(A/N: Welcome back, even though I know it hasn't been very long. But, you all know I like me a good laugh and thanks to BOY4_GOW we finally have a good comment to put in these beginning author's notes:
"welcome to school hell, there is a god and her name Cornellia"
But wait, there's more, I also have a comment from DBoblivion that got me to chuckle that reads:
"Just keep pushing em away lelouch. I can't wait to see the results."
Charming and fitting.
Now then, let's get on with more clowning since, well…just take a look at the opening scene)
10th Day of the Horsebow Moon
Even though it had only been a day's worth of class since the arrival of three of Britannia's Knights of the Round, their arrival had already made waves. Many students wanted to get to know the most esteemed warriors of the Britannian Empire, though many did not get the chance to do so for extended periods of time. Mostly it was hi. Bye. Nice to meet you.
Some students were more curious than that. One of those students happened to be Claude von Riegan of the Golden Deer. On the day he had off, he wandered through the Monastery, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the knights in particular, finding him poking around the wishing well.
"Hey, Gino!"
The blond almost fell into the well and stood up, nearly banging his head on the framework of the well.
"Oh…hey…uh…Claude, right?" Gino asked.
"Yup, Claude von Riegan, of House Riegan. Good to meet you."
"And what can I, a humble Knight of the Round, do for the future most powerful person in the Leicester Alliance?" Gino asked.
"Eh, just kinda going around and looking to see what I can learn about you, Anya and Monica. And between the three of you, I figured you had the loosest lips," Claude commented.
"And the emptiest head," Gino replied.
Claude laughed. "I knew you and I would get along. So, tell me about yourself."
"Whoa, hold on now. I don't swing that way," Gino joked.
Claude laughed even more. "Hey, come on. It's not every day an Empire sends its strongest warriors to be my schoolmates. In fact, until yesterday, it was never."
Now it was Gino's turn to laugh. "Well," he said, putting his hands behind his head, "If you must know, I was born like most Britannian nobles close to the top. I was fed with a silver spoon in my mouth throughout grade school. My life was super cushy and I could have anything I wanted. Buuuuuut, didn't really have a whole lot of friends when the only time you get to venture out is so your parents can put you on a pedestal. Comes when you're the fourth in your family's line and your parents only care about you when it's convenient."
"Okay, following you so far," Claude said with a nod, knowing there was going to be more to it.
"I wasn't even ten years old before my dad wanted to pawn me off to some noble girl to increase the Weinberg family prestige. About two years ago though, I fell in love," Gino continued.
"With your bride to be? I mean, I guess it happens but—"
Gino laughed and then said, "Aha. No. I'd sooner go to the bathroom with sandpaper toilet paper. No, I actually fell in love with my family's maid. She was a non-Britannian from not Neo Japan, but old school Japan, trying to make a living in Britannia. I don't think she had any intention of becoming an honorary Britannian. I think she was just trying to live as an immigrant without fear of persecution from the church's laws. But…I couldn't help it. She was so beautiful, Claude. But…my dad felt otherwise."
"The same dad that only cared about you when it was convenient, right? Yeah, bet he didn't take too kindly to losing one of his prized stud horses to 'inferior genes'," Claude said with a witty smirk.
"Pretty much," Gino answered with a sigh. My dad beat her black and blue, fired her on the spot and accused her of trying to seduce me. I never saw her again. But, I kind of was fed up with my family at that point. So, I did the only logical thing I could think of: ran away from home and joined the military. Believe it or not, Sokkia actually got my foot in the door. We were buddies in the KMF League before I got my stripes."
"No kidding. Sokkia and I are good pals. Maybe you'll consider joining us for our next round of party game shenanigans," Claude suggested.
"You know, that actually sounds like fun. I'll bring Anya. It'll be a great time," Gino said with a smile.
"Anya? You sure she and fun go together?" Claude asked.
Gino laughed heartily. "I know how she appears, but she really just wants to have a good time. Trust me, she'll be a good sport, even if she loses. She just likes making memories."
"Ah, so that's why she takes all those pictures. Hope next time she takes one of me, she gets my good side," Claude said, laughing.
"You know, Claude, I think this is the start of a fantastic friendship," Gino said, beaming.
"I think I am inclined to agree, my friend," Claude said. "Hey, maybe if you're all about defying your home country's traditions, you might consider hanging out with the Golden Deer on a more permanent basis."
"You know…I'll have to think about that," Gino said, looking as if he was actually giving it some thought.
"Well, I hope you consider quickly, having you around for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion would make a big difference," Claude told him.
Gino laughed. "I sure hope switching houses for that doesn't get me branded a traitor. Princess Marrybell and Princess Cornelia are really scary when they're angry."
"Eh, I think Princess Cornelia is just scary in general. Nothing lost either way in that capacity, honestly."
Gino laughed again.
"Hey, you ever been snipe hunting?" Claude asked.
"No, what's a snipe?" Gino asked.
Claude mock gasped. "You don't know what a snipe is. Well then, let's go grab something to eat and I'll tell you all about it."
Gino and Claude would later have to be escorted back that night to Garreg Mach by Suzaku for being public nuisances.
11th Day of the Horsebow Moon
When it came to the new arrivals, Bernadetta reacted the same way she reacted to everything: hide from it. The fact that they were the Knights of the Round, members of the highest authority in all of Britannia, only served to make Bernadetta want to avoid them all the more. That meant they could lock her up and throw away the key if she so much as looked at them wrong.
Fortunately for Bernadetta, being a recluse was a lot easier with Clara at her beck and call. She didn't even have to leave her room if she didn't want to. She could just text Clara to go out and go on a food run for her. It was unfortunate Clara couldn't take classes for her. Bernadetta felt that, if that were possible, she'd never have to leave her room.
However, there were some things that Bernadetta simply couldn't avoid. And she felt guilty about making Clara always doing things for her. It's not like she took pride in being a recluse, she was just too nervous to behave in any other lifestyle. However, having Clara propping her up made things a bit easier on some days.
So, in order to pull her own weight among the Black Eagles, Bernadetta frequently volunteered for kitchen duty. She was quite good at it and it meant more than just prepping meals during busy hours. Bernadetta often volunteered to manage inventory and help prepare dishes for the following day after the dinner kitchen had closed. This let her work unimpeded in the storeroom for most of her chore hours.
"Uh oh, looks like we're running low on basil and some spices," Bernadetta talked aloud to herself. "Well, guess I better go pay Anna a visit." Anna was a lot less intimidating than some of the other local merchants and she had great deals.
Bernadetta quickly found herself navigating her way from the kitchen storeroom and past the entrance hall towards Anna when a bright flash disoriented her.
"UWAAAAAAAH! FLASHBANG!" She shouted, only for her ears not to ring. "Wait…what?"
She looked dead ahead to see the unassuming Anya Alstreim with her phone out.
"New person. Recorded."
Bernadetta gasped. She needed to only take one look at Anya's cape to recognize she was one of them. She shrieked.
"No! Please! Don't take pictures of me!" She held her hands together pleadingly. "Nooooooo! I don't want to go to jail!"
Anya lowered her phone and tilted her head, very confused at Bernadetta's behaviors. Despite being younger and less developed than Bernadetta, Anya was still a whole head taller than the shivering, shaking purple haired girl. Left with no other prospect of what to do, she walked over and pat Bernadetta reassuringly on the head.
"You are not under arrest," Anya told her.
Bernadetta sniffed. "I'm…I'm not."
Bernadetta yelped when Anya put an arm around her and held up her phone's camera, taking a selfie of them. Anya had the usual neutral expression on her face while Bernadetta looked positively flummoxed.
"Selfie recorded." She looked at Bernadetta. "Friend."
Bernadetta looked surprised. "You…want to be friends?"
Anya nodded, humming in acknowledgement.
Bernadetta smiled. I made another friend. Honestly, looking at her, I don't know what I was so frightened of. She seems harmless.
Anya blinked at Bernadetta unassumingly.
"Let's be best friends, Anya!" Bernadetta exclaimed.
"Best friends. Recorded," Anya commented stoically. She then put a hand over her chest. "I am…happy."
"Bernie!"
Clara suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tackled Bernadetta, hugging her from the side tightly.
"Oh, hi Clara! Were you following me?" Bernadetta asked, chuckling.
"Yes." Clara replied bluntly.
Anya took a picture of Bernadetta and Clara together. "More best friends. Recorded."
"I'm Bernie's better best friend!" Clara exclaimed, hugging Bernadetta tighter.
"Clara, I can have more than one best friend. Um…that's…right, right?"
"Wrong! Bernie is my best friend! Mine!" Clara exclaimed, getting possessive. She glared enviously at Anya. Nobody would take her precious Bernadetta away. …Wait! No! Not hers! Not hers! She…she was just a dumb mouse! That…that she had protect…from everything!
Anya put a hand over her stomach. "Hungry."
"Why don't we all go out into town then? I have a little shopping to do," Bernadetta suggested.
"But Bernie you hate going into town!" Clara reminded her loudly.
"It'll be fine because you're with me, Clara," Bernadetta said happily.
Clara blushed pinkish red, steam rising off her face. She bured it in Bernadetta's shirt. "I'll protect you, Bernie."
"Protect? We need protection?" Anya questioned. "One moment."
Bernadetta was floored when Anya activated her HLKMF crystal: The Mordred XS, the XS being short for extra small. It was a 1 to 1 match to her custom KMF just on a smaller scale.
"N-Not that kind of protection!" Bernadetta exclaimed. "We're not under attack!"
"…Errors have been made. One moment." Anya dismissed her frame. She then took out her rifle. "Will this suffice?"
"No! You're not the one that needs protecting! I do!" Bernadetta exclaimed.
Anya stood there silently for a moment. "Re-evaluating."
Bernadetta was very surprised when Anya attempted to climb onto her back despite being larger than her. This caused Bernadetta and the clinging Clara to tumble to the floor.
"Tower defense strategy has failed," Anya commented.
"NO! Really?!" Clara shouted.
"What in the name of the Goddess are you three doing?" Catherine questioned, passing by.
"Friendship," Anya answered.
"Well, take it outside the entrance hall, you're unnerving passerby," Catherine requested in a tone that suggested she clearly did not get paid enough to deal with shenanigans like these, despite the bank she made.
"Acknowledged," Anya said and left for the dining hall.
"I guess the dining hall works fine," Bernadetta said. "Ooh! Wait! No! I still have to buy basil! I almost forgot!" She ran for the shopping center. "Noooooo! I don't want to be in trouble!"
Catherine sighed. "That girl ain't right."
"I know, isn't she the best?" Clara asked, watching Bernadetta run off.
Catherine thought it best not to comment.
12th Day of the Horsebow Moon
Because Byleth was so young and so new at her post, Rhea encouraged her to seek out the other professors and staff for staff-based tutoring when she could squeeze it in. Rhea had often spent hours out of her day teaching Byleth more and more about he Seiros faith. It was always a welcome moment to have Byleth in her company.
Of course, Rhea was not Byleth's only tutor. She'd spent time practicing combat with her own father, learning more about crests from Hannemann, and she'd even taken a couple of lessons in sharpshooting from Shamir. But, today, Byleth was interested in a different teacher, and said teacher was all too eager to test her mettle.
Byleth swung a practice lance with all her might against the so-called Goddess of the Battlefield, Cornelia li Britannia.
"Good form!" Cornelia complimented as their practice weapons slammed against each other. She watched Byleth take a step forward, putting Cornelia on the defensive. She grunted. "Intuition's not bad either. However…" Cornelia suddenly pivoted her body and smacked Byleth in the right side of the head with the butt of her practice weapon. She then took a passing swipe at Byleth's left foot with the tip of her weapon. The wooden weapon smacked Byleth hard in the ankle and knocked her off-balance. Then, with a twirl and thrust of her mighty spear, Cornelia had her weapon aimed right at Byleth's exposed navel. "Dead."
Byleth nodded and the two reset to their starting positions. They continued to practice with lances, a weapon Byleth wanted to get better at, but had far from mastered, or even become adept at.
"I can see why you are feared throughout the world," Cornelia said as Byleth followed her movements and guidance. "If you had a sword in your hand, rather than a lance, and if this was a serious fight, I'd be dead."
Byleth took a spinning cleaving strike at the side of Cornelia's head, the strike blocked, but barely contained by Cornelia's sharp intuition and practiced form.
"You really think so?" Byleth asked, backing off, allowing Cornelia to gain some ground so she could observe a master on the offensive, and practice her defense.
"Your strength far exceeds my own. I can feel it with every blow," Cornelia told her. "You're not even overcommitting. I'm watching your muscles carefully. I can see why Schneizel believes we need Bismarck to stop you if you became a threat to Britannia."
Eventually, the two stopped, Byleth standing around with a blank stare, Cornelia panting and in need of water.
"You're out of breath?" Byleth asked her.
"You underestimate yourself," Cornelia said. "Strength. Stamina. Intuition. And, judging from what I've heard, a wealth of live combat experience. Any foe would be hard pressed to stop you. Making this…" she said, poking Byleth in the navel with the blunt end of her weapon, "All the more puzzling."
Byleth tilted her head in confusion.
Cornelia crushed the plastic water bottle she was drinking from and threw the empty container over her shoulder into the recycling bin. "Your outfit is extremely impractical." She poked her in the stomach again. "This is a vital area, yet you've left it completely uncovered." She then stuck the blunt end under one of Byleth's coat sleeves. "And these will cause you drag when you sprint. Also, you're wearing heels."
"You are too," Byleth pointed out.
Cornelia tapped the back of her boot to the ground. "Solid, reinforced soles. Also the back heel is much wider and rounded off. It's more like a pointed boot, compared to what you're wearing. One misplaced cobblestone or an overturned pebble and you could stumble and get your head blown off. I'm almost not wearing a uneven protective padding." She referred to how Byleth only wore one knee pad on her left knee. "Forget falling off-balance, your entire weight distribution should be off-center."
"I lost the other one in a battle a long time ago. Never got it replaced," Byleth admitted.
Cornelia was flabbergasted by this answer. "Then…buy new ones? Also, now that I'm getting a good look at it, lace stockings? You must freeze during the colder months."
"That's what the coat is for."
Cornelia at this point couldn't tell if Byleth was just having a gaff or if she was serious with the way Byleth had said it with such a straight face.
"Have you no practical fashion sense?" Cornelia asked, finding no other words.
"I wear what I like to wear. Jeralt never seemed to have a problem with it," Byleth answered honestly.
Now Cornelia was thrown for even more of a loop. Jeralt Eisner, the Blade Breaker, was touted as one of the toughest military men in the world who even her own father once showed respect for. For Jeralt to not bat an eye at this…this…liability of a clothing disaster his daughter seemed to insist on wearing was a concept she could not fathom.
"What? Does he not believe in a change of clothes?" Cornelia asked.
"We move around a lot, so always best to travel light," Byleth answered, again, with a straight face.
"Are you messing with me?" Cornelia asked.
Byleth smirked. "Maybe.
Cornelia looked decisively unamused.
"The exposed navel is my own choice." She went to the weapon rack and picked up a practice sword. "Want me to show you?"
Cornelia didn't need to ask "Show me what?" she knew what Byleth wanted her to see. Cornelia came at Byleth with full force, aiming directly for her exposed weak point. However, as soon as she committed to the strike, Byleth had seemingly vanished from sight and the next thing Cornelia knew, she couldn't breathe. The next sensation she felt after that…was a practice sword poking her back. Byleth had the weapon pressed against Cornelia's back and her arm clutched around the princess's throat.
"Convinced?" Byleth asked, letting up the pressure slightly so Cornelia could answer.
I didn't even see her move. It was like she just…vanished into thin air. What made her like this?
Cornelia dropped her weapon to indicate she yielded. Byleth let her go. However, to test her foe, Cornelia crouched to pick up her weapon and attempted to strike from the ground with it. However, before she could turn to strike, she found Byleth's sword alongside her throat.
"I don't drop my guard. A good idea though," Byleth commented.
Cornelia smiled, picking up her weapon, pushing the weapon aside gently and walking away to ready herself for the next spar. "I must say, when you're in your element, you're a force to be reckoned with, just as expected. How long have you been on the battlefield? Ten years? Five?"
"Fifteen," Byleth answered. Cornelia could tell that was not a gaffe.
"Aren't you only…?"
"Twenty? Yes."
Everyone started young if they were serious about warfare. Cornelia knew that. But taking a child onto the battlefield at such a young age? What was Jeralt thinking?
"Jeralt made sure he could see me at all times until I got bigger. Usually I just carried this with me," Byleth said, caressing her hunting knife, "And watched Jeralt fight. Most times I just stabbed grown men and women in the leg if they were giving him a hard time."
Cornelia stared at Byleth in bewilderment as she was started to get a clearer picture of how she became the Ashen Demon. To her, it made sense. Jeralt had chosen the life of a PMC. Rather than abandon his own kid, he decided to rope her into the family work in any way he could. Sure, having a child on the battlefield was hazardous for Byleth's health, and her psyche, but leaving her with a paid-off babysitter would carry its own risks. Best to keep the light of his life where he could see it. Cornelia comprehended the sentiment. It was why she rarely let Euphemia out of her sight after Marianne had been killed.
However, Cornelia could also see that Byleth's growth had not come without cost. She had never known what it was like to be a child. Even Cornelia, privileged upbringing as she had had it, knew what that was like. Jeralt had lost a normal daughter, but gained one of the most powerful women for his mercenary group in the known world. No wonder the man drank more and more often these days.
"Do you ever wish…that you could have had a life without fighting?" Cornelia asked.
"Sometimes, but…I think, as long as I was with Jeralt, I'd be fine no matter how my life turned out. I quite like teaching at the monastery." The last sentence Byleth spoke with carried with it more emotion, and a smile, than Cornelia had seen all sparring session.
Cornelia smiled in turn. It was as if she was no longer looking at the Ashen Demon, the weapon, but at Byleth Eisner, the person, for the very first time.
"That's the first time I've seen you smile like that," Byleth said to her.
"I could say the same of you, Professor," Cornelia said. "You know…" she began as she ran the back of her glove through her bangs, "Guilford and Darlton are always telling me I should socialize more. Perhaps you would consider a night or two out, just us. We could discuss our storied military careers and our unorthodox upbringings."
Byleth smiled even more warmly than before. "I would like that."
Cornelia felt a bit warm and fuzzy inside. The Ashen Demon is not as we believed. Cornelia held up her hand. Perhaps it's wrong of me to act this way, to get so complacent, knowing that one day she could be paid to kill me…
Byleth clutched Cornelia's hand and shook it.
…But she's not so different from me.
The two let go of each other's hands and resumed their sparring sessions.
She's a woman that grew up on the battlefield.
CLACK!
The wooden weapons clashed against each other.
At her core, she's a girl that never really got to know what it was like to grow up...
CLACK!
…And just needs a friend.
CLACK!
And if so, so be it.
Cornelia continued to clash with Byleth, lance to lance, eventually finding Byleth had suckered her into overextending.
For the Ashen Demon…no, Byleth Eisner…
Cornelia went to block Byleth's next incoming strike, seeing the smile on the Professor's face, the first time all battle as she chopped Cornelia's weapon in two.
…makes a better friend than an enemy.
The two women walked out of the training ground, the broken weapon discarded into the trash, arms around each other.
Maybe one day, yes, Byleth would leave the monastery, and maybe one day, yes, Jeralt and his company might be paid to assassinate royalty. But…perhaps…to keep that future from coming to pass, it would not require weapons, but a strong bond between princess…and peasant.
13th Day of the Horsebow Moon
"AAAH!"
BOOM!
Annette coughed as she had, yet again, caused another mishap in the kitchen. The smoke alarm was going off, fire was shooting towards the ceiling and now the sprinklers were dousing the kitchen with enough water to fill a fish tank.
After cleaning up and punching in the code to turn it off, Annette grumbled, wringing her clothes out into the sink. She then went back over to the stove and the ruined Strawberry cream puff pastries she was working on.
"Ohhhhh, these are completely ruined. So much for movie snacks," Annette grumbled.
"Movie snacks? Whenever I want movie snacks, I just buy them."
"BWAAH!" Annette was caught off guard by somebody else being in the kitchen. She turned to see the towering form of Gino Weinberg. "Oh! It's just you, Gino," she said, laughing. "For a second, I thought a stranger was about to jump me."
"Oh, come on, I'm not scary," Gino said, bowing his head, pretending to be hurt. "I'm the Knight of Three. I should at least be imposing."
"You're too friendly to be scary, Gino," Annette commented, laughing.
"Well, there's that," he conceded. "So, what's up? And why's it smell like burnt strawberries and wet cat in here?"
"I screwed up cooking…again," Annette said, looking glum.
"Hey, no reason to get so down. Come on, show your pal Gino a smile," he encouraged, pulling at the corners of the undersides of his lips to exaggerate his own smile.
Annette laughed so hard she snorted. "Gino, you're such a goofball."
"Hey, life's too short to go around acting like a snotty rich jerk, or acting like I know everything when I know so little," Gino said with a wink. "Life's all about having fun. It's why I ran away from home to become a knight."
"You…ran away from home?" Annette asked.
"Yup, and I'd do it again," Gino said, putting his hands behind his back.
"But…what about your family? Doesn't your dad miss you?" Annette asked.
"Eh, he barely registers me, to be honest," Gino said. "I'm his fourth born, not a whole lot I was ever going to be able to do for him."
"That's not right!" Annette exclaimed, working herself up. "Family should stick together!"
"Not every family has to have a happy ever after, Annette," Gino told her. "There are plenty of nobles from broken homes."
"Yeah, myself included," Annette mumbled.
"Pardon?"
"N-nothing. So, you were saying that you like to buy snacks rather than make them?" Annette asked, desperate to change the subject. "I take it you go see a lot of movies?"
"Oh! Tons! I usually take Anya to the theater about once a week. She loves movies! A real cinephile that one!" Gino exclaimed, laughing.
"Oh? I would have never pictured. She's so quiet. Most movie lovers usually are all like "I'll get you next time!" Annette exclaimed, pretending to be an actor from a movie, and "Until we meet again, vile fiend!" You know, quoting famous lines and stuff." She frowned. "But I rarely hear a peep out of Anya."
Gino laughed. "Yeah, that's her all right, quiet as a mouse. But she always takes pictures of the posters of the movies we go see. She's always like "That one. I want to see that one." During trailers as she reaches for a fistful of popcorn."
"Oh, wow! That's so cute. Hey, maybe I could join you guys next time! I'll bring Mercie! It can be like a group thing!"
"Hey, that'd be really neat! But…aren't you going to see a movie tonight?" Gino asked.
"Oh! Not at the theater! Mercie and I are streaming a movie from her dorm room tonight, just us girls. It's supposed to be a really silly one. So, like, get this, this girl wanders into what she thinks is a costume party, only to find out that everyone there is actually a movie monster of some kind, then ends up having to choose between dating Dracula or the Wolf Man while trying to find her way home."
"Ugh, sounds like a romantic comedy chick flick, pass," Gino groaned.
Annette gasped in horror. "Romantic comedies are the best. They make you laugh and cry."
"Yeah, but the plots are always so hackneyed and samey. And the girl is always like so socially awkward, but like super pretty you wonder why she never had a boyfriend before."
"Stop! Stop! Ugh! Don't ruin my favorite genre," Annette complained, getting giddy and giggly. "I know they're corny and dumb, but I really like them, like cheesy horror B-movies."
Gino laughed. "Relax. I'm teasing. To each their own. But hey, if you're making movie snacks, why not go with something simple. I know it'd be pretty unseasonal, but why not s'mores."
"Ugh. Too messy with all of Mercie's easily stainable furniture," Annette stated. "Wait! Oh! I think I have an idea! Gino! You're a genius!"
"Yes, yes, it's a gift. …Wait, what'd I do now?"
He watched Annette grab marshmallows, graham cracker dough and chocolate and started portioning out ingredients to start making…well he wasn't sure what but it definitely wasn't traditional s'mores.
"Riiiight, I'm gonna go this way," he said, jerking both his thumbs at the entrance to the kitchen. "See you later, Annette."
Gino left Annette to her own devices and that night she and Mercedes watched Dusk Till Dawn 3 with fresh baked s'mores sandwich cookies.
14th Day of the Horsebow Moon
After a night of watching movies with her best friend, Mercedes von Martritz went to class the next day, as normal. After completing her morning classes, she then stepped into the kitchen to whip up a basket of soft cookie sandwiches with strawberry jam filling. After baking a hearty 96 on multiple racks, she packed them up into three separate custom made bags. One was for Annette, one was for herself, and the rest were for…
"Oh! There you are, Lelouch! Reading as always, I see," Mercedes said to the young Britannian with a smile.
Lelouch looked up from his book. It was on Leicesterian tactics. He won it off Claude the other day in a game of chess.
"Oh, Mercedes," Lelouch responded, fronting his best smile. "Are those sweets freshly baked?"
"They are indeed. I made a bag for you and a bag for Nunnally. Sorry I didn't mention it ahead of time, but I wanted it to be a surprise," Mercedes told him, handing both bags to him. "Give Nunnally hers when you see her, okay?"
"Sure, no problem," Lelouch responded. Mercedes von Martritz, once known as Mercedes von Bartels, the heiress to the Bartles family. A possessor of the crest of Lamine, and a masterful chef, teller of ghost stories, and former older sister. To the unenlightened, just your average sweetheart, but to me… "You don't have to keep doting on me like this Mercedes," Lelouch said, receiving both bags.
"Oh, I know, but it's not for your sake, it's for Nunnally's. Make sure big brother has someone looking after him. That's what she told me." Mercedes was smiling as sweetly as sugar.
"I mean I do have two older sisters already," Lelouch said candidly enough, "Both are adopted, of course."
"Oh, I know, but I'm older than both of them, so maybe I can be a big sister for all of you," Mercedes said sweetly.
Her innocence beguiles the form of a woman more than capable of setting a man on fire when the situation calls for it. Lelouch knew that Mercedes wasn't just an accomplished healer, but also a magus, specializing in fire magic just like Monica. Unlike Euphemia, who was just a bobblehead, Mercedes's kindness was a mask. Not a mask like Lelouch wore, which he used to deceive people. Mercedes's kindness was genuine. But, Lelouch would hardly call her innocent. The woman had scars.
"Lelouch, are you okay? You're staring at me awfully intensely."
And an annoying habit of sticking her concern where it's unwanted. "Sorry, I'm fine. I think I felt a sneeze coming on."
"Well that's no good. Are you not feeling well? I have some home remedies if you think you might feel sick if you don't feel like making the trek to go see Professor Manuela."
This was part of the problem. Mercedes was too nice to people she cherished. Oh, Lelouch had seen her be passively vicious. If she was clearly uncomfortable, she had little issue speaking her mind. Yet she could just as easily change her tune and turn and talk to someone she liked with all the gentleness of radiant sunshine.
If I drop my guard around her for even a moment, I could become reliant upon her, Lelouch found himself thinking. I cannot be so complacent. I am the master of my own destiny. "No, I think I'm fine. Thank you though."
"Well, if there's ever anything you need, you can count on me. I would ever so hate to see Nunnally upset. She's such a sweet girl. If something happened to you, why I imagine I'd cry along with her," Mercedes admitted.
The sheer sincerity in Mercedes's voice left Lelouch with pause. Still, to cover his heart and keep his emotional distance, Mercedes left him with an easy out. "Oh, I'm hardly worth concerning yourself over, Mercedes. Just be kind to Nunnally."
"Lelouch, why do you always push people away when they're trying to help?"
Uh oh.
"Whatever do you mean?" Lelouch fell back on his best play in his book: Deny. Deny. Deny.
"It just feels like you're trying to put distance between us. I only want to be your friend." She frowned, looking hurt. "I couldn't imagine what you've had to go through since Nunnally lost her legs and sight. It must be a great burden upon you, especially without your parents around."
On the one hand, Lelouch couldn't stand to be pitied. But…this wasn't pity. Lelouch could see it in Mercedes's eyes. This was…empathy. Mercedes was looking at Lelouch…and seeing herself. He could see it in the hurt in her gaze.
To confirm his suspicions, Lelouch said, "When you look at Nunnally, do you think of Emile?"
"I do. I miss him," Mercedes admitted. "And…when I picture what could have befallen him and the idea that he's sitting in a hospital somewhere like Nunnally…it just breaks my heart."
Lelouch felt a great pain grip his heart, but it turned into a raging fire of motivation. People like Mercedes…this is what he was fighting for.
Mercedes took a step closer to Lelouch. "Lelouch, if you stopped pushing people away and accepted the help of those around you, you would come out stronger for it." She frowned. "Shouldering your burdens by yourself will only break your back and that's not good for anyone."
Lelouch shook his head, sounding more serious. "You aren't prepared to carry my heaviest burdens with me."
Mercedes sighed. "There you go, pushing me away again. You're lucky Nunnally's so cute or I might actually be offended." She smiled. "Well, it doesn't matter if you won't let me support you directly. You have it regardless. So do your best, okay? For Nunnally's sake."
Lelouch used the back of his wrist and turned his head to hide a blush. "You're too kind."
Mercedes giggled. "You're a very sweet boy, Lelouch. It's a shame you try to hide it so hard. But maybe that gruff side is why girls flock to you so much."
Lelouch blushed harder, groaning internally. "Don't remind me."
Mercedes laughed at his expense. "If you're sick of girls chasing you, I wouldn't mind being your girlfriend."
Lelouch blushed even harder, shutting his eyes. "Please don't make jokes like that!" he exclaimed strenuously.
Mercedes laughed. "Oh it wasn't a joke, but if you're not interested, I can respect that."
Lelouch needed to end this conversation fast. Mercedes's kindness was…well it was making him feel weird. He abruptly turned around.
"I don't…" he began only to exhale. He turned his head slightly so that Mercedes could see only as far as his left eye where his face was concerned. The rest of him she was gazing at from the back. "A relationship would complicate my goals far more than having to constantly chase off empty interests in my bank account. But…I recognize your interest as genuine, Mercedes." He closed his eyes. "I thank you." He then walked away.
Mercedes looked pained, seeing him go. "Oh, Lelouch. One of these days you'll need to unload your burden onto someone. Going through life alone when you're at your most wounded isn't healthy for you." But, there was little she could do. Lelouch had made his decision. For now, she'd do what she'd promised, support him in spirit.
15th Day of the Horsebow Moon
For Cyril, it didn't matter who was at the monastery, or where they came from. As long as he did his job in servitude to Lady Rhea, he got free room and board and was given enough compliments to satisfy his own lot in life. However, while Cyril didn't care about people specifically as who they were, he did get considerably annoyed when people made his job harder. Hilda was chief among them, constantly getting in his way and making him to her work for her due to her incompetence.
However, that was just Cyril picking up the slack work of work that already needed to be done. As groundskeeper, the worst part was when other people gave him work that didn't have to be done. Chief among these issues: trash.
The monastery had plenty of trash cans on it property. Cyril believed them to be over twenty, and that was just the ground floor alone. Every student also had their own wastepaper basket. So why? WHY on the goddess's green earth did one specific person keep letting their chocolate bar wrappers get blown in the wind?!
Cyril picked up a wrapper with a trash poker and marched over to the culprit with chocolate covering their fingers.
"Gino, for the last time! We have trash cans all over the monastery!" Cyril exclaimed.
"Oh, hey, Cyril! Chocolate?" Gino asked, offering the kid a bite from the unbitten end.
"Gino," Cyril grumbled.
"All right, fine, more for me," he said, biting into the bar again.
"We have plenty of trash receptacles, Gino," Cyril lectured. "You're the only one I know that keeps leaving trash everywhere."
"I thought you liked having work to do," Gino said, sounding slightly confused.
"I like having work that needs to be done. And it wouldn't be so bad if you weren't constantly doing it. I get that you're some big shot in the Britannian military, but don't forget that here, you're just another student. I could complain to Lady Rhea that you aren't keeping this place as clean as possible. I have more important chores to manage than constantly picking up candy wrappers you keep letting get blown in the breeze," Cyril reprimanded.
"All right, all right, enough with the intense stares," Gino said, taking a step back, "I get it. I thought I was helping out."
"You think dropping wrappers is helping?" Cyril couldn't fathom that logic at all.
"The way I saw it, if you didn't have work to do, you might get your job lost to someone older and maybe more qualified," Gino said.
"I have plenty of daily tasks to do," Cyril told Gino. "I don't need additional work heaped upon me. Maybe next time instead of leaving trash everywhere, if you think I'm not being worked hard enough, you could point me in the direction of something important that needs doing."
"Huh…yeah, I…guess I could do that," Gino stated.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I have a question for you," Cyril said.
"Shoot!"
"Do you think you could train me, in combat, I mean? Not in a specific weapon, but more like genuine combat experience? You've been in a firefight before, right?" Cyril asked.
Gino rubbed the back of his head. "Eh, I'm not the teacher type. But…if you just want to learn, you're old enough to be at the academy, right? Why not ask Princess Cornelia to add you to the Violet Tigers roster?"
"I guess cause it'd be hard to do all my groundskeeping work while also being a full-fledged student," Cyril said. "That's why Miss Shamir and Mister Suzaku are training me on the side. If I learn a lot from everyone, I can be more useful in other ways. I figured one day, Lady Rhea would recognize how strong I've become and upgrade me from groundskeeper to full-fledged knight."
Gino chuckled and ruffled Cyril's hair. "You got a hard work ethic there, Cyril. I could learn a lot from you. I don't suppose you—"
"No."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"You were going to ask if you could help me with the work I do, right? Sorry, but I like doing the work I'm assigned myself so I don't appear lazy. If I don't do it, or I make other people help me, Lady Rhea won't think I'm reliable."
"What are you? President of her fan club or something? No matter how hard you try, you're never going to get her hand in marriage. I can tell you that much," Gino said, rubbing the back of his head.
Cyril looked angry. "Lady Rhea's kindness goes far beyond what you could understand! She gives and she gives and she gives and nobody ever shows her the kind of thoughtful reciprocation she deserves!" Cyril shouted. "Of course, I wouldn't expect someone from Britannia to understand that!" Cyril then stormed off.
"Whoa, Cyril. Hang on a sec," Gino said as the kid stormed off. "Cyril? …Cyril?"
But Cyril ignored him and kept walking away.
Gino frowned. "Someone from Britannia…what did he mean by that? Is he talking about…what almost happened with Japan?" But Gino could tell he wouldn't get any answers out of Cyril right now. He'd have to ask the kid about them another time.
16th Day of the Horsebow Moon
It was rare for Claude to call a house meeting after class, even rarer that he said it was of dire importance. However, about the only person not surprised by this call of a house meeting was Lorenz, who seemed to be smiling, as if he had some inclination of what Claude was up to. And, judging from his smile, if he was right, he was proud of Claude for taking such initiative.
"Listen up," Claude said. "We've got big news for Leicester and it's on short notice, well…short notice for me at least."
"What's up, Claude? Are we preparing for a surprise feast?" Raphael asked.
"Of course the first thing on your mind is food," Hilda grumbled under her breath.
"Well, it does concern food, sort of, but that's not the biggest thing about this news," Claude said. "The Golden Deer have been invited to a convention and we gotta get there by this evening."
"A convention?! Us?!" Hilda went from complaining about Raphael to sounding outright shocked.
"Lorenz, you wanna take it from here. I can see the look on your face. You know what's up," Claude said. He didn't like feeding Lorenz's ego, but he could tell his classmate was just chomping at the bit to deliver the news.
Lorenz stood tall and proudly proclaimed, "My father has been invited to Lake Kawaguchi's Convention Center to make a big speech on behalf of the Leicester Alliance. Apparently it was at the request of Japan's President of the House of Councilors in the National Diet."
"National Diet? House of Councilors?" Hilda questioned. "I'm lost."
Lysithea, being ever studied, picked up the slack work. "The House of Councilors is the upper house of Japan's National Diet Building. They're…sort of like a much larger version of Leicester's round table, made up of 248 representatives."
"That's a lot of talking heads for one department," Leonie piped up. "I can't imagine they're very productive."
"It's also a lot more than the cabinet to the Prime Minister in Britannia," Nunnally commented.
"Well, we're not here to discuss Japan's…ways of governing itself. We're here to talk about the fact that we're all basically being roped into sitting in on one big, boring lecture of how great House Gloucester is," Claude remarked. "Oooooh, aaaaah, be amazed," he added sarcastically.
"It will not be a boring lecture," Lorenz said, sounding offended. "I have heard that my father has been working on some proposals to the benefit of Neo Japan. He has kept it a secret from even me so that I might bask in the hard work he has done without me knowing about it."
"Right, totally not ego stroking," Claude stated sarcastically, "I get it."
"We all have to go to the convention center?" Nunnally asked.
"Yeah, we're expected by dinner time," Claude pointed out. "So, start packing your bags, Golden Deer. We've got a convention to attend."
"I don't suppose this invitation extends to me, does it?" Manuela asked.
"Well, you're our teacher, so I guess it technically counts. Not sure who's gonna be looking over the infirmary while you're out though," Claude pointed out.
"Aha! As if I'd miss the opportunity to mingle with the upper class. You let me worry about that," Manuela commented.
"Right. You do that." Note to self: have Lorenz draw the short straw of inevitably having to escort a drunk Manuela to her hotel room.
"A convention sounds like a wonderful time. How long will we be away from the monastery?" Ignatz asked.
"We'll be back by class on Monday," Claude said. "The speech is tomorrow evening, but it's a big convention full of a lot of speeches and other important bureaucratic shenanigans. And yes, Raphael, plenty of free food."
"Then what are we waiting for! Let's pack our bags and go! Aw, man! It's a Japanese convention, right? I hope they have sushi!" He ran off to go pack.
"Claude, are you all right?" Hilda asked. "You seem…unenthusiastic to put it mildly."
"What? Me? No! I'm fine. I totally want to sit in a big convention center and listen to a bunch of self-important people tell us why they're so awesome. Why do you ask?" Claude asked. The sarcasm in his voice could not be more obvious.
"You only like long speeches when you're the one that sounds awesome, right, Claude?"
Nobody could believe that that sentence had come from Nunnally of all people. But the fact that it did sent Claude into hysterical laughter.
"Oh! Oh, that was a good one, Nunnally! My sides! Well, you heard the young lady. She just took a potshot at my ego! Open season! Get out all the blind and wheelchair jokes you want," Claude said in between laughs.
Nunnally laughed happily, oddly proud of herself. Hilda understood why. Nunnally was still adjusting to class with the Golden Deer, but now felt comfortable to make smartass jokes at the expense of her classmates, knowing that Claude would be a good sport about it. And Claude's response had basically been a reaction that said "Welcome to the team."
"It's a shame Lelouch won't be able to join us," Nunnally said. "But I'm sure I'll have lots of fun with all of you."
"You can share a room with me and Marianne, Nunnally," Hilda told her. "We'll have so much fun together. Do you need help packing, maybe escorted back to your room?"
"Oh! If you don't mind!" Nunnally exclaimed. "I can do it myself, but with you helping me it'll get done faster."
"Of course. Of course. I know! If we have time, why don't we do a little bit of shopping and buy you a new dress. You should come too, Marianne. We need to look our convention best."
Marianne sighed. "If you insist, Hilda."
"Remember, we'll be there as representatives of both the Golden Deer and Garreg Mach, so please be on your best behavior," Manuela told her class.
"I believe that should also go for you, as well, Manuela. Please do not have too much to drink," Lorenz requested.
"If you're that concerned about her, why don't you babysit her," Claude joked.
"Watch yourself, Claude. I can still give you detention before we leave," Manuela told him.
"…Don't threaten me with a good time," Claude stated, knowing detention would keep him from having to go.
Lorenz groaned. It appeared as if he would have to be the adult in the room at this convention, for his father's sake as well as his own.
"Lake Kawaguchi…Captain Jeralt's been there before. He said it was a nice place," Leonie commented aloud to herself. "Well, hopefully it's not too snooty. I can't stand stuffy places."
"Eh, it should be fine," Claude, having overheard her. "I think as long as we don't offend anyone outright, we'll be good."
"Easier said than done with you around, for sure," Lorenz jabbed verbally.
Everyone but Claude seemed to laugh at this to themselves.
"Come on guys, where's the love?" Claude asked rhetorically.
While the Golden Deer prepared for their weekend getaway, they were not the only ones planning to visit Lake Kawaguchi for the weekend. Count Erwin Fritz Gloucester was also not the only person that would be speaking during it. Many companies would be having their CEOs speak of new products and business ventures as well.
Originally, her brother, Schneizel, had been invited, but he had a scheduling conflict. Cornelia was then given two tickets by her older brother, but she then passed them on to Euphemia, citing her teaching position and the safety of the monastery as her being unable to go.
This meant that Euphemia had both tickets, and she could invite anyone she wanted. Her sister seemed quite busy, no chance of convincing her to change her mind. However, Cornelia was not Euphemia's first choice of going away to a convention regardless.
Humming to herself, the third princess of Britannia made her away across campus with the tickets in search of the person she most desired to come to the convention with her. She found her invitee in their favorite spot: the training ground. There, under the sun's rays, stood Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. He was practicing with his energy lance, working up a healthy sweat.
Euphemia smiled as she watched Dimitri practice. He was so galiant, so radiant. So…
She stopped and cupped her cheeks when she realized she was blushing.
Dimitri eventually took notice of her. "Oh. Euphemia. Something I can help you with?" He then noticed she looked red in the face. "Are you all right? You look as if you're burning up!"
"I-I'm fine!" Euphemia exclaimed, taking a step back, looking even more flustered. She quickly pulled herself into proper composure. "Say, Dimitri, do you have any…plans this weekend you'd rather not change?"
"Plans? Well…nothing concrete, to be honest," he said, pondering as he cupped a fist under his chin. He then looked directly into Euphemia's eyes. "Why do you ask?"
Euphemia swallowed and nervously handed Dimitri the extra ticket. "M-My sister gave me these tickets to the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center. They were originally for my brother, Schneizel, but…he can't go and she's too busy. S-so would you…um…would you go with me?" Euphemia's hands were shaking with an uncountable number of nerves. "Please?"
Dimitri smiled. "I would be honored to spend time with you at the convention, Princess Euphemia. What type of convention is it?"
"Oh, just some political convention that my brother was asked to attend. A lot of important politicians and world leaders are going and I heard Count Gloucester is going to make a big speech tomorrow night," Euphemia answered honestly.
"Ah, a social gathering is it? I must admit, my social skills could always use with some practice." He looked at the ticket. "Oh. The convention begins this evening at dinner. Quite. I will have to make immediate arrangements. I will meet you at the hangar at the appropriate hour, Princess. You have nothing to worry about. I accept."
"You do?! Oh, thank you, Dimitri!" Euphemia exclaimed. "I'm so happy!"
Forgetting conventional social norms, Euphemia threw her arms around Dimitri and gave him a big hug before running off. Dimitri blushed, watching her go. As soon as she shut the door to the training ground behind her, he scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
"Honestly, that girl," he thought aloud. "She's so grown up for someone still so innocent. Count on me, Princess Euphemia. I will protect you."
Dimitri was suddenly less confident in his decision when he found out that he would be sharing a hotel room with Princess Euphemia. Something about a mix up and the convention being swamped and completely booked. Worse, the room only had a single king sized bed in it.
Dimitri blushed as he dropped his overnight bag. "Your sister is going to kill me," he uttered under his breath with Euphemia in arm's reach from him.
"That's weird, I could have sworn I asked for a two bed room," Euphemia said, scratching her temple. "Oh well," she said, throwing her overnight bag onto the bed. "We'll make the most of it."
Dimitri gasped. "Princess. Please. I am already finding myself with a pint of blood on my face. Please don't tell me you're planning to…" Dimitri trailed off, gazing up from the floor to the bed. BIG mistake.
Euphemia was in the process of taking her shirt off so she could change for the evening and she didn't seem to have minded Dimitri's presence in the room until he gazed up, staring at her.
Dimitri immediately reached for the nearest extra blanket and draped it around Euphemia's shoulders.
"Princess, please! You should not be so hasty to show off such…unmarred parts of your body to someone of my position. We are neither courted, nor engaged."
Euphemia giggled. "You're so fussy, Dimitri. It's not that big of a deal. It's not like I was going to take off my bra or anything. It would be no different than if you saw me in a swimsuit."
Dimitri turned bright red. "Be that as it may, if you are going to change clothes without using the lavatory, at the very least warn me so that I might give you privacy by staring at the wall."
"I wouldn't want to stare at the wall," Euphemia responded. She then realized how that came across. "Ah! W-wait! I mean…erm…that is…"
"I'm…going to go use the bathroom myself to change," Dimitri said and ruffled through his belongings with the biggest blush on his face as he did so.
Euphemia managed to wipe the embarrassment off her face rather quickly, dressing in her favorite white, feathery dress that she often wore to formal occasions. She hummed to herself as she changed for what was sure to be an unforgettable evening.
She kept checking her phone, moving to every possible location in the bedroom from the couch to the bed to sitting on the desk, to leaning against the balcony. She played a round of Tetris on her phone, sent a text to her sister, and still no sound of Dimitri coming out of the bathroom. So, she decided to knock.
"Dimitri, are you okay in there?"
"Ah, my apologies, my tie is giving me trouble."
"Oh! Just a tie? I can help with that!"
Without even waiting for a response, Euphemia opened the door to the sight of a fully dressed Dimitri in a black suit, fumbling with a deep blue tie.
"Wait, Euphemia! What are you—"
Dimitri did not get a chance to protest further. Euphemia grabbed his tie and began helping him put it on.
"How do you…?"
"My brothers taught me," Euphemia said. "When I turned fourteen, Cornelia thought it would be a good exercise in case I ever married someone that was slow to get dressed and time was of the essence. So, she had Clovis and Schneizel teach me separately."
"Ever the meticulous one your sister. Still…" Dimitri trialed off. "Wait, marry?!"
"Well, of course," Euphemia said, fiddling with the fabric. "I'll have to get married some day. I want a big family too. Not as big as my father's, of course."
"R-right, of course," Dimitri stuttered.
Euphemia giggled. "Did you think that my fixing your tie meant that we should get married?"
"W-well…" Dimitri stuttered again, sweating.
Euphemia pecked Dimitri on the cheek then without warning.
"P-PRINCESS EUPHEMIA!" Dimitri blurted out, sweating profusely, redder than Edelgard's tights.
Euphemia laughed, putting one finger against her lips. "You look so cute when you're embarrassed."
Dimitri exhaled deeper than any sigh. "You almost gave a heart attack. Such behavior is unbecoming of a proper princess. If your sister saw that, I would undoubtedly be on my way to a trial for crimes she made up on the spot just to see me hang."
Euphemia laughed. "That sounds like my sister all right."
"My life is no laughing matter, Princess," Dimitri said, exhaling and shaking his head. "I must carry on, for Faerghus's sake."
Euphemia smiled. "I know. I like that serious and reliable side of yours, a lot actually."
Dimitri chuckled uncomfortably.
Euphemia then finished her work. "There. Perfect. Take a look."
Dimitri turned around to gaze into the mirror. His tie…never looked better. Even his late stepmother or his father had never gotten his tie this perfect. Four years in a row now he'd gone to formal gatherings without one and just worn his collared shirts with the top button undone.
"I must say, those lessons certainly had merit."
Euphemia giggled. "So, shall we?" she asked.
"Oh, of course," Dimitri said and offered Euphemia his hand. "The gentleman shall escort the lady."
Euphemia daintily walked her fingers into Dimitri's palm before gently grasping his hand. "The lady is happy to be escorted."
As soon as she and Dimitri left the room, Euphemia did more than hold Dimitri's hand. She outright slipped her arm under his, walking with her head practically against Dimitri's shoulder.
"P-Princess Euphemia!"
Euphemia's grip only grew tighter. "This is nice. I like this, don't you?"
Dimitri sighed heavily. "It doesn't matter what I like. What's proper is—"
"Oh, just live in the moment. It's not every day I get to just…be a girl my age, you know? I've…always wanted to go somewhere, alone…" she snuggled Dimitri's shoulder, "with a chivalrous, knightly person."
Dimitri stuttered, blushing, at a loss for words. He turned his head away from Euphemia. "Well…if it's just for one weekend, I suppose I don't mind if it would make you happy. But once we return to the monastery, it should be business as—"
Euphemia pecked him on the cheek again.
"PRINCESS EUPHEMIA!"
Euphemia laughed and laughed as the two made for the elevator. "Sorry, I just had to in order to see the look on your face. Last time. I promise."
Dimitri groaned inwardly. This woman is not good for my health in some ways, he thought. But…in others, he thought as the two stepped into the elevator together, that light in her eyes is light I thought I would never see in a noble's ever again. Even Annette and Mercedes carry scars. Dimitri balled a fist. Euphemia…I won't let your light go out! I swear it on my father's name!
The dinner at the convention was absolutely divine. And yes, much to Raphael's delight, they served sushi. In fact, the cuisine was practically entirely Japanese. This made things difficult for Dimitri who kept breaking his chopsticks. While he was eventually brought a fork, before that moment, he had to suffer the embarrassment of Euphemia feeding him a piece of sushi with her own chopsticks. Although Dimitri could hardly taste anything, he faked it well. Even if food had no taste to him, he still need to fill his stomach.
Entertainment for the evening included several bands of various cultures, as well as some magicians, and a couple of standup comedians. All in all, a seven course meal over the course of three hours of delightful entertainment. Dimitri had been entertained before, but nothing that he could recall quite like this. Of course, he'd never been to a convention like this before either. Being a prince wasn't what most people believed that he could just order a court jester to entertain him or force a traveling troupe to make up a play for him on the spot. Even if that were the case, Dimitri would have never ordered such a thing.
Of course, what made the evening extra special was just how happy Euphemia looked. He'd never seen such genuine joy on anyone's face before in his life, not even his own, not even during his more innocent days. Dimitri could tell just by looking at Euphemia. This was a girl that loved life itself.
As the two got in the elevator after the meal and entertainment had concluded, Euphemia was over the moon, giggling. "That was so much fun! I wonder if tomorrow will be just as exciting."
Dimitri chuckled. "No, I believe tomorrow will be quite serious and boring. A lot of men our father's age talking about important adult matters, but it's good to know that we can enjoy a good day's meal and entertainment prior to us being bored to tears."
Euphemia laughed. "Those things are important though, aren't they?"
"Yes, very important. Hmm, perhaps we should not have been so hasty to get into the elevator. Were my father still with us, he undoubtedly would have tried to mingle with the masses, make connections."
"Do you want to go back down?" Euphemia asked, reaching for the lobby floor button.
"Honestly, I'm exhausted. Between the flight and the packing, and the unpacking and the…excitement, I dread more what I could say to someone right now by accident more than I do not making proper connections. Besides, with you at my side, that might before the best. If people saw us together as we are, I don't even want to imagine the scandal that would follow."
Euphemia laughed. "Maybe it doesn't have to be a scandal."
"Don't even joke about that. You and I are of different nations," Dimitri stated as the elevator opened up to his and Euphemia's floor. "If people believed we were an item, it would have massive ramifications not just for Britannia, but for Faerghus as well. Treaties would need to be drawn. Both nations would have to avoid going to war over territory. It would be a huge mess."
"Are you saying we could never be together?" Euphemia asked.
"I'm not saying never. I am saying it would be extremely difficult," Dimitri said. "And it's a headache I'd rather not give myself when I'm not serious about the attempt."
Euphemia looked miserable as she stopped dead in her tracks. "So…you don't like me?"
"No!" Dimitri exclaimed and then gasped. "No, princess. I did not mean to imply…" he shook his head. "See? This is precisely why I am glad we came back upstairs." He sighed. "Princess Euphemia, you are a lovely young woman, lovelier than I believe any other I have ever met, but…forbidden fruit is forbidden for a good reason. I am…even quite uncertain that I think of you in ways that would lead to marriage and not…things I would greatly reprimand Sylvain for. However, if enough time were to pass, and my feelings were to change—"
Euphemia kissed Dimitri again, this time on the lips.
Dimitri was greatly surprised at this. This was no mere quick kiss. She was trying to actually make out with him in the hallway. And, despite his best efforts to be chivalrous, despite his best efforts to do the right thing, to gently push her away, and to tell her "No"…he could not push her away…and he did not say no. Instead, he brought her closer, pulling on her back, bringing one hand up to the back of her head, pushing her closer. He opened his mouth, allowing his tongue to meet hers.
Euphemia tilted her head back as Dimitri's hand on the back of her head combed over the top of her head and brushed her forehead. The two were connected for over half a minute before finally, and slowly, pulling away.
Euphemia smiled mischievously. "You should be more honest with yourself, sometimes."
Dimitri sighed and smiled in defeat. "You are, without question, extremely pushy and unusual."
"But you like that about me, right?" Euphemia asked mischievously.
Dimitri sighed again and then said with a serious look on his face, "Very well…the truth then. I…could easily see you at my side forever. In fact, I would very much like it. However, Euphemia, though I am heir to the throne, I am not yet king. To marry you would mean to steal you away from Britannia. I would have to earn both your father's and your sister's approval, no doubt, a task I am not even close to certain I can match. Emperor Charles is very, how should I put this, extremely stubborn. Ceding power to Faerghus would not appear to be in his best interest, as I have no intention of making light of Britannia's systems I find problematic. Were we to be wed, I would wish to have say in matters regarding the country you live in, not use you as a political bargaining chip for your father's ambitions. And…it is because I care about you, and your wellbeing, so much…that I hesitate. I don't even know if what I feel for you is love…or just lust, a longing to reclaim a part of myself I feel I lost long ago."
"Do you want to date then?" Euphemia asked.
"D-Date?!" Dimitri gaped, growing pale.
"It could just be a little secret if you want. My sister doesn't have to know. And…and if we find that we aren't as good a match as we think…we don't have to go through with all of the hardship," Euphemia stated.
Dimitri thought about it. "I…do not know if that's wise. A secret relationship from your sister could very easily mean my head from my shoulders. However…" he smiled at Euphemia. "I do not regret that moment we shared at all. If it is the only truth we have with each other, then so be it. Not as a prince, but as a knight-in-training, I swear to you, Princess Euphemia, so long as I draw breath, I will protect you."
Euphemia smiled. "I am also glad to have shared that moment, Dimitri." She took his hand. "Come on, it's getting late. We should rest."
"Agreed," Dimitri said.
Although the two decided not to deepen their relationship, that passionate kiss lingered in their minds.
They turned down into that single king-sized bed. "Good night, Princess Euphemia," Dimitri said to her with a smile as he clicked off the light.
"Goodnight, sweet prince," Euphemia responded with a smile of her own. She then turned over away from him and faced the blind drawn window.
Sleep took them then. In the cold of night and slumber, Euphemia ended up crawling over to clutch at Dimitri's night shirt, snoring against him. They could deny it all they could, but both knew what the both wanted. Would fate have other plans? Only time would tell. For now though, they were just happy, and they felt as though nothing could take that away from them.
(A/N: Touching, isn't it? …Oh boy do you all probably know what's next chapter. We've got the Golden Deer here, Euphemia with her new not-boyfriend, and the watchful public eye on the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center. The die is cast and the crossroads of fate are appearing. Fasten your seatbelts, everybody. You're in for a bumpy ride!
Until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!)