Episode 53
THE SCATTERED DEAD BODIES WERE COLLECTED AND BURNT OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.
THE FRANZEAN ARMY MADE THE SURRENDERING SOLDIERS DO THE WORK.
...IS THIS WHAT WAR IS...?
...HEINER WILL BE FURIOUS WHEN HE FINDS OUT,
HE'D SAY I WAS BEING RECKLESS AGAIN.
HEINER...
...FREQUENTLY EXPRESSED HIS ANGER EVER SINCE WE MET AGAIN.
IT WAS A SIDE OF HIM I BARELY SAW DURING THE SIX YEARS WE LIVED TOGETHER.
WAS HE ALWAYS THAT WAY,
OR DID HE BECOME ANXIOUS AND RESTLESS AFTER MEETING ME AGAIN?
YOU FELL ASLEEP. WHAT A BRAVE BOY, NOT EVEN CRYING...
THAT CHILD CANNOT SPEAK.
I THINK IT'S DUE TO THE WAR...
...AH.
IS HE NOT YOUR GRANDSON?
I TOOK HIM IN TEMPORARILY BECAUSE HE SEEMED TO HAVE LOST HIS PARENTS.
HAD I KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN, I WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT HIM.
I SEE...
ANET.
YOUR REAL NAME IS EVEN PRETTIER.
WHY DID YOU LIE?
AREN'T YOU HUNGRY?
I CAN GIVE YOU FOOD.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
NOBLEWOMAN...
WHY IS A LADY LIKE YOURSELF HERE,
IN THE MIDST OF WAR?
WHEN DID YOU MARRY?
AND WHEN DID THE MARRIAGE END?
YOU'RE ADORABLE.
HEHE. HEY THERE, MS. ROZENBERG.
YOU'D BETTER BE CAREFUL WITH HIM.
HE'S A REAL PIECE OF WORK.
AND YET YOU’RE DOING NOTHING. DESPICABLE.
MORE IMPORTANTLY...
HOW DOES THAT MAN KNOW MY FACE, NAME,
AND EVEN MY MAIDEN NAME?
THAT’S TYPICALLY UNKNOWN AND UNREPORTED OVERSEAS...
HUH? WHAT DID YOU SAY?*
* spoken in franzean
I SAID THAT YOU'RE...
ANYWAY, YOU SEE THE GLEAM IN HIS EYES? WATCH OUT.
A SINCERE WORD OF ADVICE, GIVEN THAT YOU'RE A PRETTY DECENT HOSTAGE.
NOT THAT IT'LL BE OF ANY USE.
A HOSTAGE? TO BLACKMAIL THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF?
HM SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
WE'D BE ABLE TO GET A GOOD PRICE OUT OF YOU.
YOU'RE MISTAKEN.
I HAVE NO VALUE AS A HOSTAGE.
HM? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
WE DIVORCED ON BAD TERMS. THE ENTIRE COUNTRY KNOWS.
YOU REALLY THINK THE COMMANDER WILL COME TO SAVE ME?
HM? WELL, I KNOW MORE OR LESS OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HEINER...
I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS IT FOR HIM.
AM I MISTAKEN?
"HEINER."
HE’S EVEN ON A FIRST-NAME BASIS WITH HIM.
IS THIS MAN REALLY JUST AN OFFICER OF A HOSTILE NATION WHO HAPPENS TO KNOW A LOT ABOUT PADANIA...?
...WHO ARE YOU?
LONG STORY SHORT, I WAS A FELLOW TRAINEE FROM SUTHERLANE ISLAND,
AS WELL AS YOUR EX-HUSBAND'S COLLEAGUE.
...SUTHERLANE ISLAND.
A FRANZEAN CAPTAIN, WHO IS A GRADUATE OF THE PADANIA ROYAL INSTITUTION?
THAT... THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
HEINER AND I WERE ON SEVERAL OPERATIONS TOGETHER.
WE WERE QUITE CLOSE.
I'VE BEEN TO MARQUESS ROZENBERG'S MANSION A FEW TIMES... BUT YOU WOULDN'T REMEMBER, WOULD YOU?
NO, BECAUSE YOU WEREN'T INTERESTED IN PEOPLE LIKE US.
THAT MEANS THAT THIS MAN...
EITHER DEFECTED TO THE ENEMY...
I USED TO GO BY THE NAME OF...
...JACKSON. IT WAS JACKSON.
...OR WAS A SPY FOR FRANZE FROM THE START.
A PERSON FROM HEINER'S PAST.
I HAD NEVER TRULY ASKED NOR HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT HIS PAST.
I'VE TRIED SO HARD TO AVOID IT...
...BECAUSE I BELIEVED IT WOULD CONSUME OUR LIVES. NOW, THAT PAST STANDS HERE, BEFORE MY EYES.
OH? YOU LOOK LIKE YOU'RE DYING TO KNOW.
HAAA...
I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING, IF YOU'RE SO INCLINED.
PERHAPS MOST OF IT?
IT'S NOT MUCH OF A SECRET ANYMORE.
I DO NOT WISH TO KNOW.
HAHA. YOU'RE NOT A GOOD LIAR,
PERHAPS IT'S DUE TO YOUR UPBRINGING.
LADY ROZENBERG.
SHALL WE TAKE A WALK?
...WHAT WILL THE PEOPLE HERE THINK...
...IF I ACCEPT THIS OFFICER'S HAND AND ACQUIESCE?
A PRECIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN LIKE YOU WON'T FIND ANYTHING GOOD STAYING HERE.
IT'S BEST YOU COME WITH ME WHEN I SAY SO.
AN ADVICE, FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE WITH YOUR EX-HUSBAND.
WHAT... WERE YOU SAYING TO THE SOLDIERS JUST NOW?
JUST NOW? AH...
THAT THERE'S AN ORDER AND TIME, EVEN FOR THE THINGS YOU WANT?
NO NEED TO WORRY.
I MAY BE A PIECE OF TRASH,
BUT I WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING TO AN OLD FRIEND'S WOMAN.
AS IF I CAN BELIEVE YOU...
...WHERE ARE WE GOING?
JUST TAKING A STROLL. AH, BUT THE CITY IS IN RUINS.
IF WE WALK STRAIGHT ALONG THIS RIVER WE'LL REACH A BEACH THAT IS WELL-KNOWN AMONG TOURISTS.
THE BEACH...
ANNETTE.
IS THERE ANYWHERE YOU WANT TO GO?
YES, HEINER HAD SAID THAT ONCE.
DIDN'T YOU WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH?
WE'LL GO TO THE BEACH NEXT SPRING, WHEN THE WEATHER WARMS UP A BIT.
WHY DID HEINER SAY THAT AS IF WE HAD A FUTURE TOGETHER?
GLENFORD IS NICE, BUT IF YOU GO A BIT FURTHER SOUTH, THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS AT SUNSET CLIFF.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE BEACH THAT WE WENT TO IN SANTIAGO?
YOU'VE BEEN WANTING TO GO BACK TO SEE THE SEALS THERE. LET'S GO SOMETIME SOON.
ANNETTE?
HOW DID HE FEEL, SAYING THOSE WORDS?
NOW, PADANIA IS NOTHING BUT A RUINED WAR ZONE.
DO YOU REALLY HAVE NOTHING TO ASK ME?
I'LL TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW.
NO THANK YOU.
SUCH LITTLE INTEREST TOWARDS YOUR HUSBAND.
HOW HEARTBREAKING FOR HEINER.
POOR THING, EVEN MY HEART IS BREAKING.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS MAN...?
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I CALLED YOU OUT TO ASK YOU HOW HE'S BEEN DOING.
ALL I EVER HEARD ABOUT WAS HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF.
...WERE YOU REALLY CLOSE WITH HIM?
I WAS!
I HEARD THE TRAINEES AT SUTHERLANE ISLAND ENTERED THE CAMP AT A YOUNG AGE.
DID YOU BETRAY EVERYONE THERE BY DEFECTING?
A NAIVE HYPOTHESIS, BUT NOT BAD.
I GUESS YOU CAN'T ESCAPE YOUR UPBRINGING, EVEN AFTER GOING THROUGH THE BATTLEFIELD AS A NURSE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN--
I WAS AT PADANIA FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
FROM A VERY, VERY YOUNG AGE.
INFILTRATING THE SUTHERLANE TRAINING BASE WAS THE STARTING POINT OF MY MISSION FROM MY COUNTRY.
HOW... HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT YOU ARE HEINER'S FRIEND?
YOU ARE A SPY. A TRAITOR IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.
THAT'S TRUE...
BUT DIDN'T HEINER ALSO BETRAY YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?
THAT'S A SEPARATE ISSUE.
IF YOU SAY SO.
OH COME ON, DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. YOU'RE INEXPLICABLY BEAUTIFUL EVEN WHEN YOU'RE GLARING.
I FEEL NOTHING FOR EVEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME TO ME, BUT...
HOW SHOULD I SAY IT.
BACK THEN, YOU WERE AN IMPORTANT PRESENCE TO THE SOLDIERS AND TRAINEES.
SO IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME TO SPEAK TO YOU NONCHALANTLY.
...WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
THERE WERE COUNTLESS SOLDIERS WHO WERE ENAMORED WITH YOU.
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL AND GRACEFUL,
THE DAUGHTER OF THE HIGHEST IN COMMAND, AND OF ROYAL BLOOD.
UNREACHABLE, ONLY TO BE SEEN FROM A DISTANCE.
WHICH MADE YOU EVEN MORE SPECIAL.
WHAT I DIDN'T EXPECT THOUGH...
...WAS SEEING THAT STONE COLD BASTARD FALLING FOR YOU.
As corpses gathered outside the church after the battle are burned, surrendered soldiers are made to do the work. Annette reflects on Heiner's anger since they met again and this side of him she never saw in six years of marriage. She pities a small child who cannot speak and has lost his family. She confronts the mysterious Franzean officer who recognizes her; the man knows her real name and the Rozenberg surname. A tense walk begins about hostage bargaining and her past with Heiner.
