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Bethany followed Jeralt down a stairwell she had noticed from time to time, but never considered walking down. Doing so led to a graveyard, rows of tombstones marking the final resting place of dozens of people Bethany didn’t know. Nevertheless, she followed Jeralt to one tombstone in particular, set at the end of a line of similar tombstones.
“Beth… I’d like you to meet your mother,” Jeralt told her. Bethany knelt down, unsure of what exactly people did at the tombstones of their beloveds. Her mother had died a long time ago, and there wasn’t much she could do here but cry about it.
“How did she die?” Bethany asked.
“You’ve guessed she didn’t just die in childbirth, huh? You’re sharp. Claude teach you that?” Jeralt asked. Bethany shrugged.
“I wouldn’t say Claude told me to question my mother’s passing. I’d say Claude told me to consider motive,” Bethany said.
“Same thing. Claude’s a good guy. I like him,” Jeralt said.
“I feel that the real Claude may not be so nice. But he is effective,” Bethany suggested. Jeralt gave a bit of a twitch.
“What do you think, dear? A girl like you and a guy like him?” Jeralt asked. Bethany shook her head.
“I could think of worse. But Claude is my student. And I prefer girls anyway,” Bethany said.
“I knew that much, don’t worry about it. I was just worried about you maybe needing to enter some arranged marriage one day,” Jeralt assured her.
“Arranged marriages are for bids of power. Ingrid needs to marry someone richer than her or else she doesn’t get what she needs out of the marriage. I’m a commoner with no designs or projection towards becoming rich. My influence is minimal. I do not believe arranged marriage is on the table for me,” Bethany explained. Jeralt was genuinely surprised to hear that.
“Who taught you that one?” Jeralt asked.
“Lorenz. He was keen to make sure I understood Alliance politics. And politics in general. Boring,” Bethany said. Jeralt nodded.
“Say, Beth… there was a girl who came to my office earlier, asking about what you thought of her and how you were doing and what you liked and stuff along those lines. It was, er… it wasn’t one of the Golden Deer, I know that much…” Jeralt started.
“Dorothea?” Bethany asked. Jeralt clicked his fingers.
“That’s the one. I shared what I knew, but I did warn her you don’t tell me everything,” Jeralt said.
“Fair enough, Father. Are you bothered?” Bethany asked.
“Not at all, Beth. You’re your own woman now, and Dorothea should be asking you about all this stuff. You happen to think much of her?” Jeralt asked.
“She’s attractive in a conventional way. She looks at me the same way I’ve seen her look at men she wants to date. But there’s something different in me too. I want to help her approach this matter properly,” Bethany said. Jeralt waited for a little bit, before prodding.
“What else is there to say, Father? I can’t say I like her any more than I like any of my Golden Deer or the other girls who like to talk to me from other classes. But if she wants to spend her time with me, I won’t stop her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s just like the other girls I spend time with. Hunting with Petra, cooking with Mercedes, giving pointers to Annette, flying with Ingrid, and debating with Edelgard. Chatting with Dorothea fits right in,” Bethany said.
“Spreading yourself thin there, aren’t you?” Jeralt asked.
“It’s all stuff I would be doing without the other girl, really. It’s just nice, listening to them while I work,” Bethany assured him. Jeralt chuckled, and pulled out a box for Bethany. She opened it, seeing a ring within.
“I always wondered if you would grow up into a woman who would need this. This is the ring I gave to your mother when I confessed my love to her. Someday, I hope there will be a woman that offers you the same thing that she gave me,” Jeralt said. Bethany felt something strange cross her chest area.
“Are you sure, Father?” Bethany asked. Jeralt stepped forward, and put a hand on her shoulder.
“You can never be sure. But the more I see how happy you make the students… the more I feel like there’s a girl out there who’s right for you. The more I feel like you could have things normal girls have, and not be left as nothing but the cold, effective mercenary I’ve had for so long,” Jeralt said. Bethany pocketed the ring, feeling uncertain she agreed.
“Dorothea’s asked me about this sort of thing before, I’m looking into it. Thanks, Father,” she said, leaning in and letting him hug her. Her mind wandered to the girls. Mercedes had told her, back when she was still new and learning about everyone, that she had a crush on Annette, and it was thanks to her that she considered women in such a way. Dorothea, the girl she got to talk to one on one in a friendly way most frequently, was certainly the girl she knew best. But above all else, Bethany still struggled to put a finger on what she was feeling and why- if she had a crush on any woman on campus, odds were she would be the last to know. Perhaps she offered that impression to Dorothea.
“You OK, Beth?” Jeralt asked.
“Nothing major, Father. Just letting everything sink in,” Bethany said. Jeralt nodded, stepping back and suggesting she head back to her room and let the matter rest. As she started to climb the steps, already turning wheels in her head, one more matter came to the forefront of her mind.
“So what happened to my mother?” Bethany asked.
“You’ve had a long day, running around after all those kids and doing those errands. You should really get some rest,” Jeralt loudly insisted.