It was only the day after her class had returned from the Western Church when Edelgard had invited Lysithea for tea once more. The Empress's invitations had become much more frequent as of late, especially after a class mission, but she never refused. Mostly because the sweets the Empress provided were absolutely divine.
"Where's Hubert?" Lysithea asked before snacking on the cake in front of her. It was a bit difficult using her left arm to eat but it was a necessity. The arm she normally used was still wrapped in bandages and recovering from the strain of the previous battle.
"Detention," Edelgard replied while eyeing her bandaged arm carefully. "Were you badly injured?"
"Just a stupid mistake on my part," Lysithea admitted. "Nothing I won't recover from. Also how did Hubert end up in detention?" It wasn't so much a matter of what he did, but rather of how he got caught. He was usually very elusive despite how clearly he expressed his… evil for lack of better words.
"Seteth caught him flying on a Pegasus with Flayn. Apparently, he didn't appreciate either of them doing that without his permission," Edelgard explained.
That made sense. Seteth would go on a warpath against any boy that got involved with Flayn.
"Wouldn't he have gotten out by now though?" Lysithea asked.
"Seteth is overseeing the detention personally," Edelgard replied.
"Huh, Claude just told me that he and Sylvain had landed detention with Seteth too."
The two of them looked at each other for a moment as they processed this information.
"This can't possibly end well," Edelgard commented.
"Nope," Lysithea replied.
There were many things that Hubert would suffer through if it was in service to Lady Edelgard. Ending up in detention with the Boar of Farghus, the Von Reigan brat, and the womanizer of Gautier was not one of those things. Just one of them was insufferable, but all three of them in the same room? The result was sheer and utter madness. It was a miracle he hadn't gone insane yet watching the three interact during the brief moment that Seteth had left the room.
"So how did you get in here with us your royal Highness?" Claude asked Dimitri.
It was an answer to a question that Hubert was also curious about. He could understand how Claude and Sylvain ended up in here, Claude had probably got caught trying lace laxatives in a less endearing member of the church while Sylvain had certainly been caught fooling around with women again. It was the prince of Farghus that confused him.
There was clearly something that the Prince kept hidden underneath that calm and polite exterior, a boar or monster if the heir of Freldarius was to be believed, but it was difficult to think of something that would've set the prince off recently.
Dimitri look ashamed as he described what had happened. "One of the knight's horses had been injured in the leg so I deemed it fit to carry it over to the nearest vet."
Wait? Carried a horse!? Hubert had known that the prince was unnaturally strong but that was strength beyond the absurd. Even Edelgard would have difficulty pulling off such a feat, not that she couldn't of course.
"So, did you end up toppling it over or something?" Sylvain asked.
The prince began scratching his head bashfully. "Actually, I might've… flung it off the ground and into the nearest merchant's stand."
It was at that point that Hubert swore the Prince would never get within touching distance of Edelgard again.
Even Claude looked amazed by that supposed feat of strength. "How did you pull that off?" the heir to the Alliance asked.
"I overestimated my strength," Dimitri admitted, "And my Crest had chosen to activate at that point. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but Seteth had quite the lecture ready for me for my actions. I am also to pay for all the damages I inflicted on that fruit stand."
"Is that why Marriane was even more depressed than usual?" Claude asked.
Dimitri nodded. "She happened to be walking by and witnessed me as I did that… I had never seen such rage on anyone else's face. I imagine she would've throttled me had Hilda and Lorenz not held her back."
"Yea she tends to be very attached to the animals," Claude admitted.
"Still as clumsy as always your Highness," Sylvain commented with a sly grin.
"And you're still getting in trouble with women," Dimitri replied curtly. "Ingrid still has to keep a leash on you even after you changed houses."
"Well we've been stuck together since childhood, for better or worse."
Dimitri sighed. "Indeed. Though sometimes I have to admire Ingrid's patience with you." The prince then turned to Claude. "I do hope that Sylvain hasn't been causing too much trouble."
"Hey if anything you should be worried about them causing trouble for me," Sylvain argued.
"He's actually been fitting in quite well," Claude informed Dimitri. "Even started a bit of a competition with Lorenz."
"That isn't a competition, I'm just trying to show him how to properly get a girl," Sylvain replied.
"Must you continue being so crass Sylvain?"
"At least I'm honest with myself. More than I can say out of the rest of you."
"Hey, I'm honest to myself," Claude argued. "I just need something in return if you want me to open it to someone else." The schemer then turned toward Hubert who had been doing his best to stay out of things. "That offer also applies to you, you know?"
"You are mistaken in thinking that I would want to do anything that would associate me with you," Hubert replied.
"Harsh aren't you. Well I know your heart is dead set on her Imperial Highness and all but how well can you serve her if you aren't willing to take an opportunity to get more information?"
"I have my methods and if I truly desired your knowledge, I would acquire it one way or another."
Sylvain scoffed. "Says the guy who couldn't handle a little girl and her Pegasus."
Hubert went stiff as a statue and did his best to resist the urge to fling a spell at Sylvain. Now was not the time, he would get his vengeance in due course. "The same girl that ran away from you because of your sexual advances toward objects, animals, and men?" Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't retaliate with his own words.
"Hey, those rumors are completely unfounded, and she knows that at this point."
"I would still be quite worried to be in your presence. Who knows of the diseases you've picked up from the countless whores you bedded?"
"I can assure you that the women I slept with were high class with healthy bodies. I have standards after all."
Dimitri shot Hubert a firm look. "Though I admit Sylvain's philandering is an issue I would prefer it if you avoid such language when addressing the women courting him."
"My my. I wouldn't have taken you for such a gentleman," Claude commented.
"It is simply basic decency, something that they deserve," Dimitri replied.
"The only woman who has shown herself worthy of respect is Lady Edelgard. I care little about what you think," Hubert replied.
"Maybe I should try courting Edelgard. See what you'll think about her then," Sylvain commented.
"My lady would never even consider the likes of you," Hubert replied.
"Maybe… but she certainly wants to get in the Professor's bed, doesn't she?"
That's it. Vengeance would come now.
Hubert flung a spell at Sylvain's face only to miss as he promptly ducked out of the way. The spell would shoot past him and head toward the door. The same door that Seteth had just opened up and stepped through.
"Well, shit," Hubert said before his spell promptly exploded.
"What happened here?" Lysithea asked as she looked at the smoldering doorway of the detention hall. Out of curiosity she had decided to see what trouble Claude and Sylvain had gotten into with Hubert, what she didn't expect was the very enraged and still smoking Seteth that had stomped by her on her way there.
"Just a bit of a mishap," Claude replied as he scrubbed some of the soot off the doorway.
"This was far from a minor mishap," Hubert grumbled as he was apparently forced to help clean.
"Hey, it's not my fault you and Sylvain got yourselves an extra two weeks of detention. Honestly Seteth was going easy on you considering what you did," Claude replied.
"I concur," Dimitri commented. "Though I admit that Sylvain does share some of the blame for riling you up, that is still no excuse to retaliate the way you did."
"I'm just glad I didn't get my head blown off," Sylvain commented. "Honestly I always thought if someone was going to do it, it would be Lysithea."
"What do you mean by that?" Lysithea asked annoyed.
"Nothing… you can go along now. Nothing to see here," Sylvain waved her off.
"I would, but I'm wondering how Hubert is going to possibly serve Edelgard now if he's going to be stuck in detention for two weeks?" Lysithea asked.
"I have my methods," Hubert replied.
"So, you have no idea what you're going to do," she replied bluntly. His silence told her that she was correct. "Well good luck with that." She was just about to leave them to their work when Marianne and Hilda suddenly came down the hallway, likely to meet up with Claude or something. What she didn't expect though was the fury that lit up on Marianne's face the second she caught sight of Dimitri.
Marianne made it a point to look away from Dimitri as Hilda went to talk to Claude.
That didn't seem to discourage the Prince though.
"Marianne. Are you still mad for what I did the other day?" Dimitri asked.
Marianne stayed silent.
"If it is then I apologize, I never realized that horse was so dear to yo-"
"You threw Dorte him into a fruit stand!" Marianne shouted at the Prince in her first fit of anger that Lysithea had ever seen. It was a bit frightening, the sort of thing that Lysithea wouldn't wish on her worst enemies… Ok maybe she would but the point was that it was scary and very surprising to be coming from Marianne of all people.
"Who's Dorte?" Dimtri asked.
It was apparently the wrong question to ask as it seemed to enrage the blue haired girl even more.
"The horse!" Marianne shouted at him with a beast like primal rage. Lysithea couldn't help but get goosebumps at the sight of Marianne looking ready to pounce on and tear apart the man in front of her.
"I apologize that was insensitive of me," Dimitri replied with his hands rage. Even he looked frightened by her rage.
"Being insensitive is the least of your sins," Marianne hissed.
"It was a mistake. What most I do to gain your forgiveness?" Dimitri pleaded.
"You stay away from Dorte and the other animals," Marianne angrily replied. "I will not have you hurting innocent creatures due to your incompetence."
Lysithea blanched while both Sylvain and Claude put their hands to their mouths in shock.
"Marianne maybe you should calm down a little," Hilda pleaded as she grabbed Marianne's arm. Even she looked panicked by her words. "I mean Dorte's fine now thanks to your healing right?"
"No thanks to him," Marianne bit back angrily. She shot one last glance at Dimitri before turning around and stomping away with Hilda still hanging onto her.
Everyone else that remained stood there in awkward silence as they tried to process what had just transpired. It was several long minutes of awkward silence before Claude finally decided to speak up.
"Well… your highness, I don't think you're going to be taking your cavalier exam anytime soon."
"Must you make light of everything?" Dimitri sighed as he put a hand to her forehead. "I never intended to such hate from her… it's frightening."
"Hey, give her a knife maybe that'll solve anything," Sylvain commented.
As Dimitri glared at Sylvain, Lysithea began to wonder how giving a young girl a knife would possibly solve anything. It was an absolutely terrible gift and she couldn't imagine any woman crazy enough to actually like something like that.
"Well this is the first time I've ever seen her act like this with another person… maybe you're lucky that she sees you differently," Claude suggested.
"How Claude?" Dimitri asked exasperated. "How could I possibly be lucky to have received her ire?"
"Because this is the first time I've ever seen her pay attention to a person this much since Hilda," Claude replied as he put a hand on the prince's shoulder. "Don't worry I'm sure you'll get along soon… at least if she doesn't tear your throat out first."
Dimitri could only groan to that.