( Nico takes another steadying little breath. )

I know. I know all that, an' I know that your Lady Edelgard is always gonna come first. That's why this is kinda hard for me — I'm not used to bein' second best.

( She laughs a breathlessly, then lifts a hand to card through the mess of her hair. )

But the fact is, I still wanna do it anyway. Even if it's just for a little while — better to give it a shot and have it as a memory than never bother at all, right?

( Hubert is smiling, but Nico cringes as she realises she might really have got the wrong end of the stick. )

... Uh, unless you don't agree? In which case we can forget about all this and pretend it never happened! I'm okay with that too.