Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem Three Houses, all rights to the owners.

So, another random idea of mine. This time it's not strange hypotheticals, it's just character interaction.

Bernadetta is just the easiest and most fun character for me to write so far, not to mention she's the benchmark of how I decided my two Byleths should interact with others. This is because of her very simple and exaggerated personality. Yes, there is nuance to play with if you want, but writing her as just "easily panicked, paranoid, and thinks everyone is out to get her" is perfectly valid as well.

Edelgard… she's not as easy. Even not taking into account her actions after chapter eleven, she's a nuanced character at her core. Ideology and philosophy is key to her character, which can make her a bit of a pain to write in a way that seems accurate if she takes anywhere close to an important role in a story. I learned that while writing Rules of the Game.

I'm just messing around with the characters again. An easy one (Bernadetta), and a tough one (Edelgard). Let's see what I can manage this time. There's no real point to this one-shot. Just know this takes place in the first week of her being at the academy (hence why she doesn't identify everyone by name, she genuinely doesn't know who some of them are).

"Miss von Varley."

"Eep!"

Bernadetta flinches at the sudden voice. She's in her room, which means to speak with her the owner of that voice must be right outside her door. That person, incidentally, is Edelgard. The princess of the Adrestian Empire.

"Are you ill Miss von Varley?"

"N-No."

"Was there an emergency today?"

"No."

"Then I feel I should remind you that lecture attendance is mandatory, not optional." Edelgard says firmly. "You will come to class Miss von Varley. I'll not have one of my house skipping for no good reason."

"I-I do have a good reason!" the lavender-haired girl says hastily. "Th-There are people there!"

"What horror." Edelgard responds dryly.

"A-And some of them want to kill me!"

"Really now?" The princess replies, obviously disbelieving. "Pray tell, who are these people?"

"Y-Your scary servant is always glaring, the lady with the hat kept glancing back at me, S-Sir von Aegir said he wanted to speak with me-"

"And that's a problem, how?"

"It's obviously an excuse to get me alone so he can stab me!"

"Erm…"

"A-And Sir von Bergliez said there was a spot he wanted to take me, and the purple haired girl said I looked like prey, which clearly means she wants to eat me, and the sleepy guy said I was bothering him!"

"You think every single person in the class wants to kill you for such petty reasons?" Edelgard asks incredulously.

"Yes!" Bernadetta cries with absolute sincerity.

The princess takes a long, deep breath. "Bernadetta."

"Oh gods, now you're angry too, aren't you?! I throw myself at your mercy!"

"While I am aware humanity has a long record of disproportionate retribution and hate for petty slights, I assure you none of our house falls under that characterization."

"B-But the tattooed girl wants to eat me! She compared me to a rabbit!"

"Hunting is very central to Brigid culture-"

"I'm going to be hunted!?"

"No, just…" The princess sighs again. "She was comparing you to a rabbit because you are twitchy, not because she wants to eat you."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do."

"How?!"

"Because the Brigidine do not eat people." She says firmly. "In fact, I suspect you will be more likely to anger Petra by inferring they do than any of your current actions."

"O-Oh."

"I can also assure that none of the others are angry at you or wish a knife in your back."

"You don't know that…"

"Are we really going to do this again Bernadetta?" The princess asks with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Augh! You hate me now! Please don't throw me in prison! Stupid Bernie, you've done it now!"

Having had quite enough of this, Edelgard decides to end the conversation. "That is not true. Either way, I expect to see you in class tomorrow. Else we may indeed have more serious words."

The princess leaves the girl to panic in her room. She doesn't have the patience to deal with the lavender-haired girl's paranoia at the moment.

###

"Be careful Bernie… you're safe once you get inside the classroom; the professor won't let anything happen to you." The girl tells herself as she sneaks around the back of the dorm rooms. She clutches her books and quill case to her chest, and is slightly bent over, making herself seem as small as possible (and therefore, hopefully, as inconspicuous as possible.

Bernadetta, however, doesn't understand stealth as much as she might wish she did. That means she gets spotted well before she actually arrives at her destination.

"Ah, Bernadetta, good."

"Ack!" The girl spins around. Her heart pounds in her chest. "L-L-Lady Edelgard! I, uh, was j-just following your order and coming to class!"

"I would hope so." Edelgard says with a neutral expression on her face. "Why are you sneaking around then?"

"I was making sure people don't see me!" She whispers.

"Ah." The expression on Edelgard's face is hard to read. "I see."

"That's the problem! You weren't supposed to!" Bernadetta whines.

"Why do you wish to avoid everyone Bernadetta?"

"Because I might make them mad, and then they'll kill me!"

"Right." Edelgard coughs. "But why do you assume that?"

"Because I'm very hateable!" She says, cringing. "I-I'm an easy target!"

"Why? Why are you hateable? Why an easy target?"

"W-Well I tend to say the wrong things all the time, a-and because I'm a noble and a woman, people expect me to say the right things all the time, so when I don't they get really mad! Th-That's the same reason why I'm an easy target. I have status, but pathetic, so people might just want to kill me or hurt me to get at my family…"

"I think you overestimate the value others would place on your death…"

"I knew it! I'm worthless even when I'm alive!" The girl wails.

"No, that's not what I was saying." Edelgard says firmly.

"I-I made you mad again!"

"No Bernadetta." The princess barks. She shakes her head. "That wild imagination of yours... I have a question though. You and your parents are not particularly close, correct?"

"R-Right."

"So why would your death or injury be relevant to them at all?"

"W-Well… I have a crest." The girl says hesitantly. "A-And people who have crests are usually important for the status of their family, as well as… breeding purposes."

That's a rather disturbing way to word it, but Bernadetta isn't wrong. Statistically speaking, the descendants of a crest holder are more likely to have crests themselves, so anyone that does have a crest is outright expected to marry as it best suits the family. Indeed, crest users are often treated as family property than a proper member of a given family.

Edelgard nods to herself. Bernadetta is just another result of the flawed society Fodlan's focus on crests has fostered. "I understand. I have a crest myself you might remember, I'm familiar with the… less than favorable treatment that can result in."

"Y-Your father tried to make you into the perfect wife too?"

"Er, no… but I have suffered my own trials due to the honor of having a crest and being royalty." Edelgard says. She tries not to let her disgust show in her voice, but she can only hide it so much. "I am not unfamiliar with your position Bernadetta, but I have had very little hostility from the people here at the monastery. You need not be so wary of them."

"But you're actually good at talking to people! Y-You're confident, charismatic, capable, people are more scared of you than you are of them…"

"Pardon? I am not that intimidating!" Edelgard pauses when Bernadetta cringes away from her. "Er… am I?"

"MaybeIdontreallyknowokaybye!" Bernadetta squawks. She bolts for the classroom before Edelgard can get another word in.

Edelgard lets the girl go. She's (mostly) made her point, and also got further evidence that her thoughts on crests and society as it currently stands is indeed correct. She turns about, pauses, picks up Bernadetta's dropped quill case, and makes her own way towards the classroom.

Was there a point to this? Not really. I wanted to write more Three Houses, but I haven't made enough progress in my own game to update Peculiar Professor or Intimidating Instructor. Also, I just wanted a bit more practice writing Edelgard because she's quite a sticking point for me.