After allowing his breathing to settle, Byleth moved out into the courtyard in the direction of the dining hall, joining the crowds of students, monks and knights all heading in the same way. He looked ahead, trying once again to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at him and saw a woman with short red hair walking in his direction. He remembered her immediately. She was from the Golden Deer class and had been the one that'd proclaimed herself as his father's greatest apprentice. She looked at him… but not in a good way. Her head was down but her eyes blazed up at him from under her furrowed brow. Her jaw was clenched as were her fists.

Why Leonie was staring at him like that, he wasn't sure, nor did he care. He had enough on his mind as it was.

He stopped before a congested pathway and twisted his torso to allow her and some others to pass through. One by one, students, monks and knights shuffled past. One by one, Leonie drew closer and soon it was her moving past him. As she did, she drove her shoulder into his stomach. It was bony and it jerked his breath from him. He stumbled back and only stayed on his feet thanks a knight behind him who held him up. He looked the way Leonie had gone, but she'd already vanished into the crowds.

He thanked the knight and kept moving towards the dining hall. He rubbed his stomach, supposing that to everyone else it'd looked like Leonie had accidently bumped into him, but he knew better, her balance had been just fine.

'Good morning so far,' he muttered.

Byleth cursed under his breath as he entered the dining hall. The room, just as it'd been the week before was crammed. He looked around and couldn't spot a single empty seat. He saw Ferdinand and Petra, both eating at different tables, but he couldn't spot Dorothea, Linhardt or Bernadetta. He saw some faces he recognised, including Dudley the gatekeeper and Flayn. Neither had spotted him and he was glad, because in that moment, he had enough on his mind.

He felt more and more people gazing at him as he stood there, and so he turned and left the dining hall.

By the time he returned to the hall an hour or so later, only a sparse amount of people remained. Flayn and Dudley were gone as were the Black Eagles.

At the food counter, he was served by an old woman. She looked frail, yet when she met his gaze her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. She nodded stiffly when he asked for rabbit skewers. He also asked for carrot soup and immediately wished he hadn't. She filled a bowl, took it with her into the kitchen behind her, and then returned and gave it to him. The look in her eyes told him she'd spat in it. He thanked her and took a seat at an empty table. He didn't recognise any of the knights, monks or students left in the hall, and the wary glances they gave him told him he'd be better sitting away from them. He wasn't alone the whole time, however, because two knights of Seiros entered and went to him. He recognised both of them as Catherine and Shamir who he'd met the week before when Alois had introduced him to them. He supposed they were helping Seteth to look after the monastery whilst Jeralt, Lady Rhea and Alois were away.

'I heard you've had a pretty rough time. How're you feeling?' Catherine asked, not smiling.

Byleth told her he felt better, but her expression didn't change.

'Good. I trust what Seteth said about you, but I'm not sure everyone else will. You're gonna need to really put the work in to win everyone over.'

'If he's telling the truth then he will perform excellently in the mock battle,' Shamir said. 'Assuming he's as good as his father and Alois says he is.'

Byleth nodded, suddenly no longer feeling hungry. They left and a short while later, he did as well, his rabbit skewers only half eaten and his bowl of soup untouched altogether. He moved to the exit, and that's when he bumped into someone he recognised. He first saw the boy's turquoise hair, then the tensed jaw, then the clenched fists, and finally the patters of mud on his uniform. Caspar stopped but didn't look up at him. 'Professor.'

'Caspar.'

'Feeling better?'

''Yes, thank you.'

'G-Good….'

For a moment, Caspar stood there and said nothing. His shoulders and chest rose and fell and he was clearly trying to control his breathing. His blinking became more frequent.

'R-Ready to do well in the mock battle? They're all counting on you, y'know.'

'Yes.'

Caspar nodded and his whole body seemed to shake. His fists were white. 'I-I'll be watching professor.' He let out a sharp exhale. 'And you better be good.'

He stormed away, and that's when Byleth remembered again that he'd also be a man down for the mock battle.