The man who walked in was very tall, with deep blue hair long enough to almost brush his back.
His frame was slim, his skin an unhealthy pallor, and his features strikingly handsome—"pretty young man" fit well.
His eyes were two different colors, yellow on the left and blue on the right—heterochromia Shichen envied.
He would have fit the brooding prince archetype—if not for his outlandish, jester-colored outfit and clownish face paint. To anyone meeting him for the first time, he'd look like a clown, plain and simple.
"Well, if it isn't Betty. You actually came out? And you're sitting on a stranger's lap on top of that…" the clown man drawled in an exaggerated tone, surprise flickering across his face.
Shichen noticed genuine surprise in his eyes, too—apparently, he hadn't foreseen Shichen and Beatrice's situation.
"Don't call me Betty. We're not that close," Beatrice said bluntly.
"So cold~ Betty, we're comrades, aren't we? Can't you at least chat with me a little warmly?"
"I told you not to call me Betty. And who's your comrade? I'm only comrades with Shichen," she replied coolly.
"Don't be so heartless~ Beatrice, since it's so rare to see you out here, you must want to eat with me, yes? I'm delighted~" The clown seemed impervious to her attitude.
"Hmph! You can be delighted by yourself. I'm only here to accompany Shichen—otherwise I wouldn't have come," Beatrice sniffed, refusing to look at him.
"Don't be so merciless~"
"What's going on?"
Just then, Emilia—now changed—entered the room.
"My, my, Emilia-sama is here too," the clown said with a grin.
"Emilia," Shichen called, giving her a small wave.
"Shichen… Sorry to keep you waiting," Emilia said, nodding as she came over and took her seat. It was a little ways from Shichen—he was still just a guest, after all.
"Looks like I'm being ignored," the clown joked lightly.
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Shichen said evenly.
"Fair point~" The clown dropped the act and took the seat at the head of the table. That alone made his identity obvious—not that Shichen hadn't recognized him already.
"Oh, I forgot—you haven't given Shichen your name," Emilia realized.
"Now's as good a time as any~"
He looked at Shichen, spread his hands, and the showman's air fell away, replaced by a lord's presence. "I am the master of this house—Roswaal L. Mathers. Welcome, Shichen-san."
"As expected," Shichen said with a small smile.
"Ahaha~ I couldn't hide it from you… There's much to discuss, but breakfast first."
When the master of the house says eat, you eat.
Shichen didn't stand on ceremony; he dug into unfamiliar breakfast fare—bread and salad that were surprisingly good. He'd expected food in another world to be a bit plain; he hadn't expected the seasoning to be on point.
"This is great."
"Right? Rem's cooking is reliably cost-effective," Roswaal said, smiling.
"Shichen, feed me too~" Betty tugged Shichen's hand and opened her mouth, playfully demanding. Est sat quietly at his side, eating on her own. She didn't need to fight Beatrice for attention—since they'd only just reunited, she was happy to let Beatrice have her time.
"Alright~" Shichen set down his knife and fork, then moved to take hers to feed her.
"No need to fuss—use yours," Beatrice said.
"Mm…"
Resigned, he fed her with his own cutlery, then shifted his attention to Rem. "Did you make all this, Rem?"
As he looked over, he caught her making a hand sign—pinky and index finger extended upward. Probably her way of saying "yes."
"Then what did Ram do?" he asked Ram.
"…" Ram kept a perfectly blank face.
"At the table, the food is Rem's responsibility," Rem answered. "Sister isn't very good at cooking."
"I see. Then Sister handles… cleaning?"
"Yes. Cleaning and laundry are Sister's specialties."
"A twin division of labor? Then Rem, are you not good at cleaning and laundry?"
"No, Rem is good at all housework," Rem said, a touch proud. "I clean and launder better than Sister too."
"So Sister isn't much use after all," Shichen remarked.
"…" Ram stared at him, eyes brimming with silent grievance.
"Ahem—different fields of expertise, right? Ram is combat-oriented—she protects the grounds?" Shichen offered.
"Hmph," Ram sniffed, barely mollified.
"My, Shichen-san, you are something~ Ram and Rem both have strong personalities. Generally, they're not very welcoming on a first meeting," Roswaal said with a chuckle.
"Not bad at all—maids with personality are great. But compared to them, you are the vibrant one, aren't you?"
"Well said~ But tell me—do you like Ram and Rem?" Roswaal asked.
"I won't deny it. How could anyone not like such adorable maids?"
"Shichen, I'm the cute one," Betty protested.
"Yes, yes—Betty is the cutest," he said, ruffling her hair.
"Hehe~"
"I never thought I'd see Beatrice get along so well with someone she just met," Roswaal said, staring, a little dazed.
"Of course—Shichen and I have already formed a contract," Beatrice said proudly.
"Is… that so…" Roswaal's gaze sharpened; he glanced at Ram. Ram gave a small nod.
"It seems you have abilities I'm unaware of, Shichen-san."
"Come now—we just met. How could you know me?" Shichen smiled at him.
"True. Then I'll have to get to know you better," Roswaal said.
"No need to be so formal—call me by my name. And rather than you getting to know me, I'd prefer Emilia got to know me more."
"Shichen!"
Emilia set down her utensils, dabbed her lips, and shot him a mildly scolding look. "Please refrain from chatting during meals. It's disrespectful to Rem and Ram, who prepared this for us."
"Even if it's late to bring up table manners, you're right—we can't make Rem and Ram sad and lower their impression of me."
"Have you taken a liking to Ram and Rem?" Roswaal asked suddenly.
"They're maids. What sane person wouldn't?"
"My, my—sane, is it… In that case, do your best, Shichen-san. Try and spirit them away," Roswaal said breezily.
"Mm?" Shichen looked at him, puzzled.
Roswaal spread his hands, smiling as if it were nothing. "While Ram and Rem serve my household, they don't 'belong' to me. They're free. If you can do it, taking them with you is no problem."
"Is that so? Don't blame me if I take you at your word."
"So long as you can," Roswaal replied.
"Then I'll hold you to it," Shichen said without scruple. It might have been rude to show interest in a man's maids to his face, but Shichen knew what sort of person Roswaal was—no need to stand on ceremony with him.
Rem and Ram showed no reaction; Beatrice and the others ate quietly. Only Emilia kept sneaking glances at Shichen.
"By the way, are Rem and Ram the only servants here? If I 'steal' them, is that okay?" Shichen asked, as the thought struck.
"It seems you don't know anything at all," Roswaal laughed. "You are remarkable, Shichen-san~ To come to the mansion of Margrave Mathers on Lugunica's frontier—knowing little of anything—yet already thinking of making off with my maids. How did you get past the kingdom's entry checks, I wonder?"
Clearly, Roswaal didn't know Shichen had appeared in this world out of thin air. He barely had Subaru figured out; Shichen even less so. Shichen, however, understood one thing—Roswaal had indeed come for him.
"In a sense, you could say I slipped in," Shichen admitted with a laugh.
"Shichen!" Emilia scolded sharply. "What are you doing? You can't just say that out loud!"
"Don't worry—Roswaal won't report me, will you?"
"Well now…" Roswaal smiled, meaningful.
"Shichen! Don't rely on luck like that," Emilia said, tone serious.
"I know. It's just—since you and Roswaal get along, I said it outright."
"That…" Emilia faltered.