Intermission I
“Lady Aria, what in the world are you doing?”
The voice belonged to Sanya Leticia, Aria’s personal maid who had served her for years. She spoke these words during the time before Aria was due to leave for the academy.
It was rare to see Aria sitting at her desk, diligently writing something of her own volition.
“I’m… writing a script,”
“A script? There are no upcoming events that would require one, as far as I’m aware. No, in fact, there are none scheduled at all.”
“Th-There is one…! In an hour…! I need it for when I talk to Lord Byleth!”
“Haaah…”
Sanya let out an exasperated sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead as she watched Aria’s eyes glisten with nervousness.
“At this point, your true self has already been exposed. There’s no need to strategize anymore. All you have to do is speak with him privately and express your gratitude for the other day, no?”
“I-It’s not that simple…!”
During the banquet the other night, Aria had only revealed her true self—just once—when she inadvertently let slip that her throat was hurting.
It had happened in the pitch-black garden, where she couldn’t even see the face of the person she had accidentally run into.
And yet, Byleth had somehow known about it—even going so far as to give her advice on throat care.
Figuring out his identity hadn’t been difficult.
“The timing of switching back to my normal speech… how to steer the conversation… i-it’s just… really embarrassing…!”
Aria’s face flushed as she let out a weak whimper.
The sheer desperation in her voice practically screamed, “Say something encouraging…!”—but no matter what Sanya said, the situation wouldn’t change.
Time couldn’t be rewound.
And so, Sanya forced her to face reality, as if to say, “Just accept it already.”
“Indeed. It must be terribly humiliating. Even though Lord Byleth knows about your slovenly true self, you still have to act as usual in class. He’s certainly going to notice you’re putting on airs.”
“Uuuuuu…!”
The damage was devastating. Aria slumped forward onto the table, her upper body collapsing like a deflated balloon.
The ample swell of her chest was crushed beneath her own weight.
“Sanya… why didn’t you tell me to fix this personality of mine sooner…?”
“I’ve warned you dozens—no, hundreds—of times. Yet you never made any effort to change. That, Lady Aria, is entirely on you.”
“……”
“You can’t possibly claim to have forgotten.”
“I… I know…”
She had no retort.
Aria instantly deflated, her voice shrinking along with her posture—her tone making it painfully obvious.
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“So, have you finished your script?”
“Not… at all…”
“Honestly, I truly believe you’d be better off speaking from the heart rather than relying on something like this. May I take a look?”
“Mm…”
The moment she received permission, Sanya stood beside Aria and peered down at the script.
One minute passed in silence.
“I see. It’s needlessly roundabout. Enough to make my brow furrow.”
“Eek!”
“It’s simply a waste of time—and terribly inconsiderate to Lord Byleth. He is the one you should be thanking, after all.”
Aria’s script was designed to gradually, sneakily, and casually shift her speech back to her natural tone as the conversation progressed.
As a result, it was bloated with meaningless exchanges.
“B-But if I suddenly switch, he’ll definitely be weirded out…! Going from ‘Understood. smiles’ to ‘Got it~!’ is just…!”
“I’ll concede that even your voice changes, but if it’s Lord Byleth, I’m certain he’ll understand. He already knows your true self—and despite that, he still shared valuable information about throat care, something that affects your status and reputation.”
“Yeah… Th-That’s why… I don’t want him to dislike me…”
Sitting back up, Aria prepared to rewrite her script—
her eyes filled with determination.
“You were that happy about it, then?”
“Mhm. I still am…”
Her eyes softened slightly.
This was the first time Sanya had ever seen Aria so concerned about a member of the opposite sex.
Given that Aria typically spent her free days sleeping over ten hours at a time, her private life had always been devoid of anything remotely resembling romance—not even the hint of an “i.”
“So… if possible… I want to get closer to Lord Byleth…”
“Then instead of that script, you should just speak your mind honestly. I’m sure it’ll be fine. In fact, using that script would only push your wish further away.”
“Then, Sanya… hug me.”
“As you wish.”
This was always her way of mustering courage.
Looking up with pleading eyes, she stretched out both arms, shaking them impatiently as if to say, “Hurry up!”
Aria was such a clingy person that she often resorted to demanding physical affection.
And if she had resolved to try her best, Sanya would never refuse—nor would she even consider refusing.
With a firm nod, Sanya stepped closer and guided Aria’s arms around her neck.
Once they were in position, she lifted her up and whispered into her ear:
“If things go well, perhaps this duty will one day be passed on to Lord Byleth.”
“Eek?!”
“A man would surely be able to hold you for much longer than I can.”
Those words sent Aria’s heart into a frenzy.
“F-First… I’ll do my best to thank him…”
“I pray I won’t have to comfort you afterward.”
“Since I got a hug… I’ll be okay…”
And so, Sanya found herself listening to Aria’s murmurs by her ear once more.
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