DON'T COME HERE STARTING TOMORROW.
YOU'RE BANNED FROM ENTERING NOW.
HIS MAJESTY...
...HAVE YOU NEVER HAD A DREAM?
WHY THE SUDDEN QUESTION?
BECAUSE YOU SAID... YOU WONDERED HOW PEOPLE CAN HAVE DREAMS.
...THE DREAMS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, CAPTAIN, ARE THE EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OF THOSE WHO LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE.
UNFORTUNATELY, MY HEART DOESN'T LIVE IN THE FUTURE.
ASKING IF I'VE NEVER HAD A DREAM... THAT WAS THE BEST I COULD DO FOR MY LAST WORDS...
I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE THIS STUDY ALL THIS TIME,
SO I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WANTED TO SAY...
RECIPIENT. CAROLINE.
....A LETTER?
HELLO. I'M HERE
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES IT'S BEEN.
I'M A BIT OUT OF IT RIGHT NOW, SO PLEASE UNDERSTAND IF I'M RAMBLING.
BUT WHAT CAN I DO? IF I DON'T WANT TO GO CRAZY, I HAVE TO WRITE A LETTER EVEN IN MOMENTS LIKE THIS.
EVEN IF PEOPLE MOCK ME FOR WRITING LETTERS THAT WILL NEVER GET A REPLY.
'LETTERS THAT WILL NEVER GET A REPLY'...?
COULD IT BE...
...I SMILED AT THE KING TODAY.
I DISGUST MYSELF. DO YOU FEEL THE SAME?
BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO BESIDES SMILE.
HE HATES IT WHEN I CRY OR GET ANGRY, AFTER ALL...
AH, I SHOULD TALK ABOUT YOUR BOOK TOO. I'M SORRY.
BUT I'M SO EXHAUSTED I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I READ.
MY INSOMNIA HAS BEEN REALLY BAD LATELY...
I THINK IT'S BECAUSE MY ANXIETY ABOUT GOING BACK TO HOW THINGS WERE HAS GOTTEN WORSE.
A MAID GOT ME SOME SLEEPING HERBS, SO I'M PLANNING TO USE THEM TODAY.
IT'S STRANGE. I USED TO SLEEP ALL DAY BEFORE, BUT WHY AM I LIKE THIS NOW?
WHAT EXACTLY IS SLEEP FOR IT TO BE SO UNPREDICTABLE?
I JUST WANT TO FALL ASLEEP AND NEVER WAKE UP.
A FEW DAYS PASSED WHERE I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO.
ADELHEID TRULY DIDN'T VISIT THE STUDY, AND-
HAVE YOUR BAGS PACKED BY TOMORROW, CAPTAIN.
THE PREDETERMINED FAREWELL HAD ARRIVED.
OH MY, IT SEEMS MY QUEEN WILL BE SAD TO SEE YOU GO, CAPTAIN.
YOUR MAJESTY IS JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS.
LET'S GO INSIDE. I HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU.
YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE ME? DID MY QUEEN EVEN OWN ANYTHING?
OH, COME NOW. YOU'VE GIVEN ME SO MANY THINGS, YOUR MAJESTY.
I HAVE TO LEAVE THIS PLACE TOMORROW.
JUST AS I'VE ALWAYS WISHED, I'LL BE RETURNING IN ONE PIECE AND WITHOUT ANY SCANDALS.
THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING I SHOULD BE HAPPY ABOUT, BUT...
...IT INSTEAD FELT LIKE MY HEART WAS PLUMMETING.
'I' AM THE KING'S KNIGHT.
ONE WHO PLEDGES LOYALTY AND SHOULDERS COUNTLESS RESPONSIBILITIES.
BUT BEFORE THAT...
'I' AM MERELY HUMAN.
ONE WHO AGONIZES,
MAKES DECISIONS,
AND MOVES FORWARD ON MY OWN TWO FEET...
A THINKING HUMAN BEING.
IN MY THOUGHTS, ADELHEID IS SUCH AN AMBIGUOUS EXISTENCE.
ONLY ONE THING IS CLEAR.
SHE SIMPLY TALKED TO ME,
TALKED TO ME,
AND KEPT TALKING TO ME.
...THAT WAS ALL IT WAS.
WHY,
WHY DID I DETEST ADELHEID?
THE SCANDALS SURROUNDING HER
WERE CLOSER TO HER THRASHING ABOUT JUST TO SURVIVE IN THIS PLACE.
A VAST AND DEEP PALACE.
IT'S QUIET AND LONELY,
AND HER ONLY CONVERSATIONAL PARTNER IS THE KING WHO VISITS AT RANDOM.
AND THE KING WHO VISITS LIKE THAT OFTEN ABUSES HER.
THE 'LOVE' SHE SPOKE OF DOESN'T EXIST ANYWHERE IN THIS PALACE.
DON'T COME HERE STARTING TOMORROW.
YOU'RE BANNED FROM ENTERING NOW.
I MUST HAVE BEEN ANNOYING AND MADE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IT WAS A MEANINGFUL TIME FOR ME.
THANK YOU, TRULY.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IT WOULD BE TROUBLE FOR YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH ME, CAPTAIN.
YOU NEED TO RETURN SAFELY WITHOUT ANY GOSSIP.
I'M NOT GOING TO COMMIT SUICIDE. YOU KNOW THAT TOO, CAPTAIN.
THAT THE KING IS TRYING TO SEND YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I JUST WANT TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR BELONGINGS BEFORE THEN.
BECAUSE WE MIGHT NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN UNTIL THIS LIFE ENDS.
PLEASE, JUST GIVE ME A DAGGER.
ONCE I DIE, IT'S OVER, SO WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT BLESSING THEN?
WILL I BECOME IMMORTAL?
IT'S EXCESSIVELY...
QUIET TODAY.
STAY CALM.
WHENEVER THE KING VISITS, NONE OF THE MAIDS LEAVE THEIR QUARTERS.
...THEREFORE, IT'S ONLY NATURAL THAT THERE'S NO SIGN OF LIFE INSIDE THE BUILDING.
IT'S HIGHLY LIKELY THAT ALL THIS ANXIETY I'M FEELING IS JUST AN ILLUSION.
NO, IT IS AN ILLUSION.
EVEN IF ALL THE LIGHTS ARE OUT WHEN THEY SHOULD NEVER BE EXTINGUISHED WHILE THE KING IS STAYING HERE,
IT HAS TO BE AN ILLUSION.
...THE SMELL OF BLOOD.
YOU STARTLED ME.
I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO COME NOW, CAPTAIN.
I'M EXPERIENCING A LOT OF FIRSTS THIS TIME AROUND.
The Captain is banned from the study and the time for farewell arrives. A sorrowful conversation about dreams takes place, followed by the discovery of unanswered letters to Caroline. Adelheid writes about smiling at the king, her insomnia, and her exhaustion. The Captain returns to Adelheid's silent palace accompanied by the smell of blood, after Adelheid asked him for a dagger before his departure.
