ANNETTE ROZENBERG, WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
5 YEARS LATER, SUMMER OF 712. ROZENBERG MANSION.
WOWZA!
THEY WEREN'T JOKING ABOUT MARQUESS ROZENBERG'S DAUGHTER.
LOOKS LIKE SHE'S IN A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LEAGUE.
RIGHT.
WHEN I RETURNED AFTER A FEW MISSIONS...
...THE PRACTICE ROOM WAS EMPTY.
THEY SAID IT WAS MOVED FURTHER INTO THE MANSION.
ARE MY EFFORTS WORTH ANYTHING?
IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE FOR ME TO STAND NEXT TO HER?
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, NOBLE LADY IN PADANIA?
NOW I CAN'T EVEN SEE HER UNLESS I'M EXTREMELY LUCKY...
HEYYYY. LOOK AT YOU.
YOU'RE STARING, BUDDY!
AH, I FORGOT JACKSON WAS HERE...
I JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE.
OH, SHUT UP.
WHO KNEW EVEN THE STONE-FACED HEINER WOULD BE SO SMITTEN...
LADY ROZENBERG MUST BE QUITE THE LOOKER, EH?
GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT!
QUIT IT.
IT'S ALWAYS THE PRETTY BOYS THAT PRETEND NOT TO CARE.
I HEAR SHE'S QUITE THE ROMANTIC AND LIKES HER MEN GOOD-LOOKING.
APPARENTLY IT'S NOT JUST THE NOBLE ONES SHE GOES FOR.
SHE'S MORE STUBBORN THAN SHE LOOKS...
SO EVEN HER FATHER WON'T INTERFERE IN HER DATING LIFE.
EVEN IF IT'S JUST A DATE, YOU PROBABLY NEED TO BE AT LEAST UPPER-MIDDLE CLASS...
ONCE WE'RE OFFICIALLY ENLISTED, WE'LL BE PROMOTED RIGHT AWAY.
ALTHOUGH WE'LL HAVE TO HIDE THE FACT THAT WE'RE FROM SUTHERLANE...
THE MEN SHE'S BEEN SEEING... I WONDER WHAT THEY WERE LIKE.
WHOSE HAND DID SHE HOLD? WHOM DID SHE SMILE FOR?
WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING? SUCH A PATHETIC BASTARD...
D*** IT.
Episode 25
YEAR 712 AU. BÜNNICHEN, FRANZE.
PADANIA SPECIAL OPS. OPERATION IN PROGRESS.
HMM...
WE ONLY NEED TO MOVE ABOUT 30 MORE MILES.
ONLY?! I CAN'T FEEL MY FEET!
I CAN'T FEEL ANYTHING.
CAN YOU HEAR THE WIND? I CAN'T BELIEVE WE BRAVED OUR WAY THROUGH THAT.
WHY DOES HEINER LOOK SO SERIOUS?
HE ALWAYS LOOKS LIKE THAT.
HEY, WHAT IF HE SPIKED OUR FOOD?
HE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A SPY FROM FRANZE!
I HAVE A FEELING WE'D BE IMMUNE TO DRUGS.
Hand Me My Plate.
EXACTLY. WE WERE FORCED TO GET ALL SORTS OF SHOTS AT SUTHERLANE.
YOU MEAN THAT EMOTION SUPPRESSING THING?
DOES IT EVEN WORK?
IT SEEMED LIKE IT DID ON HEINER!
DO YOU AGREE, HEINER?
NOT REALLY.
RIGHT? DIDN'T WORK FOR ME EITHER.
I'VE GOT A BOYFRIEND, AFTER ALL!
ANNE, YOU CAN'T EVEN GET MARRIED. WHAT'S THE POINT OF DATING?
DOESN'T MATTER. I'M LIVING IN THE PRESENT.
AND YOU SHOULD BE THE LAST PERSON PREACHING TO ME! YOU'VE BEEN SINGLE ALL YOUR LIFE!
UGH...!
IF I WERE A SUTHERLANE INSTRUCTOR, I'D NEVER LET ANYONE GET ATTACHED TO ANYTHING.
IT COULD BECOME A WEAKNESS, YOU KNOW?
I'M STILL GOING TO CHERISH WHAT'S PRECIOUS TO ME.
FOR INSTANCE, MY FUTURE GIRLFRIEND! MWAAH!
YOU SHOULD FIND ONE FIRST, HUGO.
HEINER. WHAT ABOUT YOU? WHAT'S PRECIOUS TO YOU?
ANY SECRET LOVERS?
YOU REALLY THINK HEINER OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?
HEY, YOU NEVER KNOW. SOME GIRLS LIKE THE SERIOUS ONES!
ANYWAY, HOW WOULD YOU TREAT HER? WOULD YOU PAMPER HER?
OR... ARE YOU THE OBSESSIVE TYPE?
WHAT USE IS THERE IN PAMPERING?
WHAT'S VALUABLE TO ME IS ALSO VALUABLE TO OTHERS...
IT'LL PROBABLY BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME ANYWAY.
GOSH, WHY SO CYNICAL? ARE YOU GONNA JUST SIT AND WATCH THEN?
IF THEY'RE GONNA TAKE IT AWAY...
...I MIGHT AS WELL BREAK IT.
THAT WAY NO ONE ELSE WILL WANT IT EITHER.
WHAT? THAT'S SO MESSED UP, MAN...
YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR MIND.
WELL, NO ONE WOULD BE SANE AFTER BEING ON THAT ISLAND.
HMPH, SPEAK FOR YOURSELF!
THAT'S RIGHT. I MIGHT BE SERIOUSLY MESSED UP.
MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE HERE.
THE MORE I THINK OF HER, THE UNHAPPIER I GET...
YOU'RE ALL I THINK OF AND LOOK AT.
BUT YOU NEVER SEE ME.
YOU DON'T THINK OF ME.
NO. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW I EXIST.
AS PRECIOUS AS YOU ARE, YOU MAKE ME MISERABLE...
IF ONLY...
...I NEVER KNEW THIS FEELING FROM THE START.
RATHER THAN CHERISHING IT, I'D PREFER TO...
AAARGH!!!
THE OPERATION FAILED.
THERE WAS A SPY...
...AND ALMOST ALL OF US WERE CAPTURED.
LUCKILY, JACKSON WASN'T CAUGHT.
HE IS COMPETENT. HE WILL FIND A SOLUTION.
I JUST HAVE TO HOLD ON UNTIL THEN.
IN ORDER TO RETURN TO PADANIA...
ACK!
ARGH!
I MUST SURVIVE THIS TO GO BACK TO PADANIA.
I MUST MAKE IT OUT ALIVE... AND RETURN...
ALTHOUGH I'M QUITE ACCUSTOMED TO BEATINGS...
...THIS IS HARD TO BEAR...
INTERROGATION ROOM
NOW THEN.
*spoken in franzean
LET'S TALK.
This chapter recounts the years when Annette Rozenberg shone with her piano recital and her first-place win in the international competition, told through newspaper clippings. Five years later, in the summer of 712 at the Rozenberg Mansion, Heiner admires from afar Annette, whom he sees as Padania's most beautiful and noble lady. As Jackson teases him, Heiner feels worthless and helpless. The scene then shifts to the Padania special operation in Franze; the operation fails because of a spy, and Heiner is captured and tortured in the interrogation room while vowing to survive and return to Padania.
