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Corrin hummed a tune to himself as he walked the halls of the castle. Casually tossing an apple up and down in his hand, he basked in the glow of the morning sun as it shone through the windows.
"Ah, a wonderful start to the day.", he mused with a smile on his face. Taking a bite out of his fruity treat, his calm serenity was suddenly interrupted by the sound of...sniffling?
"Hmm?"
Following the source of the sound, he soon traced its' origin to the castle kitchen. Peeking his head around the corner, the sight that greeted him was one that was all too familiar, but not a welcome one. Upon the floor sat his faithful maid Felicia, tears rolling down her cheeks. In front of her a tray was splayed across the floor, half its' contents still on the metal surface, the other spilled onto the cobblestone. Rushing to her side, Corrin knelt down and placed a hand on Felicia's head, gently ruffling her hair.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?", he asked in his usual sweet tone of voice, "Did you burn another stack of pancakes?"
His half hearted attempt at a joke fell on deaf ears, as Felicia simply shook her head.
"Sorry, terrible joke.", he apologized, "So what happened?"
No sooner had he posed the query did his eyes fall upon the tray's contents. Picking one up, he saw that they were simple shortbread cookies, cut into the shape of what he figured was supposed to be a dragon. A blush crept into his cheeks as he smiled warmly.
Are these for me?" Once the words left his mouth, Felicia could no longer hold back.
"I'm such a failure!", she wailed, "I can't even surprise my husband right!" Before she could even begin to sob, Felicia was quickly swept into a tight embrace by her beloved. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest, resigning to let a few more tears slip out as she did so. Corrin lifted her chin to meet his gaze, before planting a soft yet passionate kiss upon her delicate lips. She melted into the kiss, and his arms. Parting their lips, he stared into her eyes, his own shining with affection.
"I'm surprised.", he assured her. Popping the cookie into his mouth, he began to chew. Felicia stifled her protests, instead waiting for the inevitable. But to her surprise, Corrin let out a happy "Mmmmm!" Swallowing, he sighed with content.
"Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Just the way I like them!", he exclaimed. Felicia's eyes went wide.
"You mean it?", she asked hopefully. He chuckled and nodded.
"You know me so well, darling."
"Huh?", she tilted her head, "What do you mean?"
"When I first came to Castle Krakenberg, I was so scared I kept to myself, shoving away anyone who tried to talk to me. To try and get me out of my shell, Camilla threw a small party for me, complete with other children and cookies she had baked herself. But because I was so shy, I mostly just stayed in my corner. The other kids ate all the cookies, leaving me none, and making me hate the very idea for a long time.", he explained. He held her hand into his as he continued.
"But then you and Flora became my maids, and one of the first things you did was bake me cookies. I admit I was hesitant at first, especially since it looked like you had burned them. But when I took a bite, they turned out to be crunchy on the edge, but perfectly chewy everywhere else! After that day, I would always look forward to your baking, especially when you made cookies."
Felicia smiled, wiping away her tears. "Wow! I can't believe I remembered that. I didn't even realize I was making them just how you always liked." Corrin gathered the remaining cookies on the tray and neatly stacked them on a small plate. Placing them on the countertop, he turned his attention back to Felicia, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek.
"Now, how about we enjoy these over some of your wonderful tea?", he proposed. Felicia's face turned bright red.
"A-Are you sure you wouldn't prefer Jakob make the tea?, she asked meekly. He shook his head.
"Nonsense. His tea could never even hope to compare to yours.", he confidently declared.
"Stop it, Corrin!", she protested weakly, clearly enjoying her husband's praise. "You're making me blush."
"Good!", he laughed, "That's exactly what I was trying to do!"
Indeed, it was a wonderful start to the day.