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“Remember, Annette. You must make a good impression tonight.”

“Yes, Uncle,” Annette replied dully.

“To think, a Dominic marrying a Fraldarius! We cannot fumble this opportunity, my dear,” her uncle continued. He barely seemed to take notice of Annette sitting beside him in the carriage, his eyes bright with dreams of the glorious future awaiting their house. “If only the duke was not such a sentimental man, we could make the arrangements and be done with all of this uncertainty. But I suppose when you are one of the kingdom’s most powerful men, you can afford to humour the whims of your children.”

And when you were a mere baron, evidently you could not. Annette listened to her uncle’s complaints and hopes silently, her mind elsewhere. She’d already heard the speech countless times over the past weeks, ever since Duke Fraldarius had replied favourably to her uncle’s letter proposing a marriage between their families. Only a few months ago, such a match would have been unheard of, back when she was just the daughter of a missing knight. But then her cousin Simon just had to run off and abandon his title to live with his best friend Dorian, and suddenly Annette found herself heir to the barony of Dominic. It wasn’t the most prestigious title, but the barony itself was a coveted land, located in the most fertile region of the kingdom. Combining that with the trade relations her uncle had been building with the empire and the other western lords, and Dominic was now a lucrative inheritance for any younger sons of the nobility. Apparently it was even good enough for the second son of the illustrious Fraldarius family – though there was one catch. The duke refused to force his children into marriage, and would only agree to the match if his son consented.

It was nice that Duke Fraldarius cared about what his son wanted, Annette supposed. She just wished someone would ask her how she felt about the marriage.

It wasn’t that Annette was opposed to ever getting married. She just didn’t particularly want to get married yet! Not when she was only seventeen. Not when she’d just finished her education at the Fhirdiad School for Ladies. And not when she had dreams to study at Garreg Mach Academy, with detailed plans on how she was going to argue her way into the male-only mathematics program.

But unfortunately, no one other than Annette and her best friend Mercedes cared about her dreams. As her uncle had told her every day for the past three weeks, Annette had a duty to her family and lands. And that duty meant being charming and perfect and well-behaved when she danced with Lord Felix Fraldarius at his family’s ball that night. She had to make a good impression, or else.

All too soon, the carriage came to a stop. With one last admonition to remember her duty, her uncle exited and reached out a gallant hand to help Annette down. Breathing out slowly, she unclenched her fists to release the skirts of her lovely blue gown and plastered on a generically bright smile. That at least was easy – pretending to smile was a talent she’d grown far too good at ever since her father left. Leaning on her uncle’s arm, Annette walked up the imposing steps of Fraldarius Manor.

“Announcing The Right Honourable Baron Dominic, and his niece, The Honourable Lady Annette Dominic.”

As Annette and her uncle entered the ballroom, all eyes seemed to turn upon them. Whispers ran through the crowds in a way that her entrance had never caused before. Discreet as they’d tried to be clearly everyone in the ballroom was aware of the proposed marriage between Annette and the duke’s son. She tried not to panic beneath their judging eyes, gripping her uncle’s arm more tightly than she normally would – until her gaze fell upon a familiar face. Annette relaxed at the sight of Mercedes waving from across the ballroom, her calm demeanour and encouraging nod enough to restore her strength. Standing straighter, she faced down the chittering nobles with determination. No one was going to intimidate her. Not even –

“It is good to see you again, Baron Dominic.” A handsome older gentleman swept up alongside them, his smile charming and his eyes gleaming with intelligence. He turned to Annette, bowing gallantly enough to make her blush. “And it is a pleasure to meet you at last, Lady Dominic.”

Annette curtsied, so focused on avoiding any clumsy mistakes that she didn’t hear her uncle’s response. This man could be none other than Duke Fraldarius himself! Which meant that the young man lingering at his side could only be…

“Allow me to introduce my second son, Felix.” Duke Fraldarius placed a hand on his son’s back and pushed him forward. Annette glanced up at her potential future husband, nerves welling up within her.

Lord Felix Fraldarius was certainly handsome, she couldn’t help but note, with the same dark hair as his father and golden brown eyes that contrasted it nicely. But his expression was…well. Sullen was the only word that came to mind. Arms crossed and scowling at his father, it was clear that the young lord was no happier than Annette with their situation. Her heart dropped at the realization. How was she supposed to charm such a man? How could she convince him to marry her? And even if she did, could she ever be happy with someone who looked so unpleasantly dour?

“Now Felix,” the duke began, but his son cut him off rudely.

“I know,” Felix snapped back. Still scowling, he turned his glare on Annette and offered his arm with a shocking lack of courtesy. “May I have this dance, Lady Dominic?”

Forcing her smile to remain in place, Annette took his arm. Despite the formality of his words, it was impossible to miss his sarcastic tone. For the good of my family, Annette repeated to herself as she followed Felix out into the centre of the ballroom. For the sake of Dominic and everyone who lives there.

As they waited for other couples to take up their positions on the dance floor, Annette smiled as cheerily as she could. “Thank you for the honour of a dance, Lord Fraldarius! Balls are ever so exciting, don’t you think?”

“Hmph.” Felix scoffed and looked away, an odd pink tinge on his otherwise pale skin. “Not really. I hate dancing. I’m only doing this because the old man said he wouldn’t let me buy any new swords if I didn’t.”

Um. Okay. Annette’s smile twitched, but she forced out a bubbly giggle. “Wow! That sounds…interesting!”

Thankfully, the start of the dance saved her from having to say anything else. Annette was grateful for the chance to collect her thoughts, desperately trying to plan a line of attack for charming her dour partner. Neither spoke as they swept through the opening steps of the dance, though Felix did prove to be a surprisingly graceful dancer despite his permanent scowl.

“Do you like to read, my lord?” Annette broke the silence first. Hopefully finding common ground would lead to a more pleasurable dance, and she’d never met someone who didn’t enjoy a good book!

Somehow, Felix’s frown deepened. “No.”

“O-oh.” Annette could feel her smile wavering. “Ah, then do you enjoy viewing art?”

“No.”

“Do…do you like to play cards?” Annette asked weakly.

“Only if people actually focus on the game. But all anyone ever wants to do is talk.” Felix said the word like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. Annette was beginning to feel a little hysterical. Was there anything this man liked besides – apparently – swords?

“Well. Um. I like to read!” Annette was babbling. She knew she was. But her panic was growing too strong, the need to fill the silence pushing her forward without pause. “There is nothing I love more than finding a new novel. Oh! But I also enjoy reading non-fiction as well! Like books on philosophy and art and history and…” What was she saying? Her uncle had warned her so many times not to speak of her academic interests to any potential suitor, but Annette simply couldn’t stop. “Actually, my favourite topic is theoretical mathematics! Do you like mathematics? I think it’s fascinating! Did you know that we can apply mathematical concepts to almost every facet of our daily lives? When I attended the Ladies’ School in Fhirdiad, I became quite intrigued by the relationships between – Ah!” Finally, finally, staring into Felix’s wide eyes, Annette managed to regain control over her tongue. She forced a smile, but it was as fake as the accompanying laugh. “Um! Sorry. I didn’t mean to ramble, my lord. Haha!”

His face once more faintly red, Felix just stared at her for a few awkward moments before looking away disdainfully. “Hmph. What a waste.”

…A waste?! Not trusting herself to speak, Annette put all of her focus into maintaining her increasingly brittle smile. So. He was one of those men who thought educating women was a waste of time. The thought of marrying this villain grew more repulsive by the moment, but – but her own desires were secondary to the needs of her family. She had no choice. And if she happened to stomp on his foot hard enough to make him wince, well – Annette was famously clumsy.

Thankfully, silence fell between them once again. Annette was desperately counting down the minutes until their dance ended, praying that a break would give her time to formulate a new strategy. Deep in thought, she barely noticed anything around them.

“Another one? Really?”

Surprisingly, Felix was the first to break the silence. Curious despite herself, Annette followed his scornful gaze to where a handsome redhaired gentleman was dancing with a young woman. As the couple spun elegantly through the dance, she realized that the woman was Mercedes. Her friend was smiling warmly, genuine amusement sparkling in her eyes as she conversed with her partner. Annette’s heart warmed at the sight. Usually Mercie looked uncomfortable when she danced, her partners forced upon her by her overly ambitious stepfather. To see her actually enjoying herself for once was a welcome sight.

“How sweet…” Annette said quietly, her smile real for the first time that night.

“Sweet? Hah.” Felix shook his head disdainfully. “That girl’s an idiot if she thinks Sylvain will ever settle down for her.”

Oh. No.

Annette yanked free of his arms, abrupt enough that Felix stumbled. People around them began to slow down and whisper, but Annette didn’t care. She knew this marriage was important. She knew that. But some crimes couldn’t be forgiven.

“What’s wrong with – ”

“You!” Annette yelled. She kept her hands firmly balled in her skirts to prevent herself from slapping that awful man. “You – villain! You rude, meanspirited, detestable villain!” Felix had the audacity to look surprised at her words, which only made Annette more certain that she could never, ever find happiness in a marriage with him. Unable to stop now that she’d begun, she took a step closer to him, dislike burning in her eyes. “I don’t care how rich you are! Or – or how well connected! You, Felix Fraldarius, are the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry!”

With one last angry flounce, Annette turned and stormed off the dance floor. Mercedes hurried after her, linking their arms together with a reassuring squeeze. Annette squeezed back gratefully. As reality began to sink back in, her anger twisted into anxiety. What had she done? What would her uncle say? Annette’s stomach sank. After that display, no reputable gentleman would want anything to do with her…

Well! Who cares, Annette decided fiercely. It wasn’t like she’d wanted to get married anyway. She would become a scholar, like she’d always wanted, and a spinster too! She’d bring fame and fortune to her family without the need of some stupid man.

And Annette was certain that she would never, ever regret turning down that contemptible villain.

“Damn. Not even I’ve ever managed to upset a girl that fast.”

“Shut up,” Felix muttered, but there was no bite behind his words. His mind was too muddled to pay attention to Sylvain’s jibes, his eyes fixed on the retreating back of Lady Dominic. No, not retreating. Not when she was the clear victor of their bout.

Well. Good riddance. It’s not like he wanted to get married anyway.

And if Felix couldn’t stop dwelling on how charming Annette had looked, utterly fearless as she puffed up with rage, tiny but powerful in her frilly blue dress – well, that was something that no one ever had to know.

He would get over it.

Annette had held it together since she first heard the news. Smiling and optimistic, like she always was in the face of disaster. Like she always had to be.

But as soon as she walked into the drawing room at Gautier Manor and saw Mercedes, she burst into tears.

Mercie was on her in an instant of course, wrapping her in a familiar comforting embrace and leading her to the table, murmuring calm and reassuring words all the while. Annette continued to sob against her for goddess knows how long, but eventually the smell of fresh baked cookies and sweet apple tea cut through her anxieties. Sniffling in a most unladylike manner, she finally pulled away.

“S-sorry, Mercie.” Annette hastily wiped away her tears and plopped down into her own seat. She grabbed the nearest cookie and shoved the whole thing into her mouth at once, sighing. At least Mercie and her homemade baking would always be there for her.

“There’s no need to apologize, Annie,” Mercie said, her voice much more serious than usual. She poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Annette. “What you and your family are going through…no one could blame you for crying.”

Annette stared down at her teacup gloomily. What her family was going through…how quickly one’s fortunes could change.

Ten years ago Dominic had been a thriving barony and she a wealthy heiress. A never-ending line of suitors danced with her at balls and tried to charm her with their courtship, undaunted by her very public rejection of the youngest Lord Fraldarius. Annette had of course turned them down as well. Perhaps one day she might marry, but for ten years she’d been perfectly happy as a spinster, thank you very much! Although she never could convince Garreg Mach Academy to accept her as an official student, her impassioned thesis on Saint Cethleann’s invaluable yet oft ignored contributions to the field of medicine had impressed the dean enough that he granted her access to the libraries, allowing her to continue her research independently. Annette had even managed to publish several respected treatises on mathematical theory, and had received high praise from the empire’s most esteemed scholar, Lord von Essar! Despite all the hurdles of being a woman, Annette had never been happier.

But then last week, she had received the letter.

“Are you sure you don’t want Sylvain to talk to His Highness?” Mercedes asked. She nudged the sugar bowl closer to Annette. “He is childhood friends with the prince. Perhaps he might be able to persuade him to help…”

Annette accepted the sugar bowl with a weak but grateful smile. She considered it for a moment before deciding that decorum was not her priority, and dumped half the bowl into her teacup. She knew Mercedes wouldn’t judge.

“I appreciate the offer, Mercie. Really. But unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anything that even His Highness could do.” Annette sipped at her tea, mentally reviewing the contents of the letter and her mother’s panicked explanations for the hundredth time. No matter how many times she thought through the dilemma, she could find no solution. “Lord Arundel didn’t technically do anything illegal. Neither did Count Rowe or Viscount Mateus. My uncle agreed to all of the terms of their trade deals. It…doesn’t matter that he didn’t realize everything that he was agreeing to.”

All of Dominic’s wealth and prosperity, carefully built for years, gone in an instant. Gobbled up by the lords that her uncle considered friends. Her family’s fortune destroyed.

And no more fortune meant no more expensive books. No more visits to Garreg Mach. Certainly no trip to meet Lord von Essar in the empire. No leisure time to research and learn. No prospects of marriage to fall back on. Nothing.

“Hm. That doesn’t sound very fair to me,” Mercedes said with an uncharacteristic frown. “But I suppose you understand the situation better than me, dear.” Leaning across the table, she placed her hand on Annette’s. “Please remember that you will always be welcome in my home, Annie. Your mother as well. Sylvain and I would be delighted to have you live with us – forever, if you’d like!”

In the face of her best friend’s sincere kindness, Annette could feel the tears welling back up in her eyes. “Mercie…Thank you.” She managed a small smile, but shook her head. “But I can’t expect you to do that. Mother still has an annuity she inherited from her parents. It’s small, but she never liked living fancily anyway. And I…” Annette puffed up, doing her best to project her old optimism and determination. “I want to make my own way in the world! It will be difficult without my family’s wealth, especially as a woman. But my dream has always been to become an academic. A woman who can support herself! And I refuse to let anything or anyone stop me!”

“Oh Annie! I just know you’ll do wonderfully.” Mercie clasped her hands in front of her chest, beaming proudly. “The offer to live here will always be open though. Just in case.”

Cheered by her friend’s support, Annette indulged in a few more cookies. But no matter how many sweets she devoured, that twinge of anxiety wouldn’t quite fade. “I’m…not really sure where to begin though,” Annette admitted. She sighed, staring into her teacup as if it had the answers she needed. “Even with the support my research has gained, no respectable academy will hire a woman to teach. And not even the Ladies’ School is an option anymore, not now that my family has fallen so far.”

“Perhaps you could – oh!” Annette looked up at Mercie’s sudden cry, confused as she watched a bright grin cover her face. “I know it’s not quite what you’re hoping for, but would you ever consider becoming a governess? It would allow you to save money and gain experience teaching, and you would still have enough leisure time to continue your own studies.”

A governess…? The longer Annette considered the option, the more excited she grew. Mercie was right. It wasn’t quite ideal, but it was certainly her best hope of one day achieving her dreams. And besides, she loved children!

“You’re a genius, Mercie!” Annette bolted up from her chair, pacing the tea room as she began plotting out this new development in her life plan. “First, I need to find an employer. I wonder if – ”

Mercedes interrupted her with a giggle. “There’s no need for you to fret about that, Annie! I know the perfect location already.” She caught Annette’s hand and led her back to table, smiling benignly all the while. “One of Sylvain’s friends is in desperate need of a governess. It’s a sad story, really…” Mercie’s smile dropped, her hold on Annette’s hand tightening. “His elder brother died alongside his wife a few months past, leaving behind a daughter. She was always a dear little thing, but ever since she lost her parents she has been…struggling. Her uncle isn’t doing any better, as strong as he pretends to be.” Mercedes sighed, but there was confidence in her eyes when she looked up. “It is a difficult situation, I know. But if anyone can help that poor little girl, I know it’s you, Annie.”

An innocent orphan, cruelly torn from her parents and feeling lost and alone…Annette’s heart ached with sympathy. How could she not do everything in her power to help such a child? “I’ll do it,” she stated, firm with determination. “Please contact your friend as soon as possible!” Annette paused, smiling sheepishly as a sudden thought struck her. “Er. You will act as a reference though, right Mercie? Since I don’t exactly have any past employers…”

For some reason, Mercedes’s sweet smile sharpened, the mischievous sparkle in her eyes similar to the look her husband got whenever teasing one of his friends. Annette felt a sliver of apprehension worm its way into her heart. “You don’t need to worry about him doubting your credentials, dear!” Mercedes replied, bright as could be. “You’ve met him before actually! And, well…you made quite the impression.”

Felix paced back and forth in the drawing room, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Irritation threatened to overwhelm him. What he really needed was to be out in the training grounds, hitting something repeatedly with a sword. But unfortunately, that wasn’t an option today. Not with the new governess set to arrive any minute.

There was something suspicious about her, though he didn’t what yet. Sylvain and Mercedes had been glowing in their recommendations, but Felix knew that look in his friends’ eyes. He’d seen that mischievous amusement in Sylvain’s expression more times than he could count, and any hopes he’d had that marriage to the saintly Mercedes von Matritz might tame his friend had long been crushed – she was just as bad as her husband when it came to teasing him. Worse even, since Felix could at least yell at Sylvain to vent his frustrations. Yelling at Mercedes was probably a crime.

A sudden suspicion struck him, developing into certainty within seconds.

Matchmaking.

Of course. With those two concerned, how could it be anything else? Felix’s lack of a wife was a favourite topic of the couple. Surely they’d jump at an opportunity to shove some woman in his face. To make plenty of jokes and ask prying questions and irritate him endlessly. Well. Jokes on them. As if such a scheme could work on him, when there had only ever been one woman who –

Don’t think about that.

Felix paused in his pacing to glare out the window. Still no sign of the governess. With a loud sigh, he dropped down into a large armchair and crossed his arms. Annoying as his friends’ meddling could be, he didn’t have much of a choice this time. In the six months since Glenn’s death, he’d gone through nearly a dozen governesses and nannies, most barely lasting a week. If this woman was even half as amazing as Mercedes claimed, then Felix would put up with any amount of matchmaking. Someone needed to get through to his niece, to help her process her grief.

Goddess knows he couldn’t.

Not for lack of trying though. Despite what some might believe, despite the aloof image of bachelorhood he projected, Felix – well. He had a soft spot for kids. They were honest and straightforward, and not yet corrupted by society’s obsession with propriety and class. And there was none he liked as much as his niece, Felicity.

Before…it happened, they used to get along great. Felicity loved swords, and insisted that Felix give her secret lessons when no one was looking. In exchange, she would grant him pictures of cats she’d drawn (all of which he kept safely tucked away in his room), her expression deadly serious. He liked hearing her talk about her days, and she was always excited to hear stories about history and battles.

Now, however…

Now, when Felix had knocked at her door earlier, telling her to come downstairs to greet her new governess, Felicity had screamed at him to go away and leave her alone.

Felix did his best to shove down the uncomfortable feeling of grief twisting in his stomach. His niece barely left her room anymore. Not even promises to continue her sword lessons could tempt her out. All she wanted was to be alone, and anyone who tried to disrupt that faced her unbridled wrath.

It was – difficult. Losing his father to illness a few years past had been hard. Losing his brother without warning was somehow even worse. And now he was Duke Fraldarius, alone in an empty manor with nothing but a title he’d never wanted and a niece who refused to speak with him.

A knock at the drawing room door jolted Felix from his thoughts. He stood as the butler announced that the new governess had arrived, shoving down all of his stupid feelings. Sitting around moping and having emotions was for people like Dimitri. Felix had no time for that nonsense.

“Enter,” he called out shortly. Arms folded, Felix tried not to look too impatient. It wouldn’t do to scare off the governess before she’d even met his troubled niece, and it wasn’t her fault that Sylvain and –

Felix’s mind ground to a halt as Annette Fantine Dominic strode into the drawing room, her head held high and her gaze fierce. It had been at least a year since Felix last saw her at one of the Gautiers’ balls, but she was just as stunning as he remembered. Small but mighty, a few silver hairs glittering amongst the red – and that same familiar disdain burning in her bright blue eyes. She stopped a few paces short of him, puffing up in an adorably menacing manner.

“Lord Fraldarius.” Felix almost winced at the frosty tone of her voice, but the effect was undermined when she stumbled partway though her curtsy. Face red, Annette rushed to straighten and fixed him with a deadly glare, daring him to make fun of her clumsiness. When Felix said nothing – how could he, when his mind felt like it was full of molasses? – she cleared her throat. “Thank you for this opportunity, Your Grace. I promise to do everything in my power to help your niece.”

As Annette began looking around the room, Felix finally felt his ability to speak return. “Lady Dominic – ”

“Miss Dominic,” Annette corrected firmly. She shot him another prim glare. “I am a lady no longer.”

Ah. Right. Even amidst the crisis his own life had become the past few months, Felix had still heard of the Dominics’ downfall. Those dastardly lords that had betrayed them…his hand twitched, longing to reach for a sword.

“Uh. Lord Fraldarius? Where is your niece?” Annette paused in her search of the room, panic suddenly flooding her serious expression. “Wait – you do have one right? This isn’t just some plan of Mercie’s to – to…”

Fascinating as her flushed face was, Felix took pity on her distress. “She’s real,” he stated drily, walking toward one of the drawing room’s other exits. “She just…doesn’t like to leave her room. I’ll take you there now.”

“R-right!”

Felix hid a snort at Annette’s response and waved her through the door, not foolish enough to offer her his arm. Instead, they walked through the lonely halls of Fraldarius Manor side by side, a coldly polite distance between them.

As usual, Felix couldn’t think of a single thing to say. It was bizarre. No one else ever made him feel tongue-tied – and certainly no else ever made him feel compelled to talk – but around Annette he just alternated between silence and shoving his foot further into his mouth with each word. That first ball was just the start. Despite her very public rejection, Felix and Annette continued to walk in the same circles, especially after Sylvain and Mercedes married (a fact which Annette liked to smugly shove in his face at every opportunity). They’d met frequently enough over the past decade, at balls and more private gatherings, but no matter how hard he tried to make amends, Annette was determined to see him as a detestable villain.

Her contempt should have made it easy for him to get over any inconvenient feelings.

Unfortunately, it did not.

And now as they walked through Fraldarius Manor, Felix giving a curt tour, he couldn’t stop thinking about what ifs – about how Annette might already have been intimately familiar with the halls of his home, if only he hadn’t been such an idiot at that ball.

“Could you tell me more about your niece?” Annette asked as they approached the manor’s residential quarters. “Mercie told me what she could, but…”

“Her name is Felicity,” Felix replied. He tried not to remember how Glenn had smiled when she was born, announcing that he’d named his precious daughter after his favourite little brother. “She’s nine. Loves history and cats, hates math. She’s always honest too…a good kid. However…” He trailed off, clenching his fists. “Ever since her parents…died…she hasn’t taken it well.”

“Of course.” Felix snuck a look at Annette, taking in her frown and hunched figure. When she looked up, the sincerity in her eyes was genuine. “I’m sorry for your loss, by the way.”

Felix snapped his gaze to the floor and grunted. “Thanks,” he muttered. “But Felicity’s the one who’s really suffering. Worry about her.” He didn’t respond to the sceptical sound Annette made, pretending that he hadn’t heard as he came to a stop. “This is her room. Yours will be the one at the end of the hall. Do with it as you please.” Felix hesitated. “And…I should warn you. Felicity always had a bit of a temper, but it’s gotten a lot worse. She doesn’t have a lot of patience either, if she doesn’t see the point in doing something.”

“Hmph. Sounds familiar.” Annette shot him another glare, but her eyes softened when she turned to the door. “Of course, that sort of behaviour is much more understandable in a child. Especially one who’s been through so much.”

“Yeah.” Well, there was no point in putting it off any longer. Felix rapped his hand against the door. “Felicity. The new governess is here. Come out and introduce yourself.”

“No! Go away!”

Felix tried not to sigh. He’d expected the reaction, but it was still hard not to feel irritated. Annette was right – he and Felicity were similar not only in their interests and looks, but unfortunately in their negative qualities as well. When both were in a good mood, those similarities were a boon. But when they were both feeling impatient and angry…

“Felicity.” It was difficult to keep his voice firm rather than annoyed, but Felix refused to lose his temper at a struggling child. “Out. Now.”

Something thudded against the door in response. Thankfully there was no sound of breaking glass, so she’d probably just thrown a pillow this time. Well. That was one positive development, Felix thought drily. Raising his fist, he moved to knock again, but Annette caught his hand before he could. She stared up at him, lips pursed, but her eyes seemed distant.

“…I think you should leave,” Annette finally said, but her voice was contemplative rather than unkind. “I’ll talk to her. Alone.”

“But – ”

“I said shoo!” Annette dropped his hand and waved him away impatiently. Felix hesitated a moment longer, reluctant to leave the two alone, but he knew from experience that arguing with Annette was a fruitless endeavour when she had that determined gleam in her eyes. With a curt nod, Felix turned and walked back down the hallway.

Having nothing better to do, Felix headed to the training grounds to practice his forms and repeatedly hit the dummies. It wasn’t enough to completely alleviate his anxieties over Annette and Felicity, but he was feeling significantly calmer by the time his two hours of training came to an end. After putting away his gear, he began making his way back to the manor, walking through the gardens without really paying attention to his surroundings.

“Uncle Sylvain always calls him Fe and it makes him all grumpy! You should call him that too, Miss Annie!”

Felix froze mid-step. It took him a moment to place the voice, so long had it been since he last heard her speak so cheerfully. Suddenly focused, Felix stepped behind the nearest hedge, peaking out past the leaves to see –

To see Felicity and Annette sitting at one of the tables, both smiling brightly as they partook in a tea party.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Felicity was clad in some frilly teal dress he’d never even seen before, her dark hair braided into two loops on either side of her head. She was kicking her legs back and forth happily as she nibbled on a cookie, beaming up at Annette with adoration. For her part, Annette had redone her hair to match that of her charge – cute, Felix’s mind whispered insistently – and looked so happy that he wouldn’t have been surprised to see her swinging her legs too.

“Oh! And Uncle Felix is scared of horses!” Felicity continued eagerly. Wait – what? Heat rushed to his face. So much for family loyalty. “He pretends not to be, but I saw him jump super high once when one snorted on the back of his neck. It was so funny!”

“I can imagine.” Annette giggled, the sweet sound doing nothing to help with his blush. “Thank you for all of the information, Felicity!”

Oh gods, what other embarrassing things had his niece divulged? Felix grimaced at the thought of Annette knowing about all of the stupid things he’d ever done, but at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed with Felicity. To see her bright and laughing, eagerly talking to someone and sitting out in the sunshine…even if her amusement was at his expense, he wouldn’t give up her joy for anything.

“Hm. Well, it seems like we’re just about done with the tea,” Annette continued. “And since you were a very good girl, I’ll give you the reward that I promised! Ahem.”

Felix leaned a little further around the hedge, curious to learn what bribe had coaxed his niece from her room. He was confused to see Annette stand up and take a deep breath, but all thoughts fled his mind the moment she began to sing.

“Oh, this mountain of sweets, and treats that I long to eats. Oh, stacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums…”

Felix couldn’t look away. Especially not as Annette began to dance, twirling around in time with her song. He felt like he was being held captive, entranced by her charm.

It was only once Annette spun to a stop that he finally managed to regain control of himself. Blushing furiously, Felix ducked back behind the hedge. He could hear Felicity applauding and laughing, clearly just as enamoured as him.

Annette giggled. “Thank you, thank you! Now, why don’t you hurry back to the manor and find your math books, Felicity. I’ll be along after I finish tidying up here, and then I’ll show you how to solve those algebra equations.”

“Yes, Miss Annie!”

Felix was stunned by his niece’s easy compliance – but then again, after witnessing Annette’s performance, he felt like he would do anything she asked of him too. Shaking his head to clear away those strange thoughts, he stepped out from behind the hedge. Felicity was already gone, but Annette was still there, humming as she stacked the plates. Felix walked toward her.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“EEK!” Annette spun around as she yelped, so loud that even he took a step back. She clutched a plate to her chest, the shock in her expression shifting to horror when she realized who stood behind her. “Felix! I-I mean, Lord Fraldarius! You…you weren’t listening, were you?”

“It was a good song,” Felix replied. “I liked it.”

“Oh…oh no!” Annette hid her face behind the plate, a hysterical note entering her voice. “At least tell me you didn’t see that dance?”

“…You have nice footwork.”

Felix meant the words as a compliment, but Annette clearly didn’t see it that way. It wouldn’t be the first time, he thought with resignation as she slammed the plate down on the table. She glowered at him, her cheeks puffed up and adorably red.

“I can’t believe this! You’re the worst! The worst!! You can’t just spy on people while they’re singing without even saying anything! Although,” Annette scoffed, disdainful enough to put Felix’s own scoffs to shame, “I suppose I shouldn’t expect any better from a man who’s always lurking next to me at balls to listen in on my conversations!”

“I wasn’t trying to listen in,” Felix muttered, but the truth was too embarrassing to admit – he was always trying to join in, to engage Annette in a pleasant conversation so that she might reconsider his bad first impression and consent to a dance. Unfortunately, her bias combined with his natural surliness always made his attempts look far more like awkward looming than courtship. Still, that wasn’t currently relevant. Rallying his spirits, Felix met her angry gaze head-on. “I was just standing over there. It’s not my fault you didn’t see me.”

“Well. Well! Maybe you should stand more – loudly!” Annette finally turned away from him, burying her face in her hands. “Ugh. This is so embarrassing…”

Felix took a step toward her. “Lady Dominic – ”

“It is Miss Dominic.” Annette spun back around. Huffing in annoyance, she gathered up her skirts in her hands. “And I have no interest in hearing what a – what a villain has to say. Good day to you, Lord Fraldarius.”

Head held high, Annette turned on her heel and flounced back to the manor, once again leaving Felix to stare after her in a daze. He continued to stare even after she disappeared from sight, before finally walking over to the table.

As he gathered up the forgotten dishes, Felix tried to focus on the promising developments he’d seen in Felicity. But no matter how hard he tried to forget it, Annette’s song refused to leave his mind.

Humming happily, Annette finished pinning up her hair and smoothed down the front of her dress. With one last twirl before the mirror, she bounced out of her room and headed for Felicity’s.

After two months at Fraldarius Manor, Annette now walked its halls with confidence. Hard as it was to believe, the ancient house was even beginning to feel like a home. She’d become close friends with all of the servants (but especially the cook, who liked baking her cookies!), loved nothing more than to sit and walk in the extensive gardens, and would have happily lived in the massive library if she was allowed. Even better, the manor was close enough to the Gautier estate that Mercedes could visit at least once a week, allowing the two friends to see each other more often than they had since Mercie’s marriage eight years prior.

But the greatest pleasure of all was to watch Felicity open up and find joy in life once again. Although she still had bad days, she no longer hid away in her room or pushed people away. She’d grown most attached to Annette, and the feeling was completely mutual. Spending her days teaching the young girl was a joy unlike any other.

There was only one thing about life at Fraldarius Manor that Annette didn’t like, and it was of course that villain.

That…stupidly handsome villain. With his unfairly sharp cheekbones and his distractingly muscular forearms and his eyes that looked like deliciously scrumptious caramel. Well. It was a good thing Annette didn’t care about appearances, because it meant she was immune to his charms. She was also completely and utterly unaffected by Felix’s attempts to bribe her with fancy cakes, or to flatter her by asking for more songs, or to trick her into thinking he wasn’t a villain by asking her opinions on politics and art and managing his estate.

And she definitely didn’t spend an unreasonable amount of time daydreaming over his brief but radiant smile that first night that Felicity left her room to dine with him, the brightness of his expression making his already stupidly handsome even more stupidly handsome…

…

“Wah!” Annette glanced up and down the halls, relieved to see that no one had witnessed her standing motionless before Felicity’s room, her mind lost to thoughts of that villain. Trying to will down her blush, she knocked on the door.

And knocked again.

After another few knocks and calls for attention, Annette finally opened the door and peeked inside, surprised to find Felicity missing. Chewing her lip nervously, she began walking through the manor in search of her charge. She wasn’t in the dining hall, or the kitchens, or even the library. Eventually, Annette wandered out into the gardens. None of the servants there had seen Felicity either, but at last one suggested that she might visit the training grounds to ask the duke, as he always rose early to practice his swordplay. Having no better option, Annette made her way reluctantly to the grounds.

…And promptly found her missing charge.

Annette watched, eyes wide, as Felix guided Felicity through of series of exercises. Despite her youth, there was familiarity to the way that Felicity held the wooden training sword. Clearly, this wasn’t her first lesson.

Before Annette could say anything, Felix turned to adjust his niece’s arm and caught sight of her lurking in the entrance. He paused, seeming surprised. “Ah! Miss Dominic.”

Felicity spun around at once, her smile bright and her eyes glittering with glee as she bounced toward her governess. Her hair – tied up in sloppy imitation of Felix’s ponytail – flopped about dangerously with each step. “Miss Annie! Miss Annie! Look! Uncle Felix taught me how to do a wrath strike.”

Annette applauded and cheered as the girl performed a surprisingly skillful set of swipes with her sword, but her eyes kept darting back to Felix. He seemed unaware of her scrutiny, his mouth curved into a proud smirk.

He was also. Well. Felix was also a bit underdressed. It made sense. He was training. But Annette quickly came to the conclusion that he should never be allowed to roll up his sleeves, or – or unlace the front of his shirt ever again. It was indecent!

“All right, I think that’s enough for today.” Felicity pouted at her uncle’s words, but brightened quickly enough after he ruffled her hair affectionately. “Run back to the house and tidy up. You can eat breakfast with Miss Dominic after.”

“Yes, Uncle.” After handing over her sword and waving at Annette, Felicity scurried off back to the manor.

Leaving Annette alone. With him.

Clearing her throat, Annette resolutely stared at Felix’s face and no where else. She tilted her chin up as haughtily as she could. “I must admit, I’m surprised to see you teaching Felicity how to wield a sword, Lord Fraldarius.”

Felix paused in the middle of putting away the swords. He looked over his shoulder, expression unreadable. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“Of course not! Every lady should know how to protect herself.” Annette, for example, might not be able to fight with a sword, but she was more than capable of kicking a man in unmentionable areas, or of bashing in a villain’s head with a particularly large book. “I’m surprised,” she continued with her fiercest scowl, “because I thought you would find it a waste to teach such things to a girl!”

“A waste…?” Felix trailed off, his eyes narrowing. “This is about that ball, isn’t it?”

“Yes!”

Felix sighed. After carefully putting the swords back in place, he turned to face Annette fully, his expression cool before her righteous fury. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he stated, his voice calm but firm. “What I meant was that it was a waste for your family to be selling you off to the highest bidder, when you were clearly brilliant. That it was a waste for you not to be allowed at universities, just because our stupid society decided women can’t do that.”

W-what?

“And while we’re talking about this anyway…I wasn’t trying to insult Lady Gautier either.” Felix crossed his arms, but his irritation didn’t seem to be directed at her. “I was annoyed with Sylvain and his constant philandering. Every ball there would be some new girl desperately in love with him, and for some reason I was always the one stuck cleaning up his mess. Thank the gods that Lady Gautier cured him of that…”

“Oh. I see,” Annette said in a small voice. Her mind continued to reel. How much more had she gotten wrong? “Um. What about when you said you were only dancing with me because your father made you? Did I, um. Misunderstand that too?”

Felix paused. “…No. That was just me being a jerk.”

Annette laughed before she could stop herself. Quick as she was to cover her mouth with her hands, Felix noticed too, his eyes intense upon her. She was beginning to feel a little hysterical. There were too many revelations happening. Guilt was creeping up in her heart. Felix’s chest was visible from where he still hadn’t laced his shirt back up.

“Would you like to join me and Felicity for tea this afternoon?” Annette blurted out. She clutched her skirts tightly, already feeling a dreadful blush rising to her cheeks. It was just a peace offering, she stated firmly to herself.

Felix considered her for a worryingly long time, but thankfully he smirked before Annette could explode from the tension. “Will you be singing at this tea party too, Miss Dominic?” he asked, a dreadful note of teasing in his voice.

“Don’t push your luck, Lord Fraldarius,” Annette snapped. And yet…she couldn’t stop herself from smiling back playfully. “I only sing for people who behave themselves, I’ll have you know.”

Felix’s smirk widened. “Then I’ll make sure to be on my best behaviour.”

Oh. Oh no.

After bowing in an unfairly gallant manner, Felix offered Annette his (still partially bare!!) arm. She took it without hesitation – to do otherwise would be to admit weakness. Somehow. It wasn’t important. And her heart definitely was not racing.

As they walked back to the manor, arm in arm and having a surprisingly pleasant conversation about history, Annette finally realized that she might be in danger.

Walking through the gardens, the flowers around her blossoming with the new spring, Annette marvelled at the fact that she’d now been living at Fraldarius Manor for an entire year. It was hard to believe she’d lasted this long – back when Mercedes first told her the name of her potential employer, Annette had been certain that she wouldn’t stay more than a few months. But against all odds, she’d found herself enjoying life in the manor far more than expected.

Felicity, of course, she loved like her own daughter, and the servants were all great friends – though for some reason many had started acting like she was the lady of the house and not a fellow employee! It was strange, but even stranger was the fact that Annette had been forced to admit that Felix maybe wasn’t quite the villain she’d long believed. Over the past year, they’d spent plenty of time together. At first it was just to talk about Felicity, but soon their conversations turned to music and history, to Annette’s mathematical research and her past trips to Garreg Mach, to stories about their childhoods and friends. His dry humour always drew her laughs, his boyish excitement when she consented to sing more endearing than it should have been.

And sometimes…sometimes Annette thought she might have made a mistake in her youth. It was always depressing to dwell on missed opportunities and things that could no longer be, but she refused to let regrets dominate for her long. There was no point in wallowing over what-ifs, not when she was perfectly happy with her life and all that she’d accomplished!

Following Felicity’s instructions, Annette turned down a small path when she reached the garden’s flowering magnolia trees. According to her charge, the gardeners had just finished a new trail through the estate’s extensive forests, and she’d begged Annette to accompany her for a walk that afternoon. Eager to see the trail for herself, she agreed without hesitation.

However…

As Annette turned the last corner, she didn’t find Felicity waiting in their agreed upon spot.

She found Felix.

He noticed her arrival immediately, looking up from where he sat on an elegant bench. Felicity’s new kitten Milady was curled up in his lap, a tiny black fluffball that was obsessed with Felix no matter how hard he tried to appear disinterested. No one was fooled of course – even now Annette had to hide a smile as he gently removed the kitten from his lap and placed her on the bench.

“Have you seen Felicity?” Annette asked after they exchanged greetings. She peeked around the hedges but saw no sign of the girl. “We agreed to meet here to see the new walking trail. I’m surprised she didn’t arrive early, considering how excited she was.”

For some reason, Felix looked at her rather sharply. “…No, I haven’t seen her. Not since this morning, when she asked me to meet her here for a walk on the new trail.”

Huh? Why would Felicity have…

Oh.

Heat began rising to Annette’s face, but she tried to play off her embarrassment with a laugh. “It seems we have fallen prey to a trick, Lord Fraldarius! I can’t imagine what Felicity meant by it.”

A lie. She knew perfectly well what Felicity was playing at – the girl wasn’t exactly subtle about dropping hints that she wished Annette would officially become part of the family, or repeatedly commenting on how much Felix liked to hear her sing. She’d never been quite this bold before though.

“She’s probably hiding in a bush somewhere,” Felix muttered. His eyes darted around the surrounding gardens, but he had no more luck finding Felicity than she had.

Annette finally succumbed to the temptation of looking down at her hands. Despite any…feelings…that might occasionally bother her, she rarely felt shy or embarrassed in Felix’s presence. But for some reason, knowing that they were standing there together because of a matchmaking plot was mortifying. She was at a loss as to what she should say.

“…Would you…like to accompany me instead, Miss Dominic?” Annette’s eyes shot up in surprise. Felix’s pale cheeks were a little pink, but he met her gaze directly. “I mean. We’re out here already. Might as well see the new trail…”

“O-oh. Um.” Annette paused to clear her throat. Really, what was she doing? She was a grown woman, not a naïve teenager! “Yes, I would love to accompany you, Lord Fraldarius.”

After Annette slid her arm through Felix’s, the pair walked down the path and into the forest. Unreasonably nervous as she felt, Annette began to calm down as they walked amongst the trees. It was truly peaceful in the woods, all dappled shade and blossoming flowers, squirrels darting about as birds sang in the trees. When Felix asked her a question about her research a few minutes later, Annette felt recovered enough to launch into an explanation. Before she knew it, any remaining shyness had vanished.

“And I received a letter from Miss Ordelia yesterday,” Annette continued happily. Felix was listening as intently as always, a small smile curved on his lips. “She had a fascinating breakthrough about our new theory that should prove our hypothesis was correct after all! Ooo, I can’t wait to hear how Lord Gloucester will react when he finds out all of his stupid criticisms were wrong. I just wish I could see his dumb, smug face when he reads our new treatise!”

Felix snorted. “I’d pay to watch you destroy that pompous fool in a debate.”

Annette burst into giggles of her own, but her laughter was cut off by a gasp as they rounded a curve in the trail. A beautiful waterfall lay before them, surrounded by blossoming flowers and hazy mist. Tugging at Felix’s arm, she led them both closer to the water’s edge, marvelling at the sight.

“Oh, it’s so lovely!” Annette bounced in place, too enthusiastic to stand still. Already, she could feel lyrics bubbling to life in her mind, humming a tune before she realized what she was doing. Grinning, she decided to ask Felix his opinions on her burgeoning song. “What do you think sounds better? Wailing waters or crashing crests? Or maybe…”

Annette trailed off as she looked up at her companion. Rather than watching the waterfall, Felix was staring down at her, his golden brown eyes looking almost…tender. Something about the expression made her heart race and her breath stutter, her grip on his arm tightening unconsciously.

“Er. Lord Fraldarius – ”

“Please. Call me Felix.” Annette squeaked. She rushed to cover her mouth with her free hand, but Felix was undeterred by her reaction. He glanced to the side for a moment, his eyes serious when he met her gaze. “There’s…something I wish to ask you. I’ve wanted to for a while, but I was too much of a coward.” Felix breathed out slowly, his arm tensing beneath hers. “I’m sorry for how I acted at that ball. I was an idiot. You were right to turn me down. But ever since that day, especially since we’ve grown closer this past year…it feels like I’ve become your captive.”

Annette’s jaw dropped, her cheeks flushing bright red. “L-Lord Fraldarius?!”

“Miss Dominic…Annette.” Felix tilted his head down, his face dangerously close to hers. “If you consent, I wish to – to court you. Properly, this time.”

“Court?!” Annette couldn’t decide how she felt, overwhelmed by all of her conflicting emotions. She tore her gaze from Felix’s, staring down at their linked arms. “But I…I’m not a noblewoman anymore. I don’t have any fortune or lands or connections. Surely you could find someone better to be your wife…”

“There is no one better than you,” Felix snapped. He sounded so confident that Annette looked back up in surprise. “And besides, I don’t care about any of that. From the moment we met, my interest in you was never about your connections, or what my family wanted. I want to marry you for you, Annette. Nothing else.” He hesitated, pain twisting his expression. “I won’t push you into something you don’t want though. Say no, and I’ll never bring this up again. You have my word.”

“I-I…” Tears began to gather in Annette’s eyes. Her whole body quivered, energy and emotions threatening to spill out. “Yes! Yes, you – you villain!”

For a moment, Felix could only stare at her in shock. But when a slow, joyous smile spread across his face, Annette could resist no longer.

Bouncing up onto her toes, she leaned forward to press their lips together. She giggled against his mouth when Felix tensed, his usual grace completely lost as he awkwardly put a hand on her back. But as their chaste kiss deepened into something more, all thoughts of teasing faded from her mind.

Held in Felix’s tight embrace, Annette was certain that she would never, ever regret accepting his second proposal.