Watching A Daughter's Hopeful Reunion

by Reactionist

My WHDAAA spinoff. Warden gets dropped into an alternate world where he meets a little princess. The consequences of this interaction are far more destructive than he could've ever anticipated. Now the theater is on a new path. Special credits to Evon for the cover art. Archer for Hopeful Reunion. And Twisted and Pidgie for the beta reads.

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3A: Hopeful Reunion Chapter 2: Theater A:

(Re:Zero is owned by Tappei, not me. Hopeful Reunion is ArcherfromArnor's fanfic.)

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Peace was the main objective from the silence. An objective that Subaru's tribulant mind was all but begging for as of this moment. To start counting the amount of thoughts in his head would be a waste of time.

The boy slipped a glance to his side with an empty look. His intelligence told him not to say anything, or else he would disturb the silence. The only thing that kept him stable right now.

Though in order to find any resemblance of balance, he looked at the person to his side, and it only served to bring him a whole bag of complex emotions, strangely enough, calmness was also one of them.

Slowly, he began catching some of his nerves.

"So…"

And the silence was effectively broken. Just a simple word. Maybe the silence was too overbearing for him? Maybe it was the pressure of wanting, of needing, to say something to what had just been revealed.

The silence was what his mind needed. But his heart compelled him to shoot a shot forward, and move things away from this suffocating comfort that silence brought.

By voicing his need to leave the comfort zone, he had also placed the responsibility of replying on the other conscious person paired with him in the room.

The only problem was the fact that he hadn't actually said anything of substance to start the conversation. Thereby leaving that duty to the one that replies.

A lesser mind would've accused him of throwing these important steps to the woman he was speaking to.

A lesser mind.

"You are a slimy worm." The other side was, unfortunately, not easily fooled by such impressive laziness. "Mineself had figured your miniscule brain would need time. I should've seen that it was useless to allow you the chance."

Seeing her sharp look and hearing those hurtful words, Subaru looked apologetically toward the lady and replied with compassion and guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Priscilla-san… I know it's tough to make mistakes like this… as if you're human like all of us."

Seeing the clear mocking behind his words, Priscilla simply huffed and looked away.

The silence again came. But no one in the room had cared for it as it wasn't as overbearing with demand and responsibilities as the first time. They were both comfortable enough to feel some stress levitate from their nerves.

"You know we don't have anyone else's company here. I know you wanted us to talk about it but I just can't seem to get my head straight." Subaru trails his gaze to his shoes.

"... That is fair." Priscilla comments, keeping her eyes trailed away.

"You say that as if you have a passive view on this situation. Have you already made up your mind about what we saw?" Subaru asked this with a look of surprise. Truth is he was hopeful that Priscilla's overconfidence (arrogance) can get them both some sort of stability and vision to move through this mess.

"..." Priscilla merely took a glance to her side, lingering for a few seconds and then moving her eyes away. Unspeaking nor reacting.

"Priscill-"

"This child is mine…" Priscilla said this to the wind, not looking at him nor the sleeping kid between them.

Subaru grew tense when, within her silence, she moved her eye sight toward him.

"...and she is also yours." Priscilla gives him a look that was devoid of any emotion for him to tell what she truly thought.

Which led to Subaru becoming more agitated.

"This is some bad joke." He grumbled with distaste.

"Yet you won't look at her like you used to." Priscilla was now musing as she stared at him.

"Of course! You think I can look at the kid after seeing her basically invade my room in my parents house?!"

"I don't recall the girl having such callous manners." Priscilla actually snorted while Subaru seemed to be huffing in place.

"She totally entered my room because she saw my amazing collection. I don't recall mom telling her she was allowed inside!"

"Were you not the one praising the child all the way throughout our viewing from before?" Priscilla raised a brow of amusement. "Quite the change in tone, though I suppose this is just your reaction to the fact that a child can portray your opportunistic attributes so clearly."

"Absolutely!" Subaru nodded confidently with crossed arms. "Since I'm her father, I know exactly when my daughter is being disrespectful- Hey hold on. Did you just turn that into an insult about my genes?!"

As Subaru pointed at her with blasphemy clear on his expression.

"Would mine divine self waste valuable time to break your overzealous ego?" Priscilla asked, innocence shining within her eyes.

"For entertainment? Yes. Yes you would." Subaru answered without a second thought. "How is that even a question? You JUST did this to me a couple of times when we watched the kid!"

"Tis what will continue to happen when we simply waste time with each other. Mine patience is beyond as limited as you seem to think." Priscilla stared at him with eyes that told him she knew what he was trying to do.

Subaru simply slumped in his spot on the couch. "Yeah, you're right. I've just wasted our time… I just don't wanna think about it."

Priscilla raised a brow at this, striking Subaru with an unusually patient look. As if she was giving him understanding.

"What happened to you… You're… too calm about this. Shouldn't you be demanding my head be crushed beneath your heel or something? I get you want to learn more about the kid but… This is too much character development for someone like you." Subaru's frustration overturned any comfort he was getting from the unusual slowness Priscilla was taking with all of this.

"One would presume," she sighed, leaning back into her spot on the couch and looking at the wall in front of them. "A goddess must crush any notion from misguided rabble that cannot amount to anything but dirt in her world, yet they dare to think they have the ability take a higher place within it."

Subaru's look downgraded into one of annoyance as Priscilla stared at the front wall with a look of some great thinker.

"Could you stop acting like a greek scholar and tell me what's making you so calm all of a sudden?"

"..."

"Wow… You have no idea either do you?" Subaru's eyes were wide, almost feeling like he overdid it when he voiced his shock. But when the supreme narcissist he'd always called as an unattainable beauty because of her personality reacted the way she did to his words… he felt empty.

Priscilla's reaction wasn't that of an offended god who'd had her pride insulted or an extremely unkempt wrath pointed toward everyone around her in the room.

She simply looked down from the wall.

Priscilla Barielle… didn't have anything to say to him.

"You're just as stumped as I am." Subaru said as he looked at his knees blankly. "Why did you want to talk to me about this then?"

"Then time would've been wasted with mine divine ears hearing you whine uselessly again." Though Priscilla might have meant this to be striking, it only made Subaru more interested. They both stared at one another, away from the distractions they have been using to not look at one another…

Because slowly, curiosity won over both of them, and they moved their sights towards the biggest reason why there hasn't been comfort within this room between them.

"Priscilla," he lost the title because he'd intended his next words to be careful and serious. "I'm a heartfelt guy… I don't always know when to say the right things but I say what my heart's telling me no matter what."

As he started to take the lead, Priscilla held the urge to snort.

"Mineself is familiar," she said with an ominous look of remembrance but her eyes never left the spot between her and Subaru as they both communicated with each other.

"... And I'm serious when I tell you this, I really am." His voice was strained, just simply overridden with guilt and compassion.

"..."

He moved his eyes away from the sleeping girl and looked at Priscilla directly. She too met him in the same way with an unreadable face.

"I love Emilia… I'm so-"

"Ah, so it's cowardice you choose."

"... What?"

Subaru's confidence is completely thrown off at her nonchalance, as if his heartfelt confession was nothing to her but a mere sentence that she could undercut easily.

"I see," Priscilla leans away from him, her mind seeming to have been settled upon something that wasn't clear to Subaru. "If the dog wants to fight the wind, then the divine shall leave him to it."

"What the hell- Can you talk normally for a sec?! You didn't let me finish!"

"Here's a path to a much better destiny than you've ever had the pleasure of even imagining in your life." Priscilla didn't even look at him as she crossed her legs and gestured toward the TV. "Yet you choose to be a dog. Afraid of change."

"Better path?" Subaru stared flabbergasted. "You just saw a child get transported into a whole new world on her own! What part of that is a better destiny or happier time for me OR for you?! Are you really going to just say 'mine daughter is half as divine as mineself therefore she shall be protected by tis world' and move on living like we didn't just lose a kid?!"

"You're not denying her existence any more? How grand of you."

"I never did!" Subaru was beyond frustrated by the way he slammed a fist to his knee. "She wasn't the most important part of this."

"Ah yes, the most important part for you must've been the disappointment on the half-witch's face after knowing you've moved away from beneath her foot."

"Do not call her that! Emilia would want me to be happy anywhere I ended up. She's not as shallow as you are!"

"... Hm." Priscilla simply responded to that personal insult with the grace of someone that belittled the person in front of them. As if Subaru going too far wasn't even phasing to the lady in red as she ignored everything he said with composure. Even ignoring Subaru's instant look of guilt before he could even voice a backtracking on his statement.

"If there was such a world where this girl between us existed, then that means you've chosen to follow my word and mine alone. It is not a matter of question, it's the simple natural path that I will not have you run around broken should I choose you. So heed my word, commoner, that is a better path than the one you've chosen."

"You and I both know that she was impossible anyway. YOU said so yourself!" Subaru shook his head and glared at the lady with what could be described as hate but it wasn't. He was just decently frustrated with the way Priscilla was talking to him. He disliked that their friendliness seemed to have just dispersed as soon as Emilia came up.

"The world revolves around my luck and will. Tis simply a matter of whether it benefits me."

"Great! Amazing!" Subaru clapped and layed back on the couch to face away from her. "The world is your answer to everything and anything! But I won't let that be it for me."

"..." Priscilla watched as Subaru started to stand up and walk towards the center of the room. Toward the empty square that had gone dark and inactive ever since the last view it had shown into the life of the girl between them.

"Oi!" Subaru began shouting to the ceiling as he gripped the screen from its edges and proceeded to throw it on the floor. "Explain what the hell is going on!"

As the screen fell on the floor, Priscilla half expected it to shatter into pieces, clearly calculating the force of the knight's throw to understand his mood.

It was clear that he was at his wits end… She couldn't blame him.

"This has gotten on long enough! Show me where Emilia is and get the kid back to her world!" Subaru's thought about the child beside Priscilla actually surprised her pleasantly. She found herself quietly appreciating his shouts to the ceiling after that part.

Interesting…

"Can anyone hear me over there?! Get your arrogant ass back here and let us leave. We don't have to watch anymore of this!" Subaru received nothing but silence in reply.

After a few more seconds, he huffed and glared at the screen he threw to the ground. Once his narrow eyes burned the large square with their gaze for mere moments, his foot suddenly reverted back and shot forward in a furious kick of justice.

Before it could land, the object had blinked out of existence, leading to Subaru kicking nothing but air and tripping a little bit.

"Huh?!" Subaru caught himself quickly before he fell, and glared upwards immediately, knowing why the TV disappeared. "You there?! Answer me!"

"That isn't me, the room protects itself." The voice of the Warden had come to liven both Priscilla and Subaru's day especially with how annoyed he sounds. Both occupants ignored the TV being popped back into its original spot on the table. "That TV didn't do anything to you man…"

"It got you to talk to me! Why have you not responded?!"

"I'm very busy right now, and don't ignore the rights of the fucking TV-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DAMN TV-"

"HOW CAN YOU NOT CARE ABOUT THE GODDMAN TV-"

"You two commoners are buffoons." Priscilla commented with nothing short of amazement on her face. "Tis' is a mystery how a divine such as me is stuck in this madhouse."

"..."

"...Anyways. How did you enjoy the watch?"

"You know I have a lot of questions right?" Subaru raised a brow at the ceiling while Priscilla continued to watch with disinterest from the back.

"I would be disappointed in you if you hadn't any." The voice from outside the room chuckled but then coughed so painfully, it made both Priscilla and Subaru flinch. "Fu…k…rgghh…"

"Uh… Are you alright over the-"

"I'm fine. What's your first question?" Warden's struggle became invisible through his voice, it was obvious he was hiding it. "Must've been a good question for you to wanna drop my TV like that."

"... Alright then." Subaru shook his head in order to move on to something more useful. "What the hell was that?"

"It was what you wanted to see, no? The girl's story."

"That's not an answer!" Subaru shouted, his glare fierce. "Why are you showing us a different reality than our own?! Me and the spiteful pile of thorns over there have no business being in this room with a comatosed version of a kid we won't ever see in our lifetime! Let us leave." He pointed at Priscilla with his thumb, and only received the most modest of eye-rolls.

"That you're upset with me because I showed you the way your parents have been affected by your disappearance, Subaru?"

Subaru blanched at this sudden diversion from his questions. Priscilla leaned back and crossed her legs again, clearly interested with the conversation as soon as the Warden pinpointed what she noticed already.

"Not bad for a dog."

"Don't you start teaming up with him!" Subaru glared at her. "And you're not answering what I asked! Anyone would be upset and shaken after being in my shoes. A highschool dropout like me can only imagine his mother crying after seeing me in my forties eating bentos and reading mangas in her house!"

"Ah, the awkward proclamations return so you can feel in control as you cope," Warden mused while appearing to walk through something very sandy.

"Such a commoner way of dealing with distress…" Priscilla inspected her fingernails with boredom.

"I swear to god…" Subaru gritted his teeth while Priscilla seemed to give him some interest as she perked up.

"Yes? How can I help-"

"That's just distasteful," he waved her off and looked back up, ignoring the nasty cackle from the resentful lady in red. "Can we get some answers? Please?"

"Sure." Warden's reply was simple and sound. It seemed like he was somewhere really windy, not that Subaru had to care, since the man clearly wanted to continue speaking with him right now and he wanted as much as he could get in order to keep his head straight. "I think I can give you exactly what you want, right now."

As Subaru sighed in relief, he didn't notice the turn in Priscilla's eyes as she listened to the tone shift.

"Fantastic!" Subaru clapped with an excited smile. "Can you start by telling me wh-"

"I'll be sending you both back to your friends."

"Huh?"

Subaru looked extremely confused after the interruption. "What?"

"You two will get to go back and never enter here again. Simple."

"Wait… What about my questions?" Subaru asked.

"They won't be important if you won't get to see this little one's journey anymore, no? You won't care why you watched her life or saw her before you at all if you're living as you used to be. It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter… The little girl?" Subaru's tone dropped.

"Don't," Warden warned. "Don't do that. I never implied that."

"... Then why not just answer me?" He asked desperately, frustrated and tired. "Why all this complication for what you see as nothing?!"

"Listen to me… argh… I don't want you there. That's as simple as it is. Please prepare yourself to be returned to your camps and families. Forget this had ever happened and think about it as another world far away from the both of you-"

"OI! WHY ARE YOU SO HURRIED TO KICK US OUT?!" Subaru was shocked at his own shouting for a moment, but then he decided to continue. "Just get through whatever you're going through and talk to us after-"

"It's useless if you're just going to look at this kid as an impossibility. I don't get anything but questions from this. It was a mistake on my part. Get ready for transport."

"..." Subaru looked at the ceiling in bafflement, completely taken aback by the assertiveness of the rejection of his request. It was probably the only thing left to hold his emotions together in some way, the fact that there was a plan to all of this, a reason as to why he was forced to watch this child go through something he's experienced on his own and got hurt doing so.

But now, none of it will be answered. There's no plan that will continue further, there's no more explanation as to what happened to the kid or how she came to be.

No one to answer for why he was in here, watching.

"I grow bored of this," As if it wasn't enough that he was facing a stone wall, Priscilla smoothly inserts from her spot on the couch, "Bring us back at once. Schult's precious hands must redo this goddess' hair. And Aldebaran needs to massage my feet, I suppose."

Subaru turned around slowly, giving her an expression of disbelief.

"You… just don't care anymore?" He asked.

"'Tis goddess does not like indulging in uselessness." She answered with disinterest, not even looking at him.

"So that's it… You see a kid that might be yours and mine get transported to another world, have that being shown to us on a machine you've never seen in Lugunica, by a guy you don't even know before now, and you're just going to leave as soon as he gives up on trying to explain this?"

Priscilla raises her brow and lazily swings a foot out of boredom. "That machine and man aren't so unfamiliar to mineself. But I've lost interest in thy's role in this viewing. I have to say, I enjoyed this one more…"

"More?" Subaru looked at her and then back towards the TV screen. "Oh… You mean the cartoons you've watched with Emilia and the others?"

She looked at him with pity, as Subaru turned back to her with a small glare.

"I don't believe this for a second… What did you guys actually see before I woke up?" Priscilla's expression remained cold and unfazed by his demanding gaze.

"You both will have a better time talking about that with the others, don't you think so, Subaru?"

"Huh?" Subaru turned to look upwards at the ceiling again. "Oh… I can just ask Emilia and the others… Yeah."

Behind him, Priscilla made a move to rest her head on her knuckle. The mere thought of them going back with an awake Subaru that's asking questions was an exhausting mess, much less dealing with the reality that most of the people back in the theater also had their own massive lists of things to say to Subaru.

"So are we done here? Can you two go back and talk this out with the others?"

Subaru stared at Priscilla one more time, she only gave him an eye-roll and stared boredly at the wall. He couldn't help but sigh and stare back up.

"Yeah… Let's go. I can't wait to see Emilia and Beako again… I wish Rem would wake up and be there when I return but she's probably still at the mansion…"

Priscilla hid her snort and began standing up, uncrossing her legs and waving her hair back behind her shoulder-blade. Casualness and disinterest to the very end.

"Alright, stand beside each other and this will be all over soon."

Subaru nodded his head and walked to meet Priscilla in the middle of the room. They didn't look at one another, as one was looking to her side with absolute coldness, while the other was staring to the floor, in thought.

"This will take a moment for both of you to get out of here. Hang on."

"Both of us…"

Priscilla scoffed at the small whisper Subaru uttered without thinking.

He took a look at her, seeing the side of her face that was turned from him. Feeling like an annoyance and a cause of great frustration that was evident on the lady to the point she's been ignoring him with even her eyesight.

Had he disappointed her this much?

"Gonna take a second…"

Subaru stayed silent, bringing no more words that Priscilla could mock or the Warden could answer.

He noticed her eyes growing more narrow. Noticed how even his silence brought gradual negativity to her mood.

Ah.

"Alright! Finally got away from that. So, we do this on three yeah?"

"Hey… What would happen to the little girl once we're gone?" Subaru asked this question out of pure curiosity, as it had been on his mind for all this time. But something about the way Priscilla's eyes widened and turned to him, something about being able to instill change in her to make him the center of attention, forced him to delve somewhere he never wanted to.

"I want to know if Helena will be ok with mom and dad."

"You're… Worried about her. Damn." Warden voiced his own surprise at Subaru's feelings coming to light and whistles. "I dunno what happens with the kid. She's here to rest for a bit and you two were supposed to help somehow, but neither me nor you know what exactly happens."

"So… If we're gone… She stays alone here?" Subaru looked away from Priscilla and stared at the small girl that was left behind on the couch. "Will she stay like that?"

"I mean… I can add a teddy bear if you'd like?"

Subaru didn't even look back toward Priscilla as he asked his next question.

"If we were to stay, would you not answer any of our questions?"

"That's correct. But you didn't give a damn anyways about this, right?"

"..."

"You will just go back to live your life… The one you took so many redos to get right."

Subaru's fist clenched at the taunting. Priscilla's head tilted slightly towards him.

"... What are we going to do if we stay then?"

"...Watch the kid's story… See how we can help her… Find what her future is holding for the both of you."

"..."

All it took was a singular second to have his foot slide forward towards the couch. His eyes firmly remained on the lonesome angel that was oblivious to this entire state of affairs. She was just sleeping peacefully, with a small frown on her face, as if he was staring at a small cat that grew cold during a nap. She was too tired for someone so young. Looked like she had been through hell when she's just innocent and bright. He remembered how she cried over his pictures in his room… He remembered how relieved his mother was when she embraced Helena.

Subaru's peace was nothing but denial in the end. He didn't want to give his worry for Helena a chance to fester in order to not grow attached… Getting attached to the idea of Helena could make him…

He sat down to her side, slowly patting the girl's head and observing her frown with tired eyes. Ignoring the two people that watched him do this in silence.

"I'm assuming you don't need me to say anything since you got what you wanted?"

Priscilla looked upwards, nodding her head and emotionlessly stepping back to her comfortable place on the other side of Helena.

"I knew you never wanted to leave." Subaru commented with thin lips, still toying with Helena's curl and admiring her adorableness.

"You didn't either." Warden commented.

Priscilla snorted and leaned back on the couch to get comfortable.

"... Sure…" Subaru looked down on the ground as the small TV began lighting up again. "Sure…"

"Thou shalt get another chance from this divine, be thankful."

He didn't have the energy to look up at her, he could feel her settling on the couch and even wrapping Helena with one arm to bring the child closer to her. He almost felt bad for almost separating someone that looked so motherly from what was essentially her future child.

He didn't have the heart to add the extra fact of this being in another world either.

"Then please watch and answer your own questions." Warden's voice faded out and the screen began playing what Subaru and Priscilla felt strangely hopeful towards… At least that's what Subaru wished they both were feeling.

Over all of this, Subaru wished to get on better ground with Priscilla after everything was settled. He kind of missed her insight on things, so maybe this viewing wasn't going to be all bad.

"Let's do this then."

Priscilla gave a small nod, feeling the burning sensation of her anger slowly fade, but not completely. It took a lot of divine will from her to not turn his head into a jam on the walls of the room for denying her a stay beside this child. He wants to go to the half-elf so much? He better not do it at the expense of his own daughter.

It did him a world of favor to stand his ground and stay for Helena however… That… That was pleasant for her to see.

Hopeful Reunion CH 2: To the end of the world, and beyond…

Begin.

"Father!" an alarmed voice rang within the corridors of the great royal palace as a young lady, almost out of breath, ran in search of her father.

"Father! We have an emergency!" She barged inside of a room, unable to speak further as she was catching her breath.

The lady was in her twenties, with long blue hair going down her back tied in a braid ponytail. Having just woken up in haste, she wore nothing but her night robe, showing off much of her body's shape.

"I'm looking away, don't worry about it." Subaru told the glaring Priscilla right before the rest of the girl's body was shown. "I'm glad movie night with mom and dad taught me when to keep my eyes away from the screen…"

"...So this wasn't you being decent, just knowing when to hide your pervyness… I see."

Subaru bit his lip at the judging gaze he recieved.

"Let's forget about that!"

"I'm sure you'd love it if we did."

"That's not the point!" Subaru weaseled. "Let's just watch so we can figure out who this is and how she's going to affect the story of my parents."

He showed a lot of hesitation to look back toward the screen. So much so, that the screen itself stopped the running of events just because he was being so indecisive about where to place his gaze.

"You look at nothing but the ground. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Priscilla rolled her eyes at the literal timid squeak that came out of what she had thought was once a grown man.

"'Tis nothing short of impossible for me to understand how the world and all of it's heavens could convince mineself to have a child with such a disgusting creature as you."

Subaru clicked his teeth and ignored her as he resettled his eyes back to the screen. It activates to continue.

As soon as she barged in, the two men inside seemingly inspecting a map turned towards her. They were both tall and well built like military men, and were coming closer to their thirties.

"What the…"

"...!"

Both entered a state of horrified surprise at what they were seeing before them.

One, with his flamboyant red hair and renowned sword at his belt was easily recognizable as the sword saint of the dragon kingdom. The other one, with raven black hair and a sharp gaze, was now probably as famous as his friend, having been publicly recognized as the Great Sage.

Reinhard's apparel never changed, and his features made him appear as young as the day Subaru met him for the first time.

For Subaru however the change was very much noticeable. His height had decently increased to be as tall as the sword saint. His tracksuit was swapped for a three piece suit and long coat of a black and blue color with the royal crest over his shoulder, spiky hair that he wore in memory of his father now dropped for one which fitted a man of his age more.

When he met the young girl who ran to meet him, his first reaction was to grimace in distaste. "What kind of emergency warrants you running around like that?!"

Ignoring the girl who was literally standing with nothing but a nightrobe to cover herself with, Subaru was more focused on the impossibility being showcased in that room. The completely unearthing showcase of his future self being that… That… ho-

"Disgusting!" Priscilla spits beside him as soon as he was about to have self-doubts about himself as a man, suddenly feeling the need to compare himself more to what the screen was showing instead of himself… It felt nice that she wouldn't do the same and actually voice her dislike of the perfect image the world was showing them both.

"Thank-"

"'Tis a crime that mineself's world doesn't have that servant of the half-elf! How can a divine being as me be cursed with an inferior version to this?!"

Subaru's hopeful smile turned to a hateful glare. "Suddenly you like another version of me because he's got more muscles?! Where's that self-assured girl with an attitude that outshines the sun in arrogance?!"

"Blashphemy!" Priscilla ignored everything Subaru shouted, keeping her wrath aimed at the screen as she inspects more and more, making the boy beside her feel more overwhelmed by misery and self-doubt. "This divine demands answers for this insult to mine luck!"

"I too, believe it is quite inappropriate, Meili-sama." Reinhard spoke as he averted his gaze. Or rather, as the girl's father made sure to keep a hand over his eyes.

"Huh?! Hold on a sec!" Subaru, happy with any distraction he could do to keep Priscilla from olging his other self, decides to pinpoint the other bigger elephant in the room on the screen. "Why the hell is she out of the basement?!"

"..."

Immediately he could feel the burning look from Priscilla.

"I see… So that story about you and little girls from the rabble was correct…" Priscilla speaks with venom and disdain that made Subaru feel like he's smaller than a pebble within her eyes.

Which confused him, "what are you talking about- I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" Nevermind, he caught on.

"... Basement." Priscilla repeated one word with a most hateful tone as if it was enough evidence to convict him of the most henouse thing she was thinking he committed.

Subaru pleaded with her so he can explain. "It wasn't like what you're thinking! She tried to kill me and my friends with Elsa and we captured her after the battle. She was our spoil of war basically!"

"Disgusting."

"N-Not in that sense! Hold on!" Subaru fumbled his own words, cursing himself for speaking in the worst possible way about how they dealt with Meili. "She needed a home! We couldn't just let an assassin like her walk around welly nelly! She needed to be questioned, detained, punished-"

"So you took her to your basement."

"It wasn't my basement, it was Roswaal's!" Quickly did he realize how that actually made it much worse for him to clean his image inside Priscilla's disgusted mind.

"Hang oooon!"

"I've heard far too much!" Priscilla shakes her head and glares away from the filthy man next to her, now fully unable to give him any time of her day. "Thou shall pay for the crimes you've committed to that girl once we're out of this room and I can kill you without anyone interferring."

"The simple way you've said that is bone chilling, you know that?" Subaru sighed and pretends to act unrattled as he pulls his eyes back on the screen.

"Seriously… Why is she out? She looks way older… Like me… And why is she half naked-"

"Go put something on, now!"

"Now's not the time! I'm telling you we have a problem!" She shouted back at the both of them, not hiding her own anger on how they would focus on something as trivial as her clothing over listening to her.

"Clothing is not trivial!" Subaru admonishes with a disapproving glare to her.

"Some would've expected a scum like you to disagree with such a statement." Priscilla glares at the TV while replying to him. Subaru in turn gave more thought into puting the pillow over his mouth to scream in anger and frustration.

"Could you please stop?!"

"It's Helena..! She's...-"

"Helena-sama?" Reinhard's face became much more serious, glancing towards his friend who as soon as heard the name of his daughter–coupled with the face of utter worry Meili had–

had his eyes widened in transparent worry.

"Hang on," Subaru pulled his finger to stop Priscilla from replying, noticing that the screen ignored their preoccupation and noticed something else. "Did they just mention Helena's name?"

"They're her servants." Priscilla instantly proclaims.

"More like family, look how Reinhard's worried." Subaru pointed with annoyance toward her.

The screen cuts to black for a second and opens once again in another room.

"I-I do not know, I suppose…She just…I-I can't…"

"Beako, please…Try to focus…" Subaru pleaded with gritted teeth, his eyes fixated on the empty bed still carrying the warmth of his daughter who was nowhere to be seen.

"I…I really can't sense her." She turned to him with alarmed eyes, "I can't sense her at all, I suppose…!"

Subaru hurried inside of the bedroom, his sole focus being to find something, a clue, a trace, that would be of use to find out what could have possibly happened to his daughter.

"Beako… She follows me in any world huh…" Subaru chuckled tiredly as soon as he saw the spirit girl. Clearly her sight beside his other version was a lot more relieving to him than to the lady beside him.

"Tck…" Priscilla gave a disapproving look toward the spirit. "I wish not for more of those scum you call friends to live near my possible daughter."

"Hey… Beatrice never did anything to you… Did she? I don't know what happened in the time I was apparently out cold between everyone." Subaru leaned back and got comfortable in his seat. "I guess you won't be telling me either. I don't care how much you insult them, they are still my family in the end. So they will follow me wherever I'm ending up… And this world goes to prove that!"

Priscilla gave a click with her tongue that was as loud as the shine of Subaru's grin.

"Rein, give me a hand!" He called on to the sword saint who didn't hesitate to step inside and make use of his blessings.

"This is also kind of heartwarming!" Subaru pointed with a smile. "I can see that Reinhard is as helpful as ever, yet I'm not ordering him around, so we're good friends in this world!"

"Did you have doubt of that broken beast?" Priscilla looked bored as she asked.

Subaru shakes his head and lets his arm fall down. "No, I'm just glad this version of myself still managed to befriend Reinhard… This version looks… more capable than I did when I first met with the guy."

"Oh," Priscilla's eyes showed interest for the first time in something he'd said. "Thou thinks he wouldn't have been inclined to be your companion unless you were weak and scrawny?"

"Nah, don't put such implications in my mouth." Subaru laughed and shook his head again. "Reinhard would help anyone at any time. He's a good guy." He paused for a second before letting his eyes fall on the screen again. "I just… Don't know how different this version is from me… I don't know what it did right or where he excelled… Maybe he did something that allowed him to befriend Beako faster… earn Reinhard's loyalty stronger…"

As Subaru's thoughts continued trailing out of his lips, Priscilla blinked at him and immediately gave a simple reply. "How amazing it is, your ability to immediately assume this version to be superior in many other ways because he looks like a man that wins instead of…" She looks him up and down with a bit of disappointment showing, "... Instead of this."

"..." Subaru gave her a deadpanned look that was seething with offense and annoyance.

Priscilla looked away innocently.

"Try to look over the bed, see if you can notice any trace of footprints invisible to the naked eye," he told him, before turning his gaze towards Beatrice again, "Beako, you said you couldn't sense her presence, but what about the contract?"

Beatrice's eyes widened in realization, "the contract is still intact, in fact."

"Wait what? Helena is the owner of the contract?" Subaru's eyes are quickly captured from Priscilla and towards the screen. "That's not right…" He looked between Beatrice and the Helena that was present on the couch beside him. "This contract is meant to be… mine…"

Priscilla, just as shocked at the information, found herself a lot more analytical about this. "Hm… It seems that your spirit also gained favor with mine daughter… Of course she would be a servant to my blood."

"Don't take this with arrogance now! Beako must've chosen Helena because of the other of me or something."

"Why are thou so reluctant to believe that the spirit choose your own daughter? Is the half-elf's dog feeling unspecial because the lonely spirit chose someone other than him?" Priscilla haughtily waved her fan at herself without a thought to how he was reacting to her mocking words.

Subaru on the other hand was sinking deeper on himself as he looked ashamed to the girl beside him. "It's not easy to hear that and not be kind of betrayed, you know? A little bit. But if it keeps Beatrice with me… And I guess Helena would be better protected…"

Priscilla scoffs at this. "What lousy protection this was, your daughter is running alone in another world and this miserable spirit did nothing to help. She's worthless."

"Hey… Beako isn't an alarm machine, she's just as distraught as we are!"

"She's nothing but another piece to your worthless path of fulfillment and self destruction. If she wants to be apart of mine life and justify being close to mine blood, she better serve her worth."

Subaru's glare was heated towards Priscilla. "She's not some dog! She's just as much of a daughter to me as Helena would be, and you damn better treat her as such yourself!"

Priscilla simply rolled her eyes at his statement, refusing to entertain his ideas.

"Then she's alive!" Meili put a hand over her heart in relief, "Father, I will order my beasts to look for her, over the sky and earth!"

Subaru's head was immediately nodding along, giving a really happy smile to the older version of the assassin that tried to kill him many times. "That's a good idea, Meili-chan! I really hope that she didn't try to kill anyone in this wor- hang on. DID SHE JUST SAY FATHER?!" His smile dropped immediately into a horrified stare.

Priscilla had the decency to cover her mouth as she snickered. "Hahaha… It seems… mineself was a lot more forgiving when it came to you collecting servants for my daughter."

Subaru was just blushing and seething in his seat. "Don't describe them like that! Listen… Meili can be a good girl… She must've needed a good rolemodel…"

When he couldn't stop himself from starting to think of the little girl as someone that needed parental help and justification for her crimes, Priscilla couldn't but laugh.

Subaru looked away from her with an embarrassed grimace. "W-Whatever. She needs to wear something proper before doing anything!"

"Please do so." Subaru nodded his head, "but go wear a proper outfit first."

"AAAAAH! YEAH YEAH FINE!" She waved over her head in frustration before running to her room.

Smiling faintly at Meili's antics, Subaru quickly felt his unease return as soon as he noticed Reinhard's long silence.

"Seems like thou are used to this behavior." Priscilla noted with amusement. But Subaru only sunk his head low.

"Please don't forget that this is not the same world as ours. This version of me must've rescued Meili and showed her more love than I could…"

"Pfft… Compared to being trapped in a clown's basement? I think she has a bigger reason to assassinate you now more than ever."

"... I wonder how much this guy changed my story…" Subaru uttered in thought, ignoring the snickers of the lady beside him.

"It is...Strange," the sword saint uttered in disbelief, "no matter the blessing I use, the only trace of Helena-sama in this room remains on her bed. There is nothing on the ground, or even towards the door or windows."

Subaru slowly walked towards the bed and took a moment to observe it, lost in his mind. His thoughts as a commander and his feelings as a father were intertwined; anger, fear, worry. More than any guard, more than Beatrice, it was his duty to ensure the security of his family, his responsibility…He was the only one to blame.

He had allowed it to happen, under his own roof. What happened or how it happened was not important to him, the only thing that was, was his inability to prevent it. But this was not the end. He had spoken a vow as a father that he would always be here for her and the bond he shared with his daughter was not so weak that he would lose hope here.

"Why are you so focused on his eyes?" Subaru asked from Priscilla's side. He could see a degree of concentration in her beautiful eyes that wasn't unsual of her but still noticeable. "Is it because you can tell what he's thinking?"

"What are you thinking, you mean?" Priscilla rolled her eyes and crossed her legs again. "That man is putting appropriate pressure upon himself. If he wants this," she tapped Helena's forehead with the tip of her fan, "but, he will need to be better."

Subaru could only frown at how unfairly hostile she made that sound, feeling a bit of pity for his other-self for the first time since he saw him.

"He just lost his daughter… I'd be devastated if that was me-"

"It is. You two are literally the same person and that man has failed to protect his own blood when he has the hero of the world right beside him. Do not make the mistake of thinking that he doesn't think the same way." Priscilla looked bored even as she interjected harshly and swiftly to end his attempt at pity toward his other version.

"... Ok." Subaru simply said and continued watching with his frown retracting into a thin-lipped face.

Suddenly, his eyes stopped at a short piece sticking out from under the pillow of the bed. He carefully lifted it, and found a little red feather that once belonged to Aldebaran's helmet, a memento mori that Helena would always carry with her. He picked it up by the tip, and held it as evidence between him and Reinhard.

"She was taken away."

Subaru took a glance at Priscilla, checking her reaction before giving a thought to his own.

"Why do you act suspicious, commoner?" She asked him with boredom, glancing with a side-eye to the boy.

"I'm just wondering what you would think about that… Your daughter was taken away to somewhere you wouldn't know…" He looked at his knees with guilt. "And it's unfair but we didn't give it much thought because we know she's safe with my parents… On Earth."

Priscilla had her eyes half-lidded, "That is useless to me. I'd certainly take care of looking for her mineself and the world shall serve me a way to get to mine daughter."

"Don't you think that's too much trust being placed on such a broad thing as luck?" Subaru looked at the lady like she was on drugs.

"Simple minds cannot understand how the world revolves around those with greater purpose. Understand that my place isn't susceptible to your standards, and so shall my daughter and anyone I deem worthy of staying by my side." Priscilla gave him another seizing up and down, before staring him in the eyes. "That will include you, commoner, should you pick the path to serve mineself."

Subaru glared at her with distaste. "I didn't know you were offering a position suddenly. Weren't you kind of pissed off at me this whole time?"

"It's your choice. In the end, that version of you chose to serve me, and look what became of him? I approve." Priscilla seemed too self indulgent in her pride.

"We don't know what exactly happened here!" Subaru looked away from the self-satisfied woman, huffing his frustration away. "This version is too different to be me. I don't think you could've done anything to make me this way. Besides, we haven't seen how this world's Priscilla reacts, maybe she will show you a lot of changes as well!"

Priscilla scoffed and rolled her eyes for the third time at the boy.

Reinhard's face contorted in dismay. He didn't deny such a possibility, but he still wished for it to be false, while Beatrice silently gritted her teeth, tightening her grip over the door frame.

"It cannot be...In the middle of the royal castle?!" Reinhard cursed under his breath,

"We're in the royal castle?! Did this version of me succeed in making Emilia the queen?!" Subaru received the most scathing look of anger and honest shock from Priscilla. Like a kid that was caught dancing in the bathtub to a barbie song.

It honestly made him feel hurt the way she stared at him. He just put his arms down and looked at the floor. "It was just a thought… I've been wondering what happened to Emilia in this world for so long."

Priscilla, for the fourth time, rolled her eyes and had a snarl of disgust towards the man at the far end of the couch.

"Subaru, there has to be another explana-"

"What are you two doing?"

This voice echoed through Subaru's mind, catching him off guard. under the pressure of the situation, he had failed to remember another most crucial part of his daughter's sudden disappearance.

She approached him; a woman so beautiful that her sight could force the gods above and below to fight for her hand, with soft, gorgeous ginger hair and ruby colored eyes. Wearing a great red robe made with the finest silk and materials, a white scarf in her back going over her forearms, and an astonishing golden crown decorated with jewels of blue, green and red colors.

And the most majestic of her accessories yet, a golden ring adorned with a unique diamond of crimson color, that she wore on her fourth finger, the symbol of her matrimonial oath.

"Holy shit…"

"Mhm," Priscilla looked unimpressed but still satisfied towards the screen. "Of course mineself would grow more in beauty and reverence. Understand that you're lucky to be sitting here, get down and be a good footstool for the queen of your kingdom, boy."

Subaru's awestruck face dropped into a hateful glare instantly. "Emilia would-"

"Barks are all you're allowed in my presence, half-elf's dog." She waved him off and enjoyed the way her otherself owned the room on the screen.

Subaru was left to growl by himself.

"Pris…" Subaru uttered, still unsure of his choices of words to even begin to tell her about their situation.

Curious at first to know what was going on, Prisca's face took on a completely different expression when she understood through her husband's eyes that something was wrong. Her eyes swiftly wandered off to the bed, and then to the worried sword saint in the back.

"What is the meaning of this?" she calmly demanded, knowing there was something more than her daughter being an early bird.

Subaru looked straight into her eyes. He began to open his mouth to speak, but yet couldn't find the proper words, which only added to the monarch's suspicions.

"Helena is not here…And Beatrice can't sense her for some reason." He ended up admitting, clenching his fist as the fiery Queen turned her gaze at the spirit.

"This is all best to be a joke, and a very unpleasant one I would add." She spoke in a low, almost threatening voice, "Where is my daughter?"

"Pris, I-"

"I said," she cut her husband off, glaring dangerously into his eyes, "where is my daughter?!"

"Can't she tell that everyone is just as scared as she is? Are you as arrogant in every world? Really?" Subaru sighed tiredly, not noticing the look of surprise on his own Priscilla.

"Scared?" She asked, glancing toward him. "Thou assume to understand what a goddess is feeling?"

"It's so clear to me that it's almost a joke you think I wouldn't see it." Subaru shook his head again, bringing his arms to cross them under his chest. "Any mother would be scared for her kid suddenly disappearing and having people standing there in her room."

"Best keep to the barks, half-wench's dog." Priscilla and Subaru glared at each other before slowly looking back to the screen. Both had varying degrees of a frown on their faces with a lot of complicated feelings that contradicted one another.

"It's ok to be scared… It's alright to care-"

"No one has denied such miniscule observations!" Priscilla interrupted his attempt at a reprisal with a nasty snarl. "You really know how to waste mine divine time with the obvious."

"..." Subaru looked down, his frown deepening.

In a swift and fearless moment, pushed by his own frustration, he held her wrist and glared at her as well, uncaring of the strength or abilities he knew his wife has. Most of them were dangerous enough to end his life in an instant.

Subaru raised his hands up in a victory pose, for some reason finding his other self touching this beautiful version of Priscilla so easily seemed like a big victory for all man kind, not just him personally. But the most of his happiness comes from the delicious fury on his Priscilla's eyes.

"That's right!"

"If I could answer that question, don't you think I would have started with that? We are talking about my daughter as well, Prisca."

They stared into each other's eyes in silence for a brief moment, until Prisca's expression finally softened as she saw that her husband was sharing the same emotions as her.

"Wait a minute, who's-"

Before Subaru could finish his sentence, a gust of wind blew past Helena and smashed into him. It was a quick moment for him, barely a second. He felt the crash of the wind on his side and then suddenly, like a ragdoll, his body was up against the nearest wall, not sitting down on the couch.

The pain didn't come, Subaru's brain was slower than that, so when he was busy figuring out why his scenery changed in that quick of a second, as if he was teleported from where he was sitting, a beautiful red sword was placed beneath his chin, directly on his neck.

Then the pain filled him, his sides, his shoulders, his legs, his arms, and most of all, his head. The numbing feeling of metal crushing and pressing its way into your flesh, that's how he would describe being crashed into the wall, even if the wall wasn't made of metal.

"What… the hell…"

The blade moved to press against his neck, Subaru struggled as he gasped in pain but he tried his best to look up.

Her eyes looked demonic when she wanted to kill. For some reason, Subaru's lesser traits found her even more attractive when she was holding a sword on him after throwing him from the couch and pinning him to a wall.

"You shall not die, that is worthless to be tried by a divine like me." Priscilla's voice is cold, undaunting, completely bone-chilling. Subaru realized that she wasn't just serious, this was her at her most defensive.

He had to keep a chuckle from flying through his bloody mouth. Return by Death would probably be a good reason not to try and kill him, but since she doesn't know about that, he realized that she must've gotten the idea from some bizarre intuition. The world truly works for her convenience.

"The torture thou shall gain from speaking that name once more," Priscilla leaned close, pressing the blade directly on his flesh as he trembled under her hand. "It will be the most excruciating and longest cycles of darkness a commoner like you can experience. This will last you for the end of time."

She pressed her blade, almost drawing his blood, and stared him in the eye from above.

"Would a journey beyond hell be worth it? Keep asking yourself this, whenever that name comes up again."

Priscilla's eyes portrayed nothing but the depth of a dark world from which there was nothing but haunting red covering it's outskirts and shined a flare of danger and horror he wasn't ready to face. This was by design, she made sure to press harder on his neck with her blade, trying her best to spill drops of blood from him just to keep her message clear.

Break him so he never speaks of this. Destroy any curiosity he has for it. Bring him away from the child and get rid of his tongue.

So many thoughts, so many actions her mind screamed and yearned for. They needed to be done. However, she stopped from doing these things, for some reason wanting to take the hardest way to deal with this.

Scaring him should work fine. He was trembling beneath her as she oppressed him beneath her blade. She could probably get him to do what she wants and more.

Disappointing. She can't help but want to spit on him for being so weak. But since this gets that name to be forgotten, it will be enough.

She moved to back away from him, she tried to release his neck from the oppression of her blade, though finding it frustrating that no blood could be spilled no matter how deep she forced the nape into his skin. She supposed the room had magical qualities like the theater from before. That would make sense but she was still able to summon her sword easily and use her strength without much trouble.

It didn't matter, she was too angry to think. She tried to move away from the pathetic pile of bones that disappointed her so, finding it hard to remove her blade from his neck.

Matter of fact her hand wasn't able to move away at all.

"...?"

She couldn't feel it before, but what stopped her from pushing her blade straight into his flesh was another hand that pushed against her own. The boy had smartly gripped on to the one area where he would be able to touch her sword handle without being burned by it, by handling her hand that gripped said sword and pushing back against her strength. Sure he was not even close to overpower her in any way, but she didn't calculate for such a surprising resistance from him.

"I think you're full of shit."

"..."

Priscilla's hatred shown clearly towards the boy below her, he only glared right back at her, defiant, headstrong, and unwilling to let her have her way.

"Why should I not ask about that name when this version of me is clearly using it to help you?! Are you so arrogant to think that we as husband and wife won't be supporting each other when our kid is missing?!"

Her surprise didn't allow her to feel more strength he'd pushed into his hand, making her step back.

She looked up from her foot and to her hand that was captured by his own. She looked at her blade, seeing her reflection on it, realizing that she looked more shocked than necessary by his resistance.

Seeing his opening, Subaru moved the blade away from his neck, making her look upwards to him.

"I know you have this superficial version you want to see of me… I could feel your expectations from the moment we saw each other in this room…"

"..."

Subaru gave her a small grin as he struggled against the miniscule amount of strength she kept placing on the blade. "Sorry for disappointing you so soon… But don't ever act that I'm unreliable to my family, this world or not."

Priscilla's eyes grew wider in the reflection as his grin became more confident above it.

"Just like the way you said it to me… You think I'd be better by your side? I can promise you that I'd do the exact same had I fallen for you. Supporting my wife even when she needs to be challenged, that's the right way to be a man." Subaru's eyes falter to the couch behind her, grimacing momentarily before snapping toward hers. "It's what dad's been doing for the entire year I've been away from home… What he will continue to do for mom…"

Priscilla trailed as his eyes concentrated a level of determination and pain that mixed together impossibly well to make her feel his emotions from deep inside her soul. She softly looked at the second reflection that made itself clear upon her blade, like a mirror, showing what was behind her in the upper part beneath the tip, while showing her face at the part above the helm.

Showing the mirrored image of a sleeping child that got abandoned in the background.

Strangely, she looked at her with a sense of calm. A sense of detachment from everything.

"I know this isn't about that strange name…" Subaru's intuition didn't need anymore evidence than slight movement Priscilla's hand made while being squeezed by his. "You could just order me to not speak it or mention it in anyway, and I'd probably have stopped thinking about it for you." He smiled softly, finding no more need to put his strength against hers and relaxing his arm.

"This isn't going to work out if you're going to hit me everytime you let your jealousy take over from that world. Whatever these two have lived through, whatever happened to them to get them this close… That's not us."

Priscilla glanced away from the girl's reflection to look back at him, slowly, she found that keeping her blade in between them was worthless.

"I'm not going to call you Prisca…" he paused, letting the sword disappear into ashes before him as Priscilla looked at him with a silent voice and an emotionless unreadable face. "Neither should you expect me to just leave my friends and start acting like…" he looked at the screen, at the frozen image of his older self.

"It's not cowardly to not want to change things… I spent too much trying to gain what I have…" Subaru's voice cracked even when he tried to chuckle in order to mask his emotion. "Far too much, Priscilla."

His voice was broken even so, and in his eyes, memories of horrors only known to him played. The pain was clear on his entire body than what he thought was observable by her.

But Priscilla's mind mirrored every horror Subaru went through the exact same way he was reliving those memories in his head. She had witnessed them one by one afterall. For the first time, she can feel how utterly alone, the boy must've been feeling. Probably not being able to communicated all that pain to her, yet still being strong enough to relive it in order to be sincere in the point he was making.

She allowed him to continue after he shook his head to refocus himself. "I'm in love with Emilia because she's a girl just as lost as I am, yet doing her best to make people happy. I've friends surrounding me now, with responsibilities to each and every one."

He looked up again with a small smile of embarrassment.

"I don't think I'm going to be yours… As beautiful as you are. I'm sorry."

This is the third time he had repeated his rejection to her in such a way. And this time felt oddly more hitting than the firsts. Priscilla remained motionless, looking down at the man, thinking.

Why was she so angry everytime she looked at him? Where did her curiosity to see him bend the knee to her gone? Was she becoming impatient with his unchanging nature?

"And…" cutting off her thoughts, he called for her attention again, as she silently gave it to him to escape the tedious thinking session and hear what he has to say. "I'm sorry for… I'm sorry I tried to exit out of here without learning more about Helena… I'm sure you're still pretty curious about her as another version of her mom…"

Priscilla blinked at this.

"And you presume that saying this apology now was the right choice after everything else you've blabbered?"

"... Yeah?" Subaru raised an eyebrow. "I'm trying my best here, alright?"

"... Your audacity is honestly commendable." Priscilla showed honest amazement toward him. "I've never seen a more brave buffoon."

"Why are you insulting me now?" Subaru whined tiredly as he started to get up from his position against the wall.

"... Just sit down and keep your mouth shut. This divine shall take mercy on you once more, your stupidity is already punishment enough to your own."

"Alright alright… You sure that you're ok with what I said?" Subaru looked at her as she walked back to the couch and sat down. She glanced at him with boredom.

"On the contrary," her face was unreadable as she fanned herself and looked at the screen again. "It was… Pleasant to have the world employ your better senses to surprise mineself."

"But… Oh hell, I can't get credit from anything." Subaru shook his head and stumbled slowly toward the couch, feeling all the pain from his body and the blood that was in his mouth disappearing suddenly. "Just like my hands… This really is a healing room, huh."

He sat down, feeling a bit more refreshed from the healing and for the fact that things are steadily working their way into an understanding with the lady beside him.

"We still have a lot to discuss from what's happening here and the first viewing," he didn't receive a glance from her, they both kept their eyes on the frozen screen, trying to get ready for what was coming. "I think we can easily do this bit by bit… If you're willing to talk to me when something comes up as we watch… We can work out all of the complicated things we are feeling here…" He sounded hopeful.

"Mineself shall give it thought." She was interested.

And with the silence, the screen continued to play smoothly.

While it's true that she felt guilty for the tone she just took, she also knew he wouldn't take her into account for that. Worrying for their child was the most natural of things for a parent, and this kind of situation was bound to raise anxiousness and stress.

"However, she is alive I suppose," Beatrice tried to reassure her, "Betty can't feel her or track her…But the contract is still intact, in fact."

"Hm…"

Priscilla looked at Subaru as he voiced a good hum for a few seconds. She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly more willing to hear his little notes than when this started.

Subaru welcomed the feeling of comradery that seemed to be returning to them with a small smile.

"I was just wondering if… My own Beako has the same thing going with our contract."

"... Even if you died and she could tell, she won't be able to escape where she is being held."

Subaru felt overwhelmed at the intensity of her honesty.

"... Is the place they are in really that bad?"

Priscilla looked away with a look of pity, one not aimed at him for the first time in a long time. "'Tis a place from which no escape is possible. The world's worked in mine favor to leave it of course, but the others remain stuck to the whim's of that mangy animal."

"Emilia and Beako… I think Otto and Garfiel are in there as well?" Subaru looked at her with a bit of hope. Her words now painting a much more grim image of what was going on in the area his camp members were being held. "I don't remember much from the last time I saw them. We were in a carriage being driven by Patrasche and Otto's green dragon. Did you see them as well?"

Priscilla shook her head and sighed. "Better think about them another time. 'Tis is but a waste of our time."

"I just want to know if they're ok!" Subaru said desperately.

Priscilla side-eyed him with a look of understanding. "They are… And they are worried about you."

His eyes widened as she looked away from him after that.

"Which means Helena lives," still greatly displeased by the idea of his daughter being undetectable, Subaru knew time was of the essence, "Rein, I need you to mobilize all the guards of the royal quarter's security."

"I shall do so right away." Reinhard bowed in respect, leaving the royals to themselves.

"How is this possible," her mind lost in her thoughts, the Queen walked towards Helena's bed, reaching the sheets with her hand, "is there any sort of magic, or curse, that could hinder your link to my daughter?"

Beatrice didn't reply immediately, thinking of an answer as she went through the possibilities of such a notion.

"...There is none, in fact." Beatrice desolately shook her head, her voice trembling,, "t-this is why Betty is so confused..."

Subaru's eyes soften as soon as he sees the expression on her face.

"It's not your fault, Beako… How I wish I could be there to help you."

Priscilla didn't seem to mind his words about the spirit either. But she gave no reaction of agreeing with him, still uncaring towards the spirit.

Prisca kept gazing at the spirit for a few moments, her thoughts hidden to everyone but herself.

"I see." Her voice may have remained calm, but one man could see the feelings she was doing her best to hide.

However, Queen Prisca was all but in a composed mood. She knew this castle, she knew the security put in place for the quarters of the royal family. She knew the capabilities of the spirit of her daughter.

Thus for Helena to disappear albeit all of these factors, it could only mean that something dangerous was going on..

And with this fear, came her anger. Towards anyone who would have dared to be the culprit of this crime, and anyone who would try to remove nothing but a strand of hair off her daughter.

"You look scary when you're angry," he said this while unconsciously looking at the little girl beside them. Priscilla didn't make comment to reply, finding no relevance for it.

"That version of mineself shall have her own world to bend backwards to her whim. Her daughter shall come home safe."

Subaru blinked in surprise. "... That's actually a nice way to see the positiv-"

"'Tis the culprit for this little girl's inconvenience that shall need to pray."

"Oh…"

Priscilla held no positive emotion when she said that, leading to Subaru noticing all of the pent up aggression she held within her at the very thought to the person who took Helena away from her parents.

"How did we grow so attached to this girl?" Subaru sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"We?" Priscilla's brows went up in surprise at this.

"We." Subaru flashed a tired grin at her. "Of course we. Those two on the screen ain't the only ones capable of caring for the kid. Even if that Priscilla is a lot better at hiding her intentions, I can see her actual worry from here."

His own Priscilla kept her wide-eyes as she turned to the screen.

"Prisca," feeling warmth over her hand being held, the Queen lifted her face towards the man calling her name, "I will find her. I will bring our daughter back no matter what. I promise."

It was not surprising for the Queen that her husband managed to see through her image. She had grown to understand that it was an ability he successfully acquired after remaining at her side for so long.

And his words were a relief to her, because she knew this man and the undying determination that he held within his heart, she knew she could trust him.

While he wanted to be smug about being right, as the look of relief that had filled the older Priscilla was all the indication he needed to tell his own version that he can read her at any point in time and it wasn't just luck… Something really bothered him about that entire interaction that disallowed his celebration.

"They trust each other that much?" Subaru asked this, watching everything about the couple on the screen with a degree of envy. "The way he's looking at her…" he looked uncomfortable as he continued to stare at the husband and wife.

"A husband never abandons his duty to his wife."

He looked toward Priscilla as she repeated an abridged version of what he said. "Didn't I tell you? I'd be having the same affect on you." He did manage to spread a smirk to showcase a bit of cheekiness.

Priscilla… simply stared at him. She gave no emotion or reaction. Slowly moving her eyes toward the screen after hearing him say that joke.

Subaru's smile fell, immediately recognizing that she was in thought. He decided to let it go and moved his hand to pat the girl sleeping on his arm now. "Guess your head fell from all of our movements, huh, Helena-chan?" He whispered to the sleeping ball beside him with a degree of happiness. "Hope we can get you back home."

Priscilla's eyes flickered for a moment toward the two beside her before snapping immediately to the screen, unable to have Subaru notice her gaze on him after he looked up.

"As you should, royal protector." She whispered as she held his hand tighter.

"What is… that name?" Subaru was surprised to find his own Priscilla showing her intrigue in an expression he's never seen before.

"Seems tacky?" He asked this, not sure why he was feeling a little self conscious when the name wasn't even aimed for him. "Your other self seems to be fond of it though."

"That's what surprises a goddess such as me," Priscilla turns her lips into a small frown. "..."

Subaru understood immediately what bothered her. "You wouldn't be looking that way at anyone for no reason?"

"That's correct."

They both glanced to the floor, not wanting the tension to affect the little progress they've made, or else Subaru would've liked to think Priscilla cared enough to keep things going in an orderly fashion with him.

"We both know that they are husband and wife… They must've grown closer to each other to the point they have affection…" His blush hid any hint of maturity he tried to display in order to comfort her thoughts.

Priscilla wasn't amused or interested in him however, keeping her eyes locked on the future version shown to her by the screen. Subaru didn't like how her eyes seemed to spell her emotions so accurately at the moment.

It's very clear that the lady wanted to learn more. She looked envious of what her otherself had with him. Future version of him. Other version-

Subaru shook his head. He glanced at the girl sleeping on his arm one more time and looked at the floor.

"That's not a bad name for him though… Way better than Lolimancer for sure… Something else he beats me in hehe."

That joke wasn't even worth a reaction. It wasn't meant to be acknowledged.

"I will mobilize the guards of the castle quietly, you should just resume your duties, this information can't go out." He explained as he led the way for her and Beatrice to follow him.

"And why pray tell, should I remain a bystander of my daughter's fate? I will mobilize this entire kingdom and turn around every single stone if it is to find her."

"As you should," Priscilla broke through her phase to scoff at her version's husband. "That man better understand who holds the leash in that castle. The arrogance!"

Subaru was honestly baffled at the instant anger that was summoned by her when she was like a curious cat only seconds before.

"Hang on. If we were in the royal castle then we shouldn't just announce a disappearance just like that." Subaru reasoned while patting the girl's head, feeling guilty to have her at his side while watching her parents panic on the screen.

"I know...But isn't this exactly what we should avoid? Whoever abducted Helena is probably seeking just that."

Prisca was aware that she was speaking recklessly, acting strangely. But who could blame her? Her daughter, her first child given by birth, was missing.

Her life could fade away at any moment, and cornered between her status and her will to act, she didn't know what to do. The fear of her little girl being all alone as her life stood on a thin line made her blood boil in such anger, that even the fires of hell would seem like a mere candle.

And yet, she held a straight face. All her emotions perfectly hid behind a façade she built, the image of the Queen of Lugunica.

"... Keeping this all to herself won't help much." Subaru muttered in a tone of distaste that surprised the lady beside him. Priscilla comfortably turned her head to look at him, fanning herself innocently.

It was clear he grabbed her attention, so he sighed and continued.

"I dunno… Queen or not, if that Priscilla is really a good mother to Helena, which we know is the case from how much the little one respects her…"

Her crimson eyes flickered downward on the sleeping child for a moment before gazing back to him again. He noticed.

"You gotta be feeling a lot of negative emotions at that moment. Like fear-"

"Like we've already established, 'tis the ones who dared to harm my blood that shall pay the price, and the world shall serve me their neck, bare and ready to be cut."

"... I'm just saying… I don't like her not showing those emotions."

"It shall be nothing but useless to do so. A queen mustn't dwell, she must act."

"... You sounded so wise there. Where did the arrogance go?" Subaru initially wanted to tease her because her answers were more soft than what she had intended. He gleefully smiled when she scoffed and turned from him to fan herself.

"You are right," she sighed, holding a hand to her forehead, "where is Meili?"

Priscilla's eyes widened again, feeling a bit more interested when she heard her other version say the name of that assassin she never cared about in the previous theater. She found that saying the personal name to someone was still something very strict to her other version, so any name coming from her mouth must be a close person.

Funny that with this Priscilla, that circle of people is growing bigger every second.

While she contemplated this with a frown, the young man sitting next to her was busy toiling with the hair of the angel that caused all of this.

"... Man how did you fix her hair like that with only your hands? It's immaculate!" Subaru whined in what seemed like jealousy, trying to copy Priscilla's hand movements to weave Helena's hair back into the beautiful form it once took, only dishelving it.

"You're making her look like a rat." Priscilla glared.

"Don't say that! I'm doing my best…"

"Stop doing your best."

"She already rushed outside to look for her using her blessing," he replied with a chuckle, "she didn't even hesitate."

Prisca nodded her head, smiling faintly before they reached the long hallway leading to the door of the throne room, towards which Prisca gazed with mixed feelings.

Subaru brought his hand to his wife's cheek, prompting her to look back towards him.

"That's kind of… Handsy for my liking." Subaru suppressed the urge to look away in abject disgust. The two on the screen were giving him extreme feelings of discomfort and even made him feel lucky to be sitting here beside his own version of Priscilla. Though looking back at her inclinations about fixing him…

"They really need a room huh?"

"Hmph…" She gave him an unimpressed stare. "Fear not, that version of mineself is clearly a most generous devine to allow that commoner the privilege of touching the heavens like that."

"It was only her cheek…"

"Matter of fact, you should be on the floor before mineself in thanks as well."

"Why? I don't want to touch your cheek." Subaru asked, blinking.

Priscilla blinked back innocently as if she was asking for something simple.

"Absolutely not, should you care about your hands, you wouldn't have the thought again."

"Then you just want me to thank you for other versions of ourselves touching?!"

"Tis the price for daring to be that close to the divinity."

"Get off it!" Subaru almost broke and gave the nasty woman a not so child friendly gesture.

"she is your daughter, Prisca. She is smart enough to manage herself, at least until we find her...If she didn't get herself to safety already thanks to her innate luck."

"Man, he sounds just obnoxious as you are when he's talking about Helena!" Subaru clicked his tongue at the man in the screen. "He isn't wrong about Helena being smart though."

Priscilla simply smirked at him, taking that admission as a point to her superiority and his recognition of it. Her pride swelled so much that she felt the urge to pat Helena's head in satisfaction.

"It must come from mom's genes. No way dad would be that smart that it would pass down so late." Subaru ended up muttering to himself while patting Helena subconsciously, as if in deep thought about why Helena was so smart.

Meaning it was a mystery to him and not as clear as Priscilla was imagining.

"..." Priscilla fought the urge to throw him across the room one more time.

Prisca wordlessly moved from her husband's touch, and began to walk towards the doors of the royal hall, as the two guards tapped their foot on the ground with their spear against their chest as a salute to the Queen.

"Royal protector." She called one last time.

Priscilla huffed her annoyance with the boy, letting aside as she focused with what her other version was proclaiming toward that Subaru in that tone.

It felt important, sounded it even. And it felt like that older version of Priscilla was commanding the room she was in as she narrowed her eyes on her knight.

Something that she wouldn't be able to have as she was stuck in the room with her own version of the same man.

"Don't forget your promise," she slightly looked back, "and when it shall be fulfilled, come back to me. Safe and sound."

Subaru didn't move from where his wife parted from him, still gazing at her with caring eyes.

"More than an order from your Queen, this is an order from your wife."

He smiled, and slightly bowed his head in silence.

"Count on me, Pris."

When the royal protector walked away, the Queen's eyes narrowed over the great spirit who followed him. She remained expressionless, but her eyes reflected the sudden ill-feelings that arose within her heart.

Subaru inwardly cringed at the looks they both gave to one another, biting his tongue from the need to say something so the screen would stop showcasing this picture perfect relationship. "Damn… It's well balanced how they're treating each other with support…"

"Mineself agrees. Your commoner mindset isn't worshipful towards your wife, ironic since this one is divinity." Priscilla mutters not so quietly while fanning herself.

"Emilia is the only one for me… And I wouldn't say that another version of me would be the only problem in a relationship between us." Subaru glared at her. "You're such a bag of arrogance and narcissism that I once had to explain to you that Appa's come with an outer layer not peeled, and you still acted like I was a dumbass because you wouldn't believe you were wrong!"

Priscilla's look was unimpressed as soon as he mentioned Emilia once again, she sighed and begins picking some slices of appa from the plate placed to the table on her side.

"Hold on," Subaru tilted his head and pointed at the plate before her. "Wher- No, where did you get that from?"

She gave him a simple shrug, and without offering any to him, continued to nibble on one of the slices, enjoying the taste thoroughly.

After waiting for the appropriate amount of time, Subaru nodded his head and moved to take one. Only to be slapped away on the wrist.

"'Tis mine."

"That's not fair!"

"'Tis world's unfair to the rabble whence you come from."

"MY FAMILY IS HOUSING YOUR CHILD!"

"And they can thank me for the honor by bowing to the corner of their room every night my daughter sleeps there." Priscilla nommed another slice while glaring at him.

Subaru narrowed his eyes.

She stopped a few steps away from the door, as the guards bowed before her and opened the way to the royal hall. When the path was made, a loud shout echoed within the halls from the royal herald.

"ROYAL GUARDS OF THE KINGDOM!"

From each side of the path leading to the throne stood an equal number of royal knights, who as soon as they heard the call, all simultaneously took their swords off their belts, and loudly struck the floor with their scabbard.

YOU, WHO STANDS TO PROTECT OUR NATION!

YOU, WHO HOLDS THE SPEAR AND SHIELD OF OUR PEOPLE!

FOR THE NAME YOU WERE GIVEN, AND THE OATH YOU HAVE TAKEN!

TO SALUTE YOUR RULER, THE CHOSEN QUEEN!

DRAW SWORDS!

The guards proceeded to tap their feet on the ground once, and unsheathed their swords to raise them above the path where the Queen walked. When she finally stood before the throne, she turned to face the hall and all the guards swiftly turned towards her, bringing the sword back to hold it near their chests, the blade in front of their faces.

KNIGHTS OF THE KINGDOM!

OUR NOBLE MONARCH!

QUEEN PRISCA OF LUGUNICA!

The swords were flipped around to point downwards, and the knight proceeded to all put a knee down and bow their heads.

Whilst Priscilla looked on with nothing but pure enjoyment and self-satisfaction to the grand entrance, Subaru had been busy taking his jaw off of the couch's armrest. He had stars in his eyes.

"That's so much cooler than what Julius and his crew did last time… And it was all done for you?!"

"'Tis a satisfying standard for a goddess entering her rightful throne room."

"Satisfying?! These guys moved like they were inhuman machines! Calculated and without a single hesitant step… Man… I wanna see it again." Subaru sat back with an entertained smile.

Priscilla gave the boy a grin, enjoying the fact that he'd been pleased with the entrance but ultimately not caring too much about the ceremony itself. It was something she expected anyways.

"I wonder how Emilia-"

Subaru immediately dodged the flying plate, not because he had good reflexes but because he knew it would come as soon as he said the name of his beloved. Laughing, he sat back down and began eating his newly acquired appas that Priscilla had so generously thrown to him.

"I'm a genius."

Priscilla glared with hatred.

Prisca sat down on her throne, giving a careful look to the knights in front of her, and when she seemed to be done with her inspection, gave a hand gesture.

When the Queen gave the order, the knights all stood back up, put their swords back in their scabbards, and divided into two groups. The first group was dismissed, and walked out of the great door with a march, while the remaining group advanced towards the first steps of the stairs leading to the throne, and turned back towards the path standing guard.

"Your highness," the herald bowed his head, "shall I bring you today's royal affairs?"

"You may do so."

"Very well," the herald bowed again, and prepared to walk away.

Until he looked around, and noticed something unusual that he was about to speak of.

"Not a single word shall come out of your mouth, herald." the Queen cut him short without even giving him a glance, her voice sharp and dangerous, "content yourself with your task."

The herald almost felt his heart stop, swallowing his saliva and trembling with fear. He backed a few steps to give another reverence to the queen before hurrying away.

Prisca's eyes kept staring at the royal knights in front of her, her hand slowly turning into a clenched fist.

"So many of you, and yet such incompetence..."

"Being fair, these guys probably couldn't do anything to help considering the actual reason why Helena got sent away…" Subaru looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I advise you to remind that head of yours of the time these men cheered for your humiliation."

"That isn't something I thought about…" Subaru revealed to her. "I guess now though… They can't laugh at their king…"

Priscilla had to look at him with interest again as soon as he showed signs of a grudge and a revel in having power over those same men he'd been beaten up in front of. She held an almost approving look, until he opened his mouth again.

"Though… I don't think this version of me would ever do something as stupid as what I did in the royal selection ceremony. He probably earned their respect and had them admire his charms from afar."

"..." Priscilla sighed. False alarm then.

When Subaru reached the royal guard corps' office with Beatrice, Reinhard waited for them with all of the guards he had required of, standing ready for orders with their hands joined behind their backs.

"At ease, royal guards." Subaru ordered with a wave of his hand.

His tone had completely changed from the one he was using a moment ago, may it be with Reinhard, Beatrice or his wife. His voice was commanding, strong, something which would sound completely unusual for all those who had known him before he ever took the title of royal protector.

As Priscilla gave him a side-eye of contempt, Subaru couldn't help but feel emasculated with the sheer weight his other self's voice carried upon the legion of troops surrounding him. It wasn't the same as his friendly, trustful demeanor back when he ordered the army and mercenaries with fighting Petelguese and his cultists.

This version of himself had everyone's heart. He had everyone admiration and envy.

He walked towards the desk in the middle of the room followed closely by Reinhard while Beatrice stayed to the side. Standing in front of this group of a dozen soldiers all waiting for their orders or rather the reason why they were here in the first place, while the sword saint stood right as his side. Before he spoke, Subaru took a moment to observe the guards.

"Men. What I am about to say here, is of the highest importance for our kingdom. Whoever will hear this information must be ready to carry the burden and responsibility of doing everything in his power to set things right. I will tolerate no running away, no failure, and no laziness," he made sure to meet the eyes of every single guard in the room,"so if you do not trust yourself with such strength, leave the room this instant."

"That's not going to be me." Subaru had a finalized look in his eyes as he uttered this. "That guy's too good at this…"

"Please cease your disappointing self destruction and find a corner to satisfy your maschostic urges away from mine divine self." Priscilla had to grimace in disgust at what she was hearing from what was essential the polar opposite of the same exact face she had been admiring moments before.

Subaru sighed and leaned ever more into his spot, trying to watch this out without harming his self-esteem even more.

Pathetic that he couldn't even keep that in check while the other version of himself was commanding hundreds of men's lives by his mere presence alone.

He waited a few seconds, but not a single guard took his eyes off him, not a single one of them even moved a muscle. Subaru nodded his head and closed his eyes for a short moment, showing his respect.

"I summoned you all here, for a critical matter about the royal family of the kingdom." He revealed, "The princess of Lugunica, Helena Natsuki, has been missing for what could be a few hours now. And we have reasons to believe that it might be an act of abduction perpetrated by an enemy."

All of those who stood in this room were the knights of the royal quarters, those tasked to guard the section reserved to the Queen and her family. Needless to say, their function and duty made them a part of the elite knights of this kingdom, which is why all of their faces contorted in shame and trepidation when they heard of the disappearance of the princess.

"You will scout every corner of this castle and its surroundings, and this entire capital if needed. From the top of the noble district to the end of the city. Report anything you may notice."

All the guards nodded their heads.

"That's going to be useless though… damn it." Subaru shook his head, feeling more uncomfortable with what they were seeing but he wouldn't announce why. "These guys are going to be wasting their energy."

"'Tis more than that. There's something hidden within that man's eyes." Priscilla could read it from miles away from a window of glass. "Hope that he's just as cunning as your commoner self are when you're cornered."

"How do you anything about me when I'm cornered? You've only seen me weasel my way out by hiding against Rom's back way back when I met you in that alley." Subaru raises an eyebrow but only receives a cold shoulder as Priscilla focused on the other him.

He sighed at this, understanding where her interest laid, however he didn't notice the small downward tug at Priscilla's lips when he asked her his question. Maybe it was something she had watched in the previous cinema room she was in with the others? This was really weird.

"This is your first order…And the second…" Sighing in annoyance, Subaru cleared his throat, "Is to prevent our country from going to war."

Gasps and noises of surprises erupted from the group. They didn't believe this matter to be so critical for a war to be at the doorstep of Lugunica.

"And there it is…" Priscilla's tone wasn't at all as smug Subaru would've hoped. "The reason he's getting the useless crowd involved."

"What about Helena?" Subaru raises an eyebrow at the detail she keeps missing.

"That's his responsibility. His incompetence led her away, his determination will get her back." Priscilla handles her nails with care. "There's nothing less that must be given for his egregious sin."

"... I know I wouldn't be busy doing this stuff if my daughter was taken away… I'd probably go crazy trying to find her myself." Subaru's eyes lower to the floor and his back slumps.

Priscilla, seeing him falter, huffs in exhaustion. "No, thou shant. Stop pretending like these are not steps you'd be taking just because you've seen what you think is better men doing it."

"Easy for you to say when the version of yourself is literally a carbon copy that acts the same way but is somehow more stunning."

Hearing his grumble, the princess grinned toward him sadistically. "Do not be too enchanted, half-elf's pet. Wouldn't want me to be called a thief by her. Though mine divine self would want to understand what this 'carbon' is once you're done lusting after mine looks with those untamed eyes of yours."

"J-Just take the compliments with grace, god's sake!" He blushes to the side as her grin turns into a stream of haughty chuckles.

"We have reasons to believe that Gusteko might be responsible for this, though nothing is confirmed yet, we must keep it as a possibility."

"This is an act of war, royal protector!" One of the guards immediately intervened, voicing his outrage, "Enough is enough! Gusteko has already crossed the line in the past, if a fight is what they want, let us give it to them!"

"Her highness has already given them her royal pardon after they tried to take your life a year ago, royal protector!" Another guard stepped up, "and they dared to recidivate?! This time with the princess nonetheless?!"

"It matters little for us if they want to stay out of the nation's treaty. But if this is how they respond to our conditions, let it be war!" Yet another proclaimed.

"We will crush them in a matter of weeks!" And yet another spoke.

But as the guards kept putting each other into high spirits for an upcoming battle, they all soon noticed how Subaru's expression had not changed one bit, and neither did the sword saint's. The royal protector was staring at them expressionless, albeit his eyes reflecting a threatening glow, until they all fell into silence.

Priscilla's attention was captured back instantly at the mention of the snowbound nation to the north. Truly taking interest with every detail given, as if she was glaring at a map of destiny itself.

"Isn't that the theocracy? I learned a bit from Ram's lessons and all of the political sciences that I had to sit down and wait for Emilia-tan to study in her quarters. They tried to attack Lugunica?" Subaru found this all as intriguing as it was worrisome.

"They tried to attack the husband of ruler…" Priscilla's eyes held a spark of divine rage that ignited before Subaru could stop it. "Those hoodlums of false prophets bring nothing to themselves but misery that shall thaw their legacy out of mine world."

"Calm down, you do know that this doesn't translate well when the people being blamed for Helena's disappearance in this world are not responsible for it, right? She's literally in another world." Subaru tried to calm the escalation down, lest this Prisiclla goes back into their world and starts conflict with the Gusteko from where they come from.

"I don't want to be apart of a war."

"Then thou shall learn where your destiny lies before talking to me about calming down. I know where I am, and I know where my enemies shall be." Priscilla glared at him once more before turning back to the show.

"Damn it." Subaru sighed and slumps in place again. "I cannot believe this shit is happening because of one girl… I guess that makes you a most special girl, huh little one…"

He couldn't help but deliver a small frown to his side. Wondering what actually happened to cause such wars and how Helena reacted to her father being almost killed… His eyes closed when he had a striking thought put in place by the most twisted of his imagination's corners.

"Helena would probably move on if she saw me get killed or die before I return by death…"

And yet he wouldn't want to see her crying face in such a circumstance. Once with her crying in his room after seeing his baby picture was enough.

"We will not act upon assumptions, nor will we wage war if we can avoid one," He spoke loudly, disappointment in his voice, "have you already forgotten what the treaty is all about?"

"But...If the princess-"

"If Gusteko is really responsible for the princess's disappearance," Subaru cut the guard's words, "I will personally deal with them."

Subaru is taken out of his thoughts to watch with sudden interest at what was happening. "Is that how I look when I man up?"

Priscilla had to chuckle at the stupid question.

"What...What about her highness, royal protector?" One of the knights asked, curious to know how she felt about this situation.

"Her highness…Isn't aware of it." Subaru replied, averting his eyes off the crowd in annoyance, more to himself than anything else for keeping this from her.

"Uh oh… Don't tell me I'm going to be punished by extension for that." Subaru winced as he noticed the immediate glare upon Priscilla's face.

"Not everything shall revolve around a commoner like you, take pleasure that I won't be making you kiss the floors in apology for this." Prisciila rolls her eyes and continues to look at the screen with a slightly annoyed gaze.

"You're still blaming me anyways… Nice…"

"You are all aware of her highness's persona," Reinhard continued for his friend, "and that she has other priorities now. Therefore, the task of finding the princess is put upon us."

"The representative of the Gustekan church and several diplomats have coincidently demanded an audience today regarding the royal Treaty. There is no doubt that the Queen will have tumultuous interactions with them if she ever hears of this, " Subaru finally added, "the northern country is already on thin ice because of their multiple transgressions of the treaty as you all know, and how they showed a hostile behavior that will not help their case at all."

"Oh god… This couldn't be worse… They come to renegotiate with this version of you and me and on this day in particular?! What the hell is their problem?"

Priscilla, who had crossed her legs and started waving her fan around again to release the annoyance from hearing these two try to pull one over on another version of her, huffed in reply.

"Religious fanatics with no god to listen to them. It's clear that they wished to serve a god within their made up imaginations but ended up realizing a goddess existed on this world that didn't care about them just the same as an empty vessel for their prayers. They must be seething every night, trying to get my armies to give them purpose and put ends to their useless lives… How pitiful."

"I hope this doesn't end badly, I don't want Helena to come back to a broken house." Subaru said this with full knowledge that by house, he meant the biggest castle in all of the lands that he currently owned with a wife. Or the other much more successful version of himself owns.

"Any more than that on the table…And it might go off." He concluded, waiting for their answers.

The guards glanced towards each other, and all bowed down.

"Forgive our unruly behavior, royal protector," one spoke for the group, "we swear on our honor and our oath to do our best for the royal family's sake!"

"... These guys aren't half bad you know… Much better off than when Julius was around… Though I do wonder where he is and what happened to him in this world considering he's not showing his smug face in the entire fleet of his favorite people." Subaru had a small comforting smile on his face, enjoying the loyalty these men showed to him, and the trust they placed within him.

"'Tis but expected from the people serving my will and pleasure." Priscilla was simply uncaring to the whole thing. Simply expecting nothing less from the men in that position particularly.

"I thank you all, and put my trust into all of you," the royal protector replied with a nod of respect as well, "remember to keep a low profile, now go."

"Royal protector...Forgive me but I must ask," another guard stepped forth, "I understand that peace is our ultimate goal, but if they are truly responsible, how much more are we going to tolerate? What if they harm the princess?"

Priscilla's brows furrowed with deep interest.

Subaru remained quiet for a second, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "If they harm her..."

"they will curse their own mothers for ever giving birth to them."

The guards felt a chill down their spine following the words of their commander and all came about to understand how much this matter was weighing on him more than anyone else. The guards therefore saluted their commander, and took their leave to begin with their mission.

"There… perfectly toned, rightfully delivered, well glared… The essence of a man that is worthy of a goddess." Priscilla had a glint within her irises that Subaru didn't like one bit.

"It was a badass line, but don't start crushing on him when he's married already." Subaru said nervously.

"Hm? I don't need to do such a thing when such a man like that doesn't and would never exist in mine world." Priscilla blinked with innocence to the boy.

Subaru coughed. "…Words hurt…"

Subaru sighed heavily when the door closed behind the last of them, turning to Reinhard who gave him a look of support, albeit as saddened as he was.

"Did you notice anything?" He asked the sword saint.

"None of them seemed to be lying, nor having prior knowledge of Helena-sama's disappearance." He replied, his voice hinting relief.

"...You suspected your own men, I suppose." Beatrice realized, though understood why.

"For someone to pull something like that, they either needed to be extremely skilled...Or knowing everything about this castle. There is no way Helena could disappear like that without a trace if not for extraordinary circumstances." Subaru explained, "but now our only suspect is really this damned northern kingdom."

"What do you… I actually hadn't thought about that…" Subaru looked astonished, finding this reason to be out of left field.

Meanwhile, Priscilla seemed surprised. "That was obvious to any commoner with open eyes."

"I thought the second reason for this meeting with that large number of men was to protect the country from any political upheaval that might lead to war. It's not my fault these are men with passive experience with these situations."

At Subaru's fluster, Priscilla narrowed her eyes.

"These situations are about to be your life. Whether you choose that life beneath mine heel or staying under the half-wench. Thou must be defined by the same quick wit lest you want everything you build to fall upon the heads of your loved ones and yourself."

Subaru looked away with a bit of a timid attitude, recognizing her words and purposefully giving her a physical action to give in.

Priscilla simply looked at the screen after that, taking her win with a characteristic nonchalance and putting her fan forward to air with it.

She also let herself nod in respect to a move well played by the knights before her. Truly a worthy effort that she can review without much stake in their conflict.

"...You seem awfully sure about this, Subaru..." Reinhard wondered.

"Because there's a way to hinder the link between a spirit and its contractor," Subaru replied.

Reinhard widened his eyes, and immediately turned towards Beatrice. "I kept it from your Queen, I suppose. But the dark arts of a shaman can indeed do such a thing." She explained with guilt all over her face.

Reinhard closed his eyes and grimaced. Armed conflict was the last thing he wanted, but he felt like this outcome was slowly becoming the most probable.

"That I actually knew…" Subaru held a hand to his chin in thought. "Those lessons from Beako were really worth it in the end."

"Not telling mine divine self about such information will be punishable later." Priscilla declared with a flare of finality that had the boy panic.

"Hold on a second! I had nothing to do with that! Besides, it's the best thing to do. You saw how ready to eat the other version of you was! They cannot risk going to war off of baseless evidence." Subaru's hair could go gray, thinking about how easy it is to just up and end up losing thousands of lives over nothing but spite and bad blood.

Priscilla, recognizing this as weakness disguised by wisdom, decides to not give him an acknowledging argument or glance. Simply ignoring him.

"Was lying to Prisca-sama a good decision...?" He questioned as he remembered Beatrice's previous answer.

"She knows." Subaru replied immediately, to Reinhard and Beatrice's surprise.

"Huh?" Subaru looked at the screen with a bit of relief and somewhat confusion. "What?"

Priscila herself seemed interested as well, having a contemplating face as she watches.

He remembered the simple look she gave Beatrice when she had told her that nothing could harm the link between a contractor and its spirit. For others it was certainly unnoticeable, but for Subaru, a thousand words and more were spoken during that brief instant.

Reinhard winced at the sight of his friend, lost in his own thoughts over the future ahead of them.

"My daughter just disappeared under my nose, Reinhard," he grunted in disgust towards himself as he leaned against the table, "I feel like shit, so pay me no mind."

"Yeah, that's about right I'd say…" Subaru gives it to his other version. Though he somehow envied everything that he wasn't, Subaru can sympathize with the horror of losing a special girl like Helena in such circumstances.

"I wish I could never go through that…" Subaru looked ready to puke as the uncomfortable thought returned on him with full force.

"Hm…" Priscilla however had other thoughts to air out. Seeing this hesitation, this lonesome burden settled upon his shoulders, she couldn't but realize that this was his way of achieving punishment for his shortcomings.

"That behavior never changes even when thou have been tamed? Intriguing…"

"What about me, I suppose," Beatrice whimpered, holding her trembling arm, "I was supposed to protect her and watch over her, yet…"

"We still don't know what happened, Beatrice-sama!" Reinhard intervened, "Please do not blame yourself while we have no clue on Helena-sama's whereabouts yet…"

"He is right, Beako. As far as we know, Helena's situation is still too blurry to start blaming anyone." Subaru continued, hugging the little girl in a soft embrace.

"Even then…Even then, I should have been there…I should have protected her, sheltered her, I suppose…" She cried on his shoulder, clenching his coat, "My Helena doesn't deserve to be taken away like this…"

"I told you…" Subaru put his head down with a neutral face ruling him. "She's a good girl… Beako has a big heart… and Helena very much fits in there."

"I care not for those tears since they are given to me after her failure to excuse her existence in mine world." Priscilla brought him a harsh but downplayed reply. "But I shall take them into account anyway."

"..." Subaru couldn't but glare at her himself this time. "What's it going to take for you to acknowledge that she's doing her best?"

Priscilla looked like she was remembering something, a far off look into the wall, not the screen, something happened that Subaru knows nothing about, yet it influences this treatment toward his friends from the crimson lady.

"... Nothing shall. She must live to please, otherwise her existence is futile to mine divine self."

Subaru's grip on the armrest tightened at those thorny words.

Both looked back to the screen, the sleeping girl between them, unable to lean on either.

Inside the royal hall, the fiery Queen of the kingdom was reviewing some documents on her throne when she heard footsteps coming closer to her.

"Back to this annoying place again." Subaru had the gall to grit his teeth as soon as they showed the adult version of Priscilla before him. This earned him no acknowledgement from the lady beside him whatsoever. Reserving her right to shoot back as if to tell him that she wasn't as childish, which worked in making him more irked and petty.

Slowly raising her eyes, she met with a blond girl with eyes as red as hers, her hair going down to her waist and her clothes being a mix of nobility…And a style that was proper to her.

"Hey Pris!" the young woman exclaimed with a smile, "how's everything going?"

"…I suppose that things are rather calm for now," The Queen answered, putting the papers on her lap, "how are you doing, Felt?"

"Interesting… Felt-chan's not trying to start a fire in the royal castle and she's seemingly friends with you? This Priscilla must have a lot of charm to get everyone to stay for more than two minutes." Obviously he said this in a sarcastic way, not at all interested in what was going on in the screen anymore.

Priscilla on her end, found that she couldn't help but give him the reaction he wanted. As her glare showed itself in a more intense form after seeing how casually her own version regarded the filthy street rat that had been causing her many annoyances within the previous theater.

"That girl's head wouldn't even make for a footstool."

"Why would she need to be? Her head is perfectly welcome on that Priscilla's lap with all things considered about how these two are talking right now." Subaru was more than delighted to use what he noticed from the reactions of the baroness. He was out for blood and her deadly stare wouldn't make him budge.

"Better prepare yours then, because mine divine self shall be in need of a footstool while the gutter rat welcomes herself-"

"I think you called her Felt now, your highness." Subaru almost wants to sing. "Bestie Felt. Or sister Felt? I dunno, it's between you guys. I don't get involved in family matters."

Priscilla's grip on her fan could crush it. This was clearly, his win. She couldn't do anything about it, lest she wanted to appear weak and vulnerable to this heresy next time she earns his ire after she finishes kicking his teeth inside of his throat.

"The usual," she said as she sat down on the right armrest of the royal throne, "just got annoyed by some of the higher-ups of the first district who wished to raise the taxes."

"Again?" Prisca raised an eyebrow towards this unwelcome surprise.

"Yeah, I told them to shut the fuck up," She smiled while making an 'ok' sign with her hand, "I swear they have nothing but money in their mind since you took power. It never stops."

"Of course, these wretches would try to get a profit out of anything," the Queen leaned on her fist, closing her eyes in disappointment.

"Ok hang on. That's kinda worrying… Felt works for you?!" Subaru could've seen pigs fly before this.

When the information was registered, Priscilla's wrath was immediately vanished into the depths of the void. All the aristocrat could do to celebrate the delight within her heart is to cackle in her seat.

"Of course! No wonder the gutter rat dares to dirty my halls and present herself in the room where sits my throne! She's here to receive instructions from her leash holder, her master, and owner!"

"This is getting maniacal. Cut it with the slave talk, Felt looks more free than she's ever been." Subaru had a look of annoyance and disinterest in the celebrations Priscilla's satisfied face was beaming throughout the room.

"I refuse. That gutter rat finally understood what you shant understand until you break against the weight of the world you try to carry alone. She understood who's better."

"And I keep telling you. I'm not alone." Subaru turned his glare to the screen, unable to give her anymore of his time.

"You should have taken my advice and destroyed them all~" the blond teased with a laugh "it would have avoided you some late-night headaches I'm sure."

"I do not know what to feel, upon first knowing that you still had this idea in mind, or that I am truly considering it," Prisca waved off, picking up the first document again, "here is a demand from the Baron of Costuul."

Felt took the paper handed to her in curiosity and began to read it. And the further her eyes went from left to right on this paper, the more unpleasant her expression was.

"That moron wants to make the demi-humans families pay more taxes?!" She exclaimed in outrage.

"He was an associate of my ex-husband it seems. Since I have been crowned, he began to write me several demands concerning his city," Prisca took the document back in her hands, frowning as she read it again, " 'I draw your attention towards the fact that families of demi-humans demand far more resources than their average human counterparts. In addition, they consume an amount of supplies and public resources far greater than what we can produce for our main population...'"

"Did he really try to hustle you?! After you introduced new ways of farming and production for all of the cities?!"

"Indeed," She clicked her tongue in disgust to what she read, taking a quill from the side of her throne," with the royal treaty in place, he certainly believes that I will not have any interest, nor time to give to a place like Costuul."

"All the while you being Barielle's ex-wife makes him think that you somehow owe him?" Felt wondered aloud, "if that's the case that little shit is far more stupid than I thought. Then again, he signed up the laws saying that a guard of the kingdom would come every year to be sure that a city has everything it needs."

"I tend to believe that some of the nobles of this kingdom are still too used to their last king," Prisca snorted, writing 'No' behind the document and putting it back in its envelope, "it seems he had little to no grasp over anyone."

"Well, since a place as infamous as the slums existed under him, and for having personally lived in this shithole for 15 years of my life," Felt off-handily commented, "I kinda believe he was useless."

Priscilla found herself frowning, not in disgust, but because she had began realizing that every single word Felt was speaking hasn't become an annoyance to her yet. On the contrary, the blonde seemed to be speaking rightfully about things that Priscilla genuinely agreed with.

"Scumbag…"

She found this mutter also as equally surprising because it had come from the man sitting to the side of Helena.

"... I hated that guy when we met after me and the others moved mansions near Costul…. He's not charming at all." Subaru glared away from her, giving a bit of a connection to the baroness even if she got on his nerves. "But hey, seems like Felt's a lot more involved that we knew. I guess she has talent for these things and you saw it. Maybe that's why you two agree on a lot here."

Priscilla didn't put that much thought into it, but she realizes upon recalibration that he was on point with every detail. A lot of this screamed of stuff she wouldn't do personally, yet her other version was content in expanding the circle of trust to include the lowest life forms imaginable.

"This is vexing…"

"It's perplexing," Subaru commented with a bored look. "You're not going to be mad at anyone because another version of you can make friends better."

"The world bent for her will and delivered servants." Priscilla huffed in characteristic arrogance.

"And the world never stopped regretting it." He said that last part in a whisper because he will be honest and say that things are getting too petty as of now.

Prisca raised her hand from her throne, a simple gesture that called one of the guards of the great hall to leave his formation and kneel before her.

"Bring this to the messenger, tell him to go and reach the Baron of Costuul in person with that letter." She ordered.

"As per your will, your highness!" The guard answered, taking the letter in both his hands.

"Is that the answer?" Felt began to laugh, "just 'No'?"

"If he understands what it means, he will settle down. If he does not, he will come here and demand an explanation," she took a second document in her hands, "and if he decides to come here, it shall be at his own risk."

"I wonder really, these bastards are either trying to purposely get on your nerves or too stupid to understand the simplest of things." Felt continued, keeping her narrowed eyes on the Queen.

"I would not be surprised to find either of these to be the case."

"…"

"Good one. Honestly." He had to give a tiny clap and a chuckle to that response. Wondering if the lady on his couch end could feel a bit of pride to how she handles these things. But Priscilla's expression had no smirk of victory or a grin of smugness, just a look of contemplation.

"'Tis but a wonder why this version of mineself refused the gutter rat when she offered to destroy them all… Waste like that shouldn't be breathing on grounds I own."

"I see you warming up to her!" Subaru yelled from the side, annoying her and making her speed up the process of continuing the scene.

Noticing how quiet the blonde woman became, Prisca stopped in her lecture and saw Felt staring at her with suspicious eyes.

Hopping off her seat and turning face to the throne, she crossed her arms, "okay, what is happening?"

Prisca narrowed her eyes, "I've been saying so much shit for the past minutes and I didn't receive a single 'mind your language in my presence' or 'would you stop using such filthy vocabulary?' coming from you."

"You care about language? Since when?" Subaru glanced at the lady before him with a betrayed look, as if this information was blowing his mind.

Priscilla gave him a raised brow, questioning his intelligence as she nods to his side.

He looked down and realized what that was about. "Oh yeah… kid… of course…"

Priscilla kept her seething look of judgement on him as he slowly looked at his shoes, then moved to look at the screen, wishing the world can swallow him whole.

Sighing in clear annoyance to the giveaway she unintentionally offered, Prisca turned back to her documents in an attempt to brush the matter off.

"I am not in a mood for it, Felt," she said as she purposely used a stern tone to show her resentment, "let us avoid it."

"Oh you're taking the royal tone with me now?" she frowned in disappointment, "After all this time I thought we were tight, you know."

"It is precisely why I ask you to not push the matter that has been weighing on me."

"…Well that's gotta be serious. Big bro did something?!" She replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Not only am I betrayed by her putting blame on me immediately, I'm also beyond appalled at the fact that this is what can be described as me spying on girl talk." Subaru sighed with a heavy heart before putting his pillow beneath his behind and settling into the couch.

"Clearly, the shame you feel has surpassed the ability to move your body and look away from such a private scene." Priscilla held the greatest bit of deadpan in both looks and tone toward the boy.

"Absolutely." He immediately says as he settles in for a show.

Prisca was slightly taken aback, and looked back up to the woman "Why would he do anything?"

"I don't know, sometimes married folk can have arguments. I wondered if something like that kicked in between you two," Reminded of the few interactions she saw between couples in general, Felt voiced her thoughts.

"We rarely do," the Queen simply replied, "it would not be an appropriate behavior for young parents."

Naturally, a smile formed on her lips when she got to say those words. Remembering her daily interactions with her husband and daughter.

Felt exhaled, smiling faintly at her friend, "if you really wanna keep it to yourself I won't push it, you're not really in a state where it'd be wise to get all nerve-wracked, after all."

Prisca blinked in astonishment, remaining silent while Felt smirked, "You thought I wouldn't notice? Though I gotta admit, I didn't expect it to take so much time."

"Circumstances obliged." Prisca leaned on her throne, her eyes gazing towards her wedding ring, "and just as I thought I could finally allow time for what truly matters…"

"I actually like this… Felt is so much more expressive with you than I've ever seen her back home… She also clearly makes you a better person to speak with… It's not bad to have a friend like her, Priscilla-san…"

"Don't bring your fantasies into what mine world shall become to benefit mineself." Her response prompted a sigh from the boy, though he looked at it from another angle.

"As you wish, I'm just happy that there's happiness wherever this little one is going back to." Subaru patted Helena without glancing at either of the girls beside him. "I'm also happy Felt still is a big part of my life, makes it better that Reinhard is there too. I would've thought that they were separated in this world since Reinhard has to return to serve you now, but this is so much comfier to have happen."

"Just admit to yourself that it's evidence of my deserving of ruling you and your friends." Priscilla rolled her eyes at the sappy booth that opened right next to her.

Subaru shook his head.

"That attitude is never gonna go away…"

Priscilla seemed to linger more on to Felt's face before she glances to the underside of the screen in order to stop any more thinking from happening. Expression neutral.

"Mmh. But I have to tell you why I came here in the first place before resuming my own stuff."

Prisca hummed in response, waiting for her to continue.

"Gusteko is acting up again," Felt grimaced as she spoke bitterly, "I'm about to meet their envoy right now to discuss the conditions of the treaty again."

The Queen's eyes took a more sinister glow after hearing the Northern kingdom's name, "I wonder what came over me when I thought for an instant that such backward animals could go as far as to accomplish the tremendous task of reading."

"Pffft…" Priscilla had to allow herself the snigger and was encouraged to do so when the boy beside her had a full chuckle at this.

"I dunno… Feels like they are all wasting their time really… I hope they never get to harm Helena though." Subaru found himself thinking about if the threat being displayed was actually worrisome or not. The way everyone keeps bringing them up seemed to paint them as raging savages yet he knew better than to judge. Even if this information was given by people with the best intuition that he'd ever seen.

"They won't get to even dream about such thoughts. Animals have to evolve in an ordered fashion before getting to such advanced thinking. Those who get foolish enough to try… Well… The sun is their only escape."

"Well, I'll take care of it and tell you what's up-Oh?' Felt looked around a moment before continuing, like a revelation striking her, "Where's Lena? She's always around you for the morning tasks, isn't she?"

Prisca didn't answer.

"Hey hey, give her some slack!" Felt laughed warmly, taking Prisca's silence for disappointment, "can't blame her at her age, I was apparently the same according to Old Rom, always loved staying up late to-Pris?"

Felt's smile faded away the second she noticed the Queen's expression darken. However, she couldn't comprehend what Prisca could feel at the moment. It was a mix of fear…And anger. Or maybe more? Whatever it was, she now knew it had a link with her daughter, the princess of Lugunica.

"Alright, what the hell happened?!"

"Oof…" Subaru's acknowledged the scene moving on with a bit of a grimace and a silent apologetic cringe as he patted the head of the girl beside him. "That's heavy…"

Priscilla stared at the face of the blonde gutter rat once again before rolling her eyes away. "Such rats may be fun toys for my blood… Possibly."

"Huh? Oh. You're still doing the haughty thing?" Subaru pays her no mind as she glares at him in annoyance.

"Don't let me stop you, go off, Priscilla-san."

Both got startled by the shout from the next scene.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" a young man roared in anger, "who the fuck got the guts for touchin' the little princess?! Brotto, get your contacts and shit! I'mma find that son of a bi-"

"Calm down, Garf!" Exclaimed Otto as he slapped the back of his head in annoyance, before turning to Subaru, "Are you okay though?"

"Whao! Look at how these two grew up! I mean Garfiel was always going to end up as a handsome young man but Otto! Oh my god, the guy looks like a prince! Have we been scammed with a discount Otto this whole time?!" Subaru stopped gushing about the looks of his two brothers to give the lady beside him a deadpanned stare. "A bro must acknowledge the other's progress when being close to getting women."

Priscilla, openly nodding her head for him, says, "no no. Mine divine self understands completely. For this is the same way all the women that see this version of yourself shall feel."

"That is just cruel. That is just ugly…" Subaru looked genuinely hurt by that innocent comment hidden behind an innocent face from an innocent lady.

Garfiel was noticeably taller, with the beginning of a beard that fit him quite well, and wore the uniform of the kingdom's royal knights minus the coat, while Otto had traded his green apparel for a 3 piece suit, his hair tied in a ponytail and his face perfectly shaved.

"No," He grunted, "but it's not the time for me to mope over it."

Both Otto and Garfiel could feel their heart hurt by the expression their friend had. It was clear that he was afraid and dying under the worries for his child.

"We'll find her," coming closer, Otto tried to reassure him, "I promise you we will. I'll contact my merchant network right away to get any intel I can."

"And I'll search every corner of the capital if I have to!" Garfiel replied as he bumped his chest.

"Thanks…" He uttered, with enough voice for them to hear.

Subaru brings a most masculine reaction to this. "Awe… these guys… I keep telling you how amazing they are and that they won't ever leave me…"

"How did that manage to tear you up? Wipe away your cheeks. We both agreed-"

"I can't help it ok! I never knew they'd have my back even when I'm in another reality where everything's going so well for the other version of me. These people are crazy! They are amazing!" Subaru's beaming grin could blind Priscilla if she cared enough to continue looking at his celebrations.

She settled on glaring at the two men on the screen.

"They better be…" her whisper came as she had not seen them do anything distasteful in the theater, matter of fact they both were forgettable to her, especially that weird gray haired girl. Oh wait, he was a boy.

"Whatever shall this world bring to me, then 'tis for a goddess to use in amusement."

"Where are the others?" Otto questioned.

"The royal guard corps are dispatched to find her, Reinhard is searching the entire capital with them as we speak." Subaru explained as he pointed at the map of the castle situated on the table before them.

"Can't we call Julius back to the capital? Or the Hoshin mercenaries?" Otto put a hand under his chin, thinking of anyone that could offer assistance.

Priscilla had a glint of anticipation in her eyes as she immediately settled her back to the armrest in order to enjoy the melt down that was inevitable. This boy's humiliator has been revealed to still exist within his life even in another reality. This shall be delicious to finally have some justice and see the boy mald over it.

"Son of a- he's still alive?! Damn!" Subaru clicks his teeth. Priscilla leans close, wishing to savor this forever as she waits. Subaru breathes through the nose and opens his eyes again. "He shouldn't be going back and forth between entire nations just to be close to Anastasia and us… that prick has a heart too big for his own pompous and self satisfied ass."

Priscilla glared in fury to the absolute misery she was witnessing.

"Hope I get to see how he's doing here… maybe make things better since there won't be any messes to start our relationship like what happened in our reality, eh Priscilla-san?" Subaru glanced at the baroness with truth and hopefulness radiating off of him.

Priscilla wanted to puke. Kick him to the floor, throw some fire at him, then puke on him.

But her rage couldn't make her that uncivil. She simply shook her head and stared away from the boy.

Meanwhile, Subaru was damn near high fiving himself in secret. Saying all those things absolutely killed his soul but the game was the game and he needed every bullet he could shoot against the arrogance of the aristocrat.

"Uh? Bright knight ain't in the capital?" Garfiel perked up.

Otto nodded his head, "He left a few days ago for Kararagi, meeting up with Anastasia-sama for the treaty."

"And blue? Can't he come?" Garfiel retorted.

"I doubt Felix could be of any help...He's a healer, not a tracker." Otto scratched the back of his head.

"Oh Felix too! I wonder how Crusch's doing… I hope she didn't get attacked by gluttony here as well… and Rem…" Subaru held a hand to his template in exasperated exhaustion.

"This is causing me such a headache. I've had stories where characters can watch their own show and spin off shows before. This just seems like a waste of time when essentially, I'm the character watching another me have a bigger, much better life. It's worthless."

Priscilla didn't understand what he was talking about, but she realized that seeing this many changes was beginning to take a toll on both of them. That was when she was being honest with herself while still judging the boy for trying to ignore the opportunity she was opening for him, the one this world was specifically showcasing for him.

It's so simple! Yet he refuses to put himself forward and do what she wants him to do. Truly… Stubborn fool.

"Man all of these guys 're so damn useless!" Garfiel cursed loudly, "royal knights my ass!"

"Isn't he a royal knight too now? What's with that uniform then?" Subaru asked no one in particular since Priscilla wasn't interested with anything happening on the screen anymore.

Otto and Subaru glanced at each other, both with blank faces as they processed what they just heard.

Subaru cleared his throat. "...You're a royal knight, Garfiel."

"Yeah I feel like...You know, maybe you forgot that? Want to take a look at what you're wearing?" Otto pointed out with his finger.

"Well yeah, at least I AM here!" He pointed to himself.

Subaru gave a big laugh and held a thumbs up for his friend, beaming in gratitude.

Priscilla cracked a small snicker. That blonde savage seems entertaining at least, he would be allowed to sleep on the floors near the ketchin.

Otto sighed and looked back to Subaru, "so what do you think? Should we get all hands on deck?"

"No," Subaru shook his head, "for now, I want to have the strict minimum knowing about this situation. It includes all other royal guards that are not part of the castle's security. The people we can trust can be counted on our fingers."

"Hey, can't we jus' tell Rein to get a "findin' Helena" blessin' and call it a day?" Garfiel wondered, earning a surprised glance from Otto.

"Because you think I didn't try that already?" Subaru scoffed, shaking his head, "Reinhard couldn't do anything. And it is the same for Beatrice, she can't locate Helena. This is why we believe a shaman could be behind it."

"If even the Sword Saint couldn't find her…" Otto whined as he closed his eyes, "This is alarming."

"Like capn' said we'll whine and mope when they'll really be nothin' else to do." Garfiel exclaimed, trying to raise the mood in the room, "I'll get moving now capn'. Can't waste any time."

"Got it, thank you Garf." Subaru tapped his shoulder before he left the room to search for the princess.

"I'll get my contacts too," Otto told him as they both went towards the exit, "if Gusteko is involved, the northern merchants should know something."

"Try to ask around your network of the capital first," Subaru said as he handed a letter with a royal crest to his friend, "and bring Garf with you when you head north. We never know what could happen."

"A royal decree?" Otto raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I never thought I would ever be holding one of these…"

"You have the authority to ask any questions to any citizen in the name of the Queen," Subaru replied, "I'm afraid I can't let you use it to threaten any of your competitors though."

"Aw, bummer,"Otto laughed as he took the letter in his hands, "Where are you going now?"

"I'll stick with Prisca. Who knows if she's targeted too. And I also want to keep an eye on the royal hall and the information that goes around there."

"I see," Otto acknowledged, "You can never trust these nobles. I'll tell you right away if I get anything."

"They're trust worthy. I know for a fact that they deserve that power, emergency or not." Subaru nodded, earning a huff from the annoyed woman.

"Such a stupid thing to say, the name of your queen mustn't be used so lightly, even by those you allow. Else the name becomes a curse upon the cattle that serves to do nothing but terrorize them." Priscilla's explanation wasn't unfair, which is what made him think again about what he said.

"I didn't mean to say that it's ok to give it to everyone we trust… Just that Otto and Garfiel are good for it."

"Good enough by your standard." Priscilla corrected, still annoyed.

"By the other me's standard. Helena's father knows what he's doing." Subaru shot back to her with a narrow of his sharp eyes.

Priscilla lets out a hum full of sarcasm. "Mineself wonders if Helena's father will be able to reach the girl in another world using all of these measures."

"I honestly don't understand you… Do you want Helena to come back home or do you want her to stay with my mom and dad? You seem to be lifting from one side to the next on a whim…"

Priscilla raised a brow. "'Tis world's not important to me. What it tells me is what makes things interesting, though I've only been served correct on everything I said to you as evidence by this world where I rule your life."

"What happened to Helena? Why did we stay here to watch this whole thing in the first place then?!" Subaru shouted after a minute of disbelief at her audacity.

"Like I said, the world shall give the girl sanctuary and her enemies shall face their penance. Mineself wanted you to see how wrong choosing that half-witch was." Priscilla fanned herself without a care for his outrage.

Something in Subaru softened his posture, which was stiff and ready to stand in anger to call on the Warden once again. However, he stopped himself suddenly.

"Ah, I see…" He muttered to himself. Priscilla kept a close watch on him, refusing to allow the screen to continue without him finishing what he was going to say. "You seem to have me for a sucker…" He chuckled as he leaned his head back and rested on the couch, smiling at the ceiling of the room.

"Hm?" Priscilla looked at him with deep curiosity.

"Priscilla-san… It's not a big deal to have so many people around you to trust and rely upon… Don't brush this all off just because it makes you feel uncomfortable. That's absurd."

In Priscilla's registration to the quick analysis from the boy, she found that he'd managed to move the screen's events using her silence, overtaking the control she's been having this whole time on when to watch.

He caught her off guard, and worse he moved on as to not hear her refute or reply to him, letting her marinate with his words.

"You're a fool."

"I'm right." He bit back with ridiculous confidence to the point he even made his voice hoarse, either on purpose or by accident, to show his seriousness.

What an idiot.

"Uncle Rein!"

While he was patrolling around the noble district–the closest area near the castle–a wolf-like mabeast appeared from a dark alleyway next to him, a guitylowe.

Reinhard smiled, and moved his eyes to the figure walking behind the beast, "Have you found anything, Meili-sama?"

"Nothing," she shook her head, patting the forehead of her animal, "I also have some eyes in the sky, but I'm not getting anything from them either. And you?"

She wordlessly ordered the guitylowe to keep searching, and joined Reinhard to walk by his side.

After letting Priscilla on her own, Subaru wanted to focus more on what was happening with this version of Meili. He wondered to himself about what could've happened to make her change her mindset from the creepy basement dwelling murder child that she was in his world into someone that genuinely saw him as a father. Was it even real? He was being called a dad by two different girls that he was starting to feel affectionate towards just from watching this-

He was a teenager. He barely had any experience being an adult himself! What is this line of thinking doing to him?

Would it truly help Meili become sane again? Or at least help her find a reason to be good and focus on herself rather than focusing on whatever messed up part of her mind forces her to induce tragedy on people…

"Uncle Rein… Is Reinhard that close? I guess he would be the right hand man to the affairs of the queen's husband…"

Subaru leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, looking at the screen with seriousness itched on every inch of his face.

"Just how can I make all of this happen to us all…" And he found his own reason to keep watching, rather than hide from a good reason, he chose to embrace it. One look at Meili's face… Seeing her innocent eyes as she was searching for a lost child, possibly a child she would consider a sister…

"I'll help her… I promise, Helena… Even if you won't be there…"

Priscilla never heard any of his words or followed his movements, still considering her position on this entire ordeal and figuring out what exactly was the world telling her here.

"Our main suspect for now seems to be the holy kingdom of the north. From what Beatrice-sama has said, a shaman can hinder the link between a spirit and their contractor with a curse," Reinhard explained, "and considering their previous actions towards the kingdom…"

"...I'll be honest with you uncle Rein, I still don't understand why we didn't pacify this kingdom by force." Meili spat out in disgust.

"Meili-sama-"

"Don't. Even. Start." She cut him with a glare, "they tried to kill my father. I have all the rights to want them dead."

"I just wish to remind you that it was your father's decision, in the name of a greater peace." Reinhard smiled as he saw her pout, "he tried his hardest to avoid an armed conflict, going as far as to convince her highness to accord her royal pardon."

Priscilla had to roll her eyes from the position she was stuck in, unable to hear that and not find it extremely annoying to the point she had to glance at the boy beside her with a serious expression of admonishment.

To Subaru, she was simply asking him with every molecule in her body begging him for an answer.

'WHY?'

To which the response from his humble person was a simple crossing of his leg over his knee and a charming smirk as he said with the greatest charisma he's got within his exhausted soul.

"Because that's what heroes do-"

Priscilla just reached for her pillow and slammed it squared into his face, making him fly over the armrest.

"You're a buffoon… This goddess has suffered so much trying to apply to your stupidity that she's become numb to common sense!"

"There are lives in every home in that country you just want to blow away! You don't understand what that does to people. Hatred isn't born only from jealousy, it's also tragedy!" Subaru looked serious even when the pillow slid down to the floor.

She refused to acknowledge him and turned away, taking control of the screen once more.

"...What was Prisca's initial plan before that? I never asked, but always wondered."

"Probably blow them all up." Subaru scoffed and sat down in his seat. He glanced at the woman beside him with distaste but found that she hadn't been focusing on his petty getback. As she had started to glare furiously towards Meili instead.

"What's going on?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." Priscilla looked to the floor as she gritted her teeth.

Subaru was alarmed immediately. Wondering what the hell had happened and looking back to the screen for an answer. Trying to recall what the previous scene carried.

Reinhard kept smiling, but Meili could see that he suddenly felt a bit troubled by the memory he was about to speak of.

"She had ordered me to wipe the holy kingdom off the map."

"Of course…" Subaru rolled his eyes. "But what was that glare about-"

Priscilla glares at him as she mentally activates the screen to move on and cut him off.

Subaru wanted to glare back but he couldn't since he was genuinely concerned.

Meili blinked several times, processing what she heard, and exhaled with a disheartened look in her eyes.

"Oh."

"Yes, which is why-"

"No, that was a good idea. What I'm disappointed about is Father giving them another chance."

"Meili-sama!"

"Calm down, Reinhard. It's so obviously a joke." Subaru snickered at the effect Meili had with her mischievousness mixed with someone as sincere as Reinhard. He didn't forget to regard the company, however, "hey look. She's a big fan of your plans after all, why keep glaring at her anyways?" Subaru sounded nonchalant as he tried to get an explanation out of her.

Priscilla simply looked away from him yet again, keeping silent as the screen forced to her whims again.

She laughed at the sword saint's sudden reaction, and tapped his shoulder, "relax, I'm joking. If it was Father's decision, then it was for the best. But I wonder if he'll show mercy again if it's really them."

"I do not believe so," Reinhard looked up as he mused his thoughts, "Subaru seemed prepared to deliver serious consequences if they were found guilty."

"..." At this, he felt Priscilla's eyes dragging toward him. He had to look as uncomfortable as possible when he looked away.

"Coward." Priscilla commented, surprised at how open he was not to hide his inability to make that choice.

"I'm not up for a philosophical debate with you, Priscilla-san. I'm almost out of energy for such an ordeal. I just don't want to kill worthlessly."

"..." The baroness didn't give more attention to that, as she turned without any more words exchanged on the topic.

"...You'll back him up, right?"

Reinhard looked back at the young woman in surprise, "Of course I will. Why would you even think otherwise?"

"You're as twisted as that man is."

Subaru couldn't figure out if she was aiming that toward him or Reinhard. He'd realize that they both were similar in their choices. Of course, feeling a sense of comradery with the redhead since he's clearly showing loyalty to the other version of him.

"I don't think that this is so bad… It is essential to want to help."

"Time shall teach thee how redundant that nature is." Priscilla seemed to not mock, but actually pity him.

Subaru just grins where he was. "Trust me… I already went through it. And I'm not changing that part of me anytime soon."

Priscilla seemed to grow more disappointed the more confident he got to talk about his beliefs with her.

"As entertaining as it would be to watch thee fail, I'm afraid mine divine eyes have had enough to witness for that." She says mysteriously and turns away, leaving the boy to glance at her with confusion.

"Huh…"

"Because Father isn't the only one with unhealthy forgiving habits?"

Reinhard seemed to be taken aback but didn't reply immediately as he thought she may have a point. His voice then turned more serious, "Even if peace is what I seek the most…I do not believe I could remain pacifist to anyone willing to hurt Helena-sama."

"Good, that makes two of us." She proudly nodded her head, smiling at him.

"Even when you watch the twisted monster, yourself, and that assassin daughter of yours all disagree with you, all doing what it takes to get what is due to those that harm your family… you desire to show mercy?" Priscilla had eyes of curiosity more than anything aggressive. She was genuine in her question, welcoming a discussion.

"I am." Subaru affirmed, serious with his look to her. "I won't be killing innocents in collective punishments when it comes to war."

She threw another pillow toward him, but he dodged. Priscilla huffed in disappointment and crossed her legs once again to release some stress. "Have some decency to look at the little girl you're pontificating away from."

Subaru glares at her when she said this. She plays the rest of the conversation between the assassin and sword saint.

Reinhard smiled back at her, "but still, Gusteko remains an assumption for now. Let us not jump to conclusions without tangible proof."

"Mhm…And what's the alternative if it's not them? Do we have any other suspects on the list?"

"Subaru had theorized that it could have been someone from the inside. Skilled enough to know what to do within the walls of the castle," Reinhard explained to her, "but so far, I have not been able to detect any traitors among our ranks."

Meili remained silent, putting a hand under her chin as she thought about this possibility, "what if it was not a guard?"

"Anyone who wishes to step in the royal quarter's wing must answer to the guards still, Meili-sama."

"Yeah but…What if the guy is smart enough to bypass all that," she looked up to meet his eyes, "someone that'd be a malicious genius who has a serious grudge against Father…"

Reinhard's eyes suddenly widened, perking up with what she thought of.

Subaru can't help but put his head in his palm. "They're going to shoot everyone they can uselessly because they can't find Helena."

Priscilla seemed to agree with him, as her nod can foretell. "Thou're right. 'Tis is but a waste of resources at this point… However, I am curious from mineself's position on the outside."

"What would that be?"

"I would rather keep that to mineself for now… However, thou are to blame most surely for the way things are progressing."

"Me?!"

"The other one." Priscilla rolled her eyes in annoyance. "But it's something that's most definitely a pattern within your commoner brain."

"All I'm seeing is people running around in circles. Friends that care for us doing everything they can to-"

"That's irrelevant to the point. Watch." Priscilla waved his anger off and activated the screen again.

After they stepped out of the office, Subaru and Otto went their separate way. One to his merchant network, the other to the Queen's side.

But Subaru began to slow down in his tracks midway as he thought back about the situation at hand. He took the opposite direction back to the royal quarters once more, wanting to take another look at his daughter's room, thinking that he may have missed a clue.

Priscilla couldn't hide her interest when she saw that her own Subaru was seated with elbows to his knees once more. Recognizing focus in his eyes.

"Indeed, checking more than once is always a perfect step forward. This divine approves of his thinking! Even if it's useless to try and look for any evidence."

Subaru looked at her with an innocent blink. "Ah… I was just trying to memorize the door color because most of the halfway has similar doors and I don't want to get lost somewhere if I ever get trapped in the Royal castle."

Priscilla was deadpanned. She was more than that, she was disappointed.

But great was his surprise when he noticed Beatrice, standing in front of the princess's bed when he opened the door of her room. The spirit's hand was placed on the bedsheet as if she was trying to touch someone that was not there.

"There is something else I had to tell you, in fact." Beatrice uttered between her sobs.

"..." Subaru remained silent, a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind as he knew he had to prepare himself for what he was about to hear.

Turning around with her head hung low, her eyes darkened by the sorrow of her contractor's loss, she clenched her fist in fear, "the scent is present, I suppose."

Subaru stood motionless. His irises shrank in fright. His mind couldn't believe it.

"The witch's scent…Is in this room…In fact."

Subaru's eyes widen, and he goes breathless for a simple second where his heart almost stops in place. He slowly moved his head to face the baroness on his side. He had so much to say to her, so much to apologize for when he looked at the little girl to his side.

"Of course… I've always known but wanted to be wrong… It's been my fault all along…" His whispers weren't ignored as mutters as he hoped.

"What are you blabbering about?"

"Don't… I… Helena isn't going to be coming back to Lugunica…" Subaru shivered in place, wanting and expecting nothing but a slap to his face, not a pillow or a throw.

"Hmph. Get back to watching and we will see about that then." Priscilla wasn't confused or disgusted by him. She simply looked at him with the pity of someone that's far above him in education. As if she was overconfident with her bet.

A bet that had just been made as soon as Subaru's guilt took over while he was in front of the candidate.

"Get back to watching…? Didn't you just hear? Your child was kidnapped by the Witch herself! And it was all my fault!" Subaru held a hand to the lady and showed her where he'd broken them during his training sessions across the year of peace he's had after Sanctuary was over.

"Nothing's changed for mine divine self no matter how differently each faction involved is acting. Everybody won't be spared." Priscilla leaned back with a look of finality to him.

"You can't just… ignore what I'm saying…"

"Mine divine self believes you don't even understand what you're saying." Priscilla didn't allow the flabbergasted boy to continue his confession of guilt, as she moved the screen along.

"Wait-!"

"Stay by Prisca's side." He didn't give Beatrice another look.

Soon, the shock he felt slowly changed into anger. His fists clenching in fury, his face contorting in rage…Without wasting a second, he turned around, banging the door so hard it broke in a loud crash, each of his steps cracking the floor under his feet.

"If you did anything to my daughter…If you dared to go as far as to touch her…I will paint the walls of this fucking tower with your blood," Teeth gritted, he growled internally, " you damned witch!"

"Hohooo~ biting back against the strongest of all? Now that's a king." Priscilla gave the boy to her side a side grin, showing a light teasing glint to her actions. "Think he might take out the Witch you're so fond of simply to find the girl?"

"Considering she's still here with us and not with them? I don't honestly think this is realistic. This guy's not supposed to hate the witch," Subaru finds himself admiring the anger in a somewhat similar fashion as Priscilla. "Though I wouldn't mind him actually getting this right… You might be on to something because he's clearly got a plan to get her back…"

Priscilla had to give a big chuckle at that. "Why, of course, half-witch's dog. Of course, I'm right." She begins the next scene. What they both see surprises them.

"Royal protector…?" An old and frail voice called from the other end of the corridor.

Seeing the old man walk towards him with a cane, Subaru stopped in his tracks, and hurried back to him to give him support "what are you doing here, Miklotov-sama?"

Priscilla's eyes display curiosity as she tilted her head. "Have mineself kept them around? What's their use in my kingdom, I wonder?"

Subaru on the other hand felt kind of nervous. "I remember him… He was the only councilman to support me during the whole ordeal with Julius, even if only for the sake of giving me petty."

Priscilla looked like she was trying to remember back when she watched that. Nope, she could not remember the man from either time she bared witness to Subaru's royal humiliation.

"Let us say a little bird made me aware of the crown princess's disappearance, royal protector…" The old man chuckled, accepting the support of the young man.

"…"

"You mustn't, royal protector," with a wise voice, Miklotov smiled at Subaru, "acting recklessly and driven by anger does not suit you."

Subaru averted his gaze, not willing to answer the man.

"Would you believe this old man to have become senile already?" Miklotov laughed, "A man does not come out of a room in such a way with good intentions in mind."

"This is bigger than you might imagine, Miklotov-sama…My daughter might be in evil hands as we speak."

"And how do you think little Helena is going to react when she sees her father trying to save her with such wrath in his eyes?" He shook his head, "This is not the image you want your daughter to have of you, right?"

"I-"

"If it is for the sake of your daughter-"

"I would go to the end of this world if it is for her sake."

Priscilla watched the scene unfold on the TV screen, her gaze fixed on the old man, Miklotov, who seemed to be offering guidance, urging Subaru to temper his anger and consider the consequences of his actions.

As Subaru expressed his concern for his daughter and his determination to go to any lengths to find her, Priscilla couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. Concern for her daughter's safety, pride in her husband's unwavering dedication, but also a tinge of worry about the potential repercussions of Subaru's actions.

"This isn't our world… yet I can't help but feel grateful to the old man…" Subaru said something that resonated truth to the baroness beside him. In a rare showing, Priscilla nodded along in silence.

"That's one way to be kept around I suppose." She held a look of respect towards the old man's support. Recognizing his good in not trying to manipulate a distressed father in their harsh time for his own gain. Or maybe he feared Subaru and her by extension so he never tried any tricks… All would be found out eventually, for now, the old man seemed to be setting the young man straight.

"And it is commendable...But have you thought about the consequences of how you would reach her?"

"..."

"I am not saying that you should take this matter lightly, Subaru-sama," sitting down on a chair with Subaru's hand in his, he sighed, "I am saying that you must not act without thinking first. Keeping a composure, and a good head on your shoulders. As the one holding the title of royal protector of our nation."

"This is all…This is all unique…" He stuttered, putting a knee down before the seated old man, "I…"

"In moments of crisis, hastiness, and panic do nothing good to one's mind, and the consequences that follow are most difficult to bear," closing his eyes, Miklotov shook his head, "I know this way too well. I have seen nothing but reckless decisions in my long life within the walls of this castle."

When he reopened his eyes, Miklotov searched for Subaru's as he still held the young man's hand.

"Do not make the same mistakes I have been used to seeing, royal protector. Facing this situation, be the man that you are supposed to be. The one your daughter sees you as."

Remaining speechless at the old councilman's words, Subaru slowly let his mind go at ease, taking this precious advice to heart. Somehow, he felt a familiar feeling overtaking his spirit, chasing away all the anger, bitterness, and resentment he managed to accumulate in a short amount of time.

"It's enough now," he said in a low voice, smiling warmly to Subaru, "I have managed to make you listen to my rambling, this is all I wished; for you to think about it."

"Miklotov-sama…" disliking how the old man called his words, Subaru wanted to protest.

"Later, it will be for later, royal protector," he stopped him, putting a hand on the protector's shoulder, "now go. Bring little Helena back home."

Slowly turning his expression into one of resolve and sheer will, Subaru acknowledged Miklotov's words with a bow of his head, before walking away towards his next destination.

"Hang in there, Lena…."

"Where's he going now exactly?" Subaru asked as he looked at the next building over within the vision. "What's that weird stable over there? Does that symbol mean anything?"

"Thou shall need to retake those classes with the half-wench because those seals upon the walls are Vollachian in origin."

"The gladiator place?! Is it from that area? What's it doing inside of the grounds for the royal castle of Lugunica?"

Priscilla shrugged and watched, feeling more of an interest now than ever.

Reaching the rear of the royal castle, Subaru made his way to what appeared to be a stable, however significantly different in shape than what would be usual to see of such a building. It was something much larger, with an omnipresent opening above each of the boxes. There were three of them, positioned at a certain distance from each other, and Subaru walked over to the one in the middle. When he opened the door, he made sure to push it as far as possible to leave as much space as it could for what was inside to get out, then he stood in front of the entrance.

And bit by bit, first by showing the tip of its nose... Was a large, winged creature that slowly walked in front of the royal protector, possessing an appearance very similar to the dragons which are used to passing through the wide streets of the capital, albeit way much bigger.

"What the hell…?! Where have these dragons been?! Why couldn't we gain such things in Lugunica?!" Subaru spoke his outrage, dismaying in misery at the coolness of the dragon before him. or the other him.

Priscilla brings the fan to her mouth to cover her shock at seeing the foundation on the platform that she's seen time and time again from that ever-distant homeland she keeps forgetting about.

"Those… Nevermind." Priscilla shakes her head and brings a hand to pat the head of Helena beside her.

Meanwhile, Subaru was asking with a feeling of ridiculousness once again where was his other self going?

The only way to find out was a clear way forward through the static image and pushing the film through to continue.

"There, there…" Subaru whispered, as he slowly came closer and began to gently caress the face of the winged dragon, "I know, you're eager to fly aren't you?"

The dragon cooed in glee, redressing its neck and stretching its wings as much as it could, showing his impressive height and appearance in all of its glory.

It was a great, black dragon with flamboyant amber eyes, with powerful wings, giving a foretaste of the speed it could peak.

Subaru unchained the dragon promptly, and this one bowed down to allow him to take place on its back.

"Thank you," he told her, grabbing the reins in his hands, "now let's go. We're heading east to the tower."

Acknowledging Subaru's demand with a roar, the dragon outstretched its wings and began to flap them with such force, that the wind around the dragon created powerful gusts capable of bringing down any unfortunate soul around. When she felt comfortable with her paws off the ground, she immediately took a confident stance and soared towards the sky in half a second, before heading east with such speed that the sky roared over the sound barrier breaking.

"This should do…" Subaru sighed, tapping the neck of his dragon in relief at the speed they reached this fast.

"That's not possible… holy crap… that speed…" Subaru felt genuine anxiety seeing the gusts of wind blowing below the wings of the dragon.

"But where is he flying to?" Subaru questioned, receiving a shrug from Priscilla.

"I'll have to thank Vincent again next time I'll meet him." He thought to himself.

Hearing this name, Subaru noticed acknowledgment from Priscilla.

"Ah, so he was the one to give that dragon, I see."

"Who? Is he someone from Vollachia? Who's this Vincent guy?" Subaru fired his questions with a bit of excitement, loving the dragon scene as it was close to his heart.

"He's a disowned family member which I refuse to acknowledge. If you must also ask, yes, that means I had a brother in him once." Priscilla shrugged that information off like it was nothing. While it was absolutely mind-blowing to Subaru.

"Wow… Wait… Why is your family in Vollachia? Did you originally come from there?"

"You seem to have gotten dumber the more we watch, should your commoner brain be damaged, please mention it in passing so that I shall explain things in a slower fashion."

"I'm just so fascinated. You're never ever open about family or friendships. Actually you're only open about how great you are which is really sad-"

"Cease." Priscilla demanded with a raise of her hand and an uninterested look away from him.

"Wait… Wouldn't you having a brother also have meant that Helena would've been his kid, and not yours? Did you ever think about that when we first saw her?"

Priscilla actually gave him an impressed glance. "Indeed. That was the first intuition the world's given me, before I corrected the course as always and figured the true answer mineself."

"But why would you be confused between you and Vincent being Helena's parent? Wouldn't you both share the same genes?"

"If you mean by that word, the inherent traits passed down from our parents, then yes, that contributed to my thinking. Since Vincent has dark hair, just like Helena's. It's uncommen as you know."

"Yeah, you said so before… Hm…" Subaru looked at Helena, trying to wonder how a brother of Priscila's would look like.

"If you're trying to commence the futile act of imagining how my half brother looks like, don't bother. He's a dead man walking that simply wishes he'd have half the charms and good looks of my fingernail."

"... Complicated…" Subaru felt sweaty when he noticed the burning desire for blood within the lady's eyes as she ranted about her brother to him. "Why was I excited to hear about this private stuff from her anyway?"

"I assume you don't want me to ask what you think that the brother who is not a brother and you hate so much is apparently in good standing with the married version of us that he gave us a flying dragon?"

Priscilla went quite on that one. Unwilling to give anything to him.

"You know that dragon might end up helping him get closer to Helena… wherever he's flying towards…"

"Is it so important for thou to speak?" Priscilla held a hand to her temples.

"I'm just trying to understand you better… You're the one that offered me a closer hand of friendship when this started… remember?" Subaru gave her a reassuring smile. Priscilla had to sigh and glance upward to the ceiling.

"I seem to recall myself giving you a free leash and telling you to put it on, neither of those facts exuded friendship."

"Your heart did." Subaru felt like a cheeky brat saying that but seeing the look of pure annoyance from her made his day a lot more blessful.

"It's something about black-haired boys always dancing to annoy this goddess… It's fascinating how mine world works sometimes, even to a divine such as me."

"The officials of Gusteko are supposed to meet with the royal regent today," a man walked with a bunch of papers in his hands, "We have sent a messenger to meet them before they reach the royal palace."

"So?" Another one replied, eyes full of interest, while some other men in the room glanced at the discussion, "are they…Involved?"

The man shook his head, "No, they are just going there to discuss the royal treaty's conditions again. But they have no idea of what's going on."

"Who're these guys? Why are they suddenly spying on the political matters of the castle?" Subaru glanced at the candidate in the room, awaiting her expertise on the matter, but he simply gained a shrug from her.

"What? You don't know?!"

"Would this world not be a boring place had I gotten the names of everyone of my enemies? It wouldn't be fair to them." Priscilla simply yawns with disinterest.

"...I see. So what should we do?"

"As of now-"

The roof broke down in a loud crack right above the men, the dust and debris of the sudden crash shaking the entire room and throwing everyone on the ground.

"What the hell happened?!" One of them yelled in a hoarse voice, coughing loudly, "damn it!"

When he raised his eyes, he could perceive three silhouettes within the veil of dust. A man, a woman…And a beast. In a blink of an eye, one of them pierced through the smoke with astonishing speed–dispersing the dust–and punched one of the men in the abdomen, paralyzing him as he fell on the ground. He then proceeded to knock out the next one, and the next one. Each and every one of them didn't offer much resistance, mainly because they hadn't even realized what was happening yet before they either lost consciousness or were struck with such pain they were unable to focus on anything else.

"Oh, Meili and Reinhard got those guys good! This is classic entrance right there! Whomever thought of it is my best friend." Subaru cheered the entrance with reverence that Priscilla had to almost respect.

"T-THAT'S…" The only one still conscious blurted out, "THE SWORD SAINT?!"

When Reinhard had finished taking out the last one, his eyes fell on the shocked and petrified man who couldn't believe his eyes.

"So?! Far cooler this way uh?!" Meili praised with excitement, "See?! He has a hard time even breathing right now!"

"YES HE DOES! YOU DID SO GOOD MEILI-CHAN!" Subaru laughed and brought up his fist in cheer for the little girl's plan. Priscilla had to question why he was enjoying this so much.

"That might be more because of the dust than us, Meili-sama…" Reinhard rubbed the back of his head.

"We'll see that!" Meili turned her eyes towards the man, "I will not beat around the bush, I don't have much time, and the faster it's over for me, the faster it will be for you."

"Good start to the interrogation." Subaru nods, immediately interested and sitting down with a serious face. "The performance so far is exceptional." He said in a commentating voice, trying to be funny.

Priscilla kept glancing at him with tired looks and a few glares.

"Alright, I'll shut up…"

"So, just tell me what you know about the princess Helena, Gusteko's schemes, and Russel's whereabouts."

The man's jaw trembled, looking around him to find anyone still capable of helping him, in vain.

"Russel?" Priscilla repeated the name with clueless blinking. Unable to figure out why he was suddenly listed.

She looked to her companion and found that he's had a knowing look on his face the whole time. She didn't even need to inquire as he began sharing.

"When Meili and Reinhard were speculating about another mole from somewhere unexpected, I didn't rule this guy out either… He's the one that helped me make the triple alliance between my camp, Anastasia-san and Crusch. The point of it all was to earn him more money and prestige but I could sense something more going on beneath the surface with him."

"He's corrupt." Priscilla notes down, not forming the question for him as she already received her answer.

"He's power hungry." Subaru corrects with a small frown. "In our world, he's the current head for the merchant's guild though. So I never gave his hunger any meaningful warning since that line of work doesn't involve us together much. Not until Emilia-tan ends up being the ruler and having to face the guild anyway."

"That's his placement? The head of such an organization…" Priscilla looked like she was in deep thought. "There's more to that than you think." She says mysteriously, holding her eyes on the man Meili and the man trembling beneath her.

"I didn't think we would come to be against him one day though… Did this version of me do that? How far has he cleaned house?! He's literally fought with everyone at this point."

Priscilla actually had to look away to hide a very pleased grin on her face from him. Making him stare at his future was thrilling, especially when he's currently in the opposite mindset for most of the things his own version was doing.

It's been a challenge but finally, she begins to enjoy it.

Meili scoffed, and let the guitylowe she brought with them step out of the dust as well, and growl as it stared at the livid man.

"NO! NO! GET IT AWAY!" He whined, crawling against the wall as the growling guitylowe slowly approached him.

"It would be my pleasure, after you tell me what I want to know." Meili put her hands behind her back, speaking in a disinterested tone.

"I don't think you can look at her with that look anymore, Priscilla-san," Subaru expressed his annoyance, his attention drawn away from the fascinating sight of the little girl controlling the beast behind her. He needed to focus on more pressing matters.

The crimson baroness appeared surprised at Subaru's callout, but she chose not to respond, simply ignoring him. Subaru, frustrated by her stubbornness, shook his head. "Meili's doing her best to help you… What did she do wrong?"

Priscilla, in a tone lower than her usual confident demeanor, replied, "I approve of this girl. But I don't approve of mine divine self to say that name."

Subaru struggled to understand her cryptic words. He attempted to recall previous scenes to decipher her meaning, but finding it too bothersome, he dismissed the thought. Shaking his head, he addressed her, "I don't remember what name this was, but you can't hold this Meili to the same standard you have here. This Meili has a different Priscilla, a mother, and people she wants to look out for, including Helena."

"Amusing how you forget that girl's sin in the first place. Have you not spoken about her being imprisoned after trying to kill you?" Priscilla revealed a level of knowledge that Subaru hadn't anticipated. It was clear she was withholding significant information from him.

She was standing right behind the beast, ready to give him the order to stop, while the sword saint had taken position against the wall near the door, guarding it if anyone had decided to join them up here.

"H-HEY YOU! YOU CAN'T LET HER DO THIS! SHE'S-"

"Meili-sama is a royal princess by title," Reinhard smiled sarcastically, "I am afraid that I cannot interfere nor act against her orders."

The man's eyes trembled, as his entire body shook in fear. The beast was now so close that its saliva would fall down on his chest, his razor sharp teeth right before his eyes.

Priscilla flashed a grin that elicited both a touch of endearment and a hint of worry from Subaru. As the sadistic glints appeared in her eyes, Subaru couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

"Definitely approve… I hope for the right reasons…" Subaru shuddered at the thought. "Meili being there to torture someone with Reinhard acting as a guard must be a scenario from a Dark Souls game. It's seriously too overpowered a prospect; I feel bad for anyone that falls in her clutches."

He's got his work cut out for him when he goes home to his own assassin. Hopefully all of the plushies he made for her earned him some mercy… Considering how he was the one to end Elsa's life though… "Man, this is going to be hell."

Priscilla gave him a look of curiosity but Subaru wouldn't explain himself. He just waved his hand at her and tried to have the scene continue playing out. Surprisingly, Priscilla allowed it.

"You know, I pretty much remember that this entire six-tongues thing was dissolved after Father took care of the clown, and then banished your boss from the country," she mused, taking a look at her nails in a casual manner, "but as I can see, you're all still playing that spying game, which means that Russel is still out there plucking the strings, ain't he?"

"Six tongues? Have thee any knowledge about them?" Priscilla inquired, looking at Subaru for answers, admitting her own lack of awareness.

To her surprise, Subaru was already shaking his head before she finished the question. "I… never heard of them before… But what does she mean by taking care of the clown… Don't tell me…"

Priscilla caught on to Subaru's focus and found her curiosity piqued even further. "Oh~ so this one managed to also deal with that disgusting rat~!"

"Why is there so much delight on your face?" Subaru found her apparent satisfaction particularly irksome. "I don't like Roswaal at all, by any measure, but him being gone means that Emilia-tan has no sponsor for her… wait…"

Subaru looked down at his hands, which were shaking from his heavy breathing. He closed his eyes, attempting to stop his mind from contemplating the implications. He pondered what this version of himself did to handle Roswaal's gospel. If Garfiel was present, then the Sanctuary incident occurred in this reality as well. Something different must have been done to fix everything and eliminate Roswaal from the picture.

He couldn't determine if this was better, given that Roswaal wasn't significant in the reality he was witnessing. Why would Emilia's sponsor matter when the narrative centered around Subaru leaving her for Priscilla? It made sense for such an influential character like Roswaal to simply vanish.

The realization that this version of Subaru actively took care of Roswaal made him feel nauseous. The memories of his intense hatred for the clownish man flooded back. He couldn't fathom allowing Roswaal a single smile, not after enduring so much because of that monstrous individual.

Yet, Subaru couldn't shake the disappointment of losing someone crucial to what he envisioned as his happy ending.

Priscilla observed Subaru's silent reactions, her gaze steady and unreadable.

"Not only did he deal with that whole mess, but this me somehow dealt with such a secretive organization that may exist in our reality as well?" He breathed out, trying to get back on track to areas he can think about without hurting his head too much.

Priscilla decided to ignore the show of weakness that was a custom from him at this point and nod her head. "That Russel person seems to have been leading it."

Subaru looked down to his shoes in deep thought. "I never… noticed anything above what I told you when I met him… This guy was a cult leader or something in secret even then?"

Priscilla looked from him to the screen in order to figure out the answer.

"O-Our organization only ever worked for the sake of our kingdo-"

"Attack." She ordered.

The beast grabbed the man who screamed in fear by his collar using its powerful jaw, and threw it against the wall at the other end of the room. He then fell face first, and began to whine as the first thing he saw when he lifted his face was the guitylowe coming for him again.

"P-PLEASE! I WILL TALK! I WILL TALK!" He curled up into a ball with a hand extended forward to try and prevent it from coming closer.

"Stop." Meili ordered, and the beast sat down immediately.

She then made a sign for Reinhard to join him, who picked up a chair from the ground and set it straight for the man to sit. He picked him up with one hand, and sat him down forcefully.

Meili and Reinhard then stood right in front of him with the guitylowe in between, waiting for him to talk.

"Let's start with Russel. Where is he?"

"...Russel is in Vollachia…But he does send us instructions for several of our tasks…"

"He is telling the truth." Reinhard confirmed.

"Your home…"

"Nothing ties me to that land, as I am meant to rule where the world shall deem lands are worthy of me," Priscilla dismissed with a roll of her eyes at the return of that name.

In contrast, Subaru shook his head. "What? No, that's not it. This means that Russel, a guy that had a secret organization that was running around and got destroyed by the king's concert, is now taking refuge in another country where the queen has a half brother that, judging from the dragon he gave to us, has a lot of influence… Don't you see? Someone's helping Russel from Vollachia too…"

Priscilla's reaction was one of agreement, her expression growing serious and contemplative.

Subaru looked at her with a thoughtful gaze.

"Is one of these tasks involving harm upon the royal family?" Meili questioned.

"No!"

Reinhard raised an eyebrow and glanced at Meili, who exhaled and simply patted the head of the beast without taking her eyes off the man.

"...Y-yes."

"He is telling the truth." Reinhard confirmed, "But that is not really surprising is it?"

"It really isn't. These guys looked like they didn't know how to call it quits. But you? Lie one more time, and I will make sure that I do not need to remind you ever again," she threatened in a cold voice, to which the man began to cry while begging for forgiveness.

"I definitely don't judge you for approving of her here. These guys are an actual problem…" Subaru grit his teeth, a surge of protectiveness rising as he observed the lying man beneath Meili's scrutinizing gaze. The falsehoods about harming another version of a family he could relate to fueled his anger.

"Feeling anger now? Or should we forgive him and take his people to supper for good aura?" Priscilla mocked him with condescension, immediately nodding in approval towards the assassin girl. "That one would get a special headpat from mine divine self once we're out of here."

"That's completely… You know what. I don't care." Subaru shook his head and mentally tried to move the screen along.

Reinhard seemed surprised at Meili's attitude, being unaware that she was capable of such strict and merciless antics, which oddly reminded him of a certain fiery woman.

He always saw her as optimist, always smiling, or childish even for her age, a bit like Felt. But it seemed that being raised in the royal castle, she had caught influence from both Subaru and Prisca.

"Now," Meili brought her face closer, making sure that the man would focus on her eyes when she spoke, " is your organization or anything related to you and your people, involved with what happened to Helena Natsuki?"

"N-No! We have never laid a hand on her, I swear!"

"Are you sure?" Reinhard narrowed his eyes dangerously, clearly upset by what he just felt.

"A-as of now! W-we never laid a hand on her since the organization was dissolved a year ago by the royal protector!"

"I see," Reinhard acknowledged with a nod, "then, he is telling the truth."

"As of now…" Subaru's expression held a dangerous glare, a sight that oddly pleased Priscilla. "Bastards…" He cursed under his breath, already immersed in thought and planning. Looking up at the baroness beside him, he pleaded, "Can we both at least try to discover who these six tongues guys are when we return? I know you don't like me as much as you did before we started watching for some reason, but I'd rather not deal with such a threat alone."

"Weren't thee bragging about all of the friends you have surrounding you and them following you to the ends of the world? What happened to never being alone?" Priscilla's surprise was evident, and she grew pleased to see him take initiative.

Subaru nodded, "Oh, they will be coming with us. I just need your help specifically."

"You have a plan in mind… already?" Priscilla was more than impressed, her intuition and experience allowing her to see through Subaru's unspoken thoughts.

Subaru grimaced. "And I'll need you for it, Priscilla-san… I'll pay you back…"

"Mineself requires no such thing." Priscilla looked away, momentarily disappointing Subaru, who thought she was rejecting him.

"Why do that when the world's bent to my will so you can take care of a threat that aims to harm my dominion? Impress me, and I shall lend you my divine help."

"Oh, you're just being arrogant again, thank goodness."

"Do you know anything about what happened to her?" Meili continued.

The man opened his mouth, his eyes wandering off in confusion, trying to fight the words to explain what he had on his mind. Meili understood at this moment that he possessed critical information, and grabbed the man's collar.

"Oh, they saw something?" Priscilla looked on with interest, curious about how anyone could have witnessed the girl being transported.

Subaru shared her curiosity, as he had experienced this himself and noted that the transportation was immediate for him. He was in and out with a blink. Nothing was said when he suddenly appeared in the middle of a crowd in the marketplace of the capital on his first day. So, nobody noticed anything particular about him other than his modern clothing.

Therefore, hearing the man suddenly having such information was not just interesting; it was fascinating.

Priscilla had the same train of thought because she herself looked back to when she watched him being transported and realized that the same exact questions were very much in place for her.

"A-A shadow! It's a shadow! PLEASE!" He brought his hands before his head in fear.

"A shadow?" Reinhard repeated with a frown.

"O-one of our sources who was…Tasked to observe the princess reported that he saw her disappear in a blink of an eye because of a shadow! This is the truth! Please, I beg you!"

Meili's heart throbbed in terror, having no idea of what this could mean. And when she met Reinhard's horrified eyes, she knew he was as confused as she was, but one thing was for sure…

"We need to go back to the palace, and tell my parents…!" She dropped the man on the ground, "come on uncle Rein!"

Before exiting the room, Reinhard looked back at the man one last time, "Your treason towards the crown has not left my mind. I shall come back when this matter is resolved."

The man only whimpered in response, humiliated and beaten, he didn't have the strength to stand up anymore.

"Damn you Fellow…Damn you…" He cursed under his breath, laying down on the ground of this mess.

"Shadow… hm…" Priscilla's eyes were on to him without a second thought.

Subaru could help but stare coldly towards the floor. Either in shock or from quite lamentation towards a fact that he's ran away from since the beginning.

"I told you. It was my fault."

Priscilla looked on at the vulnerable boy with understanding. Fully seeing how the taboo affected him to not reveal anymore of what he knows, and also seeing him blame himself inwardly for everything happening currently to Helana's parents.

She could also see him being scared. Scared that this was something that could happen to his own children in their world should he conceive any. A happy ending waiting to be ruined.

"So that's what's been bothering your commoner self this whole time… I see."

Felt was horrified. Struck with the Queen's revelation, words wouldn't come out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried to speak. She wished to do more than just utter a few words of support, but it wouldn't be anything that hadn't been told to her already by her husband or anyone else knowing about the situation. If she could, she would have run outside to help in the search, but she was bound by political obligations as much as the Queen was. But Prisca wasn't expecting anything, nor did she want Felt to do anything for her. She had simply demanded for the whereabouts of her daughter, and got her answer. Of course more than to avoid thinking about it for now, she also didn't want Felt to begin worrying about Helena as well.

"I see… a valiant companion in such a matter is needed to keep things stable. She's useful, I suppose." Priscilla, for weird reasons he could never understand, started talking. Not only that, she was approving of someone that she could only see as an ottoman moments ago.

Subaru wasn't in a responsive mood, however, and kept his eyes on the screen passively. Though he took note of the attempt to help him get his mind off of these revelations.

Before any more interaction between them could start off again, a guard walked over the throne and put a knee down, "your highness, lady Felt, a council member, is seeking for the Queen's internal affair regent. He says the matter is urgent."

"No," Felt drily answered, "tell him that today's meeting is adjourned."

"But…Lady Fel-"

"Get lost!" She spoke in a threatening tone, "there are more important matters that I have to deal with. Gusteko will wait."

"...A-As per your will, lady Felt…" He uttered, walking away to the door.

"That's not a smart thing to do, Felt…" Subaru sighed, tired and at his wits end. "Delaying a peace talk for an uncomfirmed situation is not the right thing to do. She's still as hot headed as ever."

Priscilla glanced to him with a neutral expression. Does he really not see what the blonde was doing? Oh how the tables have turned.

Prisca watched as the guard walked towards the door, and glanced to her side.

"I know what you're thinking. But I'll stay here," Felt met the Queen's gaze, "she's my family too."

Prisca didn't say a word, but wasn't protesting about the matter either. Felt had taken her decision with her heart, and fighting it would have been pointless.

"That's an admirable thing to think. Common folk need to dream of belonging somewhere… I suppose she'd make a good pet going forward." Priscilla snorts, not at all as opposed to Felt's words as she had been earlier.

"Man, this is too frustrating." the blonde girl grimaced, "Reinhard, big bro, Beatrice…They were all around the castle, how could any foe go past unnoticed?"

Prisca clutched the papers within her hand, Felt's words echoing in her mind as she seemed to pierce the pieces together.

"..." Felt widened her eyes as she came to a conclusion as well, turning to Prisca in alarm.

"No way…" She growled in a hushed tone, "no fuckin' way…!"

"What's going on?" Subaru, too lost to piece together what the two girls on the screen where communicating, looked to Priscilla for help.

The candidate was happy to oblige the simplton beside her. "They figured out that someone must've betrayed them form the inside to get the girl. A valid deduction."

Subaru blinked to her satisfied nodding. "But… It wasn't anyone from the inside though… It was the Witch of Envy…"

Priscilla shrugged, unable to give him a satisfying answer. "They do not know. As you've said, they will run around in circles trying to get her back."

He turned back to the screen with a deep frown. "What a waste of time…"

"Enjoy it. So far we've learned about many potential enemies that mine kingdom shall need to be rid of. 'Tis but the world showing them to me so I can remove their filth off of my immaculate domain."

At this, he had to wince in thought. "Don't remind me… The amount of people trying to get back at us in this world is absolutely ridiculous. It's like we have wolves trying to attack us from every angle and we've got no one but each other to fight them off."

"Trust no one." Priscilla advised him sternly, for some reason, he felt inclined to listen to her. "Else these dogs the coats of honor and compassion shall slit your throat while you sleep."

"This is too much…" Subaru sighed and rubbed his eyes, not wanting to recount everyone that was out for his blood.

"It doesn't seem too much for that mirror of you though… Matter of fact, I'd say he's been working splendidly to dismantle everyone that's coming after his Queen…" Priscilla seemed approving with the smile she was giving him. He didn't understand why.

"I thought you blamed him for a lot of this." Subaru raised a brow to her. Referring to the early blame game she forced upon him from before.

"Ah, that's just a personal lesson I am bestowing upon thee. We shall see in time."

Subaru nodded slowly while keeping an eye on her, not liking the mysterious glint she gave him as they both turned to the screen.

"This is getting tyring and weird."

The door suddenly opened, revealing an old man with a long white robe entered the throne room, wearing a scarf harboring Lugunica's symbol. The guards saluted him with respect as he walked before them, and Felt glared at him with annoyance.

"Internal affair regent, your highness" he raised both his hands as a greeting, his voice gentle and noble, "I hope I am not interrupting anything, but I fear that I have to speak to you urgently."

Felt and Prisca's eyes reflected nothing but disgust as the councilman approached them with delicate steps, but there was something more. Something akin to speaking about the devil, and noticing the horns appearing in the horizon.

"Why are they looking at him like that? Shouldn't the council be filled with people that support the monarch and want to help them?" Subaru looked annoyed at yet another person they can't trust found in close quarters to his family in this reality.

"Have you gotten increasingly naive, or have I lowered my standard about thee?" Priscilla hummed in thought, making him feel regret for asking her such a question. "The king's court will always be filled with snakes and rats. Just like the common folk, these ones must be tamed and kept on tight leashes. Else they begin to reek their filth upon my dominion, displeasing mine self greatly."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why keep people you don't trust close to you? I mean… This Felt appearantly has more power than the council now? That's like getting demoted from CEO to janitor in a year!"

"I don't know what either of those were, but yes. I do agree that having this council is redundant when all they do is get in the way. I shall not make the mistake we're witnessing here." Priscilla nodded her head, taking note and making agreement with him.

"Can't wait to see you fire them all from the castle Emilia will rule over. I'm sure she will be happy to let you do it when I tell her." Subaru seemed to have wanted to let the chance pass him, but in the end he couldn't resist teasing a little. Even if he was serious about what he was saying.

He still knew the effect it would have on the princess and so Priscilla huffed naturally and continued on watching. He really did grow on her.

"It seems like something was misunderstood, I was notified just now that Lady Felt had decided to postpone today's meeting with Gusteko's officials," he brought his hands together, "I trust that I was wrongly informed, of course. So I allowed myself to verify with certainty."

"You didn't hear wrong," Felt assumed a confident stance, " today's meeting will be postponed. Let the Gustekan diplomats know."

"I am afraid this is impossible, internal affair regent. Today's meeting is of utmost importance for the kingdom and the royal treaty."

"No, it is of utmost importance for them," Felt replied with a wave of her hand, "not our kingdom. So they will wait if they are told to wait, because I will not go anywhere."

The old man shook his head, exhaling tiredly, "your highness, I beg of you to do something. This is unacceptable for us…"

Prisca tapped the handle of her throne in annoyance, staring expressionless at the old man seeking her support, "my regent has taken her decision, there is nothing else to be added. Dismissed."

Suddenly, the councilman had traded his smile for a sour and haughty face, "how preposterous. Your noble duties are lacking at such a critical time, your highness. You have changed, and perhaps for the worse, when you discarded the name of Sir Leip."

"You will carefully watch the words coming out of your filthy mouth if you truly are part of the 'wise men' of this country, councilman." The Queen threatened, "I barely tolerate your existence already, do not test the limits of my mercy."

"You've been married before?" Subaru found this interesting, so he asked. Similarly to her asking him all sorts of questions. He'd expect her to ignore him like usual if it was too private, or throw him against the wall. He braced for impact just in case this time.

"Hm? I suppose I was."

That answer was so disheartening and said with such disinterest that Subaru couldn't help but feel let down.

"Something the matter?" Priscilla raises a brow at his lingering gaze.

"Nothing… That guy doesn't know when to shut up does he though? It's like he knows how much you detest him and wants to make things worse."

"That's one more reason to question their stay in my throne room." Priscilla had her eyes narrowed on the screen in contemplation.

"I would never think of insulting you, my Queen," the councilman lowered his head, "but I am speaking the utmost truth. Barielle was an honorable name of our mighty kingdom, the one you have taken–from a commoner nonetheless–goes against the noble code. He should have been the one taking your name, and perhaps his influence would not have led you astray of your royal obligations, and the eyes one is required to have to bear the crown."

"Are you insinuating that my name does not fit me, councilman?" Prisca seemed unresponsive to the old man's clear provocation. She didn't see it worth her time.

"...This is not what I was trying to explain, your highness." His point visibly ignored by the Queen, the councilman tried to explain himself once more.

"I just realized… You let yourself have my last name?" Subaru, trying to relieve some of the anger building up from the man on the screen, decided to casually comment on that interesting fact. "And you say you couldn't care less about commoner tastes? I don't believe someone as proud and arrogant as you would an unknown name like mine."

Priscilla glanced at him innocently. Not saying anything to him, keeping anything she had to say behind a silence that awaited nothing.

Subaru could only blush a bit at the intense way her eyes pulled him to stare at her. "I uh… Nevermind. Just found that fact interesting."

Seeing him stutter was more than enough for the red baroness to understand that she had won a battle that the boy was fighting against himself somehow. Feeling superior nonetheless, she turned away, annoyed at the waste of time.

"Man, have you ever heard about biting your tongue before speaking nonsense?" Felt seemed annoyed, and yet surprised.

"The nonsense, lady Felt, is your behavior towards something as important as diplomatic relations," the old man shook his head, "then again, your help would not have been required if such matters were left in the hands of more competent people."

"If only such people existed within the walls of this castle," Prisca sighed, "alas, besides myself and my regent, all that is available to me are nothing but little, useless and pathetic fools who delude themselves into ideas of grandeur."

"Such words are unbecoming of a Queen, your highness." The old man narrowed his eyes, "what am I doing, except trying my best for your reign to be fruitful?"

"You have no fucking shame at all you old piece of shit," Felt spat out, shaking her head in near disbelief, "but you can't help it, can ya?"

"Shame is for those who merely lack the necessary intellect to know their place," The councilman smiled viciously, "Don't you think?"

"So you understand?! But you still manage to fuck up, that's quite amazing on its own," Felt stepped down the steps before the throne to meet the old man face to face,"Besides, you seem awfully eager to meet these diplomats, old geezer. Is there something that I am not aware of?"

The councilman smirked, looking back and forth between the Queen still on her throne and the regent in front of him, "perhaps if you had taken your duties more seriously, you would know. But considering how insubordination seems to be allowed within the very heart of our state, I shall not be surprised by such ignorance."

"What the fuck are you even spilling out of your mouth?" She grimaced in disbelief, "Insubordination? I have a higher position than you, dipshit."

The councilman seemed outraged, "and upon which order?"

"Upon my order." Having enough of this farce, the Queen stood up from her throne, her voice strong and stentorian.

"...Your highness? The high council of the kingdom cannot be-"

"Silence."

The Queen walked down the steps before her throne, joining the side of her regent facing the councilman and a dozen of confused soldiers.

"This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life!" Subaru was the one to voice his shock at the ever escalating situation. "The way he's managed to piss everyone that's watching is impressive. He's a prick!"

Priscilla nodded with him, glare intensifying the more Subaru gave support to her rage against the man. "Insubordination and talk back… These council men know not where their heads must be placed."

"I shouldn't say this but… I hate that I agree with him. Felt needs to do her duty if it's really war that will break out. I should've told her this before leaving to wherever…"

"So you agree with what that filth says?" Priscilla had a sting in her voice. Subaru winced as he replied.

"I'm not, but he has a point. This wouldn't be needed if Felt takes care of the delegation."

"The blonde girl's doing what is appropriate to mine self's gaze. She's been a pleasant pet so far."

"Are you… What a change in mood considering that this was the same girl you looked upon with disgust and hate! What changed?" Subaru asked in fascination and annoyance. "Don't tell me you're starting to like her just because she hates the same people as you do… Is this a highschool?"

"Thou has no right, ability, nor grace to understand the intricacies of a divine's will. Go and find a corner to bark against, it will have a better more meaningful conversation for you to understand." She waved him off.

Subaru had to roll his eyes and drop his serious face to chuckle. He enjoyed that response.

"You enter my throne room, raise your disgusting voice as if you were given the right to, and dares to insult my regent?" she spoke in a tranquill, yet chilling voice, "who do you think you are, councilman?"

"Your highness…This kingdom laws ar-"

"Have you grown so old that you have taken your eyes off the wheel of time?" She walked closer to him, step by step, "I am this kingdom, and I am the law. Your authority goes as far as I say, your position stands where I appoint it."

"Here we go. I feel bad for the guy since he's had good intentions… but he's got it coming." Subaru found extreme pleasure in watching this version of Priscilla put down a man so up his own ass that he'd come to disrespect Felt and her because he was looking down on them.

"Hmph, speak for thyself. Good intentions or not, that man must be skewed on a spike to be shown as example."

"That's not appropriate for all ages, nor are we in Romania to impale people on spikes." Subaru chastised.

The councilman took a moment of silence, observing the Queen with thoughtful eyes. He was not afraid, nor disturbed by her which was surprising on its own. "Forgive me, my Queen. It is surely best to avoid escalation. This is not what I wished, I beg you to believe me. I dedicated my life to our country, all I want is what is best for it just as you do."

Prisca stepped even closer, "Believe you? What did you do for Lugunica, aside from gathering the stones of a dying dragon, using the sword saint to threaten your enemies like a coward, and trying to take the life of my royal protector, you filth?"

The councilman narrowed his eyes with ire and distaste, while the Queen seemed to grow more threatening. He was out of words, not because of what he thought to say but because of the consequences of it, and such a situation where he found himself back against the wall seemed to annoy him very much.

"Your highness," a tall royal guard wearing an iron armor stepped in between, before she got close enough to reach an unfortunate conclusion with the frightened councilman, "I believe it is best if this does not go further. Please."

Prisca lifted her eyes towards him, as did everyone else.

"Step aside, Gildark."

"Finally someone that can save this poor guy's life. I cannot believe how stupid he is… Why do that? Why put yourself in such a position and be such a jerk too…?" Subaru couldn't fathom it as he held his cheek with his palm and leaned on the armrest. He looked extremely disappointed.

"This just makes the council look more incompetent…"

Priscilla hums in approval of his words. "Thou should enjoy seeing a divine bring righteous discipline upon lesser animals. 'Tis very envigorating I must admit."

"You're literally calling yourself hot…" Subaru looked beyond disturbed.

"I am afraid I cannot." Marcos shook his head, "my loyalty as a royal knight stands towards this country's rule. This includes the high council."

Prisca narrowed her eyes, "you have already stood by these traitors when they tried to assassinate your commander. Is this where your loyalty lies?"

"What…" Subaru whiplashed toward the screen from the shock. "Oh come on! Them too?! Was I going around every room calling people names or something?! Why is everyone around us people who've tried to kill me?!"

Priscilla couldn't for the love of her give any more of a hateful look aimed straight at him after that ludicrous question. The problem was the fact that he was so serious in his question, that he activated the screen to learn more in order to answer himself.

Revealing…

"The royal protector himself forgave the high council, your highness…" Marcos spoke in a low and shameful voice.

"I did not." coldly replied.

Priscilla wanted to swing the couch over his head. She had in mind to put the girl on her lap and just kick the couch with everyone on it (him) right through that wall, which she could do, minus breaking the wall part because of the enchantment on the room, but that would make it hurt more, so she seriously contemplated doing it.

"I get it… I get it ok…" Subaru muttered under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head. Priscilla gave him a few more seconds to continue before she appropriately abused the anger she held upon him. "No need for domestic violence, I can already tell. This was just me being stupid…"

"And?"

"And I'm the cause for a lot of these messes because… I'm giving people that aren't trustworthy too much trust…"

"And?" Priscilla affirms, pushing him with a dangerous sharpness to her voice.

"... And I'm too naive by giving so many bad people a chance to harm my family…" Subaru looked away from her and had a thin-lipped expression aiming to the floor. Completely emotionless.

This surprised Priscilla greatly, as it wasn't the thing she's been waiting to hear, but it sure was better!

"Finally. Thou shall give mine shoulders a message after this." Priscilla sighed with relief, finally having him make a breakthrough that stupid notion of mercy he's constantly self-destructing because of.

"Don't get too comfortable ordering me around…" Subaru sounded weaker than any man who'd said no to her demands before, so she simply allowed the screen to continue showing them the rest of the scene while humming in anticipation for her message.

"Pris…You can't do that," Felt walked in between Marcos and her, "you know this will lead nowhere."

Felt's reasons to stop this fight went further than political strife, but she would not speak of them in front of so many unrelated people.

Prisca looked at Felt, and acknowledged her advice with a nod, "Get this man out of my throne room."

The council man scoffed before bowing his head. But as soon as he raised his eyes again, the Queen dashed towards him with unbelievable speed, grabbing him by his collar with an iron grip.

"My name, my daughter's name," she whispered wrathfully, "is dearer to me than your entire council's miserable lives. Should you speak ill of it again under any circumstances, I shall burn you to the ground and leave nothing for your peers to remember. Am I clear?"

Breathing heavily as he felt his throat being pulled up, the old man frantically nodded his head before being thrown on the ground.

"No matter your ideals, if he enters this throne room again without my say so, you will execute him," she ordered Marcos, before walking back to her throne, "refuse, and your head shall roll the dirt with his."

Marcos silently bowed to thank the Queen for her mercy, and glanced towards the blonde woman still staring daggers at him.

"Don't think you're out of the woods, big dumbass," Felt confronted him, "the royal protector will hear of this."

"...I strive for nothing but the peace of this kingdom, lady Felt." Marcos turned around to regain his post, "I will go back against nothing for it."

"You better choose your camp wisely then. Peace was brought in this kingdom thanks to everything Subaru sacrificed." She turned around to join Prisca near the throne.

"I know…" Marcos uttered as he walked away.

Felt met Prisca's eyes again as she joined her, and smirked, "so the whole name thing really irked you this much?"

"I curse the days I ever called myself 'Barielle' every single morning," Prisca picked up her papers again, "An identity holds more value than words uttered to refer to someone. But this…I only understood it when I realized how I could not allow myself to carry any other name than the one I have now."

"Oh… It's because of identity then…" Subaru sighed in relief, bracing for what he thought was about to be a love-filled confession from the red queen on the screen. He didn't think his heart could take such a beautiful woman saying anything close to that notion toward him.

"Was… your husband…"

"He's no longer alive. Best not speak of such uselessness." Priscilla cut him off without even acknowledging him.

Subaru gulped, being extremely uncomfortable to even try and touch upon something so personal… But he kept wanting to move his hand upon hers for some reason… Try and tell her that she doesn't have to worry too much anymore.

But why should he be the one to do this? She wasn't even going to end up with him if they go back home. So she will remain stuck with that name she dislikes so apparently from what he is watching… Remain with a whole world of troubles coming for her…

"... Just like Emilia-tan…" Subaru's whisper wasn't caught by the baroness, but he was sure his head would be rolling as soon as she would.

"...Oh well, I just think that 'Prisca Natsuki' fits more than 'Prisca Barielle'," Felt shrugged, acting as if she didn't understand the wise words of her friend,

Subaru had to choke on his saliva. Priscilla simply huffed with annoyance at the sheer amount of personal drama and sass the boy beside her was going through.

"'Tis but a name! Grow up to be a man already!"

"I can't help it! I can't just not react to a woman like that having my last name because I married her! That's like me winning the Tokoy championship for Japanese bachelors!"

Priscilla huffed for the second time, annoyed at the obtuse way he complimented the future version of herself and looked away to let him heave it out of his system so they could move on.

"I don't think I disagree though… Barielle doesn't fit you…"

This had her frozen in her seat… That's what he was whispering about?

Subaru shook his head, thinking she didn't hear him mutter this. Hoping that she didn't. Failing to see that she had just heard him express worry for her.

"besides, if you had kept that old name, it means that Lena would be 'Helena Bariel-"

Felt stopped herself from speaking further as soon as she noticed Prisca's face wincing with such disgust that it felt like she was about to throw up.

"...I'm so sorry." Felt looked down with a blank expression.

"That's gross."

"Indeed."

Both held expressions of extreme disgust and discomfort at the thought. Subaru himself didn't know what the late owner of the name was as a man, but considering how this Prisiclla spoke of his name, and how his Priscilla never gave the man a second thought, he would realize that it's not at all a name he wants on himself, his wife, or any child he would conceive.

"Thanks for taking my name at least." His voice was soft, but he clearly meant for her to hear.

Priscilla raised a brow of curiosity. "Mine divine self wasn't the one to choose this."

"You said there wasn't any difference between us and them, right? That me and the other guy are the same person. So thanks… For not doing that to Helena… And for helping yourself…" Subaru sounded sincere. He looked at her with tired yet compassionate eyes.

Priscilla turned away from him lazily. "No need." Her lips turned thin after her reply.

Prisca clicked her tongue and was about to go back to her work, when she noticed the doors of the royal hall open once more.

"Oh, Beatrice!" Felt exclaimed, worriedly rushing towards her.

"Judging by your expression…You learned about it, I suppose…" The little spirit sighed as she looked down, trying to avoid the eyes of the fiery Queen.

"Yeah! And I'm still a bit iffy that we tried to hide from me!" She bitterly replied as she glanced at the Queen behind her, "But are you okay Beatrice?!"

Beatrice looked up to her with wide eyes, trying to understand what she meant.

"Did you understand the situation correctly, in fact?!" She exclaimed, "We are talking about-"

"I know who we're talking about, but you're her spirit! Her situation has to be unbearable for you!"

Beatrice grimaced, and averted her gaze away from Felt. Eaten by guilt and shame.

'Come on, Beatrice…" Felt tried to comfort her, "Lena will be fine, big bro's the one on the case! You know he'll bring her back!"

Subaru cringed inwardly, wishing he'd see Beatrice happier but realizing the amount of trust being placed upon his other version's shoulders and not at all being comfortable with it.

"Man's got his work cut out for him… Where is he anyway?!" He grew frustrated at the inaction his other self was taking.

"Your highness!" A guard yelled as he entered the throne room in haste, kneeling immediately before the trio of ladies, "the royal protector just rode a flying dragon towards the east!"

"East? The sand dunes?" Felt raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "what is he about to…DO?!"

Felt's eyes widened in alarm as soon as she understood. Even if she wasn't prone to panic, she couldn't stop her heart from beating in fear as she knew full well what this implied.

Beatrice choked on her breath as she understood as well where he was headed…It didn't help that it was because of what she told Subaru as well, but in a way, she knew it was bound to happen.

While she fully trusted the royal protector on what he was about to do, the truth was that the memories she held from that place still managed to make her heart throb in fear.

Prisca however, seemed like she couldn't believe her ears, her eyes glowing in such ire that some could see the fires of hell burning in her irises.

"You look pissed… Is the sand dunes a place you hate or something?" Subaru asked her with alarm, seeing the visible reaction from all three ladies on the screen and unable to hold his wonder.

Priscilla herself gave him a shrug and a genuine look of curiosoty. "Mine amazing selfs never been to the dunes. Though I have heard about it. A sea of sands that stretch from the far east into the Lugunican heartlands."

"Ah, so that's where the sahara of this world is… I see…" Subaru noted with a nod. "But what would make everyone so worried then?"

He looked back to the screen to try and activate it again, not noticing the sudden widening of Priscilla's eyes.

After a few minutes in the sky, the tower was finally seen from afar, as Subaru led his dragon to land right near its base of it.

"Huh? what's that tower doing in the middle of a desert?" Subaru looked to Priscilla and noticed that her eyes were significantly more expressive than before. "You know about this place?"

Priscilla looked at him with what he could read as genuineness. "That man is walking into the watchtower. Pleiades…"

"..." Subaru's eyes widened as soon as he heard the name. "Who named it like that…"

"It makes sense someone from outside our world might not know the story, but thou must understand, what he is doing right now is impossible." Priscilla said to him while pointing at his other version.

"What? Walking inside? It looks harmless too me…"

"That's just it." Priscilla gained his eyes back again with the confusion on her face apparent. "That tower is guarded by the sage herself. The one to seal…"

"The Witch of Envy…" Subaru suddenly breathed the answer like a heavy weight off his chest. "I remember the story… I asked about it when I was looking at the inscriptions of the holy coins…"

"This watch tower is where the Witch is being held…" Priscilla grows quiet and contemplates with distaste.

"Let's watch some more… See why I'm able to enter inside so easily… Has anyone reached there before?"

"Mineself has never heard of such a thing happening. Everyone that tries comes back never being able to reach the tower."

"Serously? Why didn't anyone send Reinhard or something?" Subaru asked with a raised eyebrow. Though not expecting Priscilla to give him an answer.

"The Sword Saint tried."

"Huh? Really?" Subaru looked surprised at this. "In our reality? Our Reinhard? How'd it go for him?"

Priscilla didn't wait for him to brace himself as she answered immediately. "The story tells of failure… Though the common rabble does not know about the expedition since it was done with haste."

"Reinhard himself failed… What the hell is this sage person…" Subaru shook his head, trying to get out of his shock. "Let me watch some more. I'm extremely interested now."

"Mine divine self could say the same." Priscilla goes thin-lipped as she commands the screen to continue mentally.

"Stay here and wait for me," Subaru told her as he caressed her cheek, "I'll be as fast as I can."

The dragon whined as she saw Subaru walk closer to the sinister tower, and tried to prevent him from doing so. Subaru smiled and patted her head again.

It was neither the first nor the second time that Subaru had to step inside of the already conquered tower. Thus, he knew the layout and was way more than enough to reach the place he had.

He passed the first floor, then the second, the third…And finally the fourth.

Opening the doors with enough strength for anyone to know of a visitor, Subaru stepped forth inside of the Taygeta library.

"Where are you?" He bitterly called out.

In response, he heard a sound coming from the floor over him, which seemed to be a cup of tea meeting its plate.

"Is that going to be the sage girl?" Subaru asked, looking like his anticipation was eating his insides.

"Hm…" Priscilla herself couldn't hide her own need to saitiate her curiosity. "He seems famliar with rooms…"

"Yeah, I noticed too. I've been here before." Subaru nods his head, giving her confirmation that things were as clear as she saw them. "This isn't that Subaru's first time."

"I'm impressed he can manage so many threats and feats in such a short amount of time of serving me." Priscilla actually gives a nod of approval to that lunatic thought, as Subaru give her a deadpanned glare.

Begrudgingly making his way towards it, Subaru reached the upper level with a ladder, facing the woman he had come to meet.

"Well, if it is not a pleasant surprise to have such an esteemed visitor as the king consort~?" she gleefully said.

Narrowing his eyes, Subaru cursed under his breath at the one he swore to never meet again.

"Echidna…"

However, it was not the beautiful, young maiden of his dreams that appeared before her. But the real, older echidna. The one that was once sealed inside of a coffin in the sanctuary, and the one to whom Roswaal had sacrificed so much.

"You have got to be kidding… This has to be the greatest let down… of my life!" Subaru growled and throw a pillow right towards the TV screen, being unable to hit it because he aimes like a soldier from the IDF.

Prisiclla looked at the boy beside her, noticing the extreme siimilarities between the reactions of both Subaru's to that woman, and clearly becoming curious.

She didn't need to ask in the end because the boy caught her glance.

"That woman is the most despicable person I've ever met. She's a complete douche."

"Who is she?" Priscilla cut his rant off, unable to take him seriously when he was whining like a child talking smack about someone they disliked behind their back.

"She's the Witch of Greed. And no, she's not supposed to be in the watch tower of all places. Something happened in that world to get her there… She's not supposed to be alive even because she's dead in our own reality."

"If that witch is dead," Priscilla looked like she needed a second to comprehend what she was saying, not expecting the boy to have had interactions with the so called mysterious witches before now, "how'd thou meet with her then?"

Subaru looked like he could grimace himself out of existence. "I wouldn't be able to talk about it with you, Priscilla-san. I'm sorry… But just know… Returning her back to life was Roswaal's main mission."

Priscilla's eyes went wide immediately. "That clown's goal…? This?"

"Apperantely it was a success… I guess that's what they meant when they spoke about me dealing with him. He made his dream come true…" Subaru nodded, putting together the pieces to an ever present puzzle inside of his head.

"So that's another thing I want you to look out for." Subaru gave Priscilla a warm grin, trying to comfort himself more than anything and she could tell.

The candidate regarded him with a raise of her brow. "Why would thee give me that information, knowing that I shall stand against such a vile wish to be recollected and achieved?"

"Because that's just it. I want help not to allow Echidna to come back to life. She's not going to be good for this world… And apparently Roswaal is able to do it whether I'm involved or not as we can see in this reality…"

Ah, he was asking for help. Priscilla leaned back and gives him a firm nod, not one to deny the chance to crush vile creatures out of existence, especially that clown she hates so much.

"... I cannot believe this… She's still there… Where's the sage gone? How can the tower be unprotected with her on the lose inside of it?" Subaru had too many questions, and the glare he was throwing at the lady wasn't helpinig Priscilla read into his line of thought any smoother.

He's clearly losing it bit by bit. She could only marvel at the outward disgust he regarded to the woman.

"Oh~ how mineself wonders if mine eyes could see what she's done to make you hate her so. Such entertainment…" Priscilla goaded him, explicitly trying to see a reaction.

"It's not important… I handled it." He sighed and slumped in his place, ending the conversation.

"I see…" Priscilla nodded her head.

"You won't be able to just watch what happened anyways… I'm too tired for this to explain it." Subaru rubs his eyes, and waits for the screen to play again.

Priscilla had the most natural look on her face as she looked away from him.

Yeah.

"Would you please avoid the stare, Subaru? I am aware that I do not share the same attributes I did before…" She sighed, turning her eyes back to her book.

"My only wish was to never take even a step inside that horrid place again," he cursed out, "but extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures…"

"And what is it, in your case?" She replied, not taking her eyes off her reading, "Surely you came here to ask something of me. Just as everyone did before you…Though, you are a bit of a cheater when you think about it. To obtain my knowledge once required tremendous trials, you know?"

"I have done enough trials for an entire life," he growled, as he came closer, "I will pass."

"Well, if it is you I will kindly make an exception~" taking a sip of her tea, she waved off his last comment, "now tell me, what can I do for you?"

"My daughter."

"Mh?"

Suddenly grabbing her shoulder, Subaru lifted the witch of greed to his level, holding her close to his face so she wouldn't look anywhere else but to his wrathful glare.

"Where. Is. She." With a threatening voice, he tightened his grip around her collar.

"My, not that rough…I am not used to it, you know?" She chuckled, narrowing her eyes with a smile on her face, "and are you not too close right now? Would the Queen allow this, I wonder?"

Disgusted just by the thought of what she implied, Subaru averted his eyes from her and let go of his grasp on her clothes.

"The queen would command him to persist and compel you to crawl on the floor before subjecting him to purification by the water dragons of the border city." Priscilla spat in disgust, having swiftly assessed the woman and realizing that, despite being a witch, she embodied everything Priscilla despised and secretly relished seeing reduced to ashes.

Subaru reserved to be quiet and just nod along, because he wouldn't be opposed to seeing such an idea happen.

"Ah, not like I would have been against it," She sighed as she readjusted her dress a bit torn, "oh, did you grow even stronger?"

Subaru didn't say a word, staring at her with annoyed eyes.

"Oh, come on! I am bored sometimes in this tower, you know? Can you blame me for appreciating some company?" She exhaled with a dull face, "how boring you became after taking that old title."

"..." His expression changed over his sudden confusion, but he remained silent.

"She's persistently annoying," Priscilla scathed. Subaru nodded his head.

"You've seen nothing yet. Just let her roll her mouth for a while as if she's a highschool teacher lecturing you or something. You'll be fine."

The baroness wanted nothing but to wait this out.

"Where did you even get it from, anyways? Oh! Have I ever told you what happened to your predecessor?" her eyes suddenly sparked with excitement, as she hurried to pick up a book.

"I am really not in a mood for your games." He growled once more.

"And why not? You know, we say that history repeats itself. Perhaps we can learn something from it?" She mused as she looked for the right page.

"There he is…The empire's royal protector…" she began to read aloud, "his daughter was taken right before his eyes, as the empress he swore to protect died in his arms. Then accused of king slaying, the royal protector escaped using rare magic of the shadows, swearing to find his daughter and avenge his empress…Who was none but his beloved."

Subaru kept staring at the witch, but oddly enough, seemed to be interested in the story she was telling.

"That's…" Priscilla grew quiet after trying to sound her surprise. Not doubting that the boy beside her saw the exact same signs that she had.

"Yeah… It's similar to the set up they're dealing with now. Though I doubt he'd allow his wife to die at the hands of anyone."

She was more shocked at the growl from him than the words. It made her feel greatly pleased.

"He discovered that he was the victim of a ploy, put in place by the empress' closest advisors who sought to take away the country's power," she began to walk in circles around Subaru, reading with a soothing voice, "he was but a scapegoat, which only made his anger grow. Soon, his anger turned to rage, and with this rage, he left nothing but death and desolation on his path of vengeance. Ultimately, the princess was saved…But after so much bloodshed–sometimes for nothing–he had forgotten what he truly stood for alongside his empress, had since long lost what made him worthy of being the royal protector…"

She closed off the book, her eyes meeting Subaru's, "thus, he disowned himself from the title…Leaving it for the one worthy enough to carry it once more."

Subaru didn't speak a word, his face still as stoic as it was before she began her tale.

"Is that an actual story in our world? If it is, is it true?" Subaru turned to his Priscilla with a look that seemed to convey more disturbance than anything else—a direct contrast to the jaded reaction from his older self.

Priscilla took a moment to register the two opposing mindsets from the same man before shaking her head. "Mine self hadn't heard of such a story."

"So you don't know…"

"These divine ears didn't hear such a story, therefore it must not have existed."

"What if it does exist, but you just didn't come across it yet?"

"Then it shall exist after I learn about it." Priscilla added with an air of nonchalance, unfazed by the prospect.

"Is this story true?" He ended up asking.

"Had it not been you, I would have probably told the person to go figure it out themselves, but since I like you, I will tell you the truth" she came closer to poke his chin, " because I was there when this royal protector purged this empire of yore in his quest for his daughter."

She then walked back to her seat, putting one leg above the other, "isn't it greatly ironic? For thousands of years, this title remained forgotten. But as soon as someone takes it back, his daughter is taken away…It's as if a curse would follow such a mantle."

"Curses do not follow a title. Only people who are unfortunate enough," Subaru replied, "it's nothing I'm not used to. And if an empire is the price for my daughter's safety, so be it."

"How impressive!" She clapped her hands, "to think that this same man did his best to avoid exactly this a year ago!"

"That's not right…" Subaru shook his head but Priscilla snorted beside him.

"Speak to the ghosts of everyone that shall stand against him. His child is most important than all of those common cattle beneath us. It's clear that he learned from his queen."

"Beneath us you say… So you've considered him your equal? Just because he thinks like you?" Subaru looked at the ground in distaste.

Priscilla gave him a kick to the ankle. Forcing him to look to her as she leaned back with a sadistic grin.

"The divine before you considers that man an inspiration. Learn from him."

Subaru remained captured by her easy going grin as she moved the screen along. Not waiting for him to answer or refute the prospect as something he would never do or consider. He didn't operate in such a heartless manner. He would rather save everyone…

But the woman beside him acted like his fate and destiny remained in stone to end up where she saw fit. As if she had staked her claim on him and now he's drowning the cement that would weigh him down on the spot she wants him to be.

Her treatment, her looks, her words, her confidence… All of them made him feel so secure on the road she was choosing, as if he had no say in it whatsoever.

He knew that she would never win this. Whatever it is. He will not allow her to beat him on it.

"The circumstances were different then, and you know it." He responded heatedly.

"Have I ever told you once, that this kindness of yours would lead to your doom?" Echidna mused, "with a wife like yours, you would suppose that she would build in you a less…Passive mindset? Even if I cannot deny that you have changed quite a lot since your youth, old habits die hard I suppose."

"They do indeed." Priscilla gave a short snort, if only because she was showing agreement with someone as disgusting as the filthy witch with a nose for a ground dragon rather than a lady. "Especially this habit… This one is a true problem."

"You mean it's the one you can't understand!" Subaru hissed, annoyed at being psycho analyzed by two arrogant women at the same time.

Echidna placed the book back on its shelf, "you still have not told me where you heard this title?"

"From Helena."

"Oh?" Echidna raised an eyebrow.

"Around a year ago, she got a book coming from a Vollachian storyteller that Miklotov handed her.. The title of 'royal protector' appeared in it, representing a commander tasked to protect the princess and the Queen," he recalled the memory of his daughter reading the book aloud to him and his wife, "she began to refer to me as this commander, and Prisca took a liking to the idea. This was before Miklotov told us that it was a real title that existed before, in a faraway past."

"Interesting, so this old man knew about it…" Echidna seemed thoughtful about it for a moment, trying to understand how Miklotov could have known about such an old title.

"...Enough. You still have not given me anything regarding Helena's whereabouts."

"Well, who's fault is that? I already said I would answer your questions, but with nothing but an angry grunt about your daughter, I am afraid I won't be able to help much." closing her book on the table, she picked up her cup of tea again, still with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Taking a deep breath as he began to lose his patience, Subaru decided to listen to her advice and explain the situation further.

"This morning, my daughter was nowhere to be found. First, I thought she might have just woke up earlier than expected, but things took another turn when Beatrice said she couldn't sense her anymore," He began, as Echidna narrowed her eyes to the explanation, "My suspicions were first on Gusteko…"

"No," Echidna shook her head, "Gusteko is not responsible for Helena's disappearance, but I suppose you have already figured that out?"

"How could you know?"

"Because they have come here to consult me and I advised them to not try anything else towards you anymore if they wish to prosper," she smiled widely, "you are welcome~"

"That's actually helpful… I'll give her this." Subaru gives a small grunt, not wanting to revel anymore into this gross feeling of giving Echidna credit.

Priscilla seemed unimpressed with Echidna or the Gustekans personally. "Those religious dogs must be put down…"

Subaru glared at her with stupor and outrage,"You are advising our enemies?!"

"Tsk tsk," she moved her finger left and right, "I shall stop you right here, royal protector. I do not belong to any kingdom, neither am I bound to any orders. I am a witch, and for as long as I lived, people have come to me for advice due to my infinite knowledge."

"Still on Lugunica's territory." He replied.

"I don't think she cares…" Subaru shook his head after saying that. "Yeah, no she definitely doesn't care."

"'Tis irrelevant what she thinks. The fact that she breathes air is a sin."

"Lugunica, which bore yet another name a thousand years ago. And yet another two thousand years ago," She leaned against her hand, "I saw many kingdoms come and go. And let me tell you…"

She smiled with malice and haughtiness.

"Your dragon kingdom has nothing special. Nothing but another failure who has surprisingly managed to overstay its time," she closed her eyes as she shrugged, "how strange. As the ruling family, you could have renamed this land after your name, begin another saga, and yet…"

"I am not petty enough to rename a country after my name, Echidna." He rejected the idea instantly, thinking of how absurd it was.

"Come to think of it, would you do this if by some miracle, Emilia doesn't win and you do?" Subaru makes her cackle with his question.

Priscilla chuckled at Subaru's question, her laughter dripping with the condescension that defined her character. "Oh, you half-witch's dog, you do have a talent for framing questions in the most amusing way possible. 'By some miracle,' you say? How modest of you."

She paused, lifting her chin with an air of regality before responding, "But to answer your question, no. Why should I bother renaming the kingdom when my name is already synonymous with greatness? It would be redundant, wouldn't it?" She flashed a confident smirk, emphasizing her unwavering pride in her own lineage.

"That's so comforting to hear… You'd not do the arrogant thing because you're narcissistic instead of humble…"

"You think the first Lugunica cared when he conquered the land?" She chuckled, both hands under her chin as she leaned against her table, "but I beg, do not change one bit! Such humility is what makes you so appealing, even if you do not see it."

"...Conquered?" He repeated in a hushed tone, wondering if it meant what he thought it meant.

Echidna raised her eyebrows in surprise, and smirked.

"Kingdoms come and go, Subaru…" She whispered, "there is no nobility, there is no might, there is no honor. There is only one rule…"

Subaru clenched his fist, looking down downstairs to the stairs leading to the second floor, where the phantom of the first sword saint once was.

"See? You figured it out," Echidna praised him, "this kingdom would have never lasted if it was not for the Sword Saint line."

His eyes went back to her, "Tosca decided to serve Lugunica in the name of prosperity, and so does Reinhard today."

Echidna rolled her eyes in boredom, "Your pathetic friend? He was still on a leash a few years ago wasn't he? Incapable of taking any decision–let alone think for himself–unless someone told him to."

"Do not speak ill of matters you don't know anything about." He retorted with an angered tone.

"Don't let her talk about him…" Subaru gritted his teeth at the way she referred to someone he considered a good friend. He remembered the way Reinhard came to apologize to him after the royal fiasco.

Priscilla arched an eyebrow in confusion as Subaru vehemently defended Reinhard from being criticized. "Why defend that mindless beast of a knight? He's nothing more than a puppet, a loyal lapdog with no free will to speak of. It's hardly worth defending someone so... servile."

Subaru, however, looked at Priscilla with a determined expression. "He's more than that, Priscilla. Reinhard may have obligations, but he's got a heart, feelings, and choices of his own. I trust him, and I believe in the person he is beneath all those expectations."

Priscilla scoffed, dismissing Subaru's sentiment with a wave of her hand. "You and your misplaced trust. But if you wish to see nobility in a glorified hound, be my guest."

"Very well," She sighed, waving her hand, "now please, continue. What happened after you suspected Gusteko?"

"...Soon after, Beatrice revealed that the smell was present inside of Helena's room."

"The smell?" Echidna raised an eyebrow.

"The witch's scent." He replied, still in a bitter tone.

"Ah, so you immediately turned your attention towards me. Are you not targeting the wrong enemy here, royal protector? The scent is the witch of envy's mark and hers alone." She sighed as she came closer to stand face to face with him, seemingly offended.

Priscilla observed the screen with Subaru, who couldn't help but notice Echidna's reaction.

"Did she just get offended because someone mistook Envy's scent for hers?" Priscilla inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Subaru nodded solemnly. "Yeah, they each have a distinct scent. Envy's is the most potent, and mistaking it for another Witch's is... well, it's not something you'd want to do."

Priscilla leaned back, a thoughtful glint in her eyes. "Fascinating..."

He narrowed his eyes, "I doubt she could have been responsible for anything by now."

"And yet…Regarding what we are talking about, she is the only one capable of it," Echidna tilted her head, "her death does not mean that her power has vanished, you know?"

Priscilla's eyes widened in astonishment, her usually composed demeanor momentarily shaken. The news of the death of the Witch of Envy, the most feared entity in her world, sent ripples of surprise through her. The woman who had the power to plunge nations into despair and chaos was no more, and it was a version of Subaru, her husband in this reality, who had accomplished this impossible feat.

A mix of disbelief, curiosity, and a hint of fear played across Priscilla's features. She leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the screen as if trying to grasp the enormity of what she had just heard.

"So," she finally spoke, her voice tinged with a blend of awe and apprehension, "you truly managed to eliminate the Witch of Envy... What kind of world is this where such miracles are possible?"

Subaru's eyes carried a weight of solemn reflection as he absorbed the revelation. The news of the Witch of Envy's demise, achieved by a version of himself, stirred conflicting emotions within him. The promise he had made to that other version of the Witch, a promise to save her from her own suffering, echoed in his mind. The fact that someone had taken a path different from the one he envisioned left him in silence.

His lips pursed, and he stared at the screen with a hint of regret. The burden of knowing that a promise made in another reality had been broken weighed heavily on him.

Priscilla, witnessing Subaru's internal struggle, remained observant, her eyes flickering with curiosity and a touch of sympathy for the man who bore the weight of multiple destinies.

She forces the screen to activate once again, wondering how far has this reality changed from just the simple choice of being by his side.

Subaru stood confused for a moment, trying to understand what she meant behind these words.

"The answer is so simple, Subaru…It is right before you, and yet you don't see it?" She chuckled, hiding her mouth behind her fist.

"Quit playing around, Echidna!" Subaru let his voice go high towards the witch, feeling that his limit was near.

"But this is so fun! And greatly ironic. You killed the witch of envy thinking you would put an end to her influence, but she was never the one who was the source of such power. All she did was to take it for herself…" she continued to laugh, poking his chest, "here, let me help you, who is the princess?"

"What?"

"Just answer my question! Who is she? State her name!"

"…Helena Natsuki." Subaru spoke in wary, trying to know what Echidna was trying to do.

"Correct! And who are her parents?" She continued as she began to walk in circles around the royal protector.

"Prisca Benedict…And Natsuki Subaru…" He replied, following the witch with his eyes.

"Ah, nearly there! Who is her father?" She pointed out.

"What the hell are yo-"

"Who. Is. Her father?" She cut him, putting importance on each of her words.

"…Me. It's me. I'm her-"

"Oh?"

"…"

The royal protector froze, his hands shaking, his eyes wide, unable to breathe, unable to do anything.

He was paralyzed…By fear.

By the impossible revelation that appeared in his mind…As he slowly, like a scared child, raised his eyes towards the witch of greed.

"There we are…" She whispered in a sweet tone, coming closer to his ear.

"She is exactly where you think she is…"

"That's not possible!" gaining the power to speak again, he yelled back.

"Is it really? Have you ever searched for a way to do it?" She questioned with a smug.

"I-"

"No you did not~" she cut him, "Since your first day in this world you were settled on the fact that you would never come back. But the truth is…That the ability to bring you here, someone wielded it. And this someone…Well, do I need to point it out?"

The alternate Subaru's eyes widened in realization, the puzzle pieces falling into place. The shock on his face transformed into a mix of disbelief and understanding. The revelation that the power to transport individuals across worlds was wielded by someone else, and the implication that it was the same power responsible for his own predicament, resonated deeply within him.

A subtle gasp escaped him, and his eyes remained fixated on the unfolding scene. The truth, as revealed by Echidna, painted a different narrative from what he had initially assumed. The weight of the revelation pressed upon him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of connection to the struggles and mysteries faced by the Subaru on the screen. How could he not? This was the first time since the beginning of this viewing where both he and the other version of himself can feel the exact same feeling without any strings attached.

"I'm the one that caused her to…" Subaru choked on his words and coughed. Feeling isolated, he looked at Priscilla for a certain comfort that she might bring to him.

Despite the startling revelation, Priscilla held no blame in her eyes. Instead, a subtle understanding seemed to dawn within her.

"You've been thinking about this for a long time… Since the beginning of when you learned that girl came of my world into yours…" Priscilla said breathlessly. "This pressure you've placed upon yourself…"

"I didn't want this… I don't want any of my kids or my friends to deal with this nonsense!" Subaru slammed a fist to the armrest weakly.

Priscilla could only have pity for the boy beside her. Truly understanding just how far he was stretching himself this whole time in order not to seem weak before her.

"How…Did Helena…"

"Because she is your daughter…"

Subaru's head lowered in absolute misery. Priscilla needed to look away, feeling uncomfortable to watch the torture before her. She tries to force the screen to show more, just to be done with it.

Losing all of his wills in an instant, hurt beyond compare as he heard his daughter's fate…His eyes reflecting the pain and the sadness of a father having to give a possibility to the thought of never seeing his child again…

"She is cursed…" He uttered in pain, as he lifted his trembling hands before his eyes, "I cursed my daughter…"

And slowly…A white hand as pure as the snow posed on his shaking palm, making him look up to her face, smiling with a warm and comforting expression.

Priscilla glared at the woman, almost growling under her breath. She focused herself to pat the head of the sleeping girl sitting to her side, feeling the warmth of the angel that's been causing this madness from the start. She didn't need to look at the boy who was trying to unconciously stop the viewing from continuing. She had to fight his will and bring her full mental strength to make the next set of scenes play.

She almost felt sorry at the small grunt he had to give once she beat him. But this was needed. They needed to be finished with this particular one. It was far too much.

"While you see it as a curse…It can also be close to a unique blessing," she whispered in a soothing voice, "and didn't you hear about what I just said? Or did you solely focus on your daughter so much that you decided to ignore it?"

"Ignore…?" Subaru wiped his forehead and hoarsly sat down on the floor, resint his neck against the warm seat edge of the couch where was sitting.

Priscilla gives him a glance, finally. "Or… Someone's kept your potential hidden from you this whole time…"

Subaru slowly widened his eyes.

"This power…is yours. Natsuki Subaru."

"What does that mean… What power?" Subaru's voice trembled with confusion and frustration, grappling with the incomprehensible revelation. Meanwhile, Priscilla focused on initiating the next scene, her gaze piercing through the screen with calculated intent.

The abrupt shutdown of the display left both of them in a momentary state of breathless relief. Subaru, seeking solace, let his arm rest on his forehead, sprawling on the floor with his head cushioned by the couch. The weight of the revelations lingered in the air, leaving an indelible mark on their shared consciousness.

"Holy crap… That was… a lot…" Subaru's muffled words conveyed the overwhelming magnitude of the information they had just witnessed.

In stark contrast, Priscilla's countenance transformed, the flicker of surprise evolving into a simmering anger. Her eyes bore into Subaru with an intensity that demanded attention.

"You… Stand." Her command cut through the air, and Subaru, sensing the rising tension, reluctantly staggered to his feet. He met her gaze, half-lidded and wearied.

"What is it, Priscilla?"

Ignoring his rhetorical question, Priscilla, with a roll of her eyes, gracefully stood and approached him. Despite the difference in stature, she met his gaze on equal terms.

"Going to give me flack for breaking down again? Or is it going to be an insult to how different I am from your dream husband over there?"

With a subtle sigh, Priscilla enveloped Subaru in a slow, dominating, yet strangely comforting hug. The embrace seemed to serve as a release for the tensions that had accumulated, offering a momentary sanctuary for him.

Subaru's eyes went wide, unable to hug the woman back as his brain refused to catch up to what was happening to him.

To Be Continued in 4A…

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This has been a pleasure to write after such a long while. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Yes, I'm still writing my fics. Please comment on what you think I should improve and what you've enjoyed so far!

Please go and read Hopeful Reunion and all of Archer's fanfics. This fic wouldn't be at all worthy to read without the source itself carrying the aura of it.