Yes, Beatrice certainly likes Natsuki Subaru, but not in a romantic way. Despite Beatrice’s youthful appearance that viewers may have mistaken her for a 12 years old girl, she has lived for more than Subaru, Rem, or Emilia ever has in the series. This doesn’t imply that loving Subaru is impossible because of the age gap, but because Beatrice has more things to worry about than love.
Beatrice has gone through so much that loving someone or being loved by someone is beyond what she thinks she deserves. Due to how the relationship between Beatrice and Subaru developed, many fans immediately listed her as one of the heroines of Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World.
As mentioned in our previous articles on Re: Zero, many isekai genre fall under the harem type of series. Re: Zero may not have been a harem anime, but still, some fans hope that Natsuki Subaru’s life can be one of them. However, Subaru has been a complete lover boy even at the beginning of the series. Emilia and Rem are the two most precious girls in his life, but at the final arc of season three, viewers saw that Beatrice might actually be equally significant as the two.
Who is Beatrice?
In Re: Zero – Starting Life in Another World anime adaptation and light novel, Beatrice, also referred to as Betty by the Subaru and the others, is one of the series’ main supporting characters. The author of the series has yet to reveal the little girl’s birthdate compared to other characters, for it can be a major spoiler for the series. However, she has lived more than you or anyone else in the real world.
Beatrice may seem to be just an average pretty girl, but she has lived for 400 years, making her above most of the series in terms of experience. Therefore, it is the vast amount of knowledge she possesses is understandable. The years she has spent in the world, regardless if these experiences she had are good or bad, justifies that for Subaru and the others, she is ahead of them all.
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Moreover, Beatrice is adored for her cuteness which is quite similar to a Bratz doll. She has long and blonde curly pigtails that Subaru even wanted to at least play with it even for once. She is constantly seen wearing a pink dress with a small crown on the side of his head. Her eyes are one of the major characteristics of Betty. This is due to her butterfly irises that symbolize her connection with the Witch of Greed, Echidna.
Beatrice may act strict and cold in most situations, but this doesn’t diminishes how kind-hearted she is, no matter how she tries to hide it. It may seem hard to believe, but for most of the 400 years that she has spent, Beatrice was only in the Forbidden Library at Roswaal’s Mansion.
Due to a specific reason, Beatrice has long detached herself from the world. This is the reason why she is usually bad at welcoming people in her life or just merely befriending them. As an artificial spirit of Echidna, she is considered to be one of the most powerful characters in the series. She possesses the so-called Witch of Greed’s Apostle, allowing her to use magic almost similar to Echidna.
In addition, with her ability called The Book of Wisdom, Beatrice can use various powerful magical spells that can rival Roswaal’s ability. She has notably mastered elemental spirits, allowing her to use fire, water, and wind elements on the battlefield. Indeed, she may be young and cute. But she is a formidable opponent that one cannot simply ignore in a battle.
However, her power isn’t the only characteristic that makes her one of the strongest characters. The ability of Beatrice to survive on a battlefield also lies in her wide range of knowledge and understanding of the world.
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With the number of years she has spent in the world, she is probably one of the most intelligent people in the series. She is capable of offering valuable advice, but her people and communication skills only make her unapproachable.
Therefore, it is significant for all Re: Zero and Betty fans out there that the artificial spirits’ ability is not limited to her abilities as a magic user. Her role in the series is beyond her ability to fight or protect the main characters of the series. This is because she is one of the key characters. She will help Subaru in developing his isekai life for the better.
Lastly, Beatrice or Betty will become one of the most crucial characters in terms of the plot’s emotional development. She may be adorably arrogant and hard-headed. But Beatrice is the character with the loneliest heart who only wants what anybody wants… companionship and acceptance.
How did Subaru and Beatrice First Met?
Beatrice and Subaru’s lives crossed when he started to live under the same roof as her. Because of Elsa, Puck, and Subaru’s fight, he exhausted himself, causing him to lose consciousness. Hence, to recover, Emilia brought him back to Roswaal’s mansion, where she was currently living.
Due to Subaru’s Return by Death ability, he and Betty have more than one first encounter. However, the very first encounter of Betty and Subaru happened in the Re: Zero – Director Cut‘s season one episode three.
During their first meeting, Betty instantly showed her cold demeanor towards him by saying that he looks seemingly dumb. By applying as one of Roswaal’s servants, he also found out about Betty’s ability Door Crossing. It is an ability that allows her to connect her room to any door in the mansion.
Betty’s door crossing is frequently ineffective to Subaru. This is because he can always find the right door despite her hiding her presence among them. Due to this ability of Subaru, he has spent more time in the library compared to those who are part of the household, such as Rem, Ram, Roswaal, and Emilia.
All in all, Beatrice’s cold and disdainful personality that she showed to Subaru in the first part of the series indicated that their relationship truly made one of the biggest development throughout the series. As Subaru continued to do his part as the series’ isekai hero, he gets more tangled with every character of the series.
This includes Betty, which allowed them to have more frequent interactions. As the series goes on, Betty will understand that Subaru is not just an ordinary visitor or servant who ended up in Roswaal’s mansion.
Does Beatrice Like Subaru?
Yes, Beatrice does like Subaru regardless of how their relationship started. However, this likeness isn’t similar to Rem or Emilia’s case. Beatrice’s untrusting and cold personality toward anybody made her relationship with Natsuki Subaru more complex. While she appears to not care about all of Subaru’s problems, she is one of the few people who have offered him in the series. This slowly gave her much more importance in the life of Re: Zero‘s isekai hero.
The way Beatrice and Subaru’s relationship started didn’t immediately form a possible love team that fans support. In fact, it didn’t even seem like she was one of the key characters of the series. However, a mature character in handling things allowed her to lend Subaru a hand when he needed it most. Even Betty thought of Subaru as an average boy. She didn’t show any interest in him, whether asking for his help as one of the servants or just someone she could freely talk with.
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In addition, Beatrice witnessing Subaru living his isekai made her curious about him. Although she never shows it, Betty always listened to Subaru’s frustration. She even lets him stay in her Forbidden Library, which she often bans other people to enter.
Moreover, by being an eye-witness to Subaru’s sincerity and selflessness, Betty was also willing to help at the beginning of the series despite not knowing much about him. This earned Subaru great respect and admiration from Betty, which she rarely gives anyone. This admiration also made her agree with Subaru and save him from the bleak future that awaits him.
In season one, episode three of the series’ Director Cut, it was Betty who first pointed out the scent of the Witch of Envy that may be making Subaru’s life fall into more danger. Furthermore, Beatrice was willing to make a contract with him by granting his wish for protection. However, Subaru used Puck, Betty’s favorite friend, as a way to convince her. This didn’t hide the fact that Betty wasn’t able to take the pain that was written on Subaru’s face.
Their first contract made Subaru emotional. This is because it was the first help he got after discovering his ability to resurrect. In every area of the mansion, the library was the safest one for Subaru. Betty brought him to the Forbidden Library, and Subaru also spends most of his time with Betty reading books.
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She was willing to fight against Roswaal when Subaru was suspected of killing Rem and resisted in killing Subaru when he personally asked her to do so. Lastly, their second contract by the end of the series’ third season showed more of the development of their relationship.
Subaru may not have been ‘the one‘ for Betty. However, his words of encouragement made her choose him and finally step out from the Forbidden Library to the real world. Due to its complexity, Betty’s feelings may be hard to understand. But one thing is for sure: Subaru is the only person who was courageous enough to make her understand that the world is so much beyond the library where she hid for decades.
The endless waiting for someone finally ended, thanks to the isekai hero, who never gave up on her. This touching moment between the two was the ultimate leap for their relationship to deepen and become stronger. Since becoming Subaru’s artificial spirit, she has grown attached to the series. Not only did her action toward him massively loosened. But she also became more shy and bashful whenever she talks to Subaru.
Compared to her cold demeanor in the beginning, Betty became more attached and clingy to Subaru. Betty became someone who wanted Subaru’s acknowledgment. Someone who finds joy in him, patting his head or merely complimenting him. In fact, she was even seen sitting on his lap at the end of season two’s part two. However, fans should not assume that these outcomes of their relationship interpret something more than what they really love.
To be clear, Betty only highly regards Subaru with unwavering admiration and respect. She believes that he is truly worthy of such kind words. He is the person who healed her from her traumatic past and lack of companions. As of the moment, the relationship is still unfit for fans to assume that Betty will be one of the love interests of Subaru.
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The feelings she has for him can be something more, aside from wanting herself to become his love interest. Subaru’s bravery to save him from isolation made her the person who could bring peace to his life. By allowing Subaru to know her better, she was able to find out that he is a man that she can trust without any inhibitions.
Their relationship goes deeper than wanting to end up together as a couple. This is not that kind of relationship. Subaru and Betty’s relationship centers on the connection and companionship they could give each other.
She finds peace in Subaru’s presence. While it is true that their relationship could be interpreted by something different, especially as the series goes on. We need to consider that Betty needs more time for herself to make up for the years when she locked herself away from the world. Besides, her fondness toward Subaru will never meet the excitement and care she shows to her favorite fellow spirit, Puck.
Does Betty Know About Subaru’s Return to Death Ability?
As an artificial spirit user, Betty had the ability to know all the things that were going on inside the mansion. Therefore, he saw how much Subaru had struggled. She witnessed his determination to be accepted by the people living under the same roof as him.
Well, this might appear confusing to some viewers. Beatrice has shown in the first season that she might actually be one of the people who knows about the ability but chooses not to meddle with Subaru’s own affairs.
Moreover, her affinity with one of the witches may have also allowed her to know the truth since she and Subaru are involved with at least one of the seven witches in the series. However, the series never actually confirmed if she really does or doesn’t; hence, as far as the story goes, whether she is aware or not is up to fans to speculate.
About Subaru and Beatrice’s Contract
One of Subaru’s solutions is to get to Beatrice to seek help in beating the Great Rabbit. For 400 years, Beatrice has been waiting for “that” certain person to come to take her out of the forbidden library, according to Echidna’.s last mission for her. This made her life miserably lonely. However, with Subaru, she convinced herself that her fate does not rely on anyone but herself.
After a series of events and conversations, Subaru and Beatrice came to a critical understanding. Subaru was able to convince Beatrice to form a contract with him. One of the conditions for the contract is for Subaru to become “that” person or Beatrice’s “Knight” and for Beatrice providing him with her support and assistance.
With this contract, Subaru and Beatrice were able to strengthen their connection and establish a deeper and stronger relationship. Their commitment to help and support each other plays a significant role in the development of the friendship that they have. As mentioned above, Betty became more clingy to Subaru’s attention after saving her from unending isolation.
As Subaru’s spirit, Betty can now know where Subaru is at all times. She can call him out using the link she has with him. However, as an artificial spirit, Subaru must follow the following conditions:
- Betty cannot restore mana on her own.
- Subaru is prohibited from forming a contract with other spirits.
- Beatrice can only drain mana from Subaru.
- Beatrice is not capable of using the mana in the atmosphere.
