It was exactly a week since they returned to Garreg Mach. Personally, Dimitri was annoyed by the fact—especially saying that no attempts had been made to actually write or sign a treaty. More often than not, one of the important people who needed to agree couldn't make it—and, more often than not, that person was Edelgard. She claimed it was from her wounds, but Dimitri saw them from afar; they were nothing compared to what he would've done. Byleth seemed satisfied with the ceasefire, but Claude was constantly planning for the worst-case scenario.

Nonetheless, despite his thoughts being elsewhere, Dimitri was in his room. Edelgard was surely in hers, and Dimitri was waiting for permission before he visited her. In his hand, he held a dagger, characterized by a blue hilt and dull blade, which he found in a forgotten corner of Garreg Mach not far from the dormitories. He recognized it, and he wanted to see if Edelgard did, too—among other things.

There was a knock on the door, and Dedue's voice saying, "Your Highness, I just spoke with the professor as you asked. You're allowed to visit the emperor under the condition that you are unarmed, and that Hubert and I join you."

Dimitri hid the dagger on his person, and opened the door. Dedue was waiting behind it, and bowed when Dimitri came out; Hubert, however, simply stood where he was, unmoving until he followed Dedue who was, in turn, following Dimitri. After the short walk to the door to Edelgard's room, he knocked twice.

"I have something to give you," Dimitri said simply. "And I have words I'd like to say to you. Dedue and Hubert are with me, and we come unarmed."

There was a short pause, then Edelgard opened the door slightly. After seeing Hubert, she opened the door the rest of the way, gesturing for the group to come in. Hubert and Dedue stayed by the door, while Dimitri sat down on the offered chair; Edelgard remained standing.

"What do you have to say, Dimitri?" Edelgard asked bluntly. "Does it regard my choices? My past? My beliefs? Or is this about your own thoughts, reasons, or wishes?"

"I want to ask one question," Dimitri said. "That is the main purpose for my visit."

"Ask away, then," Edelgard replied, sounding a bit impatient.

"The professor told me of your allies," Dimitri began. As he went on, he grew angry and confused, which showed in his slowly escalating tone. "Those who slither in the dark, people that make up an organization that seems to wish ill against us all. You chose to side with them—but that's not the point I mean to question. The professor also said that those who slither in the dark were likely responsible for the Tragedy of Duscur; looking into it myself, I believe the professor's word. My question is a simple one: why? Why did you ally yourself with the group who killed so many people? Among them my father and my stepmother—your own mother!"

Dedue and Hubert remained silent, although Hubert was looking directly at Edelgard. It took her a few moments to respond, and even then her reply was quiet. "We both have an enemy. To take down that enemy, we joined forces. I had what they wanted, and vice versa." A bit louder, she continued, "I know what they did; I've memorized every transgression against myself and my family. They will all receive punishment—in due time."

"In due time?" Dimitri asked, his tone still getting darker. "When will that time come? If you hadn't sided with those who slither in the dark, I could still call you a friend. If you hadn't sided with that dark organization, I wouldn't have the dead telling me to kill you!"

Once again, Edelgard fell silent. It almost looked like she understood—but it was a lie. The voices were telling him it was a lie. Whatever horrible childhood she had, she never let it get to her. Never stopped to listen. Dimitri had stopped, and couldn't escape until the voices of the dead silenced.

With that thought in mind, Dimitri pulled out the dagger he had concealed. Dedue looked a bit concerned, Hubert seemed ready to strangle Dimitri at a moment's notice (an expression Dimitri likely held towards Edelgard), while Edelgard appeared more fixated on the dagger itself than what Dimitri planned to do with it.

"Take the damn dagger so I can leave," Dimitri said briskly. He held out the dagger, blade towards him, to Edelgard. She took it after a little while, simply staring at it.

Before Dimitri could leave, Edelgard looked back at him and asked, "Where did you find this?"

"Shoved in a corner near the greenhouse, half-covered in dirt," Dimitri replied simply. "You're lucky it wasn't stolen." He paused, sighing. "Do you remember who gave it to you?"

"A childhood friend," Edelgard said, "From when I briefly lived in the Kingdom."

"You were leaving to return to the Empire," Dimitri recalled. "You taught me—rather strictly—how to dance. We were friends, and on the day you left, I gave you a dagger. I told you to cut your own path. I remembered that day for years, cherishing the memory even after I learned of your role in this war. I knew, however, as soon as I saw you at the monastery over five years ago, that you had changed. You were no longer the Edelgard I had befriended—no longer El, to whom I had seen as a true friend."

Edelgard seemed to be reminded of something, quietly saying, "So that was you, all those years ago." Louder, with a hint of realization in her tone, she continued, "I never thanked you, and most of that time you and I spent together is lost to me now. I will say this now, while you're still here and I have the chance: thank you. Your words were never forgotten, and it because of those words that I still stand today. I cannot speak for the girl who originally accepted the dagger, as she's been dead for so long…but just know that, regardless of where you stood on the battlefield, I never once regarded you as a true enemy of mine."

Dimitri walked to the door, and Hubert opened it for him. Before he left, Dimitri said, "I wish I could say the same to you."