Manuela and Hanneman watched as Claude and Hilda kissed for the first time while attending Byleth and Dimitri's wedding.
"And there's another couple in the making," Manuela complained.
"Our old students are moving on," Hanneman stated. "Would you really begrudge their happiness?" He gave her a stern look.
Manuela cracked under the stern look as always and sighed. "No," she stated. "Of course, I don't. You know, I don't." Manuela crossed her arms and leaned back to look at him.
"You just want a little something that they have," Hanneman stated.
"Can you blame me?" Manuela asked him.
"Well, if you spent a little time looking to see what's in front of you than what's in town," Hanneman stated, "then maybe what you're complaining about wouldn't be an issue." After finishing his rant, he walked away.
Manuela just stared after him and the meaning of his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Indeed, she thought. Why wouldn't I look to see what is in front of me?
"Are you going to chase after him?" Sylvain asked after overhearing their full argument.
"What?" Manuela asked after being pulled out of her thoughts.
"Are you going to go after him?" Sylvain asked again wondering why he had decided to help her open his eyes. "That was clearly a man who knows he wants you for all your quirks."
"Don't be ridiculous," Manuela said.
Sylvain stared at her. "He basically just confessed to you about how he feels for you," he stated, "and you're calling me ridiculous?" Sylvain scoffed and then started to step away. He stopped and then looked at Manuela. "You both deserve more than that." He continued to walk away.
Manuela's mouth dropped. "Why the nerve," she said incredulously. "I'm more than what he thinks." She looked around for Hanneman. When she spotted him, she ran to him. "Hanneman! Wait!"
Hanneman almost didn't stop. He was tired of seeing the way she was being treated by talking to those idiot men. He sighed, but he turned to her. "What is it?" he asked her. He turned to look at her.
When she got to him, Manuela was out of breath. She leaned against the wall for a moment.
"What do you want to say, Manuela?" Hanneman asked.
"I'm sorry I never looked to see what was in front of me the whole time," Hanneman," Manuel started. "It never occurred to me you would feel this way about me. You and I have always been oil and water." She remembered the phrase from years ago. "Always that way. I never thought it would be more than that. The funny thing is there is nobody who understands me like you do. There's nobody who would love me the way you do." She sighed. "And there's nobody else who I would wish to spend the rest of my life with."
It was Hanneman's turn to stare. He had always wanted her since the minute he had seen her - the minute he had laid his eyes on her. NOw she was telling him the same things he wanted to tell her and don't know what to expect. Maybe he should've had more faith than reason when it came to her.
Hanneman offered his hand to her. "May I have this dance?"
Manuela smiled and took it and simply answered, "Yes."