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"I'm still not quite used to these cold temperatures," Shez shivered for emphasis, "You alright? Not too cold, are you?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Byleth replied simply, but he had learned by now that she meant nothing by it. In fact, he detected a hint of fondness in her reply. It was all about learning the subtle tells.
The two of them had been dating now for a couple of years. Byleth still traveled with Jeralt's mercenaries and Shez's work tended to keep him tied down, but they met up whenever they could and wrote very frequently. Although Byleth's letters could read more like status reports at times, she got better at personalizing them and he learned to find the affection within.
The two came to a stop along the walls of one of the capitol's few parks. They had gone for a stroll after a meal that nearly made Shez gawk at the price, but she was worth it. That said, he was still a bit nervous as his right hand fumbled around in his coat pocket.
"So, Jeralt's really retiring, huh?"
"So he says. It's not the first time he's mentioned it. Though, I do admit that he seems more serious about it this time. He may actually go through with it."
"You going to take over?" Shez tried not to let his anxiety show. Though, no matter his answer, he was committed. It just meant what course he would take.
"I'm not sure. He's offered it to me if I want it, but while I want to see out my mercenary days with him, I'm not sure about leading the company. I think he may know that and the fact he has Alois to fall back on may be why he's considering retirement seriously now."
"I don't think that's the only reason."
"Oh?"
"Well," Shez stuttered a little suddenly less confident, "Maybe he's confident now that you'll be okay now even if he retires."
"I had not thought of that. It does seem like him though, and he has been asking a lot questions lately."
"What kind of questions?"
"Mostly about you," Byleth stared at him intently, "Or rather, about us."
"I see," Shez noticeably blushed at the insinuation, but he tried not to dwell on it, "Actually, um, I've been meaning to ask you something myself."
"Go on," Byleth encouraged, "You seem tense. I thought I didn't scare you anymore."
"You don't!" Shez scrambled, "It's not you, but, it's nerve wracking all the same."
Taking a breath to collect himself, Shez started again, "Okay, um, well, with everything settled down, and you maybe changing things up soon, I wanted to ask if, maybe, you'd like to get married."
"Married?" He had done it. He had actually surprised her. He just was not sure if that was a good thing.
"Y-yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while, and it seemed like the right time," Shez dug around in his pocket for a few seconds before pulling out a ring, "I even got you this."
"Oh, it's lovely," It was simple. A practical design for a practical woman, but that suited her just fine.
"So, what do you say? Will you marry me?"
"No."
"N-no?" Shez was stunned.
"Not like that at least," Byleth had adopted a smirk now, "If you want me to marry you, then you have to do it right."
"'Do it right?'"
"Yes. On your knee and all that. Think of it as payback for trying to buy your first date with me."
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you? Alright," Shez collected himself and got down on one knee creating a scene.
"Byleth Eisner, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"There, was that so hard?" She was clearly enjoying this. Not much subtle about this show of emotion.
"Please don't tease me. This is serious. I'm pouring my heart out here."
"I know," Her mischevious smirk melted into something more fond, "And my answer is yes. I will absolutely marry you."
Shez let out a relieved sigh before noticing Byleth wiggling her extended hand, "Oh!" Quickly, he put the ring on her finger, and the sight made him smile.
"I don't know for sure what I want to do with my life," Byleth smiled as she admired the ring before pulling Shez up to his feet, "But I know that whatever I do, wherever I go, I want you by my side."
"Wow, making my proclamation feel a bit lacking."
"It's alright," Byleth pulled him in for a kiss, "It was very you."