My Beloved Oppressor — Chapter 54

I MUST STOP.

STOP GOING TO SEE HER.

STOP WATCHING HER FROM AFAR.

IT'S TIME TO STOP.

BECAUSE MY SOUL WILL BE TRAPPED IN SUTHERLANE FOR ETERNITY.

TODAY WILL REALLY BE THE LAST TIME.

I WILL NEVER COME TO THIS GARDEN EVER AGAIN.

I CAN NO LONGER HANDLE THIS MISERABLE--

WHY...?

WHY ARE YOU CRYING HERE AND NOT IN THE COMFORTS OF YOUR ROOM?

COULD THERE BE SOMETHING THAT'S HARD FOR YOU TO BEAR TOO?

COULD IT BE THAT SOMETHING HEARTBREAKING HAPPENED?

ARE YOU PERHAPS... A LITTLE LONELY?

JUST LIKE ME?

IT'S NOT POSSIBLE.

...YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT I EXIST.

BUT SEEING YOU CRY SO SORROWFULLY,

IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE CRYING ON MY BEHALF.

I CAN’T APPROACH TO TALK TO YOU...

...NOR CAN I COMFORT YOU...

BUT MY HEART... THIS HEART OF MINE...

...CAN'T LEAVE YOU...

Episode 54

STONE-COLD BASTARD...?

...ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT HEINER?

YOU MEAN TO SAY THAT HE,

THAT HEINER HAD FEELINGS FOR ME...?

YES. HE PROBABLY HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU FROM THE START.

HE COULDN'T TAKE HIS EYES OFF OF YOU, EVEN FROM AFAR.

I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM LIKE THAT.

I ENCOURAGED HIM TO MAKE A MOVE AND HE SHRUGGED IT OFF, BUT ENDED UP MARRYING YOU.

HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE MANAGE TO WOO YOU?

...WHEN DID YOU RETURN TO FRANZE AFTER FINISHING YOUR OPERATION?

HM? IT TOOK A WHILE. I BELIEVE IT WAS... AROUND EARLY 713 AU.

Let's Go.

I WAS 21 THEN,

WHICH IS A YEAR BEFORE I MET HEINER AT THE ROSE GARDEN.

DID HE KNOW ME EVEN BEFORE THAT TIME?

...IN ANY CASE, I CAN'T BE CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT PERSON TO HEINER RIGHT NOW.

I'D RATHER DIE THAN BE A HINDRANCE TO HIM.

WELL, HE INTENTIONALLY APPROACHED ME FROM THE START.

AND SINCE THE REVOLUTION, HE STOPPED HIDING HIS TRUE COLORS.

AH YES, THE REVOLUTION.

BUT YOUR MARRIAGE WENT ON FOR THREE MORE YEARS AFTER THAT. WHY?

...HE COULDN'T POSSIBLY FORCE ME OUT.

BECAUSE...

BECAUSE I REFUSED TO GET A DIVORCE.

WHEW...

HMMM. SO, HOW HAS HE BEEN?

HE'S BEEN FINE...

OH NO, NO, I'M ASKING ABOUT THE MORE SPECIFIC AND PERSONAL ASPECTS OF HIS LIFE.

LIKE, WAS HE HAPPY?

...HAPPY?

I THOUGHT HE WOULD LIVE A MISERABLE LIFE FOREVER.

SO I PROMISED MYSELF I'D BE MUCH, MUCH HAPPIER THAN HIM.

...WHAT MADE YOU THINK...

...THAT HE'D BE MISERABLE?

WELL, PLENTY OF REASONS.

FIRST OFF, HIS LIFE WAS SCREWED UP TO BEGIN WITH. HE WAS ALSO A SCREWED UP PERSON.

AND HE DIDN'T SEEM TO SHOW ANY WILL TO BE HAPPY.

MOST OF ALL, I PUT HIS LIFE THROUGH HELL.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN...?

DID HEINER EVER FLIP OUT ABOUT KILLING ALL THE FRANZEANS?

I'M...NOT SURE.

SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOUR HUSBAND WAS EVER HAPPY?

HE... DIDN'T SEEM ALL THAT HAPPY.

THEN DID HE EVER TALK ABOUT HIS FRIENDS?

I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE DEAD OR ALIVE.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW...

HMM? THEN DO YOU KNOW WHAT HEINER EXACTLY DID FOR THE MARQUESS,

OR WHY HEINER DESPISED HIM?

MS. ROZENBERG, YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR EX-HUSBAND, DO YOU?

I THOUGHT YOU'D AT LEAST KNOW HEINER'S PAST THAT INVOLVES YOUR OWN FATHER.

DID YOU EVER EVEN ASK YOUR HUSBAND?

I DIDN'T ASK.

I THOUGHT I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO.

BECAUSE DOING SO WOULD’VE ENTRAPPED US IN AN ETERNAL SADNESS.

...HOW MUCH DID I RUN AWAY FROM, USING THAT AS AN EXCUSE?

IT’S NOT MY STORY TO TELL,

BUT IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE YOU WILL SEE HEINER AGAIN SINCE YOU DIVORCED HIM.

I ALSO HAVE A PERSONAL GRUDGE AGAINST MARQUESS ROZENBERG.

PUTTING HEINER ASIDE,

I WANT YOU TO KNOW WHO THE MARQUESS REALLY WAS.

IT'S A LONG STORY.

THAT WAS THE END OF MY MISSION.

THEY WERE PROBABLY TORTURED FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

OUR OFFICERS ARE FAMOUS FOR BEING GOOD AT TORTURE, YOU KNOW?

APPARENTLY HEINER WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING.

THE INTERROGATORS THOUGHT HE WAS A CULT MEMBER OR SOMETHING.

HE ACTED AS IF ENDURING THE TORTURE WOULD GET HIM TO HEAVEN.

Latland

Franze

ANYWAY, AFTER THAT THE WAR BETWEEN FRANZE AND LATLAND TOOK PLACE,

AND THEY ESCAPED AMIDST THE CHAOS.

TO BE HONEST, I THOUGHT HE WOULD DIE BEFORE REACHING THE BORDER.

THE TORTURE WAS CRUEL AFTER ALL, SO SURVIVAL SEEMED BLEAK WITH THAT BODY.

BUT I LATER FOUND OUT THAT ONLY HEINER RETURNED TO PADANIA.

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE HECK HE MADE IT BACK IN THAT PHYSICAL STATE.

ANYWAY, I WONDERED WHETHER HE DID END UP IN HEAVEN.

EIGHT YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE I FIRST MET HIM IN THE ROSE GARDEN.

NOW, AFTER ALL THIS TIME, I AM FINALLY HEARING THE FRAGMENTS OF HIS CHILDHOOD.

I WAS A SPY AT THE TRAINING CAMP YOUR FATHER OVERLOOKED.

WE WERE KILLED DURING MISSIONS OR ELIMINATED TO KEEP THINGS SECRET.

I ALONE SURVIVED DUE TO MY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE KINGDOM.

I NOW REALIZE THAT THOSE ANECDOTES...

...DIDN'T REFLECT EVEN THE SMALLEST PARTS OF HIS LIFE.

HEINER WAS THE ONLY ONE TO RETURN ALIVE FROM THE BÜNNICHEN OPERATION.

I DIDN’T KNOW.

I WAS...

I WAS THE ONLY SURVIVOR...

I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH WAS CONTAINED IN HIS WORDS.

ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES...

I DIDN’T KNOW HOW HE MUST HAVE FELT SAYING THOSE WORDS...

I KNOW NOW.

I KNOW HOW PAIN AND SUFFERING CAN HAUNT A PERSON'S LIFE.

I KNOW HOW THAT PAST CAN REMAIN THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE FOREVER...

...AND HOW IT ALWAYS FOLLOWS YOUR LIFE AROUND.

THAT'S WHY I ASKED WHETHER HE IS HAPPY.

I WONDERED WHETHER THE PLACE HE WAS DESPERATE TO RETURN TO WAS HEAVEN OR HELL.

YOU...

IF HEINER HAD JUST DIED BACK THEN, I WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE AFTERMATH.

I HAVE SOME CONSCIENCE, AFTER ALL.

HOW COULD YOU CALL YOURSELF HIS COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND,

AFTER ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE TO HIM...?

OH PLEASE. THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD WHO ARE BORN TO LIVE THAT WAY.

LIKE HEINER AND ME.

YOU WOULDN'T KNOW.

AND IT WAS YOUR FATHER WHO DIDN'T REQUEST FOR A RESCUE TEAM OR A PRISONER EXCHANGE.

THAT'S THE MARQUESS ROZENBERG'S SPECIALTY. ABANDONING HIS LOYAL SOLDIERS.

AND THAT MAKES YOU INNOCENT?

IT’S NOT THAT I’M INNOCENT, BUT JUST THAT I’M NOT THE ONLY BASTARD HERE.

IF WE’RE POINTING FINGERS... WELL.

I GUESS I’D BLAME MY OWN COUNTRY.

CUT THE CRAP.

I WAS LIKE YOU TOO.

I ALSO THOUGHT THAT YOU COULDN’T ESCAPE YOUR UPBRINGING OR YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

I BELIEVED THAT PEOPLE HAD TO LIVE WITH THE FATE THEY’RE GIVEN,

AND THAT IT WASN’T MY FAULT THAT I WAS BORN THIS WAY.

BUT THIS IS THE RESULT.

ALL I'M LEFT WITH IS MY RUINED LIFE, WHICH I'VE RUINED WITH MY OWN HANDS.

DID YOU REALLY HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE?

ANOTHER CHOICE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LESS HURTFUL TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS' LIVES?

GIVE ME A BREAK.

IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO FINALLY REALIZE...

...THAT IF THERE REALLY WASN'T ANY OTHER CHOICE, I HAVE TO IN THE VERY LEAST APOLOGIZE.

AT LEAST, THAT'S MY CONCLUSION.

...AS FOR WHAT MY FATHER, MARQUESS ROZENBERG, DID TO YOU...

...I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE ON HIS BEHALF, IF I HAVE ANY RIGHT.

YOU WERE A VICTIM ON THAT ISLAND TOO...

I'M SORRY.

I NEVER CONSIDERED YOU TO BE GUILTY.

THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE MUCH WORSE THAN YOU.

...EVEN SO, I'M SORRY.

IT'S GETTING COLD. SHALL WE HEAD BACK?

COME TO THINK OF IT,

THERE IS ONE THING I DIDN’T MENTION.

YES?

THERE WAS ONE TIME I WENT TO THE INTERROGATION QUARTERS IN BÜNNICHEN,

AND SAW HEINER IN HIS PRISON CELL.

HE WAS ON MY MIND, GIVEN THAT I HANDED HIM OVER MYSELF.

HE WAS COMPLETELY BLOODIED UP AND WAS SUFFERING.

I THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD BUT HE SEEMED TO BE ALIVE AND KEPT MUMBLING SOMETHING.

I TRIED LISTENING CLOSELY TO SEE WHAT HE WAS MUMBLING.

AND IT TURNS OUT...

ANNETTE...

ANNETTE...

ANNETTE ROZENBERG...

ANNETTE.

HE KEPT SAYING YOUR NAME, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.