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Petra watched from the balcony outside of her room as the sun set over the ocean, making way for another warm Brigid night. A deep sigh escaped from the newly crowned Queen as she leaned her elbows on the railing, resting her head in her hands. A thoughtful look crossed her face as she absentmindedly drummed her fingers against her cheeks.
A conglomeration of different thoughts were flooding Petra’s mind, and she had escaped to the solitude of her room to try and sort through them. A grand party was currently being held, not only to celebrate her crowning as Queen, but also her arranged marriage to the new Marquis Vestra from the Adrestian Empire, Hubert.
Petra sighed again as she pushed herself off of the railing, wrapping her arms around herself as she turned her gaze to the darkening sky above that was starting to become spotted with a multitude of shimmering stars. Becoming Queen was an exciting moment, and she was ready to lead her country to a bright future. It was the marriage that had her conflicted. When she had received the letter from Edelgard proposing the marriage between her and Hubert, Petra had been surprised, but she did ultimately accept. Everyone around her thought that it was purely political and for the good of her country, but that was not the case from her point of view.
She did not know how it happened, but over the six or so years that they had known each other as classmates and friends, Petra had fallen in love with Hubert. At first, she had found him cold, calculating, and even a little scary, but as she spent more and more time with him, her opinion began changing. His devotion to Edelgard was admirable, he cared about their fellow classmates even if he did not show it often or directly, and he had pushed Petra into always striving to better herself.
Petra had been annoyed at first, when Hubert started constantly comparing her to Edelgard. She had retorted bitterly when he had said that she was not Edelgard’s equal, and she was determined to show that to him that she was. She trained her mind and body even harder after the fact, and when they reunited five years after the war tore them apart, she knew that she had changed for the better. She was was poised and confident, ready to help the Empire win the war before she took her rightful place as Queen of Brigid. And yet, Hubert still felt the need to compare her to Edelgard. It frustrated her enough that she finally confronted him about it, and that was mostly due to the fact that she had fallen for him by that point. If he only saw her as someone compared to Edelgard, and not as a person on her own, then there would never be a chance for them to be together. There was also the fact that Petra did not know if he could even feel the same way about her in the first place.
Hubert’s apology had made her happy, and when she had boldly declared that she would work hard so that someday he would choose her over Edelgard, her heart had soared when he smiled at her and laughed, a genuine laugh that had become one of her favorite sounds in the world. However, when the war finally came to an end, her duties as the next Queen of Brigid dragged her away from the Empire before she could tell Hubert of her feelings for him.
When Hubert had arrived in Brigid this morning, after a brief greeting they were pulled apart to separately begin preparations for the evening’s celebrations. She wanted so badly to speak to him in private, to find out how he really felt about her. A frown crossed her face as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Petra did not want this marriage to be one-sided in regards to their feelings. If Hubert did not love her in return, was it really fair to force him into a marriage that would ultimately leave him miserable? Petra did not think so, and the thought of selfishly hurting the one that she loved made her heart clench almost painfully.
Petra started as someone knocked loudly on her door, pulling her out of her thoughtful trance. She straightened her posture and turned around, looking into her room from where she stood on the balcony.
“Come in,” she called out, and her heart leapt into her throat when Hubert stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.
“Your Highness.” Hubert bowed formally after he set the tray of tea and pastries he carried onto the table in the middle of the room. He turned his gaze to Petra as he stepped out onto the balcony to stand next to her, and she felt her cheeks heat up.
“Please, Hubert,” she said, shaking her head quickly. “You are not needing to be so formal. Just refer to me like before, as Petra.”
“My apologies.” Turning his gaze to look out at the star-filled horizon, he continued, “We are engaged to be married, after all. I will keep to formalities only when we are in the public eye from now on.” Petra opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her mouth felt dry, and it felt like a lump had formed in her throat. She desperately wanted to know how he felt about her, but she was afraid of the answer, causing her body to freeze up and an awkward silence to fill the air.
Huber broke the silence after a moment. “It is a nice night.”
Petra responded with an absentminded nod. “I have agreement. Is the climate of Brigid to your liking?”
“Hm, yes. It is warmer than the Empire, but I always did prefer it to the bitter cold of, say, the former Kingdom.”
“I see.”
Another silence fell between them, and Petra pursed her lips, frustrated at herself for being so cowardly. She couldn’t put this off any longer. She just needed to ask him.
“Hubert?” Petra's tone was hesitant as she turned to face him, her eyes not quite meeting his. Hubert turned as well, raising a curious eyebrow at her.
“Yes?”
“Are...Are you sure that you are wanting this marriage? I...am not wanting you to be regretting it...to be unhappy...” Petra finally asked as she forced her gaze up to lock with his. Hubert chuckled, and that was enough to send her heart a flutter.
“And what makes you think that I would regret this?”
“You are only here because Edelgard ordered it. That is correct, is it not?”
“That is correct,” Hubert confirmed, causing Petra’s heart to drop. She averted her gaze and turned away, but froze when she felt a hand close over her own. She turned back, her maroon eyes locking with Hubert’s mint green. “However, she ordered it only because...I begged her to.”
“What?” Petra said, her eyes widening with disbelief. He had...begged Edelgard to arrange this marriage?
“When Lady Edelgard was suggesting ways to strengthen the Empire’s relationship with Brigid, the option of an arranged marriage came up. Other suitors names were offered, but I...well,” Hubert paused, a dusting of pink appearing on his cheeks, and Petra blinked at him, surprised, “I volunteered myself. As her most trusted advisor, Lady Edelgard was against the idea at first, but I persisted, because I could not bear the thought of you marrying anyone else...at least, before I had a chance to speak to you about my feelings.”
“I...do not have understanding,” Petra said. “Please be speaking to me plainly.” Hubert cleared his throat and his gaze fell to the floor. Petra had never seen this side of Hubert before. He shifted nervously on his feet, and he wrung his hands together. He seemed shy, flustered even, and Petra couldn’t help but think he looked rather cute.
“Do you recall when you told me that someday I would choose you over Lady Edelgard?” Hubert finally said, his gaze returning to hers. Petra nodded slowly, and he continued, “Well...At that point in time, had you asked me directly, I already would have chosen you. I waited too long to tell you that, however, and you had already left for Brigid before I could confess my true feelings.”
“Hubert...” Petra breathed, her mouth hanging ajar with shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Hubert actually felt the same way about her? It seemed too good to be true, like she was living in a dream world that she never wanted to wake up from. A long silence fell as Petra tried to think of a proper response, but she must have been taking too long, because Hubert suddenly let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head.
“But look at me, bearing my heart to you like this. As if you would ever fall for a dubious individual like me-” Not wanting to hear him put himself down, Hubert was cut off sharply. The rest of his sentence was muffled when Petra pulled her hand from his, grabbed his face with both hands, and leaned up to press her lips gently to his own.
Petra’s heart was hammering hard in her chest, and she was surprised at her own boldness. Hubert appeared to be surprised as well, so much that he seemed to be frozen, with a rare look of shock on his face. Petra giggled, smiling as she pulled away, her thumbs brushing over Hubert’s cheeks as he continued to look as if he had been hit with a Thoron spell.
“Are you okay?” Petra asked, and she watched with amusement as Hubert blinked rapidly and cleared his throat, his face flushing a bright red in color.
“Er, yes. You just...took me by surprise,” he said, a smile crossing his face. Petra smiled back, and she reached down to take his hands in hers.
“Hubert...your words are making me very happy,” Petra began. “When Edelgard sent the letter proposing that I marry you, I accepted not only for the sake of Brigid, but because of the love that my heart holds for you. I...did not think that I would ever be telling you of these feelings, after I left the Empire so suddenly when the war was ended.”
“I...cannot actually believe that you fell for me,” Hubert brought a hand up to cup Petra’s face, and she sighed contently and leaned into his touch. “You continue to amaze me in the most wonderful ways, Petra. I fear that it may have been a mistake to compare you to Lady Edelgard in the first place.” Petra frowned at that. She still did not like being compared to Edelgard, especially at a time like this, while they were both laying their feelings for each other out in the open.
“But, you are not comparing me anymore, correct?” A dejected look appeared in Petra's eyes as she averted her gaze. Her eyes went wide when she felt Hubert’s fingers slip under her chin, tiling her head up so that she was looking him in the eye again.
“It would be...an unfair comparison. Lady Edelgard is extraordinary in her own right, but only you, Petra, with your unwavering determination, uncommon excellence, and breathtaking beauty, have managed to completely and utterly steal my heart.” Hubert said, his face still flushed red, which was incredibly noticeable against his naturally pale skin. Hubert took Petra’s hand and brought it to his face, turning it over so that he could press his lips to her wrist, directly over the spot where her pulse beat rapidly under her skin. Petra’s heartbeat was hammering hard in her ears, and Hubert pulled away slightly. His eyes wandered back to hers, and the intensity of his gaze made Petra’s breath hitch. His eyes never left hers as he spoke, his lips gently grazing her skin and causing a delighted shiver to jolt through her body.
“I...I love you, Petra.”
An immense feeling of joy that she had never felt before blossomed in Petra’s chest when Hubert finally uttered those words that she longed to hear. She smiled, pulling her wrist from his hand so that she could instead entwine their fingers together.
“Hubert, I love you too.”
“I am...incredibly relieved to hear that.” A sheepish laugh escaping him as he gently pulled Petra into an embrace. She sighed as she rest her head on his chest, arms wrapping around him, while his hands moved to the small of her back and the back of her neck, his fingers moving gently through her hair.
“I was worried about what would happen if you did not return my feelings,” Hubert continued, and Petra lifted her head to look at him with an eyebrow raised.
Petra's curiosity got the better of her. “What would you have done if that had been the case?”
“I would have returned to the Empire. I love you, so much so that I would forsake my own happiness so that you could retain yours. I would never want to force you to be with someone that you did not love." A wistful look appeared in Hubert's eyes as he reached up to caress her cheek with the back of his hand.
“It gives me warmth in my heart to hear that, but I have greater happiness knowing that we share in our love for each other,” Petra said, leaning up to place a quick kiss to Huber’s cheek. He gazed at her with a fondness that she had never seen from him before, and she was forever grateful that fondness was directed at her and her alone.
“I am very happy to hear that. I am looking forward to sharing my life with you, Petra.”
“I am feeling the same.”
They stood in content silence, Petra’s head falling to rest on Hubert’s chest again as they both gazed out at the ocean, which looked like a second sky with the still water reflecting the stars that twinkled far, far above.
“It really is a beautiful night,” Petra said, her arms tightening around Hubert as she rubbed her cheek against him.
“It is indeed, but it could never compare to your resplendent beauty, my love,” Hubert whispered, pulling away slightly so that he could lean down and press a kiss to Petra’s forehead. She blushed as she smiled up at him. She had already been looking forward to this marriage, but now that she knew for sure that Hubert loved her as much as she loved him, she was even more ecstatic.
Their eyes met yet again, and when they came together for another tender kiss, Petra found herself smiling against Hubert’s lips. She was sure that her future as Queen had many amazing moments in store for her, but she knew that nothing could quite compare to the overwhelming love that she and Hubert harbored for each other.