Chapter 2: Aria’s Thoughts
──She was approaching.
The daughter of the ducal house, as if bathed in divine light—Aria Tielle, with her beautiful platinum-blonde hair—was steadily closing the distance between them.
(…)
Her posture was immaculate, her gait graceful and noble—
“—Might I have a moment of your time?”
She stopped right in front of Byleth and Elena, asking with a smile so enchanting it could captivate anyone.
“Of course! Thank you for the other day, Aria sama.”
“Oh my, no need for thanks. If anything, I should be the one thanking you for inviting me to the dinner party.”
The casual Elena from moments ago was gone.
In an instant, she switched gears and began exchanging pleasantries with Aria.
The space between them became a world of their own.
Byleth remained silent, merely observing.
The [Beautiful Songstress], who, in private, was said to laze about in bed like a caterpillar wrapped in sheets.
(…………)
Knowing Aria’s hidden side filled him with an awkward tension.
Yet, this was something he could never reveal to anyone.
He couldn’t let her realize he felt awkward either.
As long as he acted naturally, she wouldn’t suspect he was the one she had spoken to so openly in the dark garden.
After all, Aria wouldn’t want her true self exposed either.
(For now… just don’t act suspicious. Don’t give any reason for doubt…)
Just as he steeled himself—
“—Oh, Byleth, come on, greet her properly. You met the other day, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Elena’s prompting was considerate.
When he met Aria’s gaze, she smiled sweetly at him.
To an outsider, it would seem like nothing but kindness.
But he felt it.
(H-her eyes… aren’t smiling…?)
The moment the thought crossed his mind, chills ran down his spine. Cold sweat beaded on his skin.
He had hidden his identity that night. There was no way she knew. And yet… an ominous premonition prickled at him.
Suppressing his unease, he managed a greeting.
“L-Aria sama. Thank you… for the other day. For everything, really.”
“No need for such repeated thanks. The pleasure was mine.”
She bowed gracefully, her manners impeccable.
(Ah… maybe I imagined the eyes not smiling…?)
If she didn’t suspect him, she’d treat him no differently than Elena.
A wave of relief washed over him. —Or so he thought. Far too soon.
“Still… I, too, must thank you. For… everything.”
“—!”
The softly added words carried unmistakable weight.
His face stiffened as he raised his head from his bow—only to see Aria’s smile widen ever so slightly, her eyebrows twitching for just a moment.
[I won’t be fooled, you know~]
[I know exactly what’s going on, you know~]
[I won’t let you get away, you know~]
It felt like a three-layered [you know~] inflection.
“Oh, Elena dear, forgive the suddenness—but might I borrow Byleth for just a moment?”
“Huh?”
“……”
At that moment, Byleth understood everything.
Aria had come to the academy for this very reason.
“There’s something rather important I must discuss with him.”
“Something… important?”
“Isn’t that right, Lord Byleth?”
“Hahaha…”
His face refused to stop twitching.
The unspoken threat [If you refuse, you know what will happen, you know~?] seeped into his bones.
This was the pressure of the highest-ranking nobility.
The insurmountable gap in status. The one natural enemy in his life.
“…Elena. I, uh… gotta go.”
“W-Well, if it’s important… alright.”
He didn’t want to go. He wanted to refuse with everything he had. He wanted Elena to save him.
But none of that was possible now.
“Now then, Lord Byleth, Sanya has prepared a private room for us. I shan’t take too much of your time.”
“…Y-Yes.”
At that moment, Byleth hallucinated Aria’s voice—
[Let’s have a real talk where no one can hear us~] —spoken in her unfiltered tone.
“—Now then, Lord Byleth, right this way.”
“Y-Yes… Pardon me…”
Sanya had reserved a room in the academy.
Aria guided the heir of the marquis house, Byleth Saintford, through the lounge and into a secluded chamber.
“Ah, at least let me close the door—”
“No need. I was the one who invited you, so please don’t trouble yourself. The school’s motto is equality, after all.”
“W-Well, if you insist… Thank you.”
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Bowing slightly, he stepped inside.
(Yes, yes~!)
Had he resisted, she wouldn’t have known what to do.
Relief filled her as she watched his retreating back.
Sanya had helped arrange this. She didn’t want to disrupt his school life. Failure wasn’t an option.
(Now… to fulfill my goal—)
Only one thing was needed for that.
The script she had carefully prepared—
The moment the lock clicked shut, as if to trap him inside.
[Click] The sound of the lock echoes, Byleth flinched and spun around.
“Uh, um…”
“Yes?”
She grinned, triumphant.
“Y-You locked it…?”
“My apologies. Though I doubt anyone would intrude, it’s best to be cautious.”
“Ah! Please, Aria sama, there’s no need to apologize!”
“Fufu, I appreciate your understanding.”
He might have noticed—
Despite her words, the underlying meaning was clear: [I can’t let you run away.]
She had let it slip, unable to suppress the urge to keep him from escaping.
The result? His face contorted further under the pressure.
Honestly… she had never seen someone look so terrified of her before.
(P-Please don’t be scared… You’re the one who saved me… The one who accepted my true self…)
She hadn’t meant to frighten him. Guilt weighed heavier with every passing second.
If she didn’t get to the point soon, she’d only corner him further.
Had she stuck to the script, she might have shaved years off his life.
Or worse—made him despise her.
“…Now then, Lord Byleth.”
“Y-Yes? What is it?”
“Since we’ve already exchanged greetings earlier, let us move on to the important matter—”
With a flawless, practiced smile, Aria spoke.
“You have something to say to me, do you not? Or perhaps… something you wish to say?”
“—!”
(Y-Yes! I did it…!! Now all that’s left is for Byleth to confess! Once he does, I’ll drop the act and go, “Ahh, you figured me out~!”…!)
Looking back, she hadn’t even needed that script.
Following Sanya’s advice, she had minimized the theatrics—saving time and avoiding unnecessary stress.
And it had been the right choice.
She had handled this smoothly, without burdening him.
(I’m ready…!)
Her heart was prepared. Eyes wide, she poured her emotions into her gaze.
But what happened next left Aria utterly stunned.
“W-Well…”
“Yes!”
“Forgive me, but… I have nothing to say to you, nor anything I wish to say…”
“……Huh?”
“If I may turn the question around… Since you went out of your way to arrange this, is there something you wanted to ask me…?”
“Wha—!?”
Something unforeseen had occurred. Her carefully laid plans had been rendered meaningless.
She had intended to “let him confess first, then reveal her true self”—but this flipped everything.
The perfect counter: [You expect me to say it outright?]
“Uh, um… W-Well…”
Everything had gone so smoothly until now. She had been so sure of success. Yet in an instant, her mind went blank.
More flustered than when performing before thousands, she was engulfed in unprecedented panic.
There was only one solution: she had to drop the act first.
But after years of perfecting her noble facade, shedding it wasn’t so simple.
If it were easy, she wouldn’t be struggling now.
“Uh… W-Well…”
Her thoughts spun in circles, leaving her speechless.
“Uu… S-So… I mean…”
And yet— Because she wanted to speak honestly with the one who had accepted her true self… Because she had to answer his question—
“I-It’s… there is… something…”
Her mind and heart were at their limit. In her flustered state, her real speech and noble speech bled together.
“……”
“……”
Naturally, she was the first to realize.
“Ah… Ahh…”
She has never said something like this in front of anyone before.
And yet, these very words had just been heard by someone she genuinely wanted to grow closer to.
Aria’s entire body burned as if her face were on fire, and she could no longer endure the suffocating atmosphere.
Covering her face with both hands, she desperately tried to block out the world—if only to regain her composure even a little faster.
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