Chapter 14: Tea and Talk
This time, we're going for something a little bit different. I hope you don't mind the perspective flip for this chapter. Remember, there's plenty of other people at Garreg Mach Monastery too, so of course I'd focus on them on occasion too. So, enjoy! And don't hold it against me.
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Dorothea couldn't help but spare a glance at Bernadetta's dorm room as she passed by it. An idle thought crossed her mind that Sylvain was probably in there with the Varley girl, doing whatever it was that they normally did in there. Ever since she found out about their friendship the other day, Dorothea just couldn't shake the idea of how weird them coming together was. It was honestly the least-expected partnership anyone attending the Officer's Academy could've expected. And for that reason, Dorothea had always made sure to keep an eye out for Sylvain and Bernadetta. For Bernie, it was to ensure her safety, and for Sylvain it was to make sure that he knew that he was being watched.
The former diva had every intention of making Sylvain suffer if he did anything to hurt Bernadetta. After all, the school playboy hanging out with someone who could only stand to be around people for only five minutes at a time at best was clearly a recipe for disaster. That's why Sylvain was on Dorothea's probation. But, for the past few days he had been acting pretty normal around Bernie, at least when Dorothea saw them pass each other in the halls. No leering looks from him, nor any kinds of flirtatious comments. If anything, things seemed to still be completely normal. Dorothea had to give Sylvain some credit for at least managing to keep it in his pants around Bernie.
Bernadetta's dorm room disappeared out of sight as Dorothea passed it by. Well, there wasn't too much of a point to dwelling over it too much. If Sylvain messed up, he'd mess up. And Dorothea would geld him with her bare hands if that ever happened. It was as simple as that. Otherwise, he would be living rent-free in her head at all times, and Dorothea had better things to focus on. Like the tea time she was looking forward to sharing with Lady Edelgard today, for example.
The time they shared together was always special. It was one of the times of the week where Edelgard seemed to let her properness and social grace down, and talked to Dorothea in a more relaxed manner. Granted, the future Empress always carried herself with an air of iron-clad grace, but at least during tea time she was willing to expose a few cracks in her armor. Besides, Lady Edelgard also always had Hubert import some good tea blends directly from specialty shops in Enbarr, and Dorothea wouldn't forgive herself if she let the opportunity to drink some of that pass her by.
Dorothea's mouth salivated a little at the thought of drinking some Sweet Apple tea blend and chasing it down with some shortbread cookies. It was her little secret, with a few incredibly sweet foods being some of the few things that could break her otherwise somewhat plain and bland diet. It took a lot of work to get curves in all the right places to boost her opera career, and Dorothea wasn't one to give up on those looks so easily. Still, Dorothea felt that she had more than earned her right to have a sweet treat every once in a while. She'd worked her rear end off to get to where she was, so nobody had any right to complain if she indulged her sweet tooth between her periods of dieting.
As she climbed up the stairs to the second-floor interior dormitory, Dorothea noticed that the hallway was pretty empty. A small part of her expected to run into Bernadetta again, resulting in yet another odd situation she'd have to handle. But thankfully, that wasn't the case. Bah, and there she went thinking about that whole Sylvain and Bernie situation again. Was it really that stuck in her head? It was somewhat natural for such an odd situation to be stuck in her head, but still. This whole thing was just going to bug her for the rest of the day, Dorothea was sure of it.
Trying her best to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind, Dorothea walked up to Edelgard's dorm room and gently rapped on the wooden door with her knuckles. "It's Dorothea, Lady Edelgard," she announced.
Dorothea had only waited for a few seconds before the door opened. Before her stood the heiress to the Adrestian Empire, Edelgard von Hresvelg, her white hair glowing nicely in the light of the afternoon sun coming through her room's open windows. "A pleasure as always, Dorothea," lightly greeted Edelgard.
With a polite nod, Dorothea let herself inside the room and allowed her feet to guide her over to the small table that had been set up in the center of the room for this exact occasion. The aroma coming from freshly-brewed tea was divine, a relaxing scent combined with the scent of the platters of cucumber finger sandwiches and madeleines which overall gave the impression of overwhelming hospitality. As expected of the future Empress of Adrestia, Lady Edelgard had set things up perfectly for her beloved guest.
Sitting down at the table, Dorothea followed the proper protocol and unfolded a cloth napkin to place on her lap. Across from her, Edelgard did the same, before picking up the tea pot and serving Dorothea a nice spot of tea.
"I've had Hubert prepare a lovely Albinean Berry Blend for us today. This comes from the tea fields of Bergliez, so I'm sure it won't disappoint," Edelgard idly commented.
Dorothea commented in turn, "It smells delightful, Lady Edelgard!"
That certainly wasn't a lie. The ground-up berries mixed in with the tea leaves did lend itself to quite the pleasant odor. Hubert must have done his research to pick the best possible kind of tea blend among what was available. Quite the strong tea choice, coming from a habitual coffee drinker.
Dorothea blew away some steam from the teacup and took a sip. Indeed, the taste of the Albinean Berry Blend was just as good, if not better than it smelled. It was a different kind of sweetness from the Sweet Apple blend, but a pleasant kind of sweetness all the same. Letting the taste linger, Dorothea then placed down the teacup to pick up a cucumber sandwich and eat it, letting the coolness of the cucumber contrast nicely with the heat lingering in her mouth from the tea.
"So, Dorothea, how are your studies coming along?" politely asked Edelgard, before taking a sip of her tea.
"Oh, not too bad. Certainly nothing to get me expelled for. Reason magic courses continue to be my best topic," Dorothea reported.
Lady Edelgard nodded. "That's good to hear. Although, the offer still stands if you need me to arrange any tutoring. Maybe with Professor Byleth…" she trailed off briefly, before centering her attention back towards Dorothea.
Dorothea took another bite from her finger sandwich and chased it with some tea. "Still thinking about him, are we?" she teased.
Edelgard arched an eyebrow. "He's merely an interesting professor, that's all."
"I kid, I kid," laughed off Dorothea. "And I suppose 'interesting' is one way of putting him."
Cupping her chin in thought, Edelgard noted, "Well, his socialization is indeed odd. I think he's the only person the dining hall staff generally recoil at the sight of."
"Not to mention he smells like fish most of the time," added Dorothea.
"Oh, it's not that often," said Edelgard. "At least, as far as I've noticed."
Dorothea sipped her tea. "You've probably grown nose-blind to it."
Lady Edelgard let out a light chuckle. "Yes, I suppose that's one possibility."
Dorothea dipped a madeleine in her tea and ate it. The fluffy treat instantly broke apart in her mouth, the lightly-sweet crumbs of the baked good intermingling with the warm, delightful taste of the tea. As soon as she swallowed, an idle thought crept forward in her mind. Bernadetta would probably enjoy madeleines. The Varley girl certainly had a sweet tooth. Dorothea wasn't sure if her purple-haired classmate ever had a madeleine, though. Perhaps later she could ask Bernie if she ever had one, if she got a chance where she didn't run off at the sight of her. It was an idea for later consideration, at the very least.
"Is something on your mind, Dorothea?" Edelgard asked.
That question shook Dorothea out of her thinking. "Oh, I just was thinking of Bernadetta. Do you think she's ever had a madeleine before?"
"Well, considering that she's the daughter of Count von Varley, I wouldn't doubt that she had access to them at some point in her life," mused Lady Edelgard. "Although that's just speculation on my part."
"Maybe you should invite her over for tea at some point. It'll do her some good to get out of that room of hers," suggested Dorothea. She dipped another madeleine in her tea and ate it.
"Do you think she would bother to come out of her room for it?" Edelgard then asked, clearly rhetorically.
Dorothea nodded slightly. "Maybe. I know she's becoming more open of a person."
"Oh?" Edelgard hummed.
Shifting her eyes around in mock conspiracy, Dorothea said, "Well, you didn't hear it from me, but Bernie's been spending more time with Sylvain nowadays, apparently."
Edelgard nearly choked on her tea. She picked a rather bad time to take a sip of it. After giving her chest a few thumps to stop choking, the Hresvelg heiress asked, "Wait, what? When did this happen?"
Dorothea shrugged. "I dunno, but apparently it's been long enough for them to be comfortable with each other."
"Is he using her for something?" immediately asked Edelgard.
"No, I don't think so. He looks to be pretty devoted to their relationship, whatever that is," answered Dorothea.
Edelgard scratched the back of her head. "Well… I'll say, that's rather unexpected of him. I had no idea someone like Sylvain had that in them. And with Bernadetta, of all people? I have no idea how they would've even come together in the first place."
"Yeah, that's a riddle for the ages right there," Dorothea agreed. "Still though, I suppose it isn't bad for her to make a new friend, even if he's a man whore—sorry, letch."
Edelgard let out another small chuckle. "No need to hold yourself back here, Dorothea. I do get what you're saying, though. Perhaps this could be something good for Bernadetta in the long run."
"I hope so, otherwise I'd have to snatch the soul out of Sylvain's body," Dorothea said, before finishing off the tea in her teacup.
Lady Edelgard raised her teacup to that. "No disagreements there," she gestured.
The both of them then shared a small laugh at that. It was a nice feeling to let their barriers down ever so much, from being an opera star and the future ruler of the Adrestian Empire, to just acting like normal people chatting and gossiping over some lovely food and tea. It was like an island refuge in the eye of a hurricane, a small moment of sanctuary from all the different politics that surrounded them.
"Although," Edelgard began, still chortling, "I do wonder if this can be a sign of any kind of other cross-House relations."
Shrugging, Dorothea said, "I mean, I've heard rumors of Hilda sneaking out with Caspar at night before, but then again I've heard just the same about her and Claude, so I'd say it's a toss-up."
Edelgard hummed in thought. "Well, I suppose those things are naturally bound to happen. After all, plenty of people have said that school was the best part of their lives. Friendships formed there must be one of the reasons why."
"That's the optimistic interpretation of that. In my experience, a lot of the guys I've seen say that were people who clearly hit their peak decades ago," Dorothea noted.
"Considering those who are regular attendees of the Mittlefrank Opera Company's shows, I don't doubt that in the slightest," admitted Lady Edelgard.
Dorothea nodded at that sentiment. She was only there at the Officer's Academy because of a patron's sponsorship, after all. And by the goddess Sothis above, the man's money looked a lot better than the man himself. He was exactly the kind of person who peaked early in life. But Dorothea supposed she couldn't really complain about what the opera house's regular customer got for her.
"In any case, let's try not to think too hard about them. We've got our own stuff to deal with here," transitioned Dorothea, trying to move the topic along.
Edelgard reached over with her teapot and poured Dorothea another cup. "Yes indeed. Like drinking this delicious blend," she lightly said.
Dorothea eagerly took a sip of the serving of tea. "Indeed, it would be a shame to let this blend go cold. Do give Hubert my regards for picking such a lovely choice of tea."
"I will when I see him next," reassured Edelgard.
The two friends offered themselves up a small toast with their tea and took deep sips. The warmth from the heated beverage could be felt pouring down their gullet, and spread through their bodies in a relaxingly enjoyable way. Indeed, there was nothing better than sharing some great drinks and foods with a cherished friend like Dorothea or Edelgard.
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Time passed as it always did, although at least it seemed to slow in Edelgard and Dorothea's presence. When the sun's descent across the sky became apparent, it was only then that Dorothea realized that it was probably time to end their tea time. With the way they had been chatting and enjoying each other's company, it was as if hardly any time had passed at all. But Dorothea did have some things to do for that day, such as checking Anna's Secret Shop for some good imports of beauty products and getting some assigned homework done. With those tasks in mind, Dorothea bid Edelgard farewell during the mid-afternoon, leaving the Hresvelg girl alone in her room. Or, so it seemed.
"Alright Hubert, Dorothea has left," she said to the empty room.
At her call, Hubert von Vestra, her staunchest ally in this world, climbed through the open window of the dorm room. If Dorothea or anyone paying particularly close attention would've looked closer at the area around her window, they would've seen Hubert sitting on the ledge of the dormitory building, right behind a tree to keep himself out of sight.
"She sends her regards for the blend you picked out this time," relayed Edelgard to her ally.
"Glad to hear that I've outdone myself," Hubert replied dryly. Then, noticing a few leaves stuck to his pants, he brushed them off and threw them out of the window.
"Have you heard about this Sylvain and Bernadetta connection before?" Edelgard asked, immediately getting down to business.
At that prompting, Hubert pulled a small notebook out of his inner jacket pocket and began to leaf through the pages. After flipping a few, it seemed that he had found what he was looking for. "I picked up on it a month ago, although at the time I regarded the information as useless to us."
"I have a feeling we can use this somehow. A connection between the Varley and Gautier heirs? This could be a boon for us," mused Edelgard. Indeed, such an odd yet powerful connection could prove useful to her plans. It could mean gaining a power ally against Those Who Slither in the Dark, provided that she played her cards right.
"Do you want me to increase surveillance on them?" asked Hubert, closing the book and putting it back in his pocket.
Edelgard nodded. "Please do so. Although try to keep it limited to Bernadetta. We don't want Sylvain to catch onto anything."
Hubert smirked. "Watching Bernadetta is hardly a challenge. Your will shall be done, my lady."
"Thank you," replied Edelgard. "You know I can always count on you."
At that, Hubert gave a small bow to his mistress and headed back towards the dormitory window. With a simple, fluid motion, he vaulted over the windowsill and latched onto the tree to climb it down. Before lone, Hubert was completely out of sight.
With her master spy gone, Edelgard sat back down at the tea table and began to idly munch on what little food was left. Although now, without the presence of anyone, it didn't taste as good. It hurt keeping herself so distant from people, even people she wanted to consider as friends. But it was necessary for what was to come. When the time came for her plans to come to fruition, Edelgard wouldn't need friends, she would need allies. Whether they liked her or not wasn't relevant. And by that rationale, it was acceptable for Edelgard to order Hubert to spy on Bernadetta. As long as she could get Bernadetta into a position where she was useful, and if it was at all possible to gain an ally in this secret war that was happening, then it didn't matter what aims she used. It was for the good of everyone.
Even if it hurt her.
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I hope you enjoyed that chapter centered around Dorothea and Edelgard! And as you can see, now the plot deepens. Little do Sylvain and Bernie know that they're pawns in a larger game, a game hardly anyone knows is being played. Hopefully they'll come out on the other end with their relationship intact, but who knows?
This has been The Draigg, and I'm signing off on this chapter for now!