There isn't much one can say after making a scene like that, and especially nothing that can be said to undo it. And so, with that out of the way, the three of them have no choice but to move forward with their relationship.
"I guess it isn't normal to feel this way, but I think it's obvious how I feel about you. About both of you," Edelgard says. "What I have with you two...it's more than just friendship, and it has been for a while."
"I feel the same way," Byleth replies, looking between the two of them. "Hubert...well, Hubert caught my attention from my very first class. I'd never liked anyone like that before, but it didn't take me long to figure out that's what was going on. Which made it harder to figure out I liked Edelgard, but…"
"Because you were afraid to like more than one person," Edelgard says. "I'll admit, I've been interested in you from the first day of school too. Hubert had mentioned there being a new student, and it was weird that he talked about anyone else at all, and then I met you, and...I'm not really sure what happened, I just wanted to get closer to you. Even after what happened this summer, and me promising myself I wouldn't let anyone else get close to me."
They both turn to Hubert then, who hasn't actually addressed his feelings yet, and he shakes his head. "So, what, now it's my turn? These aren't topics that I'm particularly well-versed in, you know. Besides, Edelgard...while Byleth admits she's been smitten since she first laid eyes on me, you haven't mentioned when your feelings shifted."
"I never said-" Byleth starts, but Edelgard interrupts her.
"Probably the same time yours did, Hubert. Isn't that obvious enough?"
"So, then, your feelings never actually shifted," he says. "If it's the same as it was for me, you've always had them, just below the surface, but never acted on them, because of the history."
"We were always so close," she replies. "If there was never going to be anyone else in my life, then it didn't matter to me if we never took things further. Everyone else thought we were dating until we told them otherwise, so I was happy to live like that and not risk the friendship."
As Byleth listens to the two of them go back and forth, she nearly starts to feel left out, before Hubert looks to her and says, "But then Byleth happened."
"Exactly. Byleth happened."
"What exactly did I do about all of this?" she asks.
"You threw off our entire dynamic," Hubert replies. "Made things a little less comfortable, shook it up, we both took an interest in you, and that was certainly different."
"I knew you liked her, you know," Edelgard says, and he smirks.
"Did you, now? Because, for a while there, I'm pretty sure she thought I hated her."
"Well, if you're intentionally intimidating someone, they're probably going to think that, Hubert. But, no, I know you well enough to notice a difference, and how could I act on my feelings when the boy I liked ended up liking the girl I liked?"
"So you see how difficult it was for me, then. After all, I've always thought I could give up anything if you needed me to, but now, not only was it the first person besides you to catch my eye, but with the situation you're in, I couldn't even advise you to go after her, even if I didn't try to go after her myself."
"For the record," Byleth cuts in, though she somewhat enjoys their back and forth, "I was one of the people who thought you were dating until you told me otherwise. And I thought it was really weird that I wasn't jealous, and when you told me you were just friends, there was definitely a part of me that hoped the two of you would get together. Even though I also definitely had a crush on both of you."
"Well. At least we've managed a solution to that, no matter how unorthodox that solution may be," Edelgard says. "So, now that we've settled that we can all date each other, what are we supposed to do from here? You know, because our lives weren't complicated enough already."
"It'll probably be hard to explain to people," Byleth says. "We'd get a lot of unwanted attention if we were public about all three of us dating."
"And unwanted attention is the last thing Edelgard needs right now," Hubert agrees. "If the two of you would like to be public, I don't mind hanging around the sidelines at school."
"And how is that fair to you?" Edelgard asks. "While I agree that it might be best to keep this to ourselves, I'm not going to let you do that."
"Well, I am not going to let you sit it out either, and I already know that you're going to say Byleth can't be the secret either, even if she offers."
"That's exactly right. So, if we don't want any extra attention, we should just carry on as we are. After all, we're all pretty good at keeping secrets, don't you think?" Byleth and Hubert both agree, and the three of them decide to just behave as friends at school.
~X~
As usual, they spend the entire weekend together, and when Byleth gets home, she sees that her father is back. She'd sent him a message to let him know where she was, and hadn't gotten any reply, though that didn't surprise her. He's been busy with work lately, and gone even more often than usual. More than anything, him being home is a surprise, but not nearly as surprising as what she sees when she enters the door.
He must have just gotten back not longer before Hubert dropped her off, because he hasn't had much of a chance to clean himself up yet. Which is to say that he hasn't changed yet, and she can clearly see that there's blood soaked into his shirt. Not his own, unless he's got a hidden wound, but there's no mistaking it for anything other than blood.
"Where have you been?" Byleth asks, staring at the stain.
"I...I've been working. Where else?" replies Jeralt, but he turns, angling himself away, as if he could hide what she's already seen.
"Did you get hurt? Did someone else get hurt? What's going on?"
"It's nothing you need to worry about," he says, after pausing for a moment. "Just normal work stuff."
"How is that normal work stuff?" she asks, and he immediately looks like he regrets not coming up with a better excuse. "Where do you even work ?"
"That's none of your business," he says, turning completely so that he can head for his room. But Byleth isn't satisfied, and she follows behind him.
"How is it not my business? I'm your daughter, and you disappear all the time without telling me where you're going or what you're doing, we uproot and move all the time because of your job. After all that, don't you think I at least deserve to know what you're doing?"
"Byleth…"
"I have a friend at school. His dad is a cop, I saw him on the news recently. If I asked any of my friends what their parents do, they could tell me. They would think it was pretty weird that I've never had any idea what you do," she says.
"Kid, that's enough," he says, his voice suddenly stern. "I don't care what the other kids at school are like, or what their parents do. I guarantee it's a different situation, and that's all I'm gonna say on the subject."
"But I-"
"Since when have you cared this much about anything ?" he asks. "You've changed. What happened?"
She knows that it's meant to be a distraction, but when he says it, it throws her off nonetheless. In a way, she understands what's changed, but she can't even begin to tell him about Edelgard and Hubert and everything she's experienced with them. She can't tell him that she's dating her two best friends. She can't tell him that it all started because she watched one of their friends drain a stranger of their blood.
"I...don't…" She trails off, and he opens the door to his room, making it clear that he won't let her follow him.
"We both have our secrets, so let's leave it at that. This conversation is over." With that, he closes the door behind him.
