IV. New Things, Not Always Welcome

March 15: Morning

Knock knock-knock knock.

Corrin froze in surprise, his shirt halfway buttoned. That wasn't Felicia's knock. "…Er, come in?"

He watched the door slowly creak open, almost dreading what he would find. Gods, if it was someone from work, he swore to every Dragon there is—

"B-Big Brother?"

His eyebrows furrowed. Eli—? No—a head of neatly-combed red hair was peeking through the door, slowly settling on Corrin.

"Sakura," Corrin breathed, and a big smile grew on his little sister's face.

She pushed the door open, gesturing to unseen persons outside: "C'mon, everyone!"

Corrin's smile grew wider as two more people stepped through the door: his other elder sister Hinoka, and the newly-crowned High King himself, Ryoma.

"Gods," Corrin could barely gasp, standing from his bed to greet his siblings. "You're here…!"

Ryoma chuckled. "I'm glad to see you, Brother." He spread his arms wide. "You've only been gone a month, but even that long seems like an eternity."

Stunned, Corrin let his elder brother pull him into an embrace. His sisters, impatient, flanked him on both sides to hug him as well.

Peering past Ryoma's shoulder, Corrin caught a glimpse of Felicia standing in the hallway. A pleased little grin adorned her face, and she gave Corrin a friendly wave before leaving him alone with his family.

Corrin pulled away from the embrace. He felt overwhelmed. A happy kind of overwhelmed—I think—but still, he had trouble discerning his jumbled mess of emotions. "Wh, why are you guys… here?"

Hinoka grinned. "Didn't Ryoma just answer that? We missed you, Corrin. It sucks being apart now that we can finally enjoy peacetime together."

"I, I h-had to go for work…"

"We are not blaming you, Brother," said Ryoma with a smile. "That's ridiculous. Of course you had to go, so of course we had to visit."

Sakura beamed up at him. "I, er, I hope you've been having a good time here," she murmured. "I-I understand you haven't been alone, at least…"

"Y-Yeah." Corrin tried to focus. He couldn't. The—feelings—He couldn't remember the last time—

The Hoshidan siblings glanced at each other uncertainly.

"…Takumi had other work to do," Hinoka ventured, in the absence of Corrin asking. "He couldn't make it, but, uh, he told us to send his regards."

"Right." Corrin blinked rapidly, mentally repeating Hinoka's words until he understood them. "Right, that's… that's unfortunate. But, I'm sure he's needed wherever he is, so…"

He trailed off, not sure where to go from here. Looking around at his three present siblings, he finally determined one of his current emotions: happy. Yes, this was a good moment.

Corrin's shoulders slumped, and he smiled weakly. "Gods, I'm so glad you could come…!"

His siblings' cheer returned, and they all embraced him once again.

Corrin shivered in their arms. "And not for work… That, that feels so good." We can spend time together…

The sweet moment lasted quite a long time, but a gentle rapping at the door brought Corrin from his reverie: it was Felicia, still smiling.

"I'm really sorry to break up this moment," Felicia began, "but, Lord Corrin, you have breakfast soon. Family visiting isn't a good reason to skip a meal!"

"Aha. Right, right." Corrin passed Ryoma by, gesturing out the door with a thumb. "I have to go get breakfast with Camilla; it's kind of a routine for us. Will you guys be alright?"

Ryoma looked at Hinoka. Back to Corrin, Ryoma said, "Ah, why don't we all go with you? I'd eagerly enjoy a meal with you, Brother."

"Uh… sure, sounds great." Corrin scratched his head.

Sakura piped in: "Um, s-sorry, guys, but I'm not hungry. Is it—er—okay if I just go explore the fort?"

Hinoka smirked, nudging her sister. "Oho, 'explore the fort,' huh? Sure you're not looking for anyone in particular?"

Sakura flushed as red as her hair. "Sh-Shut up…"

"Enjoy yourself," Corrin swiftly interjected, patting Sakura's shoulder. He'd had enough recent experience with such teasing to sympathize with her. "I'll see you later, Sakura."

Sakura breathed easy. "Th-Thank you, Big Brother. S-See you."

March 15: Breakfast

Camilla stood when she heard the door creak open: "Oh, good morning, Corr—!"

Immediately as Corrin's accompanying siblings, Hinoka and Ryoma, stepped through the door into the gardens, Camilla's words died in her throat, and her expression curdled with displeasure.

"…Oh." Camilla took her seat again. "I… wasn't expecting you, Your Highness. Nor you, Princess."

"Please, call me Ryoma," said Hoshido's High King gently, placing a hand on his chest. "We just arrived this morning; I hoped I would be able to share breakfast with our brother?"

"Our brother," Camilla echoed under her breath. He was sweet-talking her by not saying 'my.' "…Fine. Do as you will, as long as I get to have breakfast with Corrin."

Corrin flinched. Camilla certainly wore her displeasure on her sleeve. Unwilling to talk either party down, however, he gestured for Ryoma and Hinoka to take the seats opposite Camilla; evening the rectangular table out, he sat next to Camilla.

Time moved slowly. Utensils clinked against dishes, but no dialogue passed to make the wait any more bearable. Corrin hazarded a look at Camilla, to notice she was unabashedly glaring daggers at Hinoka across the table. Corrin glanced at his Hoshidan sister to judge her reaction, but to his disappointment, Hinoka was glaring back at Camilla with the same venom. He couldn't tell who had started their spiteful staring contest, but it seemed it was up to him to end it.

"So you two and Sakura took a wagon to get here, I imagine?" Corrin asked of his brother, who was sipping his tea quietly. "Was the trip pleasant?"

"Mm." Ryoma returned the tea to his tray, shaking his head. "It wasn't especially harrowing, but I wouldn't call a direct trip from Castle Shirasagi to here a pleasant trip." He chuckled, which Corrin tried to parrot in order to lighten the mood. "Crossing the border was something of a hassle. Though I suppose I should count my blessings, given how our borders used to be."

"Used to be impassible, in fact," Camilla added, trying not to clench her teeth. "Well—from our side alone. The precious bounty of Hoshido kept just out of reach, while your people could come and go as they pleased." Perhaps to lessen the venom of her statement, she shrugged nonchalantly and reached for her teacup.

Ryoma smiled pleasantly. Corrin knew his brother; the samurai was adept at masking his displeasure if he so willed it, so Corrin couldn't determine if this was a forced, political smile or a genuine one. "Apologies for the correction, Lady Camilla, but my mother's magical barrier was not some anti-Nohrian wall. It simply drained the will to fight from… invaders."

"Water under the bridge anyway," Hinoka hissed, being much easier to read. "Now that Mother is dead, Nohrians can come and go with as much malice as they wish."

Corrin laughed anxiously—a little too long. In fact, once he'd started laughing that nervously, it was hard for him to stop. His three siblings all watched him with varying levels of skepticism.

"Haha… ha." Corrin shivered. "L-Let's try to get along, guys… Camilla and I have to get to work anyway. Same time tomorrow?"

"Ah, the meeting for the proposal, right?" Hinoka asked, eyes brightening. "If you don't mind, could I tag along?"

Indignation lit in Camilla's expression. "I knew—"

Corrin was quick to interrupt her: "Sure, sounds good! You can sit on—on my right side." Maybe if she and Camilla stayed out of the other's field of vision, he could avoid more conflict for the rest of the morning. "Now, let's go, okay? Work's gotta be done, amirite? Heh… heh." You didn't even make a joke Corrin, stop laughing.

As the others stood up, Ryoma smiled politely at them, raising his teacup. "Then I will see you later, Brother," he said. "Good luck."

Corrin took a breath. "Thanks."

Hinoka's entrance did not go unnoticed by the staff. While the Hoshidans seemed to breathe easier with one of their own around, the Nohrians seemed far more disgruntled.

Corrin crossed his arms, Camilla's irritation rubbing off on him. Why can't these guys just get along? Is it really that hard? We're all in it together from here on, they know.

He shook his head. This is ridiculous.

March 15: Afternoon

"How was—" Felicia began brightly as Corrin sat across from her, but his expression told the whole story. "…That bad, huh."

"Seeing them was great," Corrin muttered. "For the first five minutes, I was actually happy. I can't remember the last time I've felt like that for real." He huffed, digging into his meal. "Then we meet Camilla, and it's just instant drama. I know they were enemies not too long ago, but c'mon." Corrin sighed. "We've been through way too much together to still be at each other's throats over things like this."

"Three months is a long time apart, Corrin," said Felicia seriously. "It's easy to forget."

Corrin winced.

They ate in silence for a moment. Just when Felicia had resigned herself to another silent lunch with her liege, he spoke up with, "Since when is Camilla that childish? I couldn't have one pleasant morning with her, Ryoma, and Hinoka? Gods, when I finally got out of that meeting to go work on my own, I was almost relieved."

"I think she might be a little bit jealous, Corrin," Felicia murmured. "Now that your Hoshidan family is here, she won't have you all to herself anymore. Honestly, this past week—having breakfast with you every day—must've been just like old times to your big sister." She tilted her head and smiled. "So… go easy on her, okay? She'll come around, I'm sure of it. I for one really like your Hoshidan family."

Corrin grunted. "I guess. I can tell I'll be putting up with a lot of crap until then, though."

"Then keep your evenings… busy," Felicia added with a wink. "Make sure you don't have free time, so you don't have to put up with them. Get what I'm saying?"

Corrin huffed impatiently. "But I haven't even been able to spend time with Sakura."

"There will be time, I'm sure." A smirk grew on Felicia's face; "And, you didn't hear this from me, but I think Princess Sakura's hands will be full in the evenings, too." She lowered her voice to a whisper: "She has a crush!"

So today's lunch has devolved to gossip, thought Corrin. He was curious, he had to admit, but were he in Sakura's position, he would not appreciate the blathering behind his back.

Leaning over the table, still whispering (seemingly for the sole purpose of seeming conspiratorial, as the mess hall was practically empty as always), Felicia added, "I bet it's Silas she likes."

"I really don't want to know," Corrin muttered irately. "And, what? Aren't you and Silas dating?"

"Wh-What?" Felicia shook her head adamantly, growing immediately distraught. "N-No, no! We're not…" She inhaled. "Gods, did I give that impression somehow? I'm sorry, Corrin! I didn't mean to mislead you like that! No, me and Silas, we aren't together. I don't like him in that way!"

Her mouth was moving fast: an anxious rapid-fire, not a lying kind. Corrin grunted in response and looked away, silently pushing for a change in topic.

March 15: Evening

"…and in order for the shipments of daikon to meet the monthly quota, they will need to reach a weight of eight thousand kilograms, greatly exceeding Nestrian regulations; this shows that those numbers are infeasible for traversal by sea." One hand on his hip and the other grasping the page, Corrin paced under the lonely oak, lost in the text. "Therefore, land travel will be required to make up the difference, including passage through the inhospitable Bottomless Canyon." Corrin took a breath and, in the pause, glanced at Elise to see if she was paying attention. As always, she was watching, wearing a patient smile. Whether she was listening was irrelevant; she sat in lieu of the silent audience Corrin would be presenting to, which was all he needed.

Corrin sighed, dropping the paper atop the stack with the rest, and he sat cross-legged facing the princess. "I dunno how Hoshido is going to be able to deliver those kinds of shipments without parleying with Nestra for a change in regulations." He snorted. "Unless they want to start building actual infrastructure in the Bottomless Canyon."

"Which would be easier?"

"Which would either country be willing to do for the other?" Corrin riposted. "Ideally, both would happen, but the way proceedings are going, it looks like it's going to be a game of chicken between Hoshido and Nohr." He started to reach for the paper again.

"Maybe—" Elise leaned forward to stop his hand—"let's just take a break for a bit, 'kay? You've been talking nonstop for, like, half an hour."

Corrin smiled. "I like that idea." He retracted his hand, and so did Elise.

Elise sprawled out in the grass. "Your meeting today was kinda the talk of the fort. Your Hoshidan siblings showing up caused a huge stir, turns out!"

Corrin soured. "Yeah, I know. The meeting was painfully divisive. Good thing Hinoka's just visiting, not here for work, or things'll be pretty tense for the next few days." Corrin sighed. "Especially with Camilla. Even breakfast was a slog. Though Felicia said she was probably just jeal—"

"—Jealous, yeah," Elise agreed, nodding. "Felicia's on the right track. Knowing Camilla, she's just gonna hate sharing you." The princess smirked. "Big Sis shoulda picked a better time of day to hog you! Evenings, apparently, are the magic time."

Corrin chuckled.

"Speeeaking of Felicia," Elise sang teasingly. "Anything happen between you two lately~?"

"Are you kidding me with this, Elise? How many times will I have to say no?" Corrin shook his head irately. "Gods, that's the furthest thing from my mind."

Elise glanced away, sighing. "Must not be."

"Let's just get back to work, okay?" Corrin started to stand.

"Wait." Elise sat up, frowning thoughtfully. "Why aren't you with your Hoshido siblings, huh?" She winked. "Am I that special to you?"

"That's a trap," said Corrin. "You want me to call you special, but you also want me to tell you the truth…"

Elise hit him on the arm, laughing.

"Anyway," Corrin chuckled. "They were all kinda busy—not sure with what—and though they wanted to make some free time for me, I elected to come here instead. It works for everyone: they don't get distracted by me, and I get to spend time with you." He ruffled her hair playfully, eliciting more giggles.

"Sounds good to me," Elise bubbled. "Now you can get back to work."

Corrin felt like he should have been reassured… Regardless, he slept poorly that night.

March 16: Morning

"Hmmmngh…"

Well, there was no denying it anymore. With a stuffy nose, a painful throat, and a familiar, unpleasant weight in his chest, Corrin was forced to admit at last that, yes, he was sick. Though—the weight wasn't a symptom. Rather, it was the same feeling that had plagued him six days ago:

Guilt.

Why?

Corrin crawled from the depths of his stifling blankets, reaching with protesting muscles for the clothes Felicia had placed at his bedside.

Guilt for… pretending things are fine. Putting on airs. His family is here, and he's still playing make-believe with his feelings.

…Corrin wasn't really sure what he meant by that; he only knew it was true.

What's one more lie, Corrin thought as he stood. Hearing Felicia's footsteps approaching, he called out before she could knock: "Come in."

A half-knock struck the door, as if she'd heard him as soon as she had begun. "…Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come in." He knew she'd notice his puffy eyes and ruby nose immediately, so he tried to assuage her concerns with a brief concession: "Well, I'm a little under the weather."

Felicia's eyes went wide as she hovered in the doorway. "Gods, you look awful, Corrin!"

"Do I really?" Corrin asked, feigning surprise. "I swear I don't feel that bad. But some medicine wouldn't—Oh." She was hurrying over, assuredly to gauge his temperature.

As her cold hand rested against his forehead, he forced himself to breathe evenly. Holding a conversational tone took effort. He was angry. Of all things, he did NOT need a gods-damn illness holding him back from finishing his work. It was hard enough and time-consuming enough without having to stop to blow his nose.

Felicia backed away a step, worry still etched into her expression. "You're running a little warm…" She frowned. "It's not feverish, so I don't think you HAVE to stay in bed, but—"

"I'm fine," Corrin interrupted. He had to fight not to sigh with relief that she wouldn't force him into a sickbed all day. "Some medicine would be great, but I feel well enough to work." He shot her a surprisingly-convincing grin to top off the act.

"Well, okay, but—" She frowned determinedly. "But if you get worse, tell me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll—"

"Look me in the eye and tell me you will. Corrin?" She pointed at his eyes, then at her own. "Promise!"

"I… promise."

"Good." Felicia straightened his collar. "…Now go catch breakfast. I'll be in here if you need me." She flashed him a concerned smile.

March 16: Breakfast

Today, Hinoka and Sakura had elected to join Corrin and Camilla for breakfast (Ryoma had evidently found himself busy, somehow; seemed even on days off he couldn't be constantly available). They repeatedly snuck furtive glances of Corrin, who sat rubbing his temples to stave off his newly-developed headache. It had come into being while he was walking to the gardens—nothing food wouldn't cure, he'd thought, but no luck so far. His siblings had been treating him delicately thus far in response.

"So," Sakura ventured. "How, um, do you like the waffles, Lady Camilla?"

"They're fine." To punctuate her statement, the Nohrian princess popped a forkful of them into her mouth. "For rural Nohr, they do the trick. Abating hunger is all we need."

"'We'," Hinoka scoffed. "Still playing games even outside the conference room, I see. You are royalty, Lady Camilla. You can't pretend to bear the same burden your people do just for sympathy points."

Sakura paled. "Er—hey, what about the weather? I-It's pretty nice, right guys?"

Camilla clenched her fork white-knuckled, glaring at Hinoka. "Perhaps, sweetie, you'd prefer we have a private discussion ourselv—"

"Enough," Corrin declared tiredly, still rubbing his temples with his eyes shut. "Just… stop."

His siblings were all taken aback.

"…Sorry, Corrin," Hinoka murmured.

"Yes, let's… keep such arguments away from our dear brother." Camilla added a conciliatory smile towards Hinoka.

"And anyway, shouldn't we be going to the meeting at about this time?" Hinoka asked.

"I'm sure Corrin would agree that you needn't inflict that upon yourself for his sake." Camilla quirked an eyebrow, judging Hinoka's reaction.

The princess pursed her lips. Sakura looked away.

Dropping the subject, Camilla tilted her head. "Mm… Well, if you insist on coming, I'd say we have a few more minutes." She glanced the prince's way; "What do you think, Corrin?"

"I need to lie down," Corrin mumbled.

"Pardon?"

Corrin hazily pushed away from the table. He had to admit defeat. This headache was killer, and it was merely the frosting on his illness cake. He couldn't pay attention like this, much less work on his proposal. Due in three days, he thought miserably. "I'm gonna ask Felicia for some headache stuff, and then I'll try to sleep it off." Rising on wobbling legs, Corrin started to leave. "See you all… tomorrow morning, I guess."

"Let me walk you back," Sakura said, taking Corrin by the arm. Corrin was too weak to refuse, so they walked away together.

Hinoka blinked. "Ah, wa-wait, Corrin!" She huffed, stymied by the garden's door closing. "And he's gone. He really needs to go to the infirmary for something like that."

"Hmhmhm…" Camilla chuckled lightly. "Dear Hinoka, he doesn't want the infirmary. He wants Felicia." She smiled widely, watching the pieces slowly fall together for the Hoshidan princess.

But Hinoka scowled. "You tease him too much." She seized her tray, stacked upon Corrin's and Sakura's, and marched away from Camilla. She knew she wouldn't be able to say much more without inflaming another argument.

March 16: Afternoon

"…Lord Corrin."

Corrin's eyes fluttered.

Felicia tilted her head, frowning at the drowsy prince. "Are you feeling well enough to come to the mess hall with me? The lunch hour will end soon, and I don't want you to sleep through it."

"Mmn." Corrin blinked several times before resting his scarlet eyes on Felicia. "Y-Yeah, just give me a minute." Grimacing, he sat up in his bed. "How… long was I out?"

"A few hours. Like I said, it's lunchtime now."

Corrin rubbed his eyes, groaning quietly. "I missed the meeting and work time…"

"But are you feeling better now?" The corner of her mouth twitched upwards, hopeful.

Corrin eased his legs over the side of the bed. "I…" He tilted his head. "Congestion's a bit worse, but… yeah, I feel a little better."

The maid's smile grew in full. "Can… Can I just say how happy I am you actually came to me?"

"Huh?"

Felicia took Corrin's forearm, helping him stand. "Even with the promise, I didn't actually expect you to come let me know if you got worse. It… it really means a lot that you did."

Corrin furrowed his eyebrows. I only did that because I felt so awful… Felicia linked her arm through his and turned him toward the door. "Is it really… that important to you?"

"Yeah." Felicia turned her eyes forward, and she reached for the doorknob herself. "I mean, it feels like… I dunno. It's nice to be trusted like that."

"…Hm…"

Food was the miracle elixir. Some greens, some protein, and a good amount of water had Corrin feeling significantly better in no time.

Felicia was lecturing him as they carried their trays away from their table: "Now, you aren't magically cured of illness. Keep hydrating throughout the day, and be sure to have more meat for dinner. Keep up your energy, and you'll recover smoothly." She grinned. "And, if you do get worse, keep me in the loop. Okay?"

"Definitely," Corrin said, chuckling weakly. "You've really got this down, don't you?"

Felicia waved it away. "Oh, it's nothing! Flora taught me all this years ago."

"…Right." Corrin took a breath. "Well, I missed out on a lot of work today. I'll have to make it up…" His heart fell. "…This evening."

Felicia winked. "Spirits up, milord! I'll drop by your room later to check on you, okay? Good luck!"

She spun on her heel, and master and maid went their separate ways.

'Better' wasn't 'perfect,' as Felicia had cautioned. A slight, dull throb remained in Corrin's temples, and that damn congestion wasn't going anywhere.

And the guilt, yes. That remained.

Corrin puzzled it over as he walked. He'd been purposefully avoiding the thought for the last several days, but now, he couldn't help but broach the topic. Where was the guilt coming from?

He could sum it up in a word. Dishonesty. The word echoed through his thoughts. Something about… something about… things left unsaid.

Chills passed through him as he thought those words, and at that, he'd had enough. Shutting the curiosity away, he turned his mind forward to his proposal. He'd swing by the conference room, pick up some notes from Camilla, and head to his room to work. In fact, the conference room was just around this corner, was it… not…?

The sound of voices slowed Corrin's pace. Heated voices. Arguing voices. Corrin sidled along the wall, peering around the corner to see if he should avoid the confrontation. To his surprise—though, in hindsight, he should have seen it coming—three of his siblings stood outside the conference room. Ryoma and Hinoka, clashing with Camilla.

He sighed. Of course. What could they be arguing about now? Seemed breaking it up would forever be his problem.

"Why should I give the notes to you?" Camilla was saying indignantly. "I told Corrin he could count on me to hold onto them."

"I only intend to review them," Ryoma said calmly, but his expression betrayed him: his eyebrows were formed into an annoyed crease. "I want to ensure that your numbers line up with the ones I scribed myself."

Corrin frowned curiously. Why would he…

"Hah!" Camilla scoffed. "You even doubt my ability to write down some numbers? How insulting."

Ryoma's shortage of patience was growing plain. "I will give them back as soon as I'm through!"

"I refuse. These are for Corrin."

"Corrin is here at my request."

"Irrelevant. Have you forgotten Corrin's role? He is a mediator between our nations, Your Highness."

Hinoka scoffed. "You're insufferable! Don't pretend you aren't just here to sway the proceedings in your favor."

"I'm not pretending anything of the sort," stated Camilla. "I told Corrin up front that I am here to oversee Nohr's interests. Can you say the same, Hoshidans?"

Ryoma folded his arms, clearly trying to calm himself. "…What do you want from me, Lady Camilla? I am trying. This proposal is supposed to be a step toward peace!"

Camilla's expression showed no sympathy. She leaned in closer, glaring at Hoshido's High King: "I want you to admit that you lied to our mutual brother. You told Corrin you were only here to see him… but you aren't."

Ryoma and Hinoka both flinched.

From his hidden position behind the corner, Corrin's hands fell limply to his sides. His eyes were wide.

"…Yes." Ryoma shook his head; Hinoka glanced at him in alarm. "Yes, we are here to balance the proceedings. With only Nohrian royalty present during the debates, I feared discussion would sway too far from Hoshido's best interests. You must understand that, even with trade agreements meant to benefit us both, I must always be looking out for my people. I can't risk your influence swaying Corrin too heavily."

Camilla paused, mulling over Ryoma's words. Her expression was softening somewhat, and after a moment, she grew a little smile. "…There. That was all I wanted. Now…" She brushed her hair over her ear. "This would be certain to upset my darling Corrin, so let us keep this—"

"You lied to me!"

Hinoka, Ryoma, and Camilla jolted to attention as Corrin rounded the corner. While he'd been numb a moment earlier, he was now alight with fire.

"Corrin," Hinoka began, taking a step closer, but Corrin silenced her with a violent gesture.

"I can't believe you!" he bellowed. "You—You—Why would you even lie about that?!" He shook his head angrily. "This—This is so insulting! To me, to Nohr—gods, we're supposed to be allies!"

Hinoka cringed under the verbal assault. Ryoma, as well, grimaced and waited for Corrin to finish.

The enraged prince jabbed an accusing finger at his Hoshidan siblings. "You really have no faith in me, do you?! You thought that, since Camilla is here, I would suddenly not be able to do my job as mediator? No, no, Corrin couldn't do that all alone; he needs some Hoshidans here to really set him right!" His face traversed the range of fury, disgust, and—finally—sadness. Sadness mixed with rage, to be sure. "You're awful!"

Camilla felt a stab of pity—in spite of herself—for the Hoshidans. "Corrin…"

"You could have told me from the start," Corrin continued. "You could've just said you're here for work." He threw his hands up, exasperated, and for a moment he was out of words. He simply glared at his siblings, watching them itch contritely.

And, in the end: "…Why?" Corrin's eyes had turned downward, unable to even look at his siblings. "I would've been disappointed, sure… but why would you tell me you were just here to see me if that wasn't true?"

When he looked up at his siblings, they noticed the frustrated tears in the corners of his eyes. Ryoma stepped closer, outreaching an arm and murmuring, "Corrin, I…"

"Save it!" Corrin brushed his hand away, suddenly heated again. "I—I can't look at you two. Camilla, give me those notes."

"Ah…" Reluctantly, the princess reached into her side bag, producing a thick journal and offering it to Corrin. "…Here."

Corrin snatched them from her hand—though his anger was not directed at Camilla, she undoubtedly wanted him to calm down, putting them momentarily at odds—and, gripping it tightly, stormed off.

Unbelievable.

And yet, so damn typical.

March 16: Evening

Corrin had missed a lot this morning, and he found that deciphering Camilla's notes was even more difficult than interpreting his own. She had scribbled many little notes for Corrin in the margins, evidently as an afterthought meant to give him missing context, but they were often as inscrutable as the main body of her scribework.

He had no choice but to cancel plans with Elise and lock himself away in his room to slog through it. Hopefully it wouldn't take him all night.

…Though, on some level, he knew that this also served as a valiant excuse to not see her. To avoid the guilt he had come to associate with her presence, the guilt of things left unsaid.

He should have known it wouldn't matter. When a knock came to his door, he immediately knew it was her.

Corrin didn't look up. "Come in." He'd explain why he missed their usual rendezvous and then send her off.

She entered quietly, moving closer to peer over the prince's shoulder. "So… this is what 'Working Corrin' looks like, huh?"

"Yeah." Corrin gestured at the window. "I'm used to having natural light, though. Working by lamplight makes me… haaa. Makes me sleepy." He glanced over his shoulder at the princess. "Why are you here, Elise?"

"Nooo, why are you here?" Elise countered. "How come you didn't come to the oak tree?"

"I'm sick." He indicated his pale complexion. "Couldn't work this morning, so I'm making it up now."

"Aw." Elise removed one of her gloves and placed the back of her hand against his forehead—identical to Felicia's motions. "Ooh, yeah, that's pretty warm. I'm sorry, Corrin."

"Hah." While Elise slipped the glove back on, Corrin turned in his chair to face her. "Yeah, it's the second worst headache I've had today." He knew he'd be inflaming his temper by going down this road, but he needed to vent: "Ryoma and Hinoka—they lied to me! They only came here because Camilla's here; they thought they'd 'balance the discussions' by providing a Hoshidan perspective. And don't get me started on how having two Hoshidans and one Nohrian is inherently imbalanced."

Elise's jaw dropped. "No way! That's so mean!"

"It's not just mean, it's humiliating," Corrin hissed through his teeth. "They didn't trust my judgment! They didn't need to come at all, but they did just so that I, the mediator, wouldn't be swayed. Ryoma and Hinoka, they betrayed me!" He was shouting by that point, but caught himself and lowered his voice. "…Meanwhile, Sakura actually wasn't here for work, just like you—she was here to see me… and apparently Silas. But there's no way she didn't know. She was silently compliant with the others' LIE." Trembling now—mostly with anger. "And—and Takumi couldn't even be bothered to pretend. He couldn't even show up at all." Corrin shook his head violently, looking down at his feet. "Gods, but it was so obvious. They were busy in the evenings, probably with the same thing Camilla does. Camilla sends her reports to Leo, and the others must send them to… Takumi, I guess. But Camilla was honest about her work from the start. I can't… I can't believe they'd lie to me."

"I know how much it meant to you when you saw them visiting," Elise murmured. "They probably know you're not in a great place right now, Corrin. They wanted to give you some good news."

"Fake good news. Just seeing them is enough… I don't need their fictions."

"You're right. They shouldn't have done that, but you know they probably had good intentions, right?"

Corrin sighed, the breath ragged. "Please, stop, Elise. I know you're just being optimistic, but I don't want to hear that right now."

"I dunno, Corrin." She leaned against his desk, frowning at him. "I feel like you could use an optimist."

Corrin turned away his eyes. "…Anyway…" He gestured vaguely at her as he turned back to his work. "You should go. I need to get this done."

"Nuh-uh." Elise shook her head vigorously. "Remember why I'm here, Corrin?"

Corrin huffed. "'To help me enjoy the little things?'"

"Well, yeah. But besides that, I'm here to help you work! And if I can't help you after you write, then I'll help you while you're doing it." Elise grinned and seated herself on the prince's desk. She giggled; "Look at me, I'm your little helper!"

"You don't have to do that," Corrin sighed. "You're… off the hook today, Elise."

Elise tapped her chin mock-thoughtfully. "Well, let's review my options. Should I go wander the halls aimlessly and die of boredom, or should I spend some quality time with my best friend…?"

Best friend. The words tickled Corrin, easing a stupid smile from him. "If… If you insist, Elise."

"Ohoho, I really do."

The night moved quickly. Though the work took several hours, time flew by in the presence of Nohr's youngest princess, leaving Corrin to wonder why he hadn't been doing this from the beginning. Elise charmed him constantly, keeping him relaxed while never distracting him too heavily from his work. He couldn't help but think back on all the awful mornings, all the times an otherwise-good day was ruined by the monotony of work, and he kicked himself for never bringing in Elise to help. She didn't even need to contribute. Just her animated personality was enough.

Within no time, he was exactly where he wanted to be. He'd written his fill for today, and with Elise already present he found it had taken no time. Any progress he had lost this morning was almost made up. Today had been a very full day; possibly in part due to illness, Corrin found himself exhausted.

And, of course, his poor mood of earlier that evening had evaporated.

The prince took a deep breath, surveying the thick proposal before him. "Gods, look at this," he said, drawing Elise's attention to the massive document. "We're almost done."

"Really?" Her brow rose. "How much more?"

"Well, today's the sixteenth," Corrin murmured; he began flipping absently through the pages. "I have tomorrow and the day after that to work. I'm presenting it to Xander and the Advisory Board on the… the nineteenth."

"Whaaaat?" Elise pouted. "Aw, you have to work on my birthday?"

Corrin's eyes snapped onto her. "Oh, gods, I forgot!" He shook his head. "Wow, your birthday is in three days… I can't believe that slipped my mind."

She nudged him. "Well, if you're busy that morning, then promise you'll spend time with me that evening, okay?"

Corrin hesitated, frozen with a smile. "Y-Yeah. Definitely, Elise."

They were both quiet for a while. Work was done, Corrin was worn out; the night should be over.

"…So." Elise glanced at the door. "I should go, I guess. Sleep tight, Corrin."

His judgment possibly impaired by exhaustion, a fiery impulse shot through Corrin, bringing words to him unbidden: "Stay the night."

The princess glanced at him, a slight confused curl to her brow.

Corrin leaned forward, placing his hand over hers. "Stay."

Elise smiled. Corrin could feel the melancholy in her voice when she said, "I don't think you want that just yet." Gently easing his hand away, she pushed off of the desk. "Good night, Corrin."

She was right.

It didn't sting any less.

…He could've just told her… just opened up right there—