Link's slow roasted mutton was quite possibly the most delicious thing Rhea had ever tasted. Maybe it could have been more perfect, but if so, she didn't know how.

Edelgard seemed to agree. "This is excellent, Link. I don't remember you ever having cooked mutton during our time in Hyrule."

"I wouldn't be surprised. He can cook pretty much anything," Claude said.

"Not anything," Link disagreed. "There's one dish that has eluded me. My father made the most delicious Octorok Calamari. It was a culinary masterpiece. But he never shared the recipe with me, and every attempt I have made to recreate it has ended in failure. I'll get it right eventually, though. Just you wait."

Dimitri poured some kind of purple concoction on his food. "I've never complained about your Octorok Calamari." Everyone else laughed, as if he had made a hilarious joke. For all Rhea knew, he probably had and she was just missing context.

As delicious as the meal was, she did want to continue discussing the topic at hand. It was clear to her that Fódlan's status quo was about to shift, and she needed to know what she would be dealing with if she was to minimize the bloodshed. Of course, she would support the students if conflict became inevitable. They had accepted Flayn, after all. But she did hope it wouldn't come to that.

Having found Byleth Eisner, if Rhea could get them to wait just one year to do anything drastic, she might be able to prevent the coming violence, at least for the most part.

That was, of course, assuming the Agarthans didn't make their move.

The Agarthans. That was another concern for Rhea. Kronya might have abandoned their cause, but there were undoubtedly many more who were intent on shattering the peace. Priority one would be defeating them.

Speaking of which, she hadn't missed that Edelgard and Hubert were aware of the Agarthans even before Hyrule. How they had been was a question that needed to be answered. Particularly if it meant the Imperial leadership had been infiltrated.

She needed to know what ideas the students had picked up. She needed to know what Edelgard knew about the Agarthans' plans. And she needed to know how Byleth was connected to Mother.

Mother could wait, though. Her most urgent priority was preventing a war. Or if that was impossible, making sure it would be as slanted in her and the students' favor as possible.

Goddess, she was looking forward to retiring.

Seteth meanwhile, had no knowledge of Rhea's attempts to bring Sothis back, but his thoughts also drifted to the Agarthans, and the possibility of conflict over the students' future actions.

More importantly to him, though, was Flayn. She hadn't shared that her poor cooking skills had led her to feel distant from her deceased mother. In fact, she rarely gave any indication that her memory problems bothered her, but he really should have known better. He resolved that he would spend some time with her soon, and would help her cook a delicious meal. He wasn't an impressive cook himself, but he would try.

In the meantime, he and Rhea really needed to come up with a way to explain why the students were older now.

Aside from the students and faculty, as well as the honored guests, there were others present at Link's feast. Among them were Jeralt's company.

Jeralt felt that now that the students had been found, it was probably about time to leave.

But...even in the short time he had been at Garreg Mach again, Byleth had seemed...less apathetic, somehow. Maybe he was imagining it, but Byleth actually seemed...interested in the workings of the Monastery. And she actually talked to Monica. She never said more than a few words to kids her age.

And when she met the returned students, she took more of an interest in their adventures than she had in most things over her entire life.

So, Jeralt would stay at Garreg Mach for now. Rhea seemed to be busy with her guests at the moment, but when she wasn't, he would press her for the truth about Byleth. If he didn't like what he heard, then he would leave.

Monica was thrown off at first by the different color scheme, and the fact that she had longer hair. But after careful observation, she was sure. That was definitely Kronya at the table with the guests, the house leaders, and the Archbishop.

She stormed over to the table to confront her. "You!"

Kronya...sighed? As if this was a bother to her. "Right. I knew I'd have to have this conversation eventually."

Monica glared at her. "Lady Rhea, she's one of the ones who held me captive!"

"I know," the Archbishop said.

Monica did a double take. "You know?"

"Kronya has offered to give information on her co-conspirators in exchange for a full pardon," Edelgard told her.

"And you accepted? Are you insane?" Monica shouted.

"You don't seem to understand," Edelgard said. "Kronya is—"

"Used to be," Kronya corrected.

"Used to be part of a conspiracy that has infiltrated the governments of all three nations of Fódlan, as well as the Western Church. This conspiracy was responsible for the deaths of my siblings as well as all of the Ordelia children except for Lysithea and that of King Lambert. Kronya's information could save countless lives."

"And you actually think you can trust a single thing she says?" Monica protested.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Edelgard assured her. "I have fought and bled alongside Kronya. I can guarantee, she isn't the person you knew any more."

"I can't believe you! What are you even thinking?" Monica shouted.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Kronya said. "I know I shouldn't have kidnapped you. I know it was wrong. I don't have an excuse or anything. But to show I'm being genuine, I can help you nail Tomas to the wall."

Monica hesitated. Tomas had tortured her, and she did want him dead. If Kronya was being honest, she might consider...not forgiving her, but leaving her alone. And if Kronya was lying, it would give her an excuse to have her disposed of. "Go on."