"Is the tea to your liking Lysithea?" Edelgard asked.
"It is," Lysithea admitted. It was a sweet apple blend, clearly catered to her tastes along with the cakes the future Empress had brought.
Despite her previous apprehension, tea with the house leader of the Black Eagles had actually been surprisingly pleasant. The food and drink were delicious and the conversation they had was engaging. Lysithea hadn't talked with Edelgard much since she had helped her in the library, yet it was now clear that she was someone she enjoyed interacting with.
"How have your studies been?"
"They've been good. I've recently been learning to use Dark Spikes."
"That's impressive. Dark spikes is quite the advanced spell, am I correct Hubert?"
"It is indeed Lady Edelgard," Hubert commented as he hovered nearby. "Medium grade dark magic. Quite devastating against mounted units."
"I've been wondering why you happen take up dark magic?" Edelgard asked Lysithea. "You and Hubert are the only ones to use it in the monastery."
There was a reason few students used dark magic. It was powerful but also notoriously difficult and dangerous to use. A single mistake and the spell would backfire, causing terrible suffering to the user.
"It was something that interested me in my youth." Lysithea had picked it up after years of being experimented by those mages. Even as they cut into her body she watched, she observed them, all to find ways to kill them should she survive. It was a time when she cared little about the short life she had left and so consequences of failing hardly mattered to her. By the time she had decided to live for the sake of her parents she had already delved to deeply into the art to just back out. Best to make use of everything she had after all.
"Not many children wish to take on such a dangerous field of magic."
"I'm not a child. It simply makes me feel powerful and in control," Lysithea admitted.
"I mean no offense. I admire you for taking the strength to decide you own fate."
Lysithea grinned and took a sip of her tea. She was glad that someone finally saw the effort that she had put in to get to where she was now.
A loud crash and then an ear-piercing shriek could suddenly be heard in the distance, causing Lysithea to jump out of her seat.
"What was that?" Lysithea asked.
"Hubert, I believe that was Bernadetta's door. Would you mind checking?"
"Of course, Lady Edelgard."
Hubert left leaving the two of them alone.
"How are you so sure that it was Bernadetta's door?"
Edelgard calmly sipped from her tea before answering. "This isn't the first time someone's had to break into her room to bring her out. Sometimes force is necessary to ensure that she attends class."
"I was quite certain I witnessed the Professor coaxing her out with a slice of cake." Not that Lysithea could hardly blame the girl. There's quite a lot she would've been willing to do for a bite of the delicate treat that the Professor had used to get the recluse out of her room.
"His methods are effective, but so are mine," the future empress responded confidently.
Lysithea nodded. She could understand Edelgard's method. Unlike the professor neither of them had much patience for subtlety when a much shorter route was available to them. "Sometimes I wonder where he gets his patience from."
"His time as a mercenary and his experience as a leader. He is quite fit to lead people. He'd have made a powerful ally had he joined the Black Eagles."
"He's certainly done a lot for the Golden Deer."
"Indeed. Your house's victory during the mock battle was proof of that." Edelgard put down her tea and sat up straight. "Though you certainly had a part in that."
"It is thanks to the Professor that I've grown so well in my magical studies and tactics."
"Even so, it is clear that you are a gifted individual Lysithea. You do not rely merely on the status that a Crest gives to succeed."
"I'm glad you see that. Most people don't consider the effort I put into my studies. All they usually see is my Crests."
"So, the rumors are true. More than one Crest."
Oh Sothis damnit. It was mistake to let her tongue slip like that. Even if news had spread across the monastery it would do her no good if she went around confirming the rumors.
"Why? Does that interest you?" Lysithea eyed Edelgard suspiciously. The mood had certainly soured after the one topic she wished to avoid had been brought up.
"If it makes you feel uncomfortable then I won't speak of it."
"Thank you," Lysithea replied. It was good that Edelgard knew some tact and respected her boundaries. The tea wouldn't have been as enjoyable otherwise.
"Though if you ever wish to speak about it-"
"I will not."
"Fair enough. Just know that you are welcome to speak with me anytime you want."
"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind," Lysithea replied. She was actually considering it. Apart from the professor, Edelgard was the only other person in the academy that she actually enjoyed drinking tea with.
"I'll also make sure to bring over some cakes that my Uncle shipped from Enbar."
"Shall we meet again in a week?"
Lysithea sat in her usual spot in the library with a book on dark magic, her notebook, and a quill in front of her. She worked on the theoretic and calculations she would need to use Dark Spikes. It was only after she had fully worked out all these details that she would even attempt to cast the spell.
"It needs a surprising amount of micromanagement if it's going to hit its intended target," she mumbled to herself as she worked the numbers accordingly. Her calculations had to precise or else she would risk hurting herself in the process.
"I thought you were supposed to clean the library?"
Lysithea turned to find Cyril standing behind her. "How long have you been there?"
"About five minutes. You looked real busy so I didn't really want to interrupt until I had to."
"Oh. Sorry. I'll finish cleaning up," Lysithea replied bashfully as she put away her things. It had been her responsibility to clean up the library but during the process she had been suddenly struck by inspiration over the spell she had been learning. She simply had no choice but to act on that impulse, though it was certainly damning to have someone walk in while the library was still a mess. "Cyril what are you doing here by the way?" He was usually busy doing all sorts of chores across the entirety of the monastery, but the library was one of the few places he rarely went to.
"Seteth told me to help you clean the library," he replied.
"It's fine. I can do it myself." It was her responsibility after all even if it would take her longer than she had expected. She had been the one assigned to library duty.
"These books are heavy though. Almost as bad as those logs once you start stacking them up."
Lysithea grimaced as she was reminded of the time she had tried to assist Cyril with his chores. It had not been one of her proudest moments. "I can assure you Cyril that I will not repeat past mistakes and that I am perfectly capable of organizing the library myself."
"A request from Seteth is a request from Lady Rhea though and I do want to help you."
"You're not helping much when you're stacking the books that way."
"What's wrong with the way I'm doing them?"
"You're mixing up the authors. The books should be ordered alphabetically."
"Oh…" Cyril began to take apart the stack he had built. "I'll just help you put back the ones you stack"
"Can't you just order your stack alphabetically?" Lysithea asked. If he was so insistent on helping, then he might as well do it productively.
"I can't."
"Why can't you?"
"Well I can't read," he replied casually.
"What?"
"Never learned how."
"How old are you Cyril?"
"Younger then you. Why?"
Lysithea knew that but even then, the age difference between them wasn't particularly large. How could he have possibly dealt with being illiterate for so long?
"You need to learn how to read." It was more of a demand than a request at that point.
"It's not much of a problem most of the time. I usually just ask someone for help if I get a letter that needs to go somewhere."
"No Cyril this is a serious problem."
"I really don't want to bother people with this. I'm sure they're all busy."
"I'll teach you to read then. I can make the time to do so."
"You will?"
"Of course, we can start once we've finished cleaning up the library."
"I don't want to bother you over this."
"It's not a bother. This is how I can help you." After the previous help he had given her she was almost excited that she had found something that she could do for him.
"Well if you really want to then…"
Lysithea smiled. Cyril looked a bit hesitant, but the important thing was that he had accepted her proposal. "Trust me. With enough hard work you'll be reading in no time."