Like previous games in the series, Fire Emblem: Three Houses allows the player to pursue a romantic relationship with a variety of characters. While the lack of child units means romance and marriage aren't nearly as important as they were in games like Awakening and Fates, giving players the chance to S-Support one of their favorite characters at the end of the game adds to the role-playing element of Three Houses and further encourages multiple playthroughs.

Romancing a character in Three Houses is pretty straightforward. Every character Byleth can romance (with the exception of Sothis) has a series of support conversations ranging from C to A that are unlocked by spending time with the person in question. Depending on Byleth's gender, they can romance characters they've reached an A-Support with by choosing to S-Support them at the end of the game. While this is pretty easy to accomplish for most characters, there is one who is much harder to build supports with: Archbishop Rhea.

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Why Rhea Is So Hard to Romance

fire emblem three houses rhea singing

Despite being available to both male and female Byleth, Rhea is easily the most difficult character to pursue a romance with due to how limited the opportunities are to increase your support points with her and her exclusivity to the Silver Snow route. Since she's not a playable character, there's no way to build a relationship with Rhea through battles, and (for story reasons) she isn't available after the time skip. This means players who want to romance Rhea will need to A-Support her by the end of Chapter 12.

Making that even more difficult is the fact that her previous support level lock after reaching certain points in the story. Her C and B-Supports must both be viewed by the end of Chapter 9, and her A-Support is only available in Chapters 11 and 12. Progressing past these points without unlocking all three conversations will make Rhea unavailable in that save file. Despite these limitations, though, romancing Rhea isn't too difficult so long as the player is prepared.

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The Best Dialogue Options & Gifts for Rhea

fire emblem three houses rhea sunset

Since there are fewer chances to gain support levels with her, selecting the right dialogue options is far more important when speaking with Rhea than with other characters, particularly if the player intends to romance her. The first time Byleth meets Rhea, they should tell her their name. In other conversations, asking about the teachings of the Church of Seiros, agreeing with her on issues such as what to do with the Lance of Ruin, and promising to do whatever you can when problems arise will impress Rhea. Also, be sure to not tell Rhea "I had never heard the name of the Goddess," as this will cause your support points to go down.

During Rhea's support conversations, there are additional chances to earn or lose points with her. In her C-Support, the best options are "I'm still nervous," "He said you were frightening" or "He said you were incredible," and "I didn't know... Thank you for telling me." In her B-Support, tell her "That isn't so," "I'm sorry to have made you feel that way," and "Actually... I have had strange dreams lately." Finally, during Rhea's A-Support, say "It was comforting" for the first dialogue option.

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Another great way to boost Byleth's relationship with Rhea is to give her gifts and return lost items to her. Since there's no limit to how many gifts the player can give an NPC in a day, giving favored items is an easy way to quickly earn points, particularly when close to one of Rhea's support deadlines. The best gifts to give Rhea are the Goddess Statuette, Ancient Coin, Landscape Painting, and Owl Feather. Everything else can be gifted for fewer points, though be sure to avoid giving Rhea Exotic Spices, as she dislikes those.

As for lost items, Rhea's are the Elegant Hair Clip (available from Chapter 3 in the Audience Chamber), Seiros Scriptures (available from Chapter 6 in the Cathedral), and the Faded Star Chart (available from Chapter 9 in the Library).

How to Get a Perfect Tea Time with Rhea

fire emblem three houses rhea tea time

At launch, Rhea was the only character with Support conversations that Byleth could not have a tea party with However, that changed with update 1.2.0. Now, players can invite her to tea starting in Chapter 5 -- she'll even invite the player the first time. Rhea's favorite teas are Angelica Tea, Crescent-Moon Tea, and Chamomile.

The best conversation topics for Rhea are:

A dinner invitation...

A word of advice...

Books you've read recently...

Children at the market...

Close calls...

Cooking mishaps...

Dreams of a throne...

Exploring the monastery...

Fódlan's future...

Gardening mishaps...

Gifts you'd like to receive...

Heart-racing memories...

Hopes for your future...

I heard some gossip...

I'm counting on you...

Monastery mysteries...

Monastery rules...

Monastery security...

Our first meeting...

Overcoming weaknesses...

Past laughs...

Plans for the future...

School days...

Someone you look up to...

Tell me about yourself...

Thanks for everything...

The existence of Crests...

The ideal relationship...

The library's collection...

The view from the bridge...

Things that bother you...

Things you find romantic...

Working together...

You seem different...

You seem well...

You're doing great work...

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As for the final conversation, players will need to pay attention to what Rhea says and respond accordingly:

"Have you grown accustomed to living in the monastery?"

Disagree or Nod

"Have confidence. I truly believe you can lead your students down the right path."

Nod

"I sense great potential in you. You possess something extraordinary..."

Chat or Nod

"You are truly special. It seems that I was right about you."

Chat

"I would like you to be a pillar of support for the Church in order to keep peace in Fódlan."

Chat or Nod

"Being the Archbishop can be lonely, no matter how many followers surrounded you..."

Praise or Sigh

"I, too, like to spread my wings from time to time. Doing so in your company is a treat."

Blush

"I do not have a friend whom I can fully trust. Such is the burden of my position..."

Chat, Disagree or Praise

"You are the only person I can talk to as myself, rather than as the Archbishop."

Blush

By giving the appropriate responses, players will have a perfect tea time, earning them increased support points and a +1 to the protagonist's Charm stat.