[Byleth didn't immediately react. His expression didn't shift from its blank mask, and his stare remained its usual dead-eyed gaze, making it seem as if he was unmoved by Rafal's words. Inside, however, he was genuinely taken aback by the strength behind his words and the sentiment they carried.

Jeralt had always said that Byleth was a gift, even as others bitterly cursed his existence. The greatest gift he'd ever been given. Byleth understood Jeralt to be biased, but...]

...I'm not sure what to say. [Ah, he finally reacted, after a ten second pause.] You're correct that we've struck an accord. I rarely tell people these things, yet... I felt you would understand in some way, as irrational as it was. I'm not inclined to dismiss it, but all the same, I'm unsure on what to do with it.

[Emotions were queer things. Byleth could never understand them.]