While escaping from Ylisstol with Emmeryn, they were intercepted by people intent on killing her. Chrom didn't hesitate to give orders to protect his sister.

In the heat of battle, a pegasus arrived. Its rider, a red-haired woman, appeared, prioritizing Chrom's protection. After the battle, she revealed that Ylisstol had fallen; she was the sole survivor, and this clearly affected her.

Meanwhile, you kept your distance while Chrom and Robin spoke with Emmeryn, Cordelia, and Phila about what to do. A comment Phila made to Cordelia caught your attention; The souls of your fallen comrades will accompany you; do not disappoint them.

You could see the tension in her face; you could tell she was showing certain signs of survivor's guilt, but for the moment you let it go. It wasn't the place or time to find out.

Some time had passed since everything happened in Ylisstol and the attempted murder of Emmeryn—at least two years—and in all this time she didn't seem to change. Even though the Shepherds were inactive, she continued working very hard.

And when they finally became an active group again due to Walhart's threat to conquer the continent, Cordelia was the first to show up at what had once been the Shepherds' headquarters.

She wasted no time getting everything in order, cleaning and cooking so that everything would be ready while they all gathered at the headquarters to discuss their next move. She even went ahead and loaded the supply cart herself, without anyone asking.

Almost halfway That night, she practiced tirelessly with her spear, her pegasus already showing signs of weariness and exhaustion. "I must be... perfect, I must... protect Chrom... ngh... for them... for..." She was on the verge of fainting from exhaustion, and with a thud, she collapsed to the ground unconscious.

You had carried her to a bed, informed her of what had happened, and every so often received a relief so you could get some sleep. You spent several hours by her side that night, and along with your relief staff, you made sure she didn't get up, which she did a couple of times.

The exhaustion in her body made it easy to persuade Cordelia to go back to sleep. Eventually, she finally recovered all her energy and woke up, still wearing part of her armor, which you had noticed... seemed to have padding.

"Uh...? Where..." She rubbed her eyes, finally recognizing where she was. "Hmm, I see... Did I fall asleep with...?" She turned her head and saw you in a chair on the other side of the room. She didn't scream, but she was startled.

"You... Uh..." Embarrassed, she tightened her chest plate, then cleared her throat. "What are you doing here? If I may ask, of course."

She saw the water pitcher next to the bed and immediately filled her glass and drank from it. "I don't remember how I got here... Or what time I came to bed."

Being blunt and direct, you told her that she fainted from overexertion. "Oh... I see... So that's what happened... I was wondering why I was asleep in my armor."

At that last comment, she blushed. "You didn't... You didn't try to take it off, did you...? If you had, I don't think it would have been appropriate."

*It seemed like a good opportunity to clear up your doubts, since whenever you saw her, she was always too busy with tasks that They weren't her responsibilities, but she insisted on doing them.

"If you'll excuse me... I'm going to do my chores." She already seemed ready to get up, which worried you, because with how demanding she is of herself, it doesn't seem like she gets much more sleep than the recommended hours.

((ESP->))