Enbarr, 1166

Hubert cried as his father hit him repeatedly while his mother looked away. "Please, Father, it was just a scratched knee! It won't happen again, I promise!" But this only made his father hit him harder, "That just shows you don't understand your purpose!" He slapped Hubert across the face. "You are a Vestra. You are not spoiled and inconsequential like the other children. You must protect Lady Edelgard with your life." He dragged Hubert by his shirt and locked him in his room. "You will not make this mistake again!"

Crestwood

Hubert was dipping a handkerchief in a foul-smelling liquid when Byleth stepped into his shop. She was immediately repelled by the noxious odor, "Eww, Hubert, what are you doing in here?"

He smiled, "I have to make sure any fabrics that I sell are properly sanitized. You never know with these old items."

She waved her hand in front of her nose, "I'm pretty sure whatever you're using isn't a cleaner. But never mind, I don't want to know. Why did you call the Sheriff's office? Surely it wasn't so that I could enjoy the smell."

Hubert set down the cloth and removed his latex gloves. He walked around his counter and placed his hand on his heart, "I just really wanted to express my condolences. Sylvain was a good man. It's a shame that Ingrid quit. I guess losing a second person close to her was too much. She'll probably enjoy working at the stable. Horses are better company than most people." He examined her badge, "You're still wearing the Deputy badge? She's been gone two weeks, and I believe the job becomes yours after two weeks of Acting Sheriff. You'll have to wear the real badge."

Byleth looked down at her shirt, "Oh well, I guess I'm just not ready." She started to leave. "Wait," Hubert said. "I wanted to give you this - to remember Sylvain." It was a history book.
"Uh, it looks more like you're assigning me homework."

Hubert sighed, "You wouldn't realize it, but Sylvain was very interested in the history of marginalized people. He had hoped to travel the world and truly make a difference in people's lives one day. Take this book to remember there's more to the people here than what's on the surface."

She looked at Hubert warily and slowly took the book.

Byleth found Claude sitting alone on the swings at the park. He didn't have his usual mischievous smile, and his eyes looked tired. Byleth sat down on the swing next to him, "What's up? Have you been avoiding me for two weeks now? I almost thought we were friends."

He looked at her very sadly, "I think we should be more careful. Look what happened to Sylvain. Ingrid is devastated."

"I think it's too late for that, Claude. We saw a freaking wyvern. Then Sylvain disappeared. We owe it to him to find out what happened."

Claude looked down at the ground, "I don't want anything to happen to you. He'll do something to you like he did to Sylvain."

"Claude, we don't even know if he had anything to do with what happened. Sylvain was starting to see and remember things. Maybe he's back home?"

" - or maybe he's dead. No matter what we try, Arundel wins. Good loses. Good always loses because good has to play fair. Evil doesn't. He's evil. It would probably be best if you stayed away from me." He stood and walked away

Back at the station, Byleth held Ingrid's badge. In her entire life, she had avoided all leadership roles. Could this be a time that she could lead others and make a difference? Yes, things were happening in this town, and she owed it to them. She started to pin it on her shirt when she heard a condescending voice, "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Eisner, that isn't for you." Arundel was in the doorway.

She smirked at Arundel, "It's been two weeks. It's an automatic promotion."

He grinned broadly "- unless the Mayor appoints someone. Which I'm doing today."

She sighed, "And who is this lucky soul?"

Arundel walked to her desk, "Why, Ferdinand, of course. He's perfect. He's been writing about the Mayor's office for years."

"Most importantly, he'll do whatever you want him to. You just cannot stand the fact that things have been getting better around here, can you?"

The grin left Arundel's face, "Are you saying that Sylvain's disappearance and assumed death and Ingrid's breakdown are 'better'?"

Byleth glared at him.

Arundel continued, "They were good people, Miss Eisner. Ingrid made this town safe. And, forgive me for saying this: you have not earned the right to wear her badge."

Byleth gritted her teeth, "Ingrid picked me to be her deputy."

Arundel leaned in close to her face, "And she was wrong."

"No, she knew what she was doing. She freed this office from your leash. You're not getting it back."

His grin returned, "Actually - I just did. Miss Eisner, you're fired." He snatched the badge from her and left.

Edelgard returned to her apartment to find Byleth holding the toaster in her lap. She was jamming a fork inside it. A bottle of scotch was nearby. "Toaster broken?" she asked casually.

Byleth continued to stab it with her fork, "It wasn't when I started with it. Pretty sure it is now."

Edelgard sat next to Byleth and gently took the toaster from her, "Uncle told me today at work what happened. I'm honestly a bit surprised that you're so angry. I didn't realize how attached you were to that job after such a short time."

Byleth waved the fork around as she spoke, "Because it was mine! And, and I just really wanted to beat him at something." There was a knock at the door, and Edelgard answered it. Hubert stepped into the apartment with a look that was possibly concern - it was difficult to tell.

"Good evening Edelgard, I hope you are well. I was hoping to speak to Ms. Eisner about a private matter." Edelgard's face fell, but she went to her room.

Hubert joined Byleth at the end of the sofa. Byleth drank some scotch from the bottle and wiped her chin, "She's never going to like you back if you keep sending her to her room every time you come over."

Hubert glared at Byleth, "Don't talk about things you don't understand. Now, I heard about the injustice that happened at the station."

Mayor," then she held the utensil to her chest, "and I'm - me."

Hubert's yellow eye gleamed, "Ms. Eisner, two people with a common goal can accomplish many things. Two people with a common enemy can accomplish even more. How would you like a benefactor?"

Byleth set the fork down, "A benefactor?"

Hubert rose to leave, "You know, it is quite shocking how few people study the town charter." He opened the door and turned back to Byleth, "It's quite comprehensive on the Mayor's authority. Or maybe he is not quite as powerful as he seems. Anyway, have a good evening, Miss Eisner."

Enbarr, 1171

Hubert screamed as his father relayed the news. How could his father betray the Royal Family and be so casual about it? Now, Lady Edelgard was out of his sight. He broke from his father and began to run. He was going to find her and stay by her, no matter what it took.

Three days later, he was dragged back to the Vestra household by his father's soldiers, beaten and broken. He refused to speak to his father and went to his room. He would find her again and make sure his Lady ascended to the throne. Every person that hurt the Royal Family would pay, starting with his father.

Crestwood

"- Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own homes. That's why Ferdinand von Aegir is my choice for the post of Sheriff. This man has put the needs of Crestwood above his own for as long as any of us can remember as chief editor of The Ochain. Please welcome your new Sheriff! The crowd applauded as Arundel prepared to pin the Sheriff's badge on Ferdinand's shirt. This time, he was interrupted by a voice, "Hang on a second -" Byleth walked through the crowd and stood right next to Arundel and Ferdinand.

"Miss Eisner, this is not appropriate," he growled.

She smiled at the crowd and put her arm around him, "The only thing that isn't appropriate is this ceremony. You don't have the authority to appoint him."

Arundel pulled away from Byleth, "Miss Eisner, the town charter clearly states that the Mayor can appoint - "

"A candidate ," she interrupted. "You can appoint a candidate . Then your candidate would need to be elected. And I, Byleth Eisner, will be running for Sheriff!" Byleth felt terrific - indeed, this was one of the greatest moments of her life.

Arundel snapped, "That's spectacular, Miss Eisner - Ferdinand is running for Sheriff too!"

Bewildered, Ferdinand asked, "I am?" Arundel glared at him, "Okay, I am running too."

"With my full support!" Arundel announced to the crowd. "And we'll find out the will of the people!"

The crowd looked at each other. There was a smattering of polite applause as people awkwardly exited the room.

Garreg Mach, 1185

Hubert found Edelgard in the courtyard. After five years, he had finally decided that he could trust her with his most secret plan - unmasking the identity of Lord Arundel. To make Edelgard's dream a reality, Hubert was going to have to dispose of him. But who was he? How had he become so powerful? To defeat them, Hubert would need his own weapon of considerable power. While he was explaining this to Edelgard, they were summoned by none other than Arundel himself.

It seemed that several of Arundel's mages had gotten themselves trapped by Demonic Beasts in the forest while performing "experiments." Hubert's skin crawled when Arundel used the word "experiments," but he resisted the urge to bring up Arundel's previous crimes with Edelgard and her siblings. Instead, Hubert decided this would be an excellent opportunity to see these mages in the middle of their spellcasting.

Crestwood

Hubert sat quietly behind his counter, flicking his lighter and watching the flame. Arundel burst into his shop and flipped the sign from "Open" to "Closed." He put the flame out with his fingers. Hubert gave him a wide grin, "Volkhard. Shall I move some things around? Make space for you to rage?"

"You found a loophole in the town charter," Arundel growled.

Hubert rose and walked over to a large glass case. It contained a beautiful lance, with intricate carvings on the handle and an intimidating blade. He looked through the glass at Arundel, "Oh, you know, legal documents are a fascination of mine - ever the scholar." He opened the glass door and began to dust it with a cloth

"Analyzing technicalities doesn't make someone smart," Arundel retorted.

He laughed and continued to dust. "I like elegant weapons, you see. The needle, the pen, subtlety – not your style, I know."

"You're a bastard," Arundel snapped.

Hubert laughed even harder, "Don't let your emotions get the best of you, Volkhard."

Arundel glared at Hubert from the other side of the case, "You know nothing about me, Hubert. Are you really going to go up against me?"

Hubert shrugged, "Not directly. We are, after all, both invested in the common good. We're just picking different sides."

Arundel laughed bitterly, "Well, I think you picked a plodding horse this time. It's not like you to back a loser."

"She hasn't lost yet."

"She will, Hubert."

Hubert simply smiled, "Then Ms. Eisner and I will burn together, Volkhard."

The next day, Byleth was once again on the front page of The Ochain. This time, it featured stories of her sealed juvenile record. Claude suggested that maybe she needed to bow out of the campaign before Arundel did any more damage to her, but Byleth was determined to finish the election. She went to the Mayor's office to confront Arundel. She shoved her phone in his face, "A court order sealed this. I don't know how you got it, but it's an abuse of power and illegal."

Arundel brushed the phone away and smoothed his ponytail, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize your feelings were so delicate. I figured someone with your record would be able to handle some rough politics." He stood up from his desk, walked around Byleth, and turned off the lights to his office. Byleth followed.

His footsteps clicked on the marble floor as he continued to walk away, "My niece deserves to know the kind of person she's let live with her. All I did was expose the town to the truth. And as for the legality – I did nothing wrong. But you and Ferdinand will have a chance to get into all that at the debate." He walked down the large staircase while Byleth froze at the top.

"Debate? Who said anything about a debate?" She chased him down the stairs.

Arundel laughed as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "Yes, Miss Eisner, there's a debate. You two can talk about jail time, juvie records, and maybe even your new association with the town pawnbroker. He's a snake, Miss Eisner. You need to be careful who you get into bed with." He walked towards the exit.

Byleth stopped and put her hands on her hips, "I'm not getting into bed with anyone. I'm just fighting fire with-"

As Arundel opened the door, an explosion ripped through the foyer. It lifted Byleth and Arundel into the air, throwing them backward. The room filled with smoke, and Byleth was having a difficult time breathing. She tried to feel on the floor for a way out. There was a loud crash, and Arundel screamed. A large piece of debris had fallen on his ankle. He was trying to push it off him, but it wouldn't budge. He cried out, "I can't move! You have to get me out. Help me!"

Byleth sighed, "Well, shit."

The Sealed Forest, 1185

For an ancient organization of powerful mages, they seemed to have a death wish. Every time Hubert and Edelgard defeated one demonic beast, it seemed like another mage rushed straight towards the other remaining ones. Hubert cast spell after spell of dark magic while Edelgard slashed at the beasts with Amyr. The rest of the Black Eagles Strike Force placed themselves between the oblivious mages and the beasts. Despite the incompetence of the Argarthan mages, Edelgard and Hubert slew all the beasts before they gobbled up any mages. After the battle, one of the mages sneered at them, "It's a disgrace to have to be saved by these fools."

Hubert stepped in front of Edelgard and snarled, "Well, you all certainly made it difficult. Did you wish for the beasts to devour you?"

Another mage stepped between them, "That's enough. You proved useful today. Just take this and go." He handed Hubert a beautiful lance made of an unknown alloy. The mages warped away.

After a tepid thank you, Arundel left Garreg Mach to return to his unknown headquarters. Hubert breathed a sigh of relief. "What a nuisance that man is. This was his way of showing us that he's aware of my investigation."

Edelgard was concerned, "What makes you say that?"

"Look at this weapon they gave us. Look at Amyr. We could never develop this kind of technology, and they want us to know that. We will have to keep them close a bit longer." He took Edelgard's hands, "But my Lady, once this war is over, we can shift our focus to destroying them. Your war will be over, and House Vestra's will begin. And I swear I will eradicate them."

She smiled at Hubert, "I know you will do everything in your power, but I think the day is coming that we will need the Professor to finish off Those Who Slither in the Dark."

Hubert frowned, "We have Amyr, and we now have the Arrow of Indra. Let the Professor play pretend with her delusional prince."

Crestwood

Arundel lay trapped under the debris, and he coughed and gasped. Byleth crawled nearby, looking for an exit. He reached out and grabbed her ankle, "You're going to leave me, aren't you?" he said, pitifully, through coughs.

Byleth broke free from his hold and crawled into the next room. Stupid pony-tailed asshole thinks I am going to leave him to die. She grabbed the fire extinguisher, pulled her shirt over her nose and mouth, and carefully re-entered the smoke-filled room. She emptied the extinguisher on the flames and then used it to bash away the debris blocking the exit. Then, she threw the burning wood off a shocked Arundel and hoisted him up on her shoulder. She carried him out the door, where a crowd was already gathering. Sirens wailed in the distance.

She plopped Arundel down on the sidewalk, and he fussed at her to be gentle. Byleth just looked at him incredulously. The sad puppy expression when he thought he was going to die was long gone. Now he was in grumpy toddler mode. Arundel crossed his arms and pouted, "And now the fire department is here - it's not like we were in any real danger."

Byleth threw her hands up and started to walk away, "Fine. Next time I'll just - I'll just - " She stopped and walked back to Arundel, "You know what? Next time, I'll do the same thing. And the time after that because that is what decent human beings do. That's what good people do."

Two paramedics, a blond woman and another with short black hair, loaded Arundel onto a stretcher. The dark-haired woman tried to put an oxygen mask on his face. He angrily smacked it away. The blond paramedic grabbed his hand, "Let Shamir do her job," she said through gritted teeth. For once, Arundel looked intimidated and allowed Shamir to put the mask on him.

Ferdinand rushed over to take pictures. Silenced by the oxygen mask, Arundel waved his arms wildly at him while the paramedics tried futilely to restrain him. Ferdinand continued to take photographs enthusiastically while exclaiming, "I'm Ferdinand von Aegir, and It's my duty to report the news!" Arundel slammed his head back on the stretcher in disgust.

By this time, Claude and Edelgard had made their way through the crowd to Byleth. They congratulated her on the rescue. Hapi declared Byleth a hero. Edelgard asked Ferdinand to text her a picture, and he cheerfully obliged. Raphael suggested that they use the picture as a campaign poster, and Flayn agreed excitedly. The group left to strategize, leaving Byleth and Claude alone. "Claude, we don't have to fight evil with evil. You do something good, and people will flock to you to help."

Claude nodded and smiled brightly, "Maybe you're right." He left to follow the others.

Byleth took a moment to give a contented sigh. She smiled as she looked at the smoking entrance to City Hall, proud of her good deed.

Her heart sank when she noticed a familiar foul-smelling handkerchief on the ground.

At his shop, Hubert was using a wet wipe to clean soot off his hands. Byleth burst in and slammed the door. "Please don't break my little bell, Ms. Eisner," he said without looking up. He continued to wipe off his hands.

Byleth marched up to the counter and threw down the handkerchief. "You set the fire."

The corners of Hubert's mouth turned slightly upwards as he continued to wipe his hands, "Me? I've been here all day."

She picked up the handkerchief and waved it in his face. "Smell this? It's your cleaning crap solution. It's apparently quite flammable."

Hubert carefully took the handkerchief, "Are you sure? There's some remodeling happening at City Hall. I'm sure there are loads of flammable solvents in that building."

Byleth grabbed his black coat and yanked him close to her face, "What is wrong with you? Why would you do this? You could have killed both of us."

Unfazed, Hubert pried Byleth's hands off his shirt and walked around the counter, " If I did it - that would be because you cannot win without something big. Something like, oh, I don't know - being the hero in a fire? Byleth's mouth dropped open.

She began to pace around the store. "There's - there's so much to unpack here. What if I had just run and left him in there?"

"You're simply not the type to run away."

"I won't go along with this."

Hubert laughed, "You already did. This is the price of winning, Miss Eisner."

Byleth turned to go, "And one I won't pay."

Enbarr, 1180

Marquis von Vestra greedily shoved food in his mouth while Hubert picked at his plate. "So," his father started, "Why did you come home for the weekend? Flunking something? The other children picking on you?"

Hubert smiled, "Just needed to tie up some loose ends at home."

"You were always a weak one when you were little. Running home whenever someone looked at you wrong. I thought you would knock it off now that your mother is gone." His father continued to eat, chewing loudly. Hubert closed his eyes to tune out the sound. Before every bite, his father would loudly scrape his fork across his plate. It made Hubert's skin crawl, but he steeled himself. Suddenly his father started to gasp. Hubert smiled, "You should take smaller bites, Father.

His father's breaths got faster, "I see, you've made a deal you clearly don't understand."

Hubert didn't expect this reaction, "I understand perfectly well what I'm doing."

His father's face started to turn blue, but he let out a little laugh. "Do you? Ever wonder why Arundel's mages left you alone and took your precious princess? Because I made a deal. My life was such a burden. You'll see. Power always comes with a price. And now, it's yours to pay." He choked out another laugh.

Hubert grabbed him, "What is so funny, old man?"

The marquis' eyes began to close, "Because I know a desperate soul when I see one." He went silent.

Hubert shook him, "Useless old fool! Tell me who these mages are. Why did they hurt the Royal Family? What do they want?"

Crestwood

Backstage at the debate, Seteth practiced his opening speech. Byleth peeked through the curtain to see Claude sitting on the front row. He gave her a thumbs up and elbowed Dimitri so he would look. Dimitri gave her a little wave. She shut the curtain and tried to distract herself by rearranging her notes for the tenth time. Edelgard brought her a bottle of water. "I can't win this, Edelgard." She couldn't catch her breath.

Edelgard rubbed her hand in circles on her back, "What are you talking about? All anyone in town can talk about is you saving Arundel's life."

"But I can't beat Arundel at this. Claude was right. You'll see it tonight. Everyone is going to see."

Edelgard drew back the curtain, "Look at all these people. It's not about Arundel. It's about them. Because of you, they feel hopeful for the first time in ages."

Byleth felt her breath slow down - until she noticed Hubert enter from the back and take a seat.

Enbarr, 1185

"Please, Hubert, I'm not asking this as your Emperor. I ask as your friend," Edelgard pleaded.

For years, Hubert had kept the unsavory parts of his life as Edelgard's retainer from her. It was necessary - she had to be a hero to her people. He was satisfied with everyone disliking him if it meant that they adored his Lady. He had poisoned, bribed, assassinated, and blackmailed his way through the Empire to make Edelgard's new world a reality. He loved her too much for her to know about any of it.

"You need to focus on the path ahead of you," he said curtly. "Forget about me."

His reply was not enough to dissuade Edelgard. She was ever so wise. "If I'm honestly the center of your world, then I wish you would trust me as well as I trust you.

Hubert could ignore plenty of things, but Edelgard's pleading violet eyes cut right through him. "Very well. You have me beaten. I will tell you as much as I am able. From the assassins, I've eliminated to the gold I've spent on bribes - to the identity of the one I love." His throat went dry. Why did he have to add that? He was trapped, and it was all his fault.

Edelgard squealed and came closer, "Hubert, are you saying that you are in love with someone?"

Hubert was frozen. He could summon a warp spell right then and hope Edelgard never mentioned this conversation again. Maybe Edelgard would get distracted by a battle or something? Why couldn't Dimitri attack right now? Instead, he said softly, "I had hoped never to tell you about that one."

Edelgard became even more gleeful. She even put her arm around him, which made his heart practically beat out of his chest. Why couldn't he warp? "You can't possibly keep something like this from me, Hubert! You simply must tell me who this special person is."

He could lie and say, Ferdinand? No, even though they weren't at each other's throats anymore, she would never believe it. So, he steeled himself and finally said the thing that he had never wanted to tell Edelgard. "It's you. It's always been you."

Maybe Edelgard would decapitate him with Amyr, and this moment would end. Edelgard studied him with intensity as his whole body told him to run away, but he stood frozen. Instead of hitting him with her ax, Edelgard touched his cheek. Then she pressed her lips to his, and Hubert's eyes widened in shock.

Crestwood

Seteth approached the podium while Byleth and Ferdinand sat on either side of him. He welcomed the crowd and asked them to listen to each candidate with an open mind. He then reminded them of their duty as citizens to vote their conscience. He gave Ferdinand the floor first. He looked excited to be there and spoke with feeling.

"I want to say that if elected, I will serve as a reflection of the best qualities of Crestwood: Honesty. Neighborliness. And strength. Thank you." Arundel rose and applauded loudly while the rest of the crowd clapped politely.

It was now Byleth's turn. She slowly walked up to the podium. Edelgard gave her a thumbs up from backstage, and she could see Claude and Dimitri scoot to the edges of their seats. Her mouth felt dry, so she took a big sip of water and slammed it back on the podium. "You guys all know I have what they call a, um, 'troubled past.' But you've been able to overlook it because of the whole 'saved the mayor from burning building' thing. But here's the truth: the fire was a setup." The crowd gasped, and a loud murmur arose. Byleth took a deep breath and continued, "Hubert agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that that meant he was going to set a fire. I don't have definitive evidence, but I'm sure. And the worst part of all this was - well, the worst part of all this is that I let you all think it was real. I can't win that way. I'm sorry."

She looked out in time to see Hubert exiting the back door.

Later that evening at Ashe's, Byleth downed a beer in one gulp while Hapi watched, half impressed. "You want another?" she asked.

Byleth slammed the mug down, "Oh hell yes, she replied.

Claude entered the diner and sat down next to Byleth. He gestured to Hapi to bring him one too. He patted her on the back, "You stood up to Hubert in front of the entire town. That was pretty amazing."

She shrugged, "Well, what he did was pretty illegal."

He laughed, "And that's what a hero does. I was wrong to think you needed to back out of Operation Failnaught. You can handle whatever this town throws at you."

Arundel and Ferdinand entered the diner. Byleth tried to turn away, but they spotted her. Arundel smiled tightly, "I thought you would be here. With a drink. And with Claude." Claude waved.

She raised her mug to Ferdinand, "Are you going to card me, officer?"

Ferdinand smiled warmly, "Actually, I think I'll join you. Hapi, one Southern Blend for me, please." Hapi set down Claude's and poured a cup of hot water for Ferdinand. Byleth was confused.

"I don't think you want to hang out here. Ashe and Dedue are already setting up the backroom for the victory party."

Hapi threw a tea bag at Ferdinand, and he gracefully caught it. He sat down and clinked his mug with Byleth's. "Well then, Byleth, you will simply have to tell me what that's like."

Byleth cocked her head to the side. Arundel removed the Sheriff's badge from his pocket and set it on the counter. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Congratulations, Sheriff Eisner."

"Whoa, no way!" exclaimed Claude.

"There was a very close vote. But people seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Hubert." Arundel gestured behind him as more smiling townspeople poured into the diner.

"Congratulations!" Ferdinand said cheerily. Byleth was stunned.

Arundel put his hand on Byleth's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "You didn't pick a great friend in Hubert Miss Eisner, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that." He let go of her shoulder and left.

Adrestia, 1185

Hubert pulled the Arrow of Indra out of the stomach of what had been one of their best spies. Edelgard seemed disturbed. "What?" he said. "You wanted to know what I do."

"You didn't even question if he was giving secrets to the Alliance. You just killed him."

"I didn't need to." He pulled a dagger from the spy's boot. "He was planning to stab you first. I protected what I love most. I will never feel guilt or fear over it."

Crestwood

Byleth knelt before the filing cabinet to organize some case files. She felt an ominous presence behind her. "Jesus, Hubert, you can't just walk up behind me like that! You realize I'm armed, don't you?"

Hubert smirked, "So? Lurking is part of my act, my dear. Wasn't it grand, though? Political theater in an actual theater. I knew no one would vote for you unless we gave you some kind of extraordinary quality. And I'm afraid saving old Arundel's ass from the fire just wasn't going to do the trick. I had to give you a higher form of bravery. They had to see you defy me. And they did." He gave a chef's kiss.

Byleth's mouth dropped open, "No. Just no. There is no way you predicted I would do that at the debate. No one is that good."

Hubert shrugged, "Everyone's afraid of Arundel. But they are more afraid of me. By standing up to me, you won them over. It was the only way."

Byleth shook her head, "And you knew I'd play right along."

He nodded, "Oh yes, I did. Because I know a desperate soul when I see one."

Byleth sat down at her desk, "But why, Hubert? Why all this?

"We made a deal sometime back, Ms. Eisner. We established that you owed me a favor. I know that can be a bad feeling - owing someone. Now that you're Sheriff, I'm sure we'll find some way for you to pay back what you owe me. Congratulations."

He waved goodby to Byleth as she wondered what the hell she had just gotten herself into.