Chapter 2

Waking up on the luxury bed he had slept on the night before, he is a little confused since he recalls his bed should feel a lot more softer than what he is currently resting on, but then he remembers the previous day events and he lets the clarity wash over him.

Knock 

knock 

knock

Someone raps at the door to the room he is occupying and then the door gently swings open revealing a beautiful short haired bluenette in an elegant maid outfit.

He sits up on the bed as she walks in and closes the door, she meets his eyes and bows "Good morning dear guest, I see you are awake" she says cordially

"Of course I am" he briskly replies

Getting up from the bed adorning a robe and pants, he walks towards the window and opens it revealing a beautiful landscape

"When the world is so eager to be graced by my presence, isn't it natural for one to oblige and reward such faithfulness?" He asks the maid who looks pointedly confused at his manner of speaking. For once she doesn't know what to say but she feels like telling her dearest sister that she would attend to this guest might have been a bad idea.

"Dear guest, I'm afraid I do not understand what you mean" she apologizes

"Hmph! What is your name servant? You are obviously the sister of the pink one" She brittles a little at being called a servant by this unknown guest but answers nonetheless

"My name is Rem, dear guest. And the 'Pink one' my sister is called Ram" she says, a little bit of annoyance seeping into her voice but she quickly controls herself. It wouldn't do to show such behaviors to a guest lest she disgraces her lord's name.

He turns back from the window and looks at her, taking a couple steps forward until he is in front of her.

"You shoulder such an unnecessary burden, Blue girl" he says to her and she narrows her eyes a little.

"What is that supposed to mean, dear guest?" She doesn't bother hiding the coldness from her tone and in response he simply pokes at her forehead with his index finger

She puts her hands to her forehead and watches him as he leaves the room

"Try to live a little, Blue. Perhaps not covering your eye with your hair would let you see the beauty around you" Rem watches the back of the guest in bewilderment, it seems dearest sister was right when she said he had no manner but…

"Come, Blue! Walk with me" he calls out to her

"Yes, dear guest… also my name is Rem." she responds, feeling just a tiny bit lighter on her feet

◇◇◇

Walking through the halls of the manor with Rem just a few steps away, Fate appreciates the aesthetic of the mansion, it seems the owner has taste at least.

"What's on your mind, Blue? Do you have something to say?" He asks Rem who seemed to have been lost in thought.

She blinks and quickly focus " What did you mean by 'burden' earlier?" She asks a little curious and electing to ignore the nickname. She knows a losing battle when she sees one.

"It's exactly as I said. You shoulder something unnecessary. I'll ask you a question, Blue. Are you happy? What does happiness mean to you? I want you to really think about that question before you respond. Don't worry you don't have to answer now" He says to her as she puts on a pensive look

She knows she shouldn't give a thought to what he says since she doesn't even know him, but the mind is a fickle thing as she finds herself thinking about the question.

'I think I am happy, I am helpful to my dearest sister, and being of use to her makes me happy. I also do not have to worry about clothing, meals or anything else, so of course I am happy… I am happy, right?' She questions herself.

Meanwhile Fate abruptly stops before a door

"How peculiar" he comments and goes to open the door and he is greeted by the sight of rows and rows of books seemingly reaching the ceiling of the very spacious room.

In the center of the room sits a little girl on a stool with a book on her hand. Blonde hair with strawberry colored tips fashioned in drill twin tails and blue eyes with butterfly pupils.

"How peculiar, indeed" Fate says as he steps into the library and Rem elects to stand just before the door

"You are the second person disturbing Betty today, you are as aggravating as the previous boy, I suppose" she says closing the book on her hands

Fate inspects the library while replying "Hahaha you have a sharp tongue little girl but I will allow it. You also feel the same as cat spirit named Puck" he says

"Do not call Betty a little girl, Betty has been alive for a long time I suppose. Since you can tell I'm a spirit, I guess you are not as ignorant as the previous ruffian" she says while walking towards him

Fate looks down at her as she stops in front of him "Hold still" she commands and places a hand on his stomach just where his gate should be, Betty expects him to react the same way as the previous boy but he doesn't so much as grunt in pain, if anything, it doesn't feel like Betty is draining his mana, it feels like he is giving it to her

She narrows her eyes at him and asks "What are you doing, I suppose?" She removes her hand from his stomach even as she feels the rich mana she drained from him.

He crouches down to face her. Vibrant gold eyes peering through her own, as if seeing every part of her. He nods and immediately picks her up in a bridal carry

"I have decided, I am keeping you. You can call me Fate—all bold. From today onwards, I am your new master" he says with a finality befitting one as himself

"Hey! What are you doing? Put Betty down this instant, I suppose" Betty protests but he holds her firmly even as he starts walking towards the door

"Dear guest, please put lady Beatrice down. Also please follow me, the lord is back" Rem says to him as well

Betty fires a blast of air hoping to push him away from her but before she finishes releasing it, he throws her into the air and she screams like the little girl she pretends she isn't. Dropping back onto his waiting arms, he smirks at her red embarrassed face.

"That's a good look on your face Betty. None of mine is allowed to confine themself in solitude. I will not allow it" Betty somehow can see the resolution in his eyes, she keeps silent as he carries her through the hallway towards the dinning hall. What an annoying man she suppose.

In the back of her mind, she hopes.

◇◇◇

Rem pushes open the door to the dinning hall and Fate walks in with Beatrice in tow, everyone presents stops their activities and looks towards Fate and then to a Beatrice who looks even more embarrassed.

Silence

"It's the drill haired loli!" Subaru's exclamation breaks the silence.

"Don't call Betty whatever that word means, I suppose!" She yells

"Lia, how was your night? Subaru, I'm glad you are well." Fate says as he stalks closer to the dining table

"Fate! I slept rea~lly well, what about you? And why are you carrying Beatrice like that" she replies

"Bubby!" Beatrice calls to Puck and Fate puts her down on her feet and she immediately carries Puck doting on him

"I feel great! I guess Emilia-tan magic fingers saved my life" Subaru replies with a cheeky and embarrassed smile. Dammit, he couldn't even look cool to Emilia yesterday. 'Who the hell is this pretty boy anyways…' Let it be know that Natsuki Subaru does not like pretty boys on first impressions.

As Fate starts to respond, the door is opened by Ram and… a clown walks in, only Subaru and Fate has the face of someone trying to comprehend something. Every other person treats this as normal.

"Wow! You guys hire clowns when having breakfast? I can never understand rich people" Subaru says while poking the clown

"How dare you—" "Itsss~ okayyyyy~ Raaaam~" the clown tells Ram who was about to latch out at Subaru.

Fate looks at the clown for a few seconds then back to Emilia "Lia, who is this mad man?" He asks. To Fate, anyone who dresses like this first thing in the morning is no doubt a mad person.

"Fate! Subaru! St~op that! This is the manor's lord! And Margrave of this dom~ain, Roswaal L. Mathers. He is also the court mage of the kingdom." She scolds with a little mirth and Subaru pales a bit, quietly going back to take a seat

Fate stares at the Margrave for a full minute "I see… You stand in the presence of greatness clown! The only reason you still stand before me is because I allow it. Do not forget your place. " Fate says as he takes a seat, everyone looks at him bewilderedly, Subaru especially has a face that screams 'What is this guy doing?!' Ram looks like she wants 'fate-soup' for breakfast.

"Thaaaaats a veeeeeery scaaaaa~ry thinnng to saaaaaay~Fate-kun" the margrave drawls out

"I never gave you permission to address myself so casually, clown!" Fate rebukes even as he pats the head of a seated Beatrice besides him

Roswaal still has an ever present smile on his face and a glint of mischief in his eyes. He too takes his seat as they have breakfast. 'Just wonderful' he thinks to himself looking towards Subaru, Fate and a bashful Beatrice

◇◇◇

After breakfast and being offered a reward from the manor's lord. Subaru asked for a job and Fate

"Aren't you thinking yourself highly, clown? If you were capable of offering me a reward, there wouldn't be a world to live in." was what he said then Roswaal offered him to stay in the manor as long as he likes even as he told him he needed not his permission for that.

Now, Fate is with Emilia as she studies for the royal selection, while Puck is still with Beatrice and Subaru gets taught on working ethics.

Lounging on a couch reading a book about the history of the world, something catches his attention.

"So the big bad of this world is a silver haired half-elf with purple eyes. Satella huh?" Emilia stiffens from the chair she sits on, many thoughts seemingly going through her head.

Fate looks at her "Why do you fear, Lia?" He asks. Obviously he can see the resemblance but he knows not why Emilia reacts strongly.

"I know I am an half-elf and I know we share similar appearance but I am definitely not the Witch of Envy" she speaks out quickly even though she wasn't accused. But it has happened one too many times to make it a sensitive topic for her.

"Ah, I see" Fate stands and walks towards her and then seats on the table. "Lia, do you hate this world for how it treats you?" He asks as he looks at her "Do you hate the people who look down on you with scorn for the things you have no control over?"

Emilia rapidly shakes her head "Of cou~rse not! I could never! I understand why they fear me and it's not really their fault. It will be unfair to them if I hate them. Isn't that the sa~me as hating them for thi~ngs they have no con~trol over? It's a naive way of thinking isn't it? But that's just the way I feel." She says.

Fate brings his hand to her face and wipes away a lone tear

"Eh? W-why?" She asks wiping her own tears

"The truth is, I just… I wish they could be nicer sometimes" she whispers

"You are very strong Lia" Fate says as he tilts her head up to look into her eyes. Golden eyes meet vulnerable amethyst ones. Using his other hand, he brushes her hair to the side.

"That's very admirable. Perhaps it is because you know what it feels like on the other side, that you refuse to let others feel the same way. Umu! I like that conviction. Such a thing makes you beautiful" he says with a grin

"Do not worry. If it's the world you seek to change then I shall aid you. How's that? Aren't you happy? At the very least, you are Lia to me and nobody else" her eyes water. Those words, how long has she longed to hear them… but

"Why? Why do you want to he~lp me? We just met yesterday didn't we?" She asks as if she can't comprehend the idea that someone would want to help her.

Standing up and walking towards the window, he replies simply

"Lia, through all my life, I have never faced a challenge, I do not know what it means to suffer, I do not comprehend discrimination as to myself everyone is below me. The reason I want to help you is because I can. You look like you could use a little bit of 'me' in your life but If I had to put it in a simple word, then…" he walks back to her and rests his hand on her head with a smile.

"Why not?"