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Chapter Text

When the two guards bowed to Emilia before inviting her to enter the impressive country-side castle, she almost died of laughter. Her status as a royal candidate got her an invitation to one of Lord Mebaux's fancy parties, even though her half-elf heritage was well known by all. Lord Roswaal urged her to accept his invitation and, of course, Subaru asked to accompany her. She would have gladly taken him to help her built her network (hoping some of the good old Natsuki charms would rub off on her) but Lord Mebaux asked her explicitly not to. Indeed, the last time Subaru and Lord Mebaux met, Subaru had unintentionally vomited all over the Lord's shirt. The poor boy ate too many cream puffs and they had to get out of him one way or another. Not letting this little accident keep him from following his dear Emilia, Subaru devised a plan to infiltrate the party.

“Told you it would work.” Subaru winked at Emilia. “My skills are way too high. I maxed all stats on this build.”
“You're devious, Subaru.” Emilia bit her tongue, she was already blowing his cover! “I mean, you're devious, Miss Natsumi Schwartz.”

And devious 'she' was, indeed, Subaru's disguise was flawless. And Emilia was quite jealous of how well he pulled off his backless black dress. It was unfair, even she couldn't wear it this well, and she was a woman. Subaru said that there was no competition between them, that he would be the sexy one and she would be the beautiful one. She understood that they would have their own roles to fulfill, but still! Even his make-up game was on point.

“Hehe, suckers.” Subaru was Emilia plus-one but the guard didn't even ask any questions. Maybe he could have gone as himself, but oh well. “I can't wait for you to 'introduce' me to Lord Dickhead and have him kiss my hand and shit. That will teach him to call me a 'disgusting swine', ha!”
“Su- Natsumi, don't be mean. Don't act like you were the innocent one! You really reeeeally deserved to be excluded.”
“If I deserved to be excluded, why did you bring me here?”
“It's not my fault! You're the one who made me addicted to your company!”
“My E.M.T said she was addicted to me! I must have triggered an event flag! This is going to be the best day EVER!”
“Shhhhh.” Emilia put a finger on his mouth. “You have to act like a lady now, Lady Natsumi.” she laughed. Subaru was generating nonsense faster than the sun generated light.
“Well, of course. I hope this party will bring us great joy, dear friend.” Subaru cleared his throat. “May this day become our happiest memories!”

Emilia watched as Subaru dropped his lady act after five seconds to rush toward a butler with a tray of appetizers. Subaru never learned, did he? She would scold him if she didn't find him adorable, his childish behavior was endearing… sometimes. For a time, she even thought he was thirteen. He felt attacked in his man's pride, but it was his fault for acting like a small cute child.

Subaru knew that his behavior was 'unladylike', but how did they expect him to resist such delicious treats. They were heaven made, commissioned by God himself. If he puked again on Lors Dickhead, well too bad. It would have been worth it.

The butler could not hide his surprise, what appeared like a graceful young woman was assaulting his tray. He knew some people had no class, but she was a savage. What a shame, because she had the face and body of an angel. She would most likely find a man even with this ugly behavior. She was lucky to be blessed with such a pretty face.

The woman's attacks on the food were so relentless that the butler barely managed to keep his tray in his hand. As a matter of fact, he inadvertently made the tray fall on the ground. The butler prepared himself to hear a great bang and see his salary being cut in half for the month, but the sound never came. Fortunately for him, another guest caught the tray without making any food fall on the ground.

“Sir Juukulius!” the butler didn't know if he was lucky to be saved or unlucky to shame himself in front of one of the greatest knights in the kingdom.
“Eh… Julius” Subaru almost sneered.
“Does my reputation precede me?” Julius tilted his head, did he meet this woman before? He rarely forgot a face, especially one of a lady. “Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Ju-”
“I am Julius Juukulius of the Knights of the Royal Guard. Blah, blah, blah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We know the speech.” Subaru mocked Julius, still keeping his softest voice. “Now gimme that.” he took the food tray out of Julius' hand.
“Did I offend you in any way? Please believe it was not my intention.”

Without letting Julius finish his apologies, Subaru turned around, making sure to flip his hair in Julius' face. With the tray in hand, he ate the last pastries while walking away. He made sure to stick his tongue to Julius, almost blowing him a raspberry, before reuniting with Emilia.

Emilia facepalmed visibly as Subaru walked toward her. He never learned. Emilia liked Julius a lot, but the knight knew how to bring out Subaru's inner toddler. He didn't even need to taunt Subaru to do that, even treating him like a respected lady triggered Subaru. They got along like a house on fire. But Emilia couldn't help but be jealous of their odd friendship. Subaru barked at Julius, but would never bite and would even risk his life for the other man. She felt like he was more honest with Julius than with her. Like Julius could reveal a side of him she never would.

“Do you want some?” Subaru offered her the almost empty tray. “The red ones are divine.”
“But there is no red one?” Emilia took the tray, not to eat some but to stop Subaru from binging the rest.
“Ah… I ate them all.” but Emilia had to try them, he had to find a way to let her taste them. “Eureka!”
“Yureca?” who was Yureca?
“I just need to find another tray! Stay here! I'll fetch you some!”

Subaru went on his way even before finishing his pledge to find her the mysterious red treats. Emilia was about to follow him but a large man appeared before her.

“Good evening, Lady Emilia.” the man took her hand and kissed it. “I am Baron Viktor Borodin, it's an honor to meet with the sweetest royal candidate.”
“Ah… Nice to meet you, Baron Borodin.” Emilia wanted to get away but she couldn't rebuff one of the only noble willing to talk with her.
“Allow me to ask you some questions…”

Unable to follow Subaru, Emilia could do nothing but watch him stalk the room for another butler to assault.

Subaru was scanning the ballroom like a hawk, he had to find the red pastries at all cost. He went from every butler and maid, checking every table in vain. Everybody must have been in the know, there was none of them left. He had failed Emilia, his insatiable gluttony failed Emilia!

It was only after losing hope that Subaru found his holy grail: one of the red pastries on a golden plate. What was detestable was the man holding the plate, the one and only Julius Juukulius. Grinding his teeth, Subaru took his courage in both hands to face the knight and retrieve Emilia's due.

“Hey, Julius. What's up?” Subaru mustered his best (hypocritical) smile and stopped a few inches away from Julius.
“Good evening, miss-” he was happy to meet the mysterious woman again, he still had to redeem himself for offending her (not that he knew what he did).
“Miss Natsumi Schwartz, your new best friend.” 'Natsumi' did the finger gun to accentuate 'her' introduction.
“My new best friend, really? In this case, I'm honored.” he smiled warmly.
“Yeah, you should. Now that we are friends, can I ask you something?”
“Anything, my lady. Does it have to do with the plate in my hands?”
“Exactly! Good boy, you’re quick to catch on!”

As soon Subaru threw himself on the plate, Julius moved it away gracefully. Just enough to keep Subaru from grabbing it, but without making a scene by shifting it all around. An outside observer would believe that Julius was just moving naturally as he spoke while ‘Natsumi’ gesticulated weirdly next to him.

“What are you doing, sir Juukulius? It’s not very knightly to keep a lady from eating.” no matter what he said Julius would not yield.
“And it is quite unfit of a lady to try to snatch away other guests' food.”

Whoever that Natsumi Schwartz was, she was a riot. Julius was aware he was getting out of his knight persona, but he couldn’t stop himself. Playing along with her little ‘games’ was too amusing and teasing her was too easy. And he couldn’t shake away the impression that he met her before, she hinted at them sharing a past together after all. He shouldn't be too hard on himself, it was just some harmless fun with a unique character.

“Just gimme that! I need it more than you.” he tried to get the plate again only to fail (again).
“Well, of course. What my lady wants, my lady gets.” he bowed, still keeping the plate away from ‘Natsumi’.
“Good. You’re coming back to your senses!”
“If she tells me where we met before, that is.” he had already seen this woman, he would bet his life on it. It was awfully unlike him to forget a face, especially one so uncommonly charming. And that was not even taking account of her unique personality.
“Don’t play me like that, Julius.” he wanted to cry, maybe some crocodile tears would make him give up.
“I am truly sorry, but I can not share my food with someone I do not know. Who knows what could happen?”

Subaru sneered at him and Julius smiled in return. This only made Subaru want to hit his pretty-boy face with a chair or two. Their little dance of attacks and evasions was getting ridiculous, it came to the point that Julius would slightly step away from him and Subaru would just walk into his cape rather than toward the plate. Subaru felt like a bull in a corrida, and instead of red, it was Julius’ face that infuriated him.

“Don’t matador me, you little shit.” if Subaru had horns, Julius would have already regretted playing this little game.
“Please, forgive my ignorance. But what does ‘Matador’ mean?” Julius never heard of this word, this lady was full of surprises.
“I’ll tell you… if you give the good!” ‘Natsumi Schwartz’ finally had a bargaining chip!
“Really... “ Julius pondered. “Then, I guess I will have to ‘matador’ you all night long.” Julius said, insisting on the ‘matador’ all while looking ‘Natsumi’ deep in her eyes.
“DON’T SAY IT LIKE THAT!” Subaru covered his ears, he heard nothing, nothing!
“Why not? Every word a lady can use, a knight can say too.” this little game of theirs was too entertaining to stop now.
“It’s dirty when you say! Dirty, dirty, DIRTY!” everything about this man was dirty!
“Really…” Julius considered Natsumi’s statement. “Mmmm… ‘Matador’... ‘Ma-Ta-Dor’... Doesn’t sound dirty to me. But please, enlighten me! How is it dirty?” Julius could not hide his amusement anymore. She really knew how to brighten a boring cosmopolitan party.

‘Natsumi’ contorted her face in such a grimace, she could scare away the witch herself. Julius only found it added to her singular charm. He wouldn’t be bored a single day of his life with such a woman by his side. Truth be told, this brand of exuberance was familiar to him. She reminded him of a dear friend of his, she had his bark, but did she have his bite?

“Well, my fair lady. I would hate to put a stop on our delightful conversation.” Julius looked past Subaru. “But the master of ceremony is signaling me to meet him. I could introduce you to him later if you wish. But I must go alone for now.”
“Nobody wants to be introduced to Lord Di-, I mean Lord Mebaux…”
“Is that so…” she was right, Lord Mebaux had an indelicate personality, especially with pretty ladies. “To make up for having to leave you so suddenly.” he gave her his plate with the little red pastry on it. “May we talk again.”

Julius bowed one last time and went toward a group of men and women with Lord Mebaux in the middle. Before finally joining their conversation, Julius made sure to give ‘Natsumi’ a playful wink. Subaru answered the wink by putting a finger in his mouth and grimacing, only making Julius laugh at him.

Subaru resisted the urge to strangle the man and went back to Emilia’s side, she was talking with a large man and a tall woman. The poor girl looked quite flustered, she could be so shy sometimes. His true mission here was to assist her through the hardships of socialization, he had to rescue her and fast!

“Natsumi! You are back!” Emilia was relieved, she was getting overwhelmed by the conversation so fast. They were trying to get her to say bad things about the other royal candidates and she didn’t know why.
“Oooh, who is this charming lady?” the Baron asked.
“Yes, darling, who is this charming little flower?” his wife added.
“I am Natsumi Schwartz, one of Lady Emilia's humble friends.” if Julius got the ‘Natsumi is still Subaru’ experience, the guests Emilia tried to impress would get to see the softer side of his character.
“Miss Natsumi then! It’s an honor to meet such a beautiful lady.” the Baron took ‘Natsumi’s’ hand and kissed it.
“And such a charitable mind, bringing some pastries for us to eat.” the wife took one of the pastries, the red one, out of the plate and ate it with a smile.

It took all his self-control not to smash his plate on the woman’s head, didn’t she know it was unfit of a lady to snatch away other people's food? He turned around to see Julius chatting with other men at the far end of the ballroom. At least, he didn’t see him lose his hard-fought prize.

“We were talking with Lady Emilia about her policies on trading. Especially taxation of Kiraragi’s merchandise. As you know, fluvial commerce is the key to Kiraragi’s economy. “
"Absolutely!" he nodded, not having understood a single thing out of the Baron’s mouth.
“Please, do not pay attention to my husband. He fails to understand that some people are not interested in silk trading.”
“But we must be sure our potential king understands the importance of regulating our fluvial commerce.”
“Brother, please!”

A young woman with an incredible diamond necklace and a gorgeous long white silk dress butted in the conversation. Emilia slightly bowed to acknowledge her presence but ‘Natsumi’ wasn’t so kind. ‘She’ was sure this woman would be insufferable, ‘she’ already missed the river stuff.

“Katalina, I am serious.” the Baron frowned, did nobody see the significance of fluvial commerce?
“I know, you always are.” she laughed. “But let’s face the truth, and even Lady Emilia is aware of… her lack of chances in the royal selection. You should bother someone else with your ships, brother.”
“I-I reeeeeeally believe in my chances!” Emilia wasn’t about to let anyone discourage her.
“You reeeeally believe? How charmingly childish!”

A butler presented himself next to the group, he was proposing some red wine to the guests. Emilia had no need to drink, but she took one glass anyway. To hide her blushing face behind it and to appear more adult in the woman’s eyes. Both the sister and ‘Natsumi’ took one too. Emilia was about to scold Subaru for underage drinking, but let it slide for today. She had a bigger problem on her hands.

“My faction and I work toward revitalizing Mathers’ territory every day! And we made great progress, with the help of other factions, in eliminating the witch cult’s activities.” she had to defend what her friends did to help her and everybody around. Insulting her was one thing, but insulting her friends’ hard work was another!
“Ah yes, the witch-cult… I have heard that you found a poor man to act as your knight and send him to fight ‘The White Whale’ and an archbishop. Even though you were nowhere to be seen for both.” she gave Emilia a fake smile.
“Lady Emilia was an important part of the force protecting the villagers!” ‘Natsumi’ had enough of this woman! “And why should she be on the front line against ‘The White Whale’? She is the royal candidate, not a soldier.”
“Natsumi, it’s ok…” Emilia didn’t want Subaru to fight for her, she knew how he would get when people were mean with her.
“I’m just saying that we never saw the… woman of half-elf heritage fight against the witch-cult herself.”
“Katalina, let’s not bring that up here. It makes Lady Emilia uncomfortable.”
“And? She is a royal candidate, she must be able to handle criticism, or she would make a shameful leader.”

The Baron looked at his wife for help but she said nothing. He understood their ‘reservations’ about the half-elf, but he was a man of commerce. He couldn’t back down on furthering his business because of the color of a woman’s hair. He knew her chances were minuscule, but he had no reason not to play safe. He just wanted to talk about his ships and now his sister was verbally abusing the royal candidate.

“Please, Lady Emilia, understand my sister-in-law's concerns. You are… what you are. And even though you seem like an honest woman, the same blood as… you know who, runs through your veins.” the wife shook her head sadly. “I think it’s quite irresponsible of you to run for the throne of the ‘Dragon Kingdom’ with your heritage.”
“Not you too, honey.” the Baron sighed.
“You are too kind, brother. We only say what everybody thinks. Lady Emilia should thank us for opening her eyes.”
“I already know of the population's concerns about my heritage!” Emilia looked at her feet, no matter how often it happened, it was never easy.
“And you still want to rule?” the sister looked shocked. “You still want the throne even though its people hate you, you really share the delusional envy of the wi- I mean, your ancestry is showing.” her smile was as stiff as ever.

The word of the woman sewed Emilia's mouth shut. She wanted to make herself as small as possible and run away. A part of her wished she could defend herself without ruining the reputation her friends worked so hard to build, but she couldn't indulge in righteous rhetoric. So she had to take it now, and prove them wrong later.

“I think I can be the ruler Lugunica needs and I know one day I'll prove myself to you and everyone who doubts my intentions.”
“That's where you're wrong, darling. Nobody here wants you to prove us anything. Stop imposing yourself on others.”
“Katalina, you're the one imposing yourself on her right now.” he took his sister's hand to nudge her away from Emilia.
“This girl needs to hear it.” she slapped his hand away. “We are talking about the fate of the kingdom, brother.”
“Even if, it's not the pla-”
“It is. Trust me.”
“I just want to help everyone to get along.” this was too much, she couldn't bear this woman's stare anymore. “I just want to do good.” her eyes filled with tears but she couldn't let them fall. She had to stay strong.
“If you really want to do good, then you should st-”
“Oops. My bad, I tripped.”

The poor, clumsy Natsumi tripped and poured her entire glass on the woman's white silk dress! What a nightmare, she was so ashamed of herself. When the Baron’s sister saw the gigantic stain on her dress, she let out a blood-curdling screech.

“AAAaaaah!” the witch’s bitch ruined her dress.
“Ssssshh, Katalina. It’s just an accident, you’re making a scene!” The Baron took a napkin and tried to wipe off the wine, only spreading it out.
“Stop, you fluvial moron!” she snatched the napkin off her brother’s hand and threw it on the ground.

But her brother was right, everybody was looking at them. Worse of all, Lord Mebaux was staring at her face like she was a banshee. And it was by staring back at him that she saw sir Juukuluius by his side. Which was even worse, this one was prime husband material. As much as she wanted to claw Natsumi's face off, she couldn’t let this incident ruin her chance with the greatest knight among knights.

“Lady Katalina, I’m reeeeeaaaally sorry!” Emilia was beyond embarrassed, she knew Subaru would reach his boiling point rather sooner than later and she did nothing. It was her fault. “Let me help you.”
“No it’s reeeeeeeaaally ok!” she contorted her lips into a smile. “Accident happens.”

Julius knew that starring was impolite, but the scene happening on the other side of the room was quite intriguing. Everybody has a side of them that couldn’t look away from worthy gossip material, even though he would never partake in gossip himself. His interest increased tenfold when he noticed Lady Emilia next to the screeching woman (Lady Katalina, perhaps?) and a hundredfold when he saw the elusive Natsumi Schwartz by her side. Of course, she would be a part of every intriguing event of this party. It was bad taste, but he had to see this for himself.

“Please, I will… I will pay for the cleaning fees!” Emilia really wanted to make things better, especially when her first internal reaction had not been horror but joy.
“It’s ok, Emilia. Some Schadenfreude is healthy and good for the skin.” ‘Natsumi’ winked at ‘her’ friend.
“Ah… ‘Schadenfreude’, you really have an astonishing vocabulary, Miss Natsumi. I keep learning with you by my side.”
“Urgh… Julius.”
“Ah, sir Juukulius!” the woman greeted him! It was just her luck, him coming when she was covered in wine. Her revenge against the witch and her friend was going to be extraordinary. “I am going to… freshen up. But please, I really want to discuss with you.”
“It would be my honor, Lady Katalina.”

The Baron’s sister went to her assigned room in a furry, she was lucky her brother was affluent enough to be worthy of having his habitation on site. She had to change her dress and freshen-up before giving those girls a taste of their own medicine. Both her brother and sister-in-law excused themselves and followed her to their room.

“Lady Emilia, please excuse the lateness of my greetings.” Julius was aware of her coming here, all royal candidates were invited. His own lady was doing business in Kiraragi and sent him in her stead. But he just didn’t see her until now.
“Don’t worry, Julius. We just didn’t notice each other! I’m happy to see you here!” Emilia was truly happy, finally a familiar face who didn’t believe her a witch.
“You should grovel in shame, Julius. Disrespecting Lady Emilia like that.” he was summoning his best Ram impression.
“Charming as ever, Lady Natsumi.”
“Ooooh, Julius! We can tell you about it!” Emilia was shocked that even Julius was fooled.
“Tell me what exactly?”
“About Natsu-”
“Shhhhhhh. Lady Emilia, what are you talking about?” Subaru put his hand over Emilia’s mouth, Julius was an asshole you deserved to know nothing.
“About, Lady Natsumi?” Julius raised an eyebrow, God knew he wanted to pierce the mystery that was ‘Natsumi Schwartz’.
“Nothing, now go away; shoo, shoo!” he flapped his hand to encourage him to disappear.
“Lady Emilia, you really have a talent for finding the most peculiar personalities. Lightning does strike twice… oh.” Julius understood.
“Don’t ‘oh’ me!”
“Oh.”

It made too much sense, way too much sense. A character like Natsuki Subaru was really unique, the world could not survive two of him.

“My, my. The gods really made a mistake by making you a man, Subaru. You should wear a dress more often.”
“I said ‘go away, shoo, shoo’!”
“But it’s fine, nobody is perfect.”
“Don’t ‘Some like it hot’ me!”
“Who likes it hot? Me? I never said so...”

It was official, Julius was going to have the most entertaining night of his life. Teasing a mysterious feral lady was a thing, but teasing a Natsuki Subaru acting like a mysterious feral lady was another. It may have been cruel to enjoy it so much, but Julius prayed for this night to never end. This man was pure gold in a tracksuit, and ‘she’ was pure gold in a dress. If Julius met his end tonight, it would be by dying of laughter.

The need to kick Julius was strong, but Subaru ground his teeth. He knew already went too far with his glass trick. But he couldn't think of anything else to shut the Baron's sister up. That woman was walking all over Emilia's heart and nobody was stopping her. He had to do something and he had already moved his hand before realizing what he had done. He really hoped it wasn't going to ruin Emilia's reputation, but it was too late to do anything now.

The mission now was to cheer up Emilia, her eyes were still wet with unshed tears. But he didn't know how... his usual antics would draw too much attention to them. And Emilia needed anything but that. Should he find her something sweet to eat? But she didn't look like she could eat or drink anything. Maybe he should find a quiet place and give her a big hug? This could work, but she needed way more than a hug.

“There is this beautiful patio behind the west wing.” Julius whispered in his poor friend's ear. “The atmosphere is breathtaking and it's full of wonderful little spirit. I'm sure she would find peace in such a place.”
“Ah! Don't put your lips near my ear.” Subaru wiped away the feeling on his ear.
“Where should I put them, then?” he whispered again before laughing and bowing to Emilia. “I apologize for my brutal departure but I have affairs to intend to. But don't worry, I have the feeling we'll get to see each other again before the party's end.”

Tormenting the poor Subaru was first-class entertainment but Julius thought he was maybe going a little too far. It would be wise not to take a second glass of wine, to keep himself from making any mistakes. Which was a shame because the Champagne they served was particularly tantalizing.

“Let's go, Emilia, we should go walk for a bit. There is no reason to stay stuck in this ballroom, after all.” taking Emilia by the hand, Subaru led Emilia to the patio described by Julius
“Yes…” Emilia was still looking at the ground ruminating what the woman said.

Their walk to the patio was silent, they met a few people in the long corridors but nobody stopped to talk to them. Subaru thought it was for the best, his Emilia was not ready to face the harsh world of nobility yet. She kept telling him that she was used to it, but the pain on her face was obvious. Making her forget the words of the Baron's sister would be no easy task, but he had to try.

“Subaru.” Emilia said softly. “I really am imposing my selfish needs on everyone, right?” she knew that Subaru would deny even if it was true.
“Forget what she said, she just wanted to break you.” seeing Emilia believing those lies was painful. “Some people feed on inflicting misery… You’re just her victim of the day.”
“But she is not wrong, she just said out loud what a lot of people think.” even if few dared to say those kinds of things to her face, she could see it in their eyes.
“That woman doesn’t know shit about politics or how to be a good leader. She is just an ignorant noble that would rather spew venom than give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“But she is not the only one to think that… The wife said nothing but she didn’t think any less.”
“Yes. And the only one who knew a single thing about politics or economy was listening to you. The Baron really wanted to talk to you and work with you when you become king.”
“But what if he is the only one?” she couldn't rule with only a single baron on her side.
“He is not, believe me. For all we know, he was like his sister before but you proved him wrong.” Subaru saw the patio behind a glass door, he hoped it would help wash Emilia's worries away. “And you already have a few noble houses that believe in your kindness. Reinhard and Julius saw it for themselves and they are the future heads of their houses.”
“I-I think they believe more in yours than in mine.” the only reason anyone started to talk to her in the Arlam village was because of him.
“Nope. They respect you for who you are. They told me so themselves! And if we bump into Julius again, I'm sure he'll tell you directly.” and now he had to find Julius again… Curse his luck, Julius had been particularly insufferable this evening.
“Really?” she felt like a child comforted by her mother.
“Of course! I'll bet all my worldly possessions on it!”
“And what are your worldly possessions? I don't see anything except for your whip. The rest belong to Lord Roswaal.” she laughed, he was always one for hyperbole.
“Err… First, my whip is very precious. Just look at it!” he took it from under his dress and showed it proudly to Emilia. “Second… errr… well… nothing.”
“I'm sorry, you're right. Your whip is reeeeally precious.” she meant it, she could see how much Subaru loved it.
“You know, it’s a part of me and it’s like an extension of my hand. Look at that!”

With a crack of his whip, Subaru grabbed the glass door’s nob and opened it in front of Emilia. In a second swift motion, he let go of the nob and wrapped his whip around itself. He then winked at Emilia and encouraged her to enter the patio as he put back his whip under his dress.

“Let’s feel the love tonight, shall we?”

Emilia wasn’t so sure about feeling love but she felt the soothing mood of the patio overtake her. This little interior garden was the loveliest one she ever saw and she could feel hundreds of micro-spirit surrounding her. As she raised her head, she could see the moon and the stars shining so bright that some of them looked like very far away spirits.

“This garden is so prepossessing.” she smiled each time she noticed something new: the plant life, the statues, the ornaments on the glass door and windows, the smell of the flowers, the noise of grasshoppers…
“Who even says ‘prepossessing’ anymore?”
“Ah-ha!” Emilia pointed at Subaru with a satisfied smile. “Well, I let you know that somebody did recently.” she was so proud of herself, she put a trap for Subaru and he fell right into it.
“400 years old books don't count, you know?”
“Uh-hu! It’s noooooooooo 400 years old book!” she got him good.
“Then pray tell. Who did?” he smiled, Emilia was so cute when she thought she had the upper hand. The pride in her eyes was adorable!
“Julius!” she heard him say it the last time they met, so she was right and Subaru fell in her trap.
“Ugh.” he grimaced. “He doesn't count!!”
“Stop being a Tsun-de-re! Of course, he counts.” she pinched his cheeks, he was so cute when he acted like Julius and he didn’t get along.
“I’m not being a Tsundere! Do not use the sacred word against me!” he blushed and looked away.
“Okaaaay, let’s see!”
“See what?”

Emilia let go of Subaru and held her hands together, she then closed her eyes and called for the micro-spirit’s voices. Countless lights shone as bright as fireflies and surrounded her, they all gently floated by her side and she looked like a mother to them all.

“The spirits have spoken.” she said with an adorable ominous voice.
“They did?” this spirit-talking session came out of nowhere, what they said to her must have been of the utmost importance.
“Yes.” she opened an eye. “They all think that you are a tsundere tooooooooo!”
“Traitors.” he should have known.
“You’re the traitor! Stop betraying your feelings! Admit your friendship!” she knew that Subaru would put himself in great danger to save Julius if it came to it, he would just not admit it. Fortunately, Julius was seeing right through his charades!
“A-as if! Now shoo, shoo!” he waved his hands to disperse the spirits. “Stop feeding Emilia nonsense!”
“In my point of view, you’re the one who is spouting nonsense.”

Subaru would have already admitted his not-bad feelings toward mister Knight but playing up his antics made Emilia stop thinking about what happened in the ballroom. The big bonus was how adorable she was when she was teasing him. He could get teased to death by her, that would be the best ‘Return by Death’ of his life. Well, the only good ‘Return by Death’ of his life.

“Ehhh. Maybe I should stop thinking about that.” thinking about his powers only soured his mood.
“Think about what?” Subaru was thinking too fast for her, he was already talking about something else.
“About how much of an angel you are! It’s unfair to every other woman in the world! None of them measure up to you!”

He went on one of his ‘Emilia’s monologues’ to keep her and himself from thinking about what he just said. And from there, they both forgot about everything that happened this evening, they just sat on the grass of the patio talking and laughing.

Emilia could always count on her Subaru to cheer her up. Their banter a few moments ago was proof of that, he managed to make her forget about her troubles in an instant. Especially when she went in communion with the micro-spirit, talking about him with them was quite enriching. They really told her that he was hiding his feelings toward Julius even though they didn’t say ‘tsundere’. They didn’t know what it meant after all. Sometimes she wished that he would be more open about his feelings, he tended to show only one side of himself to anybody. He covered her in lovely compliments but he showed his more spicy side to Julius. But she wanted to play their little game too, she wasn’t made of china!

But Emilia was patient, she knew that one day she would learn more about her knight and friend. One day he would show her all the feelings in his heart.

Chapter Text

Emilia would have never guessed she would have one of her first 'make-up talk' with Subaru of all people. Truth be told, it was more with Natsumi than her male counterpart, but still, it was weird to think about it. Emilia had all her make-up redone by ‘Natsumi’ after she let a few tears fall during their conversation at the patio and it felt good to be pampered. Maybe she should ask Subaru to dress as Natsumi more often, that way she could have her first pyjama party! They could even invite Ram, Frederica, and Petra!

Emilia was still thinking about her hypothetical party when she heard a faint knocking coming from one of the glass doors. It was one of the many maids of the castle who looked quite apologetic as she opened the glass door.

She was sad that they had to go so soon, she wanted to stay here for way longer. But she already had angered Lord Mebaux the time Subaru… had his stomach problem. She was nervous but as long as she had ‘Natsumi’ by her side she would be fine. ‘She’ was the kind of people who lightened up the mood everywhere 'she' went. No matter if it was Subaru or Natsumi, it was part of their core personality and no amount of makeup could hide it.

They made their way to the ballroom where Lord Mebaux was talking to his guest on a rostrum. As the lord's speech had already begun, they walked as silently as possible to make their entrance unnoticed. Unfortunately, Emilia made her heels clack loudly with each step but the audience was seemingly too polite to stare.

Like everyone else in the ballroom, Lady Katalina Borodin could hear the clumsy clacking of a pair of heels echo behind her. She would have not thought twice about it if she wasn't in the foulest of mood. She threw a quick glance at the ill-mannered culprit and noticed that it was ‘Lady’ Emilia and her ‘lovely’ retainer. She visibly sneered before smiling as she just found the perfect opportunity to have her righteous vengeance.

They made a fool out of her, so giving them a taste of their own medicine was only fair. Hopefully, it would teach the half-witch her place in the world. The girl should be ashamed of showing her face in public, so daring to say she had a legitimate claim on the ‘Dragon Kingdom’s’ throne. The 'Three Greats' did not fight for the throne to be usurped by a spawn of the witch. She wasn’t even able to keep her retainer in check, so ruling a whole kingdom…

She watched carefully as Emilia and Natsumi put themselves in the back of the ballroom, near one of the cold buffets. Of course, this Natsumi didn’t even wait a single second to indulge herself in a disgusting act of gluttony. She had so much food in her mouth, she looked like an obese hamster. And Lady Emilia smiled candidly as if anyone in the ballroom was fooled by her act.

Lady Katalina made carefully her way to the witch and her retainer, making sure none of them noticed her. An easy task as Natsumi was too focused on her gorging anything in front of her and Lady Emilia was listening to Lord Mebaux’s formulaic speech. It was the same every year, this man was as boring as he was charmless. Once she reached the witch, she waited for Natsumi to turn around to throw herself once more on the buffet, that girl seemed to have the appetite of the sizable hare…

As 'Natsumi' was partaking in the buffet, a strong but precise gust of wind hit her back and made her crash on the buffet table. The collision was so strong that the table broke in two under Subaru’s weight and half the food was sent flying in the air. The sound of broken glasses and plates attracted the attention of everybody in the room, who all watched, as food, wine, and glass shards rained on the poor Subaru.

She heard giggling behind her, it was Lady Katalina snickering like a demon. It was obvious that it was her doing, but Emilia had no proof to confront her with. The situation got even worse when her giggling infected the whole room, as everyone from the maids and butlers to Lord Mebaux laughed at her friend's misery.

Emilia was about to ask Lady Katalina what was she trying to achieve but she quickly saw that Subaru was in worse shape than she first thought. His long sleeves hid even more cuts and wounds, he was bleeding all over the white tablecloth, yet everybody was still mocking him. Their cruelty had no limits.

Katalina was quite proud of herself, all she needed to do was give a small push and little miss Natsumi became the laughing stock of the evening. The girl deserved it, Katalina knew her kind too well… They believed they could do everything they wanted because they had a pretty face and doe-like eyes. Unfortunately for her, no man would be foolish enough to be interested in her now. Her horrendous personality and her connection to the half-witch might not have been enough before, but she was done for. She was socially dead, like her master hopefully.

Katalina looked around the ballroom to make sure that everyone was enjoying the show when she saw Sir. Juukulius walk towards her. He looked as furious as decorum allowed him to be, surely angered by Natsumi’s ‘impolite interruption’. She heard that he had a strong distaste for disrespect and that girl was its epitome.

It was now time to return her attention to the main task of the evening: snatch the big prize.

Surely he just didn’t notice her? She started to follow him, only for him to stop in front of the witch's retainer. He took off his coat and offered her his hand to take. In a final display of incivility, the insolent girl had the gall of refusing it and got up on her lonesome.

Arguing would be not only vain but deleterious, so Julius kept his mouth shut. However, wrapped Subaru’s body in his coat and cape to help him regain some dignity. He also used a small handkerchief to finish Emilia’s job and wipe the rest of his face. Subaru said nothing as Julius took care of him, he felt too childish to.

Emilia led the way to her room, as a royal candidate, Lord Mebaux gave her a place to sleep on site. She refused at first, but in retrospect, she was glad he insisted. The whole ballroom started at them as they made their way out. It made Emilia positively furious, they were supposed to be the cream of the crop of Lugunica, yet they acted like a bunch of mean-spirited children. So much for being the nobility…

Lady Katalina continued to laugh, however, it turned sourer and sourer with every passing second. She had thought her little trick would allow her to get rid of the Witch and her follower, but it did nothing but push her target into the arms of her enemy. She should have known that her kind always found a way to get out of trouble. She noticed the disgusting heartbroken look Natsumi gave to Julius, of course, a knight would fall victim to her poor maiden act. All of them were forced-fed stories about chivalry and courteous love since their infancy. The noblest of knights had been no exception.

This man was an imbecile, but it was expected. Most noblemen could converse for hours without saying anything of substance, it was in both their nature and nurture. When she would become Lady Juukulius, she would teach her dear husband about the real world. If he didn’t have his status or his handsome features, he would have been eaten alive. Such was the cruel world of the court.

Julius looked straight ahead, acting as if nothing happened was the best course of action. The sincere Lady Emilia and the naive Subaru were still unaware of the nobility’s harshness. Subaru acted with so much passion, he was creating enemies faster than he could count them. Julius could not let him out of his sight anymore, if Lady Emilia was used to taking veiled abuse, Subaru was still easily triggered. Even if he matured a lot since the royal selection incident, his heart was still resistant to change.

He sighed, it was maybe self-centered of him, but he hoped Subaru wouldn’t change too much. The last thing he wanted was for his friend's heart to lose itself in the game of the court. Subaru's charms came from his naive heart, only he would have come to this party crossdressing just to be with his ladylove. Emilia was a very lucky woman, indeed.

Once they reached her room, Emilia invited both Subaru and Julius in. The latter brought Subaru to a chair for him to rest, making sure he was comfortably installed.

Emilia turned to see Subaru hiding his face behind his hands. She couldn’t see his expression but his ears were as red as the wine on his dress.

Subaru threw the pillow at Julius again, this time he managed to hit him with it. He should really watch his tongue in their presence, they just would not stop repeating every word they hear.

Emilia locked the door behind Julius and sat on the bed next to Subaru. Their lively conversation seemed to have cheered him up. He even had the energy to start a pillow fight with Julius. She would love to have played too, but Subaru only threw the pillow at Julius. She would be jealous if she hadn’t planned to have a ‘pyjama party’ with Natsumi soon. Maybe they could invite Julius too, they would just need to find him a pretty dress.

She really wanted to help Subaru in the bath but he insisted on going alone. Why were he and Julius dead set on leaving her to wait alone? She could help Subaru wash his hair and she wouldn’t even put soap in his eyes. But still, she accepted his boring decision. She just hoped he wouldn’t boot her out of the room when he would dress himself, she could help him put on his corset and she would pull reeeeally hard on its laces.

After getting bored out of her mind, Julius came back with a large garment cover on his arms and a little bag. He put both of them on the bed and sat on the chair in front of Emilia. Emilia always admired how Julius would always keep his composure, he was calm even when he was furious. She was grateful for his help in this situation, he was someone she could count on. She knew he would help her too if she had been the one covered in food, but she had the feeling it would be out of obligation. But what happened to Subaru enraged him, she could see it in his eyes.

Fortunately for him, Subaru knocked on the bathroom door. Julius jumped on the occasion to bury this quite... inelegant conversation. Not only it was improper of a lady to talk about chests and hips with a man, but this subject was a can of worms he didn’t wish to open.

Emilia thought it was very unfair, she wanted to help him dress so bad. First the matador thing, then the pillow fight, and now she can’t even help with the dress. Why did Julius have all the fun? Of course, she was aware that boys and girls were not meant to undress in front of each other. But they were friends, they shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies. She wouldn't judge him and she knew he wouldn't judge her.

Julius smiled at Emilia and took the dress with him. He then waited for Subaru to unlock the door before coming into the bathroom. Subaru was standing in front of a great mirror, wearing only short muslin pantalettes, which was a classic undergarment for women to wear. He was desperately trying to dry his hair with a towel, with poor results. After locking the door behind him, Julius walked behind Subaru.

Two little quasi-spirits got out from Julius' hair and clothes and gathered in the palm of his hand.

Ia and Aro answered Julius' call and flew above Subaru's head before spinning around it. Subaru felt a warm gale surrounding him and making his hair float in the air. He should have known that Mister 'Hair Flip' would have found a way to master hair drying technology. He finally found the secret of Julius' great hair and he wondered if he used it between two fights on the battlefield. Subaru couldn't help but picture Julius asking politely an enemy to wait for him to redo his hair.

Subaru let Julius go and took his muslin shirt. Turning around to not see Julius' face anymore, he was greeted by his friend’s reflection in the mirror, still snickering. Seemed like there was no way to escape Julius’ mockery, maybe he should have risked asking for Emilia’s help. He put on his shirt and gave Julius the corset, from here on out, he could only hope his executioner would have pity on him.

Julius stood close behind Subaru to warp the corset around the latter torso and belly. Julius was uncomfortably close for Subaru's liking, but the busks in front of the corset had to be closed. Fortunately, Julius knew how to fasten them and it did not take too long. Still, feeling Julius’ hair brush against his ear and face made Subaru feel flustered. It only got worse when Julius started to hum as he adjusted the corset, making sure it wouldn’t hurt or be too comfortless.

Julius put the sides together and Subaru’s back straightened in consequence. He then pulled slightly on the lace, just enough for the corset to stay in place without help.

He took another pass at each lace, making sure to tighten them as much as he could while keeping the two sides of the corset parallel. Subaru fidgeted at each pull, seemingly dreading the final one. Julius was so engrossed in his craft that he forgot to mind the distance between him and Subaru. Still humming, he was tilting his head left and right to the rhythm of his melody. Subaru could feel Julius’ breath shifting all over the nap of his neck. It felt like torture and Subaru couldn’t even tell why, he just knew that it sent shivers down his spine.

Subaru closed his eyes and Julius gave a final strong pull on the four laces in the center, drawing in Subaru’s waist.

Julius took out the dress of its garment cover and showed it to Subaru. It was a long white dress mixing soft taffetas and transparent embroidered tulle. The dress was hiding what must be hidden but allowed itself to show some hint of skins. The tulle sleeves were long but showed Subaru’s pale shoulders and the long skirt gave some hint of his long legs. The dress moved with utmost fluidity and was shaped in a way that gave the wearer a graceful silhouette. Subaru had to admit, Julius did not joke around with his sense of taste. The pure white was reminiscent of Anastasia, his inspiration was obvious. Subaru didn’t know what to think of Julius associating him with Anastasia but he didn’t want to anyway.

Subaru was so engrossed in the possibility of getting back at the Baron’s sister that he did not listen to Julius’ teasing. Fortunately for him, the dress was easy to put on. It minimized Julius’ intervention and made sure that his hands wouldn’t touch him too much. Looking at himself in the mirror, Subaru almost looked like a bride. And an outside observer could think that Julius was the groom, what a shame.

Subaru tapped his foot on the floor, he was getting restless because of Julius' infuriating teasing. This man had no shame, but Subaru shouldn’t be so receptive to this flirting ersatz. And Subaru felt even worse as Julius brushed his hair. Not that Julius was hurting him, he was as gentle as a man could be, but it gave Subaru an unbearable headache. He was getting so confused but he shouldn't be. It was only Julius brushing his hair, he wasn’t even talking or humming anymore.

Julius was well aware of the pressure society put on the young woman of the court. Often, their only value in their family’s eyes was their ability to marry well and seal a union between two families. She was raised to do one thing and she did it really well, Julius knew many men who would marry her on the spot. By ensuring a good marriage, she could even maybe save her sisters from marrying distasteful people. Julius understood that she did it for her family, but she crossed the line multiple times. He could not ignore her behavior anymore, shaming and wounding his friends was inexcusable.

Chapter Text

Emilia never felt comfortable when dancing, especially since even a simple Waltz was too troublesome for her awkward feet. She had learned to have fun when dancing with her friends but doing it with strangers seemed scary. When she had accepted the invitation to the party – and therefore to a dance – she was under the impression that Subaru would be her waltzing partner. 

This assumption was shattered when Julius informed her that those kinds of events were strictly reserved for couples made of a woman and a man. She found it truly unjust but couldn’t throw a tantrum, especially after what happened with Lady Katarina. 

She never felt embarrassed when she danced with Subaru, no matter how close they were or how many times she stepped on his feet. But tonight, she would have to dance with perfect strangers.

No. Strangers, plural. 

Making a fool of herself in front of one person wasn’t enough, she had to repeat her monkey dance in front of half a dozen people. Julius even said that her status as a royal candidate would make her the prime dancing partner. Thus only half a dozen of them were too generous an estimation. She had for duty to impress people who hated her and she had to do it while avoiding stepping on their feet! She didn’t know how it could get worse. 

Fortunately for her, Julius offered his help. He would let her train with him while Miss Natsumi was doing her make-up in the bathroom. He was her only hope and only had half an hour, at most, to transform a safety hazard into a decent dancer. He had even volunteered to ask her for the first dance tonight, to help her acclimatize to the ballroom. He only asked for permission to dance with not-Subaru afterward. Truth be told, Emilia didn’t even understand why he thought she would refuse such an innocent request.  

           “ Ah! Sorry, I’m rea~lly sorry!” blabbed Emilia in shame, she almost made him trip again.

           “Do not worry, but please it would be for the best if you tore your eyes away from your feet.” Julius would be lying if he said Emilia was not a… demanding dancing partner but he had worse partners before. “I encourage you to look at me in the eyes instead.”

           “But I will step on your feet if I do that!” How could she be a skilled fighter but be such a graceless dancer? Shouldn’t one influence the other? 

           “When you look at your feet, you keep trying to align them with mine. This is your fatal mistake, you have to stay slightly to my left.” 

           “I-I understand!” He already told her so earlier, but she couldn’t help herself!

After a few more tries, she managed to control her unconscious shifting. The more time passed, the more she felt comfortable. Julius' cool and composed nature was contagious and she felt her body relax with every swing of her hips. Yet when dancing with Subaru, even when he was in his Natsumi persona, she was filled with pure energy. The difference between the two men was astonishing. She wondered what would happen when they would dance with each other; she didn’t see any of them let the other lead the dance after all. 

'No matter what happened, it was bound to be entertaining', thought Emilia as she smiled sheepishly.  

           The serene aura gave her the courage to speak her mind, Emilia asked the question that tormented her since the earlier incident, “Tell me, Julius. Can I ask you a question?”

           “Of course.” Noticing Emilia’s awfully serious look, Julius raised an eyebrow.

           “Do you think… Do you think I should drop off the race for the throne?” She swallowed her saliva. “I mean… Do you think I am selfish?”

           “Why would I think so?” 

           “The people abhor me. Lady Katalina is right, I’m imposing myself on everybody. Even if I were made king, nobody would want to work with me anyway!” She flustered a mess of incoherent speeches.  

           “It doesn’t matter if they want to. They will obey the king's authority.” It wasn’t as simple as that, but the knight wanted to erase the frown on Emilia’s face.

           “Please, I’m not a child… nor a tyrant,” she lamented, not daring to look at Julius in the eyes.

           “I am sorry, I should have thought twice before speaking.” He gave her a thin smile, in vain, as she wasn’t looking at him anymore. 

She closed her eyes as tight as she could, desperately keeping her tears from running out of them. Julius must have thought no less than the other nobles of Lugnica, he was just way too polite to say so. Maybe he would have laughed along with Lady Katalina if he had not been a knight, maybe he only kept his tongue in check to honor his friendship with Subaru. 

           After thinking deeply, Julius spoke again, “If I may, I fear you forgot something really important.”

            “What am I forgetting?” She still avoided his eyes and prepared herself to hear his weightless platitudes. 

           “That if you ever become our king, it would mean that the people and elites alike decided to entrust the kingdom to you.” He paused to weigh his words. “Lady Emilia, you will never be in the position you dread so much. You can rest easy.” 

           “But they will never entrust the kingdom to me. Never. ” She finally looked at him and let the tears fall down her cheeks, she couldn't not contain the painful anguish swelling in her chest anymore.  “They have no reason to, they have Lady Crush or Lady Anastasia. Why choose the half-witch when they can choose someone else?” Her face contorted in dejection. “Someone better in every way.” 

           “Lady Emili–”

           “Do not lie. You, of all people, cannot say that you would ever favor me before Lady Anastasia.” Not only would he choose Anastasia over her, but every other candidate, she knew it. He was a smart man, after all. 

           “I would never dare to say such a bald-faced lie. I truly believe that Lady Anastasia is the leader we need and the best candidate to the throne.” 

She averted her eyes again, realizing that even Julius wasn't courteous enough to give her a comforting lie. Both of them were still dancing mechanically, yet Emilia didn’t dare interrupt the lesson. On one hand, she wanted to go hide in the tiniest hole she could find; on the other, she couldn’t leave him high and dry after he so generously offered to help her. 

           “However, if you were to become the king, then all my fear for the future would still be put to rest.” He took his hand off her waist and made her spin around herself. “You would make a wonderful king and serving you as a knight would be a true honor.”

           Emilia opened her eyes wide in disbelief, those were the kinds of words she only received from Subaru. “You’re just saying that because your Subaru’s friend…” Her knight must have coached Julius into saying that, it was the only possibility. 

           “Of course not. You showed me your true colors and I am genuinely charmed.” 

           “I-I showed you nothing!” she stuttered. She did nothing to make him believe in her; all the love she ever received was courtesy of Subaru’s hard work. 

           “You are far too humble. Even if we forget about your great deeds, the way you act every day testify of your kindness.” He made her spin again. “And I am not the only one to think so.”

           “Rea~lly?” She bit her tongue, she had let her childish verbal tic embarrass her... again. 

           “Really, yes. I know for a fact that Reinhard has nothing but the utmost respect for you. The heirs of two of the greater kingdom household are already convinced of your gentle nature, the rest will soon follow.” 

           She looked at him with a hope she almost forbidden herself to feel, “You really mean it?”

           “I do.” 

           “Even though you work for Anastasia?”

           “Yes.”

Emilia smiled as brightly as she could, she was so overtaken with joy that she lost the rhythm of their dance and started to step all over his feet again. Not wanting to spoil her adorable happiness, Julius said nothing and let his partner express her bliss. She was worth a few minutes of pain. Julius could see what Subaru found in his lady, she was a true gem of kindness. Her lethal weakness was her dangerous naivety, fortunately, she was surrounded by many good people and was willing to listen to their wise pieces of advice.   

She was still jumping in place when the door of the bathroom opened with a great bang. 

Both Julius and her looked toward the bathroom and found Natsumi leaning on the door frame. She was cladded in white and gold and wore her smuggest smile. Emilia wasn’t sure if Natsumi looked like an angel or a demon but she was impressed nonetheless. Virgin white, regal gold, yet her eyes burned like the fire of hell itself. Emilia couldn’t wait to see how many people would be fooled by her alluring face, only to fall in love with her devilish personality. 

           “I’m ready for your surprise, Julius.” Subaru grinned, walking slowly toward them. 

           “Excuse me.” Julius stared in awe, why was Subaru one of the most alluring women he had ever seen? He knew the gods were tricksters, but they were going too far in his humble opinion. “I was not aware of any surprises.” 

And truth be told, he had enough surprises for tonight.

           “You said you had something for this.” Subaru flicked his finger at his throat. “I knew I shouldn’t count on you,” he sneered.

           “Ah! This!” Julius sighed, he almost thought he had messed up. “Don’t underestimate me, my dear lady.” 

           “Ooooooh! I want to see the surprise too!” Emilia rushed toward Natsumi to feel the fabric of the dress, it was so light and looked so expensive, Natsumi was rea~lly a lucky girl. 

Julius joined Subaru and took him by the arm to guide him in front of the greatest mirror of the room. Subaru wanted to slap Julius' arm off but Emilia was watching closely and he had already disappointed her enough with his behavior. Once Subaru was firmly in front of the mirror, Julius took a small box from the bag carrying the goods he borrowed.   

           “This, my dear, is your little surprise.” Julius showed the box, allowing Subaru to look at it in the mirror. 

           “I am not ‘your dear’,” hissed Subaru, rolling his eyes. Julius was taking advantage of his cross-dressing, it was unacceptable. “Giving me a dress is not a free-pass to pet-name me.” 

           “Why not?” Julius dusted off Subaru’s shoulder as if he didn’t care about his friend's jab. “You are a dear friend to me. Very dear, in fact.”

           “Listen, you little shi-”

           “Yes, Subaru! Why can’t he call you dear?” Emilia looked at Subaru, cocking her head. Why would it be wrong for Julius to admit that they were dear friends? Subaru's tsundere nature knew no limits! 

           “Yes, Subaru. Why can't I call you 'dear'?” purred Julius between satisfied chuckles, “Please, explain to us.”   

Subaru looked at Julius in the mirror, pleading him to stop playing this little game of his, only to be greeted by the other man's almost predatory smile. In petty vengeance, Subaru crushed one of Julius' feet under his heel but the knight didn’t react. Subaru rolled his eyes and decided that he would try again when he would have his high-heel back. Since they had a little plan to execute tonight, he would have plenty of opportunities. 

Julius would regret playing this game. 

           “Anyway, dear.," purred Julius, lingering on the end of his sentence. He could see the half-hidden fury on his dear Natsumi face and it was priceless. “I think this should do the trick.” 

Julius opened the box and Emilia leaned in to see what was in it; her eyes lit up as Julius took a golden necklace out of it. Emilia was not a jewelry expert, but she never saw anything like this one before. It was an imposing collar necklace made of what seemed to be half a hundred gold coins. 

With a feline carefulness, Julius put the necklace around Subaru’s neck; the upper part hugging his throat and the lower portion raining upon his chest. 

Subaru wanted to mock Julius' idea but no words came out of his mouth. No amount of bad faith would allow him to discredit Julius, as it was a testament to how far Julius went to help him. 

Subaru was afraid to ask where he found such a piece; whoever lent it to Julius must have great trust in him, meaning he had faith in Subaru in kind. He would rather have the spirit knight distrust him, it would be easier that way; the thought of disappointing him was too painful to bear.  

Subaru took one of the gold coins in his hand to see what was engraved in it. If the face on it didn’t ring any bells, he was awestruck to see some Latin scripts on it. He didn’t even understand what was written on them, simply seeing those engraved letters brought tears to his eyes. 

           “It looks so, so good on you, I am rea~lly jealous you know!” Emilia almost asked to try it on but she didn’t want to seem too selfish. She would have to wait for the end of the ball, what a shame. 

           Julius closed the claps of the necklace and took a few steps back to admire his work, “It really does.”  

Julius clapped his hands together in satisfaction; Subaru looked even better than expected. Yet, far from wanting to compliment him, the urge to tease his dear friend arose in him. 

           However, his playful mood got squashed as soon as he noticed the distress on Subaru’s face. “Subaru, are you feeling alright? I am truly sorry if I went too far.” 

           “Wha-! Subaru, i-is something wrong?” Emilia was about to continue to rave on the necklace but seeing Subaru silently cry threw cold water on her. 

           In response to his friends' worries, Subaru whispered almost inaudibly, “It’s nothing, it’s just…” 

He played with one of the coins, looking fondly at it. Finding tokens from his world always made him emotional; they were so few and rare to find that he made a habit to collect them and preserve them as much as he could. Even something as small and mundane as a paperclip plunged him down in melancholic nostalgia. 

           “Forget it.” He looked at the ceiling to hold back his tears, he couldn’t ruin his make-up. 

           “Are those tears of joy?” inquired Julius. He couldn’t hide the concerns on his face, it wasn’t the reaction he expected. 

           “In a way… yes.” Even though it made him homesick, Subaru would always cherish finding bits and pieces of his own world. “It makes me nostalgic, that’s all.” 

The word ‘nostalgic’ made Julius pause for a second, it didn’t make any sense. The coins making up the necklaces were a perfect reproduction of a unique coin the jeweler found in an old bazaar in Kiraragi. The original coin had been placed at the center of the necklace, making this piece the only one of his kind. Except if Subaru had been a merchant in Kiraragi twenty-five years ago, then he should not be able to recognize the coin, even less feel nostalgic about it. 

However, the look on Subaru’s face was unequivocally genuine. 

One more mystery to add to a long list. Subaru never failed to surprise. 

           Julius took one of the coins laying on Subaru’s chest and examined the strange runes on it; it was like those coins came from another mystical world. “This necklace is yours to keep.” 

           “Say what now?” Subaru sneered at the knight, it was a bad joke and Julius couldn’t even begin to understand how cruel he was being. Taunting him with artifacts from his world was nothing short of heartlessness. 

           “No need to return the necklace after the ball.” Julius tore his gaze off the coin, looking longingly at his friend's crestfallen face. He knew enough of Subaru's subtle nuance to know he was treading into a sensitive topic. 

           “Stop fucking with me, it is not funny. ” sneered Subaru, faking righteous anger to hide how miserable he felt. 

           “I am not messing with you,” answered Julius with a pleasant smile, in a vain effort to pacify the atmosphere. 

           Subaru threw his arms in the airs, “I said stop! This thing must have cost you a kidney, even for you Mister Noble Knight.” He knew he was overreacting but his heart couldn’t take such aggravation. “Why would you ever waste it away on me?” 

           “Because as I said.” Julius held Subaru’s chin in his hand to force the latter to meet his gaze “You are very dear to me. Please do not deny this fact, it would only offend me.” 

Even though Julius was speaking words of love and friendship, his face was stern. He couldn’t have Subaru think he was jesting, or worse, making fun of him. Truth be told, Julius already felt insulted by Subaru's lack of faith in him. To think he would mock him in a moment of weakness, he would have to do everything in his power to restore his reputation in his friend’s eyes. This was unacceptable. 

           “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” Emilia didn’t want to break such a friendly exchange but she felt as if both Subaru and Julius would keep on looking at each other for eternity if she didn’t intervene. “Isn't the necklace belonging to one of your friends? If not, why did you even have it in the first place?” 

           “G-good question,” stuttered Subaru, desperate to alleviate the tension. He didn’t know how to react to Julius’ intense gaze nor did he know how to properly thank him.  

           “Ah, well, I have a personal collection of various items that caught my eyes in one way or another.” Julius finally freed Subaru from his fierce gaze. “I found it in a Jeweler shop on my way to the ball and... brought it on an impulse, if I may say that. I was about to put it in a cabinet in my estate, but I found a better place for it now.” He pointed at Subaru's neck with his finger. “In fact, I think it is in the loveliest place possible.” 

           “I-I...” Subaru’s voice faded into nothingness, fizzled out by how hot his face felt at this very moment.  

Subaru started to bite his nails, edging his teeth on the skin around it. Julius had thrown him way out of his game. For the first time in the evening, he had nothing witty to say.

           “Just say thank you already!” Emilia pouted and gently hit her knight's head, she had enough of his juvenile sulking and the micro-spirits around her did so too.  

           “I… Thank you.” 

Toying with the coins between his fingers, Subaru looked at his reflection inside it. Neither Emilia nor Julius could even begin to fathom the power this thin piece of gold had on him. He pushed one so close to his chest, he could perceive his heartbeat vibrating through it; for a single second, he felt a little closer to home. A sweet melancholy dawned on his face, lopsiding his grateful expression into a thin smile. Tears beaded at the edge of his eyelids once again, as he lost himself into an ocean of half-forgotten memories. Shards of recollection flashed through his mind, most of his old life with his parents, some of the times he spent looking at the infinite starry skies. It had taken him time but he had learned to cherish every single one of them, from his days going to the beach with his family to the restless night he spent mulling over his endless list of inadequacies.  

The room fell into an uneasy silence none dared to break; Subaru's mind was flying away and his friends silently understanding his need for space. Emilia was used to seeing this dreadful vacant look in his eyes, she had caught him wearing it a dozen times. At first, she wanted nothing more than shaking him out of it, to free him from the shadows of melancholy. Yet, with time, she learned to accept it, to love it even. Now, she understood that not all kinds of sadness were bad; sometimes, you just needed a few tears to enjoy life better.  

           With a heartfelt chuckle, Subaru let the memories fade away in his mind, “We should go to the beach one day, there is nothing like looking at the deep blue sea to make you feel freer.” 

He always wanted to reconcile his life on earth with his new life in Lugnica, the thought of teaching Emilia how to swim – as his father did for him – made him incredibly giddy. 

           “That sounds rea~lly fun!” laughed Emilia, she had always dreamt of relaxing on a lakeshore with her loved one. “But what is the ‘deep blue sea’?” 

What was intended to be nothing more than an innocent question made Subaru recoil in shock as soon as he heard it. 

Emilia widened her eyes in shock, had she said something inappropriate? Waves of guilt hit her one after the other. She didn’t know how she had hurt him but she did all the same; maybe it was the reason he was acting so more carefree around Julius? If so, she could not blame him... after everything he did for her, she could hardly blame him for anything. 

           Noticing Emilia’s torment, Subaru patted her head affectionately, “ Don’t worry Emilia, it’s just the culture shock. If the ocean doesn’t exist here, I’ll make one out of my love for you.” Galvanized by his own pep-talk, he went on, “Yes, Love conquers all! All I need is patience, a shovel, and a lot of salt and water…. Maybe make it two shovels, Julius will dig with me.”

           “Rea~lly? You’re so nice, Julius!” said Emilia, if Subaru and Julius could 'dig' it, it meant the ‘deep blue sea’ was nothing but a pool of blue water. “I will help too!” 

           “I never agreed to that nonsense,” intervened Julius. As much as seeing Subaru smile again made him happy, he didn't like where this conversation was heading. 

           “Too late… or do you want to disappoint a Lady,” teased Subaru, his smile reaching his ears. 

           Looking away, Emilia insisted, “It’s alright, Julius.” As much as she wanted to swim with all her friends, she could not force people to participate. “Please, don’t feel obliged...”

           With a sigh, Julius yielded, “For the sake of the friendship between our two factions – as well as the one between the three of us; I will be honored to participate in this common project. ”   

Celebrating the fact that Julius had just agreed to dig a surface of more than 150 million square kilometers, Subaru started to jump on the sole of his feet. Not that he would actually try to force Julius to do it, but the simple fact he made the pristine knight surrender was enough to make him beam with joy. And since their vengeance against Lady Katarina had already been planned out, he was definitely on a roll. 

           “Now that I’m ready, let’s HM01 this girl! She’s gonna rue the day she insulted Emilia, it’s blasphemy in the glorious E.M.T religion, you know?”

           “Gods, Subaru! Please don’t say it like that!” Emilia blushed at her knight’s absurd praises, for some reason, he always managed to outdo himself with his antics. She knew she should reprimand him, but she could get herself to do it; his adorableness was too powerful for her to ruin. 

           “Religions and–” Julius stopped himself, he had no idea what an ‘HM01’ was or if he could even pronounce it correctly. “ Esh..em one… aside, you are not ready just yet. You do not intend to dance barefoot, do you?”

Lifting his dress slightly, he saw his two feet covered with his stocking alone and understood why he felt so comfortable until now.  

           “Do not worry, my friend gave me a pair of heels to match the dress,” added Julius. He already knew what grievance his friend had in mind. 

Who knew Subaru was a closeted fashionista? The very thought of Subaru squealing in front of a Tailor Shop made Julius’ smile reach his ears.  

Saying a last goodbye to his comfort, Subaru started to make his way to the great bed. Putting his shoes on while standing would be a bad idea and the bed was the nearest place to sit. 

           However, just before he sat on the mattress, Julius spoke to him, “Perhaps you should sit down to put them on.”

And just like that, a mighty need to be contrarian for the sake of contrariness awoke deep inside of him. If Julius had kept his mouth shut, everything would have been fine, but now he can’t sit on the bed without it looking like he obeyed Julius’ order. 

The God of Misplaced Pride – the one mercilessly reigning over Subaru’s teenage ego – was not about to let something so infuriating happen. Nobody told Natsuki Subaru what to do, especially not prissy sword-boys who spent all their monthly salary on hair products.    

           Looking at Julius in the eyes, he uttered a word made of unadulterated bad faith, “No.”

           “What do you mean by ‘No’?” asked Julius, truly surprised by Subaru's oddly intense refusal. 

           “I mean I won’t sit down.” Subaru knew how dim-witted he sounded but he didn’t care, it was way too late for that after all. 

           “I beg your pardon?” After a few seconds of reflection, Julius finally understood the root of this very, very stupid problem. “Are you refusing to sit down just because I asked you to?”

           “Yes.” 

           “Subaru!” gushed Emilia before stomping her feet on the floor. “Stop being so puerile! Why would Julius giving you a bit of advice be a bad thing?” 

            “You know… It’s like when you were about to do the dishes then someone asks you to do it and it infuriates you so you don’t want to do it anymore…” With a nervous chuckle, he added, “It happens to all of us, right?” 

           After thinking about Subaru’s question, Emilia answered truthfully, “Never.” 

           “Ok, alright, I get it, it’s childish and immature…” relented Subaru, no amount of denial would save him from his embarrassment. 

           “So… you’re going to listen to Julius?”

           “... No.” 

With a common roll of their eyes, Julius and Emilia look at each other for the longest time. The heavy sigh falling out of her mouth was all Julius needed to hear to decide to take matters into his own hands. Subaru wanted to act like a temperamental child, that was fine, Julius would just have to make him understand who was in charge. 

His eyes still averted in his pathetic tantrum, Subaru didn't notice Julius marching toward him, nor did he feel the belligerent intent exuding from the man. It was only when Julius stood right before his face that Subaru brought himself to spare him a single glance. 

           Curling his lips, Subaru mumbled, “Whaddya want…” 

           “You. The bed. Now,” answered Julius with an uncanny cavalier tone. His ever polite speech allowed him to throw people in a loop easily by simply putting it aside, even if it was just for a single sentence. 

           His will hardened by Julius’ attitude, Subaru leaned in and whispered slowly, “Make me.” 

Julius had no immediate answer, only raising both his hands as if he conceded defeat… before unceremoniously pushing Subaru on the bed. He then kneeled on the floor, right before the bed and between his friend’s dangling legs. After falling on his back, Subaru tried to jolt off the bed and out of Julius’ unforgiving clutch. In response, he felt his two thighs being held on and pinned on the bed's edge, keeping him firmly seated in place.  

           He clicked his tongue, “Now stay put and be a dear.” added Julius. He was not one to choose violence over diplomacy but Subaru’s thick skull only seemed to understand brute force. 

Subaru's face contorted into pure horror, as hard as he tried to get up, Julius was holding him back in place without even trying. Worse, he could see Julius’ eyes silently taunting him, saying things he would never dare say in front of a Lady, but Subaru could see the cruel satisfaction shining in them. He could see the irredeemable bastard beneath the knightly persona. 

The worst part of Julius' dastardly plan was the effect his little trick had on Subaru. Just seeing Julius on his knees before him, feeling his warm hands on his laps, hearing his crackling laughter... They were things he should not have thought twice about, but his body had something else in mind. 

A shiver ran down his spine, an oddly enticing numbness bloomed where Julius' hands laid, and in his head bubbled forbidden reflections.

Subaru bit his lips hard enough to hurt, repressing sensations he could do nothing but deny. 

Stop, his mind cautioned. Yet neither his body nor Julius wavered. In fact, the latter worse the same pleasant smile as ever. 

           “You’re enjoying this, don’t you? You act like a knight in shining armor, but you are a true BDSM freak… pining people on beds to watch them struggle and shit.” 

           “I do not understand what kind of ‘freak’ you’re accusing me of being, nor what I am supposed to enjoy. I am just giving you the discipline you dearly lack.”

           “Ah! So you admit it!” 

           “I admit nothing, especially what I cannot comprehend. Now, if you please, we have something important to do.” 

After a few more bouts of thrashing around, Subaru stopped trying to get up – letting go of his pride in the process – and finally admitted the childish nature of his battle. 

Emilia’s eyes teared up, half from a burning sense of embarrassment and half from trying to hold back her laughter. Subaru was an impossible boy and Natsumi was nothing but an impossible girl. No amount of make-up in the world would change his very soul, she loved that about him. 

           “I know you can be a ve~ry good boy, Subaru.” She nodded to herself, before patting Subaru’s head; sometimes he just needed to be praised a bit to get his act back together. “Now, why don’t you show Julius just how much of a good boy you are?”

           “My E.M.T has forsaken me…”  He clasped his hands together and began to pray to the sky. He saw nothing but the fancy ceiling of the manor but he knew that thousands of the star were watching over his pitiful self... and that they had all forsaken him.  

           “You are the one forsaking her by acting in such a juvenile man–”

Julius’ remark got interrupted by Subaru’s foot hitting his face. The sight was too much for Emilia who finally broke down in unstoppable laughter. She should have been mortified, and a rational part of her mind was, but she couldn’t hold herself back anymore. Only Subaru could make her laugh that way, only Subaru. 

           “Please, move your foot off my face.”

           “Please, get your hands off my laps… Or I will call HR.” answered Subaru, using his best imitation of Julius’ voice. 

           “My deepest apologies, I forgot myself, as well as the fact I was talking to a Lady of great reputation.” He closed his eyes, as his head slightly sank down in a demonstration of respect.

           Subaru scoffed in triumph, “Better.” 

           “My inadequacies are a shame to my Lady and knighthood as a concept… A fair lady presented me her foot to kiss and I failed to do so… I beg of you, let me fix my mist–”

Stricken by panic, Subaru retracted his foot as if he was stepping on fire. Actually, from his point of view, he would rather put his foot into a pool of lava than let Julius act on his threat. 

Satisfied with the outcome, the knight took one of the slippers – a classic white court shoe with an elaborate golden heel – and showed it Subaru with pride. If the dress had been chosen by his friend, he picked the pair of shoes himself and he couldn’t help but secretly wish for some praise for his clever choice. 

Subaru would have commented on Julius' choice, saying it was atrocious when it was actually rather nice, but his mind was getting clouded by incoherent thoughts. After calming down during their banter, his body reminded him of what he was trying to run away from. His heart beat faster, not from fear, not from anger but from an obscene sense of excitement. The same one watching Emilia's neckline brought him. 

To make his torture worse, his body warmed up in a way he would have never associated with Julius before, a way he would kill to stop feeling at this very moment. 

Julius was kneeling between his legs, just a head bow away from transforming his romantic idyll with Emilia into a 200 yen doujinshi, and neither his mind nor body would let him forget that simple fact.

When Subaru felt Julius’ hand leave his laps, he should have felt relieved, yet his skin was already missing the warmth of the knight’s touch. 

An alarm ringed into Subaru’s mind: ‘Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts! Bad thoughts!’. Yet even with a call to order from his Super Ego, the ideas flourishing in his head became cruder and cruder, quite lewd even. 

He was feeling Julius’ hand on his ankle. The hold was firm, almost as if Julius wanted to pull Subaru toward him, but he was only keeping it in place to slip the heel on. 

Subaru held back a grunt of disappointment, both toward the fact that Julius had him in his grasp and did nothing and from the fact a part of him wanted that kind of thing to happen.

           “My, my… It’s a little oversized for you,” observed Julius, as he moved around the shoe around his friend’s foot. “My lady friend shall never know of this fact.” 

           Struck by a lighting of genius, Emilia exclaimed, “Then maybe we should find something to act as an insole!” She was really getting excited about seeing Subaru in full garment, he would be so pretty. 

After a few squeals of enthusiasm, she went into the bathroom to find material for homemade insoles; some cotton and a bit of magic would do wonders, she thought. 

Seeing her leaving him alone with Julius, Subaru almost reached out to her, but his mouth stayed clamped shut. A tête-a-tête with the other man felt like the worst idea in the world, yet there he was: alone with him, his unthinkable thoughts, and a traitor of a body. 

Subaru always knew that Julius was theoretically pretty, but it was the first time he could feel how handsome he was. The way he was looking at him behind his bangs, his eyes shone like two suns framed by a curtain made of his long lustrous lilac hair. His gaze was taunting him to misbehave and his smile showed how much he was enjoying the situation. Was it by sadism or just because he liked to pamper people up, Subaru didn’t know and feared the answer. 

Closing his eyes to escape the allusive vision before him, his other senses took him over. The sensation of the knight's hand on his ankle should be nothing, yet it burned his skin through his tights. He could feel the other man's breath nuzzle the back of his foot, sending small jolts down his spine. Subaru reassured himself by thinking it was just a natural reaction, that he would have felt like that with anyone else. 

Emilia’s face flashed in his mind and it made his heart heavy with fear; associating what Emilia with Julius was a very dangerous thing. One he could not allow himself to tread on, no matter how much a part of him wanted to.  

As if he knew the effect he had on Subaru, Julius started to hum like he often did when he was deep in concentration. 

What was he thinking, Subaru couldn't help but wonder: did he know about how lost Subaru felt? Was he judging him? Or was he getting the same thoughts as Subaru did? 

Subaru hoped for the latter, not because he wanted to have Julius’ affection (obviously) but because it would only be fair, right? 

           Putting an end to Julius’ melodic purring, Emilia gushed out of the bathroom, “ Vic–to–ry , I’ve found the perfect solution.” She brandished a pair of cotton soles, one in each hand, as she did the pose Subaru taught her a few months ago. “They might be a little cold, but I’ve rea~lly put all my love into it! Now, let’s try them.”    

Just before Emilia reappearance, Subaru would have sworn that being alone with Julius was the worst that could happen. But now that Emilia joined Julius’ side and kneeled before him as well, he knew better: this, at this very moment, was true hell. 

After some shuffling around, both Emilia and Julius took one of his legs in their hands; Emilia’s felt deliciously cold as Julius’ felt overpoweringly warm. None of them looked at him as they were too busy putting in the shoes on his feet, yet he could feel a disarming intensity in their eyes. 

Them not sparing him a glance was the Gods finally showing him some mercy. Their stares would have made him melt like a deadly laser made of lava and ice. 

Squirming under their touch, Subaru became painfully aware of the tightness of his tights and undergarment. ‘It was just a trick of his mind’, he repeated this thought like a mantra, denying the growing reality imposing itself on him. 

Images and thoughts usually reserved to Emilia – and sometimes her fellow women – started to spill over into uncharted territories, the kind he thought he would never want to explore. 

Primal lust, unbashful curiosity, a repressed desire for transgression; all of them were polling from his head to his whole body. His mind was weak, exhausting itself in futile escape from itself; his flesh, however, was getting stronger with every heartbeat. 

           Cutting the growing tension, a silvery voice chimed, “Wow! They are rea~lly pretty!” 

           “Indeed. Furthermore, they fit him perfectly, thanks to your valuable contribution, Lady Emilia.” 

           “No, no, no! You’re the one I need to thank!” She giggled, playing dress-up was so much fun, especially since Julius was there too. It was decided! She was going to make a ve~ry big sleepover no matter what. Where everyone would wear pretty dresses. Everyone . 

           “Subaru?” asked Julius, cocking his head in worry. He hadn’t noticed how flustered and uncomfortable Subaru looked. 

           “Subaru?” echoed Emilia. “Are you too uncomfortable? You look like it suddenly got ve~ry hard–”

           “No, I’m not!” shouted Subaru on top of his lungs, before getting up fast enough to knock Julius over. 

           “– to breathe,” she finished her sentence, but Subaru heard none of it before locking himself up in the bathroom. 

Both the knight and the half-elf looked at each other for the longest time. 

           “Is my choice of shoes really this abhorrent?” 

           “No, it’s just his tsundereness showing… I think?” 

           Julius was about to inquire about Emilia’s statement meaning when Subaru’s voice roared beyond the bathroom door, “ For the love of God, leave me alone! ” 

Emilia grinned to herself, it was his tsundereness alright.