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On a pleasantly sunny day, Monica strolled alongside her best friend Edelgard through the palace’s gardens. Edelgard’s ominous-looking vassal, Hubert, trailed closely behind them. Monica understood the need for his protection, now more than ever since the mysterious disappearances of most of Edelgard’s siblings(who she had also been friends with and found it hard to reconcile with their likely deaths), but the least he could do was wear less black. She wouldn’t be surprised if a palace guard mistook Hubert as a shadowy assassin trying to sneak up on Edelgard.
Monica distracted herself by looking at the many flowers growing throughout the gardens. She stopped at a bush growing nothing but carnations and admired how the flowers almost matched the color of her hair.
“Dad had those planted there when I told him I liked that kind of flower,” Edelgard said. “It’s sweet, but a little embarrassing. I hope whoever planted them didn’t have to go through much trouble to do so.”
“They’re beautiful,” Monica said. “I think I like these, too.”
They continued their detour through the gardens until they eventually made it to Edelgard’s room and out onto her balcony, where a table was set up with a tea set and three cups.
“I made sure to have one of the staff prepare your favorite, Your Highness.” If Monica’s memory served her correctly(and it always did), that would be Earl Grey.
All three sat at the table after Hubert poured them all a cup of tea. Monica took a sip a found her suspicions correct.
“How are you these days? It’s been a while since I’ve been able to visit,” Monica said. An unfortunate consequence of the Ochs barony being located so far away. Her father only visited the Emperor every few months or so, which meant that Monica spent quite a bit of time away from Edelgard.
Despite this, Edelgard was still her best friend. Her only friend, if Monica was being completely honest.
“I am doing well. Evelyn and I have been trying to get dad to let us venture outside more often. I feel cooped up here,” Edelgard said with a sigh. “Do you think if I asked nicely enough, he would allow me to accompany you back to your barony?” She said the last part with a bit of humor in her voice. The attempt made Monica feel even sadder about her situation than before, but she tried not to let it show on her face. She knew better than anyone that if Edelgard hated anything, it was being pitied.
“I wish. Then we could have sleepovers all the time,” Monica said. “I’d show you my favorite places there. Though now that I think about it, we may have to skip the beaches since you don’t like swimming.”
“I’d be content to watch you swim safely from the shore,” Edelgard said, smiling. But it was clear there was not much joy in it. “However, this is all a mere fantasy. Dad would probably faint at the thought of me being so far away.”
She looks down at her teacup with a frown. “And I can’t say I blame him.”
Monica, who was overcome with the need to comfort her best friend, reached out and took one of her hands. “El…” she said. It was a nickname few others had the privilege of calling her, but for some reason, she felt Monica was worthy. “I wish I could help you. My dad has sent countless people here to help with the search for the others, but I feel as though I’m sitting here and twiddling my thumbs while others are doing the important work.”
“I tried to join them, but dad wouldn’t let me,” Monica admitted.
Edelgard squeezed the hand that had taken one of hers. She gazed at Monica sincerely, with eyes that had seen too much. Way too much for a twelve-year-old. “Your dad cares as much about you as mine does about me. But there is one thing you can do for me, Monica.”
“What is it?”
“Promise you’ll stay by my side. I don’t think I can survive this without your friendship and loyalty,” Edelgard said, her voice making it sound like more of a beg. “Promise me that, please.”
“I promise,” Monica said resolutely. “I promise I won’t ever leave you. Even if our homes are days away, I will always find my way back to you. And I will be your most loyal friend, second only to Hubert.” She admitted the last part with a bit of reluctance but noticed out of the corner of her eye that Hubert nodded.
“Okay. I’m counting on you, Monica.”
Little did either of them know, Monica would be forced to break that promise a few days later. After Emperor Ionius von Hresvelg made a decree that no one would visit his daughter ever again, for her safety.
~~~~~~
The opera house in Enbarr was a sight to behold. Monica’s parents decided to take her to the opera in celebration of her eighteenth birthday. It was difficult for Monica to stay with them and not lose them in the crowd as many others rushed to get into the theater in anticipation of its biggest show, a story about star-crossed lovers performed by none other than the Mystical Songstress herself.
Monica was giddy with excitement. She stuck close to her parents, followed the crowd inside, and admired how high the ceiling was in the atrium.
Eventually, the Ochs made their way to their designated box. Monica wondered, briefly, just how long her father had to reserve these tickets in advance to get such a good seat. They were technically imperial nobility, but a mere baron(an illegitimate one, at that) did not hold much sway compared to the many counts and viscounts within the Empire.
Monica chose to just be grateful for her parents’ kindness and not question the specifics too much.
After everyone was seated, the show began.
As with most tales between star-crossed lovers, Monica expected this to be a tragic one. However, that didn’t stop her from getting invested in the main couple. A commoner woman(predictably played by the Mystical Songstress) falling for a member of the nobility.
The musical numbers were beautiful and fit well within the narrative. One of them, a sad number just before the third act, even made Monica tear up a bit.
Monica couldn’t help but admire the leading lady, Dorothea Arnault. She didn’t know much about the Mystical Songstress, but tales of her amazing shows spread far and wide throughout the Empire. Monica thought those tales didn’t do her justice.
As the show concluded and the cast stood on stage to bow and receive their applause, the theater’s lights were lit up once again so everyone could find their way out more easily. In the full light of the theater, Monica gazed upon the beautiful leading lady. Once again, Monica found that the tales of her beauty didn’t do her justice. Her gorgeous, beaming smile was clear, even from up in the box where Monica and her family had viewed the show.
Surprisingly, Dorothea looked up at the boxes, as if she were looking for something.
Even more surprisingly, upon seeing Monica looking at her, she blew a kiss up at her. Monica didn’t know what to make of that, so she simply waved back. Dorothea returned her wave before she turned back toward the rest of the audience to continue receiving their praise.
Monica felt herself blush. She knew it didn’t mean anything. It was likely her job to do that sort of thing to make everyone feel seen, and in turn, attract further business for the opera house. But that didn’t stop Monica from being embarrassed about the sudden attention. She turned away from the stage and urged her parents that they should leave since the show was over.
Before they got to the atrium, though, Monica realized that it would be best if she used the facilities before their long carriage ride home. So she excused herself from her parents, who she agreed to meet at the carriage when she was done and proceeded to try and find the bathrooms.
What should’ve been an easy search, unfortunately, took longer than expected since most of the hallways were crowded with people who were trying to find their way out of the opera house.
Monica ended up somehow getting lost within the building because of it. Too embarrassed by her ability to get lost in such a simple(if not larger-than-average) building, she avoided asking any of the staff for directions.
It felt like she was wandering around for half an hour, worriedly muttering to herself about how her parents must be growing concerned about her, that she ran into a familiar woman.
And by ran into, Monica quite literally bumped into her by mistake.
“Ah! Oh, sorry!” Monica apologized. Her eyes widened as she saw just who she bumped into. “You’re-”
“Dorothea. And what’s your name, cutie? I remember seeing you in one of those boxes earlier,” Dorothea said with a charming smile. It took everything in Monica not to swoon a the sight.
“M-Monica von Ochs,” she said. “Um, you remember me?”
“Of course. I don’t blow a kiss to just anyone, you know,” Dorothea said. Monica wasn’t sure if she believed that, but she was too much of a flustered mess at the moment to care. “That ‘von’ must mean you’re of the nobility, right?”
“Yes, that would be correct,” Monica said. She could’ve sworn she saw Dorothea’s eyes light up a bit at her answer. “My dad is the baron of Ochs territory.”
“Interesting,” Dorothea said, running her fingertips down one of Monica’s arms, which were bare due to the dress she was wearing. The skin-on-skin contact made Monica shiver. “What’s an adorable woman like yourself doing all the way back here?”
“Oh, right. I… may have gotten lost trying to find the facilities,” Monica said, unable to look at her. A gentle touch on her chin guided her eyes back up to Dorothea to find she was smiling.
Dorothea let go of her chin. “It’s all right. I understand better than anyone that this place can be like a maze at times. If you get turned around in the wrong place, all these boring hallways blend together.”
Dorothea gently took her hand. The grip was loose enough that Monica could have pulled away if she wanted to, but she didn’t.
“How about I escort you there? By now most of the crowd has left, so we should be able to get through the building unbothered.”
“I’d appreciate it greatly,” Monica said. She allowed Dorothea to tug her along with their joined hands.
“So, what did you think of the show?” Dorothea asked.
“I thought it was wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like it! The music, the story, the casting, it was all perfect,” Monica said. She was still a little flustered but had composed herself enough to answer truthfully.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know my reputation proceeds me, but I find it hard to get feedback on how well I’ve done until long after my performance,” Dorothea said. “This was my favorite show to date. Manuela actually allowed me to have a hand in writing this story. In fact, I was the one to pitch the idea of it being about a commoner woman and her noble lover.”
“It’s certainly an interesting concept. It makes for a great story, but I don’t imagine many nobles would agree with it in practice,” Monica said.
Dorothea sighed. “You’re right about that. Which makes me wonder…”
Dorothea stopped walking for a moment and took Monica’s other hand. She looked Monica straight in the eyes. “Would you marry a commoner, Monica?”
Monica tried her damndest not to blush. There’s no way Dorothea was unaware of the implications of her asking Monica that question, right? Though if she was only interested in men, perhaps she could be.
Something in Dorothea’s gaze made Monica want to be fully honest with her.
“If I loved her? Yes, I would,” Monica said.
“‘Her?’” Dorothea asked. Monica blushed as she realized her slip-up. Given how it was looked down upon in their society, Monica made a point to only tell her parents about her attraction to women. And only women.
“I- um, I-” Monica let go of Dorothea’s hands and tried to backtrack.
“Shh, it’s okay, Monnie. I won’t tell anyone. I understand as well as you do the necessity of keeping such attractions a secret.”
Monica looked up to see Dorothea’s smile. “Y-You do?”
Dorothea nodded and gently took Monica’s hands once again. “You didn’t think the relationship between my character and her best friend was purely platonic, did you? I know it’s subtle, but it’s the only way I could write in such a pairing without drawing the ire of everyone in the audience. I tried to base their relationship on some of my own.”
“I suspected, but I’m used to overlooking such relationships. Since it often feels that there are so few like us out there in the world and even fewer that are popular authors or playwrights.”
“It is a tragedy, that’s for certain,” Dorothea said with a frown. “Perhaps one of these days we’ll get an Emperor who will try to make reforms. But even then, I don’t see public perception changing easily.”
“Maybe when Edelgard ascends the throne, I’ll ask her,” Monica said. She knew it was likely foolish for her to believe that their friendship will have held up after all these years apart, but she was the hopeful sort.
“You know the Emperor’s daughter?” Dorothea asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Kind of. She was my best friend, but we’ve been separated for many years,” Monica said.
“I hope for both of our sakes, she’ll let you call in a favor, then,” Dorothea said, then she continued escorting Monica.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive at the bathrooms, which were conveniently located near the front of the building in the atrium. A detail Monica likely would’ve remembered if the large crowd of people didn’t block her view.
“Here we are. As much as it pains me for us to part so soon, I suppose this is goodbye, isn’t it?” Dorothea said. She looked genuinely sad, which surprised Monica a bit. She still could scarcely believe she had been hanging out with the Mystical Songstress this entire time.
“Yes, I suppose so. But if I find myself here again, perhaps I could visit you?” Monica chanced.
“I would love that,” Dorothea said with a radiant smile. “Goodbye, Monica.”
“Goodbye, Dorothea.”
They parted ways. Monica doubted she would see the songstress again, but she allowed herself to hope, if for a brief moment, that their paths would cross once again.
~~~~~~
A few days after returning home from Enbarr, Monica went back to her usual schedule. However, she did think about Dorothea often. She was too radiant not to spare a few thoughts about.
Monica was shaken out of these thoughts by the voice of her father. He, her mother, and herself were all currently eating family dinner together in the dining room.
“Monica, your mother and I have been meaning to talk to you about something,” the Baron said.
Monica looked up at him curiously and nodded for him to continue.
Her mother spoke up. “Honey, we noticed you don’t have many friends your age. Not since we had to cut off contact with the Hresvelgs, unfortunately.”
Now Monica was growing a little concerned. “Maybe so. Why are you bringing this up?”
“The social season is coming up. Now, I know it’s mostly for a bunch of nobles trying to get married and improve their status. But from what I’ve heard, most of the people there this year will be around your age,” said her father.
“To be clear, we’re not asking you to get married,” her mother chimed in. “We just want to make sure you have friends. Even if most of them live in the eastern part of the Empire.”
Her father nodded. “You don’t have to marry anyone while you’re there. We just want you to make some friends. If you find someone your heart calls for, then that would be excellent. Otherwise, we’ll be happy if you simply take the opportunity to make some friends.”
Monica trusted her parents. She had heard rumors of some of the horror stories of families within the Empire. What some parents would make their children do in order to get more money or power. Her parents were never like that. They always cared about her and supported her. Even when she told them that she would never marry a man, nor have any heirs for them.
Because of this, she believed they truly had her best interests at heart. And she knew herself, deep down, that she has always been lonelier than the other noble children due to barony Ochs being located so far west.
“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll go there and make some friends,” Monica said. “Will you both be staying here?”
“Unfortunately so. I have a lot of business to attend to in the barony,” her father said.
“And I must stay here to ensure he doesn’t burn himself out again,” her mother said and she looked sternly at her father for a moment.
“Yes, yes. That too,” her father said. His tone was exasperated, but he was smiling. “We will make the trip to visit you once you all pass through Lord Arundel’s territory.”
“Which will, sadly, be near the end of the tour,” her mother said. “As much as the thought of you leaving for such a long time pains me, I know it’ll ultimately be the best for you. But please, promise to write us?”
“I will,” Monica said. She finished up what little of her dinner was left. “I’ll see to packing and scheduling a carriage ride to Enbarr, then.”
Monica darted upstairs to her room, unsure of what the future will hold but excited to greet it all the same.