12
“Wait. Are you saying Liliana’s songs had nothing to do with the attempted kidnappings?” Emilia murmured, her eyes wide with astonishment after Subaru told her what had happened.
The plan had ended without a hitch. The goons and their mastermind had been brought back to the manor and were in the middle of a gentle interrogation with Rem and Roswaal.
While waiting for them to finish, Subaru had gone to see Emilia and Liliana to inform the two very nervous girls that the situation was over. After he told them everything in the garden, both girls were relieved to hear that everything had been settled peacefully.
“That really is good news. Subaru, I hope you aren’t hurt? Is Beatrice all right, too?”
“I almost cried when they roughed me up, but I’m keeping strong for you, Emilia-tan. As for Beako, as soon as she got back, she changed clothes and locked herself in her room as per usual.”
“Oh, okay… It’s a little unfortunate since Beatrice looked so cute like that.”
Subaru smirked at Emilia’s disappointment. For Beatrice, the whole ordeal of being a dress-up doll had probably been quite agonizing. As soon as she got back, she took off the costume, hurled it at Subaru, and disappeared into the Archive of Forbidden Books.
“Is that so…?” Liliana murmured docilely after breaking her silence. “That is too bad. I want to thank Lady Beatrice properly.”
Understandably, as somebody who’d been the center of a crime that just got resolved, Liliana had a lot of feelings to process. Especially the part where she’d been a victim of an insidious stalker.
“So that mastermind, Kiritaka—anybody know him? From the look of things, he was quite enamored with you. Maybe he’s got bad eyes.”
“Ignoring the last few words you said—well, yes, I do know him. Before I came here and before I visited Wawer, there was a little merchant town. I think he’s the heir to a famous merchant who lives there.”
“He looked filthy rich to me, so I guess that tracks… So, um, about him stalking you…please tell me you were at least partially aware of that.”
“Well, he loved my songs, and he treated me to some yummy feasts…but I felt like I gave him a satisfying farewell.”
“Don’t tell me you just swindle a rich sap in every town you visit?”
Between the rich old man in Wawer and the perv-merchant heir, he was starting to realize Liliana must be considered a beauty in this world. For Subaru, whose ideal was Emilia, it was a preference that was unfathomable.
Subaru openly stared at her up and down, making Liliana hug her flat chest with her thin arms and say, “Wh-what’re you doing? Stop undressing me with your eyes! What, have you finally realized my allure, now that you’ve seen other people obsess over me? Have you gone mad with love?!”
“There, there. Just happy to see you’re back to your old self. And y’know, it’s never the victim’s fault when they’re stalked, so chin up. And here’s your lyulyre back.”
“Humph! I’m not exactly satisfied by that! Thanks for the lyulyre, though.”
Liliana was still frowning as she took the lyulyre case. But forced cheer was still cheer. Whatever spunk he could get out of her was better than nothing.
“What’s this, Emilia-tan? Why are you gazing upon me with such pretty and gentle eyes?”
“Mmm, no reason? Just thinking that you are about as honest as Beatrice sometimes.”
Emilia giggled into her hand while Subaru cocked his head in confusion.
“Butbutbut, I’m afraid to say that now I am even more in your debt.” Liliana sighed. “Now I’m in no place to ask the master of the house for a hero’s epic. What despair. My hopes are dashed!”
Meanwhile, despite the crisis before her very nose being resolved, Liliana’s jaw dropped in desperation as she took an objective look at the situation she now found herself in. From her perspective, she had caused problem after problem for the residents of Roswaal Manor.
Not even Liliana, a beacon of shamelessness, could bear to be that ungrateful.
But knowing Roswaal’s true intentions, Subaru knew that Liliana’s anxiety was needless. If anything, the chips had fallen in Roswaal’s favor, as now Liliana the bard was very much in his debt and would have to participate in the royal selection.
“Well, I’m sure Roswaal will approach you with the details when the time comes. If anything, he might tackle you with a hug for being in his debt.”
“Huh…? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll learn soon enough.”
Emilia and Liliana were both confused by what Subaru said. Liliana aside, Emilia’s inability to grasp the obscured information really brought her innocence through in an adorable way.
With a little “Now then!” Subaru stood up and looked up at the manor. The interrogation had gone on for about an hour. Surely, they must have gleaned some information.
“I doubt Roswaal will let the stalker and victim have a direct confrontation, but I’d like to get his opinion anyway. Let’s go see him.”
“Oh, um, before we go, could we drop off my instrument and my change of clothes in my room?”
When she heard they were going to where the mastermind was, Liliana asked a favor of him with a grim look on her face. And indeed, the clothes she’d had Beatrice wear and her lyulyre wouldn’t exactly be suitable things to bring to a confrontation.
“Okay, guess we’ll do that first. Emilia-tan, go ahead to the study without me.”
“Understood. I need to make sure the wrongdoers are suitably punished,” sweet and friendly Emilia muttered crossly as she balled her slender hands into fists. Though he found the sight enchanting, he walked Liliana in the opposite direction as Emilia. Instead of going to Roswaal’s study with her, they were headed to the east wing opposite it, where Liliana’s guestroom was.
And then—
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