Hey, everyone. Sorry for the delay in updates.

I got married ＼(^o^)／

Also, be prepared for a slight Three Hopes spoiler from Yuri's support chain with Shez.

It had been years since Yuri saw his mother at work.

Granted, once Lilian's illness began to take over her body almost two decades ago, Yuri rarely saw his mother do anything more than rest. Sometimes she'd practice her writing, sometimes she'd tend to the fading garden of the small house Yuri had gotten for her, and most of the time she'd pray to the goddess. But being in Varley had energized Lilian in a way Yuri couldn't quite explain. Perhaps it was the sense of peril lurking around the corner, or maybe it was the knowledge that Lilian had a job to get done.

And damn was she good at it.

The very day Yuri had uncovered the hidden list, Jeanne put Lilian to work. Lilian walked around the large estate with the quiet presence of a mouse, slinking in between guards and maids without anyone noticing. When she encountered a bustling butler, Lilian pretended to be entranced by one of the many rugs, tapestries, and vases that decorated the house. When she encountered a gossiping maid, she pulled out a small book of Seiros scriptures she pretended to read over.

And when she encountered a guard, Lilian did one of several things.

If the guard was tired and leaning too heavily on their spear, Lilian would walk past them without a word. If the guard was alert and actually doing their job, then Lilian would wait for a servant to pass through in order to blend in among the staff. And if the guard was grumbling or scowling, then Lilian would inform the first servant she saw that the captain of the estate's security (one of the few on Jeanne's list of trusted staff), had requested that the guard be sent to a separate part of the estate. The grumbling guard immediately started arguing with the poor servant used to deliver the fake message, and Lilian used the moment to slip past without incident.

Yuri wished he could say that he wasn't spying. But that was only half-true. In reality, under the goddess' ever-watchful and ever-annoying eye, he only caught glimpses of his mother every now and then. When he did, he would follow her for a while under the pretense of keeping an eye out for her. It would never be for long—Yuri knew that he'd be forced to read a full Seiros scripture out loud if Lilian ever caught him spying—but just enough for him to see flashes of this side of his mother. A side she hadn't had to use for several years.

Yuri prided himself on being aware and vigilant when it came to these types of things, but he was also acutely aware of the fact that he inherited most of his tactical mind from Lilian. Even when her job required more seduction instead of diversions, Lilian was always scarily capable of reading a room, assessing a situation, and using all the tricks up her sleeve to get her way. Or at least as good as she could get, considering their circumstances during Yuri's childhood. Born a penniless commoner, Lilian never had a chance to learn how to read and write as a child, but by the goddess was she fiendishly intelligent.

And the only time she was ever spotted was when she wanted to be.

One instance happened shortly after Lilian had passed a message to a young cook, a girl a few years younger than Yuri. The cook dutifully marched her way down the Varley halls, but she was sweating—something which made no sense considering the fact that the Garland Moon had just arrived, signaling the beginning of Fódlan's rainy season. It wouldn't matter if the cook said she was on an express errand for Jeanne. If she got spotted by a particularly watchful guard, she would get called out and questioned faster than Yuri could stab a dagger in a noble's gut.

Yuri wasn't sure where she was going, but based on the cook's trajectory, he knew that the girl was heading in the direction of a particularly vigilant guard that oversaw a long corridor on the estate's second floor.

Yuri took a separate route that led to the same corridor entrance—one that would give him a vantage point to look into the guarded hallway while staying in the shadows. He was positioned just behind a tall stone pillar, one hand on his sword and the other ready to launch a spell, when he spotted the cook and his mother approaching the corridor.

But before the cook could even enter the surveyed hallway, Lilian halted the young girl with a hand on her shoulder. Lilian reached up, undid her low ponytail, and let her lilac hair fall gracefully over one shoulder.

"Excuse me," Lilian said slowly as she stepped out into the guard's view. She placed her hands behind her back and walked toward the soldier, swaying her hips ever so slightly. "I'm new to the estate, and think I'm a bit lost."

The guard immediately straightened his back and focused his eyes on Lilian. The moment she had his attention, Lilian started asking the man questions. What his name was, his age, how long he'd been working as a guard, and even what his favorite part of the estate was.

"I see," Lilian said, twisting her chest in a way that showed off her dress' low neckline. "I never thought someone as strapping as you would enjoy the gardens so much. There aren't many young men your age who would even admit to it."

The guard, who was a few years older than Yuri, turned pink beneath his helmet. "T-Thank you, ma'am."

"Oh, Francis," Lilian said in a voice as smooth as honey. "No need to be so formal. My name's Lilian."

"Ah! Thank you, L-Lilian."

Yuri sighed and moved his hand away from his sword hilt. There's a reason why, even over a decade after she'd last used these skills, Lilian was able to pull in enough money to feed Yuri in his early childhood. Sure, they never had full bellies, but damn did his mother make sure he never outright starved.

At least, until she got sick.

But looking at Lilian now, swaying her hips and hiding a mischievous smirk, Yuri could almost forget how thin she was. Because right now, Lilian looked just like she did when Yuri was small. When his mother was always vibrant with energy and strength. When Yuri believed that there was nothing on the continent that could hurt her.

The guard—Francis—tightened his grip on his spear and coughed into his hand. "You said you're new here, right?"

"I did," Lilian said.

"That means you likely don't know the estate very well." Francis stepped forward. "If you would permit me, I'd be happy to show you the way to the gardens. I-If you'd like."

"An escort." Lilian placed a thin hand on her chest. "What an honor."

After a few seconds of nervous hesitation, the guard offered Lilian his arm. She took it, and the two strolled down the long corridor, chatting about camellias and hyacinths, until they were out of sight.

Then, and only then, did the cook jump out of her hiding spot and sprint down the now-vacant hallway. Ready to act on her orders and no guard left to question her.

Yuri leaned against the stone pillar and smirked up at the ceiling. He'd almost forgotten what it looked like to see his mother in her element. He still wasn't sure if Lilian would actually end up in the gardens with that guard, but it wouldn't do him much good to try to find out. Following her for this long was already a gamble. Any more time spent tailing her only increased the odds of Yuri getting dragged to church by the ear, and he didn't want to give Jeanne the satisfaction of witnessing that.

Bernadetta would probably find it amusing, Yuri thought as he gazed up at the ceiling. She'd try to hide her laughter at first, but then she'd be giggling like she'd just stolen the last cookie from the kitchens.

Yuri felt his smirk grow into a smile, and his mind came to a grinding halt.

Bernadetta, Yuri thought as he roughly rubbed his face with his hand. Why is it always coming back to Bernadetta?

Yuri wiped away the smile and stalked down the Varley halls. He'd allowed himself a brief moment of distraction to check on his mom, but he still had his own job to do.

There were still spies he needed to tail, and he needed to tail them fast. Because the Slithering idiots were in Bernadetta's house, ready to do who knows what with her, and Yuri only had a scant few days to do anything about it before Byleth arrived. If Yuri and Bernadetta wanted to avoid putting the archbishop in danger, they had to use every day they had to their advantage.

Two weeks. That's all the time they had.

"Mathilda?" Bernadetta asked, bringing her trembling hands to her chest. "From the kitchens?"

"Yes," Jeanne said. She walked further into Bernadetta's candlelit bedroom until she was standing right next to Bernie's desk, a suitable distance away from the door. "I have one of my people following her after her shift is over. We think she's likely a messenger, so I'm hoping to get hard evidence on another potential spy we've been looking at." Jeanne huffed incredulously. "Lilian was right to boast about her skills. She moves through the estate so inconspicuously she almost gave me a scare."

"Yeah," Bernadetta said. A thought suddenly struck her, and she bolted up from her chair with enough force to make it clatter against her large oak desk. "Wait, Mathilda works in the kitchens! Does that mean she can—"

"She won't be poisoning your food, my lady," Jeanne said calmly. She reached out and steadied the chair before it could clatter against the ground, setting it back where it was before Bernadetta moved it. "I've had her relegated to polishing the silverware for our guest's upcoming arrival."

"Thank the goddess," Bernadetta said. Even though she hadn't personally used the phrase growing up, ever since Lilian had started living at the estate, Bernadetta found herself thanking the goddess on a semi-regular basis. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to eat for the next week!"

"It was actually that boy's suggestion," Jeanne said with a tight expression. "He said that if we found any suspicious personnel in the kitchen, they should be given tasks away from food so that you wouldn't fret over a potential poisoning."

"Yuri." Bernadetta shyly fiddled with the hem of her dress. "He said that?"

"Yes." Jeanne took in a deep breath, and the light from the candles accentuated the creases of her face's few wrinkles. "Lady Bernadetta, if I may ask, did… did he know?"

Bernadetta bit her lip and shook her head. "No. He was like you. He knew I was shy and clumsy, but…"

"I understand," Jeanne said, and her eyes suddenly looked unfathomably sad. "And since you haven't told him even though he's been at the estate for some time now, I assume that means you want me to keep quiet about it?"

Bernadetta nodded.

"I will be frank, my lady. The fact the boy is now staying at the estate, coupled with the fact that your father is no longer in Varley, means that it is very likely that he'll learn about what happened. But you are my lady, and more importantly, you are Lady Lise's daughter. As such, I will respect your wishes. I will not divulge your past to the boy. Nor to his mother."

"Thank you." Bernadetta let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I… I just—I don't want Yuri to think of me like that! How… How I was when Father was here. I like how Yuri treats me now. I like hanging out with him and talking with him, and if he learns everything then he—he might treat me differently!"

Jeanne suddenly straightened her already perfect posture.

"Do I treat you differently?" She asked quietly. "Than I did before?"

Hearing Jeanne's tone made Bernadetta's heart creak. She wanted to surge forward and give Jeanne a hug. To tell her that no, everything was the same. But if there was anything that Jeanne hated more than people who didn't listen to her, it was people who lied to her.

"A little," Bernadetta said. "You used to be more strict with me, and I know that part of it is because I was still a child, but you were also more… I don't know. Impartial, I guess?"

Jeanne nodded gravely.

"But it's still ok!" Bernadetta said quickly. "You're still great, and I don't think I would've made it this far without your help. Especially after Mother died. It's just… I don't want Yuri to change how he thinks of me. Jeanne, I know you have doubts about him, but I…"

"You like him."

"…Yeah," Bernadetta said. "I really, really do."

A small, resigned smile crossed Jeanne's face. "You should get some rest, my lady. You have a long day tomorrow."

Bernadetta shook her head and glanced back at her desk, which was still covered in letters, loose papers, and at least two empty ink wells. "I can't. I still have a bunch of orders to write out for the troop commanders!"

"My excuse for entering your bedroom was to help you prepare for bed."

"A-And that can still be the excuse! No one has to know I'm still awake, right?" Bernadetta looked away from Jeanne's exasperated face. "I'll go to sleep soon. After I finish this."

"Alright." Jeanne sighed and gave Bernadetta her customary bow. "Good night, my lady."

"Good night."

Jeanne moved back to the doorway. But just as her fingers touched the handle, Bernadetta cried out, "Jeanne!"

Jeanne spun around, so fast that some of her hair nearly fell out of her meticulous bun.

"You get some sleep, too. Ok?" Bernadetta smiled shyly. "We all know the estate would fall apart if you weren't here to run it."

Jeanne sighed again, but this time she did so fondly. It was the kind of sigh she used to give Bernadetta. In the time before Bernadetta became count—before Lise decided it was finally time to tell Jeanne about all the things Grégoire did.

"Of course, my lady," Jeanne said. "And if I may say so, with every day that goes by, you're reminding me more and more of your mother."

"Damn," Balthus said, leaning his hands on the edge of the desk as the weight of everything Yuri said sunk in. "That all really happen?"

"Yeah. It did. And now you know why I can't do anything with Bernadetta." Yuri pushed himself off the wall and pointed at the map on the small desk. "So before you tell me otherwise, give me your report."

"The areas to the south are clear," Balthus said dazedly. "It's where the mountains dip back into plains, and there's no way any ambush can hold up against Varley's archers. Not when we'd have the high ground from the mountains. The flat land also makes it impossible to kidnap anyone without getting spotted from a lookout tower. Even a Warp spell wouldn't cross half the distance you'd need to get out of range. At least, that's what Hilda says."

Yuri nodded. He was hoping that somehow they'd pinpoint the ambush spot sooner rather than later, but information was still information. Even if they only had a week and a half left to find that ambush spot.

"Good. That's one area we can discount. I have some reports from my birds that are stationed with the Varley soldier companies. Most seem to be in the clear, but some of them seem pretty fishy. I'm gonna tail one of them myself tonight, so hopefully that'll give us another lead to go on."

"Boss, you know that Bernadetta doesn't hold a grudge against ya, right?" Balthus said, his loud voice bouncing off the walls of the guest room he shared with Hilda. "If she did, I doubt she'd let ya anywhere near her!"

Yuri groaned. Because of course Balthus wouldn't let this subject go so easily.

"She should. I nearly killed her, Balthus. I nearly killed her for something that amounted to no more than a couple of sacks of gold."

"You were a kid. You were literally starving."

Yuri gave him a sardonic smirk. "Maybe it's a side effect the all the church sermons I listened to growing up, but I don't think starvation is a valid excuse for murdering an innocent child."

Balthus huffed but didn't push it. Out of the four Ashen Wolves, he and Yuri were by far the most devout followers of the Seiros religion, which meant that Balthus was definitely aware of the goddess' 'no killing innocents' tenets. It didn't matter that Yuri took on the assassination job after his mother got too sick to work. He still agreed to murder a child. A child whose only crime was being born as an heir with a Crest.

"And before you ask," Yuri said, "yes, you can tell Hilda. She's gonna find out sooner or later, and at least this way she doesn't have to ask Bernadetta. I doubt that's a story she wants to tell."

Yuri turned around and headed for the door. He still had a guard to tail, and it was as good of an excuse as any to get out of the room. But before he could open the door, Balthus spoke up again.

"You said you hesitated," he said, making Yuri's fingers hover just above the door handle. "If Bern's father hadn't come in when he did… Would you have finished the job?"

Yuri closed his eyes. That was a question he asked himself after being beaten half-to-death by Grégoire's men. And ever since that fateful night, it was a question that kept popping up through the years. Again and again, begging Yuri for an answer.

Unfortunately, the answer that Yuri had was, to put it mildly, pathetic.

"I don't know. But thank the goddess he did," Yuri said. "Grégoire von Varley may have been a terrible count, but at least he was a man who cared about his daughter."

And before he could see his friend's reaction to that, Yuri opened the door and left the room.

"A-Are you sure about all this?" Bernadetta asked.

Armand nodded. "Yep. Those guys in Hawk have been coordinating with the servants your stewardess has flagged at the estate. The boss tailed one of them and gave us a solid lead for Lissy and me to follow up on. They're colludin', no doubt about it."

"Same for those guards in Owl company," Lissy, another one of Yuri's birds, said confidently. "We got dirt on 'em. Just give us the word and we'll arrest them at once!"

"N-No!" Bernadetta cried.

Lissy and Armand went still as Bernadetta's voice echoed in the small tunnel. To avoid suspicions of why Bernadetta was meeting with Yuri's birds personally, Bernie had arranged for them to meet in the Vallais tunnels. The stone corridor may have been a bit echoey, but this tunnel in particular led directly to Hedgehog Company's barracks. Other than Yuri's birds, they were the only battalion that knew about the 'Catch the Slithering Apies' operation, and Bernadetta had soldiers from Hedgehog guarding both ends of the tunnel to ensure that only those with Bernie's approval could come through.

"I-I mean, not yet." Bernadetta interlaced her fingers and brought her hands to her chest. "We still need to investigate Ox company, and there's a chance that there are more traitors we haven't found yet. If we arrest only some of them, the rest will scatter, and then they'll be even more difficult to track down!"

"So…" Armand said, and the hesitancy in his tone made him seem more like the teenager he was. Well, that and his acne-riddled face. "You're saying we wait?"

"Yes," Bernadetta said. "Until we can identify as many people as we can. Then we set up a mass arrest to lower the chances of a traitorous guard escaping. I also wanna double check to make sure we don't accidentally arrest someone innocent. If we do that, then we'll have to let them go, and then they'll tell everyone that there's a shady organization in Vallais. If that happens, we'll have mass panic in the city!"

"A'ight." Lissy, who looked like she was only a year or two older than Armand, gave Bernadetta a massive grin. "We follow your orders, Lady Mockingbird."

Armand immediately matched Lissy's grin. "We'll report back tomorrow, Lady Mockingbird. See ya soon!"

The two teenagers gave her a quick bow before sprinting down the hallway, leaving Bernadetta standing there with her mouth wide open.

"L-Lady Mockingbird?" She stuttered. "Why would they call me that?"

"Probably because you and Yuri work really well together," someone said directly behind her.

"Agh!" Bernadetta yelped. She spun around—ready to fight off whatever Slithering person had managed to sneak by her guards—when she found herself face to face with a smiling Hilda. "Oh, H-Hilda! I didn't hear you come down the tunnel.

"Sorry. Probably should've announced myself." Hilda's smile grew, and now that she was paying attention, Bernie could hear how her friend's short heels clicked and clacked against the tunnel's stone flooring. "That's a good plan, Bernie. Very fitting for someone by the name of 'Lady Mockingbird'."

Bernadetta puffed her cheeks. "At least it's better than the 'Bear of Varley'. I don't even know what that means! I don't look like a bear, do I?!"

Hilda tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. "You know," she said slowly, "over the years, I've learned that the names and monikers that are assigned to us only hold as much weight as we let them."

"Y-You think?"

"I do," Hilda said. "But I also think that you get to pick and choose which meaning you get to ascribe your nickname. When Holst was just starting out as a soldier, saying that he'd be the future champion of House Goneril, people used to call him the 'Hero of Leicester' as a joke. But today? Today he gets to wear that title with pride because he changed what it means."

"Y-You can do that?"

"Of course! The other day, Yuri and I overheard some students from the legal academy arguing with a merchant. The merchant was saying how 'the Bear' was driving Vallais into the ground because she was diverting funds to build a public hospital. But Yuri laughed and said that bears fight to do the right thing for their own, unlike the merchant who was overcharging law textbooks by at least two hundred gold!"

A now-familiar warm feeling wrapped itself around Bernadetta's heart. "Yuri said that?" She asked, not quite believing it. "About me? In front of people?"

"Yeah!" Hilda said. And judging by how warm her smile was, she wasn't lying. "The law students really ripped into the merchant after that. Also got him to push down his prices. I think their argument was along the lines of the Bear of Varley doing right by the people, so her merchants should, too. They even got a pretty big crowd listening in by the end of it."

"Yuri said that," Bernadetta repeated, and the warm feeling in her chest grew. "About me."

Hilda nodded. "Yep. He did."

Bernadetta's lips curled into a soft smile.

"Wow…" she said. "A-Agh! I got distracted!" She cried as she realized that Hilda was still there. "You probably came to tell me something!"

"I did." Hilda looked up and down the stone corridor. "These tunnels are safe, yeah?"

"Of course! The guards at the end of the tunnel are clean. Yuri investigated them himself!"

Hilda raised her eyebrows. "Hm. Good to know." And before Bernadetta could ask what she meant by that, Hilda said, "I have… Ok news. Balthus and I have been all over the lands to the east of Varley, and there's no way the ambush point is there. It's more hilly than the southern areas, but there's not enough cover to hide or protect any potential ambushers."

"O-Ok…" Bernadetta nervously licked her lips. "So that just leaves the north and the west."

They only had a week left. In theory, that should be enough to find the spot. But Bernadetta was also acutely aware that Varley's western lands were the most expansive of the territory. Hilda and Balthus would have to spend several days just checking that area, and if they didn't have enough time, if they didn't find the spot, if they didn't—

"Don't look so down, Bernie!" Hilda stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Bernadetta's shoulder. Bernie looked up at her, and Hilda gave her a wink. "Baltie and I'll find that ambush spot! It's only a matter of time."

"And that's everyone?" Yuri asked to confirm.

"Everyone we've been able to find," Lilian said. Yuri's mother settled down into the plush couch, sighing in relief as she pushed the weight off her surely-aching feet. "There may be one or two we've missed, but since tomorrow is the deadline for the mass arrest, we've done the best we could."

"Your best is amazing!" Bernadetta said. She clutched her notes to her chest and gave Lilian a smile so wide it made Yuri's heart almost explode in his chest. "Thank you, for helping. I know—well, I don't know, because it'd be rude to ask—but I'm, you know—guessing! That this wasn't easy for you because you—um—"

"It's ok," Lilian said in a tone Yuri knew was an honest one. "I have an illness. It saps my energy and makes me lose weight, but it isn't anything common. Not even the healers know what it is."

The three of them were in Lilian's room, but it looked barely lived in. The bed sheets were too neatly folded, the desk was too sparse, and even the plush couch that Bernadetta had ordered for the room looked too new.

Yuri remembered how awed he'd felt when he heard about Bernadetta's gracious gift. For years, Yuri was the only one who ever got Lilian any presents. But Bernadetta had gotten her couch big enough for three people, a large bouquet full of hyacinths from the gardens, and had even organized for a Varley healer to be on-call in case anything happened.

It was so much more than Yuri ever could've expected Bernadetta to do for his mom. And if that little fact just heightened his desire to pick up Bernadetta, spin her around in his arms, and kiss her until he couldn't remember the taste of anyone's lips but hers… Well, that was something between him and the goddess.

Yuri took in his mother. The thrum of energy that pushed her to walk through the estate multiple times a day for almost two weeks was still there, but it was dimmer. Her eyes were alert, but her shoulders were drooping somewhat, and her dress looked even looser around her already-thin frame. Even her purple hair had lost a bit of its sheen.

Bernadetta seemed to notice it too, because her face scrunched up in concern. "I'm sorry you've been moving around so much. You should be resting!"

"If I wanted to rest, I would've stayed in western Fearghus," Lilian said from the couch. "And besides, I don't remember the last time I've been so entertained by what's been happening around me."

Bernadetta tilted her head. "What do you mean by—"

"You should probably go give the details to your guards," Yuri said, quickly putting on a smile to hide the abruptness of his comment. "Well, the ones we trust. They're gonna need the info on the servants if we're gonna arrest them on time."

"Ah! I do!" Bernadetta waved goodbye as she headed for the door. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Bernadetta left the room, and Yuri sighed in relief. He already had enough to worry about with the Slithering idiots. If his mom added more of her well-intentioned but terribly-timed comments, Yuri was pretty sure he'd have to steal some random noble's gold just to clear his head.

"Two days until our guest arrives," Yuri said. "We're cutting it close."

"But you're acting as fast as you can." Lilian huffed, and her eyes flickered to the door. "On most things."

"Don't know what you mean by that one, Mom." Yuri turned and stalked his way toward the exit. "I have to head out, too. Get some rest. And if you can, do me a favor and tell Jeanne to give my birds a break. With all the errands she's had them running, I'm amazed they still have time to—"

"Regulus."

And just like that, Yuri froze, and all of the walls around his heart collapsed.

Over the years, Yuri had used many names, and there was a reason for that. They were meant as protection. A way to shield his identity and keep his mother out of harm's way. But they evolved, and before Yuri knew it, his pseudonyms had become a tool. One used to keep his suave, carefully crafted demeanor separate from his true self. The true part of his soul that only a select few would ever have a chance to see.

Sometimes that true self came out with Bernadetta, like it did that day in the drawing room. Most of the time, it came out with his mother. And now that Lilian had said his real name, Regulus felt his 'Yuri' persona fade away. Scrubbed off to expose his true face.

Regulus turned back to his mother. "Am I in trouble?" He asked, and the question was more serious than not.

Lilian laughed. "Not yet."

Regulus went to sit beside his mom on the plush couch. "Then what is it?"

"It is so strange that I want to reassure my son?"

"Who says I need it?"

"Your shoulders." Lilian reached out and rubbed her thumb against his left arm. "They look like they're carrying all the guilt in the world again."

"I've carried guilt since I was a child," Regulus said in a low voice. If he'd still felt like Yuri, then maybe he would've added a joke, a humorless laugh, or even a sarcastic grin. But that façade was gone now, so Regulus just said, "And I've done enough terrible things to carry guilt for the rest of my life."

"I'm sorry." Lilian blinked rapidly, and Regulus saw tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. "If only I could've earned more. If I hadn't had to stop working, then you wouldn't have—"

"Hey, it's ok," Regulus said softly. "You did the best you could for me, Mom. You always have."

Lilian shook her head. "You deserved a better life."

"So did you." Regulus took his mother's hands in his and held them tight. "But I'm happy with the life I got. The life you gave me."

Lilian let out a shuddering sigh, freeing a set of tears from her eyes. "I still wish I could do more for you. If I could take your guilt and put it on my shoulders, I would do it in a heartbeat."

"Didn't you hear me?" Even though the sight of his mom's tears made Regulus' heart ache, he smiled for her. "I said that I'm happy with what you've already given me. And you've given me more than enough, Mom. I swear you have."

It was true. Because even when they were at their lowest, Lilian always did her best to be there for her son.

When she first got sick, she would always give Regulus a smile, even when she was in unfathomable pain. When Regulus was sick from the plague, she stayed by his bedside, even if that meant increasing her chances of catching the disease. And when he had come back from his failed mission to assassinate Bernadetta, his mom welcomed him back with open arms. If he was being honest, Regulus half-feared getting kicked out, considering he almost killed an innocent child. But after listening to the story, all Lilian did was pray to the goddess and hold Regulus tight.

Lilian wound her arms around Regulus' shoulders and pulled him close to her. Regulus returned the embrace in full force, hugging his mom as tight as he dared.

"My baby," Lilian whispered. She rocked them back and forth, and Regulus felt like a child again. He didn't feel like the leader of the Mockingbirds. He didn't feel like a reviled murderer. Right now, he was just Lilian's son. He didn't know how much time he had left with her, so Regulus let himself savor each moment of the hug. He let himself be held.

"May the goddess watch over you," Lilian said when they finally pulled apart. With a thin hand, she tilted Regulus' head down to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Stay safe tonight."

"I'll do my best," he said.

Regulus pushed himself up and went to the door, but before he could even make it halfway, a niggling question boomed at the back of his mind.

"Again," he said. "You said that I'm carrying all the weight in the world 'again'. If that's how you see it, when were the other times?" Regulus looked down at the floor. "Was one of them the thing with Aelfric? And the church's soldiers I killed?"

"I think you answered that question yourself," Lilian said softly.

Regulus' throat tightened. "Any other time?"

"Just one. When you were ten years old." Lilian measured her following words. "You said you were going on a job that would last you a few months. When you finally came back to me, you came back with a story about a girl. A girl you had fun with, even though you were meant to kill her. A girl you became friends with."

Regulus tore his gaze away from the floor. His mother was watching him with kind, compassionate eyes. She never judged him—Lilian always believed that was the goddess' job—and Regulus was grateful for that. Regulus judged himself enough for what he almost did to Bernadetta. He didn't know if he could handle his mom judging him for that, too.

"I don't believe you've tried to kill her again," Lilian said, "but am I wrong when I say that your guilt now has something to do with that night?"

The image of Bernadetta flashed in his mind. Of her sweet, charming smile. Her beautiful violet hair. Her strong arms, her dextrous hands, her fast legs, and her wide gray eyes. Her small lips.

He imagined what it'd be like to kiss those lips. To bring them to his and kiss her like she was the only person in the world he would ever have the absolute privilege of being with.

"Close," Regulus said, and a wistful smile crossed his face. "Not quite."

Regulus turned around and stalked toward the door again. His time with his mother, however brief, was still time missed from doing what had to get done. He still had work to do. Work to be done as Yuri Leclerc.

Regulus left his mother's bedroom. But just as he was about to shut the door, he heard Lilian begin to pray.

"Goddess above," Lilian said. "Please take care of my son. Guide him to where he needs to be, and bless him on the journey ahead."

Regulus clenched his hands into fists. Those prayers shouldn't be wasted on me, Mom, he thought as he pictured his mother's thin and fragile body. If anything, I should be praying for you.

Regulus shut the door behind him, and Yuri strode out into the night.

"Everyone's in position," Yuri said.

Bernadetta faced Yuri, Eric, and the commander of Hedgehog company. The commander was standing at attention, his hands clasped neatly behind his back, while Yuri had a hand on his hip and a smirk on his face. Eric, the tall and wiry man Bernadetta remembered from earlier, was there as the second-in-command for the Mockingbirds, and he had a strange smile on his face as his eyes kept bouncing between Yuri and Bernadetta.

"Jeanne has sent all the servants we know have turned traitor on last-minute errands for tomorrow's welcome dinner," Yuri continued. "It gets them either next to the city courthouses or damn close to them, so my birds should be able to arrest them all and escort them into the tunnels without causing a scene."

It took every muscle in Bernadetta's body to stop herself from shaking with nerves. "And the traitor guards?"

"Almost all of them are waiting for you in the tunnels," Yuri said. "We're just missing the traitors from Ox company. Since they're still in the northern area of the territory, I had to send Lissy and Armand to go fetch them. They think they're going to be given a special mission to escort our guest into the city. Gotta admit, even though the professor's arrival has caused us no small amount of stress, it's a great excuse to set a trap."

"Awaiting your order, Lady Varley," Hedgehog's commander said.

Yuri's smirk grew. Maybe Bernadetta was even more nervous than she thought, because her heart suddenly fluttered. "Your orders, Lady Commander?" He asked.

Bernie took a breath and told herself to keep cool and think about her next order.

That 'cool' lasted about ten seconds.

"Agh! I can't wait anymore!" She said. "Start the arrests now. If everything goes to plan, we should still be able to arrest the rogue guards from Ox company."

"Understood, my lady!" Hedgehog commander said. He bowed to Bernadetta and marched down the tunnel.

Yuri turned to his second-in-command. "Remember, this needs to be quick and quiet. So, Eric, that means no taunting them before you slap the cuffs on."

Eric groaned. "Aw. You're takin' all the fun out of it, General," he said. But before leaving to give the other Mockingbirds the signal to arrest the traitorous servants, he winked at Bernadetta and gave her a low bow.

Yuri scowled at Eric as the man jogged down the tunnel. "Ready for this?" He asked Bernadetta.

Bernie nodded. "Yeah."

The two of them walked down the tunnel. Soon enough, they were at the side entrance to a larger corridor. In front of them were thirty or so soldiers and guards standing at attention—all of whom had been deemed to be traitors. They were surrounded by members of Hedgehog company on all sides, but none of them looked nervous. Some of them were even giving each other secret grins. It didn't even matter that none of them had their spears on them. Because they all thought they were going to be promoted to guard Bernadetta's guest, they all assumed they would be getting new weapons. The lack of spears would hopefully make the arrests go smoothly.

Hopefully.

None of the treasonous guards had noticed Bernadetta, but there was still a chance one of them could take an opportunity to attack her and kill her. Bernie hid behind Yuri's big cloak. For some reason, Yuri let her.

Hedgehog company's commander marched forward until he was standing in front of the group of guards. "Soldiers of Varley!"

The traitorous spies clicked their heels together.

"By order of Count Varley herself," the commander continued, "all of you are under arrest for conspiring against Varley and its people. Your privileges have been suspended, and you will be taken into custody, effective immediately."

The traitors didn't even get a second to react. The moment Hedgehog's commander gave out the order, all of Hedgehog's soldiers moved forward and started pulling the spies' hands into thick iron cuffs.

There was pushing, there was yelling, and there was even one guard Bernadetta recognized from Owl company yelling and trying to fight off his arrest. It took two of Hedgehog's soldiers to wrestle the man to the ground, and Bernie slunk deeper into the side tunnel out of fear.

Yuri side-stepped to the left. The movement placed himself directly between Bernadetta and the yelling traitor, and Bernadetta was too overwhelmed by the sounds of the arrests to say anything.

Bernie didn't know how long it took before the noises quieted down. There were orders being given out, the sounds of people reluctantly getting shuffled around, and then, finally, the voice of Hedgehog's commander. "Everyone has been secured, Lady Varley!"

Yuri turned around. "You good?" He asked her in a low voice.

"Yeah," Bernadetta said. Surprisingly enough, her voice wasn't even shaking. "I'm good."

Yuri moved to one side, and Bernadetta looked over at the lines of traitorous guards. All of the spies had their hands cuffed behind their back, and they all had at least one member of Hedgehog company holding their arms in case they tried to escape. Even the combative traitor from Owl company was being held still by two particularly large soldiers.

These are all the people who wanted to betray me, Bernadetta thought. But now that we've arrested them… they can't.

And, for what might have been the first time in her life, Bernadetta smirked.

Yuri noticed immediately, and he barked out a loud laugh that echoed in the tunnels. "Yeah. Take it in, Bernadetta," he said before turning to the spies. "Gotta say, it's nice seeing all you high-and-mighty guards being taken down a peg."

Half the soldiers from Hedgehog company glared at him.

"Sorry, I meant all you treasonous guards," Yuri amended with a suave smile.

"You think this arrest will stick?" The spy from Owl company shouted. "You have no proof of what you're accusing us of!"

"We do!" Bernadetta said, projecting every bit of confidence she could into her voice. "So if you want us to go easy on you, then you better talk!"

"And if you won't talk," Yuri said. "then I guess we'll just see if any of your conspirators in the estate will."

The spy's mouth dropped open. "Wait, you didn't—"

"Oh, we did," Yuri said.

"You bastard!" The guard from Owl yelled. He fought against the soldiers that were holding his arms, struggling to get out of their grip. "I'll kill you right now! You and the count!"

Bernadetta flinched. "Take them to the cells!" She cried. "R-Right now!"

"And make sure to charge this one with conspiracy to kill Count Varley," Yuri ground out, though the look in his eyes told Bernadetta that he would prefer it if he could kill the man right then and there. "Maybe that'll teach—"

"Bernie!" Hilda's voice echoed through the long tunnel.

"Boss!" Echoed Balthus' voice at the same time.

Yuri and Bernadetta turned to each other. This wasn't meant to happen. If those two had information, they were meant to meet up with Bernadetta secretly. Not announce their arrival in front of a group of treasonous soldiers they were arresting!

After a quick nod at Hedgehog company, Bernadetta turned to rush toward the source of her friends' voices. With Hedgehog company shuffling the traitors away, Yuri and Bernadetta quickly found their friends sprinting down the main corridor of the tunnels. Balthus ran down the hallway so fast that Bernadetta wondered if he was escaping a debt collector, and some of Hilda's pink hair had fallen out of her perfect ponytails. But even more worryingly, they had Lissy and Armand hot on their heels.

"Hilda? Balthus?" Bernadetta said as she ran up to them. "What is it?"

"What happened?" Yuri asked. He turned to Lissy and Armand. "And where are the traitors from Ox company?"

Lissy, who looked like she had just run all the way from Enbarr, shook her head. "We couldn't get to 'em."

Yuri's face went hard. "Explain. Now."

"We were on our way with the orders to bring the traitors to the tunnels," Armand explained, "but before we could get to the construction zone they're guarding, we saw some people hiding in the mountains. They tried to hide in the entrance to an old mine shaft, but I spotted them."

"So you dealt with them?" Bernadetta asked.

"I wanted to!" Lissy cried before giving Hilda and Balthus a side-eye. "But these two stopped us before I could."

Bernadetta's fingers suddenly started shaking. "Why?"

"'Cause we're just comin' back from checkin' out the areas to the west," Balthus said, his fingers grazing over the Vajra-Mushti that hung from his belt. "There are a bunch of mountains there, so technically you could kidnap someone, but there ain't no way any ambush party gets enough cover to hide from Varley's archers."

"The mountains around Vallais are too high," Hilda said, and Bernadetta noticed that she had Freikugel strapped across her back. "So the south is out, the east is out, and the west is out. That only leaves one area where the ambush can happen."

"The north…" Bernadetta gasped. "But that's where the hospital is being built! It's getting built next to the north road that connects all the villages in that area!"

Balthus nodded. "Yeah."

"We went right over as soon as we figure it out," Hilda said, "and we spotted Armand and Lissy about to start a sneak attack on the people in the mine."

"But why did you stop us?" Armand asked. "We could've gotten them!"

"And that would've alerted all their friends," Yuri said, "and they would've started their ambush early."

A bad feeling swirled in Bernadetta's chest. "What do you mean?"

Yuri clenched his hands into tight fists. "We've been searching for an area where they could ambush you and kidnap you, but you aren't their only target. Remember, the reason why I came to Varley in the first place is because someone was kidnapping villagers from their homes. These Slithering people we're dealing with, they're abducting innocent civilians. And I bet you anything that the traitors in Ox company are colluding with them. So they can abduct everyone who's working on that hospital in one fell swoop."

"Those people hiding in the old mine—they're probably waiting on orders from their commander!" Lissy yelled, fear blooming in her hazel eyes.

Yuri nodded grimly. "Which means that they're going to strike soon. Probably today before nightfall, when the workers are tired and will have a tougher time fighting back an ambush."

A coil of dread tightened itself around Bernadetta's chest. It constricted her lungs and made her want to vomit up what little she'd eaten that day.

"I-It's my fault," Bernadetta whispered. "I'm the one who ordered that the hospital get built. I'm the one who assigned Ox company to protect the contractors. I'm the one who set up the perfect ambush opportunity in the perfect ambush spot, and I—"

"It's not," Yuri said.

Bernadetta's heart stopped. "What?"

Yuri turned to her and grabbed Bernadetta's shoulders. "Are you in league with the Slithering idiots?" He asked. "No, you're not. And don't you dare say 'But what if I am?!', because we both know that's a load of bull. This isn't your fault, so don't go thinking that it is. What I need you to think about is how we're gonna stop this ambush."

Yuri's tone was firm and strong. It left no room for argument, and Yuri's clear and straight logic uncoiled the strand of anxiety that had wound itself around Bernadetta's chest.

"Y-You're right," Bernadetta said. "W-We have to go! Right now!"

Yuri let go of one of Bernadetta's shoulders so he could turn to his birds. "Lissy, Armand, go round up as many of the gang as you can and bring them to the hospital. We're going ahead, and we're gonna need backup."

"But General, aren't most of the birds busy with the arrests?" Armand asked. "They're scattered all around the city!"

Yuri grimaced, and the other hand he had on Bernadetta's shoulder tightened its grip on her. "They are, but we need some kind of backup."

"But we have backup right here," Bernadetta said. Bernie cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled into the tunnel, "Hedgehog company commander!"

"Yes, Lady Varley!" The commander answered back, his voice echoing down the long, echoey tunnel.

"When you're done with the arrests, send as many soldiers as you can to follow Lissy to the northern road!" Bernadetta said. "And be prepared to fight and give medical attention! That's an order!"

"Yes, Lady Varley!"

Yuri grinned. "Looks like we found our backup. Let's go."

With Lissy staying behind to lead Hedgehog company, the rest of them started sprinting down the long tunnel. Bernadetta followed Balthus, Hilda, and Armand's lead, keeping pace with them as they raced toward the exit that would lead them to the main road out of Vallais.

"The contractors," Bernadetta said as they ran down the tunnels. "They're just people. Builders, architects—they don't have anything to do with me! They haven't done anything! Why do they want them?"

"I don't know," Yuri said. "But we'll do our damn best to make sure they don't get taken at all."

Bernadetta knew that he was telling the truth. It didn't matter that he was known as the Savage Mockingbird—when Yuri gave Bernadetta his word like that, it was the truth. And he was doing this for her. For her people. He had calmed her down, told her to focus on the emergency at hand, and was ready to fight the spies that were preparing to snatch away her people.

Yuri… Was incredible. Everything he did was incredible. Just running beside him filled Bernadetta with an indescribable amount of joy. It was the kind of joy that made her want to reach out and hold his hand again. To wrap her arms around him, bring her lips to his, and kiss him!

Wait…

Wait!

Kiss him?!

Why would she want to kiss him!? Of course Bernadetta had imagined Yuri kissing her, but never had she imagined herself kissing him!

But the only reason she'd want to kiss Yuri is if she—

If she loved him. Not the kind of just-friendship kind of love, but the romantic kind. The one Bernadetta had read about in countless stories over countless years. The kind of love that made people want to spend the rest of their lives with this one person. The love where all you wanted to do was kiss the other, wake up next to them in bed every morning, and hold on to them tight.

And the worst bit was that it made sense. All those times when Bernadetta wanted to reach out and hold Yuri's hand—when she wanted him to lean forward and kiss her—when she felt calm and secure after listening to his words, and just… being with him. Yuri made her happy. He always had!

And Bernie… Bernie loved that about him. She loved that he made her happy.

So even though she was running to fight back a league of spies and assassins that wanted to kidnap her people, Bernadetta found a single thought swirling in her mind. Over and over and over again.

Yuri...

Do I… love Yuri?