The soft clink of an arrow burrowing itself into a stone wall seemed to echo all throughout the vacant training grounds as Bernadetta blankly stared at the stationary target in the distance. Sighing, she notched her next arrow and took another shot, which just barely managed to graze the very edge of her target. One shot later, and this arrow failed to even make it to the wall before harmlessly clattering to the floor. The next attempt was the closest one yet, as her remaining arrow at least managed to land somewhere on its mark.

"Bernie's just no good…" the lilac haired girl muttered to herself as she scurried over to collect the arrows she had scattered throughout the arena.

"You're not just going to turn back into a master marksman overnight, you know?"

"That doesn't make it any less frustrating to have to start from scratch all over again…" Bernadetta lamented to the Goddess in her head.

"Exhausting yourself at such a late hour won't exactly do you any favors either. You should strongly consider going to bed right now."

"It's fine, really. I can keep going a little longer-"

"You there. What do you think you're doing here in the dead of night?" a low, unamused voice suddenly called over from the entrance of the arena.

"AH! P-professor Jeritza!" Bernadetta's body quickly jolted up in surprise, her body erupting into a cold sweat at the very sight of the man. "He's here to kidnap me for blood experiments like he did with Flayn, isn't he?!" she mentally panicked as Jeritza eyed her with suspicion.

"I c-could ask you the same question!"

"I'm here to inspect the monastery grounds for any illicit activity. It's my job." the masked professor flatly informed. "And what of a lass such as yourself? Even the most dedicated of trainees have long decided to call it a day at this point."

"Well, th-that's exactly why I'm here right now." Bernadetta muttered, making an active attempt to avoid looking the aloof professor in the eyes. "If I'm ever gonna get any practice in, I'd rather do it alone without anyone to judge me for it…"

"A commendable motivation…" Jeritza stepped forward to retrieve an arrow lodged in a nearby wall. "Though, I cannot say I approve of the elaborate pincushion you've made out of the arena."

"I'm sorry, I'll clean it all up right away!"

"Calm down. I will not bother you so long as you refrain from causing too much of a ruckus." Jeritza began to turn around, only to stop in his tracks halfway. "There is one thing I've noted: Simply put, you're putting far too much focus on your aim."

"Um… excuse me?"

"It's what's causing all your arrows to fly astray. Your form is actually quite exquisite, yet it always seems to fall apart at the last second, thus weakening your overall accuracy."

"Really? Wow, I never seemed to notice- " Bernadetta looked up to find that the masked professor had suddenly vanished from sight. "What the…? Did he seriously just leave in the middle of the conversation?"

"Oh my, doesn't that remind you of anyone?"

"I'm still working on that, okay?!" the practicing archer protested, fully aware of the irony of her statement. "I'm rather curious, though… Did we ever find out what happened to Jeritza after he disappeared from the monastery originally?"

"Well… we all came to the conclusion that he was the Death Knight and that's it. Even so, the last we saw of him, his body was unceremoniously reduced to ash by Lysithea…"

"We never did get to have a look under that helmet, huh?" Bernadetta pondered as she resumed gathering her lost arrows. "He is a lot nicer than I would have expected, I'll give him that much."


"Just a little more secret spice and… perfect!" Bernadetta looked on with pride at the hearty meal she had finished preparing. "Now for the ultimate test…" she whispered with bated breath as she reached for the kitchen's ladle. Whatever concerns the girl had were quickly laid to rest after a single sip of the stew she'd created, which even seemed to send a brief jolt of energy through her body upon its consumption.

"Mm… it's good to know my cooking skills haven't deteriorated over the years." Bernadetta confidently assured herself as she took hold of the pot and prepared to serve its contents to her myriad of hungry classmates. "Yikes, this is heavier than it looks… I'd better be-"

"Hiya, Bernie! What are you making there?" an overly cheerful voice suddenly greeted from behind, inadvertently causing the lilac haired girl to yelp in surprise as she lost her grip on her pot and poured its steaming contents all over her uniform.

"Er… my bad. Sorry about that."

Immediately recognizing the source of this voice, Bernadetta slowly turned around to find Monica looking over her with a look of flustered concern over her face. Without saying a word, Bernadetta merely stared at the redhead with pure, unbridled contempt for a short while before snapping her fingers to undo all that had happened to her.

Having brought herself back to a point in time seconds before her unfortunate accident, Bernadetta decided to forgo her attempt at lifting the massive pot in favor of meeting her unwanted assailant head on.

"Hiya, Bernie! What are you making there?" Monica repeated her greeting in an exact echo of the past.

"I'm not letting you anywhere near it." the active chef replied with a scowl, placing herself in between Monica and her own carefully crafted meal like a human shield.

"Aw, c'mon!" the redhead dramatically pouted. "Can't I at least have a little peek at it? We've all been dying to have a taste of this for ages, right Raph?" she gestured to the eager blonde in question, who was dutifully eyeing the stew with all the desperation of a starving bear.

"Oh yeah, the wait's been torture! The smell has only gotten more intense with each passing second! It's gotta be finished by now, right Bernadetta?"

"Why, yes. Yes it is. In fact, I think there's something you might be able to help me with, Raphael." Bernadetta gestured for her large classmate to enter the kitchen with her. "Do you think you could carry that pot into the dining hall so we can start serving it to everyone? The thing weighs a ton!"

"Not a problem-" Raphael quickly rushed over to fulfill his request, but was shortly stopped in his tracks when the petite chef leaned in to whisper something into his ear.

"And whatever you do, make sure Monica doesn't come within an inch of that stew."

"Uh, why? I'm sure she's hungry too."

"Don't be fooled, Raphael! She's clearly here to sneak poison into our food while our backs are turned!"

"Wha- she wouldn't! Why, that's the most despicable thing I can ever imagine!"

"Exactly. That's why it's up to you to stop her from killing us all!" Bernadetta reassured her classmate with a thumbs up before setting him off to begin serving lunch for everyone.

"Uh, you guys realize I'm standing right here, don't you? I don't even have any poison on me right now." Monica quickly reminded, tilting her head to the side in a mildly offended fashion.

"Oh, really now?" Bernadetta shot an unconvinced glare towards her redheaded contemporary. "Then would you mind telling me why you tried to sneak up on me like this? Again?"

"First of all, if I really wanted to poison everyone in this school, I totally could have done so shortly after I first arrived here." Monica casually stated in a matter of fact tone. "Secondly, I wanted to ask if I could tag along with your class on your next mission!" she cheerfully added with an excited grin.

"Wha- no! Shouldn't your class have a mission of its own too?!"

"Well yeah, but our mission is super boring! I don't just want to stand around guarding some empty ruin all day! I wanna get out there and slit some throats!" the redhead excitedly slashed her finger through the air for added emphasis.

"Well that just gives me even more of a reason NOT to bring you along!" Bernadetta sternly crossed her arms in defiance. "Besides, that decision's not even up to me. You'll have to ask my professor if you want to come along that badly."

"Oh, so that's what I needed to do? Thanks for telling me, Bernie!"

"Yeah, you can go ahead and do that…" Bernadetta watched as the other girl dashed off into the halls. "It's not like By would even accept your request anyway."


"Bernadetta, could you spare a moment to speak with me?"

"Oh, uh… hi, Professor! What brings you here today?" the girl in question shakily turned around from the classroom's doorway the moment Byleth approached her. "Look, if this is about my grades, I swear I've been-"

"No, not at all. In fact, your academics seem to have improved dramatically ever since you arrived in my class. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Ah, well you know… I've only learned from the best." Bernadetta breathed a sigh of relief as her face bore a faint scarlet glow from the praise.

"I don't think I can take credit for that much." Byleth humbly admitted. "After all, I haven't actually seen much of you outside of class for the past few weeks. You must have been unimaginably busy."

"Has it really been that long? I'm... sorry if I've been actively avoiding you all this time. There's been a lot on my mind lately."

"In that case, do you think you could join me for tea later this evening? I'm sure that would help to put your mind at ease."

"I was really hoping we could…" Bernadetta's face froze in realization, still processing her professor's invitation within her head. "You… you're inviting me to tea?" she asked, receiving a silent nod in response. "Er, yes! Yes, I love y- I mean, I'd love to!" the girl frantically stumbled over her words before settling on a simple nod of affirmation.

"That's wonderful. We'll meet up in the monastery's gardens as soon as it starts to get dark. Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect. I'm really looking forward to it." Bernadetta felt a sudden surge of confidence with her answer. Even as her professor bade his farewells for the moment, she couldn't help but idle by the doorframe; mentally patting herself on the back for the blissful opportunity she was given.

"You've scored quite a catch there, haven't you?" a sly voice asked from around the corner, prompting Bernadetta to jump in her boots before reaching for a concealed dagger to confront the source of the mysterious voice directly.

"Whoa there, hold your horses, it's me, Claude!" the house leader threw his up his hands in a show of peace before his classmate could fully draw her weapon.

"Agh, sorry about that!" Bernadetta hastily apologized as she loosened her grip on her dagger. "I thought you were someone else for a moment."

"I'll say. You've been really on edge as of late. You're always popping a blood vessel whenever you see Monica, practicing in the training grounds when there's nobody around, swimming up to your nose in study material…"

"Er, how do you even know all that?"

"I have my ways." Claude proudly proclaimed as he rested his hands behind his head. "I was planning on getting you to lighten up myself, but it looks like Teach beat me to it. You've been making some big changes ever since he came around, huh?"

"Well yeah, I kind of had to improve my grades if I wanted to have any hope of staying in your class."

"I'm well aware of that deal, but there's more to it than that. You're about as good at hiding your constant staring as Dimitri every time Edelgard passes by." Claude chuckled to himself.

Bernadetta could feel her face heating up the instant she heard those words. "Wai- hold on! How do you know you're not just imagining things!?"

"I know I wasn't imagining things when I saw the way your face lit up after Teach invited you to tea just now… it was like something straight out of a fairy tale. Dare I say it was actually downright adorable."

"Gah, no it wasn't!" the shorter girl began to back away as she shriveled up in embarrassment.

"Don't even think about it this time!"

"What else am I supposed to do?!" Bernadetta argued againstSothis's protests before a brilliant idea flared up in her mind. "Good Goddess! There's an assassin behind you, Claude!" she suddenly shouted, adopting a fearful expression as she pointed a shaky finger towards her house leader.

"What?! Who's th-" Claude immediately turned around and gripped a hidden blade of his own, but was quickly stopped in his tracks upon hearing the familiar sound of Bernadetta's feet clattering against the stone pavement.

"…I just fell for the oldest trick in the book."


"You know, Claude actually raises a good point." Bernadetta thought to herself as she made her way through the monastery's mazelike gardens. "I've spent so much time trying to push myself back up to par that I've barely had any time to relax…" she continued to reminisce with each passing step.

"This tea party should be just the thing I need. It's just gonna be me… and By… spending some nice, quality time together, just like we used to-" the girl's train of thought was brought to a halt upon reaching her destination. Byleth was certainly there to meet her as promised, but it was the sight of an all too familiar bundle of red hair that truly caught her attention.

"What the hell is SHE doing here?!" Bernadetta mentally fumed, watching as Monica gratefully accepted a serving of tea from her professor. "It's bad enough that she has to blatantly invade my private life, but now she's trying to steal my husband too?!"

"I'm sure it's not what it looks like…" Sothis calmly intervened… just as Monica boldly leaned forward to plant a light kiss on the back of Byleth's hand.

"You were saying?!"

"Perhaps it's simply a custom of her homeland. She did say she's not from Fódlan after all…" Sothis offered an explanation in a vain effort to calm her companion's nerves.

"I'm not believing any of that for a second! This is completely unacceptable! That slimy, conniving, redheaded bi-"

"Ah, Bernadetta. I was wondering when you'd join us." Byleth called out in the midst of his student's internal ranting.

"Oh, uh, hi… am I late?" the lilac haired girl timidly asked as she came out of hiding to join the gathering.

"Not at all, we've just finished setting things up."

"Right, that's a relief… would you mind telling me why Monica is here?" Bernadetta shot a sharp glare at the Black Eagle student in question.

"You wanted me to ask your professor directly if I wanted to join in on your next mission, don't you remember? So I did, and he graciously approved of my request! I'm looking forward to working with you two!"

"Why did he accept?! Anyone can see how obviously evil she is!"

"Please, have a seat. Monica's decided to share an Albinean Berry Blend that I'm sure you'll enjoy." Byleth gestured to an empty seat he prepared in advance.

"Oh wow, they actually made my favorite batch? What are the odds?" Bernadetta silently pondered as she took her seat. "Thanks! Let's… have a good time tonight, shall we?"

"Enjoy!" Monica gleefully slid a premade teacup in the direction of her uneasy compatriot.

The trio simultaneously raised their cups in the air to partake in their drinks, but Bernadetta stopped halfway upon coming up with a terrible realization in her mind. "Wait… what if the tea is actually poisoned? Monica must have gone out of her way to discover my favorite blend and used it to try and catch me off guard!"

"If you honestly believe the tea is poisoned, then how is your professor drinking it without spilling his intestines out over the table?"

"Isn't it obvious? The poison is only in a single cup out of the three! That has to be why she offered me this specific one!" Bernadetta raised the drink up to her nose to inspect it for any unusual smells, only to come up with nothing unusual in return.

"Is something wrong with your tea, Bernadetta?" Byleth asked, a look of slight concern spreading over his face as he placed his cup down in front of him.

"Nope, there's no problem at all! It's just a bit too hot to drink…" Bernadetta nervously chuckled; blowing a light gust of air over her cup as she quickly scanned the environment around her. "Right, Bernie… you'll only have one chance to pull this off if you want to beat her at her own game…"

"Oh hi, Lady Rhea!" Bernadetta suddenly stood up from her seat to wave her hand out to a figure in the distance. "I don't see you out here very often!"

Then, the moment her companion's backs were turned, she swiftly switched her own cup with Monica's before sitting back down with a subtle smirk over her lips. "Nailed it! Just like one of my favorite childhood stories!"

"That's… just a hedge, Bernie."

"Sorry, I must be seeing things. Let's just continue as usual." Bernadetta innocently proclaimed as she raised her cup to the air in victory. "But wait… if this is anything like that old story… she might have poisoned BOTH of our cups in advance!"

"Now you're just overthinking things…" Sothis let out a scoff of disbelief in response.

"I'm not overthinking this! I know it's entirely possible for people to build up immunity to certain poisons over time! That way, Monica can safely drink from either of our cups without worry!" she gestured to the redhead as she took a sip from her unknowingly swapped cup. The one thing the young Ms. Varley didn't expect, however, was for her rival to erupt into a violent coughing fit the moment she swallowed her drink.

"That's it! I knew it was poisoned all along! "

Byleth immediately rose from his chair out of concern, but Monica quickly held up a hand to reassure him. "Ooh man, that went right down the wrong pipe… I hate it when that happens."

"You alright there, Monica?" Bernadetta asked, showing at least a slight degree of sympathy for the amount of pain her fellow student was in. "Is there anything… unusual in your tea, or…?"

"No, that's just what happens when I drink too quickly. Thanks for asking, though!" Monica quickly returned the question with a cheery smile.

"This is getting embarrassing… Just hurry up and try your stupid tea already! If it really is poisoned, I can always just undo the effects!"

"Oh yeah… I kind of forgot about that in the heat of the moment…" Bernadetta sheepishly admitted as she finally decided to take a proper sip of her tea. Much to her delight, the brew was truly untampered with, and seemed to taste just as wonderful as she had remembered it.

"See Professor, I knew she'd love it!" Monica happily proclaimed upon witnessing the look of joy in her purple haired companion's eyes.

"Indeed she does. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Bernadetta."

"You know, you kinda remind me of a friend of mine, Bernie." Monica mused aloud. "She loves tea parties just as much as you do!"

"Is that so?" Bernadetta asked, her interest piqued as she continued to enjoy her drink.

"Yeah, you actually look kind of similar too! Though she's probably close to half your age and height, and her hair wasn't nearly as messy either..."

"Hey, I take good care of this style!"

"Aw, and you've even got the same little pout whenever you're upset! That's so adorable!" Monica beamed another cheerful smile before turning to Byleth with her now empty cup. "Could I have a refill, please? This stuff really does taste like paradise."

Naturally, the professor was quick to comply with the request. Yet just as she about to accept her refill, Monica shot a quick look towards Bernadetta before planting another kiss on Byleth's hand.

"Did you see that!? She just winked at me! She knows exactly what she's doing!"

"Please try to cool down. This is hardly the best time to start coming up with methods to murder her..."

"You're right… she deserves worse! I should tie her up in a sack and hang her from the bottom of a burning bridge!" Bernadetta mentally fumed, her displeasure only growing greater as the smug expression on Monica's face continued to remain.

"Ah, Professor…" a new voice suddenly greeted in the midst of Bernadetta's homicidal brainstorming session. "I hope I'm not intruding on anything at the moment."

"That's not a problem, Seteth." Byleth rose from his seat to address his fellow instructor directly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Why yes, there has been a change of plans in regard to your class's upcoming mission. We've just received word that a caravan of supplies is planning to cross through Zanado to deliver their load to the monastery. We'll need you and your class to arrive by the end of this week to act as their escorts. There's no doubt that the bandits there will mount a raid on the caravan the instant they set foot in the canyon."

"That's strange… I don't remember having to escort a caravan on Byleth's first official mission…"

"Really? I know I wasn't there to see it myself the first time around, but why the sudden change…?"

"Ooh, does this mean we'll get to start stabbing people even earlier now?!" Monica excitedly leaped out of her chair. "I knew it'd be a good idea to come along with you guys! I can't wait to start gutting those dirty thieves like a pile of chopped lamb!" the redhead cried out in glee, eliciting a number of concerned stares from everyone around her.

"Right… it's reassuring to know that your subordinates won't be short on enthusiasm for the coming mission." Seteth uncomfortably remarked as he turned his attention to the students present. "Ah, and Bernadetta. I'd like to congratulate you on the considerable growth you've undergone over the past few weeks."

"Thank you for the kind words… I'll be sure to keep up the hard work."

"I see you've even gone out of your way to make new friends… questionable as some of those choices may be."

"I am not friends with that psychopath!" Bernadetta mentally added as Seteth began to walk off into the distance. "Professor…" she turned to face Byleth. "Could you remind me why you thought it would be a good idea to bring this girl along again?"