Chapter 32: …But It Can Be Taken
Played some more of Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light recently. Still liking the game, but man the convoy system is making me want to tear my hair out, it's so archaic. I'm really glad it was improved upon in future games. Something something time cures all wounds, or whatever. Although I also can't help but wonder how much of that was due to the limitations of the Famicom as a console. I'll bet that had something to do with it.
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The day after next, the tea that Edelgard was sharing with Dorothea tasted particularly bitter. She wasn't entirely sure if it was because she was about to use and abuse the trust that Dorothea placed in their friendship, or if she had simply neglected to add any sugar to her tea cup while she was thinking of her scheme earlier. She scarfed down a large madeleine in order to drown that feeling, chasing it down with a swig of tea to hopefully drown it too.
"Geez Edie, you're acting like you've never had tea before," Dorothea lightly chuckled, her mouth up to her own tea cup.
Realizing how she must've seemed like, Edelgard placed her tea cup down slowly on the saucer with a small, graceful sound of porcelain meeting porcelain. "I'm sorry, but that madeleine suddenly looked irresistible to me," she chuckled in turn.
"I'll admit, the madeleines that the Dining Hall staff makes are pretty good. Certainly better than some of the ones I've had back in Enbarr," Dorothea then commented.
Edelgard tore another madeleine in half, dipped one half into her tea cup, and then ate the soggy treat. "Then I'll have to introduce you to the ones that the chefs at the Imperial Palace make. I believe that you'll find them to be divine."
Dorothea hummed in thought, smiling. "More divine than the ones made here at Garreg Mach? That's quite a challenge, Edie. You're basically saying that they're holier than the church."
"I suppose I'll have to commit some light heresy here in the monastery then," joked Edelgard. Internally, she mused that considering her plans, the only joking part of it was the inclusion of 'light'.
Dorothea let out a small giggle. "Lady Edelgard the Heretic does have a certain ring to it. It sounds like the title of something I would act in back in my Mittlefrank days."
"Speaking of, have you heard anything from the theater troupe nowadays?" Edelgard asked, creating small talk.
"Oh, nothing much," replied Dorothea, before taking her sip of tea. "Last letter I got, I heard that things were doing fine, and that although they're happy for me being here, they still miss me. I guess that's expected of the girls back home."
Edelgard nodded, following along. "I'm sure they miss their star diva, dazzling everyone up on stage."
"Meh, I'm sure the other girls are handling things fine," noted Dorothea. "It's not like I was the only talented person there."
"True," agreed Edelgard. "But still, you made such a splash back in Enbarr that your absence is probably being really felt now."
Dorothea shrugged. "Then that just means we'll have to take the city by storm when we come back. Think about, it the Empire's heir coming back into town, alongside one of the Mittlefrank's divas with a new husband in tow? The people won't stop talking about it for months!"
"Still on the husband search?" Edelgard dryly asked, sipping her tea.
"You say that as if it ever ended," observed Dorothea. "In any case, a lot of the men here are less appealing than I thought they would've been, to be honest. For example, have you seen Lorenz Gloucester?"
"The one with the weird triangle hair in the Golden Deer, right?" Edelgard asked.
Nodding, Dorothea elaborated, "I swear, the man is like Ferdinand's long-lost twin brother or something. Sure, Lorenz has wealth and a title, but the way he carries himself is just plain annoying. Nobility this and nobility that! Hearing him go on about nobility makes it not even sound like a word anymore."
"That certainly does explain why they've had tea with each other before…" thought Edelgard out loud.
"I swear, those two are made for each other," finished Dorothea.
"They would probably already be together, if they weren't interested in finding women," Edelgard added.
"If only the rest of us were so lucky," Dorothea joked.
The both of them shared a light laugh together at the conversation. As much as Edelgard didn't like Ferdinand trying his hardest to one-up her and elbow into whatever situations she was involved in, at least it made for some good story material whenever he wasn't around. Even he had some use, Edelgard supposed. Beyond being just another person she would willingly throw into the fire once her plans for war began in earnest, to be specific. It was that entertainment derived from Ferdinand's existence that at least softened the blow of her plans for him later.
Edelgard drank the rest of her tea and reached over to the tea kettle to refill her cup. Such a casual action would serve to be a disarming gesture and make what she was about to say next seem completely casual, rather than a calculated act. "There's one couple I've been hearing about that's interesting."
Dorothea raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I guess it has to be a weird pair for you to comment about it. What's the gossip?"
Internally, Edelgard braced herself as she calmly added some sugar into her tea and stirred it around. "There's been rumors floating around that Sylvain and Bernadetta are getting involved with one another now."
Dorothea had unfortunately been taking a sip of her own tea as Edelgard so casually revealed the existence of the pairing. She had nearly spit out the tea and sprayed it all over the table, but instead she managed to swallow it at the last minute. However, she nearly choked because of that, and had to thump a fist against her chest while sputtering out a few coughs as she breathed. "Wait, what?!" she managed to get out between coughs.
"I know, I was surprised myself when I heard it," Edelgard so easily lied. Taking a sip of her fresh cup of tea, she added, "I would have never expected Bernadetta to get involved with anyone here."
Dorothea forcefully put down her tea cup and massaged her temples, struggling to even truly think about it. "That bastard! Has he no decency! Bernie shouldn't be with some damn letch like him!"
Edelgard shrugged. "The heart often makes people do confusing things, I suppose."
"How are you so calm about this?" Dorothea nearly shouted. "He's probably doing all kinds of things to her! Sylvain will ruin her! You need to talk Bernie out of it, or scare Sylvain off, something like that!"
Sighing, Edelgard put her cup down. "While I do have the authority to, that doesn't mean that I should in some situations. How do I have a right to judge people on their own romantic interests? It might just be something that Bernadetta has to figure out on her own."
"But Edie—" Dorothea began to protest, before being cut off.
"If I were to force Bernadetta to stop a relationship she chose on her own, what kind of message do you think that sends? If she truly did open up her heart to someone, having it forced back closed by someone outside of the relationship would do some irreparable damage to her. And I think she's already in a bad position, with her refusing to leave her room. I don't want to imagine what betraying her trust in me as a House Leader would do to her."
Dorothea let out a frustrated sigh out from between gritted teeth. "Your hands are tied by your position, I get that…"
Edelgard frowned. Dorothea would never understand the depths of how right she was in saying that.
"…But that doesn't mean I am! If you're not going to do something, then I will!" Dorothea then declared.
"Hey now, wait up a moment," interjected the Adrestian heiress swiftly. "What are you planning on doing?"
"Simple. Rip Sylvain's balls off," hissed Dorothea through her teeth.
"Dorothea, as much as that would make you feel better, I'm obligated as House Leader to tell you not to do that," said Edelgard. "Save all the beatings for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion."
Dorothea couldn't help but take her cap off and run her hands through her long, wavy dark brown hair. Judging from the look on her face, Dorothea appeared that she was on the verge of exploding due to the sheer impetuousness and frustration of it all. That was precisely the attitude that Edelgard wanted out of her friend. That was the kind of attitude that would create a problem that she could swing in and resolve as Bernadetta's benevolent, understanding savior. Perfect.
"It's just… ugh! Damn it, Sylvain! I swear, I'll wring the neck of that dastard the next time I see him!" Dorothea seethed aloud.
"I just said not to do that," observed Edelgard.
"Then what?!" Dorothea barked. "We can't just let Sylvain get away with this!"
"How about you just try to talk to him first?" Edelgard ever-so helpfully suggested. "You'd think that he might've learned something from all of his previous flings."
"Yeah, you would think so. But I really, really doubt that's the case," grumbled the former diva. "Why are you even willing to entertain the chance that Sylvain isn't up to something?"
Edelgard shrugged. "I'm just trying to prevent this from blowing up too much," she lied. "I would be remiss if I didn't at least try to resolve things peacefully. That's why I'm asking you as a friend to not go too rough on him."
"Hrmmmm…" Dorothea groaned, not too convinced.
"How about this? If he doesn't come around when you talk to him, then I'll step in and try to set things straight with Sylvain. Deal?" Edelgard bargained. "I'm sure you can understand that I'd want to at least minimize the possible damage here."
Dorothea was still frowning, but judging from the look in her eyes, Edelgard could tell that she was accepting her logic. It wasn't an easy thing to swallow, but the bargain was decent enough to not reject outright. Instead, Dorothea allowed herself to stop grabbing at her hair in frustration and put back on her cap, the brim pulled down a bit lower than it normally was.
"Fine," accepted Dorothea. "But if he even so much as thinks about keeping on being a bastard and using Bernie, I want the first shot at making him pay."
"Well, let's hope it doesn't come down to that," was Edelgards tenuous agreement.
"Yeah," tersely replied the former Mittlefrank starlet. Although it was a one-word reply, the sheer venom in her voice implied a whole lot more about what she was intending to do if Sylvain refused to stop dating Bernadetta.
It was at that moment that Dorothea suddenly stood up and pulled the brim of her hat down even lower, to the point where it was just about covering her brow line. "I-I'm sorry, but… I just really need to cool my head down about this. Sorry to cut off tea time so short, Edelgard."
Edelgard pressed her lips together in a thin line, playing the part of a concerned friend. "And I'm sorry for bringing it up. I had no idea that the news would affect you that much."
Sighing, Dorothea replied, "No, no, no need to apologize. You couldn't have known. How about we just make up for it soon, alright? I'll bring along the pastries next time."
At that moment, Edelgard allowed herself to show a light smile. "I suppose I can't refuse a generous offer like that. In any case, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Dorothea."
"You too," Dorothea nodded. An awkward air filled the dorm room for a moment, before the diva abruptly spun on her heel and left the dormitory, not even bothering to push in her chair at the table that had been set up for tea time.
The thin smile on Edelgard's lips dropped as soon as the doors clicked together shut. She decided to chug the rest of the tea in her cup before placing it back down on the saucer. There truly was something bitter about using her friend in such a way, at a time that was specifically meant to help her unwind a little. The sweetened tea did nothing to wash away the taste that such an action left in her mouth.
Still, at least there was the grim satisfaction in seeing her plans be pulled off without a hitch. The bait had been swallowed whole by Dorothea, and she was acting in the way that Edelgard had expected her to. As long as she could keep a leash on the former starlet, Edelgard felt confident that her plan to exploit Bernadetta would come to fruition.
The only cost at the end of the day was a part of her soul. But at that point, Edelgard had long-passed putting in the effort to count how many fragments of herself that she lost. It simply wasn't worth it anymore. Betraying her friends, on the other hand, absolutely was. That's what she kept on telling herself.
Edelgard sighed to herself as she put her tea set and pastry plate aside. At the rate things were going, the things she used to enjoy were just making her sick.
XXX
You know, besides the In Search of Lost Time reference, I mainly bother to include madeleines into the tea time scenes mainly because I start to crave them whenever I write these parts. I haven't had a madeleine in ages. I probably would have them more if I bothered to actually drink tea more, but I'm definitely more of a coffee kind of man. Oh well, I guess.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. This is The Draigg, and I'm signing off for now!