Early evening was settling upon Garreg Mach Monastery, the sun hanging low in the sky and casting its last rays of the day across the land. Many of the inhabitants were in the dining hall enjoying dinner. Edelgard, however, had finished a little earlier and was now taking a stroll through the grounds. There were few sights to see, other than a couple of cats wandering by, looking for prey. She passed by the fishing pond, glancing at the pier to see if anyone was trying their hand at fishing.
Empty.
Edelgard stamped down the small knot of disappointment that formed in her stomach. About a week ago, after taking an early dinner and setting out on a random walk, she'd happened upon her professor engaging in one of her many bouts of fishing, as she seemed to do of late. They'd enjoyed a pleasant chat; despite her aloof demeanor, Byleth was always cordial, and surprisingly easy to talk to. After that instance, Edelgard had found herself eager to indulge in her teacher's company— perhaps against her better judgement.
After all, it was still much too early to determine whether Byleth could truly be trusted, if she could be persuaded to join her cause. Hubert seemed to be of the opinion that she keep as much of a distance from the professor as possible. But surely there was no harm in a little casual conversation? Perhaps spending time with Byleth would unearth some information that could be useful for their objectives. This is what Edelgard had told herself for every day for the past week as she ventured past the fishing pond, hoping to catch a glimpse of a teal-haired figure standing at its edge.
Alas, it was not to be this evening. Edelgard pressed on and approached the ledge overlooking the marketplace, where she spotted Dorothea leaning over it. The songstress turned towards her as she approached, flashing a grin.
"Well hello there, Edie. Taking a little after-dinner stroll?" Edelgard strode up beside her and leaned on the ledge, looking down at the bustle below. Most of the merchants were packing away their wares for the day, while others were trying to make last minute sales.
"Yes, I find it refreshing to be outdoors sometimes," she answered. "And what about you? People-watching?"
Dorothea hummed in affirmation. "It's quite an amusing activity, you ought to try it sometime."
"I'll consider it, in my next free moment." Edelgard fiddled with the sleeve of her jacket, willing herself to project an air of nonchalance. "I don't suppose, during your observations, that you've seen our dear professor running around, have you?"
"No, I can't say that I have." The answer had come just a half-second later than Edelgard liked. She turned to Dorothea, who was gazing down at the merchants with a small smile. She faced Edelgard. "What did you need her for?"
"Nothing in particular," Edelgard said quickly, looking back down at the marketplace. "I just figured she'd be milling around somewhere, or perhaps fishing."
"Ah yes, that's become one of her favorite pastimes, hasn't it?" Dorothea chuckled to herself. "But no, she hasn't been around here. We'll just have to content ourselves with watching Sylvain make the rounds."
Edelgard searched the area until she spotted the reddish mane belonging to Sylvain. He was, unsurprisingly, chatting with some young maiden. "Honestly, I don't know why he insists on playing these games. These women don't actually fall for his antics, do they?"
"You'd be surprised," murmured Dorothea. There was no way to hear what the pair was saying, but it didn't seem to be going well. After a brief moment, the woman walked away, and Sylvain appeared to be surveying the area again.
"What do you say we place a little wager on it?" Dorothea asked suddenly.
Edelgard blinked. "Wager... on what? Sylvain being successful? Surely you can't think something like that would happen."
"Well, he has to be lucky at least some of the time, don't you think? Maybe I'm just a little optimistic today." Dorothea twirled a bit of her hair with a finger. "What do you say?"
"I don't know… what are we betting?" asked Edelgard nervously. Sylvain appeared to have locked onto a target, and was slowly approaching her in almost a swagger.
"Oh, just something trivial, like a small favor or something." Dorothea held out a pinky towards Edelgard, who hesitated for a moment before offering her own. They turned to watch the scene unfold; from their vantage point, only the young woman's face was visible, as Sylvain's back was turned towards them. Edelgard watched closely the woman's expression as the conversation unfolded. First there was indifference, followed by surprise. Then, the faint sound of her laughter could be heard, and in the next moment, both the woman and Sylvain were walking off towards the front gate.
"Well, would you look at that?" Edelgard sighed. "I suppose not everyone is immune to his particular charms."
"Like I said, you'd be surprised." Dorothea turned from the ledge to face Edelgard, clasping her hands together. "Now then, I believe that you may owe me something…"
"Collecting so soon?" Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "You know, you can just ask me directly for a favor without having to make a bet out of it."
Dorthea laughed. "Perhaps, but it's more fun this way. And besides, you probably wouldn't agree to this otherwise."
"Oh?" Edelgard could feel a sense of foreboding settle upon her, but she attempted to keep her face as neutral as possible. "Should I be concerned?"
"Absolutely not. All I'd like you to do" —as she spoke, Dorothea took off her hat and offered it Edelgard— "is to wear this hat."
Edelgard glanced at the hat, frowning slightly, then back at Dorothea. "For how long?"
"Not long… just all day tomorrow."
Edelgard groaned.
The next morning found Edelgard studying herself intently in the mirror.
The hat certainly didn't look bad, if she was being honest with herself. It was something different, if nothing else. Edelgard stood with her arms akimbo and cocked her head to the side, trying to mimic Dorothea's presence and attitude.
No, that didn't quite work. She sighed and straightened her posture. There really wasn't any reason to have any anxiety over this, it was just a hat.
But what was the objective? Edelgard had turned over the matter all night, and hadn't really come up with a viable reason. Humiliation? She couldn't see why Dorothea would feel the need to do anything like that, their relationship was pretty amicable. Besides, this wasn't really a humiliating look. If anything, she'd probably get a fair amount of attention from the new look.
Could that be it then? Edelgard wondered what Dorothea would have to gain from this arrangement as she gathered the materials she'd need for lecture. She wouldn't say that she'd actively sought out the spotlight since coming to the Academy— there were things that needed to be done that could not be done under any kind of scrutiny— but as House Leader, eyes would automatically be upon her whenever the Black Eagles took the field, so it wasn't as if she could hide completely.
Pondering what could be in store for her today, Edelgard readjusted the hat one more time before steeling herself and exiting her room.
Where she was met by Claude, who just happened to be walking by.
"Well, good morning Edelgard," he said, grinning. How irritating it was that this would have to be her first encounter of the day.
"Good morning, Claude," Edelgard replied through gritted teeth.
"You know, something seems different about you today." Claude put his hand under his chin thoughtfully, tapping his cheek with his finger. The grin hadn't left his face, and Edelgard suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to smack it off. "Ah! I know what it is! You've adjusted your cape by a few centimeters, haven't you?"
"As amusing as ever, I see." Edelgard glowered at him briefly before turning away to walk towards the staircase. Claude caught up to walk in step beside her.
"Oh come on, just a little joke," Claude chuckled. "So what's with the new look? Are we channeling our inner songstress today?"
"If you must know," said Edelgard, seething, "I lost a bet."
"Wow… I gotta say, I never took you to be the gambling type, princess." Claude paused for a moment. "I don't think I understand what the motive is though."
"Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Dorothea knew it would attract sarcastic comments from people, and it's a new form of torture."
"Ouch. I can see that the hat is certainly improving your mood today." Sunlight bathed over the both of them as they descended the staircase. At the bottom, Claude stopped suddenly and turned to Edelgard, smiling. "Well, for what it's worth, I think it suits you, princess. You should lose bets more often."
Edelgard felt her face flush instantly. "I… don't intend to do that, but… thank you."
Claude chuckled again. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I can sense that your retainer's about to appear any moment now, and I don't think I can take that much cheerfulness this early in the morning." He gave a short bow before walking off. As if summoned out of thin air, Edelgard saw, out of the corner of her eye, a figure emerge from the shadows next to the dormitory. Hubert walked towards Edelgard while grimacing in Claude's direction.
"He is truly the embodiment of levity, isn't he?" Hubert scoffed. "I trust this morning finds you well regardless, Lady Edelgard?" he continued, giving a bow in greeting.
"Well enough. Let's be on our way."
Edelgard felt more conspicuous than usual as she navigated the dining hall. She swore she could feel the curious glances of everyone that was in attendance. She had passed by Claude and Hilda on her way to get her food; Hilda only stared quizzically, while Claude gave her a knowing smirk and wink. Edelgard resolved to keep her head down for the entirety of breakfast, but that hadn't prevented her from noticing Dimitri giving her an incredulous look as she passed him on her way back to her seat.
Mercifully, Hubert had elected for a pair of seats at a far corner of the hall, somewhat removed from the rest of the diners. Their meal was mostly silent, with occasional commentary on past battle strategy or the upcoming lecture. After breakfast was completed — and after enduring another round of protracted glances — they strolled around the monastery grounds, having some time before morning lectures were to start and sticking to mostly secluded areas as they did. Hubert had yet to make any comment on Edelgard's appearance; they were only partially into their walk before Edelgard finally broke.
"Alright Hubert. I know you must have something that you wish to ask me."
Hubert glanced over at her, but made no comment.
"Surely you must've noticed." To emphasize the point, Edelgard fiddled with the brim of her cap.
"Ah yes… Far be it from me to comment on matters of fashion, Your Highness," Hubert replied. "That is not a subject to which I devote much time. However, I do notice that your… new acquisition seems rather familiar." Hubert paused, and seemed to be searching for the next words to say. "Can I assume that this somehow involves one of our dear classmates?"
"Very astute as usual, Hubert." Edelgard sighed.
"May I ask what prompted Dorothea to bestow this gift upon you?"
"I lost a bet."
Hubert raised his eyebrows. "I… see. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the frivolity, considering your betting partner. I take it that you are to wear the hat for the entire day?"
"Right again." Edelgard stopped abruptly and turned to face her retainer. "Be honest, Hubert. Do I look ridiculous in this thing?"
"If that were the case, you can be assured that I would not have let you parade around in it for most of the morning, regardless of any wager," answered Hubert as he stopped alongside her. "And I daresay Dorothea would not allow such a thing either."
"What do you suppose this is all about, then?" asked Edelgard. She let out a frustrated sigh before continuing to walk. "I can't really see the point of it."
"Well, that is the very essence of frivolity, is it not?" Hubert mused. "There may not necessarily be a point beyond simple diversion."
"Perhaps." Edelgard gave Hubert a sudden stern look. "And you're sure I look okay in this?"
"Personally, I would prefer seeing you in the Imperial crown," Hubert said with a smirk. "But I suppose that this will do for now." They had arrived in front of the Black Eagles' classroom just as the chiming of bells could be heard throughout the monastery.
"After you, Your Highness," said Hubert, opening the doors.
Edelgard took a deep breath and entered, Hubert following behind. The rest of their class was already present, most of them gathered around one of the front desks. Caspar and Ferdinand were standing across from each other, debating over something that wasn't quite comprehensible. Linhardt was sitting beside Caspar, deep in his pre-lecture nap. Petra was trying to follow the boys' argument, looking back and forth between them as they spoke. Dorothea appeared to be listening as well, but only halfheartedly, as her attention was more focused on fiddling with her hair, unadorned with her usual headwear. Bernadetta sat against the wall, reading through some notes. They all turned to look at Edelgard as she approached.
"Hey Edelgard!" It was Caspar who spoke first. "Let's get your opinion on this! Who would win in a fight: Nemesis, but he's blind, or Seiros but she has no hands? Obviously it would be Nemesis, but Ferdinand is wrong and he's convinced he's right!"
"I am right," said Ferdinand testily, "because there is no way that Nemesis would ever be able to lay a hand on Seiros! She would wear him down through attrition."
"As you can see, we're knee-deep in our daily philosophical argument," sighed Dorothea. She shot an annoyed look towards Caspar and Ferdinand. "Do you think you two can maybe give it a rest for just a moment? Don't you notice anything different about Edie today?" She punctuated the last question with an impish smile towards Edelgard, who only glared in response.
Caspar gave Edelgard a confused look. "Uh, I don't know… Did you adjust your cape differently or something?" Behind her, Edelgard could hear Hubert give a disappointed 'tut'.
"Do not be worrying, Edelgard," said Petra. "Caspar was not noticing anything different about Dorothea either."
"Um… You look nice, Edelgard," muttered Bernadetta. "...Not less scary, but still nice." She quickly buried her head back in her notes.
"I have agreement with Bernie, I am liking your new look," offered Petra. "It is nice to be having change sometimes. It is giving… ah, gives us a new perspective."
"Edelgard," said Ferdinand. Edelgard groaned internally as she recognized the tone he was using: the one he often used when initiating a challenge. "If you are committed to your new appearance, then I must insist—"
"Please, Ferdinand," interrupted Edelgard, "please tell me you are not about to compete with me over wearing a hat?!"
Ferdinand's face dropped a bit, but he was undeterred, as usual. "But… how will we possibly conclude which of us is the more fashionable? I propose we solicit the opinion of everyone here at the monastery on your appearance, and then I will have my chance to wear—"
"Nice try, Ferdie, but you're not touching my hat," cut in Dorothea. "This is just for Edie, just for today."
Caspar suddenly pounded his fist on the table, startling everyone. Linhardt, in particular, jerked up at the commotion.
"That's what's different!" he yelled. "You're wearing Dorothea's hat! And Dorothea's not wearing a hat!"
"Caspar, your powers of deductive reasoning never cease to amaze me," mocked Hubert.
"Is this really why you lot woke me up?" said Linhardt groggily, after taking a glance at Edelgard. "Over a hat. Honestly." With that, he laid his head back down on his arms.
"Listen, I don't really care about any hat, can we get back to the important things here?" Caspar said, pointing a finger at Ferdinand. "Tell this guy that he's wrong!" Ferdinand frowned at him.
"Listen Caspar," he protested, "there is no way that Seiros is going to lose to Nemesis, no matter what kind of handicap—"
"You guys seem pretty energetic today."
Everyone turned to the classroom door to see Byleth striding in. Edelgard, who'd been partially distracted by her classmates' antics, suddenly felt an odd sense of trepidation. She watched as Byleth's eyes swept over the room at everyone, and noted that she seemed to linger just a second too long on herself before moving on.
"What's today's topic?" asked the professor, as she took her place behind her desk.
"Blind Nemesis versus No-Handed Seiros," said Caspar. "Nemesis would win for sure, right Professor?"
"Professor, please educate this poor soul," pleaded Ferdinand, "and tell him that obviously Seiros would emerge victorious?"
"I think I'll have to ponder that one for a little while," replied Byleth, neatly sidestepping the question. "In the meantime, why don't we put that energy to good use with some learning, hm?"
"If there are no other questions, that'll be it for today."
As if on cue, the chiming of the monastery bells could be heard outside of the classroom, and the Black Eagles proceeded to pack away their notes from today's lecture. Edelgard tried to plot the rest of her day; if she could slip away now, she could probably lay low for the most of the time aside from meals, and perhaps find somewhere secluded to study—
"Edelgard, could I see you for a moment?"
Ah, not quite yet then. Edelgard poised herself and walked towards the professor's desk, where Byleth was setting aside a few papers. She pushed them towards Edelgard as she approached.
"These are some notes that I'd like you to look over regarding this month's mission. You'll be helping direct your classmates, so I want you to be prepared." Edelgard picked up the top page, noting that it was filled with neat handwriting and diagrams of battle formations.
"Thank you, Professor, I'll be sure to look over these as soon as possible," said Edelgard, tucking the notes with the rest of her things. "Was there anything else that you needed from me?" Byleth was giving her an indecipherable stare that made her fidget.
"How are you today, Edelgard?"
Edelgard paused for a moment, caught off guard by the question. "I— I'm doing well, my teacher," she answered, after regaining her composure. "Why do you ask?"
"I noticed that you seemed a little uncomfortable every time I looked at you."
Edelgard could feel herself turn as red as her cape. "Ah, that's not— I mean, I wasn't uncomfortable, per se, I was just—"
"Did you feel uncomfortable because you were wearing Dorothea's hat?"
"I wasn't uncomfortable," Edelgard said firmly. She was trying to find some sort of resolve, but it was difficult since her face was still flaming. "However, I'll admit that I felt a little… conspicuous today, we'll say."
"I'm sorry you felt conspicuous," said Byleth. She tilted her head to the side slightly, and her expression was unreadable — but that was nothing new. "If it makes you feel any better, I like the hat. It looks charming on you."
It was no use, Edelgard's face was fated to stay a permanent shade of red. "That's— that's unnecessary, my teacher, but I thank you."
"If I may ask, why are you wearing Dorothea's hat? I can't imagine that you felt the need to reinvent yourself."
"To make a long story short, I lost a bet," explained Edelgard. "And so, I'm to wear this for the day, per our terms. As far as what Dorothea intended with this wager, one can only guess."
Byleth considered this for a moment. "I wouldn't read too much into it. She's probably just having a bit of fun with you." She straightened up the papers on her desk and stood up. "Sometimes it's alright to have a little bit of fun. As they say, even swords dance occasionally."
Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "I… don't think I've heard that expression before, Professor. But I suppose it has merit."
"No?" Byleth shrugged. "Perhaps it's a mercenary saying. Anyway, I won't take up any more of your time. I was just curious about the hat." Edelgard followed her as she exited the classroom. Byleth stopped suddenly, spinning towards Edelgard. "Be sure look over those documents for the next mission."
"Of course, my teacher."
Byleth nodded once in response, but turned and sprinted off towards the entrance of the monastery, going to do Goddess knows what. Edelgard took a moment to think over what had just transpired.
Charming.
That had been her professor's assessment. It was such an inconsequential thing, but the thought sent a wave of warmth that seemed to radiate from Edelgard's chest throughout her entire body. She was really going to have to rein in these emotions at some point.
"Well, what do we have here? You're looking particularly striking today, Edelgard." Broken out of her reverie, Edelgard turned towards the source of the familiar voice, frowning.
"Sylvain." He had a particularly annoying smug look on his face that she didn't enjoy. "You know, I had counted myself among the lucky few that weren't subjected to your advances. It appears my luck has run out."
"Aw, you wound me, princess," said Sylvain, putting his hands over his chest in feigned anguish. "But really, this is interesting. What's with the hat? You playing dress-up with Dorothea's wardrobe?"
"As much as I'm sure that that mental image would please you," Edelgard said sternly, "no, I'm only wearing this because I lost a bet. In fact, this is actually your fault."
"Oh?" Sylvain raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I gotta say that women don't dress up because of me that often. Do tell."
"Well, because some poor young woman succumbed to your charms" —Edelgard rolled her eyes for emphasis— "I'm being forced to wear this for the day."
"Wait, succumbed to my charms…" Sylvain looked deep in thought for a second. "When did this happen?"
"Yesterday evening. Surely you remember, it can't possibly happen that often."
Sylvain ignored the jab. "Yesterday? And you bet Dorothea?"
"Yes?" Sylvain's eyes widened, and suddenly he looked as though he was trying to stifle a laugh. "You seem to have something on your mind, Sylvain."
"Uh… I don't know how to tell you this, but… I'm pretty sure you've been hustled."
Edelgard narrowed her eyes. "Explain."
"Well, when you get hustled it's—"
"I know what it means," Edelgard said curtly. "How did it happen, is my question."
"Ah, well you see, Dorothea came up to me yesterday after dinner," explained Sylvain. "Which was already pretty weird, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Anyway, she asked me if I had seen any of the ladies that were visiting the marketplace. And she was pretty insistent that I should try asking one of them out."
"Is that so?" Edelgard thought back to her conversation with Dorothea. It had seemed innocuous at the time, but now…
"Yeah, and then, when I left with that one woman, once we made it to the outskirts of town, she kinda just brushed me off all of a sudden." Sylvain put on a slight pout for a second, then smirked. "It was fine though, it gave me a chance to check out one of the taverns—"
"I see. If you'll excuse me, Sylvain." Fuming silently, Edelgard straightened her cap and turned on her heel. "I need to pay one of my classmates a visit."
"Open the door, Dorothea! I know you're in there, I saw you run in!" Edelgard's fist hovered over the door, prepared to knock for the third time. It opened before she could get the chance, and she was met with Dorothea looking back at her with wide-eyed innocence.
"Why Edie! How pleasant to see you again!" Dorothea batted her eyes for effect, but Edelgard could see through the act. "Won't you come in for a moment?" Edelgard walked past her in a huff.
"You've put up a valiant effort, trying to avoid me today," Edelgard said, turning to face her classmate. "You had me running all over the monastery. Through the stables, around the cathedral, around the greenhouse, through the reception hall…"
Dorothea twirled a lock of her hair. "I'm not sure what you mean, Edie."
"Enough." Edelgard mustered up as stern of a stare as she could. "I know you set me up with that bet, Sylvain already let it slip. I want to know why."
Dorothea sighed. "Alright, alright, you caught me," she said, defeated. "You just always have that scowl on your face, you know? I just wanted you to do something to lighten up a little."
So Hubert and the professor's assessment hadn't been that far off then. Edelgard was still unsatisfied, however. "Setting up a bet, though? Was that necessary? And how did you even manage that, anyway?"
"Oh please, there's no way I would've gotten you to wear that under traditional means," said Dorothea.
"You don't think I know how to have fun, is that it?"
"I wouldn't say that… It's just not very high on your to-do list, that's all." Edelgard didn't have much of an argument against that. "And besides, the setup was easy. The woman I talked to had seen Sylvain gallivanting around before and wanted to help put him in his place." Dorothea flipped her hair triumphantly. "All in a day's work."
"I have to admit, it was rather clever." Edelgard took off the hat, at long last, and gave it a quick brush off before offering it over to Dorothea. "But I believe I've served my time."
Dorothea sighed wistfully as she took the hat and placed it upon her head. "And what a wonderful time it was. I'm sure you must have gotten some compliments today, hm?"
Edelgard felt the creep of a blush upon her face. "I suppose I did. Not that I paid that sort of thing any mind."
"No, of course not." Dorothea casually walked over to her mirror to adjust her headwear. "Did the professor make any mention of it?"
Something about the tone of the question bothered Edelgard; it seemed a little too innocent. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious, that's all. Maybe it came up in your little chat after class."
Charming.
A new wave of heat adorned Edelgard's face as she remembered the conversation. "She… may have mentioned something about it."
Dorothea spun around from the mirror abruptly. "Aha! I knew it! You looked like you were in a daydream when you left the classroom!" She came closer to Edelgard and clasped her hands together excitedly. "Well, what did she say?"
"It— It wasn't anything terribly exciting," Edelgard stammered. "She just— hold a moment." Slowly, she processed what Dorothea had said and something stuck out as odd. "When I left the classroom… I didn't see you anywhere. Were you spying on me?!"
"Oh, don't make it sound so defamatory," Dorothea scowled. "Maybe I just happened to see you leave from wherever I was, what of it?"
"A likely story." Edelgard crossed her arms, annoyed. "In any event, it was a private discussion."
"Fine then, keep your secrets," Dorothea retorted. "But, if you ever feel like turning the professor's head again, you know where to find me. And my hat." She gave Edelgard a wink before turning back towards the mirror.
Edelgard huffed in response, but that did little to diffuse any of the heat. "I'll keep it under advisement. Good evening to you, Dorothea." With that, she exited the room, wondering how many bets she might be able to lose without arousing suspicion.