The moment I woke up; I knew that there had been something missing or that there was a strange feeling that something was off about today. I spent a few minutes thinking what exactly had been missing whilst I absently-mindedly did my morning routine while not actually being bothered by the small presence of worry at the pit of my stomach. I woke up nee-sama whilst going through my routinely schedule and then finally deciding who gets to wake up Subaru-kun.

It was at the mention of his name that I finally knew what was missing – that repulsive stench of a witch, though it was subtle and not overbearing. However, I still noticed it; something that was as disgusting as a witch going closer to the people heightened my worries as I feared the existence that is Subaru Natsuki. Though I am grateful of the fact that he had saved Emilia-sama, the growing and anxiety that he might be a spy or part of some kind of sect of witches scared me… to the point that I felt that I should just dispose of him. So the fact that the lingering scent of that putrid smell had disappeared had increased my anxiety.

"Nee-sama…" I tried to start off.

"Rem, look, if he ever does anything I have Roswaal-sama's order to take an appropriate action. So your worries are unneeded."

I gave a knowing and retired look at my sister as she went to Subaru's room. So as she left, why was it that I felt as if something had already happened? As if something sinister had already transpired and took something from this house.

It wasn't long after that I started to go to the kitchen when I heard the shouting my sister calling out for me in a desperate voice.

That bastard! I knew that this would happen!

"Rem, come quick here! NOW!"

"I'll be there, just hang on a bit nee-sama!"

I shouted back in response.

In my hurried state, I looked at the place. There standing in front of the bastard was my sister with a difficult face that could only be described as shock. It had seemed that I was horribly incorrect about what was happening though I thought that nee-sama would have already woken up the boy.

"Nee-sama, what's wrong? I thought that you would have already woken him up."

I was confused by the scene in front of me, there lay seemed the yet awoken form of my colleague – closed eyes and with a comfortable smile on his face to the point of looking idiotic.

"Rem… Can you please stay here for a while and not let anything happen in this room? I'll need to report this to Roswaal-sama and the others."

I quickly nodded in affirmation, though I was still confused. An explanation wasn't given to me and my growing sense of anxiety came back moments later as I saw my elder sister. I didn't want to ask due to it being unbecoming of me. So I instead began to wait by the bedside of the boy in front of me.

"Subaru-kun, are you so lazy that you can't even wake up properly?"

I tried to wake him up with my own words, though they did not have any affect. Even though shaking him up awake should've been more affective, I refrained from doing such due to my sister's orders. It wasn't until that I actually noticed that he wasn't breathing that I realized something was terribly wrong. My blood froze up as I realized why my sister was so unnerved by this.

No… It can't be.

Now that I observed his state fully, his face was so pale that you could almost compare it to chalk. My suspicions were confirmed as I felt the coldness of his body… As if his own body could not perform homeostasis and had failed to do its regulation. It was daunting – his smile now warped with a new meaning as he had looked like he had accepted the embrace of the void.

It was such a sad site. That smile only served to add fuel to the pangs of guilt at his already pitiful and sorry state as I recounted the 5 days that he spent here as a servant. He is going to be troublesome, I thought to myself since the very beginning and as time passed it became increasingly apparent that he was transparent with the things he says but I still believed that he was a man with malicious intents – why else would someone appear out of nowhere to help a candidate for the throne along with that putrid scent of a witch.

But what transpired here is proof of his transparency – the smile that accepted his fate, the relatively peaceful way of passing that would not cause any further mess and the content look that hinted of benevolent intent.

He died from weakness… A debilitating yet relatively peaceful death – something so painless yet something infinitely unsympathetic.

Was I wrong in my judgement?

I heard the knock on the door as I was doing my preparation for today.

"Yes what is it? I'm a little busy getting dressed."

After all, I'm going to town with Subaru today.

"We will wait until you are finished then, Emilia-sama." I heard the voice of Roswaal.

It was strange that Roswaal should be visiting me at this moment, I mean the man is the Archwizard of the country so his own schedule would be very busy which means that there's something important that he going to tell me. So as I opened the door I saw a rare sight of a down trodden look of Roswaal and by his side Ram who also seemed sorrowful. Which led me to believe that there had been something that had happened.

"May we come in Emilia-sama?"

My face showed worry as I asked what they wanted to talk about.

"You're welcome to do so. Please sit on the chairs so we can discuss about what you need to talk to me about."

The lord of the house and his maid bowed in an act of gratitude and motioned to sit onto the chairs around a small table around it.

"I'll be as soft as possible, Emilia-sama. Because I don't want to distress you."

"I have bad feeling about this Lia."

I jumped at the sound of the voice of my contractor at my right ear.

"Puck! Please don't do that! You scared me half to death with that!"

"Sorry Lia but, as I said I have a bad feeling on what they might say…"

I furrowed my brows and felt anxiety creep up to my chest as Roswaal frowned ever so slightly.

If Puck has a bad feeling about this, then this is not going to be pleasant.

Rosewaal made some kind of gesture to Ram and he motioned Puck to come with him whilst Ram positioned herself so that I couldn't see or hear what they would be talking about. With some feelings of worry, I offered for Ram to sit down next to the sofa in my room. Complying to my offer, she chose to sit down to the seat directly across to me.

"So what did you want to talk about, Ram?"

A barely noticeable flinch appeared on her features and it disappeared as fast as it had appeared, cementing my own concern.

"Emilia-ojousama, I can't tell you all of the details but Rosewaal-sama ordered me to see it so that you know of your benefactor's condition…"

"Subaru? What happened to him? I just saw him last night, in fact he even promised me that he'd go into town today with me."

She responded with silence and somehow made the sigh that she had made the atmosphere even more daunting. I felt the tension around the room rose up considerably, which made me even more anxious.

"Emilia-sama… I regret to inform you of what's happened…"

I felt my nerves shut down, all emotions and sensations I felt during the time were dulled out by the shock that surged throughout my body.

"No… Please tell me it isn't so…"

At the corner of the room I could see Puck and Rosewaal coming back into the room. As both of them had intimidatingly bleak faces shown on the features.

"Lia… I think it's best that you go to see him, even this guy here agreed to it."

My mind automatically processed what just happened without any conscious thought into it as I nodded absent-mindedly and began to walk in a painfully slow pace towards my first friend's room.

This is my fault again isn't it?

Usually the petit blonde would be spending her time in the library to protect it from any external threats. However, something rather unprecedented had just happened in the mansion – something gravely serious had just happened that it required her attention to be at the scene.

She did not flinch at the sight of the blue haired maid standing horrified at the posture of the deceptive state of the boy on the bed. No – rather she was confused on what is happening until she noticed that the smell that came from the boy had disappeared.

What had happened?

"Beatrice-sama…"

The maid bowed to her as she stepped out of her way to let the small girl walk towards the boy in question to inspect him. His body temperature was exceedingly low, his skin was pale and he showed no signs of breathing – it all pointed to the conclusion that the maid had. However, what puzzled the girl was not the way in which he died but rather why it was him who was targeted by such a vile method.

Primary cause of death must be weakness… It looks as like he was cursed meaning that the curse slowly shut down his organs to have his body cease functioning, I suppose.

In a way, it was a relatively peaceful death as it happened in his sleep without him feeling any pains – any that he would have felt would have been blocked by the fact that his nervous system would've also shut down.

What a vile way to end... And for what cause must the boy's spiritual flame to be snuffed out?

A disgusted face creeps up onto her facial features upon learning the method and cause of his death. The disgust twisted even more as she looks upon the rather daunting smile left by the boy – a face looking forward for the future yet in a short amount of time, that future was taken from him without his notice. It was a rather pitiful thought really, a waste of what would have been an optimistic person that could definitely bring more excitement around the mansion to ease her lonesome existence.

This should never have happened… I failed in the one thing that the book told me to absolutely avoid doing so… I suppose.

And with that thought, the librarian choked an incoming sob.

"Beatrice, you've arrived much faster than I thought you would."

I heard the voice of Rosewaal calling out to the librarian but no response came back to the Archmage. As we arrived at the room where Subaru resided, I felt the sensation of Puck landing onto my shoulders to provide me with some comfort. I look towards the twin maids with varying looks of wistfulness and condolence.

Part of me wanted to run, to face away from the reality of what happened as if to reject what this world had just cruelly taken away from; a caring, hard-working, compassionate and, if a bit silly, friend. Yet what happens to all of his actions that I still feel that I owe him for? It's rewarded with demise and futures being stolen. A bitter reminder on how the world around us worked.

"Lia…"

I felt compelled to look at his features and with what possibly the cruellest scene I had experienced; I saw the expression of tenderness. My eyes swelled from the pitiful yet rather pristine condition he had maintained. And bit by bit I felt myself go misty-eyed to glossed with tears that threaten to fall.

"Beatrice… Have you found out the cause yet?"

My eyes were directed towards the librarian spirit next to me as she sighed, looking quite dejected.

"He was cursed… I don't exactly know when he was cursed but I'm very sure it was after when you employed him to work here. And by the looks of it, it activated last night when he was soundly asleep."

"He was a liar… He said he'd go with me today into the village for the "date" that he asked…"

"Please Lia… Do understand that this wasn't anyone's fault but those who cursed him."

The tears I so desperately tried to hold back had burst out and though I tried to choke back my sobs that soon followed, I simply couldn't do it. I owed him such a huge debt that he just casually brushed off by saying that my own debts were nulled the moment I healed him, the fact that I gave him my name or the fact that he is now employed here. He was too illogical! His priorities were skewed and his sense of reward was far too less for the one action that led me to be saved and him to be severely incapacitated.

"He didn't deserve this… After all of the things that he did, this is the kind of fate that he gets?"

Sharpness of my voice grew with each passing statement that I tried to utter out, to somehow make myself feel somewhat better.

"Subaru became my friend even after knowing full well on who I look like… And yet he still treated me like I was a normal person… Not even being afraid of me…"

"Lia… I know it's hard for you to accept but think about how he'd react in seeing you like this. And as much as I do also feel sad about this, I just don't think he'd appreciate seeing you all depressed like this…"

Petty emotions swelled around, many of which could have made me lash out at any moment at the people around here. Something I refrained from doing as a continuous stream of tears flowed throughout my cheeks down to the floor.

"It's just not fair Puck… How is it that someone of his nature be so treated unfairly by this world? He has not done anything that's worth this fate yet…"

"I know Lia, trust me… I really do…"

I heard the cracks in Puck's voice.

"And it's with a heavy heart for me to say that we should learn from his positivity – something that's truly needed around here."

And for many moments to come, I sobbed out my grief onto a Puck's larger form as a hug enveloped me.

Why would the world be so cruel?