Beatrice: Lady of the Archives

"Beako, I'm going to get you outside today. I guarantee it!"

"I'm getting rather tired of your persistent nagging, I suppose."

That's how conversations between Beatrice and Subaru started these past couple of days. It usually ended with Subaru being blasted out of the library.

With a brimming smile, Subaru said with the upmost enthusiasm "It's such a beautiful day out. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you…" Bravely trespassing Beatrice's comfort zone, Subaru leaned in and finished "Should really get out of the freaking house."

One of Beatrice's pet peeves was being treated like a child, and Subaru knew this. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that teasing Beatrice was one of the most satisfying feelings in the world for Subaru, right along with eating mayo and resting his head on Emilia's lap.

Seeing that Beatrice was obviously annoyed, Subaru continued to tease "Don't worry, I know a bunch of kids your age who would love to play with you in the village. They might be a little put off by your attitude, but you all should be able to get along."

Annoyance turning into anger, Beatrice raised her hand and threatened "If you want to go outside so much, I can help you with that, I suppose!"

Knowing it was time to switch tactics, Subaru retreated a few steps and surrendered "Alright, alright, no more kid jokes. Still, I'm serious about getting you out of the mansion today."

Lowing her hand, Beatrice replied "I don't understand why you're so fixated on the idea of me leaving my room. Oh well, let's hear it so I can send you on your way."

Pointing his index finger to the heavens while striking his "Subaru Pose", Subaru swung his finger down like a hammer until it came pointing at Beatrice and revealed his trump card "We're going fishing today."

"… Is that all you have to say? I don't know why I bothered expecting anything interesting out of you." Beatrice sighed loudly.

Snapping his fingers, Subaru went on "I didn't come here unprepared. Emilia is coming back from her trip today and that means Puck comes back as well, and do you know what Puck is going to find when he gets back?"

Subaru cued Beatrice to answer, but she wasn't taking the bait at all, so he answered himself "A fish from Beako. It's a universal fact that all cats love fish, so he's bound to let you play with his fur for as long as you want as thanks. So, does that sound good?"

After taking a few seconds to think about Subaru's proposal, Beatrice closed the book she was holding and sighed "Fine. I'll grant your silly request, I suppose."

Upon hearing Beatrice's answer, Subaru's entire face lit up as he couldn't help but yell "Alright!"

Subaru's happiness being too much for her, Beatrice scoffed "To get so excited over this. Are you that starved for companionship? Look, I'm only doing this because this is a good opportunity for me. If it'll satisfy Bubby and shut you up for one day, then this is the best use of my time, I suppose."

Changing locations, the two arrived at a nearby lake. Getting right down to business, Subaru handed the fishing rod to Beatrice and said "Here."

Beatrice silently accepted the rod which surprised Subaru who said "I honestly expected you to make me do the work."

"It has to be me that catches it or I won't feel satisfied when Bubby receives it, I suppose." Beatrice answered back.

"Hmm, that stick is nothing compared to my dad's fishing rod." Subaru examined the rod Beatrice was holding.

"Is that so?" Beatrice replied as she examined her rod and went on "So, what's next?"

Pulling out a small container, Subaru opened it and instructed "Since we don't have any lures, we'll have to use this bait."

Looking inside, Beatrice felt her insides start to twist as she looked at the worms and said "Ugh, I thought only looking at your stupid face could make me feel this disgusted. I hope you realize that you'll be the one attaching those creatures to this."

Already expecting this, Subaru sighed "Yeah, yeah. Let me guess, 'a noble being such as myself would never stoop so low as to touching such vermin', am I right?"

Annoyed by his tone, Beatrice growled "Were you just trying to mimic my voice; although, you seem to have the general idea."

"Yeah, yeah." Subaru sighed as he put a worm on the hook and continued instructing "Now you just have to cast the line out. It's kinda short, so even you're itty bitty loli strength should be able cast it out far enough."

Getting irritated again, Beatrice murmured "There's that word again."

After successfully casting her line out, Subaru finished "Now it's just a waiting game. When you feel a strong pull, yank the rod to the left or right.

"Sounds simple enough, I suppose." Beatrice answered back.

The two stayed silent for some time. While Beatrice stood patiently, Subaru laid down on the grass and was just enjoying the peace.

It's almost been a month since Subaru battled with the witch's cult and the white whale. It's peaceful moments like these that made all of that suffering worth it.

"Annoying." Beatrice broke the silence after some time had passed.

Opening his eyes, Subaru answered simply with "Hmm?"

Puffing her cheeks, Beatrice announced all of her discomforts "It's hot, the sun's in my eye, the constant buzzing of bugs is annoying, and worst of all, knowing that I could be in the comfort of my room reading a book instead of all this is driving me crazy."

Beatrice's last point struck close to home for Subaru who held the same views before coming to this world. As a shut-in, Subaru disliked the outside world and found even the pettiest of reasons to stay in his room. "It's too hot." "There's nothing entertaining to do out there" he would always say.

Still…

"Don't give up just yet, Beako. Just believe in the me that believes in you." Subaru spoke with enthusiasm as he bounced up and gave Beatrice a thumbs up.

"I'd sooner believe in the worm than in you, I suppose." Beatrice retorted although her boredom was starting to alleviate.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Subaru went on "Oh, but I believe in you. After all, your hair drills are the drills that will pierce the heavens!"

"What are you going on about now? If anything, I wish something would pierce that thick skull of yours." Beatrice scoffed who took her attention off her line

Their small banter went on for several minutes. The sheer stupidity of the conversation made Beatrice completely forget about fishing or being uncomfortable.

"Your drills will open up a hole in the… huh?" Subaru stopped shamelessly quoting anime as he saw Beatrice's rod shake.

Once Subaru finally stopped talking, Beatrice sighed out of relief "Are you finally done?" Feeling a pull on her rod, Beatrice refocused her attention on her line. There were a series a slight pulls until Beatrice felt a sharp tug on her rod.

Deep in concentration, Beatrice yanked her rod to the right and asked "Now what?"

"Reel it in!" Subaru exclaimed with excitement.

Confused by his instructions, Beatrice asked" H-Huh? What do you mean? Explain in a way that I can understand. Hurry!"

Believing that Beatrice was the ultimate idiot, Subaru hollered "Are you kidding me?! It's simple, you just-" Once again looking at the rod, Subaru forgot that there was no winding device on this fishing rod, making it impossible to simply reel the fish in. How could he have forgotten that this fantasy world was quite different from the world he came from?

Subaru was the ultimate idiot.

After his mind went completely blank, Subaru snapped out of it as he rushed to Beatrice's side. Grabbing her hands, Subaru tugged extremely hard on the rod, so much so that the submerged fish flew out of the water…

and flew directly into Beatrice's face.

"Kyaa!" Beatrice shrieked as she started falling over.

To Beatrice's side, Subaru could only watch in horror as Beatrice fell over. Even after Beatrice's fall, the fish continued to flounder on her face mercilessly. If Subaru wasn't worried about her anger, he would've been laughing at the top of his lungs.

Moving the fish aside, Subaru asked nervously "H-Hey, you okay, Beako?"

After coming to her senses, Beatrice opened her eyes and her voice trembled in anger as she growled.

Standing up on her own, Beatrice focused her attention on the flailing fish as her hand took aim.

Seeing the killing intent on her face, Subaru tried to reason "Don't blast it! Do you know how long it took us to catch it?!"

Hearing Subaru's plea, Beatrice's hand took aim at Subaru instead who flinched at the action. Still enraged beyond measure, Beatrice threatened in a low, shaky voice "If you speak to anyone about this, your life is forfeit."

Gulping from the threat on his life, Subaru simply nodded in response.

Lowing her hand, Beatrice faced away from Subaru and ordered coldly "Deliver that specimen to the silly maid and have her cook it."

With a raise of her hand, Beatrice opened a portal. Once she stepped inside, the portal shut, leaving Subaru and the fish behind.

"Yes, ma'am." Subaru said to nobody. Once he picked up the fish, Subaru realized "Wait, why didn't she take me with her?! That damned drill loli!" The next moment, Subaru realized that he was alone and didn't have to hold it in any longer.

"Hahaha!" Subaru laughed heartily as he remembered the whole scene from moments ago.

"Kyaa!" The loli's voice squealed inside of Subaru's head which made him laugh even harder. While he did feel a little bad about it, Subaru thought it was payback for all the times Beatrice flung him around using her magic. After getting a good laugh in, Subaru returned to the mansion and met up with Rem.

"Oh, Subaru, are you finished with your break?" Rem greeted Subaru with a bright smile on her face.

Waving to the maid, Subaru answered "Yup! I feel totally refreshed! Oh, can you do me a favor and cook this fish for Puck tonight?"

Looking at the fish in his hands, Rem asked "Sure, but may I ask why?"

"Let's just say it's a welcome home gift from this mansion's shut-in." Subaru answered with a small chuckle.

It was a welcome home gift because Emilia left the mansion to go to an important meeting two days ago. Subaru still remembered pleading Emilia to take him with her, only to be refused.

"Absolutely not. You can't abandon your duties every time I leave the mansion. Besides, don't you remember what happened last time?" Subaru remembered Emilia saying as she left.

"Emilia's so cold, even though that side of her is cute too..." Subaru accidentally voiced his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Rem questioned with a confused look on her face.

Realizing he accidentally spoke his thoughts, Subaru blushed "N-Nothing! Just zoned out there for a second."

Puffing her cheeks at Subaru, Rem pouted "Honestly."

The remainder of the day went by normally as Subaru continued with his daily tasks. Finishing just in time for dinner, Subaru entered the dining hall and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Emilia who was sitting in her usual spot.

Bolting to Emilia's side, Subaru bombarded her with questions "Emilia! When did you get back?! Did everything go okay? How was the travel? Have you been brushing your teeth?"

Startled by all of Subaru's questions, Emilia answered "O-of course I've been brushing my teeth, you dummy!"

"You dummy!" Emilia's voice seemed to echo in Subaru's ears who felt an indescribable amount of joy as he beamed "Being called names by Emilia right off the bat. I don't know why but it feels so refreshing."

"And hearing you talk about stupid things is already tiring me out." Emilia sighed at first but added with a smile "But seeing you so excited makes me happy."

Emilia's comment catching him off guard, Subaru blushed and scratched his cheek and replied "W-well, it goes without saying that I'm happy, no, overjoyed, no, thrilled to the absolute limit that you're back, Emilia."

Giggling at Subaru's absurdity, Emilia said "Thank you."

Subaru was about to continue the conversation, but right after Emilia finished giggling, a troubled look appeared on her face. Subaru was about to say something about it until they were interrupted.

"Bubby!" Beatrice's voice rang out.

"Hey, Betty. You seem well." Puck answered as he manifested out of thin air.

As Beatrice started holding Puck affectionately, another voice rang out "My, it is so good to see you again, miss Emilia. Did everything go smoothly?"

Knowing that the voice was unmistakably Roswaal's, Subaru bit his thumb and complained silently "Damn, what do I have to do to get my precious one-on-one time with Emilia."

Shortly after, Rem and Ram showed up with dinner.

"Here, this was prepared specifically for you." Rem said to Puck as she set down a plate of cooked fish in front of him.

Looking down at his plate, Puck smiled "Oh! Fish! Now that's something I haven't had in a while. So, what's the occasion?"

Having patiently waited for her time to strike, Beatrice tried to say "Well, actually, Bubby-"

"Actually, Puck." Subaru interrupted Beatrice who completely froze when her moment was taken away from her. With a sinister grin, Subaru spoke to Puck while looking directly at the loli's astonished face "I actually went out fishing today and caught that fish myself. Yup. It was my idea. I pulled that sucker in. Oh, I had Rem cook it so she deserves the other half of the credit. And that's the end of that story."

Slamming her hands on the table, Beatrice yelled "Wait, where do I come in?!"

Pretending to forget, Subaru "apologized" to Beatrice "Oh, I'm so sorry, Beako. I forgot about you, probably because you're so short and easy to miss. Yeah, Beako was there too, but she didn't do much."

"Are you picking a fight with me once again?!" Beatrice answered back as her anger started building.

Having a small chuckle, Subaru retorted "I wouldn't be able to say I had self-respect if I started picking fights with little girls."

With Beatrice's anger rising even more, she growled "Why do you insist on antagonizing me?"

"Because it's really fun." Subaru laughed.

Shocked to hear Beatrice caught the fish, Puck said with amazement "You went out and caught it for me, Betty. Wow, that really does make me happy."

Before Beatrice could respond to Puck, Roswaal said loudly "My, my, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought that the world was ending. For Beatrice to actually set foot outside the mansion and partake in such a leisurely activity."

"I wouldn't set one foot outside even if the world was ending, I suppose. I only did it this time with Bubby in mind." Beatrice declared with annoyance.

Starting to regret the choices she made earlier today, Beatrice looked over at Puck and saw him eating the fish happily. This was enough to dispel Beatrice of her anger.

Taking a quick glance from across the table, Subaru saw a warm smile resting on Beatrice's face. Subaru once said that if she could smile purely and innocently, she'd melt the hearts of many. This moment proved that his words held true.

"It's a shame that smile belongs to such a twisted drill-loli." Subaru thought to himself with a smile. All of a sudden, the cheery smile on Beatrice's face vanished and was replaced by a look of grim. Subaru wanted to say something to her, but felt like it was a bad idea with everyone else around.

The rest of dinner proceeded and ended normally. Once he was finished with his food, Subaru excused himself from the table to go brush his teeth.

"Hey, Subaru, got a sec?" Subaru heard someone say right into his ear.

"Ahhh!" Subaru screamed out of shock. Turning around to see Puck, Subaru exclaimed "You can't sneak up on me like that! I get that you're naturally silent by floating, but you can't keep scaring me like that!"

Satisfied with scaring the living daylights out of Subaru, Puck chuckled "Hehe, sorry, it's just so fun, you know? Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something, well, about someone."

With his heart settling down, Subaru said "Let's hear it."

Getting down to business, Puck said "You've really been a good influence around here. Yup, I think I really like you."

Seeing the puzzled look on Subaru's face, Puck went on "Hold on, you'll get where I'm going with this in a minute. Anyways, I feel like things around here have been pretty lively since you came here. And that brings us to the person of this conversation, Betty. Somehow, you managed to get Betty out of the house and do something she considers to be a waste of time."

"I don't think Beako going fishing is that big a deal." Subaru replied.

Shaking his head, Puck went on "But it is. Subaru, in all my years of knowing Betty, and I've known her for quite a long time, she's never stepped outside of her comfort zone like this. Not only that, but Betty also has a perfect dinner attendance record ever since you joined this household as well. Honestly, I'm dumbfounded."

Starting to get a grasp on his achievement, Subaru wondered aloud "Hmm, I must've got a pretty high roll on my charisma check earlier today. Persuasion success! Anyways, I'm sure you didn't come talk to me just to praise me. So, what's wrong with Beako?"

Lowering his head a bit, Puck went on "I saw you glance at Betty, so I know you saw the look on her face. I'll just come right out and say it, Betty's going to be in a very bad mood tomorrow."

"Isn't she always in a bad mood though?" Subaru interrupted.

Puck shook his head again and went on "Not like this. Tomorrow, she won't want to see anyone, that includes me. I know you have a habit of approaching her, but tomorrow you'll probably want to avoid her at all costs, that is, if you appreciate the relationship you have with Betty."

Once the cat spirit said that Beatrice wouldn't want to see even him, Subaru felt the gravity of the situation. Still, he had to know one thing.

"Just what is tomorrow?" Subaru asked Puck.

Although Puck saw that question coming from a mile away, he wasn't prepared for it. Taking a few seconds to think of something to say, Puck answered "Tomorrow is her birthday."

Subaru opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the words to reply with. Finally, Puck wrapped up the conversation "That's all I'm allowed telling you without saying too much. You're free to visit Betty tomorrow if you wish, but you might make things even worse for her. Well, I have to go to sleep soon, so I'll see you around."

After Puck turned around to leave, he added a question "By the way, have you been afraid of me lately?"

It took Subaru everything he had not to lose his cool in that moment. Subaru knew that Puck had the ability to identify hostile intentions in others, but could the spirit detect other things, like fear?

"W-well, you are Emilia's bodyguard and guardian, after all. Plus, it's natural for any guy to be afraid of their soon to be father-in-law." Subaru answered with a hint of nervousness.

Subaru half-way expected some type of clever response from Puck to continue their usual banter, but the spirit replied with something strange before floating away "When it rains, it pours, I guess."

Once Puck was out of earshot, Subaru mumbled to himself "How could I leave a little girl alone on her birthday?"

To say the relationship between Subaru and Puck was strained would be an understatement. While Puck had no memory of it, the spirit had killed Subaru multiple times in the past. Normally, Subaru would overlook it as best as he could and tried not judging others for what they did if things were just a little bit different. Puck was a special case because he hasn't changed at all. The only thing that's different is that Emilia was alive in this timeline. To Puck, Subaru was only an extension of Emilia's happiness and only cared for him because Emilia cared for him. Take Emilia out of the picture, and Subaru was nothing to the spirit.

Subaru could never again play with Puck with the ignorance he once had.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Subaru went ahead and brushed his teeth and started heading back to his room. When Subaru opened the door to his room, he expected the inside to be his room which is simple logic; however, a familiar library appeared instead.

Seeing Beatrice sitting on her stool as usual, Subaru complained "You know, Beako. Your room keeps getting in the way of my room and it's getting pretty annoying."

"Your mere presence is annoying so I don't want to hear it." Beatrice responded with her eyes still glued to her book.

Subaru smiled by how refreshing it was to talk to Beatrice. He didn't know why, but he loved the way he and Beatrice always tried to trump the other with insults.

"Well, I'd stay and make fun of you more, but I have to go sit my butt in the courtyard tonight so I'll be seeing you." Subaru said as he made his way to the door.

"Good riddance." Beatrice replied with as she continued to read her book.

As Subaru grabbed the door handle to open it, he remembered what Puck said earlier "Tomorrow is her birthday."

"Or… I could stay here, if you want." Subaru offered as he stopped in his tracks.

Taking her eyes off her book, Beatrice sighed heavily "Why would I want such a thing? The fish from earlier would make for better company than you would. Seriously-"

"I am being serious." Subaru interrupted as he turned around to look the girl in the eyes.

The annoyed look on Beatrice's face was replaced with a look of surprise. As if seeing right through Subaru, Beatrice asked "Did Bubby tell you anything?"

"He was too busy talking about rain for some reason so I didn't really pay attention to what he had to say." Subaru answered back, worried of being seen through again.

Her face turning sour once again, Beatrice growled "That response really irritates me, however…"

Averting her eyes from Subaru, the grim look from earlier resurfaced on her face.

"It's enough." Beatrice finished in a low voice that Subaru barely heard.

After hearing that one phrase, Subaru felt his heart sink and he lost some of his complexion.

Funnily enough, Beatrice actually said that phrase to Subaru once before, word for word.

"That response really irritates me; however, it's enough." Beatrice's words repeated in Subaru's mind as he flashbacked to that time.

The timeline where he failed to save Beatrice.

With the witch's cult on the way, Subaru was tasked with getting Beatrice out of the mansion. After hugging him from behind, the girl forced Subaru out of the library. Subaru could never forget the sight of Beatrice crying. Back then, Beatrice painfully pushed Subaru away, and it seems like she's doing it yet again.

Before Subaru could say anything, he was forced out of the room with magic; although, it was gently this time since Subaru didn't tumble or even fall over. Once he opened his eyes, Subaru was standing in front of his door yet again. Rushing to open it, Subaru yanked open the door only to find his room.

"That loli…" Subaru muttered, feeling pathetic for not being able to reach her once again.

Not wanting to be alone with his thoughts, Subaru dressed into his casual clothes and started making his way towards the main door.

Once Subaru stepped out of the mansion, he was treated to a familiar sight. Emilia was standing alone in the courtyard with glowing orbs of light known as lesser spirits hovering around her.

Subaru quietly walked over towards Emilia and stood behind her. As if sensing his presence, Emilia ceased communication with the lesser spirits.

"I knew you'd come out here tonight." Emilia smiled as she turned around.

"Of course I'd come. I've been waiting for my alone time with E.M.T." Subaru replied as a dumb smile formed one his face.

With the smile on her face fading, Emilia said "Subaru, we need to talk."

Sensing the change in mood, Subaru answered "Okay, then let's talk."

The air was tense as Emilia struggled to find the words to say to Subaru who took notice as he urged her on "You can get it off your chest, Emilia."

Finding some comfort in Subaru's words, Emilia took a big breath of air and confessed "I received a marriage proposal."

Emilia's words took Subaru off guard as his mind went completely blank from shock. Knowing she didn't completely get through to him, Emilia tried again "That meeting I just back from, you know how it was a meeting with someone who holds a lot of power within Lugnica? Well, I received a marriage proposal from him."

Before Subaru allowed himself to feel any sort of emotion, he asked as calmly as possible "Why didn't you tell me what the meeting was about before you left?"

Worried about how Subaru must be feeling, Emilia responded with desperation in her voice "Subaru, I didn't know it was going to be a meeting like that, I promise!"

With the full gravity of the situation finally hitting him, Subaru replied in a quiet voice "Okay, okay, I believe you."

Trying to calm himself down, Subaru thought "Alright, Subaru. Everything's okay for now. Since Emilia went into that meeting oblivious about the marriage proposal, she probably hasn't made her decision yet."

"What should I do?" Emilia asked who had no idea how to go about the whole situation.

Suppressing his anger as best as he could, Subaru answered "It's unfair to ask me that, Emilia. You know how I…"

"But I-" Emilia tried to say.

Still having things to say, Subaru interrupted "Even if I answer that, I'd only give you a heavily biased answer. I hate arranged marriages for power and convenience. I'm an old-fashioned guy who believes you should marry people you love so everything about this situation really… I think I should stop here." At this point, Subaru knew that his feelings were getting involved so he stopped while he was ahead.

Emilia felt horrible for doing this to Subaru, but he was the closest thing she had to a friend. If Puck was a guardian, and the residents of the Roswaal mansion were allies, then Subaru was a best friend. Plus, Subaru was experienced in these matters that Emilia was ignorant about.

After all, Emilia has never fallen in love romantically with someone before.

Emilia was at a loss for words. Even after hearing Subaru's feelings about the matter, she didn't know what to do about the situation. Should she refuse the proposal flat out? What if others propose to her in the near future? Suddenly, an idea popped into Emilia's head that made her blush.

As a heavy blush formed on her cheeks, Emilia asked timidly "S-Subaru, do you really love me?"

This question caught Subaru off guard. Normally, the boy would be embarrassed beyond measure from being asked that question, but these weren't normal circumstances.

"Of course I do, Emilia." Subaru answered her without of trace of faltering or deceit.

As Emilia's blush intensified, she took quite a long time to think to herself. Finally, the half-elf found her resolve and asked the question she'd taken so long to ask.

"Then… would you marry me?"

Author's notes: I'd just like to take a moment to say that I love Rem to death; however, I just couldn't think of anything to write. As you imagined, there are a lot of Rem fanfictions on this site, but I haven't seen a single Beako fanfiction which is blasphemy. I guess that's part of the reason I chose to write about the drill-loli instead of the demon goddess. So, yeah, I don't have much else to say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will see you… in the next chapter. Bye bye!