Chapter Text
It was wrong to assume that Castle Krakenburg was but an austere, cold place where the meaning of enjoyment was unbeknownst to all, royals and castle staff alike. Contrary to belief, it was actually a castle like any other castle, with its uneventful days, council meetings, random events (including Camilla's anniversary of the first time she chopped an arm off of an enemy), and secret affairs.
And gossips.
Plenty of gossips. Especially gossips revolving around the royal siblings' matters of the heart. It seemed to be a fascinating topic for most of the castle crew, considering the speed at which the rumours spread at the slightest spark of baseless assumptions. It was almost a sort of competition to see who would be the one to hold the invaluable information of who held the heart of the Nohrian royals.
It wasn't rare for a maid to whisper at the ear of another maid about this comely young man who had talked several times to Princess Elise, nor was it unusual for the stable boys to make hypotheses on the identity of this charming lady they had seen in company of Prince Xander – now King.
Most gossips would usually die on their own though, for lack of any substantial proof to fuel them, and everyone would go back to square one.
Nevertheless, years of fruitless gossips were in no way a deterrent for anyone and only served to make everyone even more passionate about it.
Today was a day that was going to demonstrate such passion. Today, a freshly bloomed gossip was about to put an end to a certain prince’s monotonous life.
It started with this particular maid who, after having cleared her duties, hurried to the staff common room and announced with a mischievous grin that she was onto something regarding Prince Leo. Questions burst forth, details were given, imagination roamed free, and the new gossip propagated like wildfire.
It was the matter of only one day before the rumour reached Elise's ears through her retainer Effie who herself had gotten the information from another soldier she had been practicing with. At first, the young princess paid little heed to it, for she was rather accustomed to such babbles. She nonetheless pressed the topic a bit, and what she heard from Effie made her ponder. It was probably just another wild goose chase, but as there was currently hardly anything else to keep her busy, she decided that it was worth an investigation.
She easily found Leo in the library and put on her best smile as she hopped lightly to him.
“Big brother, good morning!”
“Hello Elise. What brings you here?” Leo asked without raising his eyes from his book.
“I've got a question for you,” she said, mindful to keep her tone carefree.
“Go ahead.”
Elise plunged. “Is there by any chance someone you like? As in, like. Among our Hoshido allies, maybe?”
Leo frowned. “Whatever brought this question up?” he inquired, suspicious.
“Just curious, teehee!” Elise grinned.
“You came specifically to the library – a place you hardly ever set foot in – just to ask such a trivial question?”
Elise puffed her cheeks. “It's not trivial! And don’t change the topic. So, is there someone you like?”
“There isn't.”
“I don't believe you.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Why bother asking if the only answer you'll accept if the one you want to hear?”
“Because! Yesterday I went to your room to bring you some snacks and I saw a book on your desk, it was about Hoshidan culture and it was open at the chapter talking about courtship!” It was not exactly the truth, but Elise didn't want the maid who actually saw the book while cleaning Leo's room to take the blame. “And there was a history book next to it that you bookmarked at the chapter about marriages between Hoshido and Nohr!”
Leo flushed deeply and averted his gaze. “I-I am reading those books as part of the alliance we forged with them! If we want lasting peace between our kingdoms, the least I can do is to understand their culture better. That naturally includes their customs about marriage and such!”
Elise grinned. “So that you don't make any blunder when you're going to go after whoever you set your eyes on?”
“Elise, for the last time, there is no one I've set my eyes on. Now leave me, I am busy in case you haven't noticed,” Leo said curtly, though his cheeks kept their pink tint.
The princess pouted, but took her leave anyway. From her brother's reaction, she could safely assume that for once, the rumour may not be completely unfounded after all.
Now the next course of action was to find out the identity of the mysterious person who had managed the feat of swaying her brother’s heart.
Back to his room, Leo cursed his carelessness for the hundredth time. How could he have left those books in the open like that? Obviously, he hadn't expected his sister or anyone else to dig through his belongings like that. He only prayed that Elise would definitely forget about this 'incident' and never bring it up again.
Not that her point was actually valid. Leo wasn't interested in anyone, and certainly not from Hoshido. His readings were solely for diplomatic purposes.
With those thoughts in mind, he proceeded with resuming his book on Hoshidan culture.
Solely for diplomatic purposes.
Convincing Camilla to aid Elise in her search for the truth proved relatively easy, as she was more than happy that her 'cute little brother' was finally growing up. Xander however, was slightly more reluctant to indulge in that kind of research.
“Anything related to Leo's privacy is his own to deal with,” he declared.
“But don't you want to know who our brother likes?” Elise insisted.
“All the more since they're most likely Hoshidan,” Camilla added.
“This isn’t the first rumour of this kind that we hear. Why are you so determined this time?” Xander asked.
“Because! This was the first time Leo actually blushed and looked away while talking to me!”
Xander sighed. It would be a lie to say he wasn't the least bit curious about the matter, yet as the eldest sibling, he was expected to put on a mature and responsible behaviour. Getting all riled up over some gossip was definitely not a mature and responsible behaviour.
“You are all aware that we're receiving the Hoshidan delegation next week as part of our alliance,” he said. “Corrin will also be coming from Valla. Though their stay here is more an informal act than an actual diplomatic mission, I expect the two of you to control yourselves a bit. And this implies no sneaking around other people's businesses, no harassing our guests and so on.”
Camilla sighed in turn. “Fine, fine. But we'll still keep an eye open in case something comes up.”
“Both eyes, even! And our ears too!” Elise added cheerfully.
“I suppose a bit of... observation will not be cause for any trouble,” Xander conceded, albeit reluctantly. “In the meantime, try not to bother Leo too much. He was in a rather sour mood when I saw him earlier.”
The two sisters left after giving their word.
“What do we do now?” Elise asked, rather disappointed.
“Well, there is something we haven't tried yet,” Camilla answered pensively.
“What is it, what is it?”
The older sister smiled. “Well, Xander told us not to bother Leo, but what about his retainers?”
“What twist of fate is this? Our liege, entrapped in this whimsical cage otherwise known as love, you say?” Odin took a dramatic pose. “And you wish to unravel the threads of the veil that conceals the identity of Lord Leo's chosen one?”
“Yes,” Elise nodded. “Do you have any idea who that could be?”
Odin shook his head apologetically. “I'm afraid this knowledge eludes even my grasp, milady.”
“What about you, Niles?” Elise asked, turning to Leo's other retainer. A faint smile adorned the lips of the latter.
“I may suspect a thing or two,” he answered vaguely.
“Really? Tell me, tell me!”
“It depends. What do you offer in exchange?”
Elise frowned. “Huh?”
Niles pretended to look offended. “Come on, you don't actually expect to get any information for free.”
It was Odin's turn to look shocked. “Niles, haven't the claws of shame clutched your soul yet? Demanding compensation from a pure maiden, and what’s more, your very lord's sister!”
“That's how the world goes. There's a price for everything,” Niles shrugged.
“Uh, well... I-I don't know,” Elise said hesitantly. “But name what you'd like and if I can give it to you, I'll do it!”
“Oh? Now this is interesting.” Niles stepped closer to the princess. “There are indeed some things that only a pure maiden like you can give me, in fact,” he added suggestively.
Despite her young age, and from what she had heard about Niles, Elise quickly understood the underlying request behind his words. She turned a deep red, puffing her cheeks in what she hoped to be indignation.
“I-I... That's...” she only managed to stutter, too flustered as she was.
“I jest, Princess Elise,” Niles said, amused, stepping back to a more politically correct distance. “I apologize if I offended you in any way.”
Elise pouted, crossing her arms. “Then will you tell me what you know?”
“Unfortunately, it is not up to me to reveal Lord Leo's secrets. As his retainer, I could never betray the trust he put in me. Moreover, I do not know the answer to your question for certain. It is only a conclusion that I drew myself based on my own humble deductions and I do not wish to risk spreading more baseless rumours.”
Elise sighed in disappointment. “Fine, fine. Guess I'll have to find out on my own then.”
As soon as she left, Odin turned to his fellow retainer.
“Considering it's you we're talking about, you're probably ninety-nine percent sure that your conclusion is the right one, am I wrong?”
Niles smirked. “Maybe.”
The arrival of Corrin and the Hoshidan delegation – namely the Hoshidan royals and their retainers – was announced at Castle Krakenburg, escorted from the gates of Windmire by Peri and Laslow. Xander, along with his three siblings, greeted them all at the entrance of the castle. In spite of himself, Xander discreetly looked around at all the female Hoshidans, wondering who among them could be a good fit for Leo. A quick glance towards his brother showed that he wasn't gazing at anyone in particular. If anything, he looked rather bored, though Xander knew better than to trust whichever expression his little brother would display. Mentally shaking his head, he prompted himself to focus back on properly welcoming his guests.
“Well met, King Ryoma. I hope you had a safe travel here,” he said formally, extending his hand.
“Safe and pleasant. I thank you for your hospitality, King Xander,” Ryoma nodded as he took Xander's hand in his, following the Nohrian custom for greetings.
A blur of black and yellow dashed past them and straight to where the Hoshidan princesses were standing.
“Sakura!!! It's so good to see you!” Elise exclaimed, ignoring any protocol and pulling the shy princess into a warm embrace. Though taken by surprise, Sakura returned the hug, albeit clumsily.
“I-I'm very happy to see you too, E-Elise!” she stuttered.
“I have so many things to tell you and to show you! I'm sooo looking forward to your stay here, teehee!”
“M-Me too! And I-I brought some of those c-cakes that you like.”
“Really?! You're the best, Sakura!”
The sight of the two princesses was refreshing enough to dissolve any remaining bits of tension that could have still persisted between the two allied kingdoms. Xander chuckled, turning to Ryoma.
“I guess we could learn a thing or two from them,” he said with a smile.
The Hoshidan swordmaster returned the smile. “Indeed. I believe it is more than time for us to put aside the formalities that have been standing in the way of our friendship,” he said, giving Xander a warm pat on the shoulder.
“Come then, my friend. You must be tired from your journey,” Xander answered equally.
The whole delegation followed after the two kings, and Takumi went by Leo’s side.
“Prince Leo, it’s been a while,” he greeted. “You look well.”
“Prince Takumi,” Leo nodded. “You don’t look too exhausted yourself. Care for a game of chess before the end of the day?” he challenged in a friendly way.
“I've hardly arrived and you already want to make me taste bitter defeat? How very un-diplomatic of you, Prince Leo,” Takumi answered, though the smile on his lips was proof there was no malice in his words.
“I will indulge in a game of shogi in exchange,” Leo offered.
“Then we have a deal, Prince Leo,”
“One last thing: I seem to remember our respective brothers mentioning just now to drop formalities in favour of our friendship. As such I request that you simply call me 'Leo', if this fits you,” Leo added.
The Hoshidan prince's smile turned warmer. “Only if you call me 'Takumi', Leo.”
“Then we have a deal, Takumi,” Leo mirrored.
Unnoticed by both princes, a single blue eye was watching them with deep interest.
The Hoshidan royals were shown to their respective rooms – Elise having specifically requested that Sakura's be near hers – for them to rest from their journey, while the last preparations were made for the evening welcome banquet.
Despite her genuine joy at being reunited with Sakura, Elise hadn't forgotten about her primary mission to find the target of Leo's affection. And the more people to help her, the better. Humming, she trod happily to Corrin's room. She knocked and came in without waiting for an answer.
“Big Brother!” she greeted happily.
In the middle of unpacking, Corrin raised his eyes to her and smiled. "Hello Elise, glad to see you again. What's so urgent that you couldn't even wait for me to say 'come in'?" he teased.
“Hehehe, a matter of extreme urgency, you see,” Elise answered as she carefully closed the door behind her.
It took only a minute to explain the current situation to a very attentive Corrin.
“And so, we're gonna do some observation all the time the Hoshidan delegation will be there in order to find out who the lucky lady is!” Elise finished.
Corrin cocked an eyebrow. “Lucky? Don't you mean unlucky?” he joked, making Elise roll her eyes. “In any case, I have to say I'm quite interested in knowing who it is as well, though I agree with Xander that we shouldn't intrude too much in Leo's private life. But I'll definitely join you on your observations.”
“Thank you!”
And thus began the noble quest of baring Leo’s jealously guarded secret.