~Last chapter~

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They fell into a pattern, one both comfortable and awkward at the same time.

When he'd once tried to exercise careful restraint about favoring Charlotte, Leo was now quite obvious about it. He showered her with gifts of all sorts-jewelry, clothes, armor and weaponry. Niles likened him to an aggressive man marking his territory. Xander had raised an eyebrow at the blatant display of favoritism, but did not say anything.

If people claimed that Leo was "marking his territory", it proved somewhat true. No man in the army even dared to approach Charlotte now with any sort of romantic intent, word getting around fast that she was "Lord Leo's woman". There were rumors before, since he first took her to the royal banquet, but now those rumors developed into common knowledge, and Leo did little to dissuade them. He even ordered Charlotte to stay close to him during fighting, and had often kept an eye on her.

Charlotte had done all that she knew about getting gifts-that is, to accept them. She lavished in Leo's attention, and openly engaged in flirtations with him. She still dressed scandalously and put on the innocent-girl mask with everyone else, but it was obvious that her favor leaned towards the second prince of Nohr. She would frequently make him his favorite dishes. Camilla teased that Leo would be putting on some weight if this kept going.

Leo would often ask Charlotte for company. And when it was just the two of them, away from the public eye, hands would be held, a hug or touch that lingered long, and chaste kisses goodnight.

It was obvious that they were fond of each other. It was obvious.

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Despite the glaringly obvious displays of affection, there was little that Charlotte or Leo did to put words to what their relationship was.

Charlotte was usually a straightforward woman, but when it came to telling asking Leo straight up what the deal was-she clammed up, and hesitated. There had been many instances of them being alone together now-Leo made sure to spend time with her on a near daily basis. Whether it was a stroll in town or to a lake or a simple visit at night… Charlotte had every chance to ask.

But she didn't.

"How goes it with Leo, sweetheart?" Camilla asked her one day, when they coincidentally found each other in the baths. "You two are going out with each other, aren't you?"

"I'm…not so sure about that," Charlotte said.

"Really now?" Camilla said, sounding concerned. "But all the affection you show towards each other! It's painfully obvious that you two are lovebirds… Or do you really not think of Leo that way? Is it all just indulgent flirtation?"

There was a very slight edge in Camilla's voice at the last statement, and Charlotte shuddered a little, remembering that this was Leo's older sister. While Camilla favored Corrin openly, she loved her other siblings just as fiercely. "Oh, I do like Lord Leo, I do," Charlotte said. "It's just that…"

…that I'm probably no good for him, Charlotte thought to herself, unable to finish her statement. She was a commoner, and he was nobility. He was smart and talented, and she was dumb as a block compared to him. That, and I'd been a money-hungry whore, and I once only wanted to be with him for his money. I don't think he deserves that.

"It's just what?" Camilla asked. "Aren't you happy with him? Have you been playing a farce every time you were with him?"

"N-No, it's not that! It's just that… He probably deserves better," Charlotte said.

"...Well, that's what you think, dear," Camilla said. "But Leo probably begs to differ. You just have to ask."

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You just have to ask.

The words stuck around with Charlotte, and she thought it all over. Why hadn't she bothered to ask Leo? She was sometimes too straightforward for her own good.

But she worried that if his feelings were genuine, it would be hers that weren't-he had only ever been in her sights to begin with because of his status. Charlotte felt a little disgusted of herself.

She wondered if it was why Leo hadn't confessed anything-perhaps he knew she only grew to like him because of his status, and thus, refused to take her seriously? Maybe she was only a passing distraction to him, something like a pretty trophy he liked having on his arm…?

It stung Charlotte's heart to think that he was anything less than serious about her.

You just have to ask.

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When days passed and Leo had still yet to make a move or speak a word about the ordeal, Charlotte decided that it was enough. Each passing day was driving her mad, thinking and thinking and thinking about him. About them.

It crossed her mind that she hasn't even thought about a man this much before-and there had been quite the number of men in her life, but none of them drove her near-mad the way that Leo did. So when Leo quickly asked her if she could meet him later that night, she agreed. And she decided she would finally ask him.

He wanted to meet at the Records Room-which was very Leo, Charlotte thought. The building in the Astral plane, housing tomes and books of that world, often rarely had anyone but Leo in it. On rare occasions, Corrin or Xander would drop by and study a few topics, but more often than not, it was Leo who was there. And true enough that night, Charlotte found the building empty, save for Leo who was already stationed on a chair, reading intently.

He sure looks handsome when absorbed in his books, Charlotte thought. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves, before calling out to him.

"I sure hope you didn't call me here to read with you," Charlotte said, with a bit of a chuckle.

Leo snapped out of his reading trance, and smiled as he found Charlotte standing there before him. He chuckled a little. He once had a conversation with her about books and reading-and he quickly determined that it wasn't her thing, as much as cooking and cleaning was not his thing. "No, you wouldn't have to worry about that," he said, as he got up and approached her. "There was actually something else I wanted to talk about. If this seems very sudden, please try to control your surprise…"

He fidgeted with his shirt, and Charlotte caught the slight tell. His face seemed rather tense. Something very sudden…?

In reality, it was only a few seconds of pause after Leo's words-but Charlotte had already thought of all the grim possibilities of what he might end up saying. Maybe he wanted to say that he no longer wanted to see her. That it had been fun, but that was all it was to him. "A-Actually, could I ask you something first?" Charlotte said.

Leo looked at her for a moment, as if taken aback by the interruption, but then he nodded and said, "Very well, go ahead."

But that damned tense expression wouldn't leave his face. It made Charlotte uneasy, too uneasy. "I-I've been stressing about this for some time, but I meant to ask you…"

Just ask him. Charlotte tried to stay composed, but her chest was feeling tight and her vision seemed to blur-it took her a moment to realize that it was because they were starting to gloss over with tears. I haven't even asked him yet and I'm already starting to cry!

"...doyouthinkwehaveafuturetogether?!" Charlotte asked, almost screaming the question, the words spilling out of her mouth quickly as she only wanted the question to be over and done with. She heard Leo take a breath, as if to respond, and so she cut in before he could talk and possibly turn her down. "I-I'm sorry if it's so sudden! And random! But I had to ask or I'd go insane!"

Leo was taken aback by the Charlotte standing in front of him-face beet red, refusing to look him in the eye… absolutely embarrassed, as if she wanted the earth to swallow her whole then and there. Charlotte-a woman always putting on an act, trying to look like the perfect maiden. And here she is now, not knowing what to do or say… She had truly let her guard down around him.

"W-Well?! Say something!" she said.

"Oh, Charlotte," Leo finally said, smiling. He walked up to her, and then gave her a tight embrace. Charlotte looked up to him, surprised. "That is exactly what I wanted to talk about today," he said. "I think we should get married."

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"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?!"It was that last statement that Charlotte absolutely did not see coming at all. She pulled away from his embrace for a moment, studying his face-half expecting him to say that it was some sort of joke. A cruel joke. "You're serious…?"

Leo had a smile on his face. He looked a little amused, but it seemed good-natured, and not cruel. "Hah, so I was still able to surprise you, after all! And I am serious. I even…" His voice trailed off, and his face flushed a tinge of pink.

"You even what?" Charlotte asked.

"...got you a ring," Leo finally said, then motioning to get something in his trouser pockets. It was a tiny, velvet box… "I love you, Charlotte. Whether you're the Charlotte who fakes weakness, or the one who swings her weapons around with all her might… both are just as beautiful. Both your act and the strength you hide behind it have won me over. There was so much more to you than I first thought there was, and the more I got to know you, the more my feelings grew… I fell in love with all of you, Charlotte."

Charlotte was just standing there in front of him, mouth agape, as if stuck in a dream of her wildest imaginings. "Lord Leo… you love me?"

"...I think I've been pretty damn obvious about that, haven't I been?" Leo said, with a little chuckle. "So, to answer your question earlier… Yes, I do think there is a future for us. More than that, I think we should get married. …Charlotte, marry me, please."

He opened the tiny velvet box before her, revealing a silver band with a sizeable gem in the middle, pale blue like Charlotte's own blue eyes. The Records Room was dimly lit that night, but the stone still sparkled attractively. And Leo looked into her eyes, waiting for an answer.

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Oh gods… oh gods… ohmygods… Charlotte thought to herself. That looks frickin' expensive! Everything happening seems like it came out of a storybook, straight of her wildest fantasies… To marry a rich, handsome prince and have him rescue me…

…I am absolutely disgusting.

Charlotte paled when she caught herself, caught her thoughts. She looked up at Leo, his cheeks burning red, his proposal entirely in earnest.

He had been honest to her. She decided it was about time that she returned the favor.

"...Lord Leo. I always dreamt about marrying into wealth," she said.

Leo caught the way her tone changed, the earlier excitement vanishing, turning into something more somber. It made him feel a little tense again. He knew about her fascination for wealth and riches. It was something he'd already thought about many times before… "…You really are honest, aren't you, Charlotte?" he said.

"I would never want to lie to you, my lord," Charlotte said. "It's just that… I thought marrying someone with money meant that I could provide for my family. I could ease their lives so much. That's why I… I cannot accept your proposal."

Leo froze in place and just stared at Charlotte for a few seconds, as if he had misheard her. It took him a bit more until he recovered, and said, "What? I don't understand. If it's as you say, then why wouldn't you-"

"My feelings for you… I love you, Lord Leo, but… what if I only grew to love you because I could live my riches-filled fantasies with you? …I'm sorry… I'm the worst. You deserve someone better…"

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The ring box slammed shut as Leo exhaled loudly, trying to take a step back and assess the situation as calmly as he could. Well, that threw me in for quite a loop, Leo thought to himself. But he was not about to take no for an answer. "Charlotte… why would you turn me down?" Leo asked. "Do you dislike me? Do you not want to be with me? Or are you just worried you might end up using me, and that you might accidentally hurt me in the process?"

"Well… yes. I wouldn't want my selfish desires to hurt you, Lord Leo," she said, head turned down, speaking in almost a whisper now.

Leo felt relieved to hear that answer. "Then, there's no problem. You don't want to hurt me because you care for me, isn't that right, Charlotte? That you feel that way is proof to me that your feelings are real. And frankly… it doesn't matter to me if that's how you came to like me."

"It… doesn't?" Charlotte asked, sounding surprised.

"I've come to terms with it," Leo told her. "I'm a prince of Nohr, and there's not much I can do to rid myself of my status. It's a part of me. We all judge people for who they are at face value-it's something even I am guilty of. So I don't mind if you only grew to like me because I am a prince. As long as you fell in love with the man behind the title, too. Did you?"

"...Yes," Charlotte said. "I… I do love you, Lord Leo. All of you…"

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End of Chapter.

A/N: It took a while butmassive thanks to everyone who stuck around this fic and this underrated ship! Bonus content and epilogue to be updated in a few minutes~ It's extra content and some requests that I didn't know where to put.

As a deep ramble/point of discussion: I have nothing but love for Leo's confession lines to Charlotte in the game, both the English and Japanese versions-"I love you, Charlotte. Whether you're the Charlotte who fakes weakness, or the one who swings her weapons around with all her might…" "Both your act and the strength you hide behind it have won me over."

A lot of Charlotte's supports want her to drop the mask and "be true to herself". I find it fascinating that Leo sticks out as one of the few (if not the only one) who said he loves all of her-both the mask and the "real" person behind it. I felt that it was the sort of love that was inconsequential, because he wasn't focused on changing her... He encouraged her to be more true to herself, yes, but also accepts that the "act" is a part of her, and he saw merit in it too.

Perhaps Leo knows how to accept that because he also has his own mask, being a prince. In this fic, he grew concern that Charlotte might only like him for his status a few chapters back, but then comes to the conclusion that he wouldn't mind, as his status is something that is still a part of himself. They may be masks, but they are still our masks. In their Japanese supports, Leo is even a bit more extreme, saying he "doesn't care one bit" if that's what Charlotte was attracted to. Anyway for me their entire support chain just showed how understanding and open-minded Leo is, and that's someone who strikes me as one of the best possible matches for Charlotte.

Anyway I ramble~ Extra content coming up.^^ Please review~