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Edelgard Hresvelg is not a woman of regrets. Every choice that she’s made in her twenty-three years of life have been made with certainty and conviction, except for this one. Perhaps it’s her inner rebellious spirit, her desire to bite back at her uncle in any way she can, or perhaps Dorothea Arnault is the most convincing saleswoman she has ever met.
“Edie I promise, I’ve double-checked everything about this woman online. She’s completely harmless, except to fish, and is very easy on the eyes.”
“I just don’t think this-” Edelgard let out a huff and leaned back into her chair, crossing her arms.
“You want to get under your family’s skin, right?” Dorothea asked, leaning forward onto the table with a raised eyebrow.
Edelgard paused, “Fine. I’ll meet her, but that’s it.”
She sighs as she checks herself over in her floor-length mirror once more. Dressed in a shoulderless red dress and with her white hair tied up into a neat bun, she certainly looks the part of the dutiful niece; returned home to celebrate the holidays with her family and the many businessmen of Adrestia Marketing. The sound of shuffling in the room next door, however, is a constant reminder that she most certainly is not.
“So Byleth, you will accompany me to my uncle’s annual holiday party. You will act as my… partner in front of my family and at the event. I, in turn, will pay for your travel expenses and for any updates to your wardrobe you might require. I don’t mean to be rude, but the event is a black tie formal, and while your purpose is to unsettle my uncle and certain other family members I would prefer you at least look somewhat presentable.”
Claude let out a low whistle from his place next to Byleth, “You sure you don’t want to just draw up a formal contract for this? Make us sign in blood or something?”
“I will have the proper paperwork ready before you both depart.” Hubert replied, his gaze sweeping once more over the individuals in front of him. His frown had not left his face since the two had sat down.
Claude was about to quip back when he felt Byleth’s hand on his shoulder, she shook her head.
“That’s fine with me.”
Byleth Eisner, Edelgard had learned, is a woman of very few words. Hubert had stayed up all night trying to dig up any information he could find on the woman. She’s twenty-five years old and comes from a military family, never staying in one place for more than a year and had been mostly homeschooled because of it. She currently works with her father on Garreg Mach’s campus as security. Apparently, her mother had been related to the current dean and was offered a position almost immediately. That was everything that Hubert had managed to find, not that Dorothea fared any better.
Byleth’s social media pages were incredibly sparse with most only updating once or twice a week and with the same topics; new recipes she was trying, pictures of her cat, or pictures of her most recent fishing trip that sometimes featured her father. Dorothea had remarked that her feeds were more like a middle-aged man’s rather than belonging to someone their age.
“Sorry, Edelgard? Did I tie this right?”
The sound of Byleth’s voice draws Edelgard out of her thoughts. Looking up, she finds the taller woman standing in the doorway with one hand worrying over her chest. Instead of the expected dress, Byleth is wearing black dress pants with a simple white button up, the sleeves rolled up past her elbows to expose the end of a large dragon tattoo on her right arm. The black vest she has on is currently open as she fiddles with the crimson tie around her neck, her normally messy hair is pulled back into a semi-neat ponytail that hangs off of her left shoulder.
Edelgard moves away from the mirror, “Here, hold still. You almost had it, this end just needs to go under instead of over.” She brings her hands up to adjust the tie, “Let me know if this is too tight.”“No that’s fine. Thank you.” Byleth shoots her a soft smile as she begins fastening her vest and Edelgard swears her heart skips a beat. She hates when Dorothea is right.
Edelgard hadn’t taken her eyes off of Dorothea’s laptop screen. The woman pictured was, in fact, quite attractive. The picture must have been a candid taken by one of her friends, she looked like she had just finished a workout. Well muscled arms were stretched above her head and a mop of messy dark blue hair was pulled into an even messier ponytail. Her eyes were closed and a relaxed smile covered her face, Edelgard had never seen anyone so beautiful before.
“So Edie, like what you see?”
“Dorothea, please be quiet.”
Edelgard clears her throat and takes a step back, “I trust you’re ready to head down then?”
“Yes. You look very nice Edelgard.”
That was the other thing Edelgard had learned about Byleth over the past few weeks. The woman is incredibly blunt, not because she wants to be mean but because she speaks whatever is on her mind. It’s incredibly refreshing when Edelgard has lived her life surrounded by people trying to garner favors from her or her family, but in instances like this? Well, Edelgard doesn’t quite know how to respond.
“Th-thank you. Now let’s go.” She turns and makes her way to the door leading to the hall. Byleth hurries after her, her longer legs making it easy to catch up.
Byleth was seated on the couch in Edelgard’s apartment, an old notebook lay in her lap as a steaming mug of tea was placed in front of her.
“I apologize with how many details you must know, but my uncle is incredibly perceptive. If he has even the smallest doubt about our relationship he’ll be a shark out for blood. Why don’t we take a break for now and I’ll answer any questions you may have.” Edelgard sat at the other end of the couch cradling her own mug of tea close to her chest. There was a moment of silence before Byleth spoke up,
“Was he like that when you were growing up?”
Edelgard carefully put her mug down before responding, “If you mean harsh and judgmental, then yes, unfortunately. He’s been obsessed with becoming the next CEO of Adrestia Marketing for as long as I can remember and he’s willing to use everything at his disposal to achieve that goal, myself included.”
“Didn’t your parents try and keep him out of your life?”
“Unfortunately my parents were never actually married and when my mother did marry a widower I didn’t leave with her. My father had fallen ill by then as well so my uncle was the only one left to raise me.”
Byleth just stared for a moment, her gaze was intense and Edelgard found herself torn between looking away and being drawn into those deep blue eyes. She settled for hiding her face behind her tea and taking a long slow sip. She didn’t notice as Byleth reached out to lay one hand on her leg, “I’m sorry your family sucks.” and Edelgard almost chokes.
Dimitri is waiting for them in the hallway outside. Edelgard is loathe to admit it, but her usually sloppy step-brother had managed to clean up rather nicely for this event. “Ah hello Edelgard, Byleth. You both are looking lovely this evening.”
“You as well Dimitri, it’s good to see that you’ve managed to find a suit that fits you properly this time.”
“Must you in front of our guest?” Dimitri sighs, though the smile on his face is a kind one.
Edelgard shoots him a smirk in return, “If I don’t, who will?”
Dimitri sighs again and actually looks somewhat dejected, “Preferably no one, but I know that’s too much to ask of both you and Felix. Now if you’re done teasing me, shall we head down? I’m sure our uncle is eager to meet your, ah, friend?”
“Girlfriend, Dimitri.” Somewhere in the back of Edelgard’s mind, she does regret not being able to tell Dimitri of their whole plan. Unfortunately, her brother has no talent for lying and him blowing their cover is the last thing they need. She takes Byleth’s arm and begins walking towards the staircase.
Dimitri scrambles to catch up with the two women, stepping in line on Byleth’s left, “R-right of course. I’m sorry you had to see El like that, Byleth. She only seems to act like a child around me.”
Okay, maybe she should have told him some part of their plan. She glares at her brother, “Child?! At least I don’t make a habit of sneaking into the kitchen to eat string cheese at 3 AM every night.”
The walk downstairs continues on in a similar fashion, with Byleth stuck in the middle. She doesn’t seem to mind it at least. It’s a comfortable rhythm that the two seem to fall into. “You guys are really close, huh?”
Whatever retort Dimitri had ready to fire back dies in his throat as he looks from Byleth to Edelgard, his expression growing much more bashful,
“I, uh suppose we are.” They approach the rather ostentatiously decorated entrance to the ballroom and Edelgard clears her throat, “Yes I suppose we are. You understand that I’m just looking out for you as an older sister, right Dimitri?”
He rolls his eyes and grumbles, “By six months, El. Only by six months.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing! Nothing. Now I do believe we’ve kept our dear uncle waiting long enough. Shall we?”
Edelgard lets out a sigh and tightens her grip on Byleth’s arm before she nods. On cue, Dimitri swings one door open.
“Wait you have ten siblings?” Byleth asked they drove along the highway.
“Eleven, counting my step-brother.”
“That’s a big family.”
“You have no idea.” Edelgard said moving to turn the radio down before explaining, “My family has some… dated beliefs, and one of them involves having too many children. To what end I have no idea, but yes, ten siblings. All with a different mother than my own.”
Byleth paused, glancing at the other woman before asking, “What are they like?”
“Wildly different, I’m afraid it would take all day to cover each of their quirks. I’ll give you the basics of each of them; Annalise is the youngest and she acts it. She’s always getting into some kind of trouble that the two eldest are often getting her out of-”
The trio had barely stepped into the room before a young woman ambushes them. Her hair is a dark brown and done into twin braids that give off a youthful appearance, her eyes a pale violet that match Edelgard’s. “Dima! El! Thank the goddess you guys are here, Nicolas is being a stick in the mud and-”
“Annalise! Please they’ve only just arrived. Don’t try and involve them in whatever you’re plotting.” A young man quickly appears at Annalise’s side, slightly out of breath and bent over with one hand on his knee.
“Nicolas is the second youngest. He’s a quiet boy who would often trail after me when we were younger, I’ve heard he’s distanced himself from most of our family to work on his first novel-”
“Nickie, don’t be rude, I’m not plotting anything. I was just gonna ask our dear sister if she’d get me a drink later.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh you’re no fun El- wait, who’s this?”
Edelgard isn’t surprised that her sister had only just noticed Byleth’s presence. Once that girl set her mind to something she often had a habit of ignoring everything else around her.
Nicolas spoke up for the youngest Hresvelg then. “Oh, you must be Byleth! We heard that El was bringing someone home this time. My name is Nicolas, and you can ignore the troublemaker over there.” He gives a small bow that Byleth doesn’t quite know how to return, so she bows back rather stiffly.
“Geez, how ripped are you? I bet you could take Dima over here no problem!” Annalise, not one to be ignored, manages to worm her way in between Byleth and Dimitri and is currently patting the former’s bicep.
“Now that was a bit uncalled for…”
She ignores Dimitri’s complaints. “Do you have some secret technique or something?”
Byleth stares, “I work out a lot.”
“Thank you for the introductions, Annalise. Now please get off of my girlfriend. I’m sure you have more relatives to terrorize tonight.” Edelgard interrupts before her sister can comment further on Byleth’s, admittedly nice, arms.
“Fine, fine. I’ll see you later El! C’mon Dima, let’s lose this nerd.” She blows a raspberry at Nicolas before grabbing Dimitri and hurrying off into the crowd of people.
Nicolas runs a hand through light brown curls in exasperation, “I’ll keep an eye on her. It was nice to see you El, and nice to meet you Byleth.” He waves at the pair before disappearing into the crowd.
“You weren’t kidding about your sister, huh?” Byleth chuckles as they start walking.
“I’m sorry she was the first one you ran into. You did well though.”
“It’s easier if I don’t have to talk much.”
Edelgard laughs at that. “I suppose that’s true.”
The two continue making their way through the room without too many interruptions. The few guests who do stop them are all longtime board members. They all make some comment on Edelgard’s apparent beauty and Byleth plays her part well, glaring at them and wrapping her arm tighter around Edelgard’s waist. It works to unnerve them all as well and Edelgard considers it a major success when she hears them whispering after she’s turned away. Getting an excuse to lean even more against Byleth’s side is just another perk.
The figures she sees as they approach the buffet table are nearly identical. Both are dressed in tailored suits with blonde hair slicked back and Edelgard has to fight back a groan as they notice her and approach.
“Elias and Matthias are twins. You’ll be able to tell them apart by their earrings; Elias has his left ear pierced and Matthias his right. They’re an interesting pair…”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Usually bad. While they’re relatively okay to be around alone, together they’re insufferable. They like to act more important than they are and are constantly boosting the other’s ego-”
“Ah, there’s our rebellious little sister.” Edelgard wishes they had turned around and continued walking.
“I took my piercings out for this occasion, unlike two certain individuals.”
“You didn’t dye your hair back though.” Matthias fires back. His arms are crossed as he looks over Edelgard’s attire, disapproval written all over his face.
Byleth wraps her arms around Edelgard’s waist, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder. “I like her hair like this.”
Elias scoffs. “You must be Byleth. We heard our dear sister was bringing someone home, apologies if we were expecting someone more… refined. My name is Elias, and this is Matthias.”
“I hardly think one needs to be refined to hold my interest.” Edelgard leans back slightly into Byleth’s touch, one eyebrow raised in challenge at her brother.
“Of course, Edelgard. Apologies if I offended you, Byleth.” Byleth scowls.
Matthias smirks and offers a half bow, “Yes, apologies. We’ve just never seen our dear El here interested in someone quite like you before. What do you do, exactly?”
Edelgard can feel Byleth tense up behind her as she answers and lays a comforting hand over Byleth’s own. “I work security and other odd jobs.”
“Well, there’s certainly no shame in doing what you must to get by. I’ll be sure to call you if any of the guests get too rowdy-”
“I’m certain that Volkhard has hired ample security for this event.” Edelgard snaps.
“Oh, of course, but I’m certain this must be dreadfully dull for her. I’m afraid most topics of conversation would just go over her head so it’ll give her something to do. Maybe impress-”
Edelgard doesn’t wait for Matthias to finish before she storms off. She drags Byleth away without another word towards the small patio at the other end of the room. She doesn’t stop until they make their way outside. The cold night air is refreshing as Edelgard turns to face Byleth, ready to apologize for her brothers, but the words catch in her throat at Byleth’s expression.
The taller woman’s face is set in a scowl but her eyes speak only of concern. “Do they always talk down to you like that?”
It’s the gentleness of her voice that makes Edelgard falter. “They talk down to everyone. I truly am sorry about them, Byleth. I knew they would be a nuisance but not like that.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ve heard worse.”
Edelgard’s eyes widen and she finds herself at a loss for words, “Byleth...”
“I wasn’t a popular kid growing up - was too quiet, I guess, so people called me a freak. Things like that.” Byleth shrugs and a sad smile spreads across her face. “Hey, El, are you okay? You’re shaking.”
“O-oh! I suppose the cold has gotten to me.” Edelgard swears the pink on her cheeks is because of the chill.
“We should go back inside, then.”
Byleth turns to open the door when she feels a hand on her arm, “Byleth, wait. I know you’re only here because of me and my selfish demands but-”
“Oh goddess, El. There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“Sophia is another matter entirely. You met Dorothea, yes?” Byleth nodded. “Imagine her but five times worse-”
“You poor thing, you know you don’t handle the cold well! Come inside right now! And you,” the sudden blur of blonde hair and sparkling jewelry whirls to face Byleth, jabbing one finger into her chest, “why did you bring my sweet El out here? If you aren’t going to hold her in those delicious arms and whisper sweet nothings in her ear then you have no business dragging her out here!”
“I’m sorry?” Byleth seems genuinely apologetic, and Edelgard would feel worse if her expression wasn’t just a bit adorable.
“You better be! And listen, just between you and me? If things don’t work out with my baby sis here, I’m always available.” Sophia doesn’t try and whisper that as she slides into Byleth’s personal space.
“Okay, thank you Sophia!” Edelgard says, shoving her older sister inside and shooting Byleth an apologetic look over her shoulder.
Sophia immediately latches onto Byleth again as she steps inside, “Ah, and there’s our woman of the hour! So tell me: how did you and El meet? Did you save her from some menacing thugs? A chance meeting at the gym where it was love at first sight?”
“Sophia!”
“We just ran into each other one day. She spilled her drink on me and offered to buy me dinner to make up for it.” Byleth replies, trying to gently remove the woman clinging to her arm.
“Ooh El I’m so proud! I didn’t know you had it in you, you sly minx. Can’t blame you though, if I had seen someone so beautiful walking around you know I would have-”
Edelgard manages to pull her sister off before she can continue. “That is quite enough. Thank you for showing yourself Sophia but we must move on.”
“Oh I’m sure, El. Well don’t let me hold you two up. Just be safe!” Sophia calls after the two, winking when Edelgard makes the mistake of turning back. She can feel the blush crawling back onto her face as she buries it against Byleth’s side.
“Well, she was nice.” Edelgard only groans in response, which Byleth lets out a small laugh at. “You’re cute when you blush, El.”
“Byleth, I implore you to please stop talking.”
“Sorry, do you want a drink?”
“Yes please, thank you.” Edelgard only looks up when she feels Byleth move away. She hates how much she misses the warmth pressed against her already.
The moment alone is good though, even with all the people swarming around her Edelgard tunes them out and begins to think. The bright lights and festive music fade away into the back of her mind as she goes over the events of the night. Byleth was doing an exceptional job at playing her part, all of her uncle’s friends who approached seemed taken aback by her and the twins were exactly as offended as she hoped they would be. She wasn’t happy with it though, not completely happy anyway. Maybe it was the selfish part of her that wanted this to be real, wanted Byleth’s touches to be genuine, or maybe she was feeling guilty after what Byleth had revealed outside. She decided then that she was going to find a way to properly make this up to the other woman, Hubert’s warning be damned.
Hubert had finished drawing up actual terms for this arrangement and was now waiting for Edelgard’s approval. The two were seated across from each other in the kitchen of Hubert’s apartment, his laptop was open next to him should there be any necessary changes.
“This looks fine Hubert, thank you again for drawing this up on something so silly.”
“I would hope that I’ve made my feelings on your uncle clear enough that any attempt to rile him up is not wasted. I’m merely concerned for you, Edelgard.”
“Me? I can take care of myself just fine, Hubert.”
“I think you misunderstand. I know very well how capable you are when it comes to physical defense, but emotional defense?”
“You think I’m going to actually fall for her?”
Hubert crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her, “Maybe not romantically, but I’m afraid you could put too much of yourself into this. We don’t know how she sees this arrangement and I don’t want to see you hurt afterwards is all.”
Edelgard was quiet for a moment, “I’ll think on what you’ve said, thank you for your concern Hubert.”
He simply nodded and closed his laptop.
“Looking for someone, El?” Edelgard is shaken out of her thoughts as two figures approach; one was her older sister, Augustine, and the other was a sheepish looking Byleth.
“Sorry that took me so long. I got lost.”
“Augustine is perhaps the nicest out of all of them.”
Byleth quirked an eyebrow at the woman in the passenger’s seat, “That doesn’t sound like a big achievement from what you’ve told me.”
Edelgard has to bite back a laugh, “I suppose you’re right. She was always looking out for those younger than her and works hard to keep us all in touch now.”
“I found your poor date hovering outside of the kitchen trying to flag down the staff. She was far too polite to interrupt them and they were too busy to notice!” Augustine lets out a laugh as she shoves Byleth forwards.
“Your drink. Augustine said it was your favorite.” Byleth handed Edelgard a glass that was filled halfway with a sparkling red wine. Byleth’s own glass was filled with a similar looking wine that she sniffed at cautiously before taking a careful sip, she only looks slightly disgusted at the taste.
Edelgard stares into her glass for a moment longer before Augustine speaks up again. “Oh, don’t hold back on my account. Just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to! In fact, please enjoy it on my behalf.” The older woman laughs again and rubs her stomach that Edelgard only just notices has a small bump.
“Oh August, how careless of me not to notice. Congratulations, when are you due?” Edelgard moves to wrap her sister in a delicate hug, but is quickly pulled into a much more forceful one.
“Stop that, I’m not going to break from one hug. To answer your question though, the doctors say it should be sometime in the early summer.”
“I’ll make sure I’m free to come and visit then.”
“You better, you know I hate how spread apart everyone is right now.” Augustine chides and pinches Edelgard’s cheek, “Now go enjoy the rest of the night. Say what you will about dear old Volkhard, but the man can certainly throw a party.” With a ruffle of Edelgard’s hair, the older woman disappears into the crowd.
“I wish she would stop that. She knows I’ve hated that since we were young.” Edelgard grumbles, taking a long sip of her drink.
Byleth chuckles and downs the rest of her glass, regret clear on her face afterward as she shakes her head, “She was really nice. She stopped me before I could go into the kitchen and make a mess of things.”
“I suppose that’s my fault. I should have told you to just flag someone down here.”
“It’s alright. I overheard some people talking, I guess we’re the hot gossip of the party tonight.”
“Really now?”
Byleth stands up straight and puts on a very bad posh accent, “The prestigious niece of Volkhard Arundel returned home with some scruffy looking woman, oh how the office will be abuzz for the coming weeks.” The sight is too ridiculous for Edelgard to handle and she can’t stop the laughter that bursts forth, only gaining the attention of a few nearby guests.
“Now where did that come from?”
“You looked like you’ve been thinking too much.” Byleth says, there’s a faint tint of pink dusting her cheeks and Edelgard’s breath ends up caught in her throat, “Oh…” she whispers.
The moment is lost as a young man appears, throwing his arm over Edelgard’s shoulder. The grin he wears on his face is easy as he says, “There’s my baby sis, we’ve been looking for ya!”
“Frederic is the one we’ll have to watch out for. He’s far more perceptive than he seems and he always seems to be plotting something.”
Byleth nodded, “Is there anyone else I should be worried about?”
“Francesca,” Edelgard replied immediately, “she’s the only one who might actually try to hurt you. Or threaten you.”
Stepping to Edelgard’s other side is a young woman, her gaze never straying from Byleth’s form, “Indeed. Frederic here was beside himself with worry.”
“I do hope your date here doesn’t mind if I steal you away for a moment, El. It’s been far too long.” Her drink is summarily passed to a nearby servant and before Edelgard can get a word in edgewise she finds herself being shuffled towards the center of the room where couples have paired off to dance.
“Hold on a moment-”
“Not to worry, Franny will keep an eye on your date for you.”
“Don’t call me that. C’mon, Byleth was it? Let’s chat over a drink.”
“Oh uh okay.”
Edelgard can only watch as her sister drags a slightly confused Byleth away. She just hopes Franseca wouldn’t terrorize the poor woman. She turns to her brother instead, narrowing her eyes at him, “What exactly are you two doing?”
“We’re just looking out for you, El. Francesca was beside herself when she heard you were bringing someone home.”
Reaching the dance floor the pair fall into a familiar rhythm, stepping in time with the music instantly, “And you, Frederic? What game are you playing at.”
“Well, with how our brothers reacted I just had to see this mystery date for myself. Honestly El, you should have heard those two going off.” Frederic pulls his sister close to whisper, “Though I suppose that’s what you hoped for, hm?”
Edelgard shoots her brother a wry smile as they part, “I’m certain I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He laughs, “Of course you don’t. Can’t say I disapprove though, we needed something exciting to happen tonight. Just be careful.”
“Frederic, are you showing genuine concern? I’m shocked.” The music begins to die down as the other pairs begin separating or vacating the dance floor entirely. Frederic puts a hand to his chest in mock offense, “You wound me. Haven’t I always been the model of a caring older brother to you?”
Edelgard just stares, raising one eyebrow for good measure.
“Okay fine, don’t answer that. I mean it though, El. Be careful - for me at least?”
“You know I always am.”
“To a fault, some would say. Now let’s go find your date, if Francesca hasn’t scared her off you might try dating her for real!”
Edelgard pointedly ignores her brother as she makes her way off the dance floor. His mock sounds of distress fall on deaf ears as she begins to search for her date. She couldn’t have been searching for more than five minutes, but the time spent walking aimlessly around the hall seems to stretch for an eternity. In the end it’s Byleth who finds her, appearing suddenly by her side with another pair of glasses in her hands.
“Well it’s good to see that my sister returned you in one piece. I hope she wasn’t too… forceful with you.” Edelgard says taking the offered glass and downing a good fourth of it.
“She was very polite about the whole thing. But you were right, she did threaten me if I ever break your heart.”
Edelgard hums and takes another long sip, “So just don’t break my heart then.”
There’s a long pause where the two women just stare at each other. Edelgard quickly downs the rest of her glass and clears her throat, ‘My apologies Byleth. I’m afraid the wine might be getting to me.”
“Your cheeks are a bit red there, El.”
“I am quite aware, thank you.”
“There’s two left you haven’t told me about, right?” They had stopped for a late lunch at a diner that was advertised as right off the highway. Byleth was currently digging into a pile of french fries that seemed endless on her plate.
“Yes. The two oldest: Dominic and Elizabeth.” Edelgard picked at the salad in front of her, “Both of them are currently working on the board at Adrestia and anyone not loyal to my uncle are loyal to them.”
“You say that like its a bad thing.”
“It could be worse. I have issues with some of their policies, but those are petty differences compared to my uncle’s practices.”
Byleth paused from shoveling fries into her mouth, “I see. Are you guys close?”
“Not really. Dominic was sixteen when I was born and I don’t think we were ever able to overcome that age gap. Elizabeth tried, I think, but we never had any common interests.”
Byleth dipped a fry into her milkshake and Edelgard wasn’t sure if she should be disgusted, “What does she like?”
“She always had a fascination with history and long gone civilizations. I believe she also knits.” Edelgard pursed in thought.
“And what about you?”
It took Edelgard a moment to think of her own interests, most of her schedule was dedicated to her thesis or working at Adrestia. She rarely had time to enjoy herself lately and had to think of what she enjoyed as a teenager, “I’ve had an interest in the arts I suppose. I liked to paint when I was younger.”
“Do you still paint?”
“I haven’t had the time for it.”
“That’s a shame. I’d like to see your paintings sometime.”
The conversation continued on, well into after they had left the diner. Byleth’s answers were short, but the other woman made it clear she was listening intently to every word Edelgard said. It felt natural, speaking to her like this. Natural and something else - comfortable perhaps?
Edelgard is brought back to reality by a firm hand on her back that begins to move her. Byleth leads her to an unoccupied space along the wall where the music is quieter and lights aren’t so harsh.
Being so close to the other woman Edelgard finds herself staring. Edelgard isn’t a particularly short person, so she would say anyway, but even in her heels she barely reached Byleth’s shoulder. A stray lock of hair had come loose, and before Edelgard could think, she finds herself leaning up to brush it back into place.
Byleth had been watching the room, her gaze drifting from person to person, but now those piercing blue eyes were locked with light violet.
“El?” Byleth whispers taking Edelgard’s hand in her own.
“I’ve been wondering, Byleth-”
“There you are my dear niece. I was starting to worry that you were avoiding me.”
It’s like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her. Pushing the growing irritation and anxiety down, she turns to face the intruder, “I would never, Uncle. I’ve just been pulled around all night, you know how my siblings are.”
“Quite. I heard from Frederic that you’ve been quite popular tonight.” a new voice rings out. Stepping into view are the eldest Hresvelg siblings.
“That’s what happens when you don’t visit home often enough,” Volkhard says, sending Edelgard a pointed stare.
“At least she’s doing well in school right now, unlike some people.” Elizabeth cuts in with a roll of her eyes. Dominic sighs and nods, “I’m afraid Annalise will have to learn firsthand what failure truly feels like before she understands.”
“That seems a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Byleth says from Edelgard’s side. Her own arms are crossed and a small frown was beginning to form on her face.
“You must be Byleth,” Volkhard says extending one arm, “I must say I’ve heard very little about you from my dear niece. I do hope you’ll forgive my rudeness but she gave us very little time to prepare for an extra body tonight.” Byleth doesn’t take his outstretched hand, instead narrowing her eyes at him.
Volkhard clears his throat as the smile on his face falls, turning back towards Edelgard, “You’ve certainly found an interesting one here. How long have you been together exactly?.”
“About three months now.” Edelgard says looping her arm with Byleth’s.
“A bit soon to be bringing someone back home, don’t you think? Though I suppose you are your father’s daughter after all. He too enjoyed diving headfirst into such shallow relationships.” Volkhard says narrowing his eyes, the venom on every word apparent.
Edelgard feels herself stiffen at his comment and notices as Elizabeth shifts uncomfortably in place. “I guess I’m just a romantic at heart,” she deadpans, tightening her grip on Byleth’s arm.
Volkhard turns back to the taller woman now. “Are you at least enjoying yourself, Byleth? I do hope nothing has been too confusing for you tonight.”
“I know how parties work, thanks.”
“You really are quite the charmer, aren't you? As fun as this has been, I do have other guests to greet. You’ll join me in my study later, won’t you Edelgard?”
Edelgard had never wanted anything less, “Of course, Uncle.”
“Good, now where is that step-brother of yours?”
“I believe he was helping Nicolas keep Annalise out of trouble.”
Volkhard sighs and turns away. “I suppose I should find that lumbering fool or your mother will never let me hear the end of it. Do enjoy the rest of your night.” The smirk he sends over his shoulder sends a chill down Edelgard’s spine.
Dominic lets out a sigh as Volkhard leaves, “Honestly, what were you thinking trying to enrage him like this? You know how much sway he holds over the board. Will it be worth it to you should something happen to the company because of this little stunt?”
Byleth speaks up before Edelgard can protest, taking one step forward and turning her glare to the oldest Hresvelg. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
“Excuse me? You might be-”
“You heard me.” Byleth untangles herself from Edelgard and steps forward, her frown turning into a full scowl as she continues, “She’s not responsible for the actions of an adult man. I might not know the ins-and-out of business, but I know that you shouldn’t treat your family like that.”
Elizabeth steps forward now, “Don’t act like you actually care about her. Some unknown with a handsome face just happens to catch the attention of the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Enbarr? Sounds like a gold digging scheme to me.”
“And you wonder why I never come back home,” Edelgard spits, grabbing Byleth’s arm and shoving past her older siblings. “I’ll be sure to send my regards to father before I leave. Goodnight.”
She’s an unstoppable force as she leads them out of the ballroom, her gaze is enough of a warning to anyone who tried to get too close. Not even Dimitri dared to stop his sister as she and Byleth make their exit.
Edelgard doesn’t stop moving until they reach her old room upstairs. She lets out a groan and falls unceremoniously onto the bed. Byleth stands in the middle of the room, unsure of where to move before settling for the nearby desk chair. “No wonder you wanted some company coming back here.” Edelgard only groans again before sitting up and muttering, “I don’t think I can apologize enough for how my family has behaved tonight.”
Byleth chuckles and leans against the back of her chair. “I signed up for this. Don’t worry about it, El.”
“Byleth, you are far too kind for your own good.”
“Claude tells me the same thing.”
Edelgard laughs at that. In the quiet privacy of her room it rings loud and clear, and Byleth soon finds herself laughing along. The sight of Byleth laughing is new. Much like how the rest of her is reserved, her laughter was closer to a quiet chuckle, but Edelgard is enraptured by the sight. She wants to hear that again.
The silence that follows is charged, the energy in the room causing Edelgard to stand and move to Byleth’s side. Byleth stares up at Edelgard as her arms move to wrap around her waist pulling her closer, “Y’know, I’m kinda sad we left early. There was one thing I had been looking forward to.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“Claude do you know how to dance?”
It was far too early for this, Claude decided then. “Uhh what kind of dancing are we talking about here?”
Byleth paused, putting a hand on her chin in deep thought, “Probably ballroom.”
“You do know ‘ballroom’ isn’t an actual style of dance right?”
“Um.”
“Oh dear. Well you’re in luck, I do at least know how to waltz, or one kind of waltz anyway. That should be enough to impress the princess, right?” Byleth nodded and took out her notebook, “Okay stop right there. You won’t learn how to dance through notes, get over here and let the lesson begin.”
“You learned how to dance?”
Byleth stands, taking Edelgard’s hand and moving them into a starting position, “As much as I could learn in about four days’ time.”
Edelgard laughs as she’s pulled into place. “You do realize we don’t have music, right?”
Byleth just shrugs and begins to move. She’s careful in her steps, leading the pair in a small circle at the center of the room to a simple rhythm in her head. Edelgard slowly relaxes into Byleth’s arms, resting her head against the taller woman’s shoulder. The two continue to move, slowly spinning around the room as Byleth begins humming a quiet tune that lulls Edelgard even further into her arms.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, why did you put out an ad on Annaslist?”
Edelgard feels Byleth stumble and miss her next step, her partner looks away before answering, “Well Claude said I needed to meet new people. I think we got drunk one night and I guess this was our solution.”
“You do know there are better ways to make new friends, right?” Edelgard chuckles, “Do you regret leaving it up?”
“Not really. I kinda forgot we had even put that up until Dorothea responded. Plus, I got to meet you through this.” Edelgard almost trips over Byleth’s foot this time.
“You don’t have to keep that up anymore you know.” Edelgard mumbles, avoiding Byleth’s gaze.
She finally looks up when she realizes they’ve stopped moving. “What if I want to though?” Her wide-eyed stare reminds Edelgard of an earnest puppy and that really doesn’t help to calm her thoughts.
Edelgard glances away, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart before violet eyes meet dark blue, "What do you mean?"
“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Byleth states, reaching with one hand to trace down Edelgard’s cheek.
“Byleth!” Edelgard stammers swatting the other’s hand away.
“Sorry, was I reading things wrong?”
Now she looks like a hurt puppy and Edelgard feels ready to explode, “I guess that depends. What exactly were you… reading?”
“Um. I guess I was hoping you were starting to like me. You know, for real.”
The pounding in Edelgard’s ears can no longer be ignored as Byleth pulls her closer and leans down just a bit, “What would you do if I said yes?”
There’s a slow blush creeping up Byleth’s face now, “Well, I’d ask you out for real.”
“And if I asked you out for real first?” Edelgard asks, wrapping one arm around Byleth’s neck and bringing her face even closer.
“Uh I would say yes? Wait, are you asking me out for real?”
“Yes. Come with me to Dorothea’s own holiday party? I promise it won’t be anywhere near as boring as this.”
Byleth’s grin is bright and Edelgard fears she may go blind if she stares for too long, “I already said yes, didn’t I?”
“You did. One more question.” Byleth hums in response, resting her forehead against Edelgard’s, “Can I kiss you?”
Byleth smiles again before closing the distance between them.