feel excited by the idea of a secret girlfriend.
"Geez, stop talking, both of you! What if Subaru notices us!" Emilia pouted, making her companions wave their hands dismissing her worries.
How could he? The crowds gave them the advantage, and they did not have to fear Subaru spotting them. That was until…
Subaru stopped all of a sudden, turned around and looked straight towards them. The panicking trio rushed to avoid being seen by and hid themselves among the crowd. Subaru was looking around, meaning he probably hadn't spotted them yet.
Subaru seemed… annoyed? He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, while clutching his chest. After a while, his lips curved into a mischievous smile as his eyes flew open and he looked around the stalls.
Spotting a flower shop, he rushed in and bought a bouquet of flowers. With the brightest smile on his face, he rushed out and headed in the opposite direction, leaving behind a baffled Emilia, Frederica and Otto.
"Does Subaru-sama really have-"
"No, it's not possible! There has to be a perfectly good explanation for this!" Argued Otto. Even though he had not been spending much time with Subaru recently, he knew Subaru was definitely up to something.
"What are you two talking about?" Emilia asked them, partly in confusion and partly in fear. Why was Subaru buying flowers? Was it for her? Or was it for someone else…
The very thought made Emilia tear up a bit.
"It's nothing, Emilia-sama! Let's just follow him for now."
And so, they followed sneakily behind him, observing his movements, trying to figure out what he was doing.
To their complete shock—
"Julius!" Subaru called out to the purple-haired knight he spotted patrolling the area.
All three of their heads shook vigorously as Subaru walked up to Julius and handed him the flowers.
"This can't be possible, right?" Emilia whispered out in horror. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as she kept shaking her head in denial. "Why did Subaru hand out flowers to Julius?" She asked, as her eyes were fixated on the blush on Julius's face. "…Subaru and Julius both are…"
"Please do not say that Emilia-sama! Love knows no gender!" It was Frederica, who had surprisingly come to their defense with stars in her eyes. Upon witnessing the scene before her, it was as if her inner fujoshi had awakened. "I completely support you, Subaru-sama!"
"Frederica!" Emilia exclaimed angrily, making Frederica snap out and blush heavily in shame.
"I'm sorry, Emilia-sama." Frederica apologised. No matter how excited she was, Emilia was her master. She should be supporting Emilia in her endeavours.
Emilia nodded, accepting her apology. "Subaru loves me! If he looks away, I'll make him look my way again!" She declared with fierce determination.
What was so special about Julius in the first place? Didn't Subaru hate Julius? Wasn't it Subaru who always said he was an arrogant noble, who behaved like he knew everything and could do no wrong?
Emilia was now beginning to share Subaru's hatred of Julius.
"Both of you, calm down! I'm sure it's nothing like what you're—" Otto was trying to calm the girls down just as Subaru pulled Julius into a hug. "—thinking." The internal affairs officer facepalmed. By this point, Otto was beginning to doubt that Subaru was doing this on purpose.
"No! Suba—mph!" Emilia was about to scream, when Frederica pulled out down and covered her mouth.
From their distance, they could see Julius briefly turning their way, but Subaru stopped him. They were talking and the trio tried to move closer to better hear them.
But then suddenly, in the blink of an eye…
Subaru vanished.
Julius and the three were left dumbfounded at what had just happened. How could Subaru just vanish? It wasn't possible! Did he develop some new skill in Vollachia that they did not know off?
As they were searching around for him, "There!" Frederica spotted the black-haired boy entering a store.
They came out of hiding and rushed behind him, and crossed paths with the still shocked Julius, who could only mutter out, "Emilia-sama?" as Emilia glared at him for a few seconds before she left.
But just as they tried to enter the store, a cloaked man walked out and bumped into them.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking a step back. "I'm really sorry!" He apologized.
"No, we're sorry!" Otto responded. They bowed and went on their ways.
The cloaked man felt strangely familiar to Emilia, and she tried to remember who it was.
"Quick inside! Before we lose him!" Otto instructed, breaking Emilia out of her thoughts.
Right! They were following Subaru! Emilia had no time to think about the cloaked man right now!
Taking one last peek at the strange man walking away, she turned back and rushed into the store.
They looked around…
Only to find the store completely devoid of her knight.
They had lost him.
Julius gave a tired sigh as he looked at the bouquet of flowers in his hands.
A few minutes ago—
"Julius!" Subaru's voice had cheerfully called out to him while he was patrolling the capital.
"Subaru, I see you are back." Julius replied, trying his best to contain his excitement on seeing his friend back from a year in Vollachia. And then he froze.
"Subaru, is that really you?" Julius couldn't believe his eyes. Subaru was dressed so splendidly, it left him at a loss for words.
"Here!" Subaru shoved a bouquet of flowers on to him, the moment he reached him. "I have a request! Can you- …Why are you blushing!?"
Julius did not know why he blushed. But in his defense, Subaru had disappeared for a year and the first thing he did was hand him flowers, while dressed like that. He did not know how he was supposed to react!
"Subaru, what is-"
"...Nevermind! It's better than I expected!" He said, briefly glancing back with a sly smile, before turning back to meet Julius's gaze.
What is better than he had expected? Just what is Subaru doing?
"Ah, don't worry! I'm just having some fun until I break them out of their delusions!" Subaru explained, but Julius was as clueless as ever.
Break who out of their delusions?
"The three who are following me." Subaru nonchalantly responded to the question Julius had not uttered from his mouth.
…Did Subaru just read my-
"Mind? Yeah! Yeah, I did! My Cor Leonis has grown surprisingly strong since Vollachia." Subaru began rambling about his abilities, but Julius wasn't really paying attention to it.
"...Subaru, that is extremely creepy." Julius responded honestly, forcing Subaru to stop.
He thought something for a while, before finally responding, "Yeah, you're right. It is. …I should probably stop."
Julius had no idea what Subaru was thinking about. Subaru had always been incomprehensible to him from the very beginning. But it looked like a year in Vollachia had successfully made him even more of a mystery.
"...Subaru, I…" Julius was about to speak, when Subaru suddenly grabbed his collar, and pulled him closer to him.
"No, Suba-" A voice strangely resembling Emilia's reached his ears.
"Was that-"
"Ignore it, Julius! I have a request! Just give those flowers to anyone in the Emilia camp?"
Julius meekly nodded his head at Subaru's demand.
"Thanks! I know this is a ridiculous request, but I'll explain later! See ya!" Subaru let go of Julius and whispered, "Lunar eclipse… Leaper…"
And with that, Subaru just vanished.
A few minutes later, Emilia and the others passed by, but he was too stunned to do anything.
So he had walked to the lodge that the Emilia camp were staying at and called out for someone to come out.
And…
"Disgusting!" was the reply he received as he handed the flowers over to Ram. "Julius-sama isn't bad-looking, but his personality is too bland for him to be Ram's type." Without a moment's hesitation, Ram laid out her assessment of the purple-haired knight.
Julius sighed.
He thought he had gotten used to Ram's personality after the trip to the tower, but her words were just as harsh as always.
"I apologize for the misunderstanding, Madame Ram, but those flowers are not from me, but from Subaru."
Julius internally cursed Subaru for whatever mess he had gotten him into, the very moment he met him.
"...From Barusu?" She asked, as a hint of sadness flashed across her eyes.
"...Yes. He asked me to deliver it to anyone in the Emilia camp." Julius shrugged. But then, noticing Ram's expression, he asked, "Is something the-"
"...So, it wasn't an apology." She sighed. "He really is angry…"
"Madame Ram?"
"Apologies. Thank you for delivering these flowers. Please convey my regards to Anastasia-sama."
"...Yes." It was the only reply Julius could give. All the events that had happened made him really worried about what was going on with Subaru.
He wanted to know what was happening. But unlike Subaru, he did not desire to pry into someone else's affairs, especially Subaru's mess. He sighed once again, hoping that he could get a better opportunity to talk to him later. Because he had a lot of things he wanted to talk about with Subaru.
"Let us meet again at the award ceremony." Julius bid farewell.
But just as he was about to turn, a girl with blue hair, who looked identical to Ram, peeking at the conversation from inside, caught his eye. His eyes widened.
"...Madame Rem?" She was awake and looking at them.
The mention of her name surprised Rem and she immediately fled back inside.
The nameless knight too, filled with tempestuous emotions turned away, unable to meet the eyes of either of the sisters.
"Ram will inform Barusu when he is back, that you were searching for him." Ram told him, feeling sorry for Julius.
"Thank you," He said, before he walked away.
As Ram watched him leave, her gaze once again drifted to the flowers in her hand.
"You're all too busy to spend with me, so what's wrong with me doing whatever the hell I want?" The raven-haired boy had shouted at her before he had left. "And if you're lecturing me about my behaviour, you should really save some words for your sister!"
It was the first time Subaru had ever really shouted at her. And it hurt her more than she had expected.
What did you do, Rem? She sighed, and was walking back in.
After they had returned back from Vollachia, she felt like she had gained her sister back. But the person she had considered a little brother was disappearing fast. She would soon lose him.
Subaru was behaving differently. And he was still changing. And that terrified Ram. Was it possible for a person to change so much in just a year?
"We lost him!" Ram heard silver-bells exclaim all of a sudden.
She turned around to see the silver-haired candidate had returned along with her two companions.
"There's nothing we can do about it now, Emilia-sama-"
"Wait!" Emilia stopped in her tracks. "Aren't those flowers…" She pointed at the flowers in Ram's hand, making their eyes widen.
Ram raised her brows questioningly. "Is there something wrong with the flowers, Emilia-sama. Julius-sama had them delivered to us from Barusu."
"What!" Otto took the bouquet from her hand to take a closer look at it, and noticed the card inside.
Taking it out, he read it aloud for everyone around him to hear.
"Dear Emilia, Otto and Frederica.
The chances of you finding any girlfriends of mine are as slim as Beako growing any taller. Stop following me!"
"Girlfriend?" Ram looked at them in confusion, while the others looked at her in shock.
"...Natsuki-san sure is scary, don't you think?" Otto shuddered in fear at how accurately Subaru had known what they were upto.
"He was just toying with us, wasn't he?" Frederica sighed in disappointment.
"So, he doesn't really have anyone else, right?"Emilia asked in desperation, to which Otto and Frederica just responded with a "Probably."
Emilia breathed out a sigh of relief, despite the worry that continued to tug at her heart.
"How may I help you, sir?" The receptionist asked, as Subaru fumbled at the counter.
It was a blessing that the Recognition concealing robe had covered Subaru's face, otherwise, the bright red blush on his face would have been clearly visible to the receptionist.
"Er… I am here with …Miss Prisca Benedict."
"Ah, I see. So, you are Prisca-sama's companion."
Subaru was burning in embarrassment at the receptionist's words.
It made him question if that girl had no shame. What was she thinking when she suggested this? Renting a room in a hotel for their private time!
"If you can think of something better, then tell me now!" Subaru stayed quiet, unable to anything.
"If you want us to have at least some time alone, away from those annoying clowns, just shut up and do as I say!" She was right. As long as they were in Priscilla's mansion, the others would never let them be alone.
"Besides…. it's our chance to live together for a while." She had said in excitement with her face coloured red.
It was still embarrassing!
"Sir, may I please know your name?" The receptionist asked.
He thought for a while. "...Alcor." He answered. "Just Alcor. No surname."
"Thank you. Here's the key to your room, Alcor-sama. It is the second room on the third floor. Do you wish for someone to guide you?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks!" With that, he rushed away from that place as fast as he could.
Finally, arriving in front of his room, he took the key out and unlocked the door, and entered the room as fast as he could, bolting the door behind him.
"You're finally here! I was getting tired waiting for you!" And then checking him out from top to bottom, she grinned. "…At least, I see you've put an effort before coming to meet me."
"I'm sorry. I was being followed-"
A single look at his beloved made him gasp. His face heated up once again, and he stood still, unmoving.
She had just gotten out of the shower, and was naked, with just a single tower covering her, her tantalizing white skin and her glistening wet hair, mesmerizing him. There was a second towel in her hands, rubbing her hair, trying to dry it off.
She smirked, observing his dumbfounded expression. She dropped the towel she was holding and walked closer to him.
"What's wrong? You seem rather embarrassed for someone who's seen more skin than this." She teased him.
Taking off his robe, she tossed it onto the bed. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her and giggled, feeling his heartbeat skyrocket.
"Prisca-tan, you're going to kill me someday!" He exclaimed. His hands encircled her waist, holding her gently against him.
Prisca-tan… It was a nickname reserved specially for when they were alone. It was her true name, a name only he had permission to call her by.
She loved him, and she loved hearing his voice call out her name. Not the one she had come to accept as her name, but the one she was born with.
"Call me by my name again." On the tips of her toes, she whispered her order into his ears, as he supported her close to him.
"I love you, Prisca Benedict." His voice infused with love, he confessed to her. He had no idea how happy it made her feel.
The name Priscilla was borrowed. It didn't not originally belong to her, but to that pitiful girl, her body double that had been killed standing in for her around nine years ago.
The name Barielle came from that disgusting pig, her ex-husband, who she wanted nothing to do with.
The name Prisca Benedict belonged solely to her. By confessing to that name, he was declaring his love solely to her, and not to anyone else.
It also made his confession more special and unique to them.
"I love you, Priscilla." Many of her ex-husbands, those old perverts who she wished she could have chopped up into pieces at least once, before their deaths had taken her chance away from her, had confessed to her.
But none had confessed to her as Prisca.
She found it really unfair. All of her previous marriages had been almost spontaneous and fast, with no real feelings behind them, conducted only as a stepping stone for her success.
But Subaru… He was the only person she had ever fallen in love with. He was the only person she wanted to marry. …And she had to wait at least half a year more before she could marry him.
Maybe, she could…
Without even looking at her, he seemed to have perceived her distress. Holding her chin between his fingers, he lifted her head up and leaned forward, to catch her lips in a gentle kiss. She was drowning in his love, feeling the touch of his soft lips against hers.
In the privacy of their room, Subaru had lost any feeling of embarrassment he had previously felt, and to him nothing in the world mattered other than the girl he was holding in his arms. He too wished the same as her. He too wanted a future with her.
Their lips parted, as they stared dreamily at each other.
"Prisca-tan…. are you sure you want to do this?" Subaru asked for one final time for confirmation.
"Yes!" She answered with no hesitation.
"...Are you absolutely sure though? We got lucky the last time, but… what if…"
"What if?"
"...You do realise you can get pregnant, right?"
"...I see. If that is what happens, then so be it." She declared, as she touched her stomach, still covered by the towel, her voice containing a hint of joy at the implications.
"But the Royal selection-"
"Who cares about the Royal selection, fool! Just hurry up and—kyaah!" Prisca let out an adorable scream, as Subaru surprised her, lifting her up in his arms and carrying her to the bed.
Subaru was nervous. This would be their second time sleeping together, and their first time doing it while completely sober. He had to be careful this time.
And then, he looked at his fiery princess waiting for him in anticipation. All his worries and anxieties vanished from even the most remote corners of his mind, with just a glance at her.
These moments of calm and happiness were very rare for him. And the one he was most grateful to for this was her. In just a year, she had conquered his heart as they went around conquering Vollachia. He loved her. And he wished for these precious moments with her to never end.
Why did Subaru and Ram have a fight?
Also, Prisbaru smut next chapter.
