The Vollachian Noble and Stargazer
AN: We move forward to the Selection. Subaru is not Felt, and Reinhard isn't in an abusive relationship with him like he was with Felt, so things are moving forward faster than in canon where there was a 2 month time skip till the Royal Selection. A portion of Chapter 2 of, The Great Spirit Puck's Nyan Nyan Tricks, side story will be used here. If you haven't read it, do so, it alongside 3 other as yet untranslated side stories explains why Subaru was not legally punished for coming to the Selection and actually rewarded with the full trust of the Mather's family to negotiate in their name while Julius was legally punished over his actions. Things would have been far worse for the canon timeline if Subaru had not shown up.
Chapter 4
Emilia relaxed in the large bath with Beatrice, newly returned Frederica, newly hired junior maid Petra, Ram, and Rem. It had been a 7 days since Prince Subaru had left with Meili, and 12 days since she first met him at the Loot House.
"Now Petra, this trip is very important for Emilia-sama. She will be meeting with the nobility and attending functions to win support. It is vital you be on your best behavior so that your actions don't reflect poorly on her." Frederica explained as she rinsed her young apprentice's hair.
"Hai Frederica nee-sama," Petra agreed. "Though do you think Prince Subaru will be present for the events?"
"I don't think he will be present at the Selection Ceremony, he is a foreign prince after all, but he may be present at the private functions to follow on that Lord Roswaal arranged for us to attend." Emilia responded as she washed Beatrice's hair.
"Betty will be happy if we never have to deal with that rude boy again in fact. Hmmph." Beatrice announced her opinion which had the blue hair maid nod in agreement.
"Beako, don't be a Tsundere." Emilia chided her spirit companion.
"Uggh, that boy has ruined Betty's contractor with bad habits I suppose." Beatrice complained as Emilia and Petra giggled.
"If it is any consolation Beatrice-sama, I agree the prince is shady, a layabout, and bad influence." Ram supported Beatrice.
"Rem supports the Great Spirit as well."
"Finally, some maids with sense in fact."
"Subaru isn't that bad you three. He has been tireless in trying to find out who is trying to kill me and forced Meili to attempt to curse her friends." Emilia pointed out.
"How is Meili-chan, Emilia-sama?" Petra asked.
"Prince Subaru in his letter this morning says Meili-chan is off suicide watch now, but she is quite depressed and scared still. We'll make sure to visit her." Emilia informed Petra.
"Thank you Emilia-sama." Petra smiled.
…..
Frederica drove the carriage through the streets of the capital's noble district while Petra, Ram, Rem, and Lord Roswaal rode in the carriage with Emilia and her spirits. Beatrice had her head in a book and Puck lazed across Emilia's lap.
The trip had largely been uneventful minus a short stop at Flugel's Tree to satisfy Petra's curiosity and wonder for a few minutes. But once in the capital, there were numerous checkpoints and the guards were out in force. They received an escort of guards bearing the banner of House Astrea and everywhere there was a public notice of the increased security.
"Lord Roswaal and Emilia-sama, we have arrived at the townhouse." Frederica announced.
"Ahhhh, good, Rem's trip to secure this purchase was a most fooooortuitous thing Emilia-sama. It is only a third of the size of the Manoooor but will serve our needs" Lord Roswaal exclaimed in his clownish voice.
"Rem was most exacting in getting the right building for your use in the capital over the next 3 months we will be here Emilia-sama. It is a new build with extensive modern conveniences built into it. And your quarters have been cleared of mirrors." Rem spoke up.
"Thank you," Emilia graciously answered them as their carriage door was opened by a red haired middle aged man.
"Lady Emilia, I am Duke Heinkel van Astrea. Prince Subaru asked me to relay his apologies for not meeting you in person. He and Reinhard have been busy busting up assassin cells in the city and have gotten a lead on the mysterious Mother of Assassins. He wanted me to assure you that you will be safe in the city and House Astrea has vowed to protect you while in the city." The Duke and current head of the Astrea Family announced with a bow.
"Has the Prince been safe in these operations?" Emilia asked in concern.
"He has my son with him at all times, and his Stargazing has enabled him to thwart one attempt on the Duchess Karstein, 3 attempts on Lady Anastasia, and 12 on the Baroness Barielle. As you have seen, security is tightened and the Prince has ensured the safety of the city." Duke Astrea assured her.
"Sounds like the Prince to work so tirelessly. I hope his nightmares haven't been too gruesome," Emilia replied before turning to her entourage. "It looks like the city may be unsafe for a bit, so Petra, no going out alone. Make sure you always have Frederica or the twins with you when you head out till Prince Subaru secures the city."
"Hai, Emilia-sama."
Turning back to Duke Astrea, Emilia made her next request. "Once we settle in, I need to meet with the Prime Minister to discuss the Selection Ceremony tomorrow Duke Astrea."
"I will escort you myself Emilia-sama and be your Agent in the Guard Post." Duke Astrea answered.
…
Under the cover of her concealing cloak, with Duke Astrea and 4 of his men-at-arms in escort, also in concealing cloaks, Emilia stepped from the carriage to enter the guard post. Per Prince Subaru's security precautions, each Dragon Maiden was to use a concealing cloak alongside her escorts and doubles would make regular trips to the guard post to make assassination attempts difficult to pull off. A precaution Lord Roswaal and Puck agreed with. The sheer number of attempts on the Baroness was because she refused such precautions and insisted in wandering the city without an escort half the time. So much that when Al, her Attendant was alone, a city wide search was conducted by the guards.
[I hope Prince Subaru didn't have too many nightmares with regard to keeping the Baroness Barielle safe Puck.] Emilia expressed her worry to her father.
[I'm sure the Prince is fine Lia. In fact I applaud his diligence in making sure he takes a knife in the guts before you do.]
[Puck! I dislike it when people get hurt for my sake. Don't be cheerful about such scary things.] Emilia pouted at her father.
[Lia, the Prince is doing his job. If you want to honor him, follow his security precautions so his burdens are less.] Puck replied as the door was opened at the Duke's seal being presented.
"Sigh," [You're right Puck. Though I dislike it.]
Once in, Emilia was led to a set of Conference Mirrors which were opaque to her eyes alone. Lowering her hood, Emilia waited for the Prime Minister to show up via the mirror. Within a minute his face appeared.
"Greetings Emilia-sama, I am pleased to see you have decided to attend the Selection. I hope you are in good health."
"Thank you for your concern Lord Miklotov, I hope you and the council remain in good health as well." Emilia gave a standard polite reply.
"I and the council are in good health thanks to Prince Subaru's tireless efforts in rooting out the assassin cells in the city. His Stargazing has been invaluable in protecting you and your fellow Dragon Maidens. That said, for tomorrow, we will start at roughly noon. There will be refreshments in a waiting room for you. You will be allowed 2 servants to attend upon you in addition to your chosen Knight or Sponsor. There will an introduction of the 5 candidates and a short statement from each candidate followed by a question period from the council. After that there will be inter-camp negotiations on how to proceed forward with the Selection at which point you may leave at any time."
"I understand Lord Miklotov. But who is the 5th Maiden? I am only aware of Lady Anastasia, Duchess Karstein, and the Baroness Barielle."
"The 5th Candidate will be officially introduced tomorrow due to security concerns. There is nothing to worry about. Prince Subaru's invaluable aid has ensured the safety of the Ceremony. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow."
"As do I, thank you for your time Lord Miklotov."
Stepping back and turning around, Emilia left the guard post and a short trip later found herself at the Astrea Manor with Heinkel. Accepting Heinkel's hand as she stepped down from the carriage, Emilia was greeted by Carol Fauzen.
"Welcome Emilia-sama, the prince expected you would arrive to visit Meili-chan. He sends his apologies for not being able to meet you, but he is currently diving deep into the nightmares and guiding Reinhard into cleaning up the city of evil doers who twist children into monsters. He already rescued 2 other girls and a boy who were like Meili, we have taken steps to protect them and hopefully rehabilitate them so they can return to society."
"Thank you Carol-san, please relay my gratitude to Prince Subaru. He is welcome to visit me at my lodgings at any time. And thank him on my behalf for protecting Meili-chan." Emilia answered.
Following Carol through the Astrea Mansion, Emilia was led to a secured tower used for captives awaiting ransom. Going up a flight of stairs, they came to Meili's room where she sat on the bed in a ball and a maid sat in a chair to monitor her. The room had been set up with tasteful wall papers with cute prints and several stuffed dolls were in the room.
"Hi Meili-chan," Emilia greeted her as she went to sit next to her as the maid exited.
Meili glanced up and then lowered her head without answering.
Embracing her, Emilia stroked her hair. "I hear you came off of suicide watch now. I am glad you chose life instead of attempting a very scary thing."
Meili still didn't respond, only her gentle breathing indicated life.
Still holding her, Emilia continued to talk to her, "I know you're scared, but Prince Subaru and Reinhard will protect you. The bad lady who threatens you will be found and punished. We won't let her hurt you anymore."
Meili started to sob on Emilia's chest, prompting Emilia to lower her head towards Meili to further comfort her.
"It's okay Meili, we will wait for you. Oh and Petra-chan is in town with me. She was worried about you being sad. I told her she could visit you tomorrow and spend the day with you while I attend a very important meeting."
Emilia spent several more minutes with Meili till she fell asleep. Laying her down, Emilia covered her with the blanket and placed a well-made Reinhard Doll in her arms before leaving the room.
"I see Meili-chan has fallen asleep again Emilia-sama." Carol noted as another Astrea Maid went into the room and sat in a chair to monitor Meili.
"Yes she has," Emilia noted sadly, "I will be sending a junior maid named Petra here tomorrow to visit her. Mayhaps seeing a playmate from the village will cheer her up."
"She will be most welcomed Emilia-sama."
…..
"What is taking so long, I suppose?" Beatrice fumed as the carriage made its way to the castle.
"Nooow, Nooow, Beatrice-sama, this is just basic security precautions to ensure Emilia-sama's safety." Roswaal reassured Beatrice as she sat in Emilia's lap.
"We're already past the last checkpoint and entering the castle itself Beako," Emilia added her own reassurance.
"Auggh, letting that shady boy near you has ruined you in fact. Betty doesn't like the bad habits you picked up from him."
"Ahhhh, but Beako is a reeaaly cute nickname." Emilia placated Beatrice.
"Hmmph. Bubby shouldn't have let that shady rude boy near you in fact."
Her response was suppressed giggles from Emilia.
After a few more minutes they came to a stop and a Royal Guard opened the carriage door and Duke Astrea offered Emilia a hand down.
"Duke Astrea, it is good to see you again," Emilia greeted the head of the Astrea Family.
"The pleasure is mine Lady Emilia. I just got done making a report to the Council on the suppression of the Assassin Cells in the city with the Prince and Reinhard." Heinkel responded as he helped Beatrice down.
Emilia perked up, "Prince Subaru is here?"
"Indeed, but he is resting at the moment. He delved deep into the nightmares as he calls them to bust up a child slave ring last night with Reinhard, with no losses. Three nobles were involved along with some ties to the Assassins that are trying to kill you and the other candidates." Heinkel explained.
"I see," Emilia eyes conveyed her worry for the Prince's health. "If possible, I would like to see him and inquire of his health. I have seen hints of how much those nightmares take a toll on him."
"You'll get the chance to see him at the Selection Ceremony. He will be in attendance," Heinkel answered with a smile. "That said, if you will follow me to your waiting room, the Prince arranged for sweets he noticed you like to be procured for you while we wait."
"Figures the shady boy would try to seduce Betty's innocent maiden Emilia with sweets, I suppose."
"Beakooo, Prince Subaru is not shady. Be nice to him."
"Hmmph." Beatrice pouted as she walked alongside Emilia.
…
Puck licked his paws as he floated in an adjacent room where Emilia and Beatrice enjoyed the sweets Prince Subaru left them which also helped Emilia calm her sudden case of nerves. Roswaal had insisted on meeting him in here away from Emilia.
Inside the warmly colored, well-ordered room, expensive furnishings and paintings were beautifully arranged.
One of the paintings was of the three heroes spoken of in stories handed down in the kingdom – "God Dragon" "Master Swordsman" "Sage", and stone statuary using the "God Dragon" as a motif could be seen at various locations around the castle.
Not feeling like he could look on it favorably, Puck decided that it was in rather poor taste.
"If they're going to be decorating with this sort of thing, they'd be better off just hanging pictures of fruit. Why, I might even draw one or two for them, myself."
"Ooooh, this is unexpected. To think that the Great Spirit makes a hobby of dabbling in art."
"Well, I've never painted, but maybe I can paint. See, I'm just a bundle of possibilities. The philosophy of not letting one's whims be bound by rules, doesn't that sound like an artist?"
"I feel like that sort of trait is closer to a cat than an aaaartist."
Saying that entirely without malice, a smile of amusement appeared on Roswaal's face.
In his attitude's words and hidden meanings, he was making no effort to treat Puck with the respect due to a Great Spirit.
In truth, Puck himself didn't care for thoughtless respect or worship. Even calling him a Great Spirit was just something the people around him had begun doing by themselves. He wasn't proud of it; it meant nothing to him.
"Well then. You've gone to the trouble of calling me here and leaving Lia alone in the waiting room. Is it alright for me to think that you've called me to talk about something important?"
"Naturally, an important task is waiting for Emilia-sama. She needs time to unify the spirits… if I were to say that, you wouldn't believe me, then? In truth, it's something diiiifferent."
Shaking his head with a clownish gesture, Roswaal folded his short arms and looked up at Puck.
"Of course, if you're playing some kind of prank, I'll leave right away. I enjoy a good prank, too, but right now, when Lia is shaking like a kitten despite the sweets and Beatrice, I'm worried for her like a father cat."
"You truly do care for Emilia-sama, Great Spirit. I assure you I understand your worries foooor her. For Emilia-sama, this may become her great moment in the spotlight… or an embarrassing debut."
"…I'm still not very happy with the idea of having that girl standing up in front of people. Lia says she'll do it no matter what, so I'm just doing what I can to help out."
It was easy to imagine the harsh situation Emilia would be placed in, several hours from now. For that alone, Puck was emotionally opposed to not only the events of today, but participating in the Royal Selection from the start. There really was no reason for her to be unjustly injured, or to go to the trouble of making herself a target.
He kept Emilia distant from everything that would hurt her. That was Puck's reason for existing.
"However, Emilia-sama has already chosen her path. Well then, our duty is to clear and pave the road that she will walk, as well as we are able, wouldn't you say?"
"…If you'd quit beating around the bush, we could get this over with."
"Weeeell then, I'll be brief. A few hours from now, Emilia-sama will stand on the stage of the Royal Selection. At that time, it is certain that those who do not think kindly of her origin will shower her with heartless condemnation. Their distrust is deeply rooted, and it's plain to see that they are vulgar enough to jump at the chance to abuse someone while maintaining appearances."
Roswaal fluidly explained his rather cruel conjecture to Puck.
Puck listened in silence; by and large, he was thinking the same thing. It wasn't hard to imagine after the looks that were directed at Emilia when she arrived by the other who had business at the castle.
"When the Royal Selection begins, the candidates will be given a chance to express their own thoughts. Something you might call a public declaration of belieeeefs."
"A public declaration of beliefs… something about it seems quite overblown."
"It's a big affair for the kingdom, after all, so it's only natural for it to be overblown and exaggerated. Also, I've informed Emilia-sama about the declaration. However," Cutting off his words there, Roswaal closed one eye and pierced Puck with an amber gaze. With a slight pause in his speech, Roswaal's head wobbled as he shook it.
"The time of public declarations is likely to be an excellent opportunity for those who loathe Emilia-sama's origin. I even have some idea of who may speak up fiiiirst."
"Hmm, and what then? Are you going to reprimand the one you're thinking of before the Royal Selection starts?"
"Thaaaat's an option, too, but they have a strong belief in never giving in to the threat of violence. We're somewhat well-acquainted with each other, so there's no doubt they'd brush me off."
"Well then, what do you want to do? I don't enjoy saying it, but I'm not that much use outside of situations that call for brute force. Unless they're an unparalleled cat lover."
At that point, Puck continued "Or perhaps," As he washed his face.
"Is that person in fact an unparalleled cat lover? You intend to subvert them, not with feminine wiles, but with feline wiles?"
"I'm acquainted with them, but I couldn't say with any confidence that they love cats that much. Sooo, let's try something else. Won't you join me in putting on a little play?"
"A play?"
The intriguing word 'play' suddenly jumped out at him. Roswaal had referred to what lay in Emilia's immediate future as a stage. The word 'play' was certainly not unrelated.
"When you say 'play', what do you plan to make a play of, and how?"
"As I was saying earlier, the candidates' declaration of beliefs – It's easy to imagine things getting out of hand when they attempt it. The reason for that is not restricted to Emilia-sama; it's a gathering of candidates with truly unique, original ways of thinking."
"So they're not just pretty faces, then. Well, I suppose that makes sense, too."
"It's just that, even in that setting, Emilia-sama's origin makes her an easy target. Both the unchangeable circumstances of her birth, and the kingdom's deeply-rooted rejection of half-devils are pasts that are difficult to change, after all."
"…That's true. I see your reasoning."
Roswaal then smiled, "Hence our need to change the game. Prince Subaaaru is not just a Prince, but a Royal Candidate as well."
Puck's jaw dropped and he was speechless for a moment. "What is your game; spit it out. I only allowed my daughter close to the shady fellow because you told me he is the key to granting Lia's wish."
"Indeeed, by law, a male claimant takes precedent over a female claimant. Due to that and the fact he is single, makes Subaaaru a most attractive prize to secure the seat of Queen of Lugnica. We merely need to let things play out and our dear Prince be the man that he is. You can't shelter Emilia-sama forever; it's time to see to her marriage. And what better way for all of us to achieve our goal than to marry Emilia-sama to our future King."
Puck stared at Roswaal for a long moment before moving in, "Tell me everything of this plan, leave nothing out, and if you betray me and harm Lia, my vengeance will be swift."
"Ahhh, I feel like you don't trust me at aaall, but I understand your fatherly concern."
Moving in close, the shady clown with no balloons and the eldritch abomination Great Spirit pretending to be a lovable-house-cat and friend-to-all-children began to conspire.
AN: Next chapter will be the Royal Selection itself. It will be a shitshow for the same reason as canon, 4 ladies giving statements showing them to be unfit for ruling, a Councilman who shouldn't be on the Council, and Knights and Magi demonstrating they believe in keeping Lugnica an Apartheid Ethnostate that engages in extrajudicial murder of citizens they don't like. Only this time around, Subaru is a candidate so things go a lot differently as you will see.
