Chapter Text
Emilia
“ ....Emilia-tan .”
Emilia shot up in bed. She sat for a moment before leaning forward and messaging her temples. Emilia’s head was pounding, and she could feel the rapid thumping of her heartbeat in her ears. Suddenly, she became nauseated and sprung out of bed, barely making it to her private bathroom before vomiting.
She sat on the cool bathroom tile in front of the toilet. Her heart was racing, and she worked to catch her breath. A knock came from her door; Emilia looked up, and the knocking continued a little longer before the person on the other side announced themselves.
“Emilia-sama, it’s Petra; um, it’s awfully late. Are you feeling ok?” Petra, the young girl from Arlam village, said to her.
“I’m fine...I just feel a little woozy; sorry to make you worry.” Emilia said, getting to her feet.
“No need to be sorry, Emilia-sama; please take your time getting ready, ok?”
Not opening the door, Emilia replied, saying she would be down soon. She heard the soft pitter-patter of Petra’s feet as she walked briskly away. Emilia sat on her bed, staring at the floor. She rubbed her head, replaying the terrible nightmare she had.
“What a terrible dream that was. Subaru leaving? Why would I dream of something like that?” She said to herself.
Emilia stretched, exited her bed, and went to her vanity mirror. She hummed a little tune as she turned on the lights. Emilia stared at her reflection. She had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep from the night before. She frowned upon seeing her image.
“Subaru always talks about how important beauty sleep is! He will be cross with me if he sees that I didn’t get any.” She chuckled to herself.
Emilia knew Subaru would never be mad at her, especially not over-sleeping habits. Her knight paid her daily compliments, constantly remarking on her beauty. Emilia always blushed to hear his sweet words. Once upon a time, she didn’t believe she deserved to be called cute, pretty, or beautiful, but hearing Subaru shower her with praise boosted her confidence. Emilia thought about her answer, that she loved him. Emilia knew it now; his absence from her when he was in Vollachia caused her anxiety. She realized then how important he was to her and couldn’t stand the thought of him being apart from her. She hadn’t told him how she felt yet, but she resolved to change all that.
Emilia finished getting ready. She smiled at herself, “Ok! Let’s get this show on the road!” She said to herself and left for the door.
Emilia stepped into the hallway, running toward her; Petra looked at her with growing excitement.
“Sorry, Petra! I guess it took longer than anticipated to get ready.” Emilia apologized. Petra stopped before her; she looked anxious and out of breath.
“Emilia-sama! Subaru h-h-he-” Petra started to say,
Emilia tilted her head, “Uh, what about Subaru? Is everything ok?”
“No one has seen him. Rem had gone to wake him, but he wasn’t with Beatrice. Everyone’s downstairs already.”
Emilia stared at the girl, “I don’t understand; Subaru is gone?”
Petra didn’t know how to answer her; she didn’t want to jump to such conclusions and assume the worst. The young girl tried her best to mask her anxiety, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with each passing minute and the sinking sensation that she would never see Subaru again only got worse.
“I-I-I don’t know, Rem spoke with Beatrice, and she couldn’t locate him-”
“What do you mean she couldn’t locate him! Are they still contracted?!” Emilia yelled, throwing Petra off guard. Petra cowered and nodded, “Yes, she said Beatrice and her still share a contract, but Beatrice doesn’t know where he is.”
Emilia stared at the girl, confused. Emilia tried to process what she was being told, but it didn't make sense. Subaru was gone, but his contract was still intact. Emilia could only assume the worse, that Subaru had been taken. She didn’t want to believe Subaru would leave her, but then again. Who would have kidnapped him? Emilia’s head pounded. She felt like she was going to be sick. Emilia took some deep breaths, not wanting to get worked up, and calmed down. Petra looked at the girl with pity, it was hard on Petra, but she could only imagine how Emilia felt, knowing her knight had disappeared.
“Um, Emilia-sama, everyone is waiting.” Petra reminded the girl hesitantly,
“Ok…. let’s go and figure all of this out,” Emilia said; Petra nodded and followed Emilia to the dining hall.
***
“He’s gone; he left us; he wasn’t kidnapped. He got tired of us and left .” A voice said to her suddenly, causing Emilia to stop in her tracks.
Petra noticing Emilia lagging behind, turned to look at her,
“Is everything ok, Emilia-sama?” She asked the girl in a sudden trance.
The voice sounded like Emilia’s, catching her off guard. The thoughts coming to her randomly had her considering them, but not for long because Emilia shook her head and pushed the idea of Subaru leaving her away.
“Sorry, I reeaaallly didn’t sleep well, and my mind is fuzzy.” Emilia smiled at the girl, and the two continued on their way.
The two walked into the dining hall. Emilia took her seat, along with Petra sitting beside her friend Meili and Frederica. Breakfast hadn’t been set out, indicating that all normal morning activities had been placed on hold due to Subaru’s absence.
Everyone other than Otto was in attendance. When asked about the minister of internal affairs, it was mentioned that he would be down soon and was nursing a hangover. No one paid him any mind, considering the crucial matter at hand was the whereabouts of Subaru.
Rem spoke to Ram; the blue-hair maid was clearly concerned for Subaru; Emilia was listening to the girl. She considered her a friend and knew how much she cared for Subaru; it only made sense to her that Rem would be scared; she loved Subaru.
“And we’re ok with that? ” the voice said; Emilia chose to ignore it, however.
“We’re fine with this girl’s love for our knight? ”
Emilia didn’t answer; she wasn’t jealous and wouldn’t give in to such awful ideas.
“We’re not ok with it; it bothers us. Subaru loves her too, but just like us, he left her. Doesn’t it make you wonder? If he found someone better?”
Emilia bit her lip but remained composed; she pushed away the obscure thought. It wasn’t true; where would Subaru find the time? He was always with Emilia or Rem.
“But he isn’t right now? So where is he? ” The voice said, reminding her of the obvious. Emilia was becoming annoyed.
Ram mentioned something curious; it caught Emilia’s attention; she told Rem how she had heard Subaru earlier.
“Can you believe her? The audacity of this woman. Boasting how our knight spoke with her and not us?”
Emilia gripped the hems of her dress and looked at Ram,
“And how do you know that?” Spoke Emilia accusingly, “Are you saying that MY knight spoke with you but has been ignoring everyone else? As well as ignoring me?” Emilia’s voice started to rise, causing several in the room to feel awkward.
Ram apologized to Emilia while others gathered looked at the half-elf with bewilderment. Emilia's out-of-character comment caught them by surprise.
“ And she continues to insult our knight? Are we ok with that? No wonder he left us. We don’t even defend him.”
Emilia’s annoyance continued to manifest,
“SUBARU!” Emilia said. “My knight’s name is SUBARU , RAM!” She said, annoyed by the maid’s slight.
Petra looked at Emilia with eyes wide, startled by her sudden change in behavior. She seemed fine this morning, but Subaru’s unknown whereabouts were taking an effect on the girl. Petra wasn’t the only one to notice; others did as well, but fearful of the girl's wrath, said nothing to her.
Not only did Ram’s comment bother Emilia, but something else Ram had said bothered Rem as well. Emilia didn’t react to Rem; her focus was remained on Ram.
Ram, feeling Emilia’s gaze chose to ignore her; already, the Oni maid wished the meeting would end. Moreso now after she recanted her story involving the closet.
The voice in Emilia’s head continued as the meeting went on. Rem was standing, facing the group detailing plans involving the search for Subaru; everyone listened, nodding in agreement; Emilia stared at the girl.
“Ok, Rem will check the stables while Petra and Meili will look around the mansion. Frederica, can you and Garfiel look in the neighboring wooded area? Subaru-kun might be out there hurt. If you find him, call for me, and I’ll come immediately!” Rem ordered.
“Look at her, it’s our camp, and she stands there doing our job? Isn’t Subaru our knight? Why is she so concerned?”
The voice in Emilia’s head continued as Emilia listened to Rem. She didn’t say anything, even though Emilia listened to the voice; she wouldn’t challenge Rem and usurp power. Subaru is important, not her pride as a candidate. Subaru's safety was paramount. Nothing else matters despite what the voice was trying to say.
“ But still, it should be us taking charge. Subaru is our knight. Not Rem’s, so why aren’t we standing up there instead? Are we ok sitting on the side while someone else does our job?”
The bell-like voice spoke to Emilia clear as day. Emilia pushed back the inner monologue. She reeeaaally wasn't the jealous type, at least she told herself she wasn't. 'What matters right now is finding Subaru.' She thought to herself.
“ But what if Rem finds him first? How will that make us feel? Knowing she was the one coming to his aid and no us. How long before he gets tired of waiting on us? That girl loves him too, and he loves her. Are we reeeaaallly ok with that? ”
Emilia gritted her teeth, listening to the inner voice.
“ Did he leave because he got tired of us? ” The voice said suddenly. Emilia closed her eyes, working harder to ignore her inner thoughts.
Soon everyone had dispersed, and Emilia was left alone, but instead of searching for Subaru, she returned to her room. She didn’t want to be around anyone. Emilia went inside and locked the door.
She went to her bed and crawled into it. “Subaru, you dunderhead!” She said and started to cry, suspecting the worst. That her knight had abandoned her.
“ Can we even blame him? How long did he wait for our answer? Do we seriously think he is dumb enough to believe we don’t understand love? What a convenient excuse. Petra understands what love is. Were we really going to convince him we don’t get it?”
“SHUT UP!” Emilia shouted, shielding her ears, not wanting to hear herself.
‘ Why am I thinking this way!? ’ Emilia thought to herself,
“Subaru didn’t abandon me! He loves me! He told me so, he wouldn’t leave me! He will be back; just wait!” Emilia told herself convincingly. The inner monologue didn’t stop. However, it persisted. Emilia’s thoughts ran rampant, disparaging her, degrading her. They told her how useless she was and how she would fail now that Subaru was gone. She was reminded of how horrible she was and that people only tolerated her because of Subaru. With him gone, they would all leave her. Subaru was what kept the camp together. Not Emilia; she was nothing without him.
Emilia screamed and screamed. “SHUT-UP! SHUT-UP!” She shrieked. Emilia began to cry, wishing she would wake up, that everything was a terrible dream. Her knight would rush in and shake her, waking and comforting her.
It never happened; Subaru would not come for her. In just a few short hours, Emilia broke.
***
Emilia lays under her covers. She has stopped crying, exhausting what tears she had left. Her eyes are heavy, but Emilia isn’t tired. She couldn’t sleep even if she wanted to. The voice in her head hasn’t stopped talking. She keeps going on and on and on. The subject hasn’t changed; nothing new or noteworthy is said to her. It is the same rhetoric on repeat.
“We’re Useless, We’re worthless, A failed imitation, We’re disgusting, A whore, We’re deceitful, We’re a liar….”
An endless stream of insults assaults her; her sweet voice injects toxic ideals into her subconscious. Envenomating her thoughts as she turns on herself, saying it’s her fault Subaru is gone. She did nothing for him, is what she says to herself. Otherwise, Subaru would still be here. She had her chance but blew it. Who could ever love someone as broken as Emilia? No one now, only Subaru loved her for who she was, but he is gone, and no one will love her. She is back where she was when she woke up alone in Elior forest. Puck was with her then, but even he got tired of her and left. She tells herself this. Puck abandoned her, and so did Subaru. She can’t blame them. She wants to to be angry with them. But she tells herself that she is to blame for them leaving her.
Emilia has stopped yelling for the voices to be quiet. Her throat is sore from crying and screaming. No one has come to see her; Emilia lives in a separate mansion wing. How the new mansion was built isolated the girl from others in the house. It wasn’t planned this way; it just simply was, and because of this, Emilia could be as loud as she wanted, and no one would ever hear her. So it was no wonder no one knew the turmoil the girl had succumbed to. She was alone in every sense of the word.
“What will you do now? ” The voice asks.
She asks herself a question for the first time since Emilia’s thoughts decided to gang up on her. But instead of asking what they would do collectively, the question is directed at only Emilia and her decision. Emilia misses this small detail and converses with herself like a separate person.
“I don’t know….” Emilia says to herself.
“Will you stay here? ”
“I don’t know….” Emilia answers the same way as before.
There was a brief pause; the room was silent before her voice started to speak again.
“ Do you want us to take over? You can rest this way .”
“You want to take over?” Still cognizant, Emilia questions herself.
“ Yes, you can sleep peacefully; you are tired, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not tired.”
“Oh? ”
“I’m awake; my eyes may feel tired, but I’m not sleepy.”
“Well, when you get tired, you let us take over, so you can sleep, ok? ”
Emilia thinks for a moment, considering the suggestion.
“Ok.” Emilia agrees to it.
Knocking is heard from her door. Emilia doesn’t stir. She hears them, whoever they are, but doesn’t call out to them. She ignores them.
“It’s that girl Petra; she has come to see us. ”
“I don’t want to see anyone.”
“So you will stay here then?”
“Yes, I want to.”
“Can we take over?”
The voice suggests again, seemingly impatient for Emilia to make a decision.
“But I’m not sleepy?”
“So what will you do?”
Emilia thinks for a moment; Petra calls her name.
“I’m not sleepy yet, so I’ll get up.”
Emilia gets out of bed and opens the door. Petra is standing there, mid-knock. Her eyes widen, and she looks at Emilia with concern. Emilia’s appearance is haggard. Her makeup is ruined, and her hair was an absolute travesty. Petra doesn’t speak, wondering what had transpired since she first saw her this morning. She knew Emilia was upset, but a walking husk stood before her. Emilia’s lifeless eyes looked at Petra.
“Good morning Petra,” Emilia said,
“Um yeah, I’m sorry to say Emilia-sama, but it’s currently the afternoon.”
Emilia thinks about what Petra says to her, and she smiles, “Oh, I'm such a dunderhead; I thought it was tomorrow. It’s still today, then?” Emilia inquires.
“Y-Yes, Emilia-sama, it's still today.”
“Is Subaru back? You know that Subaru is such a nincompoop. H-He always gets into trouble.” Emilia chuckles, and Petra laughs nervously with her.
“Heh, y-y-yeah! Subaru-sama has a knack for getting into trouble. I worry about him when he does.”
“Oh?” Emilia says and frowns. “So you are like Rem then?” Emilia narrows her eyes. Petra takes a step back.
“N-No Emilia-sama, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“ Yes, she did. This girl is a child, but you can’t trust her. She is in love with Subaru too. Watch her.”
The voice has stopped its insults. Instead, it speaks with Emilia as if they are allies. The damage has been done. Emilia didn’t take long to revert to how she once was. Subaru had been the rock on which Emilia anchored her life, and now that that rock had disintegrated, Emilia was left afloat with no rescue in sight.
Petra averts her eyes from Emilia’s gaze, only occasionally stealing glances at her. Emilia’s expression hasn’t changed. Finally, she speaks,
“Ok, Petra, what is it that you need?” Emilia asks,
“Oh, well, Frederica-sama asked that I come and fetch you, everyone is downstairs now, and we are meeting about Subaru.”
“Ok, great!” Emilia says and smiles; Petra hesitates before speaking.
“Um well, before we go and meet the others, how about we get you ready first?”
Petra was referring to Emilia’s general appearance, feeling it was inappropriate for the lady of the house to meet with members of her camp in such a state of disarray.
“ We should listen to her; best not arouse any suspicion? ” The voice concurred with Petra.
“Ok, that’s fine.” Emilia agreed and returned to her room, with Petra following behind.
***
Emilia and Petra were among the last to arrive, with Otto being the first and Roswaal. Dinner had been prepared this time, and food was placed in front of Emilia, but she didn’t attempt to eat, not having much of an appetite. Rem, Garfiel, and Ram came shortly after, with the former having to be pulled into the mansion, still not wanting to stop searching for Subaru. The voice in her head remarked on this, claiming the girl’s love was guilt-driven. Emilia didn’t answer. Emilia was sitting by herself while others talked about her knight. Emilia wouldn’t join in on their conversation; there was no point. The voice told her Subaru was gone and not coming back.
Petra was talking, and it was brought up that Beatrice was not in attendance. Emilia forgot about her. When she heard Petra mention Beatrice and Rem’s meeting, Emilia considered going and talking to Beatrice herself but didn’t. Instead, Emilia ignored the girl; what good would it have done to hear Beatrice lamenting her contractor’s disappearance? That is what she told herself.
However, Petra did mention something of interest,
“What did you say?” Emilia said, speaking for the first time. Hearing Petra mention her knight’s death brought the girl out of her shell. Her tone was harsher than necessary, but such a macabre joke was nothing to be ignored.
Petra attempted to backtrack, already having dealt with Emilia twice already; she was aware of how fragile her mental state had become. Petra was concerned for her, but Emilia’s hostile gaze and harsh tone from the mention of Subaru’s supposed death sent shivers down her spine.
Others had chastised her as well, but Petra persisted and pushed back her fears. She teared up talking about what Beatrice had said, and recalled what she was told. When Ram's name was mentioned Emilia's ears perked up.
“Ram. That girl who insults our Subaru daily, yet nothing is ever done. It is no wonder he is gone; who could stand to live with all of you.”
The voice had said; Emilia had said nothing as she glared at Ram, who had just finished denying being involved in Petra's story,
“She is lying; she knows something. Don’t trust her. ” The voice had said.
Emilia didn’t say anything; she had become suspicious of them all. They all are to blame; like her, they all forced Subaru to leave. She told herself this.
The conversations didn’t yield anything of value, and soon they had all gone their separate ways. Despite Petra’s apprehension, Petra assisted Emilia back to her room and helped the girl prepare for bed.
Once Emilia had been dressed in her nightgown and tucked into bed, Petra left the room, softly closing the door behind her. No one had asked Petra to attend to Emilia, she had felt compelled to do so. She considered her a rival in love but knew how important Subaru was to her and understood how difficult everything had been for her. However, she wondered why Emilia seemed to spiral quickly into depression in a single day. Petra was worried for the girl, afraid of how far her mental state would degrade as the days passed and Subaru remained gone.
***
The mansion was quiet. The background noises accompanied by the night were absent. All sound had ceased to exist. A woman with long, flowing silver hair moved through the mansion’s corridors. Floating aimlessly, with no clear destination in mind. She moved about as if getting used to the body she was in. The way someone would take a ground dragon out for testing. The girl had taken the body for a spin. No one was around to see the girl; she was by herself.
She moved through the mansion, opening doors and going inside rooms. Several times she stood looking at the mansion’s residents tossing and turning in their sleep. The other was working diligently, it seemed. Whatever torture she was putting them through clearly weighed on their subconsciousness. The girl didn’t care and wasn’t the least bit interested in what they were being shown. Her main objective laid with someone else in the mansion. They both worked in tandem to achieve their goal. Their final plan was abandoned in favor of the new one they had come to agree upon.
As she left Petra’s room, the girl continued on her way. She had long since gotten a feel for the mansion and knew the layout and where everyone slept. It had been too easy for her; none of them suspected a thing. Even when the obvious was plain as day, they couldn't come to grips with the fact that Satella, the witch of envy, had been haunting them.
Satella had been working on Emilia’s guilt. She was surprised at how easy it was to convince her they were the same person. Ultimately, Emilia believed her lies and willingly allowed herself to be possessed. But Satella wasn’t entirely in control yet; even now, Emilia’s subconscious wouldn’t relinquish total control to her. What development she had up until this point still acted as a blockade. But no matter, Emilia’s mental state degraded slowly. She wasn’t shown Subaru’s various deaths. There wasn’t a need for it. All she needed to know was that Subaru had abandoned her. That was enough to bring painful memories and feelings of inadequacy to the surface.
Satella entered a room; it was vacant. A guest room. She felt herself losing control, which wasn’t a cause for concern. Emilia still had some fight left in her. The body of Emilia stood facing a wall. Instinctively the body’s mind was working to expel the parasitic subconscious that attempted to usurp control. Despite the former agreeing to it, part of Emilia still fought Satella.
Emilia’s body began to hit her head against the wall. Trying to drive her out. Satella wouldn’t leave, so such a feeble attempt was futile. The rhythmic banging grew louder and louder. Soon Satella grew bored and stopped her. Now in control, Satalla left the room and continued on her way. Emilia needed on final push before falling into total dispair.
***
Emilia woke up on the floor. She had a dull ache in her head. Emilia didn’t feel nauseated, and her heart wasn’t threatening to burst from her chest. Her neck was stiff, and she found dried blood from a fresh wound when she felt her forehead.
“I must have hit my head when I fell out of bed? I wonder why I didn’t wake up?” She thought to herself but figured she had been sleeping so soundly she hadn’t realized she had fallen out of bed.
She yawned and stretched while on the floor. Getting to her feet, Emilia went to the bathroom and then proceeded to get ready. Her headache had gone away with a hot shower, and Emilia felt better than yesterday. She couldn’t really explain it, she was still saddened by Subaru’s disappearance, but her mood was better. Once dressed, Emilia left her room to greet the day.
Emilia stepped into the hallway. Petra came running toward her. Emilia smiled and greeted the girl.
Petra stopped in front of her, “Emilia-sama! We have gotten word from the Capital!”
Emilia looked at her but knew what she would tell her involved Subaru.
“What exactly? Is it about Subaru?”
Petra nodded, but she didn’t seem happy. Emilia picked up on this, and a sinking sensation grew in her stomach.
“What happened?” Emilia asked.
Petra looked at her; tears started well up in her eyes. “S-S-Subaru, he was found dead this morning.” Petra fell to her knees and began to weep. Emilia stood there, looking at her but not focusing on her. Instead, all she could see was Subaru’s smile.
Screaming was heard coming from downstairs. Rem was hysterical. Screaming and wailing as the sudden news of Subaru’s death reached each household member. Emilia didn’t shriek, not like Rem, at least. She had assumed Subaru had left her because he had gotten tired of her. How stupid of her, she thought. Subaru wasn't tired of Emilia and abandoned her. Instead, he was taken from her.
“Who? Who did this to Subaru?!” Emilia shouted; Petra looked at her.
“The witch cult, somehow they infiltrated the mansion and took him. No one knows the exact details, but Subaru’s corpse was found.”
“Where was he found?” Emilia asked; she needed to know. “Exactly how far did they take him?”
“In a cave between the Capital city and Arlam. Some merchants came across him. Emilia-sama, what will we do now? Subaru, he is dead.” Petra dissolved into tears of anguish. Emilia’s breathing worsened, and she soon found herself on her knees. Like Petra, Emilia cried tears of grief.
The camp members met together, though no real talking was taking place. They were all in one place grieving. The sudden revelation of Subaru’s death had brought despair to everyone. Beatrice was there; Frederica had carried the girl to the dining hall. She hadn’t stopped crying, being among the first to know of Subaru’s death once she sensed their contract being voided. She no doubt cursed herself for not trying more to locate him, having failed to protect Subaru. However, they were all to blame for not realizing Subaru was taken somehow during the night. No one questioned the details; they couldn’t reason at the moment. It would be a long time before they all accepted his death.
A meeting was to be held in the Capital to discuss how the news should be handled. Emilia was to go to the Capital with Roswaal, Otto, and Garfiel. Rem would stay behind, along with her sister, so Petra would be the one to take her place as the personal maid to the camp. Once at the meeting, Subaru’s remains would be collected and returned to the mansion for the funeral ceremony.
No one spoke throughout the trip, so it had felt increasingly long. When Emilia and her camp arrived in the Capital and checked into the hotel which would host them, they set off to meet with the sage council. The other members from the four other camps were in attendance. The death of Natsuki Subaru was invariably a big deal and would shake the foundation of the Kingdom.
The overall mood of the meeting was somber. It was clear that everyone in attendance had taken the news of Subaru’s death horribly. When the details of his death were made, it was all Emilia could do to not lose control. Several of them grimaced at the finer points of the torture leading up to his death. It was made clear that an open-casket funeral would not be happening. Still, Emilia wished to see his body. She needed to know that he was dead in hopes of some semblance of closure. The chief amongst the healers, and Knight to Candidate for the throne, Crusch Karsten, attempted to deter Emilia, advising that seeing his remains would only do more harm than good. In the end, Emilia accepted Felix’s suggestion, albeit with apprehension.
The voice never spoke to Emilia during her time at the Capital nor on returning to the mansion. They all rode in silence, between them lay the tightly wrapped remains of Natsuki Subaru. Oddly enough, the remains of Emilia’s knight didn’t give the appearance of a body. In part due to the missing Subaru's head and limbs; none of which had yet to be located. Instead, what they had to bury was Subaru’s torso. Cremation had been encouraged, but Emilia refused. Rather, she wished to take what remained of Subaru’s body back for burial. Even if she couldn’t see him one last time, she still wanted his body nearby so she could pay respects daily.
The others in the camp didn’t quite agree with her, especially considering the body’s condition. Otto tried to talk some sense into Emilia, explaining how Rem, Beatrice, and the others couldn't handle seeing Subaru's body in such a state. Emilia glared daggers at Otto at their mention. She had to remind him how important Subaru was to her and no one else. The comment surprised him; he didn’t insinuate her love was any less, but her claiming she only truly cared about Subaru raised eyebrows. Surely she understood how affected everyone was by his untimely death? Otto had thought but didn't say anything else to her.
Rem was the first to greet them when they arrived at the mansion. It seemed the girl had been anxiously waiting for their return. It was revealed later that Rem had hardly slept, ate, or communicated with anyone, save for her sister, who would find her lying in bed grieving at the death of her beloved hero. They felt pity for her, hearing how badly she had wept for Subaru. Emilia didn’t, however; the feeling Emilia had for Rem was annoyance; she felt annoyed with everyone around her actually. She had hardly spoken to them, becoming increasingly angry as it seemed her feelings didn’t matter as much.
Rem wasn’t permitted to see the body and had to be restrained. Beatrice looked out from a window, unable to bring herself to see Subaru's corpse. When Garfiel removed the small rectangular sack of Subaru's remains from the carriage, Rem lost consciousness when she realized what had been done to her hero. Shrieking belonging to Beatrice could be heard from inside; seeing his mangled remains seemed too much for the small girl.
They didn’t waste any time burying Subaru. A candlelight vigil had been held in Arlam that night as word began to spread throughout the Kingdom of Subaru's death.
With the ceremony over and the advancement of the night, Emilia and her camp left Subaru’s grave site. His Epitaph read:
‘Here lies the brave Knight Natsuki Subaru, beloved by all.’
Along the way, Emilia stopped in the hallway. Her thoughts on Subaru never left her. She stood staring off, remembering all the times they had spent together. She would give anything to see him again.
***
Otto sighs, allowed to himself as he walks back to his office to get started on the paperwork. Like yesterday, he found himself alone in the morning again. It seemed the search for Subaru was underway, leaving Otto alone to make his breakfast and wash his dishes once again. He didn’t exactly mind cooking for himself, but it was rather annoying that the maid staff of the mansion seemed to forget their duties.
Turning the corner, he finds Emilia staring at a wall, lost in thought.
“Here we go,” Otto says to himself and approaches Emilia.
“Emilia-sama, is everything alright? Do you need any help?” Otto asks but gets no answer.
Concerned for Emilia, Otto places a hand on her shoulder. Emilia looks at Otto, but her stare is vacant. His worries deepen when he notices the girl’s hollow expression.
“C’mon Emilia-sama, you don’t look too well; why not take it easy again today?”
Otto leads Emilia back to her room. It wasn’t very far, and from what he suspected, she had left her room earlier and stopped at that one spot. She appeared to be in some trance, from what Otto had figured. But assumed her strange behavior was related to Subaru.
Emilia wasn’t fully aware of being tended to by Otto; all she could focus on was her knight’s death. Once she reached her room, Emilia gave in to her grief and fell to the floor. She still was unaware that Otto was present and hadn’t realized she pushed him away when he had gone to comfort her.
“I’m sorry, Subaru! Please forgive me!” She wailed, “I didn’t know! Please come back to me! Please!” Emilia begged in her despair; Otto looked at the girl with compassion.
“I love you. I know I never told you, but I love you. Please come back to me! Please allow me to love you!” Emilia’s cries became more desperate. The awkward confession of love left Otto feeling uncomfortable. Ultimately, he said nothing to Emilia and decided she needed time alone.
The day carries on without her. Emilia has yet to move from the spot that Otto had left her in. She has stopped crying now. Instead, Emilia hugs her knees to her chest as memories swirl around her. She watches them all play out before her eyes. They aren’t exceedingly terrible memories. Instead, what she observes is her time with Subaru. She relives her time together with him. Emilia wears no expression as the vortex of happy memories plays out before her. The memories eventually fade, and Emilia finds herself in a dark room. It’s unknown if it is her room or if she is somewhere else entirely. Emilia is simply existing in this unknown space. A woman in black shuffles forth and stands before her. Emilia doesn’t see or recognize the figure. The figure kneels before her and starts to speak.
“It must be hard, seeing all that, knowing you will never experience those feelings again?”
The woman in black says in the voice that had plagued Emilia’s thoughts before this nightmare manifested.
“But, what if we could change all of that? We have the power to do it. After all, we are the ones who brought Subaru to Lugunica in the first place.”
Emilia looks at the woman in black for the first time, realizing she has been there with her all along.
“ We can bring Subaru back into our lives, but we need your cooperation. Will you help us?”
Emilia doesn’t answer; she looks at the veiled woman with uncertainty. She recognizes the voice belonging to herself but is unsure exactly what she means.
“How can you bring Subaru back? He is dead.” Emilia says, her words laced with grief.
“You need not worry about that small insignificant detail; all you need to know is that with us. You and Subaru will be together again.”
Emilia’s eyes widen, and she sits up and looks at the woman with interest.
“All you have to do is let us take possession. We will fix everything.”
Emilia’s instincts scream, begging for Emilia to stop considering the woman's words.Her thoughts scream at her, telling Emilia that she is being deceived by the woman in black. Still, Emilia ignores the warning flags and hesitantly nods her head. The the woman in black smiles and extends her left hand. Emilia stares momentarily before taking the left-hand path and forms a contract with the devil herself.
***
The woman wakes up; she looks over her shoulder and sees the person who is Otto looking at her. She studies him for a moment before turning back to the wall and banging her head. She still isn’t entirely in control of Emilia’s body yet; even though Emilia agreed to her terms, Emilia's subconscious still tries to fight her. But not for long, however, because she gains complete control and steps back. The woman breathes slowly; she cracks her neck, stretches, and turns to leave the room. The man who is Otto is gone now; she doesn’t quite care where he has gone. They open the door and leave the room.
She floats through the hallway, past doors and windows. The hallway pulsates and seems to breathe along with her. Tendrils form at her feet, running their inky black fingers across walls and over furniture, leaving the burned imprint of a clawed hand in their wake. She sees two people fighting. She stops to watch them as they wrestle around with one another on the floor.
One of the figures is the girl Rem, and the other is the boy Garfiel. The woman knows who they are, but she cares not for them. She doesn’t interfere with, but instead, she finds joy in their struggle. Eventually, the girl who is Rem, manages to break free from Garfiel’s grip, and begins to repeatedly punch him in the face. Strange that Garfiel doesn’t fight back but instead tries to appeal to her using words. The woman finds humor in this, more so when the boy Garfiel is struck with such force by the maniac-driven Rem that he loses consciousness. It is unclear if Garfiel is alive or dead. Rem leaves the boy lying in the hall and takes off running. The woman knows where Rem is going, and even though Rem was running down the hallway, the woman knows she can beat her to her intended destination. The woman floats to a door and opens it, and goes through. This puts woman looking at the backside of Rem, who stands in the doorway of another room. She sees Otto there, cowering, with a look of fear as he stares at the face of Rem.
The woman's inky black tendrils snake toward Rem, who proceeds to walk toward Otto. She never makes it, however, because the black tendrils wrap around Rem's neck and start to strangle her. They aren’t wanting to kill Rem to save Otto; no, they are killing Rem because she was a love rival. They would kill all their rivals who love Subaru, in fact. Starting first with the blue-haired maid.
Rem is on the ground thrashing around, clawing ferociously at her neck. She can feel her windpipe breaking, and soon, Rem suffocates and dies.
Otto quakes in fear as he watches the girl die before him. At first, he didn’t understand what was happening, but the long snake-like arms became visible, and soon he could make out a woman in a purple nightgown staring at him.
“Emilia…?” He asks hesitantly.
“No, we are not, Emilia.” The woman says to the cowering Otto.
“Then, who are you?” Otto questions, already knowing the answer, but afraid to admit it.
“You know who we are, so we don’t feel it necessary to explain it.”
“You’re Satella, the witch of envy.” Otto’s fears come to fruition; he suspected as much since he woke to see her standing in his room.
Otto gulps back his fear, “Everything that has happened here. You did this? Did you kill Natsuki Subaru?” Despite his trepidation, Otto wishes to know the truth. Satella stares at him; his question annoys her. Otto sees the girl’s annoyance and shivers under her gaze.
“You think we killed him? No, we did not kill our beloved.”
Otto’s eyes widened, “Beloved?” He asks for clarification.
“Yes, we love Natsuki Subaru, we are the ones who brought him here, and we are the ones who sent him back!” The woman shouts at Otto, causing the boy to fall further into the room.
Beatrice comes forward. Satella sees the girl for the first time; she had hardly noticed her before, which causes her mild surprise.
Beatrice falls to her knees and lowers her head; Otto looks at the girl with confusion.
“Please! Betty is sorry, in fact! Please forgive Betty and bring Subaru back to her, I suppose!”
Beatrice begs Satella, pleading with her for one more chance.
“Please, Satella! Please give Betty one more chance, in fact! She won’t let anyone hurt her Subaru anymore!”
Beatrice’s words fall on deaf ears; Otto looks at her with horror, and he looks back at Satella. He stares at them both with growing anger.
“Bring him back? Bring him back?! You would ask this of us when it’s yours and everyone’s fault that he has hurt for so long! You knew he was hurting, and you did nothing! We sent him back to get away from all of you! None of you deserve him! Only we truly love Subaru!”
Their hypocritic words reverberate off the walls of Subaru’s former room. Otto can only stare in terror as the Witch of Envy grows taller and taller. The ceiling stretches with her as she towers over them, preparing to dish out her punishment for those who have hurt Subaru. Not once did they ever consider that they, too, were to blame for his misery.
“This world will taste his pain! Every man, woman, and child will know his despair! You all have vilified me, so it only makes sense that I give you that villain you desperately crave! I will cover this world in darkness! A torment of pain is what you will know from now on! You all did this! You are all to blame for your torment!”
Otto hasn’t stopped backing away from her; he ignores Beatrice as he makes his way toward a window.
Suddenly, black fog envelops the room, and all of Natsuki Subaru’s memories invade the residents of the mansion’s minds.
Otto is nearly at the window when he starts to experience them. Beatrice is lying on the floor, rolling around, screaming, clawing at her face as the feeling of being eaten invades her mind. Otto would have succumbed to that same fate if not for being able to get out of the window in time. He manages to hold on to his thoughts to keep from falling and escapes down a lattice next to Subaru’s window, as fate would have it.
Otto makes it to the ground and takes off running. He doesn’t stop, not even when he hears the shrieks from everyone he has grown so close to since joining the Emilia camp.
***
The mayor of Arlam walks into the main room of his home. His wife rocks back and forth in a chair, humming to herself and knitting. She sees her husband and smiles,
“So what was wrong with the boy? He seemed awfully upset when you brought him here.” She says to her husband.
“Don’t know, I asked him what had him so spooked, but he wouldn’t come out and say. I wonder if it has something to do with everything happening around here?”
“You mean with the children and the nightmares they have been having? I heard their mom's talking about it. Those poor children.”
“I asked him about that actually, if he knew about the children. He didn’t seem to know and asked if he could stay the night. He seemed shaken up and wouldn't talk about the Mather's Mansion at all.”
“What is his name again?” The wife asks, not taking her eyes off her knitting. The husband sits down across from her.
“It’s Otto; he works for the Emilia camp.”
The wife smiles and nods, and they decide to talk about something else.
Otto closes the door to the room he has been offered for the night. He wasn’t planning on staying. Just needed a place away from the mansion to collect his thoughts. He managed to escape Subaru’s memories for the moment, only experiencing a handfull of them. They were terrible memories. But as luck would have it. Otto managed to get away. But he feared that the encroaching black fog would soon descend upon the village and he didn't want to be around when that happened. He doesn’t know how much time he has and sits at a desk inside the room. He rummages around in the desk’s drawers until he finds blank paper, ink, and a quill. He takes a deep breath and begins to write his account of the events that had transpired at the mansion.
“To you who find this letter:”