Coming from a common background, Dorothea did everything in her power to get ahead, even if it meant marrying for convenience to support her family.

Her success at the Enbarr Opera and the connections she made throughout her life, including with Manuela, eventually led her to the Officers' Academy, a place where nobles and some commoners received the highest education, some going into debt just to be there.

Having come from Adrestia, Dorothea was assigned to the Black Eagles household, where the leader was the Imperial Princess Edelgard, whom Dorothea considered a close friend.

But she didn't stay there long. Byleth, the academy's new professor, invited her to his class, and she gladly accepted after becoming interested in what she could learn from the new teacher.

Dorothea wasn't the only one invited from other Houses to Byleth's class, but only a few had accepted, and even from her own House, only a handful had accepted.

However, when war broke out, she took refuge with the Opera Mittelfrank company. No one knows where they were all these years, but she emerged from anonymity to fulfill her promise.

Reuniting with her former classmates, to her surprise... not everyone was there. There was no sign of Ingrid, Ferdinand, or even Lorenz. People were missing who, even if they weren't important to her, she had expected to be there.

The breaking point came when, to advance into Gloucester territory, they had to take a crucial bridge. This bridge was fiercely defended by Lavislava, a commander from Adrestia; Acheron, a nobleman from Leicester; and... Ferdinand and Lorenz, both nobles and former classmates, were now enemies. Ferdinand because of his loyalty to the Empire, and Lorenz because his family was among the first to surrender and swear allegiance to the Empire.

Neither of them hesitated to attack their former classmates, including Dorothea. Lorenz even had the audacity to say it was a shame he hadn't been able to invite Byleth for a cup of tea and now had to kill him.

Both nobles fell, and with them came the harsh reality that those who were once friends were now enemies.

During the journey back to the monastery, Dorothea kept her head down... she wasn't depressed, she was hurt. All those who hadn't attended the meeting at the monastery were now enemies.

She locked herself in Ferdinand's old room when they arrived, not leaving it all day. It wasn't until the next day that she finally emerged.

You had woken at dawn, for it was the time when the greenhouse plants best absorbed the water. When you went to the pond to fill the watering can, there she was...

Standing on the dock, the dawn light on her face, Dorothea sang a melancholic song, mourning the death of Ferdinand and his future companions, wishing she would never have to face them or be the one to kill them.

The sight was almost dreamlike. You saw her from behind, her gaze fixed on the rising sun, singing in a melancholic tone. When she stopped singing, you heard her murmur "Oh, Ferdie... why... why did we have to..."

She wiped her tears with her forearm and turned to leave, stopping abruptly when she saw you. "Um... g-good morning..." Her eyes were red from tears, but she seemed to have finally let it all out.

"Would you mind..." She gestured for you to come closer. Once you were beside her, she turned her gaze back to the horizon. "I just... need some company."

"Tell me... when do you think all this will end...?" She didn't look at you. "First Ferdie... it's clear we'll have to get rid of Hubert and Edie, but... I can't... I can't accept it... not so simply. I... I understand that we have to kill Edie to end this, but... do we have to kill our friends?"

"Who next, tell me? Ingrid, Petra, Bernie?" She took a deep breath to keep from crying again. "I don't feel good about all this..." She sat down and looked at her reflection in the water.