Edelgard kneeled in front of the imperial throne, Count Varley acting as her witness; very few people were in the throne room, and everyone was silent. All of the pleasantries—the apologies, the promises—had been given.

Her father stood, removing his crown. Carefully, he let her wear it, as if putting it on slowly would allow her to adjust to its weight easier; as if it made this any more or less real, solidifying the end of carefree days.

"Edelgard von Hresvelg… The crown is yours." He stepped away after the crown rested on her head. "By the covenant between the red blood and the white sword, and by the double-headed Eagle upon your head, I hereby pronounce you the new emperor. Are you prepared to take those responsibilities as your own?"

"In accordance with the ancient covenant, and in keeping with the Hresvelg legacy, I swear that upon this throne, I shall use my reign to lead Fódlan to a new dawn and achieve peace for all."

Her father nodded, and she stood.

"I regret that I could not do more for you," he said quietly. "Everything that's happened—"

"You don't need to list it all, Father," Edelgard replied. "And I swear, as soon as I'm able, those people will receive due payment for their actions."

The coronation itself would be kept hidden until the end of the year, with the official reasoning being so she could finish her schooling and have a transition period of sorts. Anyone who had witnessed the coronation—her father, Hubert, Count Varley, and a handful of guards—were sworn to stay silent.

The time immediately after the coronation was satisfyingly efficient. Duke Aegir was arrested for treason, with his position as prime minister due for a replacement; time would tell if it went to Ferdinand or someone else. She was able to make more progress with planning for the coming battles, now having the authority to give orders instead of suggestions. The crown and the innate authority of it would have to remain in Enbarr, but for now she could finally move forward.

Oddly enough, she had free time after everything was settled. She spent it wandering the garden, the setting sun providing some light and giving certain flowers a small glow. Hubert walked a few steps behind her, offering conversation in the form of assessing what would need to be done before they left. The beautiful scenery contrasted with the grim tone of their discussion.

They reached the other end of the path, with Lord Arundel waiting for them. Although he offered a smile, she only paused and frowned. With a few passerby, she had to use the same veiled pleasantries that were required at the monastery.

"Uncle," she said in relative greeting. "What brings you to Enbarr? I had assumed you were preoccupied."

"I intended to witness your coronation," Arundel replied. "Although it does look like I'm a bit late, considering you're idling. Have you grown tired of wearing the crown within a few hours?"

"The news is staying within the people who saw it until next year. Someone needs to stay unaware."

"Yes, yes. But, speaking of that woman—might we go somewhere where we're less likely to be interrupted?"

She nodded, despite preferring to stay outside for a little longer. Hubert continued to follow behind her as she led Arundel to the office where her father once did his work. All three remained standing.

"What do you need?" Edelgard asked, frowning still.

"You mentioned that the Officers Academy students would be going to the Holy Tomb," Arundel replied. "Simply put, in that place is Crest Stones—I want them."

"I won't play a part in your experimentation," she said firmly. "I know you have plenty of monsters hidden away for when you need to use them—and you have enough materials to make more. It's not something I can reasonably provide Imperial troops for."

"Amuse me—what harm do you see in it?"

"It's unprovoked on the part of the Empire, for one," Edelgard argued. "Even if we'll be making an enemy of the church regardless, we need to spare our resources for the attack on the monastery itself; we can't waste soldiers trying to collect Crest Stones that you don't need. Additionally, possibly negotiating with Dimitri or Claude might go poorly if they know the Empire is fighting alongside your people."

She sighed, and turned towards the door. The time it would take to continue arguing with him could be better used on something else. He never failed to speak up whenever she intended to leave.

"Do you recall what I said before, about complications and conflicts of interest? You have plenty of soldiers to use in pursuit of one battle—or money to hire out ruffians to do it instead, if you'd rather—but you only have one chance to be the emperor. It would be such a shame if something were to happen on your way back to Garreg Mach, or even after the Empire's first victory."

She refused to look at him, replying firmly. "Killing me now would prevent you from your revenge on the church."

"On the contrary," Arundel replied coldly, "We have greater numbers—greater strength—than you could ever hope for. Even if we fail now, a time will come again for us to rise; you, however, do not have such a luxury. Both successes and failures can be repeated, over and over, perfected to some extent—but failures can be so easily replaced and changed."

Anyone else, and she would have given Aegir some company before compiling or forging enough evidence to kill them on the spot. It frustrated her that she had to listen to his threats. Edelgard needed his people's strength to overcome the church, however much she despised feeling like he was trying to control her like he had her parents. Her entire family had been nothing but a means to an end to him.

Edelgard glanced at Hubert, only to receive no silent opinions. The decision was wholly hers to make, yet at the same time it wasn't.

With another sigh, she only slightly turned towards Arundel.

"I'll go as the Flame Emperor and lead them in," she said, "But there won't be any imperial soldiers, and you need to bring equal or greater force when we seize the monastery."

Arundel smiled. "Excellent. As long as you hold up your end of the deal, consider it done."

(A/N: I know Edelgard's father has a name, I just don't feel like using it so he has as little screen time as possible : P. Also, yes, I borrowed dialogue from Three Houses for that first part. I couldn't exactly tell which part is ritual and which part is not, so I used all of what was said during the coronation itself.)