The Corruption Within
Chapter 7-The Dual Coronations
Byleth and Dimitri were met with a round of thunderous applause as they made their way out of the cathedral, waving to all of those who came from far and near to celebrate the dual coronations.
Though she put on a smile for the onlookers, inwardly, Byleth took a long sigh of relief. "It's finally over…"
Despite Byleth's initial nervousness, both ceremonies went particularly well. Starting with Byleth's ceremony, Rhea, ever elegant, performed her part of the coronation with such dignified grace that the new archbishop could only hope to replicate.
When it came time for Byleth to crown Dimitri as king, she was terrified. His ceremony was performed only mere moments after the clapping and cheering had ceased for her own. Despite her nerves, she got through the proceedings completely unscathed, even surprising herself with how well she recited her lines. When she felt her nerves were starting to get the better of her, she would avert her eyes from the crowd and would sneak a peek at Dimitri as he kneeled in front of her. Without fail, he would be gazing up at her with the most genuine, supportive smile he could give.
As if put under some spell of courage cast simply by his gaze, she would find her scripted lines flowing out her mouth with smoothness and grace, harboring a tone of sincerity.
Once Byleth had finally placed the crown on Dimitri's head and he arose from the ground, the audience erupted. Byleth could see her former students celebrating towards the front, whooping and cheering, some even tearing up. On the opposite side was Seteth, Flayn, Manuela, Hanneman, and several other Garreg Mach regulars. Seteth and Hanneman were smiling proudly, while Flayn and Manuela sobbed loudly into each other's arms. Rhea stood off to the side, gently clapping with a warm, motherly smile.
Finally, Byleth gazed up to look upon Fodlan's new king. Dimitri was smiling ear to ear with one happy tear sliding down his cheek as he looked towards the audience. His face softened even more when he looked to her, and Byleth could feel her face get hot under his gaze. Despite her initial hesitations towards the ceremony and her new position in general, seeing the happiness in her friends' faces and standing next to the person that she loved more than anything made her believe that all of this was going to be worth it. With Dimitri and her friends by her side, together they would make Fodlan a brighter, better place for all.
But right now, looking out at the citizens and guests, Byleth was exhausted. And the day was far from over.
Finally, the announcement was made by Seteth that the new King and Archbishop shall retire for a short while before the large feast and ball. Dimitri and Byleth gave their final waves before making their way back into the monastery. Once they were far enough away from the crowds, both let out a heavy, audible sigh.
"Well, your grace, we've done it!" Dimitri laughed, still on a high from the excitement that just ensued, but noticeably more exhausted than he was before the ceremony.
"That we have. Yet the night is still far from over." Byleth exhaled.
"That is true. But it is a celebration, is it not? Despite our exhaustion, I insist that we enjoy ourselves to the best of our ability." Dimitri beamed resiliently. Byleth stared at him curiously for a moment, proceeding to giggle at his unwavering enthusiasm. Dumbfounded, Dimitri stared at Byleth as her tired giggling turned into wild cackling. While Byleth had become more open with her emotions since the two first met, her wildly giggling out of nowhere was still a rare phenomenon.
"My, you really are tired." Dimitri stated, before beginning to laugh himself. Their laughter quickly died down and the two quickly regained composure following the passing of several Garreg Mach guards. Once they were out of earshot, the two let out a few final chuckles before Byleth continued.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! You're just so happy… and it makes me happy."
Dimitri stared at Byleth in awe for a moment, unsure of how to react to such sweet and genuine statement. Had he had the same amount of anxious spontaneity that he had earlier within him now, he would have gotten down on one knee—no gotten down on both knees and begged her to marry him. Instead, he impulsively grabbed her hand, and began to gaze into her eyes.
"Thank you for that, Byleth. It, too, makes my heart happy to see you smile and laugh so joyously like this," Feeling his face beginning to redden, he averted his gaze down at her hand and said the only thing he could think of, "If you would do me the honor, would you allow me to reserve you for a dance this evening at the ball?"
Byleth was now the one rendered speechless as she gazed dreamily at her hand wrapped in Dimitri's, "O-of course! I would love to!" She responded, giving Dimitri's hand a tight squeeze of affirmation.
Dimitri exhaled out a sigh of relief. "Wo-wonderful! I will be looking forward to it." He looked up again and flashed Byleth one of his signature soft smiles before releasing his grasp on her delicate hand.
"Ahem."
"Ah! Seteth! He-Hello!" Dimitri exclaimed.
"Your Grace, your Majesty." Seteth addressed, a knowing smile on his face. "I hate to interrupt, but it is time for the feast to begin and your presence is required in order for the festivities to commence."
"Of course! We're ready to go." Byleth stated. She knew she was not really ready, but the sooner they make it through the feast, the sooner she got to spend some more time with Dimitri without the formalities.
"However, before that, there is someone who would like to speak with you." Seteth stepped to the side, revealing a familiar tan, dark haired man donned in elegant yellow dressing robes and bearing a large, flashy smile on his face.
"Teach! Dimitri! It's been way too long." Claude exclaimed, walking over to the two.
"Claude!" Byleth exclaimed, opening her arms to receive him. Despite him never actually being her student and despite the few times the two have had to face off in battle, Byleth had always had the utmost respect and adoration for Claude. He was a strong leader with amazing ideas for the future. He was also an amazing friend, having made sure to stay in contact after he officially left Fodlan to go lead Almyra.
"Oh Teach! Lovely as ever, even in these stuffy threads!" Claude said as he squeezed her. "And his Majesty himself! Leader of a new, free Fodlan." Claude released Byleth and extended his hand toward Dimitri. Dimitri took Claude's hand firmly in his own, both as a sign of respect and because a firm handshake is the closest that he could get to ripping Claude's arms off after hugging Byleth so enthusiastically.
"Claude! How are things in Almyra?" Dimitri inquired politely.
"We've got a long way to go," Claude laughed, "But I'm confident for our future. Just like I'm confident that the two of you will do a great job with this land."
"Thank you, Claude. It means a lot." Byleth responded, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Dimitri, she's only doing that because they are friends! They have been, there's nothing romantic about this gesture!" Dimitri thought in attempt to soothe his jealously, but to little avail.
"Well, I just wanted to say hello before the two of you get too bogged down with the whole meet-and-greet deal that this dinner is about to become. Good luck out there, you two! Teach, save me a dance!" Claude shouted as he walked away back toward the dining hall.
Dimitri felt his face flush with frustration as Byleth waved goodbye to the Almyran king. He began to become consumed by thoughts of jealously and sadness, completely deaf to Byleth saying his name.
"Dimitri?" She called for a final time, placing a hand on his shoulder and snapping him out of his trance.
"Are you ready?" Byleth asked, confused at Dimitri's immediate change in behavior. She would have to ask him about that later.
Dimitri hesitated for a moment before responding. Finally, he gives her a grin and nodded his head. This time, Byleth extended her arm for him to take, and the two made their way toward the dining hall.
A/N: Well, I suppose I unintentionally lied about the ball being in this chapter! It was going to be, but this started to get longer, and now I'm sleepy and yadda yadda yadda. But the good news is that I'll likely be able to update again within the next few days! Plus, who is going to complain about a little more Dimileth?
As always, thank you for reading!