Keeping her promise, the girl named Beatrice waited endlessly for the arrival of "that person" her mother had spoken of...
Day after day.
Year after year.
Beatrice remained in the cramped confines of the Forbidden Library, yet "that person" never came.
At first, the 'Tome of Wisdom' her mother had left her still contained instructions... tasks she was meant to fulfill.
To her, this was a gospel, a divine gift!
She had grown accustomed to having her life dictated by her 'mother', the woman named Echidna. It meant she was needed, that her existence had purpose...
But soon, the book's pages turned blank. The guidance Beatrice relied on, and the gospel that gave her meaning, vanished without a trace.
In the end, all Betty had left was her duty to guard the Forbidden Library and her promise to wait for "that person"... These became her sole most precious reasons for existing.
Over the centuries, countless individuals came and went through the library's doors.
Seeing her, some wore pitying expressions:"How tragic, to be trapped here for so long. Aren't you lonely? Come, let me take you away."
They understood nothing. None of them did. Staying was Betty's purpose. It was her joy!
The library held endless books. All of them were her mother's collection... each one worthy of a lifetime of study!
Others, being arrogant in their power, came as conquerors: "Become my contracted spirit, little one. I'll make you happy!"
But their eyes only coveted her strength and the Forbidden Library's trove of magical knowledge.
Beatrice scoffed at such offers: "As if B-Betty needs you to tell her she's cute!"
The audacity of a mere human to claim they could grant her happiness! How laughable!
Happiness for Betty meant only one thing... keeping her vow to guard the Forbidden Library and waiting for "that person"...
Leaving would mean breaking her promise. What if "that person" arrived and found Betty gone?
So Betty refused! Never! Absolutely never!
Those who tried force Betty were beaten senseless and hurled from the mansion...
...
For 400 years, the Forbidden Library's door had been opened and closed, over and over...
Each time it opened, Beatrice's heart fluttered with hope, 'Maybe this time...' she thought.
Yet every hope crumbled into despair...
Where was "that person"? Had Betty done something wrong? Why wouldn't "that person" come for Betty?
Or... had Betty simply been forgotten, in fact?
Should she venture out to search for "that person"?
No. Leaving would break the contract. Betty had to wait here, she supposed!
If she left, and "that person" came looking for Betty... what then?
So Beatrice waited...
And waited...
Each dashed hope deepened her despair, until the girl named Beatrice no longer believed in hope at all...
...
400 years passed...
Since the death of the first Roswaal, Beatrice had spoken to none of his successors.
Four centuries of solitude had exhausted her. Betty yearned for release.
And death... that would be the sweetest release of all... Yet the contract forbade her from taking her own life.
So when the blade of death loomed before her, Beatrice remained still. Only the glimmer of tears in her lovely eyes betrayed her emotions... tears of relief for the impending end, and sorrow for failing her mother's wish to meet "that person"...
....
*Whoosh!*
The dagger flipped mid-air, then slid neatly back into its sheath...
"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you dodge?" Graham studied the girl's despair-stricken face, his own expression unreadable.
Beatrice had no way of knowing, and had never even suspected that "that person" was nothing more than Echidna's cruel joke...
From the very beginning, "that person" never existed. All Echidna wanted was to see who Beatrice would choose to fill that role.
And so, Graham's goal was simple: become this stubborn girl's contractor and take her away!
Even if he wasn't actually 'that person', he'd force himself into that role by any means necessary!
Besides, this spirit loli's Yin attribute magic was incredibly powerful. She would make an invaluable ally.
"There was no point I suppose. Well? Aren't you here to torment Betty? You've won. Do as you please. Better yet, just kill Betty in fact!" Beatrice lifted her adorable face, gazing up at him with feigned meekness.
"Gladly~!" Graham smirked, then cupped her cheeks and kissed her...
Time froze... Beatrice's face burned crimson...
To a spirit, a kiss is a sacred act. It was the highest form of contract-binding ritual, and the most efficient way to share mana.
As an artificial spirit, Beatrice could only absorb mana from the library or her contractor.
Now, she felt an overwhelming surge of magic flooding into her very core.
As their mingled mana coalesced at their lips, a Contract was forged...
...
"Hah!"
A massive surge of magical force erupted, striking Graham with unrelenting power.
Flung backward, he crashed through the threshold, tumbling past the doors of the Forbidden Library. The impact reverberated through the chamber...
"Y-You vile man! How dare you do such things to Betty?!" Robbed of something precious and Contract bound by force, Beatrice was beyond reason.
Her face flushed, she kicked her tiny legs in fury, equal parts humiliated and enraged: "You're not 'that person'... Why would you... do something so awful to Betty...?"
The library's peace was shattered.
Beatrice couldn't focus, her mind replayed the scene endlessly.
She shook her head wildly, her curls bouncing like springs, as if to fling the memory away... Yet Graham's teasing grin and the strange tenderness in his eyes lingered behind her eyelids.
A spirit's memory was flawless, and their senses razor-sharp.
The harder she fought it, the more that infuriating sensation looped in her mind...
Collapsing onto her lavish bed, Beatrice buried her face in a pillow.
A small figure rolled back and forth in agitated frustration, her muffled shouts echoing through the library:
"Hmph! Hmph! HMPH!"
"To think a mere... human..."
Beatrice bit down on her finger, her crucifer-colored eyes shimmering with the faintest trace of mist…