Hello everyone, I'm still writing! Though not as much as I would like. My last set of coursework wasn't as satisfactory as I would've liked, so I've been focusing on keeping that adequate rather than these stories. I hope you understand. At least I'll have more time to write when exam period starts; thank god for zero exams. Anyway, let's go!

Summary: Lysithea aimed to make a gift for one of her friends, only for things to appear far more difficult than expected. Of course, the staff know who to call.


"Perhaps baking was a little more difficult than I anticipated…"

Such words were perhaps an understatement, what with the veritable disaster-zone sitting before Lysithea. One would think that with nought but kitchen ingredients, there was only so far you could go wrong. Considering that few students and staff remained after the catastrophe that was Lysithea's attempt at baking, such an assumption was clearly false.

"And I had been following the book's instructions to the tee… could it be that I used a faulty recipe book?" Lysithea pondered aloud, absently noting that she couldn't even see the book through the copious amounts of flour, egg and whatnot coating every surface of the kitchen. "It can't be, that's impossible. Annette wouldn't make fun of me like that."

The ginger haired Blue Lion had promised that the book came from Mercedes herself. Annette may not have been the best in the kitchen, but surely a book recommended by the Goddess of Sweets wouldn't steer Lysithea wrong, right? No, Lysithea had flicked through several pages and her mouth salivated at the memory of Mercedes offering some of the treats depicted to her. The book could not be blamed if it could produce sweets as great as those.

Admittedly it wasn't as if Lysithea had been following the instructions exactly per say. After all none of the cakes mentioned within fit the exact parameters Lysithea required and so she had made a few tiny alterations. Alterations so minute that there was no way they could possibly cause such a chaotic result. At least, Lysithea had believed so.

Yet here she was, incredibly hot and plastered from head to toe in a viscous white substance.

Such a sight was what Byleth walked into, momentarily too distracted with the final scraps on his plate to hear the warnings of the staff standing awkwardly outside. Once the final piece of chicken entered his mouth and the professor finally did take a look at the horrific room, he merely allowed a single eyebrow to raise.

"Flayn. Annette. Lysithea. A combination of those." He dully called out.

"Um… just me Professor." Lysithea pathetically called out, nervously shuffling into sight after trying her best to cull the flame in the oven. It did little to reduce the heat in the room, her skin a healthy crimson colour as Lysithea desperately tried to remove all traces of the sticky substance covering it. "Just trying out a new experiment… that didn't go exactly as planned."

"… An experiment that has you looking like that?" Byleth muttered as his eyes narrowed, Lysithea's already red skin blushing even further with his next words. "Sylvain. If you're there, I'll kill you."

"Wha-!? No, Professor! This is just flour and milk!...I think. I hope." Lysithea immediately cried out, brandishing a bowl full of the stuff for emphasis. "Oh, I just wanted to bake a cake without any sugar in! Is that really so difficult to do!?"

"A cake without sugar? Why?" was all Byleth replied with Lysithea awkwardly hesitating before providing her answer.

"Well, you see…"


"Mmmm! Ahh yes! These are the moments I live for!" Lysithea sighed as she sank into the corner of the training grounds.

It wasn't the most comfortable of areas, but it mattered little when the comfort of a chocolate cake from the Kingdom was Lysithea's. it also helped that there was little reason for anyone to loo in such a secluded corner; the likelihood of anyone sparring was minimal from her research and there was equipment that was commonly used. It was perfect for remaining unseen.

"I don't understand you."

Which was why it was such a horrific shock to Lysithea when Felix's voice suddenly spoke up. How he could have moved so silently, especially when there was only the two of them, Lysithea wasn't sure. Regardless, it was enough to nearly make the white haired girl throw her cake away in surprise.

"You again?! Can't you see I'm busy?" Lysithea yelled, scrambling to save her dessert before it could be ruined. Shocked she may be, it would be travesty to let a good cake go to waste.

"Trust me, I didn't mean to interrupt." Felix replied with folded arms and a roll of his eyes.

It wouldn't be difficult to take those words as sarcasm, but from what Lysithea had heard about the Blue Lion, it was pretty much his default tone. Acknowledging that and actually not being offended by it were two very different things however.

Brushing his comment off with a small huff and a pout, a small memory flickered into Lysithea's mind. This wasn't the first time they had met after all, not even the first time they had met in such an awkward manner.

"So, how did you like the cake? I bet you ate it, didn't you?" the white haired girl eagerly asked, rubbing her hands together as she recalled the sweet treat she sacrificed to hide her secret. "I knew it was irresistible. What was the experience like? I'm curious, from a research perspective."

Her questions failed to pierce through at first though, Felix giving Lysithea a vacant glare that set the hairs on her skin standing straight. It was only after a few minutes did he seem to recall the incident, giving a small noncommittal sound.

"… I don't know. I didn't eat it. I gave it to some kid." Felix dismissed, much to the horror of Lysithea.

"You...gave it to some...undeserving child?!"

"We've been over this. I don't like sweets."

Now that was something that could not be allowed to go uncorrected. It was a simple mistake, one that she could allow the peasantry to make. For someone who had the money and freedom to taste cake however? Such a statement was inexcusable.

"Cake is not a 'sweet.' Cake is the divine essence of the heavens!" Lysithea hotly declared, not that it moved Felix in any way whatsoever.

"Everyone has their own tastes." Was his simple reply.

"That's true, but life without cake is no life at all. Your divisiveness regarding cake is inexcusable." Continued Lysithea regardless, her love for the sweet treats preventing her from ever giving up so easily. To be honest, the sheer fervours she showed was beginning to creep Felix out.

"I'm not sure why you're so fixated on this." He questioned, taking a step back when Lysithea made to storm into his personal space.

"I simply can't resist the spongy magnificence of cakes. I don't understand how you can be so dispassionate about it." The white hared girl proudly declared in response, not a single ounce of embarrassment to her form. In fact, it was almost as if an aura had gathered around Lysithea, formed through sheer love for cake.

"I don't know. I just don't like it." Felix muttered, promptly taking his leave.


"…So I decided to try and bake him something without sugar to show Felix that he can enjoy cake too." Lysithea concluded, acutely aware of just how much Byleth's eye twitched. Considering the usual mannerism of the man it could probably be equated to one step away from breaking point. "The only issue is, all of the cake recipes I had managed to get a hold of all required sugar. I tried to find an average between the ingredients and removed the sugar, but… you can see how well that went."

"…You can't just mash together ingredients. You'll create trash." Byleth replied after a pause, shaking his head as he reached for the nearest cleaning utensil… the nearest cleaning utensil that hadn't also been dirtied in Lysithea's experiments. "Every key ingredient has a special purpose. Understand that, and you know how to replace it. Detracting needlessly will just make a lesser product. Now, get cleaning. Then, we can try to bake."

"Of course Professor…"

Fortunately, what mess there was could be cleaned away with relatively little effort. In fact, the cleaning would've been finished far faster had the professor not suddenly decided to leave the kitchen and sit down, stubbornly refusing to continue. After all, what better punishment was there for making mess than forcing the one responsible to clean most of it up?

Not that it didn't leave Lysithea huffing and puffing once she finally swiped away the final stain upon the walls. While she was finally getting used to the strain of wielding a sword it was still only a second option; her physical form remained incredibly weak still compared to her peers.

"Goo. Now we can begin proper." Byleth sharply declared, Lysithea lifting her head to see what would normally be quite the amusing sight - the blue haired man, except he was now donning one of the spare aprons one of the staff had been kind enough to gift him. "You must follow my orders. A single deviation and you risk everything. To attain your goal, I must have your obedience. Together, we can conquer any challenge."

"…Professor you do remember we're trying to bake a cake, right?" Lysithea pointed out meekly, her body involuntarily trembling from the sheer power oozing from Byleth. "W-we're not going to kill anyone. This is a cake. We're baking."

"It still applies." Byleth declared with all the authority of an army general before it was completely undone by the small cough that he gave after. "Plus, the staff have spoken. They will not allow you to bake without supervision. For the safety of us all, follow my instructions. What recipe did you use?"

"This one Professor."

Byleth wasn't one who could call himself well versed in the art of baking. Abstract cooking, yes; he had prepared meals for the mercenaries multiple times and he hadn't received many complaints yet, but baking was something there was little reason to attempt out in the field.

Even so, Byleth could immediately recognise a glaring issue with Lysithea's methods, one that had said girl looking to her mentor in confusion.

"Lysithea. Where is this cook book from?"

"Um, I got it from Annette, who said she got it from Mercedes. Beyond that professor, I'm not entirely sure. Why?" she replied after a moment's recollection, Byleth giving a small hum of acknowledgement before speaking.

"It is of Enbarr origin."

"…and that is a problem because…?"

Byleth sighed. If she was using recipes based off those from Enbarr, then it was only natural that she would fail.

"Enbarr uses sugar as the major flavour. Without sugar, you lose most of the taste. It severely messes with the ratio of other ingredients as well." The Professor explained, snapping the book shut with a loud noise and absently chucking it to the side.

It was the primary reason why they held such a divisive reputation with the people, even those of the Adrestian Empire. Nothing showed that better than the fact that Edelgard herself, the soon-to-be Empress of the Empire, couldn't stand the desserts that her own capital produced. The pleasures of a subtle sweetness or even the joy of an incredibly sugary candy was one thing, but to haveso much sugar poured into a single cake would be considered a crime by most people.

"I…I guess…" Lysithea answered dejectedly, scuffing her foot against the floor. "I just assumed that if they were my favourite type of cake, then Felix would like them as well if I got rid of the sugar."

"Either way, we shall have to procure another recipe. These will not work well for our requirements." Byleth muttered, a hand reaching to his chin in thought.

There were plenty of places where he could find a recipe; Garreg Mach Monastery was a massive place with a huge amount of people to fill it. There were multiple examples of good cooks who could provide a recipe.

The only issue was, the monastery's cooks were now busy trying to remain on schedule and from what little he heard, the Blue Lions had decided to have a joint leisure trip. As the most adepts chefs resided in that house and the actual chefs were busy there were few the blue haired man knew were good cooks.

"…We have no choice. We shall simply have to procure a recipe book from the market." The professor decided, a hand discretely reaching down into his pocket and messing with his money pouch. "Anna will likely have some. I shall negotiate with her."

"You really want to negotiate with Anna of all people? You do know she amuses herself with ripping off customers without them even realising it?" Lysithea warned.

After all, she had nearly been a victim of one of the redhead's schemes herself. If it hadn't have been for Ashe's quick intervention, her savings would be far lighter than they were now. Anna hadn't even been the slightest bit repentant about it either.

"Do not fear. I have ways to prevent such things." Byleth answered with the smallest of smirks, confidently striding out of the kitchen with Lysithea trying her best to keep up behind him.

Anna had decided to place herself under his command and that Byleth her direct superior. If it was a mere professor doing business with her, than perhaps anna might have been willing to risk her chances. Doing the same to her direct superior? Now that was something that required far too much greed and courage for just anyone to do. Yes, Byleth could get a discount for the recipe book, or worst case scenario, at least purchase it at a reasonable price.

But let it be known that Anna was not a woman so easily dissuaded. The moment that Byleth turned up, her eyes immediately began to glow and her business sense burst to life. Byleth managed to get the recipe book he required, that was true, but the amount lost in the process… needless to say, Byleth had found a sizable dent in his funds after their deal.


"Felix! I've awaited this fated day!" Lysithea yelled as she caught sight of the swordsman, Felix giving a pointed sigh before the girl could enter hearing distance.

"You don't change. Still prattling on about it." The boy remarked sourly, unaffected by the pout that appeared on the younger girl's lips.

"Aw, come on. I just wanted to hear what you thought of the cake I gave you." She whined, gently bouncing from foot to foot in curiosity. Felix was taken aback momentarily; she was more serious about it than he could've expected.

"Uh... It was edible." Was the smartest reply he had to give. From the brief disappointment that appeared on Lysithea, it wasn't exactly what she was expecting.

" If by edible you mean incredible, then yes! I agree." Lysithea pushed and much to her surprise, it seemed as if something in Felix's mind had swayed, his answer quite the pleasant surprise.

"It was satisfying and lightweight. I imagine it would be quite useful as a battlefield provision." Felix eventually mused, a smile appearing on Lysithea's face; that was probably as close to a compliment as she was going to get. Didn't stop the slight annoyance from popping up in her heart.

" Please refrain from lumping delectable cake into the same category as provisions." She warned lightly, earning herself a scoff of disbelief from the boy.

"You're upset and I don't understand why." Felix replied incredulously. "I'm complimenting the cake. You cured my dislike of sweets. For that I thank you."

There was something about that statement that brought a swell of pride to Lysithea's breast. Her work… the work of the Professor and her, had managed to sway the heart of a non-dessert-eater. That was no simple feat.

"…You have an interesting way of giving compliments, but I'm glad you liked it." Lysithea said hoping that her joy wasn't too obvious on her face.

"Yes. Got any cakes on you?"

"You say that as thought I just carry cake on me at all times!" jokingly cried out at the blunt request, pretending to be scandalised. Let it be known however that Lysithea was no actor, quickly breaking down from her haughty character. "Did you want some?"

"That's not what I meant. If you've baked a cake, however, I wouldn't object to eating a slice." Felix said, in perhaps the most adorable combination of cold distance and hidden embarrassment. It brought a giggle to Lysithea, one that only made Felix's face even worse before he could fully school it.

"If cake is what you want, you can just ask me directly." Replied Lysithea once her laughter was under control, reaching into her bag to pull out quite the number of treats. "It just so happens I have some of the cake I prepared before, special for you. You thought it was delicious and not overly sweet, right? I made sure I kept some behind in case you wanted more. Go on—take a bite!"

"Mmm."

"You love it! I can tell. Here, try this one out too!"

"Mmm."

And so it continued for who knows how long, Lysithea pulling out piece after piece for Felix to taste with a bright smile upon her face. If it had been anyone else, the same could probably be said for the one who was being fed. As it was, Felix had the tiniest of smirks pop up every now and then.

" See! So amazing, huh? Just keep working on that sweet tooth of yours. Then we can share cake notes and eat cake together all the time." Lysithea smugly remarked, stowing away what few remains she had after their little feeding session. "That is... It just sounds nice is all."

"Mmm? OK. That does sound nice."


Unheard, Byleth stepped away from the door.

So, one of his students had a little crush. He wouldn't exactly call them an expected combination, but not an unwelcome one. Besides, what did Byleth know about romance? The heart worked in mysterious ways, or that was what they said at least. Perhaps he could work with Hannerman and Manuela, push them together subtly.

…Perhaps just Hannerman. Manuela was even worse than himself when it came to subtlety.


And for now, that's it! not the highest of quality, but... yeah, no excuse, sorry. I just wanted to make sure people know I'm still paying attention to my stories and writing. Thank you for still reading while I try and adjust to my new schedule, please look forward to more chapters and stories in the future!

Super hero time! See you next time!