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Chapter Text

It was a dark and gloomy night in the second city of Banan. In a small house on the outskirts of the large city laid an elderly sick women surrounded by her friends and family.

This was none other than Natsuki Rem awaiting the ice cold grip of death. After her husband had died from natural causes a few years ago, she no longer had the will to live on, all her strength had withered and she no longer wanted to live in this world,a world without him was a world not worth living in anymore, she had wished to die before him for this reason but it seems fate was much crueler to her unfortunately.

The only thing keeping her going was her dear children and grandchildren but even that had it limits as she now laid on her bed,her once sky blue hair devoid of all color and her skin turning pale and disheveled.

It had been 70 years since that faithful day,the day they decided to run away and leave it all behind. The day she failed to save her dear sister,leaving her behind to her demise, the death of her sister stayed with her for years,that was just something she would never be able to forgive herself for. Her one selfish desire was for when they meet again in the afterlife that she could find it in her heart to forgive her for being such a terrible sister,that’s all she wanted.

But even with this unforgivable act she committed, she had lived a great life, she laughed, she cried, she found love and a family with the one and only man she held closest to her heart. She made many amazing memories that will be carved upon her soul for eternity, and no one would be able to take those away from her.

Before she could close her eyes one final time she felt someone grip her hand. Looking up she saw her daughter with teary eyes, with halibel, Rigel and Zarestia behind her.

“It’s going to be ok mom…you will soon meet dad again…”

Holding her hand back with her remaining strength all Rem could do was give a weary smile, and with that finally her eyes closed and the remaining fire within her body went out, Natsuki Rem had died.

***

“Rem it’s time to wake up” a voice called out to her.

“Rem” the voice called out again.

Hearing the voice call out to her she slowly began to open her eyes.

“Where am I?” Looking up at the ceiling, Rem was confused.

“Did I die?” Rem was sure a minute ago she died but this did not feel like death at all.

“Rem what are you mumbling about,it’s time to get up”

Turning her head to where the voice was calling to her, her eyes widened in shock, in that moment blue eyes met with ruby eyes.

“Huh…”

“It can’t be…it’s impossible…” her voice began to shake at what she was seeing or rather who she was seeing.

“What are you talking about sissy, you really overslept last night, but Roswaal-sama is calling for us”

Was this a dream? This can’t be real right? In front of her was a young maid, with pink hair and sharp ruby like eyes,as they looked at her with care. This was none other than Ram, her older sister,that had died all those years ago, Was this the afterlife?

Putting her hand up, Rem cupped her sisters cheek with her hand as she looked at her with her light blue eyes.

“Is this real, is that really you sissy?” Rem said with a shaky voice,her mind in complete overdrive,unable to process what she was seeing.

Confused a bit, Ram held Rem’s hand to her face and smiled, “well of course, I’m Rems one and only Nee-sama”

Hearing this, and feeling the warmth of her touch, Rem knew this couldn’t be a dream, or the afterlife,this was real. Her light blue eyes began to water, as tears streamed down her face onto the bedsheets below,staining them.

Seeing her sister cry, Ram began to worry, “Rem are you okay, what’s wrong?”

In an instant, Rem leaped out of bed, jumping onto Ram as they hit the floor, Rem rubbing her teary eyes into her maid uniform.

“Nee-sama, Nee-sama!” Rem cried her heart out, rubbing her face into Ram,taking in her warmth,her touch,she wept, and she wept,not knowing if she would wake up any time soon, as she held her close,scared that if she let go she would disappear never to be seen again.

Confused by her sisters sudden behaviour Ram simply put her hand on Rems light blue hair as she ran her fingers through it, trying to calm her down.

“There there Rem, everything will be alright,your Nee-sama is right here” Ram held her close in a tight embrace, as she continued to stroke her head with care.

“Nee-sama, I’m so, so sorry, please forgive this terrible sister of yours”

“It’s going to be okay Rem, everything will be alright” she reassured her, letting Rems tears stain her maid uniform as they stayed in that embrace on the floor for what felt like hours.

Unable to cry anymore Rem wiped her face, as she got up from the floor, with Ram getting up as well.

Still a bit worried by how Rem was acting, Ram looked at her with concern.

“Rem if your not feeling well, I can always tell Roswaal-sama that you need to rest in some more” Ram asked, but Rem simply shook her head.

“No it’s alright Nee-sama, I’ll be fine, I just need a minute”

“Oh alright sissy, I’ll be outside the door waiting for you when you’re ready” saying this Ram exited the room door,closing it behind her, leaving Rem all alone with her thoughts.

Standing there in silence for a while, she took in a deep breath in,Rem gave her brain a second to rest before taking in the situation. Looking around, she was in a small room, with a single bed, this looked like her old room she use to have.

Going over to the nearby mirror, Rems eyes widened in shock. In the reflection she could not believe what she was seeing, her skin that was once pale and disheveled, was clear and soft to the touch, her eyes that were once devoid of all life,glowed brightly back at her,and her once ruff grey hair held its original blue color,and was silky.

looking into the mirror was not an old women on her death bed but rather a girl in her youth.

“But how” Rem could not believe what was going on, a few minutes ago she was about to die but for some reason right now she was in her youth again, and strangely enough her sister was still alive as well.

If she didn’t know any better, it was as if she went back in time, not only was she in her youth again,but she was in her original room at the Roswaal manor. But that was ridiculous, going back in time is underheard of, something like that didn’t exist, no power in the world was capable of doing that.

She lightly pinched herself to see if she was in an illusion of sorts but she felt it, meaning what she was seeing must have been real.

“Well…I’ll see where this goes then”

Going over to her wardrobe Rem took out her maid uniform,taking off her light blue night gown she adorned as she put her uniform on. Looking back in the mirror, Rem got a strange feeling of dejavu, it had been decades since she wore her old uniform.

After she was done putting it on,she went over to the door and exited, with Ram waiting outside for her.

“You ready to go now sissy?” Ram asked,as Rem simply nodded.

And with that, they both walked down the manors hallways, Rem looking around, taking in everything, it seems this was the Roswaal manor.

Following her sister,they eventually reached a certain room, as Ram knocked on the door. “Roswaal-sama may we enter?”

“You may come in~” hearing the voice from the other side of the door, Ram opened the door as they both walked inside.

As they entered Rem saw, a man, with strange attire,face paint with a cunning smile on his face, this was none other than her former master.

“I brought Rem as you requested Roswaal-sama, is there anything you need?”

Roswaal smiled, “yes, Emilia-sama brought in a guest, he’s sleeping in the room 3 doors down, so I need you two to go greet him for me”

Rems heart jumped hearing this, he couldn’t mean who she thinks he’s referring to right?

“As you wish Roswaal-sama” Ram bowed her head as she left the room, Rem following behind her again.

Walking down the halls once again, Rems heart was now beating faster and faster as they got closer to the room,Emilia never brought in any guests before due to the way she looked, there was only one guest however that Emilia brought in. Thinking about who it potentially was Rem couldn’t help but put her hand up to her heart, as she tried to calm herself down,her breathing getting more unstable and erratic as they got closer.

Feeling the strong,almost overwhelming surge of emotions through their connection Ram looked back at her sister, “Rem is everything alright?”

Rem nodded, “yes Nee-sama I’m fine, Im just curious on who the guest is…”

Ram scoffed,“Don’t get too excited, it’s probably some lowlife trying to get close with Emilia-sama for their personal gain.”

Getting closer to the guest room, Rems heart beat faster and faster, and soon enough they were at the front door.

Opening the door, Ram entered first with Rem following behind. As they entered, Rem’s eyes bolted to the man laying in bed,shuffling around in his sleep.

“It can’t be…” her eyes locked onto the man, his spiky black hair standing up,his sharp eyes that she adored so much, his delicate adorable face that looked so peaceful while sleeping, it was none other than her husband Natsuki Subaru,her beloved Subaru, that had passed all those years ago,now in his youth again.

Her heart almost burst from her chest seeing him again,she couldn’t say anything when she saw him. Seeing her sister’s stunned expression Ram wanted to say something to her sister but decided not to, but instead turn her attention to the guest who she saw was begging to wake up from his slumber.

Slowly opening his eyes, he looked up at the ceiling.

“I know that ceiling” he mumbled

“Rem, he’s awakened”

Sitting up out of bed, Subaru’s eyes turned to look at where that voice came from, and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw, he saw two maids, but one maid in particular caught his eye,her beautiful blue eyes shimmering at him,her light blue hair swaying,her face that he loved so much, it was his Rem, his wife.

Seeing the man stare at her sister, Ram looked at him with disgust, “Be careful Rem, he’s defiling you with his mind”

Rem didn’t respond to that, all she could do was look at the person in front of her, her lips trembling, her heart pounding in her throat, she looked at him with longing, this was the first time she’s seen his face in years after he passed, her Subaru was right there in front of her and she could not believe it.

She stood there silent for a minute, Ram looking over to her, “Rem?”

Subaru’s eyes were also glued on her when he saw her, he wasn’t imagining things right? His Rem was right in front of him, his Rem!

Slowly Rem began to walk towards the bed, her eyes locked on him, her heart pounding faster, unable to control herself anymore she leaped onto the bed landing on him.

“Rem!” Ram bolted in shock seeing Rem leap onto the guest all of a sudden out of nowhere.

“Subaru-kun, Subaru-kun!” Just like with Ram earlier, Rem rubbed her face into his clothes,damping them in the process.

Subaru also began to cry as he held Rem back in a tight embrace, “Rem,Rem!” He cried her name like she did with him, holding her to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Subaru didn’t know how or why it seemed like Rem remembered him somehow but he did not care right now, all he wanted was to hold the love of his life in his arms.

After they finished crying, Rem put her arms around his neck and leaned in close to him, her pink lips inches from his,seeing what she was doing,he also leaned in, and just like that their lips touched in a tender kiss, a kiss between husband and wife.

They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity,unmoving, Subaru taking in the scent of her hair, moving his hands up and down her body, to make sure it was real, Rem doing the same.

Eventually they separated, both of them looking at each other with love in their eyes, Subaru reaching out to cup her face with his hand, “is it really you, my Rem?”

She nodded, as she held his hand to her face as she began to cry, “yes, Its me, your Rem”

“My Rem?”

“Yes” she nodded again smiling happily at her husband.

“My Rem, my Rem!” He hugged her close again,unable to stop his tears.After sometime, he rubbed his eyes from the tears and looked at her lovingly, like he’s been waiting forever to do this.

“I love you Rem”

“I love you too Subaru-kun”

Pinching her chin to make her look up at him, he leaned in again, capturing her lips for himself, their tongues entangling with each other, Subaru holding onto her waist as she put her arms around his neck as they kissed passionately.

After they separated, they just laid there in silence as they embraced not wanted to let go of the other.

unaware of their surroundings a certain pink haired maid was watching, her jaw almost hitting the floor at the sight.

“What the hell is going on!!!??!”

Chapter Text

Ram's mind was currently in a haze; thousands of thoughts were spiralling around all at once. Seeing the sight before her, she could not comprehend what was going on; it was as if time had stopped and everything was moving in slow motion, as her blood ran cold and her jaw nearly hit the floor in complete shock.

As the sight before her was something she would never have predicted in her wildest dreams, or rather her worst nightmares, she watched as her beloved sister, her precious little sister whom she wanted to protect from the world at all costs, out of nowhere sprang onto the estranged guest and started making out with him out of the blue, a random man and a stranger at that.

This had to be some kind of sick joke, right? A ruse or an illusion that was meant to trick and deceive her from reality—that had to be the only explanation for what she was seeing. There was no way this was real; she didn’t believe it. No, she won’t believe it.

Her eyes contorted in anger, clenching her teeth and grabbing the hem of her uniform until it ruffled.

“What the hell is going on!!!???” Ram roared.

Cuddling up next to Subaru, hearing her sister’s bellowing screech snapped her back to reality as she turned to face her, her menacing aura permeating throughout the room, and her murderous glare directed at Subaru.

That’s not good. Rems heart almost stopped as she realized what she had just done. She was so overcome with emotion and couldn’t control herself that she wasn’t thinking straight and now gained the wrath of her protective older sister. Looking back at Subaru, Rem saw how worried he was.

Ram then began to walk towards them, wind spiralling around her like a ferocious tornado, but before she could get any closer, Rem jumped in front of her and put her arms out to protect Subaru.

“Nee-sama, please don’t hurt him!”

“And why shouldn’t I, a random man shows up out of the blue, kisses you, and claims your “his rem” that’s unforgivable” Her sapphire eyes with murderous intent glared at Subaru once more, but Rem shook her head.

“I kissed him first, so if you want to blame someone, blame me, but please, I can explain!” She pleaded desperately.

Seeing her sister's puppy-like eyes, Ram begrudgingly calmed herself, lowering her wind magic, taking a deep breath in, and taking a minute to relax her head before speaking up again.

“Alright, I’ll give you a minute to explain yourself, but if I find the explanation to be unsatisfactory, he will be paying for it dearly.”

Subaru began to sweat bullets in the back, gulping nervously, but Rem stood her ground as she tried to come up with an answer. Just what should I say? She needed to think of the best possible answer as to not upset her already angry sister even more, but she didn’t know what. If she told her he was her husband, she wouldn’t take her seriously, but if she told her he was a random stranger, he’d also be in deep trouble; it was a lose-lose situation.

“Well, I’m waiting,” Ram said while crossing her arms and tapping her foot as she got more impatient by the second.

Rem also began to sweat as she tried to find the best explanation she could muster, and after what felt like an eternity of silence between them, Rem finally spoke up.

“You…can’t hurt him… because he’s not a stranger.”

Ram looked at her confused. “He’s not, then who is he?”

“He’s…he’s…my…” Freezing on the spot, Rem couldn’t come up with anything; she closed her eyes. It seemed all hope was lost.

“I’m her lover.”

“Huh…” opening her eyes again, Rem looked back at who said that; it was Subaru.

Getting up from the bed, Subaru went over to Rem and held her hand with his; looking up at him, he gave her a reassured look.

“Excuse me?” Ram scoffed, “Maybe I’m not hearing correctly, so could you repeat that again for me?”

With the opportunity Subaru gave her, Rem interjected, “Um, yes, exactly, Nee-sama, he’s right, he’s my…lover.” She blushed slightly when professing this.

Though it seems Ram wasn’t buying it at all, as she just stared intensely at Rem, her eyes strong enough to burn a hole through her, staring into her soul, making Rem avert her gaze in embarrassment as Ram sighed.

“Rem, I love you and all, but I find that very hard to believe. You’re always working, and you rarely leave the manor. When would you have the time to find a lover?” she questioned, but Rem shook her head.

“But it’s true, sister, I wanted to keep it a secret… but it seems I have no other choice. When I went out on shopping trips by myself, I met him, and after some time, we eventually fell in love. I’m really sorry I kept this a secret from you, Nee-sama.”

Throwing out her lie, Rem hoped it would be enough to satisfy her sister, but Ram didn’t seem to buy it one bit as she glared at Subaru again. Seeing as her lie might have failed, Rem squeezed Subaru’s hand tightly, preparing for the worst, but seemingly as Ram was about to say something, the doors to the room opened, making everyone turn in that direction behind them.

Walking through the doorway was a silver-haired half-elf, with amethyst-like eyes, wearing a light pink camisole dress with thin white stockings; this was none other than Emilia.

“Oh Subaru, you’re finally awake,” she said with a smile as she entered the room.

When Subaru’s eyes locked with Emilia, all he could do was stare, it had been decades since he’s seen her face, so he didn’t know what to think, after all the last time they talked was when they had their falling out with each other, seeing her again made all those bad memories flood back in all at once which hurt him dearly.

Seeing Subaru stare at Emilia so intensely, Rem pouted at first, but when she saw his saddened expression, her eyes softened as she squeezed his hand, making him snap out of his trance-like state.

“Oh, good morning, Emilia…” Realizing he was staring at her, Subaru averted his gaze.

Seeing Subaru avert his gaze from her, Emilia looked somewhat concerned. Going up to him, she looked him up and down. “Subaru, are you feeling alright? Does anything feel off?”

Subaru looked at her confused. “Why do you ask?”

“The other day you rushed in to save me, and you ended up getting badly hurt in the process, don’t you remember?”

Oh yeah, that was right. It had been years since this had happened, but he vaguely remembers fighting Elsa at the loot house and getting injured. That’s the whole reason why he was here in the first place, as Emilia brought him in to recover.

Seeing her worried expression, Subaru smiled.

“Huh? “Oh, I’m just a bit groggy from oversleeping, that’s all; it’s nothing to worry about. Thank you again for saving me,” Subaru said as he bowed his head slightly.

Hearing this, Emilia sighed in relief. “That’s good to hear. I’m sorry that you got caught up in that mess, and I should be the one thanking you. You didn’t even know me, yet you risked your life to save me; it’s only natural I heal your wounds afterward.” She smiled brightly.

Stepping up, Ram walked in front of Emilia. “My apologies, Emilia-sama, but it seems your efforts will be in vain, as I’ll have to pummel him again.”

“Huh, for what, Ram?” Emilia asked, concerned, but Ram didn’t respond as she was gearing up to pummel the life out of Subaru, but Rem had had enough, her brow twitching in annoyance.

“Emilia-sama, can you please take my sister for me and inform Roswaal-sama that we’ll soon be with him? I need to have a chat with Subaru alone.”

Emilia tilted her head in confusion. “Rem, I didn’t know you knew Subaru—”

Rem cut her off. “We can talk about this later, but for now please take my sister; we will be out soon.”

Ram, of course, was not having any of this, “But Rem, I—”

Before she could say anything else, Emilia put her hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Ram, let’s go tell Roswaal that Subaru is awake.”

“But…” Ram wanted to protest, but seeing her sister’s look of annoyance, she begrudgingly followed Emilia out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Now with the outside world cut off, Subaru and Rem were left alone with their thoughts. Turning around, Rem went over to Subaru and embraced him in a tight hug, maybe a bit too tight, as Subaru began to feel it.

“Wait, Rem, don’t you think you’re squeezing me too tight!?”

“I’ve missed you so much…” She mumbled as she rubbed her face in his chest. She then clenched his shirt tightly. “How could you…” She looked up at him with teary eyes.

“How could you leave me like that? I was so alone for many years, so alone without you…”

She cried, but Subaru ran his fingers through her blue hair. “I’m sorry, Rem; you know I wouldn’t leave you if I could…”

They stared there for a minute in silence, Subaru embracing her back as he continued to stroke her hair, holding her until she stopped crying.

After she finished crying, she separated from Subaru and looked at him; just like her, he was also young again. Taking a second to make sure her mind was calm and collected, she took in a deep breath before finally speaking up again.

“Subaru, what’s going on? Why are we back here? Not too long ago I was…dying. I thought I had died, but for some reason we’re here and young again.”

“Yes, that is quite strange, even more strange that we can remember each other…” he mumbled that last part.

“Hmm, why is it strange that I can remember you?”

“It’s nothing…”

Subaru, of course, knew why they were young again; it was due to that dreadful curse that had been looming over him ever since he’d arrived in this world: return by death.

But that wasn’t bothering him, though; what bothered him even more was that, for some reason, Rem remembered him now. That had never happened ever with return by death, and even more weird, judging by Ram and Emilia’s reactions, he was sent all the way back to when he first arrived at Roswaal’s manor.

When he died, he would usually get sent back not too far from his original checkpoint, but it seems he was sent back way further than expected. Just what was going on?

Seeing Subaru lost in thought, Rem nudged him again, making him look at her. “If anything, even if we don’t know what’s going on, I’m just glad to be with my husband again; it’s been far too long without feeling your touch,” Rem said as she brought one of Subaru’s hands down to touch her cheek, nuzzling her face in it.

“Yeah, you don’t know how much I’ve missed being near my wife. I can barely stand it, being away from you for too long.”

“Well then, we should probably get going now; I don’t want to worry Emilia-sama and Nee-sama,” Rem said as she reluctantly removed his hand from her cheek.

When Emilia’s name was brought up, Subaru tensed up, which Rem took notice of. “You’re worried about Emilia-sama, aren’t you?” Rem asked, to which Subaru simply nodded.

“Yes… It’s just that, after what I’ve done to her, I don’t think I have the guts to look at her in the face anymore. I mean, how can I?” Subaru said with a downcast expression.

It’s been many decades since he’s spoken with Emilia; the last time they spoke was when they had their argument and eventual falling out with each other. Although Subaru lived a great life, one that he could look back on with joy and pride, the one regret that stuck with him for all these years was not making amends with Emilia and leaving her to her fate.

Walking up to him, Rem cupped his cheeks to make him look at her. “Subaru-kun, I know how you feel about what you did to her, about what we did to her all those years ago. I don’t know how or why we are back here, but don’t you see? You are now given another chance to make things right.”

“Rem…”

“I know it will be… difficult for you, but I believe you can; I just know it.”

Hearing this, Subaru wanted so badly to reject this notion, to say that Emilia would never want to look at him ever again, to say he couldn’t do it, to say it was hopeless, but seeing the determined look on his wife’s face, Subaru eventually gave in.

Sighing Subaru held her hand close to his cheek. “Alright, I’ll try my best…”

Rem’s face beamed with joy. “Ok then, it’s a promise…” Holding out her pinkie finger, she held it in front of him. “Today you will go make amends with Emilia-sama.”

“Yeah, it’s a promise,” Subaru said as he locked his pinkie finger with hers, sealing the deal.

“Great, now let’s get going; we don’t want to keep them waiting.”

With that, they both walked over to the door, ready to leave, but Rem stopped.

“Rem?” Subaru asked confusedly.

“Subaru-kun, also one more thing…”

She turned to him with a pout. “Please make sure to keep your eyes on only your wife from now on, alright?”

Subaru choked a bit. “What do you mean, Rem? Of course I’d only look at you.”

“Rem saw how you were eyeing Emilia-sama earlier in her outfit. I just want to remind you that you have a wife, and she doesn’t take too kindly to that.”

Subaru laughed. “Come on, you know that’s not the reason why I was staring at her. How many years have we been married for, and you’re still jealous?”

“Hmph, just make sure your eyes stay on me,” she stated as she opened the door.

“Ahh, my Rem when she gets jealous is so cute.”

As they walked outside the room, they went down the hallways, down the main corridor until they entered the dining hall, and before them sitting down at the table were Emilia indulging in some treats, Roswaal, who gave him a smile, and Ram, who didn’t look particularly happy, and when her eyes caught onto him as they approached, she shot him a ferocious glare, making him sweat profusely.

‘Mental note: try not to get beat to death by Ram later.’ Subaru thought internally as he sat down at the table while Rem went over to her sister’s side.

“Ahh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Natsuki Subaru-kun. I’m glad to see you’re healing from your wounds just fine.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I really wouldn’t have made it without Emilia’s help, so I thank her.”

Emilia shook her head. “No, like I said, I should be the one thanking you; without your help, I would have been in some real trouble.”

Noticing the way Subaru talked with Emilia, Roswaal smirked, “You really are a strange man.”

Subaru looked at him confused. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s just that, with someone of her high stature, it’s only natural to refer to her as Emilia-sama,” Roswaal said, but Emilia instantly retorted.

“It’s ok, Roswaal; I’m actually fine with just being called Emilia.”

“Oh, and why’s that?” Subaru asked, although of course he already knew why.

“Well, it’s a long story, but to put it simply, Emilia is now one of the running candidates for the throne, as the king of Lugunica is currently missing.”

“Is this true?” Subaru inquired as Emilia simply nodded.

“Yes, it is; I didn’t want to keep it a secret.” Emilia then put her insignia on the table.

When Emilia put the insignia on the table, more memories started coming back to Subaru when he chased down that one girl from the slums to retrieve it back. That insignia basically was the catalyst for a lot of events that had happened in his life in this world, good or bad.

“Hey, it’s that insignia…”

Emilia nodded again. “This qualifies one to be a candidate for king; it’s a touchstone for determining if one is worthy of the throne.”

“Oh, so that insignia must be really important then…”

“It is, which is also why I’m grateful for you getting it back from that thief.”

“So what would happen if you had lost it?” Subaru questioned, to which Roswaal smirked.

“Well, if Emili-sama had lost it, it would have certainly caused some trouble for her during the election; if it’s believed that one who can’t even protect a tiny insignia can’t be entrusted with the nation’s rule, that would be the end of it.”

“That definitely sounds bad indeed…”

“Yes, it would have been; you really saved me there, which is why I think you deserve a reward,” Emilia said with a smile.

“I agree with Emilia-sama; such heroic actions definitely require some reward. You may ask for anything you request; just name your desire.” The margrave suggested.

If Subaru was keeping track, this would have been the third or fourth time he’s been in this exact same scenario and was given this same request; it almost felt somewhat nostalgic when he thought about it. Taking a deep breath, Subaru spoke up.

“Alright, for my wish, I’d like to be hired and work here in this mansion.”

When he said this, the room went silent; however, looking over towards Ram, he could tell she was not happy with this request, not in the slightest, as her face twisted in disgust.

“Oh, is that all? Well, if that’s what you want, then I’ll be happy to grant your request, Ram. Rem, can you please show Subaru to the changing room to get him ready?”

“…As you wish, Roswaal-sama,” Ram said begrudgingly with a bow, trying to hide her obvious disdain in her tone, while Rem also bowed but had a happy smile on her face.

And with that, getting up from the table, Subaru followed behind Ram and Rem as they went off to the changing quarters.

***

“Hmm, no, that’s not right; it’s way too big on you.”

“Yeah, you might be right…”

Observing Subaru Emilia stared at him peculiarly in his new uniform; the sleeves were way too long, and the pants were also really baggy. It more so looked like a toddler trying to wear an adult’s clothing.

Rem giggled, “You look adorable, Subaru-kun.”

Ram just rolled her eyes. “You look ridiculous, Barasu.”

“Uhh, did you just turn my name into a curse?”

Subaru sighed; he had almost forgotten that’s what Ram used to call him. Even across different timelines, this fact of Ram always remained constant.

“So do you have any more in smaller sizes? I don’t think I can work like this.”

“Don’t worry, Subaru-kun, I’ll get you the proper one.”

Going over to the nearby wardrobe, Rem took out another uniform and handed it to him. “Try this one on.”

Putting on the new uniform, it fit perfectly. Seeing Subaru in his butler attire, however, Rem couldn’t help but blush. “You look really handsome in uniform, Subaru-kun.”

“You think so?” He smirked.

“Yes, Rem is a bit worried since other women will want to take you.”

“Heh, well, they could try all they want, but I won’t budge since I only want you, of course.”

Watching the two flirt from the sidelines, Ram had the most disgusted look on her face, feeling as though she threw up in her mouth a little bit. She looked up at the sky sullenly and clasped her hands together like in prayer. “Od, why must you hate Ram so? What have I done in my life that warrants this punishment? I promise I’ll be good from now on if you make Barasu disappear.”

“Are you trying to will me out of existence!?”

“Silence I’m trying to manifest it right now.”

Emilia, of course, didn’t know what was going on but chalked it up to them just having fun as she giggled, “Ram, please don’t tease Subaru too much.”

“Oh, I was being serious, Emilia-sama; unfortunately, it seems Od will not answer my prayer.” Ram sighed in defeat as if her world had been shattered.

“Well, since Subaru-kun is properly dressed, I think Nee-sama should give Subaru-kun a tour around the manor to get him accustomed. Rem has other things to attend to.”

Hearing this, Ram, of course, looked like she didn’t want to at all as she released a deep sigh.

“Fine, but only because I have no other choice.”

Rem smiled. “Great, but can you give us a second?” Taking Subaru by the hand, Rem pulled him over away from Ram and Emilia; with them now away, Rem pulled Subaru down close to her level and whispered into his ear.

“Listen, dear, Rem knows Sister can be difficult, but try to make a good impression on her.”

Taking a glance over towards Ram, Subaru could see how annoyed she was and looked back over to Rem. “Rem, I think we are long past good first impressions…”

“I know, but at least try for me.”

“Alright, I’ll try, but just know I’m sailing into treacherous waters.”

Rem smiled as she stood on her tippy toes and pecked him lightly on the cheek. “Great, now get going. I’ll see you soon.” Saying this, Rem then left the dressing room, leaving Subaru, Ram, and Emilia behind.

“Alright, Barasu, follow me; let’s just get this over with,” gesturing with her hand. Ram also left the room, with Subaru following behind her. “I’ll see you later, Emilia,” Subaru said just before exiting the room door, leaving Emilia behind.

“Okay, see you soon.” Emilia waved him off with a smile.

***

Walking down the hallways with Ram, Subaru kept some distance between them, as he walked slightly behind her, trying not to provoke her even further. Turning down one of the halls, Ram then opened a door. “This is the VIP area; it’s meant for nobles and guests of honour only.” She then went down the hall and opened another door. “And this is the bathroom.”

This went on for a while as Ram went all across the manor showing Subaru every single important area, although he already knew where everything was. He just wasn’t going to say anything to not come off as suspicious to Ram since technically this was now his first time being here.

And with that, Ram walked outside onto the forecourt and turned to face Subaru. “This concludes our tour of the mansion. Any questions?”

“Uh, no, not really, but I got to say—”

“Well, if you have no further questions, you can start with your actual job.” She ignored him as she began to walk off again. “You’ll first be caring for the front yard and the garden, helping prepare lunch, polishing the silver, airing out the futons, doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom.”

As she piled all these tasks onto him, she was about to leave, but Subaru spoke up.

“Wait, Ram, I want to talk with you.” Saying this, Ram stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him.

Seeing Ram's annoyed face, Subaru almost backed down, but gathering up the courage, he finally spoke up again, "… I know we didn’t have the best of introductions, but I hope we can get all…”

Ram scoffed, “And why should I, after you, a stranger, defiled my precious little sister this morning and tainted her mind?”

Ram glared at him, and to be fair she was right to be mad; from her perspective he was a stranger, a random man who came out of nowhere and kissed her sister in front of her. She didn’t know about the previous life he shared with Rem, but even so Subaru stood his ground, and after a minute of silence he spoke up again.

“Ram... I do love your sister, and she loves me. I know this is very sudden for you, but please, if there’s anything that I can do to make you happy, just say it.”

“Oh, you want to know what would make me happy?”

“Yes, anything—just say the word and it will be done.”

She walked up to him and put her finger to his chest. “Okay then, Barasu, I’ll only tell you this once: stay away from my sister. If you can follow that, then I will tolerate your presence. You might claim to be my sister’s ‘lover,’ but I don’t know you, and I don’t trust you. Have I made myself clear?” With those final words, she walked off, leaving Subaru alone in the forecourt.

“I should have expected that…” He sighed, “Well, I better get to work.”
And with that, he got to work, doing everything that was assigned to him, cutting the garden, sweeping the floors, and cleaning the bathroom. He worked and he worked until the sun began to set and stars draped over the sky.

Exhausted from all the work, Subaru tiredly strolled back to his room and slumped down onto the bed with a thud.

“Man, that was exhausting. I haven’t worked so hard in decades.”

The last time Subaru remembered working that hard was when raising Rigel; now that was difficult.

But other than the troubles of fatherhood, Subaru was able to retire at a young age due to his skills as a merchant in Kararagi, so he hasn’t really worked that hard in a while, and maybe it was due to his old mind, but he couldn’t keep up with his young body, which made him more tired than usual.

Looking out the nearby window Subaru saw how dark it had gotten, meaning it must be time to retire for the night.

“I guess I should get ready to sleep then.”

*knock knock knock

“Subaru-kun, are you in there?”

“Yeah, come in.”

Entering the room was Rem; as she closed the door behind her, she said, “So how did your talk with my sister go?”

Subaru sat up from bed. “Well, she still hates my guts, so there’s that. She also said to stay away from you, which I mean, I don’t blame her; to her, I’m just a stranger.”

Almost about to go back to sulking, Subaru felt his head pressed against something soft; he then felt Rem laying her head on top of his while she hugged his head into her chest. “Don’t worry, Subaru-kun, let’s just give Nee-sama some time; I’m sure eventually she’ll accept us.”

“Yeah, I hope you’re right…”

Staying in her embrace relaxed him almost instantly; if there was one thing that would calm him down, it was the loving embrace of his wife. Feeling Subaru relax in her arms, she eventually released him, cupping his cheeks with both of her hands to make him look up at her.

“Even though your talk with Sister didn’t go well, maybe tomorrow will go better, but for now you’ve worked really hard today, so you should get some rest now… and probably change out of those clothes, since they’re really dirty.”

pointing at his tracksuit Subaru looked down and saw how he was covered in dirt; touching the thin layer of his tracksuit, he felt how drenched it was in sweat. “Heh, I guess you’re right.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Rem said as she pecked him lightly on the cheek and left the room.

Getting up from the bed, Subaru went over to the wardrobe to get a new pair of clothing for the night, but when he opened it, nothing was inside. “Oh yeah, I don’t have any extra pairs of clothes yet.”

Subaru sighed, “I guess I’ll just have to sleep without a shirt then.” Taking off his wet tracksuit and soaked shirt, Subaru set them to the side. “I’ll just wash those in the morning.”

About to lie back down in bed, Subaru walked past the standing mirror and stopped. Looking at himself, he saw how muscular and toned his body was, making him shocked. “Huh, I didn’t realize how toned I was until now. Heh, I guess those are the perks of being young again.”

It’s been decades since he’s looked like this, so he was a little bit taken aback by this drastic shift in his body; once he got old, all his strength had withered away along with his body.

Jumping into bed with a relaxed sigh, he looked up at the ceiling and let his mind wander. Even though the day seemed short, so much went on. Not only did he return all the way back to when he first arrived at the mansion, but for some reason Rem still had her memories of him; she was even able to remember how they left Emilia to die. It was strange, to say the least. He wondered if maybe the rules of return by death had changed somehow, at least for Rem, but he didn’t want to test that theory.

His mind then wandered back to Kararagi, about the loved ones he left behind, about Rigel, Spica, Hal, and Tia. He didn’t have time to think about them because of the spiralling surge of emotions he felt this morning, but now that he was calm and collected, thinking about his family and how he might never see them again made his heart ache to no end.

Putting a hand up to his heart, he felt sickened by this: “I’m such a terrible father… for leaving you all behind, I just hope that you're still out there somewhere,” he mumbled as he just stared at the ceiling reminiscing on his past and seeing the faces and smiles of his children.

Eventually he started to feel drowsy, slowly closing his eyes until he heard the door to his room creak open. Looking up to see who it was, it was Rem dressed in her light blue nightgown, the moonlight shining through the nearby window onto her.

Seeing her like that, Subaru couldn’t help but blush at the sight of her; she almost looked ethereal, like a goddess from a fairy tale. She was always beautiful to him, but now she was beyond that.

He wasn’t the only one blushing, however, as when Rem saw the sight of him shirtless with his toned body, she was a blushing mess.

“Subaru-kun… What happened to your shirt?” She said sheepishly,

“Oh…there was nothing for me to wear, so…”

Seeing Subaru's toned and muscular body, all Rem could do was stare as a shiver ran up her back; he was just so handsome, and she had to have him.

Slowly she began to approach the bed. “Uhh…Rem?” Subaru asked, watching her approach him, but she said nothing in response as she climbed onto the bed.

Getting closer to him, she ran her hand all along his abs and chest, feeling his muscular body. “Subaru-kun…” was all she said as she leaned in closer to his face, practically feeling her breath, her pink lips inches away from his until they connected.

As she began to kiss him, she climbed on top of him, her lips still connected to his, and just like with her, he also felt along her body, placing his hands on her hips for support.

Touching all over his body while she kissed him Rem was enjoined this to the fullest, it’s been years since she’s been this close with him, since she’s felt his touch so.

Subaru also was enjoying himself, being so close to his wife in years although something was bothering him making him break away from the kiss, confusing Rem. “What’s wrong, Subaru-kun?”

“Rem, as much as I’d like to continue, what about your sister? Surely she might catch us through your synesthesia.”

Rem shook her head. “Don’t worry about that; I turned off our connection.”

“But what if she checks your room?”

Rem giggled, “Don’t worry about that, Subaru-kun; before coming here I put a pillow underneath my covers so if she checks she will think I’m still there.”

“Heh, I don’t remember marrying such a mischievous woman.”

“Married all these years and you still don’t know me… Now I want you…”

‘Oh well, what can you do?’ Subaru thought internally as he brought his lips back to hers and kissed her again, both of them giggling under the moonlight.

***

“I will be taking my leave now, Roswaal-sama,” Ram said as she bowed her head slightly in front of the margrave.

“Yes, sleep well now, Ram; I will see you in the morning.” Roswaal said with a smile as he closed his door, leaving Ram out in the hallways. Turning around, she then began to walk down the halls towards her room.

As she began her walk, she felt a little bit better after her usual nightly mana infusions, letting out a relaxed sigh. Although her day was nothing but a nightmare, the one thing she could count on to ease her was her treatments.

Thinking back on what transpired today, she got a terrible taste in her mouth. “Tch, hopefully when I go to sleep tonight I’ll wake up from this nightmare,” Ram thought as she continued to walk down the hallways until she reached her room.

Heading over to the door, Ram was about to enter her room, but for some reason she had a terrible feeling. For some unknown reason, she couldn’t sense Rem through their connection anymore. Maybe this was due to her sleeping and shutting it off, but call it sisterly intuition, but something just didn’t feel right to her.

Walking further down the hallways, she then reached Rem's room and opened the door; looking inside, she saw Rem lying under the covers, the sheets over her head. Seeing this, Ram sighed a breath of relief.

“Honestly this girl is such a handful sometimes,” Ram whispered as she slowly closed the door to not accidentally wake up her sister.

With that confirmation, she then went back to her room, entering it and closing the door behind her. Getting changed into her nightly wear, Ram went into her bed ready to sleep.

However, Ram just couldn’t sleep; sitting up in bed and looking through the nearby window at the moon, she just couldn’t wrap her head around something. Although she was mad at that man for kissing her sister, she of course wasn’t stupid or fully blinded by anger to see her sister also returned the kiss, as if she already knew him before.

Yes, Rem said he was her secret lover, but Ram just couldn’t believe that. Not only did she barely leave the manor, but the way she cried over him this morning and acted like they’ve been apart for years was bothering her to no end; something just wasn’t adding up.

Pushing those pestering thoughts to the back of her mind, Ram slowly closed her eyes as she finally drifted off to sleep.