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The absolute nerve of that villain.
Annette had decided a long time ago that Felix Hugo Fraldarius was as evil as a seventeen year old boy could be, but she never imagined just how low he could sink. As if spying on her and mocking her singing and dancing hadn’t been bad enough, he’d gone and committed a cardinal sin: cutting class.
The Officer’s Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery was the most prestigious military academy in all of Fódlan. Getting a spot took either a lot of money, a lot of prestige, or, in Annette’s case, a special recommendation and full scholarship from working herself to the bone to ace her Royal School of Sorcery finals. The very idea that someone would squander a learning opportunity, especially when it was basically handed to them on a silver platter, infuriated her.
So the moment class ended, Annette marched straight for the training grounds. Sure enough, Felix was there, performing maneuvers with a training sword that she refused to admit were impressive. She shouted his name angrily, and when he stopped to look at her, his face flushed and coated in sweat, he did not look attractive in the slightest.
“So this is where you’ve been!” she exclaimed. “Who do you think you are?!”
“What are you mad about this time?” he asked.
“Don’t play dumb!” she snapped. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you never showed up to Professor Hanneman’s Reason lecture?”
He huffed, rolling his eyes. “What, are you his personal assistant or something? If the professor’s that concerned, he can see me himself.”
“That’s not the point!” Annette growled. “We all came to the Officer’s Academy to learn! And here you are, throwing opportunities away like garbage!”
“It’s not an opportunity. It’s a waste of time.”
Annette stared at him, hardly believing her ears. “What?”
“I don’t need to learn Reason,” he said simply, as if he were stating the sky was blue. "There's no point in studying something I'll never use."
"You… You!" Annette was so angry that she could hardly speak. "How can you be so… so… impossible?!"
"All I need to win is my sword and my skill," Felix said. "Anything else is a waste of my time."
"It's not a waste of time!" Annette protested. "Do you have any idea how useful black magic is?!"
"I do. You're proof enough of that," he replied. "But that's exactly my point. Leave the magic to the people who want to master it. I'm better off perfecting what I know instead of trying to learn something I'll never use."
What he was saying made a degree of sense, but it only enraged her further. She'd been taking time out of her days to learn how to use an axe, not only because using her father's favored weapon helped her feel closer to him, but also because she knew she needed another way to fight if her magic ever failed. The fact that Felix was arrogant enough to not even consider any alternatives to swordplay or brawling infuriated her.
"I can't believe you," she growled. "You won't even try?!"
"I told you, there's no point in learning what I'll never use."
"But what if you do end up needing it? Besides, there's more to Reason than just black magic! Math is important!"
"I've already learned all the math I'll need to know. Why are you so hung up on this, anyway? It's not like it affects you."
There were many things Annette could have said to that. She could have told him that she hated that he was slacking off, or even that his arrogance would get him killed, and both would be true. But what came out instead was, "Because I can't concentrate when you're not there!"
Dead silence. Annette thought she might spontaneously combust. Why, oh why did she blurt that? Somehow, she managed to find the courage to look at Felix's face. Was it just her, or was he blushing?
"Um…" Felix said at last.
"Um…" Annette responded dumbly. "F-forget I said anything! I'll just… go now."
"Wait," Felix called. "If that's how you feel, then I'll… reconsider."
Annette gaped at him. "R-really?"
"I might be more motivated if you sang and danced, too.”
And just like that, all her earlier anger returned. “YOU VILLAIN! I told you to forget about that!”
“And I told you I can’t.”
Annette cried out in frustration before stomping away. “Evil! So evil! Why did I even bother?!”
She thought she heard Felix say something else to her, but she was too mad to care. Stupid, aggravating, attractive villain. And stupid her for having a stupid crush.