Darkness. Wherever his eyes wandered, there was darkness. —Eyes? He didn't have any eyes.
Darkness swirled all around him, clouds of shadows embraced his body. —He had no body.
Infinite darkness, up, down, left, right. Without any possibility of orientation, it was meaningless in the end. Who could tell if there was any left or right in the first place?
He was nothing more than a floating mind, surrounded by a world of shadows and darkness. One might ask what the difference is. —He didn't know either.
Then he noticed it. A vaguely human silhouette before him.
I'm not alone here. No one else is here.
"I love you."
I miss that voice. I don't know it.
"I love you."
I miss these words. I've never heard them before.
"I love you."
I want it to be true. I don't know you.
"I cannot meet you yet."
With the uttering of these words, the world of shadow began to crumble and fade—and with it, him.
"I don't know that ceiling," said Subaru, as he reentered the world of light. Even though his vision was blurry; that much he could discern. It was like having woken up from a deep slumber.
—And by the look of it, I did. I'm neither home nor is this the market. Where am I? Did I… survive?
Subaru's hand instinctively wandered to the spot Elsa's blade had sunk into, shifting the layers of cloth—robes he was wearing. But nothing was there, neither wound nor pain. He deeply exhaled. "Must have been Emilia's healing magic," he mumbled.
After reliving the same day four times, after all the agonizing pain, terrifying fear, and endless struggling, he now just enjoyed the calmness that surrounded him. A fluffy cushion, a soft bed. Subaru blinked a few times. His eyes burned from the flooding daylight, so he wanted to rub them.
"—eh?"
But as he tried to move his left hand, it was being held back? Putting more strength behind it, he pulled, but whatever had limited his movement wouldn't budge. Instead, merely a rattling noise emerged, disturbing the silence.
"So you're awake."
Startled, Subaru looked up. Sitting upon a chair to his side she sat, putting away a book.
He blinked some more, just to be sure his eyes didn't deceive him. At his side sat Emilia, shifting around on her chair after being eyed by him like that.
"Good morning Emilia. Uh… what happened? Where am I?"
"Hello—Subaru, was it?" she asked cautiously.
"Yes, Natsuki Subaru!" he said, grinning widely. Not only did she remember his name, she even sat at his bedside as he woke up. This certainly met his fantasy world expectations.
"After you lost consciousness, you were brought to safety. Elsa got away, but no one else was harmed."
"That's wonderful news—well, aside from Elsa escaping. But everyone's safe… I guess it was you who healed me, Emilia? Looks like I really owe you," he said with heartfelt gratitude.
But the half-elf looked conflicted—certainly not like someone who was happy about these words.
Noticing this, Subaru wanted to move his hand—reach out to her. But it was stopped right in its tracks again. He grumbled and looked down. Chains of ice surrounded his wrists.
"—eh?"
He looked bewildered to Emilia, making his confusion apparent. "I'm chained to the bed? Why?"
"Take a guess," she said bluntly.
"There's only really one reason coming to mind, and this isn't quite like I imagined it to be—well, it sure is like in my fantasy, but didn't this progress far too quickly!?" he driveled, getting beet red.
Emilia showed herself unimpressed by the boy's antics. In fact, she didn't show any outward reaction, keeping a stoic face. "It seems you don't quite understand the situation you're in. I have a couple of questions and you will answer them," she stated undeterred, making clear there was little room for discussion.
Subaru gulped. He noticed her cold tone. This clearly wasn't going to be—. "You can ask me anything, with or without chains. But at least let me sit up properly," he said, failing to do just that.
Emilia looked thoughtfully at Subaru for a moment, eventually sighing. With a sway of her hands the binding glew and new chain links appeared. Using his new gained freedom, Subaru slid upward, repositioning himself to a comfy sitting posture.
"Alright, ask away." While he definitely would have preferred to wake up in a more welcoming manner, it at least wasn't in a dungeon, which he deemed to be a just as valid option during such times. Especially considering he already was in chains. So much for the fantasy expectation.
"As you surely can guess, it is about the recent attack from Elsa," the girl began. "I will ask you about several things I have learnt of, as well as your role or involvement in it."
Subaru nodded. It didn't come as that surprising to be asked about it—he just hadn't expected it to be so immediate and rough.
"Let's start with a simple question then. From whom did you learn of my name?"
Subaru blanked. "Your name…?"
"Yes. The first thing you shouted on that plaza was my name. We'll get to that soon enough though. Just now too you used it with such familiarity when greeting me. As if we knew each other."
His mind was racing. He didn't expect to be asked about that—and it showed. Subaru's face was generally an open book, as he rarely needed to hide his immediate emotions from anyone else. "Ah… well… you see," he stammered, without producing any intelligible answer. Failed by his wit, he fell silent, unsure what to say.
Suspecting Subaru chose to remain silent, she voiced her disappointment. "I see. So you refuse to answer," she said, as each word lost a bit of strength. "I assume I cannot expect an answer to you knowing Puck's name either then."
Subaru remained silent, looking down at his clenched fists, unable to meet her eyes. It's not that I don't want to answer. But what should I say? You told me? Lying's out of the question as well.
After having taken a deep breath, she continued with a calm—even distant voice. "Mmm… Alright. Another angle then. Why were you hiding at that plaza?"
Another moment of prolonged silence. However, after some hesitation Subaru looked at her. "I wanted to… save you," he said, his voice brimming with conviction.
"Save me? Why?" Emilia asked bewildered, clearly taken aback by his intention. As if the mere idea of it was absolutely foreign to her—the very combination of words an atrocity themselves.
"Because… you saved me," he said, forcing each word out of his throat, as his face scrunched up. It wasn't much more than some croaked words, barely understandable for any listener.
Because you saved me! Because you were the only one! I owe you! I promised! I—
While Subaru was lost in his thoughts, unable to voice them properly, Emilia regarded him mystified. As he staggered off into silence she rubbed her temples with a frown, looking both confused and dissatisfied with his answers thus far.
"I promised," he eventually pressed out. It was the most sensible of possible answers—not entangling himself further into pitfalls, yet also how it truly came to be.
"A promise…" Emilia repeated, permitting the word to linger in the air. "I see…"
Subaru noticed the change in her demeanor. How her eyes regained some warmth. And how her composure seemed to be considerably less defensive and on guard. Seeing her at ease relaxed his soul as well—it was no longer subjected to some nervous pressure, or at least not an uncomfortable one.
"That girl—Felt has told me that it was you who told her to lure us to that plaza."
His chest felt heavy all of a sudden again, with some pressure returning. "...Yeah, it's true," he admitted. Seeing how Emilia's gaze hardened, he hastily added, "Wait, let me explain!"
"Go on." These two words weren't spoken with annoyance or hostility, but with patience. An invitation to explain himself. And explain he would.
Subaru took a deep breath. "Alright. I learnt of Elsa's plan and knew she wanted to lure you up in the slums after Puck was gone. So I tried to thwart her plan by changing place and location," he said, holding up two fingers. "I thought that maybe she wouldn't find you when you're not in the slums any longer. Or that she would be prompted into action sooner, if a chance presents itself—like a secluded place. So that Puck can still act in time."
Emilia put her hand to her chin, looking lost in thought. "So you thought you could prevent her attack by changing both time and location. That is… certainly an explanation. It at least aligns with what I've heard so far. Furthermore, Reinhard told me it was you who asked for his assistance."
Seeing that Emilia seemed to buy his explanation, Subaru could feel the last remnant of tension dissipate. "Yeah. In case things get out of hand, I wanted a plan B," he said, snapping his fingers. "Speaking of which, please tell me, what exactly happened after I was out?"
"Mhm. I will after one more question. Do you know what this is?" she said, holding up a black pendant—or some sort of badge; with golden gravures and a red gemstone in its center.
Subaru tilted his head. "No idea what that is, never saw something like it. Did Elsa drop it?"
His question seemed to surprise Emilia, as now she was the one who blinked rather quickly in succession. "Dropped by Elsa…?" she repeated baffled, holding the badge close to her chest. "No, it belongs to me. But you really don't seem to have the slightest idea—or any weird reaction to it."
"Well, it looks expensive. Gold and jewel and such. But other than that, why should—eh?"
For the third time, Subaru uttered this exclamation of surprise, though this time it was because his bindings were undone. Just as she had before added some chain links, now Emilia had dissolved them, together with the cuffs around his wrists.
As if to verify that he was truly free, he made a few wide arching stretches, before eventually jumping out of bed. "So, what was that all about?"
Emilia too stood up, facing the boy. "I'm sorry, Subaru," she said, lowering her head. "Your appearance was quite sudden and worrying, so I had to make sure you were no threat. Please forgive my rather rough behavior even though you risked your life to save mine."
Subaru scratched the side of his cheek. "Well, I guess jumping out behind some crates in a secluded plaza was not the most confidence-inspiring thing to do," he admitted.
"And most importantly—please accept my sincere gratitude for saving my life. I am greatly indebted to you." Her voice was silken, clearly conveying the heartfelt message she had intended to give. While she said this she furthermore tightly gripped the green pendant around her neck.
Being overwhelmed by the sudden shift in tone, Subaru's eyes widened and his mouth stood ajar. He remained silent for a moment, embarrassed by the sudden warmth that came from her. Lacking the confidence to accept it and feeling the need to overplay it, he chose to tease her for it. "I don't know if I can forgive such a horrible treatment that easily."
With theatrical emphasis, he grabbed his heart, as if he were gravely wounded. Feigning hurt, he stole a glance at Emilia to check her reaction to his show—she seemed to be quite affected by it, as she avoided meeting his eyes. "There's only one thing that comes to my mind which could set things right! I demand a proper introduction!"
Emilia looked confused, her seriousness challenged by Subaru's enthusiasm. "A proper introduction?" she asked.
"Yeah. Let's cast aside the shadow of that plaza and meeting under threat from Elsa; instead, make this our first proper interaction." Just the mere thought of setting things right elated him.
"I cannot say I understand your way of thinking, but alright. If this is necessary for you to forgive me, a proper introduction it is," she said, slowly nodding, but clearly clueless as to what this was about.
"It isn't about forgiving you—I haven't even been angry in the first place. But I want our relationship to have a proper start again, so that's why!" He struck a pose, the finger pointed to pierce the sun—well, ceiling. "My name is Natsuki Subaru, not only am I completely lost, I'm also broke beyond compare!" he said, grinning brightly. "Now that I think about it, guess my situation hasn't changed that much since the first time."
After some moments of uncomfortable silence, Emilia raised her hand, covering her smile. Unsure what his weird mannerisms were supposed to convey, or why he'd flaunt with shortcomings that much, she chose to just ignore his antics. "I'm Emilia, just Emilia. Pleased to meet you, Subaru."
Hearing her introduction, Subaru came to fully realize that a new day had begun. His nightmarish struggle had finally come to an end. Even though he didn't know what the future in this fantasy world entailed, he was sure the worst was over. "Alright Emilia-tan, with that all's well now!"
"What does 'tan' mean?" Her intelligent eyes were subtly glinting—a sight from which Subaru could not hope to escape from. Or wanted to. Meaning inevitably—
Subaru blushed. "It means I like you." Which was an understatement in any way. Not only bore the honorific a much more intimate meaning, its nature showing an enormous sign of affection—he also wanted to use it just in this way, as his feelings encompassed more than mere liking.
Thus, he could not help himself but turn red. No matter how much boldness he showed with this claim, or how courageous he had proven himself to be during his earlier tribulations, he was still a boy, and at moments like these ultimately bashful, averting his gaze and showing his nervousness.
"You could have just said nothing," she mumbled with a hand covering her mouth. Had Subaru looked up, he could have seen her raising an eyebrow at that statement, her doubt visible for the slightest of moments. Though only shortly—as immediately afterward she violently shook her head, as if to remind herself of something important.
"Don't think I'll forget just about everything else," Emilia said, bringing Subaru back to the here and now. "You saved my life and I am greatly indebted to you for that—and not the other way around. Though what that exactly means I would like to discuss later, due to problematic circumstances."
"What do you mean with 'problematic circumstances'?" Subaru asked, ignoring the debt part.
"Due to an incident that happened during the same day in the city, I was unable to travel back home. That's why we are currently at the Astrea estate, in the Capital City of Lugnica—belonging to Sir Reinhard. However, I cannot discuss things related to my debt before returning home and having talked with someone. I hope you can understand that," she said.
"Sounds ominous, but sure. Don't worry about it, it's not like I'm in a hurry for anything. I don't even know what to do next," Subaru said with a wry smile. "—Wait, debt?"
"Yes, debt. You've saved my life, and I do intend to show you my gratitude for that. Meaning I owe you for it. And judging by what you said earlier—being lost and broke…" She let her words linger in the air for a bit.
"Does that mean I get to accompany you?" he asked, barely able to mask his excitement.
The girl looked baffled—likely not expecting this kind of reaction at all. "… Yes?" She eyed the boy curiously. "It would be the easiest way to settle my debt. So you're free to come with me, should that truly be what you want."
"Grea—I mean, good!" he said, still failing miserably to hide his colors. "So, what's going to happen now?"
"About that. You should rest a bit more. While you were lucky that no organs got severely damaged, you still lost quite an amount of blood—something no healing magic can regenerate just like that," she explained. "You slept for well over a day."
"Over a day? That's too wasteful, even by my standards! I should seize the day then even more!" Subaru said, pumping himself up by doing the first steps of some warm-up exercises. However, in doing so he noticed that indeed he was not at the height of his power. Even worse, his body betrayed him by a loud growling of his stomach.
"First you should rest up properly," she insisted. "I will inform the servants that you woke up, so that they can fetch you for dinner, and that they inform Reinhard of your awakening."
With a sigh, Subaru dropped back onto the bed. "What about Felt?"
"She's still here, you should meet her at dinner," Emilia said, as she picked up the book she had placed down before. "I'll need to sort out the things she and you did tell me about the incident with Elsa, so I'll take my leave."
When she was about to leave the room, she threw him one last glance back. Subaru waved weakly as she left, being left alone to his devices. It didn't take long for him to slumber again.
As soon as Emilia had left the room, an androgynous voice resonated within her. "So, what do you think, Lia?" It was Puck, her dear father, the only one whom she trusted and shared a close bond with.
She remained silent for a few moments, thinking carefully about her answer. "He did not deny the connection, nor did anything contradict what Reinhard or Felt said about the whole situation. I am inclined to believe him. Especially for his lacking reaction to the insignia," she thought, taking out the black, triangle-shaped object of great importance from her pocket. In its midst rested a red jewel, glowing to her touch. It was the only reason a cursed existence like hers had a right to be here, at the home of one of the most esteemed noble families of the whole Kingdom, if not the world.
Aside from her mere existence alone, this thing too would make her the target of many sinister ambitions, of that much she was aware. Still, treating someone like that, especially someone who went out of his way to aid her—it laid extraordinarily antithetical to her nature, further weighing on her mind and gnawing at her conscience. No matter what she did, she was—
I had to do that. I decided to give up hope long ago. So why am I still—
However, a voice had entered the realm of her thoughts again, derailing her train of negativity. "Contrary to your burdened heart just now, the boy didn't seem to be weighed down by any dark feelings. Neither malice nor hostility. Despite what he said, even you chaining him down didn't seem to bother him. The opposite, even." For some reason, the last part sounded like a growl.
"Is that so? How odd," she thought, not exactly understanding either the boy or her father's reactions. "Either way, we should consult with Reinhard. And once we can return, it is important to settle the debt with the boy as quick as we can and see him off. It must be troubling enough to—"
"Troubling for whom?" Puck snidely remarked, seemingly intent to not just let his words go unheard and his daughter continue down a path of self-depreciation.
"For everyone," she thought, sharply cutting into her father's words. "It must be hard enough for Reinhard to be host already, even if he is far too courteous to ever mention it. The others are barely able to look at me without making a face—not to mention the head of the Astrea family not even bothering to show up. That boy too seemed to have gotten roped into it somehow—how else would it be explainable for him to take on such an unreasonable risk. Didn't you bring things such as these up, when you advised me against even talking to him?"
Engaged in conversation without speaking a single word, Emilia and her spirit walked through the long halls of the Astrea estate, until they eventually found one of the two servants who would not harbor—no, at least not openly show their disdain. Harbor they surely did. They had to.
"Carol-san," Emilia greeted, as she walked up to the elderly woman. She was dressed in a judicious black and white uniform—a maid outfit of the finest quality, not much unlike the ones she was already used to seeing at home, though with a notable difference in fashion. One which emitted dignity, underlining her otherwise staid nature even more. Her gaze was stern and her words had a brutal candor with them. But at this very moment, her eyes were soft and she smiled slightly.
During her first day here, Emilia was given a tour of the Astrea estate by the very same woman, and curiously enough, she had seen a similar expression when they came past this place here—the ancestral halls. Here one could take testimony of the Astrea family—portrait upon portrait depicting generations of a heroic legacy. Aside from spouses, they all shared the same trait throughout hundreds of years; flaming red hair—the telling sign of someone born to house Astrea. Additionally, there was one other commonality at least some of them shared. Of this, Emilia was also aware.
"Theresia van Astrea, the previous generation Sword Saint," Emilia said, joining Carol in regarding the portrait. She did not only recognize her from her studies, but also from the many tales that were told about one of the key figures in ending the demi-human civil war—a war that had shaken the Kingdom some 40 years ago. It had produced great misfortune and strife that lingered until the present day in the hearts and minds of all the people in Lugnica, and even beyond.
Upon hearing these words, the elderly maid slowly nodded. "Indeed Emilia-sama. Please forgive my inattentiveness, I was reminiscing. Is there something you need?" Turning and deeply bowing to the half-elf, the maid had regained her composure, inquiring about any need a guest might have.
"Yes. Please inform Sir Reinhard when he returns that the boy has woken up, though I did advise him to rest some more until dinner. Furthermore, should Sir Reinhard arrive in time, relay to him a request for a conversation about what I have discovered while talking with the boy." With this, the stranger—Subaru should be taken care of.
"Of course, Emilia-sama, I will tell the young master as soon as he returns. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, that would be all for now. I will return to my room and study some more, thank you Carol-san." Gripping the book tighter, she turned around after the maid had once more bowed down. While she did not understand why gestures like these were so important she had learnt to accept them, in hopes to avoid puzzling those around her even further.
Having done what she set out to do, Emilia returned to her room, waiting for the evening to arrive.
Startled by the unexpected knocking, Subaru jerked up, almost falling off the bed. He had taken another short rest and only been awake again for a couple of minutes, patiently waiting until dinner would be ready. Before however, he had taken a short trip to the bathroom connected to his room, freshening himself up, as well as checking his body in the mirror—everything looked fine. No scars, no bruises. Nothing of his struggles left a permanent mark on his body. Permanent scars on his soul and mind were another story altogether, however these were not visible to him—perhaps not even to his consciousness. Or perhaps they were, but his mind had decided to ban any thought about it.
Hearing another knock, he shook his head. "Come in."
"Entering," a rough, deep voice said before the door was slowly opened. The entrant was an older gentleman, dressed in a fine tailcoat, looking like it would be worn for highly official events back on Earth—or maybe it was a fine uniform for a butler, serving the most illustrious members of the nobility. Truly, his white shirt, black vest and pants, formidable black tailcoat, white gloves, and black, glossy shoes earned him a fine first impression.
"Yo," greeted Subaru, leaning against the back of his bed, still dressed in his grey robes. The elder man mustered him. Even though his gaze was grim, it was free of hostility, exposing rather his staunch nature than any thought he might harbor about Subaru.
The man made a slight bow. "Dear guest… I'm Grimm Fauzen. A butler…serving the… Astrea family. I shall… escort you.—You are… already expected," he said in short, rough-sounding sentences, with notable breaks in between. At first, Subaru thought he might just mumble naturally. However, when the man came closer as he moved to the dresser beside Subaru, he could take a closer look and saw it. A big scar across his throat. Subaru hastily averted his gaze, not wanting to seem rude.
"—Your clothes," said Grimm, presenting what he had taken out of the drawer. The man held his earthly clothes, which were neatly folded together. As he handed them to Subaru, Grimm took a closer look as well, though his expression remained unreadable—his eyes gave nothing away, and what his face might have shown, would have been covered by his white beard.
"Thanks," said Subaru, inspecting his dear tracksuit. It appeared to have been mended excellently; one could not see where the fabric had been sewn together anew—he couldn't have done it better himself, bringing a smile on his face. "And also, please just call me Subaru!"
"As you… wish… Subaru-sama. Please come outside. When you're ready." Bowing again, the man left the room.
Not wanting to let anyone wait too long, Subaru quickly changed, stepped outside, and followed the butler silently. While Subaru had thought about striking up a conversation, he somewhat had the feeling that the man would not be too keen on it.
So instead he looked around, studying the place he had found himself in. It was definitely a noble's house. The many luxurious-looking items left little room for doubt. Brightly illuminated halls were littered with gold-ornamented furniture, elaborate, colorful bouquets in fine vases, and vibrant paintings—and his room too had a way too big and fluffy bed, now that he thought about it.
"We've arrived," the butler said, as he held the door open for Subaru. A long table stood at the center of the similarly richly decorated room. And right at its closer end; towards the entrance standing were Reinhard and Emilia, apparently discussing something.
Subaru entered and waited until they were both done talking before joining them. "Hey there Emilia-tan, Reinhard," he said smiling, as he walked up to them.
"Good to see you've recovered, Subaru," said Reinhard, welcoming him with an equally warm smile. "So Subaru, Emilia-sama has informed me that you did answer some open questions and that you seemed to be truthful about them. Though I had expected nothing less, one can never be careful enough. However, I still must apologize for the inconvenience," Reinhard said, slightly lowering his head.
"Ah, no, please Reinhard. We're friends—don't apologize for something like that. Under better circumstances it would have been fun, so no worries about it," he said, as he winked at Emilia—though realization quickly hit him, making him hide his face. Trying to save grace, he began anew. "Well, had I been able to tell you the place before, or just called you immediately, I guess things would not have gotten out of hand either, so I won't really blame any of you."
This was the full truth—in his mind, it was Natsuki Subaru alone who messed up, wanting to somehow make it work by himself. So any suspicion he might have evoked was justified. A feeling which was only amplified by his knowledge that he did mess up two times already.
"No, Subaru, I should have been quicker still, or been more attentive to how dire the situation truly was. You got wounded and it was all too close in the end." The knight did not seem to accept his solitary burdening of guilt, challenging the boy in his self-depreciation, though far better hidden.
Hearing them say these things, guilt too crept up in Emilia. It was after all, her stupidity and carelessness that had allowed Elsa to lure her into a trap to begin with. She should not have played along with Felt. Should have seen the attacks coming which forced Subaru out of his hiding spot, the same ones that he had to risk himself to block. And now both the one that risked his life, as well as the one she was inconveniencing as her forced host, were expressing their guilt where it should have been her to be blamed. And this guilt, of course, was only intensified by—.
She shook her head and took a deep breath. "You did both very well, I have to thank you for that." Unbeknownst to her, she did the sole thing that would be effective at forcing the other two out of their loop of guilt and self-blame—though not for the perceived reasons alone.
"No way Emilia-tan, if I hadn't messed up…," Subaru began, letting his pain of three lost lives swing in his voice. Not consciously, but apparently in such moments they managed to surface.
"It is my duty, Emilia-sama…," Reinhard too retorted mildly. But they canceled each other's attempts, ending with them both falling silent instead.
"I should have seen an attempt on my life coming. It was foolish to assume I could wander the streets of the Capital like that—if anything it is well deserved." Her voice revealed an internal raging struggle, as her words held both bitterness and pain.
All Reinhard managed to do was cast down his gaze. No word escaped his lips, no other outward reaction was to be seen to what Emilia just had said.
Contrary to this was Subaru's reaction, who didn't manage to remain calm after hearing those words. "What do you mean with—How can you say something like that!? You make it sound like it was your fault! How should you have known about this? To blame yourself for something like that to happen!"
He didn't understand. While him walking into some back alley surely was foolish, she was specifically put into a trap. What was there to expect or blame? "How could something like that ever be deserved!?" His voice was almost tearing from all the pain and anger in it.
"Subaru," she said sharply, letting the boy flinch. "There's no need to mince words or play nice. It's a reality one has to accept. But… should my words have scared you too much, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what you might think." She noted with some relief how Subaru's mean eyes relaxed, her apology successful at assuaging his worries.
She reached for the hidden pocket inside her jacked, as Subaru wondered what she'd meant by her previous statement. "It's because of this," she said, presenting the jeweled black badge once more.
Now Subaru was truly at a loss. It probably had some deeper meaning, but—"What does that have to do with anything?"
"This is an insignia. It is of great importance. Unfortunately, this puts a target on my back—at least for some with sinister ambitions. It was mainly due to you not showing any sign of recognizing its meaning that I was able to trust you," she said, smiling at Subaru.
"Guess my cluelessness has its own charm," he said defeated, letting his head and arms hang low like a deflated dummy.
"What's more concerning was that no one should know of me possessing it, or even of me in general. So you might see why your appearance was so worrying."
Subaru nodded, slowly puzzling things together. While he still had no concrete idea what the insignia exactly meant, at least he understood that it was dear to Emilia. And him showing out of nowhere—majorly suspicious. Upon realizing this fully, his face scrunched up.
"You don't need to worry about that," Emilia said, as soon as Subaru showed his concern, "as soon as you've got your reward, our ways will separate. So there's no reason for fear in that regard."
Hearing this, Subaru wanted to object—to voice his request, which clearly would have run contrary to what just had been said. But before he could express his feelings, or maybe even desire—
"Hey, what's the big idea!?" echoed a sassy voice through the room, before a blur snatched the object Emilia still had presented out of her hand.
With a wide grin Felt, had appeared beside Subaru, turning the insignia around in her hands. "Seriously, you talking about a reward before I'm here. Tough luck!"
Raising her hand to protest, Emilia made a step forward—but Subaru was even quicker to react, making use of his proximity to the habitual thief.
"Wait Felt, you got it wrong, give it back!" said Subaru, as he attempted to snatch the jeweled object from the girl. It quickly devolved into a jostle for the insignia—Subaru aimed to grab a hold of it and seize Felt, while the girl was intent to keep it out of his reach, wriggling herself free of his grip. Truly, at that moment they looked like siblings, quarreling for the same toy.
It was probably this innocent play that caused neither Emilia nor Reinhard to intervene—ignoring that something important as the insignia might have justified just that. Instead, they watched with slight amusement as the two children-like dorks wrestled for the future of the Kingdom.
However, the mood changed as soon as Felt made herself as long as possible, stretching her arm into the air in an attempt to keep Subaru away from it. Both; face and composure of Reinhard crumbled, as he had them no longer under control.
Emilia eyed the Sword Saint alerted, ultimately following his gaze. It was directed onto Felt's stretched-out arm. Not seeing what shocked him so, at first glance, she had to squint her eyes—then she saw it. A red glint. A gasp. "—That's…" However, in the very next moment—
—"Ha! Got it!" shouted Subaru, hoisting the trophy of his victory high into the air. Unfortunately for Subaru, neither of the other three persons was celebrating with him. Reinhard's gaze was downcast, deep in thought, while Emilia eyed Felt attentively.
"Noo!" squealed Felt as she desperately tried to claw it back out of his hands. But once Subaru had gotten hold of the insignia, he simply had to keep it up as high as possible—despite any jumping or climbing attempts, Felt did not manage to come even close to it again.
"Now wait, Felt!" Subaru huffed, being noticeably out of air. "This thing belongs to Emilia and hasn't anything to do with a reward!" Finally, he got to say this in a coherent sentence, as his previous attempts were drowned in the noise and grunts the two squabblers had made.
Finally Felt relented. "Wait, seriously…?" she said, noticing the slight mistake in her assumption. When she turned her head to the owner of the trinket, Felt noticed her piercing gaze.
"Uh… sorry?" By feigning an innocent smile and making big eyes, she hoped to get away with her little mistake.
Still keeping a close eye on Felt, Emilia eventually waved her hand. "It's… alright. It has been quite uplifting, in the end." A sigh revealed a certain annoyance, but by her tone, she certainly didn't seem to hold any grudges over it.
"Uplifting…," the knight slowly repeated, as if there were some deep and hidden meaning behind it—but not revealing whatever that could have meant. It had however brought back a smile on his face.
Seeing that no bad blood had been spilled between any of them, Subaru walked over to Emilia. Though her gaze was still fixed on Felt who was now busy pouting, as soon as she saw Subaru approaching, she turned to him. There was still something she needed back, after all.
Subaru knelt with great theatrical display before his princess, presenting her the insignia. "I have retrieved your insignia from an evil-doer, Emilia-sama."
"Truly impressive. I am sure there will be many tales about your heroic deed of… overwhelming a young girl," she said, at first seemingly playing along, just to let it end with a slight jab.
The four exchanged happy, smug, content, and toothy smiles, as they enjoyed the lighthearted atmosphere. In their joyful moment, they hadn't noticed another person entering the room.
"Excuse me, young master, dear guests, dinner is ready to be served," a placid voice announced from one of the side entrances to the room. It was an elderly maid Subaru had not yet seen.
Turning to the elderly maid the knight nodded. "Thank you, grandma, you may do so." With a slight bow, the maid disappeared again.
"Please, have a seat," the knight said, as he moved up to the head of the table, taking the place of the host. Emilia took the seat to his right, while Felt moved left of him—only Subaru didn't move up immediately, for this was his first dinner with them and there were not yet plates to indicate where he was expected to sit down.
Relying on nothing but his gut feeling in such a situation, he promptly sat down beside Emilia, earning him a questioning glance by the half-elf, while Felt's mouth was slightly ajar, seemingly perplexed by Subaru's action. Only Reinhard seemed to think nothing of it.
But Subaru just shrugged their reactions off—his mind was focused on another thing. As soon as the smell of the freshly cooked meal began to fill the air, his mouth started to water. "Man, I'm dying of hunger! Feels like days since I've eaten something." Which was true in more ways than one.
Luckily, not only were they probably anticipating him being starved after almost two days out, but they also made sure the meals contained a healthy mix of everything. Especially the healthy part was overtly apparent. While he certainly did recognize carrots or tomatoes, other vegetables were completely foreign to him. Combined with the quite different seasonings, this led to the discovery of whole new tastes.
Yet he did not enjoy them as much as he could have, for his hunger caused him to eat quickly and greedily, with only basic mannerisms restraining him from just gorging on it. To stop himself he decided to strike up a conversation again—especially because there still were some open questions from before Felt had snatched the insignia.
"Say, Emilia-tan, can I ask you something?"
"What is it, Subaru?" Emilia asked, putting down her cutlery and turning to him.
"I still don't get the idea behind the insignia completely. And even without it, you seemed to have an idea why someone would attack you—what did you mean by that?"
Felt almost choked on her food upon hearing the question, coughing violently. It was severe enough that Reinhard jumped up and lightly patted her back to remedy it.
"Don't ask her something like that!" Felt eventually pressed out, brushing the knight's hand off. "How can you be so reckless anyway? If you hadn't said you were with Elsa, even I would have steered clear from someone with a face like yours." Felt's words were harsh, with her speaking without restraint. No need to uphold special social rules, etiquette or courtesy bound her to express what she felt, separating her reaction distinctively from that of the other two.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!? While I might have been told to look mean, it's the face I've been born with, there's no shame in that!" Angered, he waved his fist towards Felt, showing and slightly exaggerating his anger. For some reason that sounded like way back when—on Earth, his eyes were associated with misfortune and a troubled life; a bad omen that somehow lingered on him. Yet while he might not have held love for his appearance, they were also the eyes of his mother. He would not take insults about them from anyone.
"Seriously, didn't expect you to be such an asshole, " Felt shot back, conveniently ignoring the fact that her retort had just been as rude, vexing the boy in the first place. However, it seemed she'd get away with this, as her reply forced Subaru to halt.
He was about to call her something just as kind, but it dawned upon him—he must have said something really bad if she went further than just teasing him, outright throwing an insult. He looked help-searching to Reinhard, but the knight only had a strained smile. Meaning…
Subaru slowly turned his head, his eyes meeting Emilia's frosty ones. He gulped.
"I told you, Subaru. To accept a harsh reality. Why do you insist on doing this?" she asked in a sharp tone. Her narrowed eyes gave off a freezing glint... But there was something else. A hint of pain, mixed in as well. Subaru could feel he had hurt her, somehow.
But he didn't have an answer to that—didn't even exactly understand what she meant with it. And something told him she wouldn't be too keen on explaining what saddened her in the first place. So all he could do was mumble a timid "I'm sorry," hoping it would be enough to make her forget about his seemingly wounding question.
Emilia sighed but seemed to leave it at that. "It's… fine," she said with a strained voice, as if she needed to convince herself of it. Were her knuckles not covered by her sleeves, one could have seen them becoming white from the force with which she clenched them.
As the atmosphere had become charged, it was Reinhard who sought to calm it down once more, making a suggestion that would direct the conversation in a more sensible direction.
"Emilia-sama, perhaps it would be best to explain the exact circumstances around the insignia and its significance—this might allow Subaru to better grasp your situation. Especially since Subaru will accompany you." The knight made a considerable bow as he delivered the suggestion to Emilia, leaving Subaru wondering as to why Reinhard, an esteemed knight at his own home, would use this much courtesy.
"That sounds indeed like a good idea, Sir Reinhard. I had intended to do so later, but it might be beneficial to know for everyone present." From a pocket of her dress, she took out the insignia, placing it before her—all eyes resting on it. She took a deep breath.
"As I explained before, this is an insignia. It serves as proof to one's candidacy to the throne of Lugnica."
Upon hearing that explanation, Subaru's jaw dropped, while Felt gasped audibly.
"H—Hold on… you're a princess?" Subaru asked, baffled.
"I've really screwed up, by the sound of that…," Felt said with a cracked voice, slumping into her chair.
Emilia shook her head. "No, I'm not a princess—just a candidate, as of now, one among others. After the passing of the royal family half a year ago, a countrywide search had begun to find potential successors to the crown of Lugnica. And this insignia can reveal one's candidacy."
Subaru gulped once more. "Still, that means you could be Queen one day, right? That makes this whole Elsa deal majorly suspicious—including anyone that got entangled within it…"
"King," she corrected him, "but yes. Now you certainly also understand why there might be some more people after my head, were they to know of me being a candidate. Especially considering—."
"That sucks," Felt cut in. The interruption surprised Emilia, causing her to turn to Felt, who threw her a wink. "Don't beat yourself over it. Sounds more like a nightmare, anyway. I dread the pure imagination to be drawn into a mess like that."
"But Felt-sama, are you certain that you'd think about it like this?" Reinhard asked, sounding noticeably concerned—almost alarmed.
"What's up with you now, calling me "sama" all of a sudden? That's exactly one of the reasons why I wouldn't want to have anything to do with that stuff!" Felt scoffed. "Besides, it's not like a new king would change anything. Life's not been improving much under those before too, at least according to gramps. The nobles will only care about themselves, it's always been like that." Her voice revealed the deep contempt she felt, underlined by her frown and crossed arms. It was not hard to discern the reason for it—a slum dweller knew how incompetent the Kingdom's leadership had been, condemning them to live lives like that in the first place.
Reinhard opened and closed his mouth, not a single word escaping it. He looked stricken—or at least as much as someone like him would show such a feeling. Still, he fell silent upon hearing that answer, revealing it must matter to him in some regard. Perhaps it was not nice for a knight of the Kingdom to hear such a judgement.
"Thank you, Felt, I'm sure you meant well," Emilia said, smiling weakly, earning herself a toothy grin from the praised girl. "However, I do wish to see this as a chance for betterment. My chances of success are slim anyway. And yet, were I to be given the chance, I would at least wish to improve the lives of those that were disadvantaged—be it by birth or misfortune."
Felt put her arms up in the air, shaking her head. "Well, you're free to try, who am I to stop you. It's still a waste in my eyes. Not like some nice words could change that rotten thing—the Kingdom anyway. And by the many pissed off… uh… unhappy people lately, it seems even they are starting to realize that."
Subaru listened intently, trying to pick up as much knowledge from it as he could. So the royal family's dead. And apparently, there are some candidates for the throne, of which Emilia is one. Thus putting her in considerable danger. Makes sense so far. Though the expectations for a new king seem to be quite low, even though some people are hurting. I'll definitely need to ask more later though, or maybe I'll pick up more info along the way, as I—
"So Subaru, knowing this—are you still sure you wish to accompany me?" the half-elf asked, interrupting, yet completing his train of thought.
"Sure as ever, Emilia-tan. That changes nothing for me—I'll accompany you anytime and anywhere," he said, pumping up his chest. She saved him when no one else would. And even though he had somewhat fulfilled his promise, he'd always hold her in high regard for that. If anything, the prospect to accompany a princess seemed exciting.
"You'll stay true to your word though, right?" a probing voice chimed in. "You said you'll let me go after having sorted things out… even if I tried to steal from a candidate." She looked a bit cornered, shifting nervously around on her seat.
"Of course," Emilia said immediately, causing Felt to relax again. "You seem to have been lured into a trap just as well by Elsa—and made up by searching for help, finding Sir Reinhard. Even if it was only instigated by Subaru, to me it's done with that."
"Alright, then I'll—," Felt said, about to jump out of her seat.
"—Please wait a moment, Felt-sama," said Reinhard, as he held her down by her shoulders. "While Emilia-sama's questions seem to have been answered, there is another thing I would need to investigate a bit more. I'm afraid I can't let you leave until after I'm done with that. It will not be more than a day or two more, I presume." Even though he applied some light pressure, he still flashed Felt a bright smile. Though judging by how the girl was still struggling, it seemed his attempt to placate her wasn't too effective.
"—Fine," she finally said, after every attempt to wriggle out of the knight's grip had failed—attempts that never had the slightest chance of success. Her disgruntled pout revealed how she felt about Reinhard's request, but it seemed there was no chance of escape as of now. Though Subaru guessed it would only be a question of time till the rather rebellious Felt would attempt to do so.
"And just as I've kept my guarantee to Felt, I'll of course honor what I told you earlier," Emilia said, as she turned to Subaru once more. "About your reward. I'll need to return to my sponsor's domain first though."
"No worries Emilia-tan, I'm neither in a hurry nor would I have a reason to not take you for your word," he said, flashing her a smile. "Though I wonder, what caused you to be unable to return anyway? You mentioned some sort of incident, but nothing beyond that."
"I believe that explanation would be best done by Sir Reinhard," said Emilia, expectantly looking towards the knight.
"Of course, Emilia-sama. The truth is, on the same day you thwarted Elsa's attempt on Emilia-sama's life, the assassin is suspected to have attacked and killed another person." The knight's posture was rigid, his voice stern and his smile long gone. It was a serious matter through and through.
Subaru could feel his breathing accelerating upon hearing the cursed woman's name again.
"Her victim was Azah Febry, a member of the Sage Council, the current ruling body of the Kingdom. The cause of death was blood loss due to an opened abdomen—a method typically used by the Bowel Hunter. Though this is only speculation as of now, she is treated as suspect."
Yeah, like I'll ever forget about that. Dying is horrible, and finding slow death like that even more gruesome. That sadistic lunatic took all the time to prolong the suffering. Too bad she got away.
"After he was found, an immediate lockdown had been placed over the whole city, with the city and royal guard being on the active lookout for the culprit. Sadly, this means that no one can enter or leave the city for now." Reinhard again made a deep bow to Emilia, as he probably felt responsible for the inconvenience she had due to this. "Regardless, I do not expect for it to last that much longer—be it either because she's found, or because the lockdown cannot be maintained."
"Well, I sure hope you catch her. Too bad she got away in the first place," said Subaru, sighing.
"Indeed, it is most unfortunate, Subaru. Had I—."
"No, no Reinhard, I didn't mean it like that!" Subaru said, upon realizing how his words could have seemed like a reproach. For all he cared, Reinhard saved them, that was all that mattered.
"Besides, Sir Reinhard, it is not like you could have prevented it," Emilia said in a very matter-of-fact manner. "It happened before Elsa attacked us. At best you could have seized her for her crimes, but there is still plenty of time for that. Especially with the whole city now looking for her."
"Your words are too kind. Yet it was still my inaction at that moment that had allowed her to escape and caused you both harm." Even though they both had shown to harbor no ill thoughts about it, the knight was not so easy to forgive himself for his perceived shortcoming.
Subaru shook his head. He sensed it would take quite a bit to convince his friend—if possible at all. It sounded just like before, when they had discussed the attack on Emilia.
"I believe this concludes the explanation of the incident?" Reinhard asked, continuing only after a short nod from Emilia. "Should you have any wishes during your stay, please feel free to inform a servant of them—the least I can offer is to have your stay be as pleasant as possible."
"Will do. Though, now I wonder. Is there some expected way to spend time, being your guest and all that?" Truth be told, Subaru was neither sure what he was supposed to do, nor what there was to do really. He didn't expect constant sources of entertainment to be around like he had back on Earth. And even if, he didn't want to just repeat that way of life here.
"I just lazed around here, passing the day. Waiting to be set free again," Felt chimed in. "Though the place is way too big, you can spend some good hours just exploring it. If you're up for it, I'll check by later to ask you about something to do."
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry Felt-sama, but I would need to ask you another set of questions this evening about a matter that bears no delay," Reinhard said, his voice brimming with sternness once more.
"Sure, sure. If it helps me get away from here any quicker," Felt sighed, though she specifically made it so Subaru could see her rolling her eyes. "I'll ask you tomorrow then."
Subaru nodded, though he was a bit disappointed that both Reinhard and Felt did seem to be preoccupied. Then again, maybe—
"What about you, Emilia-tan?" Maybe he could instead begin to develop the relationship with Emilia. Even if—no, especially because she had no idea anymore of their first day together, he wanted to do his best to set things right. She showed him true kindness, whereas here she seemed distant and on guard. Even if she felt indebted to him—that was not how he wanted things to be.
"I'm mostly busy with my studies," she said, unknowingly shooting down Subaru's attempt before he could even voice it. "Though I am sure if you need something, Carol-san and Grimm-san will aid you without hesitation. They have been nothing but forthcoming so far."
There goes that plan. Guess there's not much to do at the moment. I'll follow Felt's recommendation and just explore the place a bit. Maybe I'll discover something interesting during it.
After having finished dinner together, the group had split up, with Felt and Reinhard having left for another discussion, and Emilia excusing herself to attend to her studies. Subaru had asked Grimm if there was any special thing to keep in mind. And indeed, he was asked to not enter the easternmost wing, as that would lead to the chambers of lord Astrea, who would rather not be disturbed whenever his busy schedule allowed him some rest. Declining the offer to be shown around, Subaru said he'll rather explore things on his own.
—It had been now close to two hours since he set out, as he strolled through the many richly decorated and brightly illuminated halls, still attended to by some servants even this late in the day. Though none of them were too talkative or even friendly, they had given him—reluctantly—some info when he asked them for help. Still, he could not shake off the feeling that their gazes were not much friendlier than those he received on the streets of the Capital, with most even trying to distinctively ignore him if he did not strike up a conversation with them.
"Guess things haven't changed all that much so far. Still broke, still lost, still disliked. But at least it's not as bleak as it could be with such prospects." Mumbling about, he walked through a long hall with lots of portraits hung side-by-side. Though he was unable to read whatever stood on the metallic plates below them, he suspected it to be their names. And seeing that most of the symbols at the end looked similar, combined with most of the persons possessing flaming red hair, it was clear that these were relatives of his friend Reinhard—presumably all members of the Astrea family.
Though there was one missing spot of a portrait, just towards the end of the line-up. While there was a plate engraved with the name, the portrait had been removed, or so Subaru suspected at least.
"Strange, it's the only one missing. I wonder if I'll find it somewhere else." Taking a mental note of the missing portrait, he continued to stroll through the halls, eventually passing the large windows to the garden again.
As he looked outside, seeing the capital at night from such an elevated position for the first time, a flash of silver in the corner of his vision caught his attention instead. "That's—."
A few moments later he too stood outside. "Hey Emilia-tan," he greeted her. "What a coincidence to meet you here." It was a poor attempt to hide his joy, earning him a questioning look once more.
"Hello, Subaru. Something tells me this is not as coincidental as you make it out to be."
"My scheme has been uncovered this quickly!?" he asked, clenching his heart as if he'd gotten hit by an arrow, letting himself fall.
"Do you need something? I was about to summon my spirits," she said, folding her hands.
"Summoning your spirits? Like Puck? But isn't he asleep?"
"I reeaally wonder how you know about Puck's habits. But here, let me show you."
Subaru attentively watched. First, a single blue orb of light appeared. Then another, followed by an ever-increasing number. Within the blink of an eye, Emilia was surrounded by countless blue orbs of light—spirits, as he presumed, bathing her in an ethereal glow.
Awestruck he stood there, seeing her illuminated not only in moonlight, which had been enough in itself to make her hair seem to shimmer, but in the spirit's light too, completely elevating her appearance beyond anything he could have ever hoped to see. With reddened cheeks and mouth agape, he watched the spectacle entrancing him—Emilia, just Emilia.
"I don't mind you staying, since the spirits seem to be fine around you. But I'm going to talk to them for a bit, so I don't know why you'd want to keep around," she said, seeing that Subaru merely watched on—seemingly not registering just what effect she had on him. Which was probably for the best, else Subaru wouldn't have been able to live with the embarrassment.
"Nah, it's perfect like this, Emilia-tan… just perfect." That dreamy expression earned him a perplexed look, as she tilted her head. But unsure what to make of it, she decided to just leave it at that and shifted her attention to the spirits instead, which had already begun to eagerly swirl around her, demanding their fair share of attention from their contractor.
And indeed, the time Emilia spent talking with her spirits seemed to pass rather quickly, with Subaru merely observing and listening to the little nothings she seemed to discuss with the spirits. Though he could not have estimated it in time, the moon did rise a bit, and he had plenty of time to think about what-ifs.
I wonder if this is how it would have gone had things not turned south on the first day. Hah… I'm just glad that nightmare is over now. I'll be sure to enjoy the time spent together to the fullest now. Especially because I know she would care, even if she doesn't show it yet beyond a sense of duty.
"So, Subaru. You did wait here until I've finished talking with the spirits, meaning you wish to discuss something?" asked Emilia, as the lights around her disappeared and she went over to him.
"Not at all. I just thought it'd be nice to join you in the garden and talk to you a bit—with no particular reason in mind."
"You know Subaru, I really don't get you." She said this so nonchalantly, that it sent him tumbling. But then he made a spin and flashed her a grin.
"Sounds to me like you want to understand me a bit better then."
Emilia blinked a few times, probably surprised by his rather brave leap in logic. "—It's fine if you want to talk. With this I've done the things I've set out to do for today, having communed with the spirits was the last thing I had to do."
"You had to do? That sounds like some sort of special responsibility." While it was formulated as a statement, his intonation made clear it was more meant as a question, with his voice having raised a pitch in wonder.
"That's right. As a spirits art user it is important to take good care of one's spirits," Emilia said, gently touching the crystal that laid still upon her chest—containing her fatherly spirit.
"What's a spirit art user?" he asked.
"It's someone who makes contracts with spirits and usually uses the help of said spirits to cast magic. As opposed to other magic users who do it with their own mana. It's… a bit more complicated than that in the end. Though if you want to know more about it, you could ask Puck about it. Or search for a book, I'm sure there are plenty in the estate to give you an idea of the basics, if you've never heard about them."
Emilia listed off possible ways to learn things Subaru had not even the slightest idea about, opening up other things he could do to pass time. One of them even being to ask her again—well, Puck. But something told him the grey spirit cat would stick close to Emilia anyway. So that was his absolute favorite way as of now.
"Now let me ask you something in return, Subaru," she said. "I don't know how long you've been to the Royal Capital of Lugnica, or even where you're from at all—something tells me you won't talk about that as well, and that is fine for now. But would you perhaps tell me how your experience here has been?" Judging by the sudden uncertainty in her voice, and by her forced attempt to look him in the eyes, posing the question alone must have been uncomfortable.
"Uh… sure, I don't mind. I arrived in Lugnica the same day where I m—." Before he could finish the sentence, he put both hands over his mouth, preventing himself from uttering another word. "I mean… I haven't been around here for too long."
Emilia raised an eyebrow at his words, but remained silent, waiting for the rest of his story.
"Right. Well, I did get attacked, multiple times, even by a guard. Got saved by you. By Reinhard. Got healed by you. And aside from the countless weird to hostile gazes… I think that was it." The way it sounded, he made no big deal out of it. But Emilia's face was scarred by a deep frown and narrowed eyes. It did seem to bother her considerably more than him, in a way.
"Subaru, that sounds… troubling. Why are you so calm about it?" If anything, it sounded like it upset her hearing him say these things so casually.
"Well, all missteps aside, I was able to fulfill what I set out to do—save you. Met Reinhard and Felt, get to accompany you… in the light of that, there's not much sense lingering on these things." This was only partially true, however. Though he wasn't perhaps fully aware of this himself.
He would neither be able to forget the pain Elsa caused him, nor the fear and confusion he had when the guard killed him. And deep within him the dark thought that had crept up shortly before Reinhard appeared slumbered—even if it had not yet resurfaced.
Emilia eyed him up, from top to bottom, causing Subaru to nervously shift around—being closely examined by a girl simply had such an effect on him.
"Hmm. You certainly are something. I had not thought you to be able to simply brush off things such as these."
Subaru felt relief hearing the girl's words. Truth be told, there was another reason he did not want to seem too deeply troubled by his many defeats. A very simple, yet undeniable shortcoming of his; his manly pride. Where possible, and especially in extremely shameful cases such as multiple defeats in a row, he would do everything to play things down and make himself seem stronger than he might truly be. To impress. To not disappoint. To protect his manly pride.
And getting this manly pride validated by the girl he somewhat did not want to give a too weak impression of himself—it felt good. He stood there, confident and upright, chest puffed and with a content smile.
"Are you perhaps getting swayed by my charm? Is this the true route where you fall for me?"—maybe too content and confident. But he would certainly use the opportunity given to him.
"Don't kid around like that. People will get a reeaally bad idea if they hear you say things like that. Things should be difficult enough as they are." Emilia had her arms crossed and a rather chiding tone. Looks like his charm was as ineffective as ever.
Shot down again, even with the same reaction and answer. Seems like there hasn't changed much since back then in that regard too. Though… she did acknowledge those weird gazes, huh.
"Well Subaru, it's getting late, so I think we should end our discussion here." One could see Subaru's disappointment upon hearing these words, but all he could do was to agree.
The two of them walked together to the guest wing, as Subaru had decided to accompany Emilia to her room—be it out of courtesy to escort a lady, or so that he would know where to find her in case of an emergency. Of course definitely more because of the former.
"Here we are. Though I don't know why you've come the whole way, since we passed your room already earlier down the wing," Emilia said, pointing down the corridor.
"Ah, did we now? Regardless, I think making sure you arrive safely is the appropriate thing to do," he said, as he made a playful bow.
"How very noble," she said, almost teasingly, surprisingly playing along and hiding a faint smile behind her raised hand. "Well then, until tomorrow."
"Good night, Emilia-tan." His cheerful voice made the half-elf stop for a moment.
"… Good night, Subaru. Sleep well," she said hesitatingly, before closing the door behind her.
Subaru could have sworn the words sounded a bit stiff—as if there was a certain lack of familiarity with them. Then again, she might just have been really tired already.
It had become so late the only thing illuminating the floors was moonlight and some few, very dim glowing lamps, telling him they were out way longer than he had thought. It seemed it was long overdue to hit the feathers, so he hurried back to his room and prepared himself for the night.
That was a better evening than I had expected. Can't wait to see Emilia and Puck again. Though I wonder what Felt wants to do tomorrow… there's only so much exploration left to do, hopefully she has some good ideas ready. And I hope Reinhard will be around some more, I've barely seen him today.
Sinking back into the comfy sheets, it did not take long until the world of sleep claimed him.
Author's Note:
Countless thanks to the beta reader of this chapter, [LookingGlassInsect]! Not only for his many tips and corrections about the writing itself, but continuous support through forging a bigger divergence.
And another shoutout to [EmiliaNatsuki], whose writing suggestions offset many deficiencies that would be visible otherwise.
Reviews from Chapter 3: Silver Bells
In general: Thanks for your continued interest and be sure to let me know what you thought about the chapter. :)
halfcoop: It is intended as a long fic, so some answers might take a little while. Though this chapter at least explained why Emilia was unable to return to Roswaal's mansion.
OreosAreYummy: Thanks! Well, at least one of these questions got cleared up rather quickly, with Felt being revealed a candidate still.