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"You know I can keep a secret."
"I do, even though it doesn't mean that I would confide you one of my own. Not offense."
"None taken, even less so when what I said might as well mean that I already know one of them."
Claude actually allows himself to chuckle at her words. And due to the time she's passed in the company of her house leader, Hilda is mostly capable of interpret his action —that much makes her feel proud, even if just the tiniest bit of it.
Claude von Riegan, the future Duke of the Leicester Alliance, the so-called 'secretive and mysterious schemer' of the Officers' Academy, has now caught interest in this.
'This' consisting in some silly gossip Hilda had heard in the Dining Room.
She can't believe it was just that simple.
It's actually enough to entertain her for the rest of the afternoon —she could easily go around the Monastery, search for Marianne and enjoy a nice tea in her company—, but messing with Claude or getting his undivided attention it's so hard these days. How can she not take this ideal opportunity? After all, it's always Professor Byleth who tells them to do everything with no hesitation.
May she not be one to normally take advice from them, doesn't mean that she shouldn't use when it's on her benefit. Or does it?
"Alright, secret girl." He smirks at her, doing an exaggerated raise of his eyebrows as to apparent being curious at the knowing of his 'secret'. "What's this so called secret of mine?"
"Oh, but just telling you like that would be plain boring, don't you think?"
"Well, if you had been hearing this from where I assume is the Dining Room and, worse, from nosy Lions or Eagles students, then I'm confident in it being a senseless, inoffensive rumour. But go on, I guess." Claude mockingly yawns, covering his mouth lazily with a hand though his smile it's still noticeable. The whole scene obviously gains him a roll of her eyes, followed by a non malicious glare. "Don't try to mock me, Claude. It was your attention that got caught with this 'nonsense' after all. In second place, hey, I got reliable sources, you offend me! Not once I'd tell you something that wasn't the entire true, trust me in this, they know what they're doing."
"And they happen to know something I should be scared of them knowing?" Claude gasps. "Oh, what would I ever do?"
Despite the situation, Hilda, not able to help herself, laughs. Though, it doesn't stop her from noticing the shift in his so usually relaxed posture. A sign of slight discomfort at her confidence in the reliability of the secret.
She calms her laughter until stopping it but does so, slowly, as if not noticing anything wrong in Claude's behavior. He wouldn't want her to notice. He doesn't need to say anything in most occasions, she just knows.
She really does.
"Oh, but, really don't worry, Claude. It's just a silly and almost impossible thing to have happened, I promise."
She smiles easily, because she feels herself obligated to assure him, as well, that it's not a big thing to worry about.
But his nuisance and (not admitted worried, she knows better now) curiosity, leaves a question on her mind, about mayhaps another secret that he keeps away from anybody, even from Hilda's sources of 'knowledge' (the ones that never had missed anything happening in the insides of Garreg Mach).
She decides it's not worth dwelling on it for long. Claude's secretive for a motive and, as fun as it's to pick on him or to try and know his secrets, Hilda is his friend. To her, that says a lot.
All in all, her sentence seems to be the right thing to say because Claude noticeably relaxes into his seat, inside the Golden Deer's classroom, now supporting his elbows on the table while Hilda is backwards on the bank in front of him, legs crossed and hands vaguely supported on the seat too.
He returns the smile she's being holding for a couple of seconds, until she says the next words.
"Rumours have been saying: a certain schemer from the Alliance was seen hanging out very late at night with a blonde prince of Faerghus just last month. Sounds familiar to you?"
A mere instant after, there's this large moment of deep silence, in which Claude and Hilda keep a firm look on each other's eyes.
It's not intense, it's not vague either is just... there. No word is spoken but Claude's smile is gone in its brevity and Hilda isn't sure if it meant something. Actually, she doesn't get to process a thing, because the moment is gone as quick as it started.
She violently jumps back in her seat when Claude fully stands, still no word said nor even the simplest of gestures before he turned back towards the door.
"H-Hey, Claude, where are you going?!" She imitates, standing right when he's already under the arc, one foot already put outside.
He stops and turns, just to wink at her before briefly answering.
"I forgot I had a thing to ask Teach. I'll see you later... Or maybe not, you know, library research time and stuff. Can't keep someone waiting."
And just like that, Claudes leaves and Hilda is left alone inside of the classroom. His last words at her replaying in her head, again and again. Anyone could interpret the words as truthful, them being said by his own mouth, and she shouldn't be the exception.
She could be confirming the rumours right at the moment, one full sentence spreading all the information to be known all around the Monastery. If not, might even all Fodlan, to take it as far as it, could considering the two implicated on the gossip.
She doesn't.
She could argue about it, of course, say it's only because one is never sure with Claude. That his words or even the wink should be considered pure mocking on his part, and anyone who actually believes it, just fell in their own naivety.
But she knows better. And she smiles.
Some things can just stay like that. Merely rumours.
Claude's always been one with them. Hilda could get use to them as well, if it meant to kept his confidence in her.