"This sucks," groused Shez. "How did we get suckered into this?"
"They asked. We accepted," stated Byleth simply.
The pair walked through one of the mansion corridors, practically stomping around in their aim to be the perfect bait. Of course they had agreed to the plan; Shez would much rather face danger herself than let her friends take the risk, and Byleth was particularly intrigued in what Edelgard had described as 'fishing for phantoms'.
"Yeah, about that actually... Did you really only accept because of the fishing thing?"
"No. I also wanted to help Edelgard."
"Really? The two of you just met and you're already this close?"
"I suppose," answered Byleth. They kept walking, turning a corner into another hallway. "I would like us to be closer," she added after a beat.
"Hmm... It'd probably be a while before Edelgard let you. How close were you thinking?"
"I would like us to be at least as close as you and Lysithea are."
"Ha! Good luck with that! Lysithea and I are like, the ultimate besties! You've got a long, long, long road ahead of you if you want to get that far."
A confused frown crossed Byleth's face. "Are the two of you not romantically involved?"
"What?! Me and- No way! What are you talking about? Not that I'm against the idea or anything but what?" flustered Shez with a blush. She paused. "Wait, does that mean you want to be romantically involved with Edelgard?"
Byleth looked at her. "She makes my heart beat."
Shez could only blink at her. "That's actually adorable," she remarked casually. She hummed in thought. "Gotta say, I haven't seen Edelgard ever be romantically interested in anyone, so good luck with that."
Byleth blinked. "Thank you."
Just then, the familiar rattling of chains and cackling wails of malevolence boomed out behind them as a pair of green shadows emerged.
"WAHAHAHA! WAHAHAHA!"
"Go!" cried Shez.
Feet pounding the floor, the pair flew through the rooms and adjoining corridors of the first floor. Past the kitchen, through the mudroom, past the living room, through the parlor, past the dining room, through the kitchen...
It wasn't long before Byleth had a small realization.
"Shez, we've been here before. Multiple times. Are you lost?"
"No way!" she huffed, "We're still in the mansion! Have to be! Probably!"
Even while running, Byleth still managed to tilt her head in confusion. "But we're no closer to our destination." She glanced behind them. "And we've lost one of the phantoms."
"It's fine!" dismissed Shez, "Half is better than nothing!"
Byleth frowned. "This doesn't bode well for our plan," she muttered.
"WAHAHAHA! WAHAHAHA!"
As Shez and Byleth tore down another corridor, they stopped short at the sight of their missing phantom before them, looming toward them ominously. The pair turned to run back the way they'd come, but their first pursuer was already at the end of the hallway, blocking any escape.
With one phantom in front and another behind, the two inheritors were cornered.
"Well, shit. I guess this plan isn't going off like we thought it would."
Byleth nodded and drew the sword at her hip. "We need to fight," she stated. "Can you defend yourself?"
"I've been told I'm scrappy," said Shez. She noted they were right next to the suit of armor she'd knocked over earlier, and her hand shot out and snatched the blunted ceremonial spear clasped in the empty armor gauntlet.
The suit of armor once more fell to the ground in a clatter, and Shez could have swore the phantom she faced got just a little bit angrier.
On her side, Byleth noted the phantom chasing them had grabbed hold of the chain around its wrist. The shadowy hand began to spin the metal, slowly, intimidatingly, until it became a furious whirl of corroded steel.
"WAHAHAHA! WAHAHAHA!"
The phantoms advanced.
Edelgard looked at them with pursed lips, her brow furrowed in annoyance as she stood with arms crossed. "We had a plan," she scolded sternly. "One that we spent quite some time preparing."
"I'm sorry we didn't get to use your plan, Edelgard," said Byleth, genuinely remorseful though still quite stoic about it.
Next to her, Shez shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I'll admit it's a waste, but we totally got 'em! What does it matter how?" She glanced over to see the two phantoms, now silent and still as they sat, their torsos bound in a wrought iron chandelier Byleth and Shez managed to stuff them into.
It was quite the ending to their night of terror.
"And what about the danger you two put yourselves in?" snapped Lysithea from behind Edelgard, still apprehensive about the scary ghost costumes.
"Couldn't be helped. They cornered us. And hey, I think it goes to show that Byleth and I are an awesome team!" boasted Shez, slinging an arm around the other woman's shoulders proudly.
Edelgard and Lysithea looked between them, eyes narrowing at the perceived threat to their love lives.
"She means as friends," defused Byleth, staring meaningfully at Edelgard. Shez actually blushed at the implication and removed her arm.
"I must admit to being extremely envious of you two," remarked Petra wistfully. "I would very much liked to have fought at least one of these culprits and emerged victorious."
Dorothea hugged her from behind, sighing lightly as she nuzzled against Petra's hair. "Well I'm quite happy you didn't get that opportunity. How's your arm, by the way?"
"It has recovered, thank you," smiled Petra, nuzzling back.
"So now what do we do?" asked Shez.
"Now we fetch the police so we can unmask these fake phantoms," declared Edelgard, "Though it would likely take some time before they arrived."
"I believe we can help with that," came a voice.
Everyone looked over to see a group of four entering the mansion. Two women and two men, and leading them was none other than...
"Shamir Nevrand?!" chorused the friends.
Shamir raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that's my name. We thought something like this might happen, so we went to get the police." She eyed the two phantoms bundled up in the chandelier. "Looks like we were right."
"But if it's not Ms. Nevrand and her partner, then who are they?" asked Dorothea.
"Hey!" interrupted Leonie, "Why were we suspected of being the culprits?"
"If you scared everyone off the island, wouldn't the fortune go to you by default?" inquired Lysithea.
"It's a little more complicated than that," replied Shamir, "Though I see your reasoning."
"We're professionals," stated Leonie emphatically, "We'd never stoop so low as to steal from our clients!"
"If only all lawyers had such scruples," mumbled Edelgard under her breath. Louder, she continued, "Anyway, now that the police are here, I believe it's time for us to unmask these villains."
"Sounds good," Shez replied. She turned to Byleth. "You do one, I do one?"
At Byleth's nod, they reached down to grab the hood of each shadowy figure, pulling them off to reveal...!
"Bodyguard Catherine and Butler Cyril?!"
"Yeah we did it!" snarled Catherine, "So what?"
Shamir closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "Catherine. I wish I could say I was surprised."
"So this whole thing was just a ploy to increase their share of the inheritance," surmised Edelgard. "How detestable."
"You think we did this purely for money?" sneered Cyril. "We did this because no one else is worthy of Lady Rhea's benevolence and generosity!"
"We're the only ones who stayed by Lady Rhea's side until the end!" continued Catherine contemptuously. "Everyone else named in that will abandoned her!"
"Speaking of, what did you do with Seteth and Flayn?" asked Dorothea. "You... you didn't hurt them, did you?"
Catherine grunted. "Tied up in the garden sheds out back."
A disappointed sigh fell from the dark haired lawyer's lips. "I think that wraps everything up," said Shamir. "Officers, if you would?"
The two officers stepped up to take the criminals into custody.
"Hello Papa," greeted Byleth.
Jeralt sighed. "Hey kid. I told you it would've been best to stay away from Rhea."
"This is your father?" questioned Edelgard.
"Yes," said Byleth. She turned back to him. "Papa, this is Edelgard."
Jeralt looked at his daughter curiously, before understanding dawned on him. "We're going to be seeing more of her, aren't we?"
At Byleth's nod, the meaning of his words hit Edelgard, and she blushed.
"Nice to meet you," he grunted. "Though I wish it were under better circumstances."
"Likewise," managed Edelgard.
"Alright, time to get these criminals back to the station."
His partner nodded. "Given everything that happened last night, I think it's clear that this whole phantom scheme didn't stand a ghost of a chance!" punned Alois.
Jeralt let out a boisterous laugh as he and Alois ushered the moving chandelier away.
"You have my utmost gratitude for rescuing my daughter and me," said Seteth with a bow. Flayn curtsied next to him, equally grateful.
After finding and freeing the pair, the group relocated to the living room where they'd filled them in on what they had missed. Byleth had gracefully offered them some of the leftover toast.
Shamir cleared her throat. "Well then. Now that we've established that four of the six inheritors have fulfilled Rhea's conditions, let's get on to business, shall we?"
As the attorney began getting into the minutiae of the inheritance, Lysithea ambled over to the junior attorney with a question. "Hey, how did you know to get the police anyway?"
"Hmm? Ah, well," Leonie looked down sheepishly. "I thought I'd have a bit of an adventure of this old place, and I stumbled across some freshly painted phantom outfits in the attic. I showed Shamir and she told me to get the cops while she dealt with you guys."
"You went adventuring in your dead client's ancestral home?" frowned Lysithea incredulously.
Leonie shrugged. "How could I pass up a chance at urban exploration?"
Lysithea could only facepalm.
"Would you like a business card?" offered the redhead.
The short girl declined and went to join her non-inheriting friends as they had breakfast in the kitchen, the only reprieve after a (mostly) sleepless night. The toast was far from crisp and warm, and was barely even digestible, but the friends had time to spare. Thus their morning was spent biting into and and attempting to chew on hard and tasteless crusts that could only barely be called sustenance.
Thankfully, Shamir was a consummate professional who didn't mince words, guiding her listeners through all the details and legalese fluidly. As soon as her presentation was finished, everyone began to disperse.
Lysithea ambled over to Shez, who stood silently, stunned and staring into the distance.
"Shez? Are you okay?"
The purple-headed woman slowly turned to face her, her expression unchanged. "...I think I'm rich."
As soon as they'd gathered their belongings, Seteth and Flayn were the first to leave, understandably wanting to get as far away as possible from the mansion of their captivity. Leonie and Shamir departed soon after, Shamir's hand pressed gently against the small of Leonie's back as they discussed dinner plans.
For their part, the group of friends was taking it easy.
"You know, in the daytime this place is actually kind of nice," observed Dorothea as she lounged on one of the couches.
Lysithea sent her a disagreeing look. "Don't tell me you want to stay another night."
"Not a chance," rejoined the songstress, "Especially since no one's getting paid this time."
The short girl harrumphed. "At least we can say this place isn't really haunted."
"Oh? I'm surprised to hear you say that."
"Well we caught the phantoms, didn't we?"
Dorothea smirked. "Yes, but you can't really prove the absence of a haunting, now can you?"
A shiver ran down Lysithea's spine. "W-Well..."
"Stop teasing her, Dorothea," sighed Edelgard. "If that whole commotion last night didn't elicit any truly supernatural response, it's safe to say there's nothing supernatural here to elicit."
"Y-Yeah!" agreed Lysithea, bolstered by Edelgard's words. "Ghosts aren't real, and even if they were they have better places to be than here."
Just then, Petra came down from upstairs. "I have collected our items from our rooms," she announced brightly. "We may depart at any time."
"Excellent!" chirped Dorothea, kicking herself up. "I'm looking forward to a nice hot meal when we're back on the mainland."
"Agreed," nodded Petra. "Though I am grateful to our friends for cooking a taste of Brigid, combat rations are most unappealing."
"Edie, Lysithea, why don't the two of you collect Shez and Byleth?"
"I will ready the boat," said Petra with a smile as she headed out the door.
"Wait up Petra!" called Dorothea as she went after her, "Every good captain needs a babe on her arm!"
Sharing a look, the two they left behind could only express fond exasperation for their friends' antics.
Lysithea moved over to where Shez had been for the past half-hour, still shell-shocked and stunned at her turn of fortune. Lysithea frowned when she waved a hand in front of Shez's face, her friend not giving her a response.
"Shez, talk to me," pleaded Lysithea, "You're scaring me."
Her voice managed to snap Shez out of her funk. "Ah, sorry, sorry, it's just... I don't know how to be rich."
She sighed. "It's not like you have to change who you are."
"But what do I do with all this money? I have to manage it or something, don't I? Where do I even begin? Lysithea, you're smart, can you help me?" she pleaded.
Lysithea bit her lip. "I could, yes. But are you really okay trusting me with that much money?"
"Naturally. There's no one else I trust more," said Shez, breathing easy. "I'd love to spend the rest of my life with you."
"W-W-W-What?! Hold on a second!" cried the shorter girl, face flushing deep crimson, "What do you mean the rest of your life?!"
"Eh? Oh, I just mean this amount of money will probably last the rest of my life so I'd need you to help me with it for as long as I live." She paused, thinking she'd overstepped. "Though I get that it's a big commitment, so feel free to shoot me down."
"...I wouldn't mind," squeaked the girl.
"Really?!" A relieved smile crossed Shez's face. "Thank you Lysithea. I promise I'll be the best life partner you ever have!" And with that, she took the short girl's hand and they headed off to the boat.
Still, Shez couldn't help but remember Byleth's words. Romantically involved. With Lysithea. Shez had never consciously considered it before, but she had to admit: it was a nice idea, one that brought a blush to her face and a warmth to her heart. She only hoped Lysithea could return the feeling.
Unbeknownst to Shez, Lysithea considered much the same. Spending the rest of her life with Shez sounded divine.
As Byleth and Edelgard watched Shez and Lysithea walk out the door, Edelgard couldn't help but sigh. "Those two are so..."
"Oblivious?" suggested Byleth.
"Yes. Oblivious. They go around in circles, flirting and making casual declarations of the other's importance, yet ultimately refuse to make any definitive headway on their relationship." She shook her head. "I hope for their sake they someday go beyond mere best friends."
"I believe that would be the best," agreed the blunette.
Edelgard hummed in agreement. There was a lull of silence, in which Edelgard glanced briefly to Byleth, not yet certain where they stood. "So you introduced me to your father," she stated. "As in, specifically me."
"I did." Byleth looked to her, a trace of anxiety slipping into her expression. "Do you object?"
"Not exactly. But I would like to know how you see our current relationship, and what you might desire from it in the future."
Byleth considered. "I am attracted to you," she declared. "I would like to be romantically involved with you." A pause. "I would like us to become as close as Shez and Lysithea, if not more so."
With every sentence, Edelgard's face turned progressively redder. "...I see," she replied eventually.
Byleth frowned, her sadness evident. "I apologize for discomforting you. If you would prefer I maintain my distance-"
"I don't!" yelped Edelgard. "I mean! I...!" Edelgard took a deep breath. "I'm attracted to you too, Byleth," she said. "And I'm interested in seeing where this goes."
A tiny spark of elation appeared in cornflower eyes. "You would?"
Edelgard nodded. "Yes, though perhaps for now we might start as friends and work our way up? I fear I'll need some time to get used to the idea of being in a relationship."
"I understand. The best things in life require nurturing."
A bashful smile formed on Edelgard's face. "Well then... let's head back to the mainland. Dorothea mentioned getting a meal, so we can consider that a date of sorts."
The final two walked out the door, though as she neared the threshold, Byleth stopped short.
"Byleth? Are you coming?" prompted Edelgard.
"I am," nodded Byleth. "There's just one thing I need to take care of."
"Very well. I will await you outside."
As the door closed behind her, Byleth turned to face the mansion interior.
"...are you going to be okay here all by yourself?"
The ghost girl sighed. "You need not concern yourself with me," she dismissed. "I have inhabited this place for many years and will likely continue doing so for many more. Go on now, go be with your new beau and your new friends."
A nod, followed by a small smile. "Thank you Sothis. It was nice to meet you."
"Likewise, child," yawned the ghost. "Now go. Live well and be happy."
And Byleth did so, walking out that door to the rest of her life.
~END~
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Omake: Slithering Shadows:
At Byleth's nod, they reached down to grab the hood of each shadowy figure, pulling them off to reveal...!
"Thales and Solon?!"
Solon glared specifically at Byleth. "And we would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for the meddling Fell Star!"
Then he died, because once he says the thing, he no longer has any value.
.
Omake: Larcenous Lions
At Byleth's nod, they reached down to grab the hood of each shadowy figure, pulling them off to reveal...!
"Dimitri and Dedue?!"
Edelgard glared at the blond man with weary annoyance. "Is this some kind of twisted joke?" she demanded, feeling more insulted than insane.
"Dude... What even was your motive for all this?" asked Shez.
"My motive was simple," said the bound blond. He took a deep breath. "Thrill every last one of them!"