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Hubert took a deep sigh. He hoped that this attempt would fare better than the last. As his hands were occupied with the bowl of eggs he was mixing, he glanced over at Her Maj — Edelgard, who sat resting her hands on the small table, smiling at him. Her brown hair was loosely tied with a silver bow, a reminder of her old hair color. The glint of joy in her purple eyes was sweeter than any cake he could bake her, and he could drink in her happiness for all the days of his life.
His stomach filled with butterflies, and a foolish grin was presumably plastered on his face. It was befuddling that Edelgard had considered him a worthy partner to spend the rest of her life with. For years he would never have conceived of such a possibility; his role as the dutiful servant had been etched into his identity by his father from early childhood.
After the war, and after he had disposed of the treacherous interlopers who had tried to devour the Empire from within, the relationship between he and Edelgard had started to change. During the Crest removal treatments, which had weakened her, he had tried to see to her every need as her dutiful servant, but she had just wanted for the two of them to spend time together. He would push her around in a wheelchair in the royal gardens, and they would talk for hours.
When she had told him she wanted them to retire together, he had been bewildered, but he had also realized that there was nothing more in the world he wanted than to stay by her for the rest of his life.
“Hubert?” He heard Edelgard’s melodic voice ring out. He blinked out of his trance. “What are you thinking about? You have such a contented look on your face. Is there something you’re hiding from me?” He slowly turned his head toward her, distracted from his culinary task. She rose from her seat, leaning on her cane. “Remember, you told me you wouldn’t hide anything from me anymore. Secrets between us are in the past.” She brushed the back of her hand on his chin.
“I was just thinking about how much I love you, my dear.” He leaned down and gave her forehead a kiss. His hands were covered in flour, so he had to resist running his fingers through her brown hair. It had taken a long time to grow back after the treatment, but her silky hair had finally returned.
Edelgard’s voice sounded skeptical. “That is truly all?”
Hubert simply nodded. “I was reminiscing about the day you informed me that you wanted to retire together. It was quite a surprise for me, my lady. But after having settled down here, I believe we made the right decision. The atmosphere of this small village suits me better than I anticipated, and I can see how much you enjoy it as well. I just hope your condition improves with more rest. But for now, I should really remove the first batch of muffins from the oven, lest they burn to a crisp.” He snickered.
Hubert pulled his oven mitts out of the pockets of his apron. When he removed the pan of muffins from the oven, he was blasted in the face with sweltering heat. Baking was quite a challenging task, but there was no challenge he could not overcome to make Edelgard happy.
“They smell amazing, Hubert! I’m glad that you’ve decided to apply your talents to such a delicious endeavor.” Edelgard put her hands very close to the muffins, as if she wanted to dig them out of the pan.
He responded by leaning down to let her give him a kiss. “Now, Edelgard, you’ll have to wait for them to cool.”
–
Despite her limited mobility, Edelgard was able to tend the gardens without much assistance. It was difficult for him to watch her frustration with her reduced physical capabilities. Hubert wanted to help her, but also knew that she wanted to do as much as possible on her own. He did not want to be overbearing, but he could not allow her to come to harm; it was a difficult situation for him to navigate, and he often misstepped.
He sat at the garden table he had assembled last spring, right after they'd moved here from Enbarr. Hubert held a cup of coffee in his hands, imported from Dagda, as had always been his wont when they lived in the palace. While he had agreed to live this quaint lifestyle with her, he was not fully willing to divest from the privileges of wealth. And considering Edelgard's addiction to sweets, it seemed she was the same. He was certain that a considerable portion of their remaining money would be spent on their respective vices.
He watched her as she tended to the flowers; the garden only had a few plants, but Edelgard did her best at cultivating each of them. His heart swelled whenever he watched her move around the garden, illustrating that she was slowly regaining some of the vigor she had lost after her procedure.
After she was done working, Edelgard walked over and sat across from Hubert at the table. She slumped in her chair; Hubert rose to his feet.
“Edelgard. Do you need me to fetch you some water?” Before she could respond, though, he was already in the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard.
When he returned, she looked very haggard, her beautiful features folding into a grimace. She took the water glass from his hand and downed it quickly. When she finished, her eyes turned wearily toward Hubert. “It feels like a struggle to even stay upright, some days.”
The helplessness burrowed inside of him, threatening to gnaw through his body. He clenched his fist; if only he had been able to learn more from the foul Thales before putting him in the grave. “My lady. Is there anything I can do to alleviate your pain?
“No, Hubert. I just need some time to recover.” She stared into the empty glass of water intensely, lost in her own thoughts. Finally, she spoke again, letting out a humorless laugh. “Pathetic, isn’t it? It’s been almost two years since the procedure ended, and I can’t even garden for a couple of hours. You must think that I am weak.”
“I do not. Considering the immense strain that was put upon your body during the experiments in your childhood, and the additional strain from the Crest removal, I am just relieved that you are — ” A lump formed in his throat. He did not want to say what he had feared for so many years, especially after they had learned about Lysithea’s shared condition. Edelgard’s death was more than Hubert could wrap his head around. “I am relieved that you are able to garden like this.”
Edelgard spoke softly, a small quiver in her voice. “I do not know how long I will be able to do even simple gardening. It doesn’t seem like I have recovered as well as we had hoped.”
Healing had never been his forte; this had never bothered him during the war, but now … “Shall I write to Linhardt to see if he can come and attend to you? There must be something he can do to help. Something he overlooked.”
She looked up at him, her purple eyes peering into his soul, weariness overwhelming her firmness. “Hubert, truthfully ... my body feels as if it’s slowly dying.”
The words fell like a lead weapon, pierced him like a knife in his heart. His limbs felt numb, his stomach churning at the horrifying rumination of the subject of her death, the unfathomable thought of what he would do without the person who he had built his life around. In his youth, he had dedicated his life to her, regardless of the hardship. Hubert had borne the sins that were required of him, to help her reforge the world, proudly.
But this was one path he had never been able to cut, an enemy his dark magic could not bring an end to: his lady’s mortality. He had poured over every document that they had found in Shambhala, but to no avail. Those people had never cared a whit about curing the condition that had afflicted the emperor.
Edelgard’s voice was firm. “Please don’t look at me that way. I was not proposing giving up; I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that I may not be around forever.”
Hubert had never been much of a crier, but he felt a small tear trickle down his cheek. He closed his eyes and took in a long, hard breath, to try to calm his rapidly beating heart. It was difficult for him to even conceive of life without her. “I cannot bear to consider it, to be frank.”
Edelgard brushed her fingers against his hand, which he suddenly realized had been gripped tightly against the table. “I have known for a long time that I was sick, and I have contemplated this possibility more times than I wish to admit.” He felt a wave of embarrassment rush over him; she was trying to comfort him , with her gentle touches. “I have always teased you about keeping secrets from me, but these fears are something I kept from you. It was just too difficult for me to voice aloud.”
Hubert gave her a weak smile, but his body was still recoiling. He grabbed her hand in his; her hands were scarred but delicate, and adorned the simple ring he had gifted her on their wedding day. “Regardless of the time you have remaining — ” his voice croaked, “I believe we should make the most of it.”
Edelgard spoke playfully, perhaps feigned, but he appreciated it nonetheless. “Which means you’ll continue to bake me the most delicious treats, and not even complain about them being too sweet?”
Hubert let out a laugh, which he had to force from his lungs. “Of course, my lady. I aspire to make all the remaining days of your life as wonderful as I am capable of.”
Edelgard rose from her seat and gave him a kiss on the forehead once again. “I’ll hold you to that.”