IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
THAT SAME LOOK OF DISPLEASURE, AS ALWAYS...
IT REALLY IS THE CAPTAIN.
ARE YOU LEAVING? WHY?
STAY A LITTLE LONGER.
NO, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO HEAD BACK.
WHAT WERE YOU READING?
AH, THIS BOOK...
IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES, TOO.
ON LOSS
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT, CAPTAIN?
WELL... I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE.
JUDGING BY YOUR EXPRESSION, YOU DIDN'T CARE FOR IT.
I DISLIKED HOW IT PORTRAYED HUMANITY AS SOMEONE SO HUMILIATING.
HUMAN BEINGS ARE HUMILIATING BY NATURE.
IT'S JUST THAT CIRCUMSTANCES SPARE THEM FROM HAVING TO BE SO.
HAVE YOU NEVER FACED SUCH A SITUATION, CAPTAIN?
MANY TIMES.
I SIMPLY CHOSE NOT TO ENDURE IT.
...THAT IS YOUR WORLD, CAPTAIN. MY WORLD ISN'T LIKE YOURS.
UNLESS IT SERVES A GREATER MORAL PURPOSE,
NO CIRCUMSTANCE REQUIRES ONE TO ACCEPT HUMILIATION.
HOW CAN YOU BE SO CERTAIN?
IF SUCH A SITUATION WERE TO ARISE-
IT WOULD MERELY BE THE RESULT OF CHOOSING HUMILIATION AS THE EASIER, BETTER PATH.
...EVEN IF A LIFE IS AT STAKE?
THERE ARE MANY IN THIS WORLD WHO VALUE OTHER THINGS MORE THAN THEIR OWN LIVES.
AS THIS BOOK SAYS,
A THINKING MAN WILLINGLY WALKS THE DIFFICULT PATH.
NO.
MY WORLD ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.
THAT 1 CHOSE HUMILIATION
JUST TO MAKE THINGS EASIER?
ARE YOU SAYING 1 ACCEPT HUMILIATION
BECAUSE 1 FAIL TO THINK LIKE A HUMAN BEING?
PERHAPS THE WORLD YOU SEE IS LIKE THAT.
A WORLD WHERE YOU ENDURE HARDSHIP AND PAIN INSTEAD OF HUMILIATION,
UPHOLD MORALITY, AND ULTIMATELY EMBRACE DEATH...
A WORLD WHERE THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER CHOICE.
I THINK ALL THE TIME.
YET I AM STILL HUMILIATED.
MY HUMILIATION COMES FROM THINGS YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT,
AND JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE UNAWARE OF THEM DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T EXIST.
I SUPPOSE THAT COULD BE TRUE.
WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU READ?
THAT NIGHT, WE TALKED ABOUT SO MANY THINGS UNTIL LATE INTO THE NIGHT.
IT WAS THE KIND OF HUMAN CONVERSATION I HAD SO DESPERATELY CRAVED WHENEVER I CAME HERE,
A MIRACULOUS MOMENT WHEN I COULD BRIEFLY FORGET MY HUMILIATION.
...DO YOU HAVE NO INTENTION OF RETURNING TO HENBURG?
I FEEL LIKE YOU'LL TRULY COME TO DESPISE ME IF I SAY THIS, CAPTAIN...
BUT SINCE I DO NOT LIE HERE,
I WILL TELL YOU THE HONEST TRUTH.
I HAVE NO PLANS FOR HENBURG.
I'VE EVEN FORGOTTEN WHAT MY HOMELAND MEANS TO ME.
BECAUSE ANTON DESPISED WOMEN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH,
HE LOCKED ME AWAY HERE.
SO I WOULD KNOW NOTHING, SMILE BRIGHTLY, AND LOOK ONLY AT HIM.
UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS BORN INTO ROYALTY AND RECEIVED AN EDUCATION BEFITTING ONE.
WHICH IS LIKELY WHY SO MUCH OF ME WAS WORN AWAY BEFORE ARRIVING HERE.
MY LIFE MATTERS MORE TO ME THAN MY HOMELAND.
PERHAPS ONCE, MY HOMELAND MATTERED MORE.
BUT NOT ANYMORE.
NOW, HAVING LOST THE DIGNITY AND GRACE OF ROYALTY...
I'VE BECOME NOTHING MORE THAN AN IGNORANT WOMAN.
WILL YOU COME VISIT ME HERE AGAIN?
THAT IS...
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT.
BUT THE KING HAS NEVER ONCE SET FOOT IN THE STUDY.
SO IT'LL BE FINE.
IF YOU COME HERE TOMORROW, I WON'T SEEK YOU OUT WHILE YOU'RE ON DUTY ANYMORE, CAPTAIN.
I PROMISE.
CAPTAIN, THE MORE I SPEAK WITH YOU, THE MORE I REALIZE...
WE REALLY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON.
ISN'T IT BETTER TO HAVE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES ON AN AUTHOR'S WORK?
PUTTING THAT ASIDE...
EVEN OUR TEA HABITS COULDN'T BE MORE DIFFERENT.
STILL, DOESN'T IT TASTE BETTER WITH SUGAR, JUST AS I SAID?
IT SEEMS SO.
WITH THE ANNUAL SALARY OF XENOMES'S KNIGHT COMMANDER,
YOU COULD EASILY AFFORD PLENTY OF SUGAR.
I WAS CONSTANTLY DEPLOYED ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
IT WASN'T A MATTER OF MONEY, BUT OF TIME; I HAD NO LEISURE FOR TEA.
CONSIDERING YOU RECOMMENDED THE SUGAR,
YOUR HIGHNESS DOES NOT SEEM PARTICULARLY FOND OF IT.
TURNS OUT I DON'T CARE MUCH FOR SWEETS.
I HAD COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN...
THANKS TO YOU, CAPTAIN, I REMEMBERED SOMETHING PRECIOUS.
A TIME WHEN NO ONE KILLS ME OR TRAMPLES ON ME...
IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I COULD SIMPLY EXIST AS MYSELF.
YET WHEN THIS LIFE ENDS...
THE MAN BEFORE ME WILL FORGET EVERYTHING.
ALL OF THIS WILL BECOME SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED,
REMAINING ONLY IN MY MIND AS MEMORIES OF THINGS THAT NEVER OCCURRED.
YOUR HIGHNESS, THE KING IS APPROACHING.
YOUR MAJESTY...!
THE ADELHEID I MET IN THE STUDY WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THE RUMORS.
IN THAT WORLD, SHE WAS CANDID,
AND FAR REMOVED FROM A CONCUBINE BASKING IN THE KING’S FAVOR...
YET NOW, SHE HAS REVERTED TO THE KIND OF PERSON I DESPISE MOST.
FOR AN EASIER, BETTER PATH,
SOMEONE WILLING TO SACRIFICE THEIR MORALITY AND WORTH.
HUMORING THE KING LIKE A PET,
SMILING JUST TO WIN HIS ATTENTION—
The Captain encounters Adelheid in the study and asks her to stay. As they discuss the book On Loss together, they have a sharp disagreement over humanity, humiliation, and morality. Adelheid explains that Anton locked her up and that she has no plans regarding Henburg. Their warm conversation, lasting until midnight, is interrupted by the king's arrival.
