It had been almost two months since Edelgard had visited Rhea. Her imprisonment had been rather lonely in that time, though it was still an improvement over the first few weeks. Mae was friendly, and would chat with her when she checked her health. The guards would also talk to her sometimes, and they were friendly enough. But most of her time was spent reflecting. Thinking about the past and the future, her successes and failures alike, what she could have done differently and if the results would have been better or worse. Well, that and missing the people she cared about. Not just Byleth and her mother, but also Seteth and Flayn, Catherine and Cyril, Alois and Shamir, and many others.

She hadn't really been missing Hubert von Vestra, but he had visited her anyway.

"Did Edelgard send you? Or are you here on your own?"

"Today I am here on my own behalf," Hubert told her. "I have questions. But before I ask them, I have something to tell you. I hate everything you represent. As a person, I do not hate you. I hated the person I thought you were, once, but I believe I have a better understanding of you now. But I hate the Church of Seiros. I hate the influence you have had on Fódlan."

Rhea scowled, though she kept herself from reacting too strongly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because there is a chance I don't truly understand that, either," Hubert said. "I want to know the whole truth, not half-truths and conjecture."

"I will answer your questions. But first, I must know. What brought this on?" Rhea asked, now interested.

"It was something that happened two days ago," Hubert explained. "Lady Edelgard was performing an inspection in the former Varley lands..."

The Appointed Lord of the Varley lands, Vernan Aurane, was by any indication the sort of man who was perfect for the New Empire. The son of a merchant, he was well-educated, and he had demonstrated excellent leadership and management skills. When he had been given assignments to test his suitability, he had surpassed expectations. He was generally of good character, and if he was a bit too fond of beautiful women, he never let it impact his work. He was absolutely the sort of man who would have shone bright without the stigma of being Crestless holding him back. So of course he had been rewarded.

He didn't seem to appreciate it, if his attempt to assassinate Edelgard was any indication. "It's because of you that my brother, my wife, and my son are dead!" he shouted at Edelgard. "You got them killed over your grudge against the Church! And you thought you could buy me off?"

"You really don't understand what they fought for?" Edelgard asked. "A future where our worth is not determined by whether or not we are born with a Crest?"

Aurane spat as her. "That, for your future! I was happy before you went to war! You took my future away from me!"

"I see," Edelgard said, clearly disappointed. "Guards—"

"Too much of a coward to do it yourself?" Aurane snarled.

Edelgard stared at him for a moment, before drawing her dagger and stabbing him. She then took out a cloth and started cleaning the dagger. As she did so, she stared at it.

"Lady Edelgard? Is something wrong?" Hubert asked, once the guards had left with the corpse.

"This dagger. Dimitri gave it to me," Edelgard realized.

"He did?"

"I remember now. We were close, once. He gave it to me so that I could cut a path to my future."

"What?"

"He believed in me, once," Edelgard said. "And I planned to have him killed!"

"Edelgard..." Hubert trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Our better future. It won't last if no one believes in it," Edelgard told him. "I resolved to be the monster that Fódlan needed, to create a better future. But who would believe in a future created by someone like me?"

"By being too paranoid to reach out to anyone, you ensured that no one could understand what you were fighting for," Rhea summarized.

"It's not too late. It can't be," Hubert said. "But I have to know. What do you fight for? I have to understand."

"The answer to that question begins with the Agarthan War..."

"I think I understand now," Hubert told her. "I do not agree with many of your choices, but I understand why you made them."

"I only ever tried to prevent disasters."

"Some of which may have needed to happen," Hubert said. "I still believe you coddled humanity during your time as Archbishop. You limited us, took away our chances to grow as a people."

"By preventing pointless deaths?" Rhea asked, offended.

"If humanity never sees the consequences of their actions, they can't become the version of humanity that would avoid those actions," Hubert countered. "You can't lead humanity forever. We need to make mistakes on our own."

"The way you see the world is a very strange combination of callous and idealistic. Regardless, the world doesn't just belong to humankind," Rhea told him. "My people have as much of a stake in its fate as yours."

"And perhaps you do deserve a hand in Fódlan's future. Perhaps there is a solution to be found for both of our peoples," he said. "Tomorrow, Lady Edelgard will speak with you, and you can tell her what you told me. The war has to keep going for now to draw out Those Who Slither In The Dark, and after we defeat them, there will certainly be others who want input into the terms of peace. But the two of you may be able to set the foundation of the peace agreement."

Rhea nodded. "Very well."

"For what it is worth, though, I cannot fault you for trying to prevent another Agarthan War," Hubert told her. "Weapons capable of poisoning the entire world...I do not want that to ever happen again."

"Neither do I, Hubert von Vestra. Neither do I."

"You will not avenge your father this way," Dedue told his friend.

"I can't just give up," Dimitri said in response, looking up from the body of the man he had been interrogating.

"I did not suggest you give up," Dedue said. "I want revenge as much as you do. You must simply approach the problem differently. If you simply throw yourself at the problem blindly, you will shatter upon it."

Dimitri sighed. "I cannot do that while the one who killed my father is still alive. What do you suggest?"

"He does not understand," Dedue thought. "He is determined to destroy himself." "I think—"

What he was about to say was cut off by Edelgard teleporting in front of him.

"Edelgard," Dimitri snarled.

"Dimitri, I am sorry," Edelgard told him. "I remember now. You wanted to know who was responsible for Duscur?"

"Tell me."

"If I tell you now, he will get away," Edelgard said. "Duscur was part of a larger plan. If I ruin it for him now, he will escape and try again. I will not allow that. But I am preparing to make my move. When next we meet, I will tell you his identity." With that, she teleported away.

"Damn!" Dimitri shouted. "Dedue, we have to get ready to act."

Dedue sighed and nodded.