Bernadetta, or Bernie, is a withdrawn person. Even during her student days, she remained locked in her room, though it might seem she hated being there; the opposite was true.

She claimed she preferred to stay there, far from her father. No one knew why, as her father was just as fearful, or even cowardly.

It was only known that Bernadetta returned home after the fall of Garreg Mach, and when the promise was fulfilled, she appeared, but like the recluse she was, she returned to her room in the monastery.

Bernadetta's pastimes included embroidery, tending to plants—especially the Venus flytraps she cared for with such passion—and sweets, either baking them or sneaking in to grab a dessert and eat it. Tonight was no exception.

A somber cloak enveloped the monastery. Night had finally arrived, bringing with it silence and peace, a rare thing in these times of war.

You and another monk had stayed late washing the dinner dishes. With only a few dishes left to dry and put away, he said he had some business to attend to early.

Your only company was one of the cats that roamed the monastery. Its bright eyes in the darkness were the only sign of life, as it moved like a predator hunting the rodents. The footsteps outside were no cause for concern either, as it was the night watch.

Stealthy and swift, a trait even Felix respected, Bernadetta slipped in again that night. While you were drying and putting away the dishes, she passed by like a flash. You only heard the creak of the door hinges.

The cellar was dark, and Bernie entered in the dark because of your presence. "Ugh... c-come on, Bernie, it's just nighttime..." she muttered, using those words to bolster her courage.

"You've done so much, Bernie, you're strong..." She moved shakily, clutching her teddy bear to her chest.

You heard those murmurs, the floorboards creaking beneath Bernie's footsteps. Knowing the meat was stored elsewhere, you grabbed one of the cats and sent it to the storeroom where Bernadetta was, thinking it was just a mouse trying to get its hands on the supplies.

Inside, Bernadetta had found her target: a jar of cookies. As she ate them, she froze when the door opened. The cat darted across her legs, and Bernie lost his balance.

"Whoa, whoa...!" With a "crash," the jar fell from Bernadetta's hands and shattered. Meanwhile, Bernie's back hit a shelf, and some baking flour spilled on her.

When you went to check, there she was, Bernadetta covering her face with her hands, covered in flour, with broken glass on the floor. "I-I didn't...!" She panicked and, quick as lightning, fled.

The flour on Bernie's clothes left a trail, a trail that stopped right outside her door. When you knocked, she shrieked, a shriek as piercing as the one only Edelgard could elicit from her when she'd forcefully dragged her from her room during her academy years, or the one Ingrid could also make her scream.

"I didn't do anything...!! I swear...!" she exclaimed from the other side of the door, the floor and doorknob covered in flour... she couldn't pretend anymore

And after much insistence, she finally opened the door "Uh... hi..." she said, her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment, and with a timid demeanor "D-don't hurt me...!" like otters with their pups, she used her teddy bear as a shield to make you feel sorry for her

"P-please... you didn't come to..." she visibly calmed down "...hurt me? Oh... what do you want so late then?" she tried to avoid the obvious: the flour on her clothes, rug, and hair, and having been caught stealing candy so late

((ESP->))