Their place of temporary stay truly was of humble origins, consisting only of a small living room, bathroom, and bedroom. The lack of space was such that Corrin's bedroom alone surpassed the size of all three rooms combined. Despite this fact, the chief claimed to have given them the largest residence in Baugh. "I know it isn't much, but rest assured that your amenities greatly overshadow those of the citizens!" he had expressed with a deep bow. "Please know that we would always gift you only the best we could offer."

"This is just fine," said Corrin, having regained her voice. "Thank you for your hospitality, Charles. We do not require any more than what you have already given."

The chief fidgeted in place, clearly at a loss as to how to respond. "Surely that cannot be—"

"Allow me to slightly amend that statement," Leo cut in. His tone was neither hard nor gentle. Just business. "Yes, we do not require any more of your amenities. As for your taxes, however, I'm afraid we must discuss the matter at some point. What say you?"

Charles fell silent at this, his complexion already beginning to pale. When he next spoke, his words sounded forced. "...Yes, milord. I… well. Please accept our sincerest apologies, but our funds are… lacking."

As Corrin's heart dropped into her stomach, Leo pressed forward, his expression ever so impassive. "Hence the deadline we were given." He reached into his satchel and procured a document, which he handed over to Charles. "As I'm sure you've been informed, the crown requires one hundred thousand bars of gold as recompense. Two weeks is the standing deadline. Should you fail to obtain that which is required within the time period, we will have no choice but to take necessary action." The implications were clear as day.

"Yes, I do not doubt it," Charles shakily replied. "We will do everything in our power to fulfill your quota. It is only natural, after all, to support one's kingdom in all capacities."

Leo curtly nodded. "Good to hear. Protocol dictates that will be monitoring your progress during our time here. Unless you harbor any objections?"

"N-None, milord."

"Then you may be dismissed. Should we wish to discuss this matter further, we will seek you out."

Charles didn't need to be told twice. With another quick bow, he scurried out of the home at a speed that Corrin had previously deemed impossible for someone of his age group. As the front door swung shut behind him, Corrin sank into the nearby couch with a despondent sigh. "What a welcome we just received."

Leo produced a sigh of his own as he glanced at her. "I'm sorry. I should have let you know beforehand that they would most likely be acting like… this."

Corrin shook her head and casted her eyes toward the floor, grappling with swirling feelings of guilt and confusion. "Why, though? Has the crown really been that horrible to them? Has Garon's despotic rule pervaded even the outskirts of our realm?"

He looked at her for a long time before answering. "I'm afraid so. He's been sowing the seeds of subservience and terror for a very long time through his many subjects." He paused once more. "I... hate to admit that I've done my fair share of extorting in the name of Nohrian law."

"You all have," Corrin was quick to point out, referring to the rest of their siblings. "And none of you ever had the option of going against him. I may be largely ignorant of the state of the kingdom, but I certainly know what it's like to stand before Garon… and have no choice but to follow his every command."

"At one point, I had hoped that you would never know," he softly mused. "It was selfish of me—unreasonable, even—but I hoped for it all the same. I thought to myself, 'What if she could live out her life within the castle, blissfully unaware of all that was sacrificed beyond its confines?' But alas, here we are. It was bound to happen eventually."

"I suppose so," she agreed, happily surprised to hear that he had given her wellbeing such consideration. "In a way, I'm grateful for the transition, as much as it pains me. It brought me along the path of righteousness—well, assuming that we're able to make something of Azura's pendant. If not... Ugh. I don't want to think about that possibility."

"I suggest we concern ourselves with this mission before we go about dethroning a possessed ruler," Leo said, a hint of a smirk on his lips. "And speaking of, there may be something we can do to alleviate the predicament of the townspeople."

Corrin immediately perked up. "Really? What?"

His eyes glinted with anticipation. "Spend."

And that was how, in just an hour, the two siblings ended up with a mound of miscellaneous trinkets and knick-knacks in their possession. As they carried their haul back to their house, Corrin absentmindedly turned a peculiar carved statue of a bird around in her hand. "If Garon ever finds out that we're doing this, we're as good as dead," she bluntly remarked.

That earned her a laugh from him. "Worry not, sister. He has no way of knowing that these funds were even mine to begin with. All accrued from various missions, I assure you."

"Hmm… Alright. But is it even enough?"

"It was only around twenty thousand bars, but perhaps it contributed a great deal. We can only hope for the best."

Just as Corrin opened her mouth to respond, something slammed into her right side. Hard.

She stumbled into Leo, nearly sending the two of them toppling over. Thankfully, his reflexes were such that he quickly regained his balance and kept the both of them upright, thereby avoiding what could've been a nasty fall (and a tedious cleanup).

"Th-Thanks," Corrin breathed, startled beyond comprehension. She jerked her head to the right, expecting to come face to face with a vengeance-driven resident, one of Garon's henchmen, or—heck, one of the faceless, even—but discovered that her assaulter wasn't even human.

She looked down, and a dog barked happily up at her.

"Why, hello there," she greeted, stooping down so that she and her furry visitor could regard each other at eye level. "You scared me. Do you do that to everyone you meet for the first time?"

The dog barked again, taking advantage of their close proximity by lunging for her face. "Hey!" Corrin exclaimed amidst a fit of giggles, trying her best—and failing—to keep her new companion at bay. "Whoa, you're friendly! Hey—Stop it!"

A scream suddenly pierced the air, followed by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. A short moment later, the dog was ripped away from Corrin, leaving her laughing and sputtering for breath. As she wiped at her face with the back of her hand, she became aware of the young woman in front of her who was now clutching the wriggling dog firmly to her body. Corrin's laughter quickly died down when she took notice of her fearful expression.

"P-Please," the woman whimpered, tightening her grip on her pet. "Lolly—She doesn't know any better. I beg of you, please forgive this transgression. At least spare my family!"

Corrin blinked, horrified at the underlying presumption. "You must be mistaken. I would never…" She lifted a hand in a show of benevolence, but trailed off when the woman immediately recoiled.

Corrin swallowed and tried again, lowering her hand. "There's no need to be afraid. You did nothing wrong."

The woman stared back at her, lip trembling and eyes wide. Her gaze flitted to Leo for an instant before returning to Corrin. "Please," she whispered, voice barely discernible.

Corrin felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up, meeting the sympathetic gaze of her brother. "Best we leave," he softly advised.

Corrin offered one last, pained glance at the woman before slowly rising to her feet. She fought the urge to stay, to convince the cowering individual before her that there existed people from the inside who were desperately trying to right the wrongs of Nohrian rule. But even if she did, she knew it would be a selfish act on her end, a mere attempt to assuage the guilt she felt for being affiliated with the crown. If I truly wish to alleviate her fears, I must address the corruption at its source, she knew. And that can only be done by dealing with Anankos.

The walk back to their house was silent as Corrin replayed the recent events over and over in her head. Upon their arrival, she set down the bag of purchased goods on the coffee table and wasted no time in collapsing onto the couch for the second time that day. "Gods," she groaned, draping an arm over her eyes. "How in the world do you deal with this, Leo? Knowing your own subjects despise you."

She heard him lower himself into the chair across from her. "It's easier when you harden your heart to the plights of others. Not that I would advise such a thing."

She peeked at him from under her forearm and gave him an incredulous look. His arms and legs were both crossed, and she had the thought that he appeared very much like a counselor, and she the patient. "How can you even say that? If everyone did as you described, the world would be a frightening place to live in." She emitted a long exhale and turned her head away. "Much more frightening than it already is, anyway."

"I… know it's horrible. That's how I personally dealt with such things growing up, but I very much regret it. Thinking back on it now, I wish I could have been more like you. If I had demonstrated more empathy to those in need, instead of shutting myself out… would there be less suffering throughout the kingdom, I wonder?"

Corrin was at a loss for words. After a long moment of silence, she turned back toward him and uncovered her eyes. "I'm sorry to have gotten on your case, Leo. I know you were just being honest… and I know that you're currently doing everything you can to help me. Against all odds, you believe in our ability to eventually bring about a peaceful Nohr. I cannot thank you enough for that."

He looked a bit taken aback by her comments. "You thank me, but I was hardly the first to take a stand, unlike yourself. Me? I'm just following my heart. And it's telling me to stay with you—the one with the bigger heart."

She couldn't help it—she flushed. How could he just drop these bombshells on her as if they were nothing? Even now, as she searched for any traces of shyness or embarrassment in his expression, she found none. He continued to evenly hold her gaze, just as he would've if he relayed to her the results of his last mission. His demeanor is consistent to a fault, she realized. It was due to this consistency that she encountered so much trouble when attempting to label his motivations as platonic or romantic. As soon as she would default to the former, he would do confusing things like squeeze her shoulder, rest his hand on the small of her back, or brush her bangs away from her eyes, all whilst engaging her in conversation. Not to mention his readiness to hold hands in a manner that felt far from just "friendly". And what about the odd situation she had found herself in during their time spent in the woods? She had received too many suggestive signals in so short a time span, but had yet to witness him blush even a single time.

But then again… she had never actually tried to make him do so.

As she considered all of this, the beginnings of a plan—if it could even be called such a thing, as crude as it was—began to hatch in her mind. A small part of her cried out in protest, desperate to preserve everything comfortable and beautiful about their current relationship. What ultimately won out, however, was her longing for a reaction. Just one reaction that would confirm the true nature of his feelings. And as to how she was planning to go about that… well. There was only one thing with which she was certain: she would need to improvise.

But first, she needed to acknowledge the sincerity of his confession. After rising into a sitting position, she flashed him a sheepish smile. "Such high praise. You're dealing it out quite often these days, it seems."

He returned her smile with a small one of his own. "Everyone in our family knows how empathetic you are, Corrin. Ask anyone you know, and they'll claim that I speak the truth."

"Still… I'm flattered." She paused for a few seconds and reached over to the bag of trinkets on the coffee table, proceeding to unfasten the sealed string at the top. "This isn't related," she began, hoping to sound casual, "but I just had a thought." She began rummaging through the various knick-knacks in the hopes that she would expeditiously find her item of interest. Thankfully, only a short moment elapsed before her fingers made contact with intricately adorned metal. Confident in her findings, she fished out the item from the bag and revealed... a headband.

By no means was it any ordinary headband in terms of appearance. As soon as Corrin encountered the item at one of the market stalls, she had been captivated by its beauty and forbade herself to forego its purchase. A plethora of carved flowers—mostly black, indigo, and violet—were tastefully scattered across its backbone, such that she had the mind to think that it may have been the most gorgeous accessory she had ever come across. As she admired its craftsmanship once more, Leo uncrossed his legs and leaned slightly forward in his chair. "Ah, yes. Truly a gem, if you ask me. I'd be surprised if it wasn't one of a kind."

Her smile, as well as her excitement from what she was about to do, grew. "Right? The best purchase I've made yet. Not that I've made many purchases in my life, but still…"

He tilted his head to the side as he gave her an expectant look. "Why don't you try it on?"

She grinned. "Oh, it isn't for me. I got it for you."

She had the satisfaction of seeing his facial features morph into that of blank surprise. "Me?" he lamely asked, unmistakably unsure as to how to react.

"Yeah, you! Surely you can't deny that you'd look dashing in this." She noted with a twinge of embarrassment that she was beginning to sound a lot like her elder sister.

He blinked a few times, still clearly at a loss. She took the opportunity to rise from the couch and approach him, stopping only a foot or so from his chair. He leaned back slightly in response, a bit of wariness trickling into his expression—but she refused to be deterred by his reaction, choosing instead to forge forward.

"Do you mind?" she asked, reaching for his head in an unspoken request. Truth be told, she ached for his consent. She longed to touch his hair—to confirm for herself whether or not his golden locks were precisely as soft as they appeared. Due to her unfulfilled desire, those few seconds between her question and his reply felt excruciatingly long.

He pursed his lips together—a favorable sign, or a negative one? "Not at all."

His approval caused a surge of exhilaration to race through her body, but she fought to school her expression into that of slight anticipation. Extending her hand just a bit farther, her fingers came into contact with the cool metal of his headband, as well as the smooth—and oh, were they like silk—strands of his hair. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to slow down her movements, to drag out what could quite possibly be the only acceptable opportunity to touch his hair like this. But alas, she also wished for her actions to come across as effortless. If she allowed herself to be ruled by her immediate desires, she would not only arouse his suspicions, but also fluster herself beyond functionality. And wouldn't her efforts be for naught if she only managed to embarrass herself?

And so, she plucked the headband from his head in what she hoped was a casual manner and set it down next to the bag of trinkets. After leaning slightly forward, she slipped the embroidered variant onto his head, smoothing out the hair around his ears in an attempt to make his new look appear more natural. Now satisfied with the positioning, she stepped back and admired her work.

"Wow," she breathed. "I knew it would look good on you, but… Wow. It's stunning."

He had a somewhat distracted look in his eyes that disappeared almost as soon as Corrin had begun speaking. Casting his gaze to the side, he lightly touched his fingertips to his head as if doing so would provide him with a grasp of his appearance. "I… have yet to incorporate floral designs into my wardrobe."

"Well, you might want to reconsider," she suggested with a light laugh. "You're exceedingly handsome in that headband." And in everything else, she glibly added.

Leo suddenly shot up from his chair and turned away, startling Corrin considerably. "I must go check for myself," he stiffly said. Before she could utter another word, he disappeared into the nearby bathroom, presumably to utilize the home's only mirror.

She stood there for a moment as she attempted to make sense of what had just transpired. Was that the reaction I so vehemently sought out? she pondered. Do I dare hope for such a thing? Still in desperate need of answers, she willed her legs to move and set off toward the bathroom. "What do you think?" she called out. "It's gorgeous, isn't-"

Her words shriveled up when she stepped through the doorway and caught sight of Leo hunched over in the bathroom. Well, hunched was perhaps a strong word. From the looks of it, he had his body angled slightly over the sink and tightly clutched the counter with one hand while covering his face with the other. If Corrin hadn't known any better, she would have surmised that he had fallen ill, or perhaps was experiencing a bout of physical pain. Those possibilities, however, were promptly thrown out the window when she spotted the splash of heat coloring his cheeks—only made visible by the gaps between his fingers.

There's no doubt about it, she knew, elation washing over her whole being. He's reacting like this because of what I said! Feeling rather giddy and unconstrained at the moment, she made no effort to quell her urge to tease him. "Leo, you're not even looking at yourself. How are you going to form an opinion if you don't?"

He seemed to realize what he was doing and quickly straightened himself, his hand dropping from his face. Much to Corrin's delight, the remnants of a blush were still present on his cheeks. "I did," he insisted, entirely avoiding the topic of his apparent flusteredness. "It is… nice, as you said."

A smile threatened to spread across her face, but she just barely held it back. "Nice enough to replace your current headband?"

He stiffly nodded.

"That's wonderful to hear," she said, turning around and allowing the smile to fully manifest on her lips. "Flowers really do suit you."

The next several days passed by relatively uneventfully, during which Corrin initially attempted to acclimate herself to the town and its unique sights… until she realized that her actions were sparking unnecessary fear amongst the residents. After acknowledging the truth of this fact, she opted to remain inside while the sun was up and only left the house to accompany Leo on his excursions to Chief Charles' residence.

By no means did she look forward to these daily visits, for the results were always the same. Granted, Leo did most of the talking, since he had dealt with a number of similar missions in the past and had developed scarily effective persuasion skills along the way. As a result, she merely had to stand by and watch while he worked his magic on the chief (not literally, of course). By the end of their visits, they usually returned to their place of stay with around two thousand gold bars weighing down their pockets. Corrin began to worry that such a paltry sum wouldn't be nearly enough to fulfill the specified quota by their assigned deadline, but nonetheless held onto the hope that the chief was in possession of more funds than he had been claiming to be.

Except this time, Charles continued to insist that he had nothing left to give them.

"More time is all that I humbly beseech you for, milord," he implored, dropping to his knees and lowering himself into a bow. "We are but a poor town, and our ports have hardly been full as of late. At the current moment, we simply cannot provide you with that which you request."

Corrin bit her lip, wanting to speak but knowing fully well how futile that would be. It pained her greatly to witness a citizen of her kingdom grovel so readily at the feet of someone else, and especially so when both she and her brother were trying desperately to eradicate the source of corruption for their kingdom. But what could she do at present? Nothing. She could neither convince Charles of their intact morality nor exempt him from taxes, lest she wish to give Garon a reason to execute her on the spot. Why must fate be so cruel? she bitterly thought, tearing her gaze away from Charles and fixing it on the far wall.

If Leo harbored any such conflictions, he didn't show it. He folded his hands behind his back and kept his feet rooted on the floor, peering down at him impassively from above. "Need I remind you that it is the fifth day since our arrival? So far, you've only supplied eight thousand of the required one hundred thousand gold bars. At the rate this is proceeding, you will have more to fear than just accruing the necessary funds."

Charles swallowed and drew in a shaky breath, all while keeping his forehead pressed to the floorboards. "Would… Would only gold be acceptable? What we lack in currency could potentially be replaced with possessions, as scarce as they are..."

Leo's answer was swift. "Unfortunately, that won't be possible. King Garon was very specific as to how the taxes were to be collected—and you are in no position to negotiate with us."

"R-Right, of course. Please forgive my negligence."

"We've been lenient with you thus far," Leo continued. "Expect us at the same time tomorrow. You will contribute to the standing quota then. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, milord," Charles weakly replied.

Apparently satisfied with the chief's answer, Leo strode across the room and swung open the front door. "Let us be on our way," he addressed Corrin, beckoning her with a sharp nudge of his chin. "No use in dawdling here."

After casting one sympathetic glance toward Charles' huddled form on the floor, Corrin followed him out. They were immediately greeted by a warm gust of salty air and the bright, merciless rays of the sun beaming down on them from above. A few passersby, upon taking notice of the royals' presence, shot them wary looks and rushed off in visible haste. Although she had grown well accustomed to their reactions by this point, she couldn't help but feel guilty every time, as if somehow it was her fault that the townspeople despised the crown so. As she internalized her guilt, her thoughts swirled around the recent spectacle, and in particular Charles' blatant fear for his life. And suddenly, she knew she could remain passive no longer. Feeling a frown come to her lips, she picked up her pace until she caught up with her brother.

"What was that, Leo?"

He kept his gaze fixed straight ahead and his expression neutral. "What was what?" He spoke lightly, just as he would had they been discussing their dinner plans for the evening.

"You know exactly what I'm referring to. That. Did you truly need to threaten him in such a… forward way? Or at all? You witnessed how he groveled. If Garon had been in your place, the outcome would have been the same."

He finally glanced over at her, and she saw something—annoyance? Anger?—briefly flash in his eyes. "I had no choice," he said, the subtle shift in his tone tipping off Corrin to the sensitivity of the topic. "Had I—had we—done what we usually do, the deadline would have been rendered moot, and we would be left with little to no money to collect by the end of all this. Chief Charles simply needed to be enlightened with the severity of the matter."

She could hardly believe her ears. "He already knows how serious we are about this—as do the residents! They cower before us everywhere we go. They're well aware of the fact that disobedience means a certain death." She paused as she considered their situation. "Well… did mean death."

He said nothing, his pursed lips serving as the only indication of having registered her words. When it became apparent that he wasn't planning on responding, Corrin's budding uneasiness skyrocketed. "We… we're not going to punish them, right?" she prodded, having lacked the courage to say kill out loud. "Right, Leo?"

It was at this point that they reached their house, and Leo fished into his pocket and produced the key for the front door. "Doing nothing would be akin to high treason," he slowly spoke, unlocking the door and gesturing for her to follow him inside. "We would both be incarcerated, or worse. Not to mention that someone else—likely one of our siblings—would be hired to dole out the punishment in our places."

A mixture of horror and disbelief swept through her, and suddenly she knew she couldn't go inside without confronting the source of her feelings. Rooting her feet in place, she levelly held his gaze. "That's no justification for snuffing out the lives of innocent people, people whom we should be sworn to protect at all costs."

His expression turned wary. "I completely agree, of course, but…" He bit his lip and turned his face away. "What else do we do? I don't see another way."

"Then we have to make one," she firmly replied. From her perspective, there was simply no other option.

He looked at her again, his eyes conveying a hundred different emotions at once. He opened his mouth, allegedly about to respond, but shut it before any words could be formed. Another long moment passed before he dejectedly cast his gaze toward the ground. "I… I don't know," he said at last.

For some unbeknownst reason, his noncommittal reply wounded Corrin like no other. My entire family, she thought. My entire family could turn against me, but I would still prefer that to this. Blinking back tears, she struggled to keep her voice from shaking. "Of all people, I thought you would understand me. I see now that I was mistaken."

"Corrin-"

"Stop." She couldn't bear to hear him say her name like that—like she actually meant something to him. Not after what she had just witnessed. "Just… stop." Without waiting for a reply, she spun around and set off in the direction whence they came, with no real destination in mind. He didn't call out to her or give chase, which simultaneously upset and relieved her. Ignoring the onslaught of stares from nearby bystanders, she forged straight ahead—past Charles' house, past the main square, past the town's outskirts—until she could no longer physically move forward.

Confronted by the rocking waves of the open sea, she was forced to stop.