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“Uuuuuugh.”
The moan drones out of Manuela’s mouth, frustration reverberating with each passing second. She slumps on the table, nearly knocking her bottle of wine on the ground.
Yes, she knows it’s sad. Drinking in the afternoon, with the sun out in all of its glory, making it painfully obvious that the hour is nowhere close to the evening. But it’s been a bad day, and Manuela believes she deserves the privilege.
“Men! Men are the worst!”
“I know, Manuela,” Dorothea sighs, patting Manuela’s back softly as she rests her own head on her other hand.
If she were a tad soberer, Manuela would regret dragging Dorothea to the room to listen to another one of her lamentations. But since she is already here, Manuela plans to take total advantage of the opportunity.
“First they charm you, then they whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and then, fwip! They disappear without any trace! I saw the signs, and yet, and yet… Argh!” She bangs a fist on the table, causing the bottle to tremble again.
Dorothea reaches out for the bottle and places it on the ground, far from Manuela, before it actually falls and shatters. She sighs and places her hand on Manuela’s shoulder. She loves Manuela, truly, but she knows how useless her same tired words will be. “It’ll work out next time. You’re too good of a catch for people to pass on.”
“Oh, don’t lie to me, Dorothea.” Manuela rubs the left temple of her forehead, hoping to get rid of the pounding in her head. It doesn’t work.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Manuela! It was absolutely his fault, you know that.”
Manuela gazes out the open window, taking a deep breath in the cool breeze. “Ugh, I know, yet still…” She trails off as she catches two people from beyond the window, approaching slowly below, across the lawn. She can see them holding hands, lightly swaying with each step.
Manuela’s face twists into a frown. “Damn it. I lied.”
Dorothea blinks. “What do you mean?”
Manuela points at the couple. Dorothea pokes her head forward to see Felix and Bernadetta, smiling softly as they stroll. She can’t help but smile at them herself.
“Young love. Young love is the worst.” She says it with such disgust, yet she can’t look away from them.
“Come now, Manuela. I think they’re adorable. Like right out of a fairy tale.”
For many, it was totally unexpected. Felix and Bernadetta, the two unequivocal loners of Garreg Mach, in love? But Dorothea remembers picking up on the signs herself, watching the space between them grow scarce. How Bernadetta would nervously inch toward him, how Felix would unconsciously look around when she wasn’t near him. Now, whether it be in the dining hall, the training ground, and especially in battle – they hardly fail to be at each other’s side.
“Well, you’re right about the fairy tale part.” Manuela groans. “It’s not fair! I’ll never have love like that! There’s no place for a woman like me in a fairy tale.”
Dorothea doesn’t respond, too engrossed in the couple to listen to Manuela, who continues to rant. Bernadetta suddenly stops walking, and Felix stops as well. They stand on a path behind trees and shrubbery, hidden away by its vibrant green leaves, though they are clear as day from above.
“Even so, Felix and Bernadetta. I’m sorry to say, but one wouldn’t expect them to exactly be the best lovers, no? That boy is far too gruff, and that girl far too shy – “
“Shh!” Dorothea puts a finger to her lips. Manuela grumbles but concedes, watching along with her silently.
Bernadetta, now having unclasped her hand from Felix’s own, rushes in front of him and peeks behind him. He watches her confusedly as she then whips her head behind her, looking out for others nearby. Assured that no one is around, she looks in his eyes, then squeezes her own shut and tiptoes to give his lips a light peck.
Dorothea swoons. How daring! Beside her, Manuela scoffs.
They watch Bernadetta place her heels back on the ground. She puts her hands behind her back in slight shame as she sheepishly looks down at her feet. She doesn’t catch Felix’s look of surprise grow soft, a miracle on his usually stiff face, but Dorothea and Manuela can see just fine.
Bernadetta turns around swiftly, shy from her act of courage. “Let’s go,” Dorothea imagines her saying, as she starts to walk away. But a cunning grin creeps up Felix’s lips, and he reaches for her wrist to pull her back toward him. She twists into his arm, which wraps firmly around her lower back as he puts his other hand on her cheek, gently, before drawing her into a deep, resolute kiss.
Bernadetta’s apprehension evaporates as she kisses him back, swathing her arms around his neck. She tiptoes again to get closer, only welcomed by Felix as he pulls her in, his hand falling from her cheek to curl his other arm around her. Unconsciously, Bernadetta lifts a lower leg behind her in pure rapture. Dorothea can almost feel her bliss rushing to the very tips of her toes, her heart blooming like a majestic rose. It is a happiness she absolutely deserves, that they both deserve, in the midst of this cruel, ruthless war.
Eventually, they pull away from each other, their faces only a tiny, tentative space apart. Bernadetta strokes his hair gingerly, her fingers sifting through his deep blue locks. Felix seems to have no intention of unlocking his arms from her, gazing steadily yet tenderly into her lidded eyes. They take a short moment to breathe, to bask in their utter delight, before they slowly close in for their lips to meet –
“Boo!” Manuela jeers, her slurry voice cutting into the air. Dorothea immediately slams her palm to Manuela’s mouth and yanks her from the window before they are caught. She doesn’t need to look out again to see Felix’s face twisting in annoyance from their interruption, while Bernadetta worries frantically about their exposure.
“Manuela! What’ve you done?” Dorothea hissed.
Manuela shakes her head away from Dorothea’s hand. “Oh, don’t you worry! They’ll do it again! Young lovers, I tell you! There’s no end to their boldness!”
For a moment, Dorothea doesn’t believe her, knowing how reluctant Bernadetta can be. She sighs in frustration, but eventually, her lips curl into an empathetic smile. Having been caught once herself, she has to agree that there truly is no end. After what’s happened, those two will only crave for that sweet sensation again, and perhaps find even more down the road. Her eyes light up in excitement as she looks forward to their joy, a shining ray of hope in the tentative future before them.