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Once the door closed behind Count Bergliez, Edelgard let her head fall into her hands. All their hard work to unite Fódlan— and Galatea and Daphnel still bickered over farmland. Hubert wordlessly placed a cup of coffee by her elbow as Edelgard let out a sigh.
“In the future, I would appreciate a limit on early morning emergencies.” Edelgard moved to massage her temples. “Or, at the very least, a warning the night before.”
She had been woken with the news of flooding from Lake Teutates, then a scout came in to say a battalion had gone missing in Fódlan's Fangs, and then there was whatever old dispute Daphnel had brought up. It was nearly midday and Edelgard had barely been able to breathe
Hubert chuckled. “I shall make a note of it.” He had been in and out of her office all morning; fielding lesser issues in the palace and bringing her relevant documents as issue after issue piled on. Now he poured himself some coffee and took a seat across from her, allowing a rare slouch as he too relaxed in the sudden lull.
“What are you wearing?” Edelgard asked abruptly. For now that she was actually paying attention to her surroundings, she noticed a small flower on Hubert’s lapel. The joyful summer yellow stood out against his usual dark ensemble.
“A gift from Bernadetta.”
“I thought the flower she gave you was purple?”
“This is a new one. I received it today.”
“Oh.” That put Edelgard at ease. He had not been wearing it long, and therefore she had not missed its presence for long. Still, the word ‘gift’ nagged at the back of her mind.
Pushing that aside, Edelgard sipped her coffee. Her eyes narrowed in surprise. “This isn’t our usual brew.”
Hubert looked down into his own cup. “Linhardt stopped by earlier with a kind of coffee from the Rhodos coast. I thought we could try it together, since I had it on hand. How do you find it?”
Edelgard tried another sip. Then another. She shrugged. “It could do with some sugar but I expect you like it as is.” She stood and crossed to the tea tray by the window. “I saw Caspar at the door as well. Is there another crisis that requires my attention?”
“Not at present. He was just here to chat.” He snorted. “As if we have time.”
“Any other morning, perhaps.” Edelgard added sugar and looked out the window as she stirred it in. Outside, the world was well settled into spring. Enbarr was full of color; flowers stood proud and vibrant, market stalls boasted flags fluttering in a light breeze, people wound through the city with bare arms and bright smiles.
Edelgard smiled herself at the sight. “I don’t suppose there’s any room in my schedule for a walk this afternoon?”
There was shuffling behind her. Likely Hubert looking over her calendar. “You have the next hour free, barring any further emergencies. Petra is to stop by this evening for dinner on her way to Almyra so most of your meetings are packed into the late afternoon.”
“I didn’t realize she was staying for dinner. I thought she was just saying hello.”
“Apparently Dorothea reminded her of the date and she allotted time to spend the night here.”
Edelgard’s smile widened as she turned back to Hubert. “Well, I certainly won’t say no to more time with our dear Petra.” She drank her coffee, wondering what the date had to do with anything. It was spring— little else mattered to Edelgard at the moment. A fresh start for the world.
There was a knock on the door and Ferdinand stepped in without waiting for permission. A teasing comment was on the tip of Edelgard’s tongue when Ferdinand’s expression split into a grin. “Hubert! There you are. Did you know your desk is covered in gifts? I am only lucky mine is immaterial— there is no room left to leave anything!”
Edelgard looked to Hubert, expecting him to be as confused as she was, but he merely smirked. “Caspar did say I had quite a bit of mail today. I assume they are from Ingrid, Ashe, and Mercedes?”
“There is also a little something from Shamir, unless I read the tag wrong. And a rather thick letter from Claude I would open carefully.”
“Always.” Hubert stood, placing his cup on Edelgard’s desk.
Everything clicked.
“Oh.” Edelgard set her coffee on the tea tray, eyes widening as realization hit her. “Oh, it— Hubert, it’s your birthday .”
Ferdinand and Hubert looked to her. The brightness of the flower on his chest was almost overwhelming in that moment, the scent of coffee too strong. So many clues, half a lifetime of the same date meaning the same thing, and Edelgard had missed it.
“All this morning together and I never once said— I’m so sorry, Hubert.”
“It’s alright—”
“You even shared your birthday coffee with me!” Edelgard gestured at her cup. “ I brought up the flower for goodness sake!”
“It has been a hectic morning in the middle of a hectic week.” Hubert’s voice was still soothing, still full of understanding. “You are extraordinary, Lady Edelgard, but you cannot be asked to recall every little thing.”
“Your birthday is no little thing!”
“On the contrary—”
“If I may?”
Edelgard had nearly forgotten Ferdinand was in the study. As much as he was her Prime Minister— through deed, not bloodline— and her good friend, it was still embarrassing to be acting this way in front of him. Edelgard ran a hand over her face, willing herself into calm. “Yes, Ferdinand?”
“My gift to Hubert is a quiet lunch in the gardens, to balance out what promises to be a crowded dinner. Would you like to join us?” His smile was kind. “You both seem like you could use a lengthy break. And there is always room for you, Edelgard.”
Edelgard resisted the urge to bite her lip. Surely she, as Emperor, could afford a more extravagant birthday gift for her oldest friend. Though a nice calm lunch outside in this weather was quite tempting…
So lost in her own thoughts was Edelgard that she didn’t realize Hubert had crossed the room until he stood inches from her. “The last thing I would ever want is for you to feel remorse on my account, Lady Edelgard.”
“I should have remembered.”
“It would have changed nothing about this morning if you had.”
A fair point. Edelgard gave a stiff nod and picked up her coffee once again. “Good morning, Hubert,” she said pointedly.
As always, Hubert followed her lead. He put a hand to his heart and bowed. “Good morning, Lady Edelgard.”
“Before we begin with the day’s issues— Happy birthday to you.”
He smiled. “Thank you. Would you care to join Ferdinand and myself for lunch?”
“That sounds lovely.” Edelgard sipped her coffee, which was growing cold. “If that’s alright with you, Ferdinand?”
For Ferdinand was watching them with obvious amusement. At her question, he gave an exaggerated bow of his own. “Indeed it is! What a wonderful idea, Hubert .”
“Why thank you.” Hubert took the cup from Edelgard and placed it beside his own for the staff to clean up later. “Shall we then?”
The three filed out the door. Ferdinand led them down the hall, taking Hubert’s hand easily and relaying with excitement what food he had ordered from the kitchens. All Hubert’s favorites, of course. Guilt still sat heavy in Edelgard’s gut— but as they stepped into the early afternoon sunshine, it became easier to ignore. A spring day like this was just too nice to scowl in.
And Hubert’s birthday was too special an occasion to not smile at.