[center][color=#C0C2C9][h1]Adelaide von Hresvelg[/h1][/color][/center]
[right][indent][sub][color=#C0C2C9]Interacting with:[/color] [@McMolly] [@Scribe of Thoth] [@Hero] | [color=#C0C2C9]Location:[/color] Garreg Mach Monastery - Courtyard[/sub][/indent][/right][hr]
[indent]Adelaide offered only the slightest quirking of a brow in response to her betrothed's rebuttal. It was surely a bizarre way of voicing his belief, but perhaps conversation was not the man's strong suit. Or perhaps he was simply adept at shifting attention from his family's reputation for masterminding situations. Whether his presence was the result of politicking behind the scenes or honest-to-goodness chance, it mattered little. Fate was fate, and fate had dictated that he would be amongst her housemates for the remainder of the year. And as with most matters of fate, it would work to her advantage, one way or another. The princess withdrew her hand as he continued to mention the potential for 'networking'.

[color=C0C2C9]"It is a rare opportunity, indeed. Part of the advantage of Garreg Mach is the chance to mingle amidst nobility from both near and far. I am sure we will learn much from our foreign contemporaries."[/color]

The smile she flashed was one of agreement and reassurance. She certainly meant every word she said, of course, but the matters she desired to learn were perhaps a tad less than innocuous. If she were to rule over her subjects, they needed to know her, yes, but she also needed to know them. Who they were. How they felt. What they believed. The more she could discover about the men and women who would someday pay her fealty, the better she could function as their rightful sovereign. It went without saying that, as the head of the Black Eagles, she would dutifully acquaint herself with every one of them. But the Church's efforts to bring all the Houses closer together—to bring Fódlan closer together—allowed her to extend that reach all the farther. She could get to know the future rulers of Faerghus and Leicester. Their hopes. Their strengths.

And how best to best them, should the need arise. When the need arose.

[color=C0C2C9]"I do hope the disputes that afflict our neighbors do not bleed over into the school year too badly. It would be a shame to find themselves so fractured over matters of their sires. We should be grateful that Adrestia remains so unified, in comparison. No such strife is liable to trouble us."[/color][/indent]