As he opened his eyes he saw it was nighttime. At first he didn't try to move and simply enjoyed the comfort of the bed he was in. He thought about how he was still alive, and memories started to play in his mind. The village, the little girl with the blue hair, the giant dog, Rem saving him. / Rem... Is she alright?/
Subaru tried to get up, to find Rem, but his body wouldn't let him move quickly. With all his might, he fought against the soreness that existed in every muscle and he positioned himself upright.
Rem was in the room with him. Her faced drooping slightly as she slept in a chair facing his bed. She was still in her maid outfit.
On his right arm, Subaru felt something weird. He looked down. He was all bandaged up. His right bicep look like it had had a chunk taken out of it, resulting in an abnormal dip along his arm. With his other hand, he rubbed at the cavity that had been formed. / Oh, Jesus /
This time, Subaru had taken a lot more damage than with the bowel hunter. It was a miracle that he wasn't dead or paralyzed.
He focused his sight again at the girl sleeping in front of him. The room was cold, but she wasn't wearing much at all. He supposed that's always how Rem was, going out of her way for the sake of others.
He swivelled his legs off of the bed, and pushed hard to make himself stand. Every fibre of his being yelled at him to get back in bed, to get rested, but Subaru didn't. He stood up and grabbed the duvet from his bed. Even its poultry weight was at about carrying capacity for Subaru in this state.
Nonetheless, Subaru walked over to the girl, laying the duvet on her as she slept. Only after confirming that it was secure and wouldn't fall, did he crawl back onto his bed, shiverring.
As he closed his eyes to go back to sleep, a single thought floated through his mind.
/ Goodnight, Rem-chan /
It was morning now, and Rem was awake. The boy in front of her was layed out on the bed. She saw that his duvet had been moved onto her, and she could still smell the boy on the fabric.
She got up and walked toward the side of his bed, getting closer to him. She stared down at the boy intensely. / Hehe... your defenseless now Subaru-kun /
She moved her hand towards him slowly. She brought her fingers up and slowly brushed against one of Subaru's hands, getting a small twitch from him in response. Rem seemed to hesitate for a moment, contemplating whether to hold back, or whether to give in. She raised her hand, and gently poked the sleeping boy's lips. Subaru didn't even seem to notice.
Rem sighed, she couldn't deny that she had developed some sort of feeling for this boy. He had saved her life, recklessly rushing into danger to save her from the mabeast.
A few minutes passed and there was a quiet knock on the door. Rem went to open it. It was Emilia.
"Good morning Rem."
"Yes, good morning Emilia-sama" Rem responded with a very maid-like professionalism.
"How is he doing? He really took a beating." she said, her expression clearly showing concern.
"He is still recovering, but the worst injuries were healed by Beatrice, so Rem is sure he will be better soon" Rem's words seemed to do little to comfort Emilia.
"This is the second time that he has gotten in so much danger." Emilia fidgeted with Puck's crystal "At the lighthouse too Subaru nearly died for my sake. I don't understand him."
Suddenly, a new voice chimed in "What can I say Emilia-tan?" It was Subaru, who was sat up in his bed. "I can't help myself when there's a cute girl to save."
The comment did nothing to alleviate Emilia's worries, in fact it bothered her that he was being so blase about the situation.
"Subaru... How are you feeling?" Emilia asked.
"Not too bad. Considering the damage I took, I'd say I'm holding up pretty well." He let out a yawn as he said this.
"I see... Well I'm happy the you're feeling better, but you were too reckless! You seriouslyyy could have died." Emilia's scolding tone didn't seem to have an effect on Subaru.
"Yeah..." he looked towards Emilia "I'm really sorry Emilia-tan. It looks like I've worried you too much."
"Subaru you really scared me. When you rushed in and pushed Rem. And when you made me save her instead of you... Back then, that look in your eyes..." Emilia broke her eye contact with Subaru, and her voice had a slight tremble. "It looked like you had just accepted death. Like you were just giving up."
Subaru was caught of guard by this. He tried to think of a response, but he didn't know what to say.
Then Rem interrupted. "Rem doesn't think Subaru was giving up. Rem thinks Subaru was doing his best, and that we should be thankful for his sacrifice."
Rem looked annoyed. She had seen *all* the pain Subaru had suffered in order to get to this point. What he needed now was some comfort. Emilia's verbal admonishment, although deserved, just wasn't what he needed to hear.
Rem turned back to Subaru, and her big blue eyes were shining in the morning sun. "Subaru. Thank you. Thank you so much. Rem has seen all the pain you've gone through, but Rem wants you to know... You don't have to carry that burden all by yourself!"
Subaru felt is his cheeks heat up at the proclamation. "Ahh, Thanks Rem."
"Emilia-sama is right to be worried though. You need to rest so you can get better." A big grin spread over Rem's face, and she picked up the duvet from where she was sitting before.
She walked up to Subaru's bed and pulled the duvet over his body, forcing him back to a horizontal position. Then she lowered herself, putting her head right beside his.
"And Subaru-kun. When Rem is doing nice things for you - please let her, okay?" she whispered softly into his ear. She held the duvet down on him tightly, signaling what she meant.
Subaru was bright red. "Ahh. Okay. Okay. That's too tight, it hurts."
Rem softened her grip and stood back up. A big smile still hung from her face. /Well she looks awfully pleased with herself./ thought Subaru.
Emilia was surprised at the interaction. Rem had known Subaru for an even shorter time than herself - which wasn't saying much. / Despite that, the way Rem is acting is kind of... intimate. /
After that Emilia left. Rem sat with Subaru while he got some rest.
"Subaru-kun, Rem has to leave now. Please try not to be to sad." she said giving him a cheeky smirk.
"Noted." He answered, then he gave her a smirk in return "But I think the only thing that can stop me being sad is some of Rem's delicious cooking."
Rem smiled and gave him a nod "You don't need to ask Rem twice. When she comes again, Rem will bring you a lunch." After saying this, Rem left Subaru alone in his room.
/She's too nice./ Subaru looked at the duvet. / I wonder what she's thinking.../
A full day had passed, and on the morning of the next, the maids allowed Subaru to start doing some light work again. Subaru was glad for this as his duties kept his mind busy. Once they had finished lunch though, he was told to go back to his room and rest for the afternoon. He tried to protest, but Ram wouldn't let him get a word in.
"Rem and I were doing just fine before you ever showed up Barusu, so don't get bent out of shape." She told him.
"That's not the point! If I'm not doing anything I get too bored!" he tried to protest.
"Why are you so mad Barusu? Boredom is the natural state of being for an individual as useless as yourself." Ram's insults were harsh, but they were delivered in a joking tone.
Subaru looked to Rem, hoping she could take his side. Rem clapped her hands to together and raised them to her tilted head - the universal symbol for sleep. Subaru sighed. It was cute, but it wasn't what he wanted to see.
"Uhhh Fine. But I want to be back full-time soon. Preferably tomorrow." Subaru told Ram.
With that, Subaru left the two maids and headed back towards his room. As he walked down the halls, he came to a stop, turning to face one of the rooms. /That door... This is.../
Subaru energetically swung the door open.
"This is Beatrice!" He grinned.
"Hmmm, how are you finding me, I suppose!" A visible tick mark had formed over her head.
"Not to tout my own horn, but I play my games to 100% completion. An obvious easter egg like this one doesn't stand a chance." he touted.
"I don't know what you mean, but you are quite annoying, I suppose!" she said.
He ignored her complaints and went toward the bookshelves. He opened one of the books, and saw the dense text lining the paper.
"What part of 'forbidden library' don't you understand, I suppose!" Beatrice seemed a bit offended at his casual attitude.
"Ehh. You don't have to worry Beatrice." Subaru flicked through the book in his hands.
"What?"
"I can't read." he deadpanned.
He looked at Beatrice, who seemed surprised. Then Beatrice started laughing.
"I knew you were stupid, but, 'I can't read'" she lowered her voice as she said that last part, trying to mimic Subaru's speaking "Bhahahaha, that definitely goes too far, I suppose!" Beatrice was wiping tears from her eyes.
Subaru face lit up. Something about seeing Beatrie actually acting like a kid made him feel reenergized. After Beatrice's laughter died down she looked back at Subaru.
"That was a good joke, I suppose. Betty will read you a book for making her laugh. Just pick one out I suppose."
Beatrice's offer surprised Subaru.
"I would love that Beatrice. Ummm Can I request one by topic instead though? Since I can't read the titles." Subaru asked her.
Beatrice let out another little giggle. "I suppose you can't... ahaha. Very well, give me a topic and Betty will choose a book. I have read them all I suppose."
"In that case, do you have any books about mabeasts? Like the different kinds of mabeasts that exist and their magic powers and stuff?" Subaru's excitedness could be heard in his voice.
"Yes, there are books of that nature. Just wait a moment while Betty gets one I suppose." Betty got down from her stool, and walked towards the back of the library. A minute or two passed before she returned, carrying a big book with her.
"You will like this one I think." Beatrice could barely keep a straight face as she said this. "Since there are- Ahhahahah Since there are a lot of pictures, I suppose!" Beatrice cracked up again had started laughing. Despite the diss, Subaru couldn't stop himself from laughing with her.
They sat down next to each other on the floor, and Beatrice read out from the book. Each double page had one page dedicated to illustrations of the animals and anatomical diagrams of some organs. The other page was a profile on the animal, their threat level and any useful properties they had.
Subaru learned that the magic dogs that had attacked him in the village were called ulgarms.
"When an ulgarm bites a human, a curse is placed. On midnight of that day, the curse will activate, draining a victim of their mana. In all cases, this is fatal." Beatrice read out the description and Subaru shuttered. The memories of his death in Rem's arms played like a movie in his head.
Beatrice paused her reading for a moment and looked towards Subaru. "Betty was concerned that you had been cursed, but the ulgarms that bit you were all killed, so it wasn't an issue I suppose."
"Is that right... Wait, were the one who healed me? Again?" Subaru was surprised.
"Yes. Betty couldn't just let you die. I already have enough guilt I suppose." The last part of her answer hinted at a darker past, but Subaru thought that it wasn't the time yet.
"Well I thank you Beatrice. That's two times that I would've been toast without you. I owe you one. Actually I owe you two I guess."
"Betty thinks it's fine. Just don't come back covered in blood again I suppose!" She exclaimed. "When the pink haired one brought you in, it made a real mess!"
"The pink haired one... That's right!" a hazy memory jumped at Subaru "It was technically Ram who saved me wasn't it? Oh gosh I forgot to even thank her."
Beatrice and Subaru finished their reading session, and when Subaru left the library he was surprised to see it was dark outside. / No windows and no clock in there, it's more like a casino than a library I suppose. / He had spent too much time with Beatrice. Her tick was affecting his thoughts.
He entered the dining hall, but was surprised to see just Rem was sitting there, alone. She looked lost in thought.
"Rem. How's it going?" he asked her The question seemed to snap Rem out of whatever trance she was in. "Ah Subaru-kun. I'm fine. Did you rest well?"
"Well I was going to sleep, but I got kind of caught up. I ended up having Beatrice read me a book all afternoon." he confessed to her.
"I see. Then you've probably spent more time with Beatrice-sama this week than Rem has in her whole life." As she said this, Subaru served himself some of Rem's curry and sat down opposite to her.
"Is that so..." Subaru trailed off, taking a bite of the meal "Wow! As always Rem, your cooking is the best!"
Rem smiled at him "I'm glad you think so." She watched gleefully as the boy wolfed down her cooking.
"By the way, where is Ram? I still need to thank her for saving my bacon." Subaru looked at Rem, realizing he had been a bit rude "Obviously you and Emilia also saved my bacon, so uhhh, thank you."
Rem shook her head "Rem knows what you mean. Ram went to go pick up Subaru when he was alone. If not for her then..." Rem gulped as she stared back at Subaru.
There was brief pause. Neither of them wanted to get into that sort of topic while they ate. Rem stood up to serve herself some food.
/ Has she been waiting for me to eat? / Subaru thought.
"Emilia said she had to go back up to study, and Roswaal had dinner even before her. Ram is with Roswaal now, so it's just Rem tonight." Rem spoke up.
"*Just* Rem huh? Well that's *just* the way I like it." Subaru put some extra emphasis on the "just".
"Rem is happy to hear that." She smiled softly at Subaru, pausing for a bit to eat "Rem is also grateful to Subaru. You did save me." She looked at Subaru as she said this, who had a bit of a blush. Seeing this, Rem's own cheeks felt a bit warm. There was an obvious tension in the room, and both of them could feel it.
"Say umm Rem. Could you help me with something?" Subaru started "The thing is I don't really know how to read, so I was hoping maybe you could teach me a bit. I don't wanna ask too much, but maybe just the basics..." Subaru stopped talking. Rem seemed to be gleeming at this suggestion, nodding her head as Subaru spoke.
"Of course Subaru-kun. Rem would be happy to help you with that. If you want, we can start tonight?" she asked, nervously twisting her feet on the floor beneath her.
"Oh" Subaru was caught of guard "Tonight? I guess that is fine with me."
"Alright then. Rem will come to you room after dinner, so don't go to bed too quickly." she said quietly.
Subaru gulped. This very well may be the greatest challenge he had faced since coming to this world. / A one-on-one late night tutoring session with Rem. I've been in dangerous situations before, but this a whole other level. /
He remembered Emilia. She had been the reason he had come to this mansion. But in this loop, he hadn't made much time to hang out with her. To her, he was just an acquaintance that had happened to save her. His gaze fixed itself on the girl across from him.
Rem on the other hand was the person he had spent the most time with by a long shot. The image of her crying right after RBD flashed in his mind. He had been touched, Rem seemed to really care about him.
They finished their meal peacefully. And then Subaru stood up, and started to wash the remaining dishes.
"I'm going to go take a shower. After that, feel free to stop by for our lesson."
Rem let out a quiet 'okay', and Subaru left the dining room soon after.
Subaru got back to his room and sat at his desk. He opened the mabeast book and looked at some of the drawings. Beatrice had let him keep the book, so long as he returned it at some point. / Was that some kind of invitation back?/
He pondered some more while staring at an illustration of a floating whale. / A whale that flies around and attacks you? Seems pretty terrifying. /
Silence reigned for a few minutes as Subaru turned through the book, still amazed at the fauna of this other world. Eventually, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Subaru-kun, it's Rem." Rem's muffled voice called out from outside.
Subaru got up and opened the door. In front of him stood Rem, wearing a nightgown instead of her usual maid attire. She was holding a pen in one hand, and was clutching a notepad in her chest.
"Uhhh. Please come in. I'm just sitting there by the desk." He pointed to his station.
Rem nodded and put the equipment on the desk. Then she motioned him to come and sit down.
Once everything was in position. The lesson started.
"Okay, so this letter is alma." Rem drew out a symbol. The letter looked a bit like a lower-case 'y', but its tailed curled outwards to form a sort of '6'. "Rem wants you to pratice writing it out a few times."
Rem handed the pen to Subaru, who lightly touched her hand as he grabbed it. / Jeez, I'm being too nervous. / Subaru thought to himself.
As he repeatedly drew the symbol, Subaru could feel his heart thumping loudly. Rem was standing over him but leaning forward a little bit, trying to get a better look at Subaru's writing. "Yeah. Just like that Subaru-kun." Subaru could see a speck of blue on the periphery of his vision. / Hey, aren't you a bit too close? /
Subaru could smell the shampoo in Rem's hair. He turned a bit to see the side of her head. He could see now that she had also just come out the shower, her soft skin seeming to glow in the candlelight.
All the nervousness had made his writing sloppy, and the lines he drew were terribly uneven. Rem placed her hand on his and gently dragged his hand across the page.
"Just relax, okay?" she whispered.
/Shit shit shit. It's a good thing I rubbed one out in the shower! Otherwise I'd be toast in these pyjamas. /
They continued this for a bit and gradually Subaru managed to regain his composure. /She must be coming onto me though, right? I mean... I know about culture shock, but there isn't a world where this is just being nice. /
"Subaru-kun is too kind." Rem muttered.
"Huh Rem? What do you mean?" Subaru asked her.
Rem wrapped her arms around Subaru's shoulders, and hugged his back. "Rem saw it at the village. You were playing with those kids, it was so sweet."
"And then, you saved me. If miss Emilia hadn't shown up, you were prepared to reset for my sake. In the most painful way possible too." Rem hugged him tighter "Subaru is too kind."
Hearing those words, a feeling of joy spread throughout Subaru. Being praised by Rem was so nice. She was the one who could see really him for what he was, who had an inkling of what goes on behind the curtain. The fact that she still liked him made him feel relaxed.
"Rem. I don't want to see you get hurt. Me- I'm expendable, but if something happened to you, I couldn't live with it. Literally."
Rem didn't respond for a minute, and just continued to hug him. Then she spoke.
"Subaru-kun. Rem knows how you feel. With a power like yours, Rem understands how you would feel responsible for everything." She hugged him even tighter to stop him from facing her "But every time Rem sees Subaru sacrifice himself, a little part of Rem dies too!"
Subaru's eyes widened in shock. He blinked a few times as he felt the sensation of his eyes burning up. "Rem that's..." he tried to turn to face her, but her tight grip stopped him.
Subaru forced his way out of the hug, removing her hands with his. He turned to around. She was crying a bit too.
/ Rem, please. I know it looks like it hurts, but if I die... /
"Rem. It doesn't matter if I die. If I can go back and fix everything then I will." He said to her. "There's no need for you to be sa-"
"Subaru-kun! Please! It might not matter to you, but it matters to me!" She looked even more deeply in his eyes. "Rem promised you, remember?"
Subaru just stared at Rem for second. He was getting quite emotional.
"Rem. Can you really keep that promise?" Subaru asked shackily
"Yes."
There was a long moment of pause.
"In that case, you're saying that it's okay for me to be selfish?" He asked her
"Yes." Rem was smiling brightly, as tears streamed down her eyes.
"To prioritize myself, ahead of everyone else!?" His voice grew a bit louder as he said this.
Rem nodded at him, still crying. "Mmm-hmm." She sniffled. "Subaru-kun! Be as selfish as you want!"
The girl in front of him was both crying and grinning. And inside, Subaru felt the same way.
Subaru took a moment to wipe away the tears on his own face.
"Be as selfish as I want huh?" he muttered, smirking.
He brought his arms up to hold her. His right hand feeling the hair on the back of her head, his left hand squeezing her waist. Her lips looked so soft. / Okay Rem, this is me being as selfish as I want. /
He leaned in, she closed her eyes, and...
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
/Shittttttt!/
Subaru turned to see Ram, who had opened the door and was standing at the entrance of his bedroom. She had a serious look on her face that sent shivers down his spine. / Goddammit. This is not good! If she took down a mabeast, then Ram can definitely kick my ass! / Subaru quickly took his hands off the blue-haired sister.
"Ahh, Nee-sama! This isn't what it looks like!" Rem hurriedly denied.
"Oh? It isn't what it looks like? How could it possibly be anything other than what it looks like?" Ram inquired, her voice was cold and strict.
"We were just having a heart-to-heart." Rem exclaimed. It was the best she could do. It was the truth, just not the whole truth.
"I don't understand you Rem. A boy saves you, and then two days later you're doing this?" Ram said, angry and confused.
Subaru was staying quiet. / Saying anything now will just make things worse. /
"Why? What happened?" Ram shouted.
"Ram..." Rem tried to cut in, but failed.
"How can you fall for someone so easily!? I refuse to believe that my sister is so quick to put out!" Ram slammed her palm against the wall as she said this.
Rem seemed horrified for a moment, but she calmed down quickly.
"Sister." Rem had some unreadable expression on her face, and her voice was barely audible. "I know this looks bad, but please!" Rem's eyelids closed a little, showing a pleading look "Just trust me. Rem knows it all seems... fast. But really, Subaru is a good guy!"
Ram looked at Subaru, who had his mouth hanging slightly agape. Subaru was trying to hide it, but under his mask she could see a small look of "Ohh shit it's about to go down!" written on is face.
/ Rem, this guy is clearly a doofus! / she thought.
She let out a sigh. "Of course I trust you Rem. Always." She pinched the bridge of her nose to show her frustration.
"But even if he is a good guy, it doesn't matter. He's only been here for a week." Ram turned to Barusu "And if you want my opinion, I think Barusu is an idiot."
"Hey! There's no need for that-" Subaru tried to protest.
"Kindly be quiet, Barusu." Ram cut him off strictly.
"I don't want to hear from a dog like you. Ever since you came here, you've done nothing but oogle my sister! Don't think I haven't noticed!" Ram berated him. At this comment Rem and Subaru looked at each other, and paused.
/Ehh has he really been... looking at me? Like that? / Rem thought
/ Shit! I guess Ram noticed me staring a bit too much! / Subaru had
"Ahahah I guess I have, I'm sorry about that Ram." Subaru told her
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too!" Ram exclaimed.
"Oh right... Rem, I'm sorry." Subaru saw Rem giggle.
"Mmmm. You don't have to apologize." Rem said warmly "Rem doesn't mind it." She cheeckily poked her cheek with her index.
Rem and Subaru turned back towards Ram. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. She had come here to prove a point... to get Rem, but...
It seemed the tables had been turned on her. Every reprimand was just met with giggles and more flirting. Ram felt blood rushing to her face. She suddenly felt a great deal of second hand embarrassment just from watching the two of them being so lovey dovey.
After a bit, Rem walked up to Ram and gave her a determined look.
"Rem has faith in who you have chosen, despite my better judgement." Rem said to her "Please. Allow Rem the same courtesy. You might not understand it, but I actually know Subaru quite well." There was a strange gleem in Ream's eyes as she said this.
The two sisters stared at each other for a bit, their communication having gone beyond words.
"Alright Rem. I won't stop you from trying to pursue this idiot." She shot a dirty look at Subaru "But it's late now and we have a big day tomorrow, so lets *all* go to bed."
With that, the night died down quickly. Subaru exchanged one last look with Rem before she was dragged out by her sister.
/Sheeesh, this situation couldn't get any trickier / Subaru sighed as he sat on his bed. / Ram is super cool though, I don't want her to actually hate me. Maybe Rem and I should slow down, just really give it some time to cook. /
Subaru put away his writing utensils as he thought about this. Then he laid down, and finally fell asleep.
Things were awkward between the three of them after that. Subaru had decided to slow down with Rem. / I mean there is still plenty of time... I'd rather do this right and it take a while, rather than go down the easy path and have Ram hate me. /
Subaru figured that Rem had also slowed down on him. Not that she wasn't still sweet to him, but the slightly lewd energy he had felt that night had retreated from her. / This is for the best, at least for now. Acting however we want would make things more difficult. /
More than two weeks past, and Subaru had fallen into a routine. He would wake up, and have breakfast with the maids and Emilia. He'd work around the mansion, cleaning, cooking, sewing, plumbing, repairing, scrubbing, and attending to all manner of other menial duties. Most of the time he was working with Rem. Subaru had noticed that Ram had to take long breaks over the course of the day. Not that Subaru minded. Even though he and Rem were mostly working in silence, there was always a comfortable atmosphere when it was just the two of them.
In the afternoons he usually had some free time, so he would go to the forbidden library and have Beatrice read to him. Beatrice would make snarky comments whenever she could, and Subaru was always teasing her. This teasing would always end up with Subaru being forcefully ejected from the forbidden library, and told not to come back. Of course, the next day, he would return. Beatrice didn't even bother activating the door crossing magic so she was always in the same spot.
He barely ever saw Roswaal, and Emilia was almost as elusive. Every time he went to try and talk to her she was busy. He learned about her being a candidate for the throne, so he didn't hold anything against her. / Still, it'd be nice to chat to her a bit... /
Now he was in the dining room. It was a rare occassion where everyone had gathered together for dinner. Roswaal explained that he and Emilia would soon be off for a trip. They would be gone for few days, attending a selection event at the capital.
"Ohhh and Subaruuuuu..." Roswaal had told him "We're going to bring Ram with us, as an attendant. You and Rem will have to take care of allllll duties while we're away."
"Yeah. That's no problem. I'm sure Rem and I have got this under control..." Subaru's voice trailed off. / Wait. So then it's going to be just me and Rem here? Alone? /
He looked up at the two maids eating dinner across from him.
Rem had a slight smirk. "Let's do our best, Su-ba-ru-kun." she said slyly.
/ Rem... Oh lord. /
Ram on the other hand didn't look as amused. She was glaring daggers at Subaru, as if trying to activate some latent heat-vision power.
"Disgusting..." she muttered at him.
He felt a small kick at his feet. Rem continued to smile at him. / Aren't you getting ahead of yourself, Rem? /
Subaru kicked her back lightly under the table, the rubbed his foot up and down her sock, feeling it unfurl due to the friction.
Then he felt another kick. This one aimed right at his the chin, and it was a lot harder.
"Owww!" he let out.
"Disgusting." Ram said again, louder this time.
With that, the meal continued without much fanfare.
Ram sat comfortably in Roswaal's lap. He held his hand up to her forehead, channeling his mana into Ram.
"Ram. You've had some time now. What doooo you think of the new butler." Roswaal inquired.
Ram thought for a moment. "He seems apt enough at his job." she squirmed a bit, signalling to Roswaal that she needed more.
Roswaal increased the channel of mana ebbing from his fingers.
"Mmm" a small moan escaped her.
"I see" His face darkened a little. "And does he seem at all suspicious."
"No. I don't think so. He is far too great an idiot to be a spy or conspirator." she responded.
"I see. And is he getting along with the princess?" Roswaal asked her.
Ram turned a bit, trying to get a better look ather master. "I don't know what you mean Roswaal-sama."
"Wellll by now he should be quite taken with her." he told her.
"No. The one he seems the most close to... would be my sister." Ram told him
"Rem? Hmmmm..." Roswaal pondered this for a bit. "This is an interesting development indeed."
Ram furrowed her brow. She had promised to serve master Roswaal. But she wouldn't allow him to treat them as simple pawns in his game.