It has been around a month since Subaru first arrived at Reinhard's mansion. He was still jobless and had relied on Reinhard to provide him with some kind of allowance. Sure, Subaru could easily say it was payment for being Felt's designated study buddy but he couldn't really see that as a job. True, it is very difficult to spark any kind of motivation in that girl to actually participate but he thought just being there for her all those times was pretty fun so he had a hard time considering that as a real job.
Speaking of Felt, Subaru couldn't help but feel proud of the progress she's made. Not with the lessons though, she was still very passionate in avoiding them as much as humanly possible. He was more proud of their progress within their relationship. At first, Felt always seemed to be annoyed with Subaru and hit him an uncomfortable amount of times but now, that hasn't happened. Not as much anyways.
Regardless of that, today was a day like any other. Felt had once again found a way to convince Reinhard to postpone their lessons and she was currently in her room. She was standing in front of a table with a drawn map of the entire manor in front of her.
"Then after that, you're gonna distract anyone that comes down here. Assuming you do your job right, that'll give me enough time to slip away so we can regroup in your room."
After Felt had finished explaining her plan, Subaru, who was standing across from her, spoke up. "Wait, what if Rein comes by? I don't think I can hide anything from him."
Felt shrugged. "That sounds like a you problem. I'll be busting my ass here sneaking and breaking in so the least you can do is not screw up."
"Ugh… Did you even ask Grimm if you can have your knife back? I'm pretty sure we don't have to do any of this if you just asked nicely."
"I already know that'll be a waste of time! Besides, it'd ruin the element of surprise and Gramps will be on guard afterwards."
Subaru gave Felt a deadpanned look. "Are you still scared of him? We've been living under the same roof for over a month now. If you are, I could always ask for you."
"Grr! I'm not scared of him, dumbass! Didn't I already tell ya?! I'm not gonna blow my cover and that's final! So are ya with me or against me, big bro?"
Subaru let out a sigh. Felt had stopped trying to escape for a good while and he didn't want to give her a reason to get back into that habit. "Fine, I'll help. But next time, go ask first before you try breaking and entering."
"The plan is to take MY knife and get out. He had no right to take my stuff to begin with!"
Not wanting to waste any more time bickering, Subaru just agreed. "Fine, I get it. I'll distract Grimm."
"Good! I'll get in position. Gimme the signal when the coast is clear."
After giving the girl a thumbs up, she darted out of the room and practically vanished from sight through the hallway. As for Subaru, he went the opposite direction, heading straight towards the room of Grimm and Carol.
There were a few phases to this mission and the first part was to see if the room and the area around it was clear. He noticed Carol was in the kitchen either preparing something or just organizing it so that checked off her whereabouts. As for Grimm, he didn't spot him on the way to the room. Even after arriving at the front door of the room, he looked around the area just to be sure.
After confirming it was clear, Subaru knocked on the door. "Hey!" He called out. "Anyone there? I need your help with something."
…
No response.
He didn't hear any kind of movement either. The boy took a deep breath and braced himself before opening the door. Much to Subaru's relief, no one was inside.
This meant that phase two of the mission was ready to start. Subaru closed the door and tied a red piece of cloth around the door handle. After that, he walked to the specified location that he agreed to patrol before giving the signal:
"YAAAAAAWWWWN!"
It certainly wasn't the best signal but if it works, then there's no real reason to complain about it. Subaru just hoped that this yawning signal wouldn't lure anyone else to him.
But that's neither here nor there. Now he needed to block this point and wait for Felt to do her thing. All she had to do was get her dagger so it should literally only take about a minute or two.
…
…
…
Well, he thought that it should only take a couple minutes. So far, it has been twenty. Initially, he was worried that Felt got caught but considering he didn't hear loud angry Felt noises, that wasn't likely. Did she fall into a trap? Wait, Grimm and Carol's room wouldn't be booby trapped, right?
Now suddenly surged with worry, Subaru abandoned his post to check the room. Sure enough, the red cloth was still on the door handle which indicated that she still hadn't made it or she was still inside. Felt said she'd take the cloth off the door handle when she was done.
Knowing that at least Felt would be inside, Subaru didn't waste any time barging into the room, practically slamming the door open. "Felt?! Are you alright?!"
His question was immediately answered as the said girl poked her head from beneath the bed. "Don't just barge in like that! I thought you were gramps!"
Seeing that Felt was alright, Subaru let out a sigh of relief. "You had me worried there, I thought you would've been done by now."
"I might have finished by now if a certain dumbass didn't wander in here! You're supposed to be keeping watch so I won't get caught."
"Yeah, guess you have a point there…"
Felt let out an annoyed huff before crawling out from underneath the bed. "Since you're here, why don't ya be useful and help me look around?"
"Really? You sure you don't want me to go back to keeping watch?"
"If you really wanted that so badly, you would've stayed put! Just quit stalling and help me already!"
"Alright, alright, I'll help."
After agreeing, the two began to rummage through the room as discreetly as possible. The two were careful not to misplace too many of the appliances as they didn't want to be tracked back to in the future.
However, there was a problem. They couldn't find the knife.
"Grrr…! Where the hell did he put it?!" Felt yelled.
"Q-Quiet down, wasn't it you who said that we should be as silent as possible?"
"Yeah, I know but why did gramps have to hide my stuff to begin with? It pisses me off that he's treating me like a kid!"
"Lil' sis, I really think that it would be better if you just asked Grimm for it back. Besides, if we get caught-"
"Shut up."
"Wha-? No! I'm trying to give you some real advice to make your time here bett-"
"Shhh!" Felt immediately dove at Subaru, covering his mouth with both of her hands. She then focused her gaze at the door.
It was now that he understood what Felt meant and finally stayed quiet.
"I hear footsteps."
Subaru widened his eyes as he internally panicked. He didn't know what would happen if he was caught like this and frankly, he didn't want to find out.
Felt was pretty quick to react as she slipped back underneath the bed with ease. Subaru tried to follow suit but his frame was too large to fit. Felt clenched her teeth as she placed her foot on Subaru's head, trying to push him back.
"What the hell?!" Felt said in a whispered tone. "You're gonna get us both caught!"
"I don't know where else to hide though…"
"Grr… C'mere!"
Felt quickly slid out from underneath the bed and snatched Subaru's wrist. Wasting no time, she dragged the boy over to a closet and opened it. There looked to be enough room inside.
Before Subaru could compliment on Felt's quick thinking, she shoved him into the closet and tossed herself with him. If it was just Subaru in here, there would be enough elbow room but with Felt added to this, they were forced to be pressed against each other.
"F-Felt? What are you-"
Before Subaru could finish, he heard the door swing open. It sounded like someone had entered the room. That explains why Felt went in the closet with him in such a hurry, she had no time to waste.
The person who entered was fairly silent and the only audible sound they made were soft footsteps. Subaru and Felt figured it was Grimm from how quiet it was. The two nearly held their breath, both of them hoping that Grimm wouldn't check the closet.
It was hard to tell what exactly Grimm was doing out there but he was sure taking his sweet time. Ideas ran in Subaru's head as the two waited and he only got more and more nervous as time passed.
"You don't think he's searching for your knife, do you?" Subaru whispered.
"Why the hell would he?" Felt whispered back. "There's no way he'd take this long if that's all he's getting anyways."
She had a point. Was he just tidying up his room then? It was well past the time they did their morning routine so maybe he was just taking a break in here.
"Ugh…" Felt suddenly let out a silent groan. "Quit breathing so hard on me already."
"I'm sorry but I can't hold my breath forever."
"Just look away or something. It's pretty creepy that you've been staring at me for so long anyways." Despite her words, Felt had been staring at Subaru herself the entire time. Not that either of them had a choice since any movement could blow their cover at this point.
Subaru really knew this wasn't the time to argue or place to argue so he quickly gave in. "Fine…" After that, he very slowly and carefully turned his head to the side. Keeping that position usually wouldn't prove to be an issue but since it had to be kept for an unspecified amount of time.
The minutes kept ticking by. One minute eventually turned into five, and then it doubled into ten. Before the two knew it, twenty minutes had gone by and Grimm showed no signs of leaving the room.
"What's taking him so long?" A certain impatient girl complained.
"How should I know? We're the one's trespassing. I knew we should've just asked nicely…"
"Quit your whining. It's your fault for not keeping watch like you were supposed to."
"My fault?! You told me to help search. Besides, this whole operation was your idea to begin with. If anything, I'm the primary victim here."
"You agreed to help me out so that's on you."
"Why you-"
The silence from beyond the closet door was broken as footsteps began to creep closer to the two. Both Subaru and Felt's faces grew pale as they heard Grim inch closer and closed.
Were they too loud just now? They wondered. Regardless whether or not their bickering blew their cover, the fact remained that they were going to get caught.
The closet door creaked open slowly and the hiding duo tensed up, bracing themselves for what was to come. Once the door opened, the two stared in disbelief as they didn't see anyone there. However, their gazes slowly shifted downward as they saw the true culprit behind this.
Standing in front of the closet looking up at the two with an unreadable expression was one of the young twins.
There was a long uncomfortable silence as they stared each other down. Subaru could easily tell that this was Flam since Grassis's cheeks were just naturally more pink than hers. Flam didn't look either mad or confused, she just looked on at the two with a very calm demeanor.
Neither Subaru or Felt had the will to speak up. After all, what kind of excuse could be made for this situation?
Luckily for them, there were no words that needed to be exchanged as Flam finally took the initiative. The small girl just closed the closet door, leaving the two inside and left the room immediately without uttering a word.
…
The nervous duo that was left behind glanced at one another for a brief moment. As if now able to read one another's mind, they left the closet in unison and calmly walked straight to the door. Neither of them had the will to find the knife now and they just wanted to leave.
Still having some semblance of caution, the two poked their heads out the door in unison to make sure the coast was clear. From a distance, they saw Grimm lifting up one of the twins above his head while the girl in question was dusting off a portrait hanging on the wall.
Directly behind them stood the other twin, Flam, and she was staring directly at Subaru and Felt. Their gaze had locked on once more and before long, Flam gave the two a thumbs up.
Immediately understanding the implication, the two tiptoed their way in the opposite direction of Grimm and the twins, just being out of sight as they slowly and quietly made their retreat.
They finally made it back to Subaru's room where the two looked at each other one more time.
"We speak about this to no one." Subaru finally said.
Felt nodded, still pretty shaken by the whole situation. "R-Right…"
The two shook each other's hand, symbolizing their oath to never utter a word about this day to anyone.
--
"You don't look well, young man. Are you sure you're doing alright?"
Subaru immediately nodded in a very rushed manner. "Y-Yeah! I'm perfectly fine!"
It hadn't been long since the failed infiltration attempt. After Subaru and Felt calmed themselves down, they parted ways to do their own thing. Subaru, not having anything planned, decided to convince Carol to teach him more about this world's politics.
"If you say so. Don't push yourself, young man." With a shrug, the old maid continued to go over a country called Vollachia. The most he got out of that session was that the place was an empire that valued the strong above all else. He wound up being glad that he ended up in Lugnica after learning this. He couldn't imagine the hell he'd go through if he started out in that barbaric place.
"Oh, I haven't seen Rein since this morning. What is he up to?"
"He didn't tell you? He was suddenly summoned to the capital and he's been out ever since."
"The capital? Did something big happen?"
Carol shrugged. "Can't say for sure. All I know is that it was urgent enough that they needed him right away."
"Well I hope that it isn't anything world ending." Subaru wondered about the situation. Even today Reinhard didn't push to do today's lessons like he usually did. After Felt suggested pushing it for later like she usually does, he easily agreed to it and dismissed us. Did he already anticipate getting summoned to the capital?
"That reminds me, how are you and Lady Felt doing? I heard from one of my grandkids that the two of you have been getting really close to each other lately."
Subaru flinched. At first, he thought Flam told Carol about breaking into their room but he had to be sure before accidentally outing himself. "R-Really…? What did they say…?"
"Just that you two get along well. You both are around one another quite often so it doesn't really surprise me."
Subaru sighed in relief. He was glad that Flam seemingly didn't spill the beans. "I guess so, but I feel more like an accomplice though."
"That's one way of putting it. At least you managed to convince the young lady to stop her escape attempts. You've certainly made me and my husband's job a lot easier."
The boy chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "You're giving me too much credit. Felt's the one who stopped that on her own."
Carol merely shrugged. "It might just be my old eyes deceiving me but you do seem to get along with others pretty well. Even my grandkids talk about you quite often."
"T-They aren't saying anything weird, are they?" Subaru gulped at the very thought at what those two could be sharing. They've been joining him in a lot more activities recently and they also participated in his stretching sessions. Even though Subaru has been enjoying their company lately, it doesn't shake off the fact that a certain golden haired girl kept calling him out as being creepy for it. Perhaps all those callouts were starting to get to him?
"Why would you ask that?" She squinted her eyes, staring at Subaru suspiciously. "You're not doing anything indecent, are you?"
"I'm not doing anything like that! I meant along the lines of blackmail!"
"Blackmail? I'm certain that if they told me, it wouldn't be considered blackmail anymore. I'm pretty sure what you mean is gossip."
"Ugh… Sure, could you just tell me if they've been gossiping about me?"
"I definitely can."
…
…
…
"Well?"
"Oh, I said that I can, not that I will."
Subaru practically deflated in his seat and lied over the desk. "Why do you like torturing me so much?"
"You must have had a very carefree life if you consider that torture, young man."
Subaru stood up from his seat. He was done being bullied by old maids for one day. "You know what? I think I should go see what Felt's up to. Do you think we can catch up on this history lesson for another day?"
"We were just about to wrap up anyways so that should be fine. Have fun."
Finally being released from this torture that he very much brought upon himself, he immediately went for the door. "Thanks, I definitely will."
Just as he was about to leave, Carol spoke up right before he was out of earshot. "Oh, also, please use your own closet next time."
"She did tell you!!!"
…
After that brief exchange, Subaru very gloomily wandered his way through the manor, feeling as if his pride was crushed. As he walked on, Subaru passed by Felt's room and immediately noticed that her door was cracked open.
Subaru opened the door while knocking on it at the same time. "Hey, lil sis. You forgot to close your door all the way."
Once inside, he saw Felt was leaning against the window seal as she aimlessly stared outside. It was pretty obvious that she was in her own little world as she didn't even flinch from Subaru's sudden entry. Instead of calling out to her like a normal human being, Subaru crept to the girl's side and looked out the window with her, trying to figure out what she's staring at in the first place.
"If you want to go sightseeing that badly, we can always go out together, you know?"
Felt finally noticed Subaru and nearly toppled over. Luckily for her, she caught herself before doing so. Felt stomped her foot on the ground angrily. "Hey! When the hell did you get here?!"
Subaru clenched his chest and knelt over before dramatically complaining. "Ah, my feelings…! All I wanted was to just spend time with my lil' sis…!"
Felt cringed and nudged at his arm. "Shut it! You're acting creepy again!"
Subaru backed off and signaled his surrender by raising his hands. "Alright, alright. You win. I think you would be a lot cuter though if you don't go ballistic every time you get teased a little."
Felt's face reddened immediately and her demeanor faltered. However, she was quick to recompose herself as a counterattack came to mind. Instead, Felt crossed her arms and lifted her brow inquisitively. "What's so cute about being a pushover? If letting people walk all over me makes me cute then I'll pass."
This time, it was Subaru that was thrown off. "T-That's not what I meant! You're making me sound like a real scumbag now…"
Felt couldn't help but chuckle at her triumphant victory before she wrapped this up by putting the last nail in the coffin. "Don't worry so much, you really shouldn't let a little teasing get to you like that, big bro."
"What?! You sneaky little…!"
Before Subaru could finish complaining, Felt's chuckles turned into full blown laughter. The short girl leaned forward and nudged at his arm in a friendly manner. "I told ya to forget about it. Just sit back and lighten up already."
"Fine, but I'll get you back another time!"
"Pfft, if ya say so." After Felt's teasing, she returned to her previous position of looking out the window.
Subaru took Felt's advice and sat himself down in a chair which he scooted next to the girl. "What's on your mind? I don't think I've ever seen you space out this intensely before."
"I'm just thinking."
"You can't just say that and not tell me. Cmon, what are you thinking about, lil' sis?"
Felt let out a sigh. "Fine, but if you make it weird, I'll punch you!"
Subaru nodded, looking towards the girl expectantly.
Not stalling anymore, Felt started, "It's just crazy thinking about what I'm doing now. I've been eating good food, doing those weird acting lessons, and… Ugh… It's just unbelievable."
"Yeah, I guess it's a pretty big change from what you used to do, isn't it?"
"Tch, that's an understatement. I was barely getting by with just crumbs and now I'm getting full meals and even dessert!"
Subaru scratched his head. "Don't take this the wrong way but are you not happy with any of this?"
"Oi! What do ya take me for?! Some kind of spoiled brat?! I'm just trying to say that I'm not used to all of this!"
"Oh yeah, that makes sense." Subaru frowned. Based on Felt's words, he really couldn't help but worry. Was she just going to go back to her slum life after this? He remembered very well how excited she was about his whole shop idea. It's just that they haven't really talked about it all too much mainly from how busy the two have been. Since he had the time now, he figured that he might as well start somewhere. "Say, are you still interested in trying to run a shop with me?"
The question had a big enough impact for Felt to break her gaze from the window and onto Subaru. "Of course I am! It's not like I have anywhere to go after this so it wouldn't hurt trying to have a normal way of living." She started to glare at the boy, gazing at him suspiciously. "Why are you asking? You're not planning on backing out on me, are you?"
"We haven't discussed any plans about it so I was just making sure you were still on board."
"We've been busy with those pointless lessons this whole time so there wasn't a chance to do so."
"We would be done with those lessons by now if a certain someone just cooperated and took them more seriously."
"They're still a waste of time! Sure, I'll agree to be polite during the thing but so much of the other crap that Reinhard is teaching us is just flat out unnecessary! It's like he forgot that I'm planning to drop out the second I can."
"I'm sure Rein has his reasons. Maybe the Royal selection is some kind of grand ball. It would make sense why he's teaching us how to eat properly and to dance."
"What about the 'proper way to pick a flower' lesson?! I swear, I feel like he's just making excuses to piss me off!"
"The lessons themselves aren't that bad. You have to at least admit he's a great teacher. Hell, even I think I have a good chance to be a Royal candidate based on what I learned from those lessons that you think are pointless."
"Oh really? I sure as hell don't mind if you take my place instead. That'll definitely make this shit show go by a hell of a lot faster."
Subaru frantically shook his head. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I'm trying to say that the lessons are a lot easier than you make them out to be."
"Tch, it doesn't matter if they're easy or not. It doesn't change the fact that they're just a waste of time for me." Felt sighed. "Anyways, we have time now so why not start talking about that shop idea of yours?"
"Oh, sure! I'd like that actually. I guess we can start with the store location. I'm stuck between setting up a shop here in Lugnica or being a traveling merchant."
"I'd rather move out to somewhere quiet and start there. I wanna have a nice place to settle down at but I've had enough of Lugnica's bullshit for one lifetime so somewhere new would be pretty refreshing."
"I don't think it would be a good idea to leave immediately though. We could start with a good foundation here after all and build up from there. But if you really want to leave Lugnica, I think we should accumulate at least a decent amount of money before leaving."
"Tch, I've already tried doing that."
"It'll be different though! Since we'll be working together, I'm sure reaching that goal would be a walk in the park. Also, my method won't need you to ever steal again."
Normally, she'd argue that she was already doing the best she could but she still had this strange feeling things would be different now. "I've said it before, didn't I? I'm sure things will be different with your help and…" Felt looked down slightly and muttered, "I think it'd be pretty fun…"
Subaru stared at Felt for a moment and smiled warmly with a hint of mischief about it. "Oh? Did you say something, lil' sis?"
Felt's face lit up before gritting her teeth in annoyance. "I said you better not doubt me again!"
"Heheh… Yeah, I won't. Sorry about that."
"Good!" Still feeling a little embarrassed, the girl swiftly went on to change the topic. "What about you though? Are you able to read yet?"
"Oh yeah, I never gave you any updates on that, have I? Well, I'm doing a lot better now. I was able to find a pattern between my writing and Lugnica's so it's really been going smoothly now!"
"Your writing? Do you mean those scribbles you showed me that one time? Are ya tellin' me those actually meant something?"
"You still don't believe me?!" Subaru clenched his chest, pretending to have his feelings severely hurt. "And here I thought we've been through enough together to count on one another…"
"Shut it! Counting on you and your bad art are two completely different things!" The girl let out an annoyed sigh before continuing in a more collected tone. "But… Good to know you're getting the hang of things here."
Subaru returned to his normal posture and smiled. "I'd have to thank you and everyone here for that. Having people to help me through this sure has been a huge relief."
"I already told you not to worry about that. We're sticking our necks out for each other after all so there isn't really a need for that."
"Too bad!" Subaru loudly declared which actually made Felt flinch. "Whenever I'm thankful about something, I'm going to make sure you know that I appreciate it!"
Felt grit her teeth while her cheeks reddened from embarrassment. "Ugh… Fine! If you wanna thank me that badly, go right ahead! Just don't go around singing it like a creep, ya here?!"
"Alright, alright. I'll be sure to keep it between us."
"You better!"
The two talked for a while longer just for the sake of killing time. Not that they didn't enjoy their talk, they both found it nice to have someone to talk to. Eventually, Subaru excused himself as he still had a full day ahead of him.
Now that the shop idea was still fresh in his mind, he figured that he could finally make some real progress with that. It's not like he had anything better to do around here.
With Reinhard out, Subaru thought that he'd go out on a stroll to perhaps find some places renting out. This would also be a great way to test his new knowledge that he had accumulated thus far.
The boy began to get himself ready. He considered inviting Felt and one of the staff along but decided against it. He figured that he would learn more efficiently on his own but that was more of an excuse to not risk inconveniencing anyone more than he already had been.
Unfortunately for him, none of that would have mattered to begin with as fate had already made plans beforehand.
Just as Subaru was about to set foot outside, an all too familiar red haired knight opened the door from the other side.
"R-Reinhard?!" Subaru let out.
The knight smiled politely. He said was in his normal knight uniform like always and overall, just looking like he's enjoying his day like usual. "Great timing, friend. We are needed at the capital as soon as possible."
"Eh?" Subaru was left dumbfounded. Did he just say that he was needed at the capital? The boy widened his eyes as a dreadful thought came to mind. "A-Am I getting deported?!" He did admit to Reinhard that he wasn't from here after all and it wouldn't surprise him if his presence here would count as illegal immigration.
Reinhard had a confused look after Subaru shared that conclusion. "No, you aren't getting deported. You haven't committed any crimes so banishment would be unjust. We're going to the capital because the council is now ready to begin the Royal Selection."
"Wait, they're ready now?!" Subaru was admittedly surprised by this. Based on how Reinhard had mentioned the progress of the Royal Selection up until now, it seemed as if it wouldn't take place for a long time. Hearing that it's ready to start now felt very out of the blue and unrealistic. "Do you mean that they decided a time? When is it going to start?"
"Yes, they have decided to start the Royal Selection as soon as possible and the council has requested all of the candidates to gather in the capital as soon as possible."
Subaru's brow twitched. Reinhard can't be serious, can he? Up until now, there hasn't been as much of a hint when the Royal Selection was going to start and now they want everyone to gather under such short notice? "C-Crap! Lemme get ready real fast-"
Before Subaru could rush out, Reinhard stopped him. "I'm sorry, Friend. But we need to leave immediately. Delaying this matter any further may result in serious consequences."
"You can't be serious! At least let me get into a nice change of clothes or something! Wasn't that the main concern this past month?"
"That concern was primarily directed to Miss Felt. Your circumstances are different and as such, you are free to wear whatever you like."
Subaru let out a sigh. That would mean about 70% of what he did this month was meaningless. He considered just wearing his signature track suit but imagining Felt's wrath if he did so changed his mind. "It's fine, Rein. I want to dress nicely for the occasion."
Reinhard nodded. "If you insist. There's nothing wrong with that either. Though, I would recommend against wearing a dress as I fear it would cause several misunderstandings."
Subaru's face reddened in embarrassment as he frantically shook his head. "W-What gave you that idea?! I meant something like a tuxedo!"
The knight let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Subaru delightfully. "My apologies, friend. Considering how this past month has been, I had a suspicion that you wanted to be just like Miss Felt in… 'every' aspect."
"Every aspect…? N-No! I mean, I like how straightforward she is but I'm not interested in copying her or being a little girl!"
Reinhard immediately bowed apologetically. "I sincerely apologize for my baseless assumption. I hope my misunderstanding doesn't create a rift in our friendship."
"It's fine as long as you know now." Subaru slumped over, relieved at how easily Reinhard believed him. Now that he thought about it, it was understandable why Reinhard came to that conclusion.
Especially the cross dressing incident…
Subaru quivered as that embarrassing memory slithered in his head. It may have helped accomplish his goal at the time but he'd prefer to bury that memory at least forty feet underground.
"I am not opposed to you taking time to dress properly." Reinhard started, "However, since we're tight on time, I would like your permission to assist you in changing your attire."
Subaru shrugged, not thinking much of the request. "Sure. I don't really know what's considered nice to wear in these fancy events that isn't Felt themed."
"Not to fear. I have already taken the initiative to get a suit prepared in your size, friend. Now if you don't mind…"
"Really? When did you have time do tha- GAAAAAH!!!"
Subaru didn't have time to respond as he suddenly relocated at a speed that could only be compared to lightning. He wasn't by the entrance anymore but instead in the dressing room.
Reinhard was in the room too and he already had a nice looking suit in hand while smiling generously towards Subaru. He remembered that kind of smile all too well. It was the smile that knight had while he chased Felt with her dress.
Subaru nervously took a step back and raised his hands defensively in front of himself. "Cmon, Rein. Y-You don't have to do this. I can easily put the suit on myself."
"I'm well aware, friend. But I'm afraid we've wasted enough time already and we cannot afford any more delays. Do not worry, I will ensure this ends quickly."
"N-No, w-we can talk about this! Th-There has to be another way-"
…
Subaru didn't have a chance to finish defending himself. After all, it was too late. He had already thought his dignity was crushed a while ago but he would have never imagined just how much lower it could go.
--
Not even five minutes had passed and Subaru was already in a carriage heading straight to the capital. The boy in question was in a very nice suit. It was a black tuxedo that fit him perfectly and despite how scary his eye can be considered, it blended it in such a way that he not only looked very dashing but some might even consider him to be a wealthy noble.
Despite Subaru's newfound good looks, he was slumped in his seat glooming away. Accompanying him in the carriage was Reinhard and Grassis. The knight was sitting across from him while Grassis was sitting at his side trying her best to comfort the distressed boy.
The little maid rested her hand over Subaru's lap while silently looking up at him with a cute pleading expression. It was as if the little maid was convinced that the boy would eventually cheer up if she just stayed as close to him as possible.
Even Reinhard had his concerns for his friend's well being. He wondered what could have possibly happened to him within these past few minutes that soured their mood so much. He was with him that entire time after all so he should've been able to notice something.
Reaching their own conclusions, Reinhard spoke up in hopes to reassure his friend. "I understand that you may be nervous but I assure you that there's nothing to be afraid of. In fact, you don't have to attend the gathering if you don't want to. Miss Felt and I are the only ones required to be there."
Subaru dropped his gloom boy act and shot up furiously. "This isn't about that! I'm mad that you forcibly dressed me!"
Reinhard seemed to be taken aback by this statement but tipped his head apologetically nevertheless. "My apologies, I was under the impression that you'd given me permission to help you dress for the occasion."
"I-I mean, I did, but I didn't think you were going to do it for me!"
"Subaru-sama?" Grassis's cheeks turned slightly more pink than they already were before gently speaking. "I could help you change instead for next time if you want."
"No thanks. I'd prefer to dress myself from now on." Subaru answered quickly. There was no way he was going to risk it. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, where's Felt? This whole thing's about her so shouldn't she tag along?"
"Miss Felt will indeed be attending. She had already made it clear that she had no desire for me to help dress up so I assigned Flam and Grassis to the task."
Subaru blinked a few times as he glanced at Grassis who was still at his side then back to Reinhard.
The knight knew exactly what was on the boy's mind and he was quick to clarify his thoughts. "Sorry, I meant to say that was my intention. I instead had Flam and Carol take the task since Grassis insisted to-"
Grassis immediately abandoned her post by Subaru's side and lunged at Reinhard without warning. The little maid's face was as red as a cherry while she was relentlessly trying to cover the knight's mouth as if her life depended on it. Despite the small girl's efforts, she was incapable of covering the man's mouth. However, she was able to accomplish her goal…
"Grassis? Are you feeling alright?" The knight asked.
The young maid didn't answer. She just puffed out her cheeks and gave Reinhard a dead serious stare.
There was a small moment of silence before Reinhard seemingly understood something out of this wordless exchange as he cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem, I meant to say that I believe it would be better to have Grassis accompany us while Flam and Carol prepare Felt."
You know what? I'm not gonna question it! Subaru thought. This is already a big enough headache as it is. "Alright… So we'll just meet up with her there?"
Reinhard nodded. "That's right."
Subaru tried to envision how this would work out but doing so was way too difficult. He imagined that they would probably wait for her in some kind of reception hall but knowing Reinhard, he'll probably make some kind of overblown grand entrance and shower her in flower pedals.
Huh…
Actually, that would probably be cute.
No, Subaru thought. Everyone would be at risk of seeing the wrath of an unhinged Felt. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered. Does Felt know what's going on?
"Hey Rein, you did tell Felt that we're doing this today, right?"
"I'm afraid that I had no time to inform her. The summon happened at such short notice that I had to prioritize speed rather than formalities. However, I believe Miss Felt should be fine when she arrives thanks to all the training you both did this past month."
…
…
…
So Felt probably doesn't know what's going on.
"Why…?" Subaru asked in a broken defeated tone. "Why are you like this…?"
(--)(--)
Hmm…
…
It really has been quite some time, hasn't it?
…
Yeah, you don't really need to answer that. Well, I suppose I could give an explanation. After all, it will be affecting me for a potentially long while.
To start, I have always had a single time frame of when I write. It's during my job. I had so much free time that I was able to write a lot. However, several months ago I had a promotion and my new responsibilities require more of my attention.
In short, I'm a lot more busy.
That doesn't mean I don't write. I actually write on a daily basis. It just turned more into writing a paragraph or two every day. I'm also online daily like some kind of lurking freak so I haven't really left either.
So yeah, I'm writing all the time still just at a slower pace because I just decided to write at work for some weird reason instead of my free time like a normal person.
Other than that, I appreciate your patience. I'm contemplating on making a discord server for those who might wanna… I dunno, know that I'm still alive? Maybe I can dump a bunch of story ideas there too. Who knows?