Note: Thank you to reddit users, u/-o_x- u/knifer and u/TheWastelandWizard for your help with euphemisms, I hope I did them justice!

Ferdinand 2nd year Royal Academy

Heisshitze greeted me and my retainers warmly at the next practice. Peter, I noticed, was drifting in the knight's shadow. His orange eyes were ever watchful. Then I noticed their lady was nowhere to be seen. I glanced around the training area suspiciously. The last thing I needed was to have that vexing woman sneak up on me. Heisshitze saw my glance and must have guessed the cause.

"My lady sends her apologies. Somethings required her attention." He grinned like a fool. "Are you prepared for a rematch?" Of course, this ditter brained fool was only focused on that. I tapped the sides of my temples, trying to think of a way to dodge this politely. It was much too early for this nonsense. Good grief, it would be annoying when he finally reached the knight's course.

"Heisshitze, Lord Ferdinand has only just arrived after several missed practices. Allow him and his attendants a moment."

The young apprentice knight waved off Peter's concern. "That is all the more reason to do so now." I sighed inwardly; it seems I would have to be more direct in this matter if I was to ever have peace.

"Rejected." I told him flatly.

Peter smirked and only a moment later his eyes shifted to look at something behind me. His smile did not falter or change, but something felt very off about it. I turned to see what had caught his attention. Five red caped students entered the training grounds. The leader was a golden-haired boy flanked by three knights and one attendant judging by their respective clothes. The attendant looked to be caring a bundle of beautiful flowers.

"(*Pretty boy alert*) Seems you were right." Heisshitze muttered darkly. There was very clear derision in his tone even in the words I couldn't understand. A small part of me wondered if the remark was just bitterness from being knocked from his high beast and impeding Minerva. Though his posture was more defense than aggressive.

Peter shot the knight a quelling look, but I saw the quiet furry that boiled inside the scholar before he could hide it. I had errant thought that maybe he was in fact the one who needed to be calmed. After all, Victor and his retainers had humiliated him the most last Earthday in front of his lady and potential future first wife.

"Lord Victor, you honor us with your presence. Are you here for another duel to demonstrate your prowess?" I nearly choked. Heisshitze was beyond rude in actually bringing up the young archduke candidate's failure so bluntly. It seems rudeness runs in the family. Peter made a small gesture with his hand.

"Heisshitze, Peter, I was informed your lady would be here. I wished to discuss the matters of Glucklitat that should be left in Verbergen's sleeve." Was he really asking for them to keep quiet about his failure. He had the right to ask that of a lower duchy, but it was in poor taste after he had failed. "I wished to present Lady Minerva with these tokens of my appreciation for her consideration." The attendant brought over large lavish bundle of flowers of the deepest blue and a rich red. Tied together by a white ribbon, their implication was clear.

Peter took them with a smile. "Of course. I will have to ensure my lady's safety first. Pardon me." The scholar stepped aside and took a small tool from his pocket and placed it the flowers. He spun two of the rings on the tool until the glyphs (*Jean cleanse*) at the top as well only a couple of small lines. After infusing it with mana the device whirled and then a tiny torrent of water issued from the tool like a washen. Only it shredded the flowers before the water vanished. "I shall ensure my lady gets these. As to your other request, much like Flutrane who disregards and does away with snow left behind by Ewigeliebe, I will hasten to see snow return as soon as possible along with my lady." The young scholar turned on his heel taking the destroyed flowers with him. Were all of that woman's people so incredibly rude?

Lord Victor could only stare after Peter, too shocked and embarrassed to do anything else. Heisshitze was beside himself trying to contain his amusement as the Klassenberg archduke candidate floundered. "It seems Dregarnuhr wove our threads together exceptionally well today, may she weave our threads together again soon."

Lord Victor blinked at Heisshitze who smiled, "Unless you wish to stay and earn both Angriff and Glucklitat's blessing. We would be honored to have you." That seemed to make the sixth year incredibly uncomfortable. He looked around for any kind of support that wasn't his own guards, but all of the Dunkelfelger students that were around were wielding noble smiles like they were knives. Then his eyes rested on me. Surprise briefly lit his eyes.

"Lord Ferdinand, I had heard Ehrenfest had been pulled in by Dunkelfelger."

I smiled. "The Lady and I have a bet going. My presence is my own, not Erenfest's."

He looked thoughtful, but said nothing more. Instead, he gave his goodbyes to Heisshitze as Lady Minerva's representative in her absence. Then he quickly retreated. I wonder if he sensed the growing hostility towards him the longer he stayed. His guards certainly did. Their eyes cast long glances around at the other students. One even had his schtappe out.

"Have you ever done any kind of knife fighting?" Heisshitze asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would one fight with a knife? A sword would certainly be better, both in the strength and in the reach in gives the wielder."

"I said the same thing. But what happens when you're in the middle of a crowd, surrounded by both friend and foe. You can't wildly swing with any kind of long weapon. And crowds are Chaoscipher's playground. A lot can go wrong."

I could very easily see the scenario playing out. An assassination plot in the middle of a grand celebration. People running and screaming. It would be too easy to miss, too easy to have an excess of collateral damage. "So, a knife."

This set the pattern for the week leading up to the next Earthday. I would go to the training ground and practice knife work with both Heisshitze and surprisingly Peter. The latter was a master with a knife even be able to throw one with inscrutable accuracy. It was unnerving. But everyday training was interrupted by another visit from the Klassenberg archduke candidate. With Peter's response becoming more and more convoluted as well as rude. Then the dreaded Earthday finally arrived. Justus dressed as Gundra accompanied him and Eckhart to the Dunkelfelger tea room. Upon entering I realized there was no one else here other than Lady Magdalena and her attendants.

Trap. This had all makings of trap, but for what purpose I couldn't say. Lady Magdalena could just demand anything of Ehrenfest or me based solely on her status, but she set this up in such a way that could potentially have repercussions to herself. When I probed her with an excuse about my attendant's carelessness she merely smiled and assured me another guest would be joining us soon. Though her stare was becoming uncomfortable. After what was becoming an increasingly uncomfortable silence, she finally got around to what was on her mind.

"I must apologize for my sister's rudeness to you last Earthday. Please do not take her behavior to heart."

Odd that she chose to apologize on behalf of her twin. She should really be more concerned with the fact that her sister and her people were being unthinkably rude to one of the few people here of higher status than them. "No offense was taken. I would be more worried about Klassenberg. Victor has been around the training ground."

Her eyes narrowed at me. She was clearly looking for something related to the topic. Was she trying to gauge where Ehrenfest stood on the merits of a match between the two upper ranked duchies?

"Yes, I heard about that." Her tone darkened.

"Is that perhaps the reason why Lady Minerva has been absent of late?" I studied her face and I drank my tea. There was a slight stiffening in her smile that said I was approaching something she did not wish to speak about.

"Lady Minerva makes her own path. I doubt even the Gods could guess at her motives."

This time I frowned. From what I had gathered Lady Minerva showed a great deal of deference to her younger twin. Allowing Magdalena to lead their interactions in tea parties and other social settings. Some even compared the two to a knife and hand. Minerva acted where her sister willed. Which on its own was so at odds with the Dunkelfelger way and even Minerva's own nature. But her sister was heavily implying that Minerva did as she pleased, and I believed her. How could I not? Before I could delve into the subject the door to the tea room opened again.

Lady Minerva entered the room with her scholar Peter right behind her. For the first time since meeting her she was in a full dress, not the usual female knights' attire that she seemed to favor. The fabric gave her almost a delicate look, but did nothing to hide the fighting grace that had been drilled into her at such a young age. Even the colors seemed to have been tailored specifically to her. But there was an odd stiffness to her. I could not quite put my finger on what was off.

"Lady Magd-." Lady Minerva cut her question short, her sharp gaze instantly took in the almost completely empty tea room, and the few guests present. I had only seen Minerva truly angry once, and now felt similar. If she had been a feybeast, she would have bared her teeth at us. Then it clicked with shocking certainty. Her sister had tricked her into coming and I'll bet she even tricked her into the dress. Oh, how the Gods were smiling upon me with this jest. She, the most vexing woman I had ever met, had not only been tricked, but was so very uncomfortable. Now I was blessed with a front row seat to her misery.

"My Lady?" Peter, ever a voice of reason reminded his lady that she was in a public place and retaliation was not viable here. Oh, I was going to enjoy this to the fullest. When Magdalena complimented her, I could not help but add my own needling. Those silver eyes openly promised payback.

From there the conversation turned to Lady Minerva's strange armor and the magic circles that gave it power. It was here I learned that these sisters were even closer than I had previously imagined. While it is rare to share ideas, especially with someone who would be competition, it is even more rare to trust that same competition with making magic circles that are supposed protect you. Neither sister so much as batted an eye at the thought of calibrating. In fact, I got the impression that Minerva likely tested many Magdalena's offensive and defensive magic circles. Then there was mentioning of a fighting style that was of Minerva's own creation.

"Oh? Does that have something to do with the 'Pattern Dances' I've heard so much about?"

Magdalena's response shocked me to my core. "No, it involves fighting bare handed." The implications of this were so off what was considered normal. Women don't fight bare handed. It put their bodies far too close to an enemy and practicing any such fighting would lead to many rumors that could destroy a woman's reputation. Both Magdalena and my eyes went to her sister who was calmly sipping her tea. A smirk lurked behind her cup while we stewed. Finally, Minerva set her cup aside.

"A fan is not always a fan. Especially in the hands of a Dunkelfelger woman." Her words had the ring of a threat, and one that seemed to make her sister want to direct the conversation elsewhere.

"Hmm, speaking of things that are not what they seem, sister, Lord Ferdinand was surprised to hear you write your own songs. Would you care to demonstrate a couple?"

Minerva fixed her sister with a very thoughtful look as if something had just accrued to her. "I did not bring my-."

"My Lady." Once the conversation had turned towards her music, I noticed Peter had gone and retrieved something hidden under one of the tables. Her harspiel. Lady Minerva took one look at it in his hands then sighed, "Et tu, Brute?" A strange phrase I had never heard, but judging by the contexts she was clearly calling Peter out. Her scholar on the other hand smiled brightly so maybe I was mistaken as to the meaning. Minerva tipped her head back a little as if considering what she would play.

"If I may, my lady?" Minerva nodded at her presumed fiancée to suggest something. "I brought the boots." I looked between the two of them confused. What did boots have to do with music?

She seemed genuinely surprised by whatever choice the boots implied. "That song? Hmm, I suppose." She then turned to Lady Magdalena. "What song were you singing Lady Magdalena when you and Lord Ferdinand met?"

"Hey Brother."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Lord Ferdinand, do you have a preference on a subject for a song?" She was going to perform three songs?

I shrugged. "I have no preference." Though I wondered briefly what kind of music this wild woman would create. Likely something not suitable for tea parties otherwise she would have debuted them at one of the many tea parties she would have gone to.

Lady Minerva took her instrument from Peter, perching it in her lap. Then before she so much as touched a string, there was a rhythmic clicking. I glanced around in surprise only to find Peter was tapping the heel of his boots. Effectively laying down a beat and keeping a steady rhythm. Ah, so that explains why they needed special boots. Most soft leather would not have had such a sharp sound. After a few clicks Minerva caressed the strings plucking a hopeful sounding tune. A couple notes later she sang. The first line was all it took for me to understand that I had been right that this would likely not have been suitable for tea parties. It was much to forward. Telling of a person's struggle for what they wanted. Something that was entirely selfish and also vague. But the tune was soft and hopeful even when describing failure and the inability to accomplish one's goals. But the person kept trying. As the song said, one step at a time. A child's fantasy, I thought bitterly. So why did it leave me feeling warm inside?

"That was…" There was a warm itch in my eyes that made struggle for words for the first time in a long time. "Something."

"I believe the word you are looking for is, blunt, Lord Ferdinand." Minerva chuckled clearly taking no offense from my inability to speak and even turning it on herself. Her sister on the other hand shot daggers at me with her eyes. "Grammalatur rarely blesses me with the gift of flowery language. Too much of Angriff's blessing, I suppose. But other than that, what are your thoughts?"

What could I even say that wouldn't be taken as an insult by one of the two ladies in front of me. This was a no-win situation. "Grammalatur's blessing eludes me."

She chuckled again. "Let's see the then the next song was 'Hey Brother'." She started to strum a much softer song, but one that held a swifter pace. This song had the feel of vow. One made specifically to her siblings. As she sang, I could not help but think of own brother, how there was not much I would not do for him and the home that I loved so much. Like the last song this one was simple, blunt, and quite short. But her voice was powerful in way I did not expect of something that was clearly meant to be lullaby.

"Lady Magdalena has heard the song often." I noticed the red color that painted Lady Magdalena's face despite the fan. So, the song was likely in particular made for her. "But what do you think, Lord Ferdinand?"

This time I felt I could give an actual answer. "While much too simple there was much beauty to it. You honor many gods with piece though you never name them. And your family." My voice wobbled strangely at family. There was a tightening in my chest that I did not want to think about.

"My family does mean everything to me." Her eyes glazed slightly. For a brief moment she did not see us anymore. She was looking at something Sehweit hid from us. Then Peter coughed drawing her back. "Ah, I promised one more song, didn't I." She tipped her head sideways and studied me. I did not like the way she openly studied me. It was like nothing I had ever experienced, neither hostile nor judging. More like she was tailor trying to fit cloth that would best suit me. Then her eyes lit with amusement in a way I had come know well over the past year. A wicked chuckle escaped her. "Ah yes, I know." That did not bode well for me. Once again, I felt like I was toeing the edge of a trap that was about to be sprung.

This time when she sang, I could tell that vocals were meant to carry the song. The harspiel was only meant to support, but it felt like it was not the original instrument this song was meant to be played on. Lady Minerva wove a tale with this song. She described a group of knights hunting a feybeast. Only to find nothing. The knights extoled their frustration to miraculously have their prayers answered. Somehow the feybeast led them on a long chase, that the bumbling knights could not stop. On they went until they came to river. Instead of mounting their high beasts they merely stared at their quarry. Then the beast spoke. What? Feybeasts do not speak. Strangely the Fetze then changed into a being called The Devil. Whoever, whatever he was he was intimidating enough to send a group of knights and their wolfeniel running home. Then he proceeded to mock them from his bestial form. It was the strangest thing I had ever heard from Minerva. Once she finished, I felt compelled to ask,

"Lady Minerva, I find myself stumped. What, or who is the (*Devil*)?"

Lady Minerva chuckled and Peter's mouth quirked at the corners as if he too understood the reference. "The Devil is a myth. Supposedly, he was once a beautiful and clever God before Chaoscipher whispered honeyed words into is ear driving him against the other Gods. When he and his subordinates were cast out, they were transformed into twisted feybeasts called demons. Though they were turned to beasts they retain their cunning nature and their anger towards the other Gods. Supposedly they hunt, charm, and tempt men against their better nature to spite the Gods. And the Devil was named Demon King, by his subordinates."

Fascinating. I had never heard of such a God. Likely it was removed from the bible so as to hide so many Gods falling for Chaoscipher's tricks. But the name Demon King had a nice ring to it. Though King was not a title one could take. Too ambitious. But the way he manipulated men made admire him. "I have never heard this story before."

Sister shrugged. "I'm not surprised. It would likely not be a very popular one."

I wasn't so sure about that and almost said as much, but Lady Minerva quickly directed the conversation back to magical circles with shocking ease. As this was a subject I was very interested, it was easy to keep the conversation going with Lady Magdalena. The younger twin was incredibly knowledgeable while Minerva seemed content to mostly listen to us debate various ways to argument circles. Only occasionally giving her input on why something wouldn't work from firsthand experience. It was a surprise when a bel chimed announcing that we had been speaking for easily half a bell. Soon after I made my excuses and left, but my mind was busily turning over what I had learned. I didn't even hear Justus' quiet chuckle.