And, with those last words, she gives her horn a gentle 'flick.' The horn, weakened from using so much mana, makes an immediate reaction:

Rem recoils ever so slightly... before slumping over, and the horn dims completely.

Now, with Rem knocked out, Meili turned over to Subaru, "Let her go." —A simple command.

Subaru, unable to fight the order, dissolved all of his shadows, gritting his teeth.

"I only wanted to help..." Subaru's eyes grew shaky, even watery, "I just wanted to help, yet she went and hurt you again...!"

Meili gently lands on her feet, Beatrice's magic disappearing completely. She turns over to Subaru.

"Calm down." Meili-baru responds. Whether by their contract, or just from her gentle tone, Satella does, in fact, calm down.

"You did help." Meili says immediately afterwards, her words putting the Witch at ease, "Thank you, Satella-tan."

Subaru's eyes widened, before they eased up into glowing, happy orbs. He motions his hand over to Meili, and with a whisper—

Subaru blinks to find himself in his own body, albeit incredibly exhausted. He looks back down to Meili, who had familiar, purple orbs.

"I love you..." Meili's cute voice masked the Witch of Envy's bleeding feelings, "I love you... so... much..."

With those last words, Meili falls over onto the grassy floor in a deep slumber.

The fight was over. Subaru survived.

Knowng this, and watching his partner fall asleep, makes him start to feel drowsy himself. He passes a glance to Beatrice, who was approaching them.

"Subaru." Beatrice's voice was stern, as she held onto the hem of her dress tightly. So many questions, rushing through her head, and she wasn't sure where to start.

However, she sees the sluggish look Subaru gives back. She sighs... it'll have to wait another day.

"Let's... go home, I suppose." Beatrice speaks, defeated. Subaru only gives a goofy smile...

Before falling over asleep, just like Rem and Meili.

The first thing Subaru felt: Sore. Like he just ran a marathon without stretching.

The second? The warm and soft covers Roswaal's beds were fitted with. It helped make the sore pain go away.

It was after this thought that Subaru noticed a third feeling. A hand, wrapped around his right one. One he was all too familiar with.

Subaru wakes up, slowly. He turns to his right to find...

"Rem...?"

Rem perks up, and opened her mouth to say something... But she remained quiet.

This was different, Subaru noted. He quickly got up, ignoring his crying body in order to cater to the maid.

"Did... you hold my hand while I was asleep?" Subaru asks, but quickly scratches the back of his head, "Er, I mean, I probably grabbed you hand, didn't I? Gosh, I'm such a klutz..."

Rem stays silent. Subaru could feel red flags coming off this moment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks gently, making Rem ease up a bit, "Talk to me... Please?"

Rem, who's eyes kept jumping on, and off him, like she was uncertain of something, simply falls down onto his hand. The one she held in hers.

"I... I just..." She whispers... was her voice always this quiet?

"I just wanted to... make sure I..." Rem finally looks up to Subaru, and he makes a sharp breath.

She was tearing up in front of him, "Didn't lose you... Subaru..."

Subaru, who was still not good at handling sad girls, could only muster a chuckle,

"'Lose me?' Ahaha... I don't think I was knocking on Death's Door or anything—"

"No, not that!" Her voice picked up volume, genuinely surprising Subaru, as she shakes her head, "That's not what I meant!"

"Th-then..." Subaru replies sheepishly, "What did you mean, Rem-Rem?"

Rem's mood dampens, despite Subaru's best attempts at lighting it up. All-the-while, Subaru's gut did not let go of the feeling that something went really, really wrong.

"Ah. You've woken up." —He jumps when he hears Beatrice's voice. Rem also jumps, but for different reasons, "That's good, I suppose."

"Beako? Why are you—" Subaru is quickly stopped once Beatrice points at the exit,

"Maid," Beako barks out, giving a gentle glare at Rem, "Please excuse us, I suppose."

"..." Rem is silent, giving Subaru a quick glance, then back at Beatrice, "...Not until I know the truth, Beatrice-sama."

"Leave." Beatrice's order was sharper this time, but Rem held strong, holding onto Subaru's hand tighter.

Subaru, opting to stay on Rem's good side, turns to Beatrice, "Hey... She can stay, Beako. I don't think she wants to go anytime soon."

"I assure you, this is not a conversation you want to keep her around for." Beatrice makes a bold warning to Subaru. He brushes it aside.

"I want to help Rem out wherever I can. If it's 'the truth' she wants, then I will happily obligue." Subaru puts on a cocky tone, perhaps due to the elation of finally saving Meili—

"Not if the 'truth' she wants to hear ends up killing you, I suppose." Beako mutters with a dry tone.

"What?" Subaru was genuinely confused. Rem jumps forward.

"Beatrice-sama, I've already told you: I am not calling upon my horn any longer!" Rem sounds devastated, alluding to a conversation that they had without Subaru.

"Not so loud!" Beatrice responds immediately, then turns to the door behind her and slamming her fist onto the frame.

Subaru watches Beatrice with confusion and worry, and the spirit turns back to him,

"Anyone who walks through that door will be greeted by the Forbidden Library. This is your last chance to send the maid outside."

Subaru was suddenly pushed with the choice of keeping Rem or throwing her out—for a conversation he was still unaware of.

Beatrice really put him between a rock and a hard place.

"C-Couldn't we just..." Subaru passes a glance between both of them, "Wait a minute? I mean, it was long day, going out there to save Meili—"

"Subaru..." Rem replies weakly, "You've been out for three days..."

"...Ah..." Subaru's excuse is quickly snuffed out, "...You don't say..."

"Quite." Beatrice snaps, "Even if it was a speedy recovery like the last time this maid attacked you, I wouldn't let you off the hook so easily."

Beatrice walks closer to Subaru, while Rem felt a pang of guilt.

"Hold on, that's not—" Subaru, quick to defend Rem, was stopped by Beatrice's outstretched hand.

"Although I suppose it was justified, given that the Subaru this maid attacked... wasn't you."

And Subaru felt whatever quick retort he had, crumble into dust.

Oh. It was about... that.

"I've had the past three days to myself, brainstorming and watching over your new tenant all-the-while." Making a mention to Meili, she crosses her arms,

"Rem had only started to talk to me about our recent endeavor yesterday... Frankly, I couldn't trust a single word she said, I suppose."

Rem looked downcast, but felt the grip on her hand get tight, and turns to Subaru.

Subaru felt nothing but dread. What was he going to do? What was he going to say?

Had he celebrated way too quickly? Was Beatrice going to ruin everything, right here, right now?

Or did he ruin everything himself, putting his trust on Envy, once more?

"Natsuki Subaru," Beatrice was stern, not giving an inch of freedom to the boy, "If I am to uphold my contract with Mother, I need nothing but the truth from you."

Subaru doesn't say anything. He simply gives her a weary look.

Rem, relieved she doesn't have to leave, bites her lip for the coming question.

Subaru's silence basically gave Beatrice the okay to continue.

After a deep breath, Beatrice spoke once again:

"Subaru... What is your relationship with the Witch of Envy?"