The hand over his own does flicker something in him. It wasn't quite the same as his burning relief at discovering Dedue was still alive. This was more like a candlelight struggling to stay aflame in a pitch black cave, dying but trying to prevail. His chest tightens, and he would rather claw that sensation away.

There is no place for him to feel this way about Byleth. Not anymore.

"She should have left me."

Not very inspiring. Not that he's trying to be.

Dimitri peers his eye at Byleth from under his mess of bangs, the gaze cold and hard. "When I saw you on Gronder Field, I thought to myself that you must have joined them too. You must also be haunting me. Yet, you live. So, did you leave us to rot these past few years, Professor?"