Summary: Back to business as usual for the lady and her steward.

The trip back to Garegg Mach had been less stressful for the couple than they had anticipated. Between the impending doom that was Nemesis' approach on the monastery and making sure Edmund territory was safe (Margravate Edmund kept the region's military on standby, along with taking Byleth's input), the two had been relieved to simply let the carriage ride pan out with the occasional bump in the road. Lilith, too, had been more than excited to see new places, and was more than willing to help out with preparing for the trip, though it mostly amounted to chatting up a storm with each of her parents as they went about their business before climbing into the vehicle. After feasting on what remained of her bag of treats from the day before, she was fast asleep on the cushions, her head rested on Marianne's lap.

"To think yesterday a single piece of candy would make her so jittery," she mused, running her fingers through her sleeping daughter's bangs before adjusting the hairband above them. With a slight puff to her cheeks, a smile crept up on her face as she looked up at the green-haired man across from her.

"Dad did say I was fairly unpredictable," he returned, leaning forward the rest his forearms on his knees, joining his hands together. Seeing the two made him grin, characteristically small for the usually stoic man, but one that made Marianne's smile grow regardless.

The two sat in silence, aside from the soft snores coming at even intervals, barely paying minor bumps in the road any mind. Their eyes would occasionally wander to the windows giving a small view of the outside, but then their vision would return to Lilith, then to one another, a continuous cycle of quiet spectating.

"I have a family now," he said abruptly, nearly startling the Edmund heiress, though she immediately reined herself in.

The two watched Lilith continue to slumber, turning to one side, towards Byleth, as her cheek squished against her mother's thigh.

"I… I prayed so much for you to see her, whether you were alive or dead."

Byleth's eyes lidded as he thought of what to say. "Well, seeing her now... I love her to bits, truly. She has a wonderful mother to raise her."

"I think her father is equally wonderful," she returned, leaning forward slightly.

"No, he's not, he should've been there from the start."

"Then he needs to know that they can take this step by step." Byleth looked up and met Marianne's umber eyes, her expression softening. "The look in his eyes right now tells me he'll be a good father."

Byleth's back met the cushion behind him, his eyes wide in surprise, blinking away as Marianne returned to watching over Lilith, gently combing blue hair with her fingers.

"Thank you, Marianne," he returned, meeting her eyes again, his gaze soft.

"What for?"

"For… For letting me back into your life."

It was her turn to be stunned, a light bubbly giggle coming forth as she looked back. "You always had a place, Byleth. Just—"

All of a sudden, the carriage came to a stop, its occupants swaying due to its momentum, as one side of it rose slightly. The hard impact of boots hitting the ground can be heard as a few gentle knocks came at the door.

"Lady Edmund, Sir Eisner, we've arrived at Garegg Mach Monastery," the driver announced through the thin door.

"C'mon, Teach, everyone's waiting," Claude's distinct voice called out.

A sigh escape Marianne's mouth as Byleth leaned out of his seat, opening the door outwards. "You can tell me later."

At her side, a mumble rang out as Lilith sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "We… stopped?"

"We're here, dear," her mother answered, taking a handkerchief to wipe off the trail of drool from under the girl's lip.

"We're here?!" Clambering past both parents, she stormed down the steps, catching the bright yellow of Claude's shoulder cloak. "Uncle Claude!"

"Hey, Lily!" he called back, swooping the charging toddler into a hug, raising her into the air before swiftly placing her back down. " Wow, you are so much bigger than I remember!"

"I'm five now! I hope I'm bigger!"

"Wow, now that's a voice I haven't heard in a while," Hilda drawled as she approached the stopped carriage. "Welcome back Marianne, and also you, professor." She reached a hand out, helping the two of them down.

"Thank you, Hilda," Marianne returned, folding her hands by her diaphragm.

"How has Garegg Mach been in our absence?" Byleth asked, resuming his rigid stance.

"We've been taking refugees and injured troops retreating from Nemesis' march," the Goneril woman answered, bringing a hand to her chin. "Aside from that, we've been fine, though it has been a bit lonely without you two."

"Perhaps we can chat and catch up a little later?" Marianne offered.

"Sorry, I have duties to attend to today. Lorenz is having me and Raphael clear up some of the rubble today. Ugh, who does he think he is, anyways? Assigning a delicate girl like me to do heavy-lifting..."

"I did ask him to cover for me in our absence."

"You weren't supposed to answer that, professor!"

"Um, Aunt Hilda?" Lilith asked, tugging on the older woman's skirt. "If it's so hard, then can I help?"

"Huh? You want to help?" Hilda returned, watching the girl nod back. "Oh, I can't ask that of you… Maybe you can watch? I think having a third set of eyes can help us. How does that sound?"

"If it'll help you!"

"Perfect!" Hilda turned back towards Byleth and Marianne. "Don't worry your heads over her. I'll make sure she doesn't get hurt, and Raphael will too!"

The two marched past Claude as he tilted his head at Byleth, an amused smile on his face. "Nice look, Teach. Really tying into the Edmund colors."

"Thank you, I… I had my reservations, but it seems everyone thinks otherwise."

"Let me guess, you thought it had too much gold?"

"Too much gold."

"Yeah, I remember saying that when I first tried the officers academy uniform," Claude said, crossing his arms before looking at Marianne. "Milady."

"You don't need to call me that, Claude," she returned, returning mild amusement.

"I was in the mood. Anyways, glad to have you back." Claude started to turn back towards the gate only to look back at Byleth. "Oh, and Teach?"

"Hm?"

"Don't let Lorenz hold seminars ever again."

Holing up in his quarters, Byleth looked over maps and various manuals, wracking his brain over the best option to take the Alliance forces in the coming weeks. He contemplated having some of the better mages take on the role of mortal savants, then considering where to place them, only to find himself at square one, ready to redraft the plan only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. He readied himself to remain silent in a bid to feign silence, until…

"Byleth? Can we have dinner?" Marianne's voice called out from behind the door, as he automatically walked up from his seat.

Cracking the door open to the evening light, he saw the setting sun cast its rays against her locks, still intricately braided together. "What time is it?"

"The sun's starting to set," she answered, an almost coy smile taking her expression. "Usually Raphael would be lined up for his second plate by now."

Byleth blinked in befuddlement before chuckling, with Marianne joining in his laughter. "That's good. Let's go."

Nodding once, she stepped out of the way, letting him close one door as she closed the other, then walking alongside him. "It's spicy fish dango tonight," she said, her eyes set forward.

"Really? Do you like that?"

"I do." Rather than make a turn for the courtyards, they stepped down into the grassy lawn in front of the lower steppe of dorms, the vegetation crunching under their feet. "It reminds me of my trip to Valentia with my adoptive father."

"The marketplace, I presume?"

"Yes. You know the story, right?"

"I do remember. He took you to Chon'sin, and you told me you loved the food. Though, you only told me dumplings."

"Yes, I'm surprised you remember that. It's true, I only talked about the dumplings at the time, but… there were more important things to discuss that day. Still, the food from that trip left a big impact on me, especially after learning the things I did. It's not quite Rigelian, but eating food so similar to what should be home… It makes me feel closer to them."

"Lord Berkut and Lady Rinea," he added, the two climbing the steps towards the dining hall. "Perhaps I can feel closer to them, too.

'This feels like hell.'

Byleth's mouth was on fire, his lips pursed as if to contain the figurative inferno, numbing parts of his mouth and scorching other parts. The sticky, bright red balls were so vivid in their color that it stained the thin wood penetrating through them. The first of two skewers, and he had only taken the first bite.

Looking up at the woman sitting across from him, he watched Marianne pull off another segment of the sticky skewer, chewing at it in glee. Next to her Lilith did the same, though the occasional bead of sweat dripped down from her forehead. The two were practically in heaven, eating their meal in absolute delight.

"How are those two able to eat that stuff?" Hilda leaned over to ask, watching in near-horror as they moved on to the second skewer. "Even poor Raphael's pouring milk down his throat."

Byleth remained silent, slowly bringing the dango back up to his mouth to slide another piece off with his teeth, his numbed mouth barely registering the new amount of spice landing on his taste buds.

"These are quite good," Marianne said as she moved her hand back to take off the last ball of dango. "The fish is always a pleasant surprise, I feel."

"Mm!" Lilith mumbled in agreement, and proceeded to yank off two segments of the dango simultaneously, her eager chewing taking on an audible smacking.

"Lily," Byleth managed to bark out, nearly setting his throat alight from the spice coating the inside of his mouth.

"Mm…" Lilith's shoulders slumped as she eased up on her chewing before swallowing her food. "Sorry, papa."

"If it makes you feel any better, I almost want to forgo my manners too," Marianne said, placing the empty skewer onto the plate. "However, we need to be courteous to our dining partners, even if the food is more than good."

Lilith looked over at her father, as if he was going to add something, and watched him nod, silently reaffirming her mother's statement. "So… I can still like it?"

"You can," Marianne answered. Lilith, with renewed vigor, yanked away the last ball of dango from her skewer.

After giving Hilda permission to let Lilith sleepover in her dorm room, Marianne and Byleth began a stroll on monastery grounds, the pale moonlight shining down upon the ground. Eventually, they found themselves walking past the stairway to the sauna and towards his quarters.

"Would you mind if I stayed the night?" she asked, following up the few steps to the doors.

"I was wondering why you said yes to Hilda."

"Well, I wouldn't say no to her," Marianne answered as her hands moved up to fix an odd wrinkle at his tunic.

Byleth smiled at her gesture as his fingers rose up to play with her neckerchief, the white fabric smooth in his grip. "And I wouldn't say no to you."

Letting herself get backed against the door, she tilted her head slightly as he started to lean in, except stopping short a few inches from her lips. "You never did finish what you were going to say in the carriage."

"I didn't, didn't I?" Trying to remember, she absently reached for his tunic again, pinching the pattern. "Let's see…"

"Something about me always having a place?"

"Y-yes. I… That I… That if there wasn't one for you where I was, that I would join you, so that we can find a place where we can be together." The two stood in silence as Marianne's eyes peered down, not quite understanding what she just said. "That wasn't what you expected to hear, was it?"

"No, it's… it's perfect. I get it. Thank you." Looking back up, she was met with a smile, enough of a second answer as she tilted her head back ever so slightly again, inviting him to lean in...

"I hope you two are simply going to bed, and not staying up tonight."

The couple immediately pulled away from one another, looking past the pillar to find Seteth, a bemused look on his face, a set of clothes tucked underneath his arm.

"I understand the nature of your relationship, professor and Lady Edmund, but we are quite at risk of being invaded. I suggest you remain properly rested to prepare, both for the estimated engagement and anything that may come up."

"Y-yes, Seteth."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, on my return trip from the sauna, I should not hear a peep from those doors, as you two will be fast asleep, okay?"

The two meekly nodded, the dragged-out sentences wracking their nerves.

"Excellent. Good night, you two." With a gentle smile, the emerald-haired man continued his on his way, his cape fluttering slightly in the growing distance.

"I think I'll get some sleep," Byleth said, a shaky breath escaping.

"Y-yes, that'll be good." Marianne awkwardly eased herself out of the way, the couple retreating inside to do as Seteth had said.

Author's Notes: Marianne likes Super Spicy Fish Dango, but not the Spicy Fish and Turnip Stew… Guess she doesn't like turnips.