A week had passed since Eve's arrival. She and Dimitri continued to play their parts, loving each other dearly for as long as there were eyes around to see it. And though it was all an act, both made an effort to try to know each other as the reality that this was for the rest of their lives set in.
Eve learned that Dimitri's favourite tea was chamomile and that he taught swordsmanship to the local children in the town surrounding the monastery. She also learned that his greatest desire was to be treated as an equal amongst their peers. Often, she heard him imploring his friends to call him by his name rather than his title. It seemed to Eve that Dimitri desperately wanted to have his youth before he became king. She found herself on several occasions coming dangerously close to pitying him. But she also learned that despite whatever pain and darkness was lurking beneath the surface he was a very strong individual.
In the meantime, Dimitri had learned that Eve's favourite tea was mint and that she loved to sneak away to the forests to read when the sun was high and warm. And though she would often become withdrawn whenever there was no one else around, he felt that she was allowing herself to open up to him more and more. Once when having tea alone in her room, she had divulged that she had a younger brother. Dimitri had never heard her mention her family before, so the passing mention in conversation had caught him off guard. There was still a lot he didn't know about her, however. He only knew what he had been told about her situation when he promised to help her. He knew what she had done to get them into this situation, but what he didn't know was why.
"Your Highness?" Dimitri looked up from his breakfast to see Sylvain standing beside him.
"What is it, Sylvain?" As he spoke, he gestured for his friend to join him at his table. Today he was eating alone without Eve as she had wanted to get some morning training in before classes.
"You got a minute?" The older boy asked as he sat down, an unusually serious look on his face.
"Of course." Dimitri nodded.
"It's about Eve." Sylvain said after a moment of hesitation.
"What about her?" Dimitri fought to keep his voice and composure casual. Had they already been found out? Eve had expressed her worry about Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain being the most likely to see something off with their performance.
"I'm worried about you, man." Sylvain sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "No offense, but you're not exactly an expert when it comes to the ladies. And it's just…"
"Go on." Dimitri encouraged his friend though his stomach was churning in anxiety.
"Look, I know you like her," Sylvain's words let a wave of relief wash over the prince until he continued, "I'm just not sure that she feels the same. I get the feeling that she portrays a different self to each of us like she's trying to convince us of something. The way she is with you is different from how she is with me or the professor or the knights. It's like she's got a version of herself for every person she talks to."
"What does that have to do with her feelings for me?" Dimitri asked, his mind racing on how to best navigate this conversation. "She's been very nervous about getting along with everyone here. Eve just wants all of you to like her, so she's trying to adapt to what she thinks each of you would react positively to."
"Your Highness, even if that's the case has it not occurred to you that she could be doing the same to you?" Sylvain sighed. "She's showing you the version of herself that you'll like most. I see it all the time with the girls I meet in town."
"I hope you're not insinuating what I think you are about my fiancée." Dimitri frowned.
"All I'm saying is that I hope you know what you're getting into." Sylvain shrugged as he stood. "There's lots of girls out there who'd do anything to bag a crest-bearing noble as a husband. I just don't want you falling for a lie."
With that, the Gautier boy walked away leaving Dimitri to stew in his own anxiety. Perhaps he had missed the mark, but Sylvain was suspicious of Eve nonetheless. They couldn't afford the extra scrutiny. And knowing him, Sylvain wouldn't exactly be discreet about his opinions. No doubt, he had already shared his suspicions with Ingrid and Felix before even approaching Dimitri about it.
Meanwhile, Eve found herself completely absorbed in her training, oblivious to Sylvain's conversation with the prince. Training gave her time to clear her head, to find her centre before enduring a day of pretending to be something she wasn't. With a blade in her hand, it didn't matter who she loved or who she was betrothed to. On the battlefield, everyone was equal.
Completely focused, she didn't notice when the door opened and Felix slipped into the training grounds. It wasn't until he spoke, breaking her concentration, that she noticed his presence.
"Where did you learn to fight with such a hunger?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" She turned to face him, cocking her head to the side.
"You fight like the professor—like a mercenary." He folded his arms, scrutinising her with narrowed eyes. "Why would a merchant's daughter ever need to fight like that?"
Eve bristled at his tone, though she made sure not to show it outwardly. He emphasised 'merchant' as if to prove a point. And a glint in Felix's eyes made Eve suspect he had come to the training ground to interrogate her.
"My father would often have to hire mercenaries to protect us from bandits as we travelled." She shrugged. "I guess I must have subconsciously picked up their fighting style."
Felix clearly wasn't satisfied, and Eve wondered how long this would go on. It was dangerous that he had approached her separate from Dimitri. Together, they could weave together a coherent and consistent story. But if Felix were to approach Dimitri to corroborate her story before she could get to him, they'd be in danger.
"Train with me?" She raised an eyebrow, hoping if she spoke Felix's language, he'd be easier to convince.
"So, tell me, then," he said as he walked to grab a training sword, "why would you learn to fight?"
"I didn't want to be just someone's daughter." She answered honestly, perhaps one of the only questions she could be candid about. "As things are, I know there's not a lot I can be as a woman other than someone's daughter or someone's wife. I wanted to cut my own path."
"Pathetic." Felix scoffed and took his stance before Eve. "You're just as foolishly idealistic as the boar."
"I don't think it's foolish to decide my own life for myself." Eve frowned and took the first swing, feigning a wide slash and moving in to sweep at Felix's feet.
"Is that why you're marrying Dimitri?" Felix easily dodged, not as easily taken off guard by Eve's fighting as he had been the first time they faced each other. "Queen of Faerghus is definitely a cut above merchant's daughter, but you're still just someone's wife."
"I don't care about Dimitri's title, I-"
"Hah!" Felix interrupted her with a bark of a laugh though there was no humour in it. "You think anyone actually believes that?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Eve asked, parrying Felix's thrust and countering with a kick to the gut that sent him stumbling backwards. "When I met Dimitri I had no idea who he was."
"That might be true." Felix smirked as he regained his footing. "But I'm sure by the second time you met him you realised his position."
Eve grimaced internally at Felix's confident gaze. He looked so smug as if he had her completely figured out. She knew he would be dangerous, but she never would have guessed that he'd become suspicious of her this early.
But Eve wouldn't let her annoyance show on her face or in her fighting. She knew better than to betray her emotions to the Fraldarius boy.
"Can you honestly say that if Dimitri wasn't the prince—didn't have a crest—you would still have accepted his proposal?" Felix delivered his finishing blow in both their fight and their conversation at the same time, using an elaborate feign before thrusting at her with his wooden blade.
With ease, Eve saw through his tactic. She sidestepped his thrust and brought her own blade to parry his, turning it out and down to drive the tip of his sword to the ground. Swiftly, she brought her foot down to kick his wrist—forcing him to release his grip on his weapon.
"Yes." She said in response to his question once he had been disarmed.
Felix grimaced at her. He thought he finally had an opportunity to best her in combat. Or at the very least he had hoped to expose some kind of raw emotion in her while they fought. But his scheme to goad her into anger and defensiveness with his questioning completely fell flat. If anything, she seemed extra sure of herself and her relationship with Dimitri.
"You're not ready to face me yet, Felix." She said as she returned her training sword to its proper place.
"What do you mean?" There was more than a little venom in his voice.
"For as long as you refuse to see me as an equal you will never beat me." Eve turned to face him; eyes boring into his. "It would do you well to be more direct if you truly wish to know the nature of my relationship with Dimitri. Backhanded comments and loaded questions will get you nowhere."
With that, she left Felix to stand alone in the training ground, shock settling into his features. She had seen right through him and never once betrayed herself to him. But all this did for Felix was cement in his mind that she was not who she claimed to be. No merchant's daughter would be this strong, this conniving. There was something more going on and Felix wanted answers.