18) Betty's going to marry Subaru?!

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{3rd Pov}

It had been nearly an entire week since Beatrice received the long-awaited message from the Tome of Wisdom confirming, without a shred of doubt, that Natsuki Subaru truly was that person.

Ever since that moment, she had been waiting—no, practically camping inside her library with unwavering patience—for him to finally show up at her door.

When she had first received the revelation, Beatrice had been overwhelmingly overjoyed, so much so that she burst into tears of relief.

But mixed with that joy was a heavy dose of irritation as well.

After all, she couldn’t help but grumble to herself, “Does he seriously have no sense of time at all, I suppose?! Making me wait four hundred years and then taking even longer to show up?!”

Still, despite her complaining, her heart was fluttering with excitement on the inside.

She vividly remembered Subaru telling her that he would be leaving the mansion temporarily before heading to the Capital.

Later, when Emilia returned, Ram had informed her that Barusu had—as usual—done something stupid again, and because of that blunder he would need to stay in the Capital for about a week to let his gate fully recover.

That was precisely why Beatrice hadn’t worried or thrown a tantrum when Subaru failed to return for the entire week.

Instead of being annoyed or impatient, she waited with unusual calmness, because deep down she knew the next time he stepped foot into her library, she could finally greet him properly… and then immediately wrap him in the tight, long-overdue hug she had been wanting to give him for centuries.

Meanwhile, as she waited, Beatrice found herself unintentionally replaying every single interaction she had ever shared with Subaru.

She remembered how he always tried—sometimes clumsily, sometimes earnestly—to make her smile.

She remembered the way he repeatedly attempted to drag her out of the library to explore the mansion or simply “play” outside with him, even though she constantly insisted she had no interest in such things.

Normally, she would kick him out of her library without hesitation, calling him annoying or troublesome.

And honestly, she had every reason to behave that way.

She had been alone for four hundred long years, and throughout that time countless people had approached her, pretending to be kind only to eventually demand a contract, attempt to use her, or try to forcefully claim her power while she waited faithfully for that person.

So of course, at first, she assumed Subaru was just like the rest—another person who would pretend to care but ultimately want something from her.

But as time passed, she had no choice but to notice the truth: Subaru wasn’t like the others.

Even if she never said it out loud, she grew to enjoy his presence.

Deep inside her heart, she started wishing—almost desperately—that Subaru really was that person, the one she had been waiting for through four centuries of loneliness.

But all of that hope had shattered the moment her Tome of Wisdom stopped narrating her future.

When the book fell silent, she immediately understood what it meant.

If her fate was no longer being written, that meant the one who could save her wasn’t Subaru.

It meant the person she had been waiting for wouldn’t be him… and possibly wouldn’t ever come at all.

The realization crushed her hope completely, leaving her with nothing but the certainty that perhaps “that person” would never arrive.

They would never take her hand, never guide her out of the isolated library she had been guarding for the past four centuries.

The thought that she might be denied any chance at happiness, that her life might truly have no meaning beyond serving a purpose she barely understood anymore, weighed heavily on her.

For a long time she genuinely believed that nothing awaited her except loneliness and the same routine that had continued for hundreds of years.

So, during the days she sulked in her library after Subaru left, she stayed irritated and depressed, convinced that everything was pointless again.

But then, as she stared at the Tome of Wisdom out of habit, she finally noticed something different—something new.

The pages that had remained blank and silent for so long had begun to move again, revealing information she had been desperate to see.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the book showed her the true destination of her lifelong pursuit, the answer she had been waiting centuries to receive.

It stated clearly that Natsuki Subaru was indeed that person—the very man she had been waiting four hundred years for.

The one who was meant to reach out to her, take her away from this lonely library, and give her the happiness she had been denied for far too long.

The revelation made her chest tighten and her breath catch.

She couldn’t hold back anymore as tears streamed down her face, falling onto the pages of the Tome of Wisdom.

She cried because she had endured so much.

She cried because she had been waiting endlessly, for so long, for so unbelievably long.

She cried because she had carried the mission her mother gave her, bearing the weight, isolation, and monotony of centuries.

And now, finally—finally—her suffering had meaning, and the possibility of freedom was real.

So after crying her heart out and ranting about where the hell Subaru had been for the past four hundred years, she eventually calmed down and decided she would just patiently wait for him to return.

She already knew he would be staying in the Capital for an extended period so his damaged gate could fully heal, so she tried to remind herself that getting impatient wouldn’t change anything.

“Betty will forgive him, I suppose, even if he made Betty wait for four hundred years, in fact!” she snorted loudly, puffing up her cheeks in annoyance.

But when she thought about the injuries he had suffered during the Mabeast hunt, the frightening curse that almost killed him, and then all the other absurd and dangerous situations he managed to fall into one after another, her irritation weakened a little.

She let out a long exasperated sigh.

“I suppose Betty’s contractor really does have a natural talent for getting himself into trouble,” she muttered to herself while sitting alone in the silent, overly familiar atmosphere of her magical library.

The room felt even quieter without him bothering her as usual.

“But Betty promises that Betty will be a proper contracted spirit, and Betty will never ever let her contractor get hurt again!” she declared, practically shouting the vow to the empty room as she made that promise to herself.

She was determined that Subaru would never be pushed into such terrible situations again if she could help it.

She even began thinking ahead, planning out ways to protect him better when he finally came back.

After all, she already knew that when he returned, he would be extremely weak.

His gate had always been fragile, and now it was even more damaged.

Even if he received proper healing and rest, it would still take him months—maybe even a few years—for it to fully recover.

With the amount of strain and harm he had put on it, she knew she had to be careful and prepare herself to support him every step of the way.

She also imagined how Subaru would gently headpat her like he always used to, she imagined how Subaru would sit or even sleep beside her without hesitation, and she imagined how Subaru would once again start telling her all those strange but entertaining stories he kept trying to share with her—stories she usually interrupted by literally throwing him out of the library.

Remembering how she treated him back then, Beatrice couldn’t help feeling a sting of guilt creeping into her chest, though she quickly tried to justify it by thinking, ‘Well… I guess he left Betty alone for four hundred years, so now we’re equal, I suppose!’

Even though she tried acting tough in her thoughts, anyone would have been able to tell she was practically overflowing with excitement, anticipation, and a desperate desire to meet that black-haired man again—the man who, without her noticing, had become her entire world.

For days she kept staring toward the entrance of her library, pretending to read a book while actually keeping her full attention fixed on the gate, waiting for the slightest sign of Subaru’s return.

In her overly optimistic daydreams, she pictured Subaru walking in immediately, then rushing straight to her and apologizing for making her wait.

She imagined herself acting annoyed and scolding him for a while, pretending to be dissatisfied and making him suffer a little, but eventually she would “forgive” him with a sigh before they ended up hugging each other tightly, refusing to let go.

Then, in her hopeful fantasies, they would form an everlasting contract right there and then.

Subaru would take responsibility for the magical library, and afterward he would take her outside to see the world she hadn’t experienced in centuries.

He would treat her to every pastry Betty desired, he would sing her lullabies even if he was embarrassed, and he would also keep praising how cute and precious Betty was—as he should, obviously, in her opinion.

And then—then Beatrice’s mind started drifting into more dangerous territory.

She imagined Subaru and herself getting married, living together as husband and wife, kissing each other openly and affectionately, and staying together for the rest of their lives without ever being separated again.

While thinking of all that, Beatrice let out a small but unsettling giggle, her cheeks heating up and her eyes turning hazy.

She was completely lost in the fantasies of all the sweet moments she believed she would spend with that person—the person she had waited for, the person she had chosen, and the person she now desperately wanted by her side.

But when more than a full week passed since the revelation from the Tome of Wisdom, Beatrice finally started getting genuinely worried about Subaru’s whereabouts.

She paced back and forth in her library, her footsteps echoing loudly as her irritation kept building up.

“Where is Beatrice’s Subaru, I suppose?!” she complained loudly, making it painfully obvious that in her mind Subaru had already been claimed as hers and belonged only to her.

Her tone carried the same stubbornness and possessiveness she always had, but now it was far more direct than before.

She was fully aware of Subaru’s feelings toward Emilia, and for the entire week that fact had deeply troubled her.

She had been anxious, annoyed, and even insecure at times thinking about how Subaru always ran around the half-elf like some lovesick fool.

However, the more she observed Emilia’s complete lack of romantic feelings toward Subaru, the more Beatrice understood that the moment she confessed her feelings, Subaru would definitely turn toward her instead.

After all, he had something with her that Emilia didn’t have with him—he was that person, the chosen one she was destined to be with.

And in Beatrice’s mind, the conclusion was obvious and absolute.

There was simply no way Subaru would choose a silver-haired half-elf—one who was practically a walking replica of the Witch of Envy, no matter how nice Emilia was—over Betty, who was the most adorable, precious, perfect, lovable, irreplaceable, and undeniably superior spirit in the entire world.

At least, that’s exactly how Beatrice viewed herself, and she saw no reason to think Subaru wouldn’t see things the same way once everything was finally out in the open.

Unfortunately, none of that internal bragging about Emilia or her imagined future with Subaru was the most important thing at the moment.

What mattered right now was the ever-growing question in her mind: why in the world was it taking Subaru so long to return?

The longer she waited, the more her thoughts kept circling back to uncomfortable possibilities.

‘Is he angry at me, I suppose?’ Beatrice wondered anxiously, remembering all the times she had coldly ignored him, snapped at him, or thrown him out without even listening to what he had to say.

For a moment she panicked, but then she shook her head firmly.

Even if they hadn’t spent more than a month together in total, and even though it was always Subaru who came to visit her while she barely made any effort in return, she knew Subaru well enough to understand that him avoiding her on purpose was extremely unlikely.

In fact, considering Subaru’s personality, stubbornness, and tendency to cling to people he cared about, avoiding her would probably be the last thing he would do.

No, the more she thought about it, the more certain she became that the real reason had nothing to do with anger.

‘Yes! The contractor must definitely be in trouble, I suppose!’ she concluded, clenching her tiny fists in frustration.

That explanation made far more sense than Subaru holding a grudge.

If anything, Subaru’s terrible habit of diving headfirst into danger without thinking was the most consistent thing about him.

Yet despite reaching that conclusion, Beatrice didn’t go out asking around the mansion, nor did she demand answers from anyone.

As an introvert who spent centuries isolated inside this library, she had made the decision to simply stay put and wait for Subaru to come to her.

Leaving the library, talking to others, or wandering around the mansion every day asking where Subaru was would have been far too troublesome for her.

Besides, she didn’t want anyone seeing how impatient she actually was.

In fact, even Ram—who was the one responsible for bringing her food and tea—only showed up a few times during the week, and Beatrice didn’t even bother to start a conversation.

She just accepted the tray silently, pretended to be disinterested, and immediately turned her head toward the doorway with obvious anticipation, secretly hoping that Subaru might appear behind Ram at any second.

But unfortunately, her hopes continued to be crushed again and again, because Subaru never appeared—not even once.

As a Spirit, she didn’t require food or water to survive, and she had always treated eating pastries or drinking tea as nothing more than a small hobby to pass the time rather than a necessity.

Because of that, Ram or Rem had almost no reason to visit her frequently.

They only popped in occasionally to ask if she needed anything else, and even then their conversations barely lasted more than a few seconds.

They didn’t talk much to her, but honestly, neither did she. Beatrice always answered curtly, and the twins simply left without pushing anything further.

However, now things were completely different.

She simply couldn’t endure it anymore.

Even though she had survived four entire centuries of isolation, waiting for her destined person without losing her mind, the past single week had somehow become the most painfully frustrating period in her entire existence.

The knowledge that her long-awaited "that person" was Subaru, that he was real, that he existed, and that he should have returned by now made the waiting unbearable.

Every passing hour felt heavier than the previous one.

And finally, she reached her limit.

Her tiny hands trembled slightly before she forced herself to move, doing something that for her was almost unthinkable.

She marched straight toward the library gate with determination that she hadn’t shown in centuries, pushed her palm against the door, and slammed it open with a loud bang that echoed throughout the halls.

No more hiding.

No more waiting inside this dusty, lonely maze of books.

No more pretending to be indifferent and patient.

She had a contractor now—her contractor.

Natsuki Subaru had already been delayed by four hundred long years, and Beatrice decided firmly that she absolutely refused to let him be late by even a second more.

Thus, Beatrice marched straight through the long mansion hallways with small but determined steps, her expression filled with irritation and pent-up frustration.

When Rem—who had been calmly cleaning the corridor with her usual diligence—caught sight of her, she froze on the spot, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Her eyes widened slightly as her brain tried to process the sight in front of her.

Because Beatrice… was outside her library.

For Rem, this was practically a once-in-a-year event.

In her entire life at the Roswaal mansion, the only times she had ever witnessed Beatrice step out of that sealed room were either the extremely rare occasions when she came to meet Puck, or the chaotic moments when Subaru had somehow managed to trick, drag, or shove her outside with his weird antics.

So seeing the spirit walking towards her voluntarily, with purpose, was nothing short of shocking.

“Say, Maid… where is that boy?! Why is he making Beatrice wait like this, I suppose?!”

Beatrice snapped sharply, her voice filled with annoyance, frustration, and clear worry all at once.

She was very obviously at the end of her patience.

Rem blinked, trying to gather her composure.

“Lady Beatrice, may I enquir—”

But she didn’t even get to finish her sentence.

“Natsuki Subaru! Tell me immediately, blue-haired oni—where the hell is Beatrice’s Subaru, I suppose?!” she cut her off with a raised voice, her irritation spiking as she practically stomped her little foot.

Rem stood completely stunned at Beatrice’s declaration, her mind momentarily blank as she processed the spirit’s tone and, more importantly, the possessive phrasing that came out of her mouth.

“Answer me! Where is MY SUBARU!” Beatrice screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.

A violent gust of wind burst out from around her small body, smashing straight toward Rem and forcing the maid to stumble several steps backward.

The sudden blast knocked Rem out of her daze, snapping her mind back to the present situation.

“L–Lady Beatrice…” Rem hesitated, visibly conflicted.

She opened her mouth, closed it again, then finally forced herself to speak when she saw the raw desperation twisting Beatrice’s expression.

The spirit’s eyes were trembling, overflowing with anxiety and fear, and Rem knew she couldn’t stay silent.

With a heavy breath, Rem answered, “Subaru-kun… has already left the Roswaal mansion. He resigned from his position as a mansion butler about a week ago, and… and he left this place. He left this place forever.”

The moment those words reached her, Beatrice froze as if her entire existence had stopped functioning.

Her body stiffened, her eyes widened, and for a few long seconds she couldn’t even breathe.

She simply stood there, paralyzed, trying to process the impossible reality—Subaru, her Subaru, her that person, the one she had waited four centuries for… had left the mansion.

He had left her.

“No,” she whispered, barely audible.

Then louder, “No! No! No! No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO! IT CANNOT BE!”

She screamed until her voice cracked, grabbing her head with both hands as tears streamed violently down her cheeks.

The mana inside her surged uncontrollably, swirling around her in a violent storm.

Winds whipped through the hallway; windows cracked loudly under the pressure.

The air itself became unstable, trembling like the mansion was on the verge of collapsing.

Furniture rattled, the floor vibrated, and the entire corridor felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

Rem, realizing the building itself might be destroyed if Beatrice’s rampaging mana went any further, quickly shouted over the roaring wind, “Lady Beatrice! It wasn’t Subaru-kun’s fault! Please listen—it was Lady Emilia’s fault!”

Those words cut through the chaos like a desperate lifeline.

Rem didn’t know why Lady Beatrice was acting with such overwhelming emotion, nor did she understand what exact kind of relationship existed between the spirit and Subaru.

However, even with her limited knowledge, Rem could clearly grasp one undeniable truth—Beatrice cared for Subaru deeply.

The desperation twisting her small face, the trembling of her voice, the way her eyes clung to the very name Natsuki Subaru… all of it proved that Subaru wasn’t just some visitor or random human to her.

He was someone extremely important, someone precious.

Beatrice’s wild mana slowly settled, her breathing steadied, and the storm around her gradually died down.

But what replaced the chaos was far more terrifying.

Her expression hardened into the coldest, most serious look she had ever worn in her entire long life.

Her eyes were blazing, practically boiling over with rage and fierce determination.

When she spoke, her voice was low and sharp, filled with authority.

“Tell me about it… EVERYTHING.”

There was no room for argument.

Her tone made it absolutely clear that if Rem dared to withhold even a single detail, Beatrice wouldn’t hesitate to take extreme measures—up to and including torture—if that’s what it took to get the truth.

Rem didn’t fully understand why the situation had escalated so intensely, but the danger in Beatrice’s voice was unmistakable.

So Rem, swallowing nervously, told her everything she knew.

She truthfully recounted the entire sequence of events, from start to finish.

She explained how Subaru had humiliated himself in the Royal Capital, throwing away his dignity in a desperate attempt to protect Emilia’s reputation.

She described how Emilia denied that Subaru was her knight, even though he declared it with his whole heart.

She told Beatrice about the duel with Julius, how Subaru was brutally beaten and mocked in front of everyone.

And then she added how, despite all of his efforts and desperation, Emilia still rejected him and showed no appreciation for everything he had done for her.

How he somehow knew in advance that the Witch Cult was going to attack Arlam Village, how he went around desperately reaching out to three of the Royal Candidates, trying to offer everything he had—his time, his effort, his loyalty, even his very life—begging them in any way he could for help.

How each of them, despite hearing his pleas, ended up abandoning him, rejecting him outright, and coldly throwing him out without giving him even the slightest chance to explain himself properly.

And how, after being treated that horribly, he somehow obtained a mysterious and completely unexplained power.

Then came the part where they departed for Arlam Village and were suddenly attacked by the White Whale.

Rem still could not understand how Subaru managed to kill such a massive and terrifying threat with a single snap of his fingers.

There was no ripple of mana, no flow of magical energy, nothing to indicate the use of any known spell or ability.

It was as if the White Whale had been destroyed by pure force alone, something that logically should not have been possible.

When Beatrice heard all of this, her thoughts immediately jumped to a single conclusion: 'Witch Factor! Subaru must be some kind of warlock or bearer of a Sin Authority.'

She understood better than anyone that only the Sin Authorities derived from the Witch Factors possessed enough unreasonable, overwhelming, and impossible power to annihilate a creature like the White Whale instantly, without using mana, magic, or any visible technique—only the user’s will and authority over that power.

As she reflected on all of it, Beatrice became even more convinced that Natsuki Subaru was undoubtedly her “That person.”

Before, a lingering doubt had always troubled her: why would her destined companion even be human?

Humans did not live as long as spirits like herself, and somewhere deep in her mind, a small, persistent fear had whispered that he would eventually die of old age, leaving her once again utterly alone after having waited centuries for someone like him.

She had always tried to push these thoughts aside, attempting to focus solely on the happiness and hope that surged within her heart at the thought of finally meeting him.

But now, upon learning that Subaru possessed a Witch Factor, that lingering fear of his mortality and weakness seemed to vanish.

She felt a renewed certainty that he was more than capable of being her perfect companion, someone truly worthy to walk alongside her, someone who could match her in power and spirit.

As Beatrice continued to listen intently to Rem’s narration of how Subaru had saved Arlam Village from the Sin Archbishop of Sloth and the other members of the Witch Cult, a strange sense of familiarity struck her mind.

She knew exactly who the Sin Archbishop of Sloth was and even recalled having known him personally before he had fallen into madness and corruption.

For a fleeting moment, a pang of sorrow touched her heart at the thought of the fallen man she had once known, but that brief sadness was quickly overshadowed by pride and admiration for her future contractor’s incredible achievements.

Finally, as Rem recounted the reasons behind Subaru’s departure—how he had been treated unfairly, neglected, and rejected despite his earnest efforts, and how Emilia’s actions had forced him to leave—the emotions inside Beatrice transformed into pure, searing rage.

Her entire being trembled with fury on hearing how unjustly he had been treated, and she clenched her fists tightly, her eyes burning with a fierce, protective anger that only grew stronger with every word.

‘How dare she… HOW DARE SHE TRY TO SEPARATE BETTY’S CONTRACTOR FROM HER!’ Beatrice’s thoughts roared with uncontrollable rage, her entire being trembling as Rem finished recounting the story.

Every word felt like fuel to the fire of fury that surged inside her, her hands clenching tightly as if she could crush the world with her anger.

“Oni,” Beatrice called out, her voice sharper and colder than it had ever been in her entire life, “Where is that… that fucking half-elf, I SUPPOSE?!”

The sheer intensity of her tone made Rem shudder involuntarily, a chill running down her spine, but she knew better than to hide the truth from her enraged mistress.

Trembling, Rem quickly informed Beatrice that Emilia was likely in her own room.

Beatrice’s eyes blazed as she said firmly, “Move from my path, Oni… NOW!”

Without hesitation, Rem scrambled to the side, bowing quickly to avoid the destructive force radiating from Beatrice, as the wind began to swirl violently around the old spirit.

The air itself seemed to obey her fury, whipping through the halls and tearing at anything that dared to stand in her way.

Of course, expecting a 400-year-old introvert who had never set foot outside her library to know exactly where Emilia’s room was would have been laughable.

Beatrice herself knew this, and so she settled for the second best course of action, relying on sheer force rather than precision.

With a furious chant of wind magic, she blasted open every window in her path, sending shards of glass flying like deadly rain.

As she advanced, each wooden door she encountered became her next target.

With every swing of her magic, the wooden gates shattered into countless splinters, utterly destroyed and reduced to nothing more than debris on the floor.

At each door, she paused only briefly to glance inside, her sharp eyes scanning every room for the silver-haired half-elf, before moving forward relentlessly, her wrath propelling her toward her ultimate goal.

Rem was completely frozen in place, her eyes wide as she watched Beatrice advance through the mansion, decimating room after room with frightening precision and overwhelming power.

With every step, the ancient spirit tore through walls, doors, and windows alike, leaving destruction in her wake.

For a fleeting moment, Rem wondered if she should intervene, if she could even stop Beatrice in her current state—but the thought of challenging such raw magical force was daunting, if not outright impossible.

Realizing her own limitations, she quickly made a decision and darted through the corridors toward Roswaal’s office.

Only he might have the authority—or power—to stop Beatrice before the entire mansion collapsed.

The mansion itself seemed to shudder under Beatrice’s relentless assault.

The walls groaned, floorboards cracked, and the ceilings threatened to cave in under the violent pressure of the swirling tornado of wind magic that surrounded her.

The very structure of the building strained to contain the immense force, each moment threatening to give way entirely.

The commotion finally drew Emilia out of her room, accompanied by Puck, who hovered protectively by her side.

As her eyes met Beatrice’s, the intensity in them was undeniable, burning with fury and a single-minded determination.

“EL MINYAAAA!” Beatrice’s voice rang out like a thunderclap, devoid of hesitation, doubt, or even questions—only pure, unadulterated attack.

Crystallized stakes of condensed mana spontaneously manifested around her, forming a deadly array that shot toward Emilia at speeds surpassing even the speed of sound, aimed with absolute precision.

In an instant, an ice shield erupted before Emilia, forming a protective barrier that blocked every attack.

Puck, his usual composure shattered by shock and disbelief, shouted desperately, “Have you gone mad, Betty?! Why are you attacking us?!” as he strained to shield Emilia from the relentless magical assault that continued to barrage toward them.

“PUCK! That half-elf has crossed a line she should never have dared to cross! Step aside immediately, or else Betty won’t even hesitate to strike you down as well!” Beatrice’s words cut through the room like a blade, leaving both Emilia and Puck completely stunned.

Even Puck, who had seen countless dangers and magical threats, was left dumbfounded by the intensity in her voice.

What could possibly make Betty willing to attempt to kill Emilia—and even fight against him, her normally loyal brother?!

The very thought was enough to paralyze Puck with disbelief.

“Betty! I don’t know what it is that Emilia has done to anger you so much, but please—if you just tell me, I can make amends! I will do whatever it takes!” Puck pleaded, his voice straining with urgency and desperation as he tried to reach her through the blinding fury she radiated.

Emilia, still shaken by the sheer force of Beatrice’s magical assault, finally snapped out of her initial shock.

Her voice quivered as she called out, “Yes! Please! I will even apologize! Tell me what I’ve done wrong! Please, just tell me!”

Her tone was desperate, laced with fear and confusion.

She couldn’t understand why Beatrice looked at her with such unrelenting hatred, why those eyes—cold, sharp, and filled with a merciless glare—pierced through her very soul.

It was a hatred so deep, so absolute, that it reminded her painfully of the prejudice she had faced all her life.

It was the same kind of disdain that people had for her simply because she was a silver-haired half-elf, a living reminder of the Witch of Envy.

The weight of that recognition, combined with the imminent threat from Beatrice, made Emilia’s heart pound with terror and helplessness.

“Apologize?! Does this stupid girl seriously think an apology is going to fix any of this?!” Beatrice screamed, her voice cracking with fury as the wind around her whipped into a violent spiral.

The air hissed, reacting to every ounce of rage pouring out of her tiny frame.

“Betty waited for four hundred years… four entire centuries of nothing but loneliness,” she shouted, her emotions overflowing as memories she never wanted to revisit slammed into her mind.

“Four hundred years spent guarding that stupid library, trapped in that room, day after day, year after year, century after century. Betty endured all of it—all of it—just for him. Just for that one person who was supposed to appear.”

Her hands trembled, but her voice only grew louder.

“And when he finally came… when he finally appeared in front of Betty… when he finally became someone within Betty’s reach, someone she could actually talk to, someone she could rely on—when he finally became the one Betty had waited for so long…”

She choked on her breath, then forced the words out with burning intensity.

“I lost him. I LOST HIM. I LOST MY SUBARU!”

Beatrice’s gaze snapped toward Emilia with such venomous hatred that the temperature in the hallway seemed to drop.

“Because of you,” she spat, every syllable dripping with accusation and disgust.

“Because of YOU, my Subaru left me! Because of YOU, he abandoned me! Because of YOU, he walked out of the mansion, out of my life, and out of the place where Betty finally—FINALLY—thought she had a reason to exist again!” Her voice cracked, not out of weakness but because the fury inside her was too strong for her small body to contain.

“You destroyed the meaning of Betty’s life… you shattered it without even realizing what you were doing,” she growled, her eyes glowing with murderous intent.

“And for that… I SHALL TAKE YOUR LIFE!”

The threat wasn’t symbolic or exaggerated.

She meant every single word.

Emilia stood frozen, unable to even breathe properly as Beatrice’s killing intent pressed down on her like a physical force.

Her heart pounded, her throat tightened, and for a moment she genuinely believed she might die right there—because the look in Beatrice’s eyes made it clear that she was prepared to follow through.

As Emilia stood there, bearing the full weight of Beatrice’s accusations, she struggled to comprehend the enormity of what was being conveyed.

She didn’t yet fully understand the entire story behind Beatrice’s rage, the depth of her pain, or the unimaginable lengths she had endured.

She didn’t yet grasp how Beatrice had waited, alone and unyielding, in that lonely, dusty library for four entire centuries, watching time pass by with nothing but her hope sustaining her.

She had been waiting, patient yet desperate, for that person—the one she had devoted her existence to—and yet, she had lost him, not because he was unworthy, not because he failed, but simply because he had been denied by those he had fought for, by those he had tried to help, by those whose injustices he had stood against, and whose cruelty he had endured on their behalf.

He had given everything he could—his life, his honor, his effort—and in return, he received only betrayal, abandonment, and rejection.

Although Emilia still lacked the full scope of the situation, she could feel, even in fragments, the overwhelming grief that Beatrice had endured.

She could feel the raw intensity of Subaru’s absence, the echo of loss reverberating through the air as she was told, painfully, that her actions—or even her mere existence—had contributed to taking away the only source of meaning in another being’s life.

From the moment she had been told that her only “worth” seemed to lie in manipulating Subaru into siding with her, to realizing that her decisions had inadvertently destroyed the purpose and hope that someone else had clung to for centuries, Emilia’s heart sank.

For the first time, she truly felt the weight of the pain that her choices had inflicted—not only the suffering she had caused others directly, but the immense consequences of her inaction, of her self-serving sloth, and of the blind pursuit of her own goals without regard for those around her.

Emilia felt the profound ache of guilt, the sharp sting of remorse, and the chilling realization that her decisions had, in fact, caused unbearable suffering for someone who had devoted their entire life to one person—someone she had failed to understand.

“~My, my… what an amuuuusssing scene we have here,” a familiar, sing-song tone echoed through the room, sending a chill down the spines of those present, as Roswaal stepped forward with his usual theatrical flair, flanked closely by Rem and Ram.

“Are you here to stop me, clown?!” Beatrice snapped, her eyes blazing with unrestrained fury, her entire body radiating overwhelming mana.

Around her, jagged, purple crystallized stakes of mana manifested and hovered, all aimed directly at Roswaal, each one pulsating with deadly intent.

“Noooooo, Lady Beatrice,” Roswaal replied, his voice dropping into a more serious tone than usual, the playful lilt replaced with gravity.

“Lady Emilia has already recognized the depth of her mistake in… abandoning Natsuki Subaru, and we have been tirelessly working to locate him, to bring him back into her camp, and to ensure his safety and cooperation.”

“And if you wish,” Roswaal added with a slight, calculated bow, “you may also join us in our search for his whereabouts, Lady Beatrice, so that you may witness the reunion firsthand.”

Before he could finish, one of the purple mana stakes streaked past his ear with terrifying speed, slicing through the wall of the room behind him, leaving jagged splinters in its wake.

“Do you take Betty for a fool?! Do you honestly think I do not know that you are trying to manipulate me, to use me for your own gains?!” Beatrice shouted, her voice crackling with pure rage and power, each word sharp as a blade.

Roswaal merely gave a wry, knowing smile, his eyes glinting with amusement and something unreadable, as though he relished the spectacle unfolding before him, fully aware of the storm he was facing yet entirely unshaken.

“Lady Beatrice, my desire to have Natsuki Subaru return is no less than your own longing for him,” Roswaal said calmly, his tone measured, yet carrying the weight of his words.

He then added, “Not to mention, with the combination of my extensive resources and your unparalleled abilities, locating him will undoubtedly become much more efficient and far easier than if you were to attempt it alone. Furthermore, I sincerely hope you will spare Lady Emilia. No matter how insolent she has been, Natsuki Subaru still loved her… and even if he left because of her actions, no one can predict how he would react if he were to hear that she has died.”

Beatrice’s eyes narrowed, her teeth gritted in anger, before she finally dispelled the swirling purple stakes of magic that had hovered menacingly around her.

Her gaze shifted sharply to the side, glancing at Emilia from the corner of her eyes with venomous intent.

“Half-elf, never show your face to me again unless you wish to face death… and as for you, Roswaal…” she said, turning her attention fully to the flamboyant clown standing before her.

“Betty will consider your offer carefully, I suppose,” she stated firmly, her voice cold and unwavering, before spinning on her heel and striding back toward her library.

She understood that finding Subaru with Roswaal’s considerable political influence would be far simpler than attempting it entirely on her own.

Yet, she was determined to consult her Tome of Wisdom first; it may very well hold crucial clues about Subaru’s current location, and she needed certainty before making a final decision.

As she departed, Roswaal let out a soft, thoughtful sigh, his gaze shifting to Emilia, who was collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face, guilt etched deeply into her expression.

Puck hovered nearby, desperately attempting to console her, yet struggling against the overwhelming weight of her remorse and grief.

“What a hassle,” Roswaal muttered, clicking his tongue in mild annoyance.

His eyes swept over the mess surrounding him, finally resting on the two maids.

“Rem, Ram, I want both of you to clean up every single broken item, assess the damage carefully, and make a full report. We will definitely need to replace quite a lot of things after this little… incident.”

“As you order, Roswaal-sama,” they said in perfect unison, bowing deeply as they acknowledged his command.

Meanwhile, far away in the quiet of her library, Beatrice’s lips curved into a triumphant grin as she read the latest directive revealed by the Tome of Wisdom.

[Natsuki Subaru is currently located in the city of Banan, in the region of Kararagi.]

The words made her heart leap with excitement.

“Finally… Betty can reunite with her contractor… and she won’t have to rely on that manipulative, scheming clown’s help for a thing,” she muttered to herself, her mind already racing through the steps she needed to take.

Determined, she decided that she would sneak away later and travel directly to Subaru.

However, before she could rush off impulsively, she needed to carefully prepare for her journey.

Supplies, magical protections, travel routes—everything had to be planned meticulously.

First, she needed to recall exactly where the city of Banan was located within the vast expanse of Od Laguna… and then plan the safest and quickest path to reach her long-awaited contractor.

To be continued...