In The Manor: 02

The dining room was grand, with sunlight spilling through tall windows that made the polished table glisten. Subaru walked in, her red hair still slightly damp from the earlier wind-drying session, and greeted Emilia and Puck, who were already seated and enjoying their morning.

"Morning, guys!" Subaru said cheerfully, plopping down into the chair with the kind of casualness that made Rem visibly twitch from the corner of the room.

Puck, perched lazily on Emilia's shoulder, gave her a toothy grin. "Morning, Hero Girl! Thanks again for helping Lia yesterday. You're quite something, aren't you?

Subaru scratched the back of her head awkwardly, trying to suppress the blush creeping up her cheeks. "Aw, come on. It wasn't a big deal or anything. Just your average day of saving silver-haired beauties from crazy psycho killers, y'know?"

Puck's smile widened, but there was something about it—something dark and subtle, like a shadow barely visible in the corner of one's eye. Subaru blinked, and the feeling was gone. Maybe she was imagining it.

The food was served, and it was as heavenly as ever. Subaru attacked her plate with gusto, shovelling food into her mouth like it was the last meal she'd ever have. Meanwhile, Emilia ate with grace, occasionally glancing at Subaru with amusement.

Between bites, Emilia tilted her head. "Subaru, what do you like to do in the morning?"

Subaru swallowed a massive chunk of toast and smacked her chest as it went down. "Exercise!" she declared, puffing out her chest.

Emilia blinked. "E-exercise? Really?"

"Yup!" Subaru grinned. "Gotta keep this body in tip-top shape, you know? Can't slack off, even in a fantasy world!"

Before Emilia could respond, the doors swung open with a theatrical flourish, and in walked a man wearing an outfit that screamed clown goes to the opera. Bright colours, exaggerated sleeves, and a face painted with mischief. He strolled in like he owned the place—which, as it turned out, he did.

Subaru paused mid-chew, staring at the man with wide eyes. Her mouth, still full of food, muffled her question. "Ish he a butler? Or a jeshter?"

Ram, standing at the corner with a tray in hand, looked like she was ready to combust. "That," she said through gritted teeth, "is Roswaal L. Mathers. The Lord of this Domain, Master of this Manor, and Court Mage."

Subaru froze, her brain finally catching up with her mouth. She swallowed hard—literally and metaphorically—and coughed. "O-oh! Uh, sorry about that, Lord Rosewall—I mean Roswaal—uh…" She trailed off, her face turning redder than her hair.

Roswaal, however, was looking at her like she was a ghost. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then he licked his lips and then wiped his forehead with his napkin that appeared out of nowhere. He then looked at Subaru's face, then at her hair which was shining thanks to the sunlight entering through the window.

His eyes then settled on her torso, then her chest (Subaru instinctively covered her chest with her hands.)

Subaru flinched. Oh no, a pervert. A disgusting,lecherous clown checking her out.

Then to everyone's shock, he took a step forward, leaned closer to her and… sniffed.

That was it. Subaru had enough and with a punch enough to put Saitama in shame, she sent him flying across the room until he hit the wall.

Silence. "Rosewall-sama!" Ram ran but the man quickly stood up, laughing like he was Light Yagami on a cringe comedy anime and dusted himself off.

"Rosewall?" Emilias asked.

Ram glared at Subaru. "How utterly disgusting of a woman you are: to be able to reduce Rosewall-sama to a pervert,"

"Excuse me!" Subaru retorted. "Hewas ghe one who sniffed me like a cringe anime villain!"

"I apooologise for my unexpected behaaaaviour," he finally said.

"You mean lecherous?"

"I simply thought you were someone I saw a long time ago~," He said. "I haaad a hard time believing that you are not heeer. So I inspected if you were real or not~!"

Subaru glared at him. But keeping a bad relationship with her potential benefactor might not be a good idea. So she sighed and said, "It's fine. I forgive you. This time. And sorry about that punch. And the remarks concerning your… looks,"

He simply chuckled, his painted lips curling into an amused smile. "There's no need to apologiiise, dear guest. I am quite used to such... creative interpretations of my attire." His voice had an odd, melodic quality to it, like he was half-singing his words.

Subaru, still flustered, sank deeper into her seat. "Y-yeah, cool. Thanks. Uh, nice to meet you!"

Roswaal joined them at the table, gracefully taking a seat and pouring himself a cup of tea. "The pleasuure is mine. So, tell me, Subaru—what is it you wish to ask of me?"

Subaru blinked, caught off guard. "Eh? Ask of you? What do you mean?"

He smiled knowingly. "You've already done quiiite a bit for Emilia-sama, retrieving her insignia and all. Surely, there's something you desire in return?"

Subaru waved her hands frantically. "Wait, wait, wait. I'm already freeloading here, aren't I? Isn't that enough? Like, seriously, I'm good. No need to give me anything else!"

Roswaal chuckled again, sipping his tea. "Hmmm… You're a curious one. But helping Emilia-sama recover her insignia is no small feat."

Subaru frowned, scratching her red head. "I mean, wasn't it just a... trinket or something?"

The room went silent. Subaru noticed Emilia turning bright pink, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap.

Roswaal tilted his head, his painted face unreadable. "A trinket? My, my, what an interesting way to describe the symbol of a royal candidate for the throne."

Subaru froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. "...Excuse me, what now?"

Emilia's voice was soft but earnest. "The insignia isn't just a keepsake, Subaru. It's proof that I'm a candidate for the throne of Lugunica."

Subaru's brain short-circuited. She replayed the words in her head, trying to make sense of them. Throne? Royalty? Candidate? All because of that little shiny thing?

"Oh," she said finally, her voice weak. "Ohhh. Cool, cool, cool. So, uh, no pressure or anything, right?"

Emilia gave her a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry I didn't explain earlier. I didn't want to overwhelm you after everything that happened."

Subaru nodded slowly, her mind still spinning. "No, it's fine. Totally fine. Just found out I helped a future queen. No big deal. Happens all the time back in Tokyo, you know?"

Roswaal leaned back in his chair, his amused smile never fading. "Well then, Subaru. It seems your presence here is even more... significant than you initially thought, hmm?"

Subaru slumped in her chair, muttering under her breath. "Second day in a fantasy world, and I'm already neck-deep in royal drama. This is fine. Everything's fine…"

Subaru's fork clattered onto her plate as she leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with a mix of desperation and determination. She needed money. Desperately. The way her stomach grumbled between meals was already a clear warning sign, and she wasn't about to starve in some fancy fantasy manor.

"So, uh, how about this?" Subaru began, waving her hand like she was presenting some grand idea. "You give me a job! Something that pays. Y'know, I'm a little... uh... broke right now."

Roswaal tilted his head, his painted face betraying nothing but amusement. "Oh? A job, you say?"

Subaru nodded furiously, jabbing her thumb at herself. "Yeah! I mean, look at me. I'm strong, fast, and, uh... reliable. Super reliable. Totally the kind of person you wanna have around!"

The twins exchanged a glance. Ram's lips twitched into a smug smirk, while Rem's expression remained unreadable.

"I suppose we could fiiind something suitable," Roswaal said, his grin slowly widening as his gaze flicked toward the maids.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Subaru waved her hands in panic. "Not a maid job! Or a butler job! I'm not wearing one of those uniforms. No offense," she added quickly, glancing at Ram and Rem, "but I'd rather not. Something heroic and honourable, please?"

Roswaal chuckled, tapping his chin theatrically. "Hmm... heroic and honourable, you say? That does narrow things down quite a bit…"

Emilia, who had been quietly nibbling on her breakfast, finally spoke up. "Subaru, you don't have to do this. You've already helped me so much. You should rest and—"

"Nope!" Subaru cut her off, slamming her palms on the table. "I'm not freeloading anymore! I refuse to be that guy—or girl, now, I guess. Whatever. Point is, I wanna pull my weight!"

Roswaal's grin widened further, which Subaru didn't think was physically possible. "In that case... how about this? You can guard Emilia-sama. As her personal bodyguard."

Subaru blinked. "Huh? Like... a bodyguard? For real?"

Emilia's fork paused halfway to her mouth as she shook her head vigorously. "That's not necessary! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Puck helps me too! There's no need to—"

"Nonsense," Roswaal interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "The Lady Knight has already proven her strength. She's fast, skilled, and, above all, she seems… quite reliable."

"See?" Subaru grinned, pointing at Roswaal. "The clown gets it!"

"Lord Roswaal," Ram corrected, her tone icy enough to freeze a room.

"Right, right, Lord Clown," Subaru said, not even trying to hide her smugness.

Emilia looked like she wanted to protest further, but Puck chimed in from her shoulder. "I don't know, Lia. Having Hero Girl around could be fun. And she's got a point—she's ridiculously strong."

Subaru flexed her arm with exaggerated pride, though her thin frame didn't exactly scream "intimidating." "That's right! I'm your gal. Strong, dependable, and ready to take down anyone who looks at you funny."

Emilia sighed, clearly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm surrounding her. "I-I guess... if everyone insists, then…"

"It's settled then!" Roswaal clapped his hands, his tone dripping with delight. "Subaru, welcome to your new job as Emilia-sama's personal bodyguard."

Subaru pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! I got a job! Take that, unemployment!"

Ram muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Barely competent."

Ignoring her, Subaru stood, grinning ear to ear. "Alright, Emilia, you're in good hands now. Nobody's gonna mess with you as long as I'm around. Super-Subaru's on the job!"

Emilia smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, Subaru. I'll try not to be too much trouble."

Subaru waved her off. "Trouble? Pfft, please. I eat trouble for breakfast!"

"Don't you mean you cause it?" Ram muttered, earning a glare from Subaru.

With that, Subaru's second day in this fantasy world officially kicked off—with her as a newly minted bodyguard. And while she wasn't entirely sure what the job entailed, one thing was clear: things were about to get a whole lot more chaotic.

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