My Beloved Oppressor — Chapter 77

SUMMER OF AU 723.

THAT SCAR, ETCHED SO CLEARLY ON YOUR WRIST...

...ULTIMATELY, IT WAS ME WHO LEFT THAT MARK ON YOU.

IT WASN'T A SCAR LEFT BY THE INEVITABLE REVOLUTION...

...NOR BY THE RIGHTFUL DOWNFALL OF THE ROZENBERG NAME.

IT WAS SIMPLY THE RESULT OF THE WORST CHOICES I MADE...

...AT THE CROSSROADS BETWEEN YOU AND I.

IF I HADN'T APPROACHED YOU WITH FALSE INTENTIONS...

...IF I HAD ASKED FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND FORGIVENESS...

...IF I HAD SHOWN EVEN A LITTLE EMPATHY FOR THE LONELINESS AND SADNESS YOU HELD...

...WOULD YOU PERHAPS HAVE SUFFERED A LITTLE LESS THAN YOU DID...?

REGARDLESS, IT'S ALL IN THE PAST NOW.

WHILE SPENDING THE PAST FEW DAYS HERE IN SANTAMOLI FOR MY SUMMER VACATION...

...I REALIZED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT ANNETTE CAN NOW FALL ASLEEP ANYWHERE.

SHE USED TO ONLY BE ABLE TO FALL ASLEEP WHEN EVERYTHING WAS JUST RIGHT...

AND THAT'S WHY I COULD FEEL IT.

THAT IN THIS MOMENT, SHE'S LEANING ON ME COMPLETELY, WITHOUT PUSHING ME AWAY.

THIS MOMENT THAT QUIETLY DISSOLVES THE BOUNDARY WE PROMISED TO KEEP BETWEEN US...

IT MAY JUST BE MY OWN MOMENTARY ILLUSION, BUT I WANT TO HOLD ONTO IT, JUST FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

AH...?

...HEINER.

IT'S YOU.

I HAD A DREAM,

ABOUT WHEN WE FIRST MET.

DO YOU MEAN WHEN WE FIRST MET AT THAT GARDEN?

YES. BUT...

IN MY DREAM,

YOU HAD THE EYES OF SOMEONE WHO'D FALLEN IN LOVE.

I PROBABLY DID IN REAL LIFE TOO.

LIAR. YOU HATED ME BACK THEN.

EVEN THEN, I WANTED YOU MORE THAN I HATED YOU.

I WAS ALSO SO NERVOUS...

NO WONDER YOU HAD SUCH A SERIOUS FACE BACK THEN.

I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUCH A COLD PERSON.

I GUESS I BLEW IT FROM THE VERY FIRST IMPRESSION.

BUT I THOUGHT YOU WERE WONDERFUL.

...REALLY?

EVEN THOUGH I THOUGHT SOLDIERS WEREN'T MY TYPE...

...I STILL LOOKED FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN.

I WAS SECRETLY SO THRILLED.

YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT, DID YOU?

I KNEW YOU WERE INTERESTED IN ME, BUT...

OH, MR. HEINER.

YOU APPROACHED ME KNOWING I LIKED YOU, DIDN'T YOU?

I TRULY THOUGHT IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A SHORT-LIVED ATTRACTION.

AND BESIDES...

BESIDES?

...EVEN NOW, I'M STILL TRYING TO WIN YOUR HEART.

BUT MY HEART'S ALREADY YOURS.

YOU STILL DON'T TRUST ME?

...I DO.

GOOD. THEN JUST STAY WITH ME, LIKE THIS.

ANNETTE CAN NOW FALL ASLEEP WITHOUT MEDICATION.

SHE STILL HAS NIGHTMARES FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT THEY DON'T LAST LONG.

LITTLE BY LITTLE, EVERYTHING IS GETTING BETTER.

DO YOU STILL NOT BELIEVE HOW I FEEL?

I BELIEVE YOU.

I DON'T WANT TO PUSH AWAY ANY PART OF WHO ANNETTE IS.

HOWEVER...

YOU GIVE YOUR HEART SO FREELY TO MANY THINGS IN THIS WORLD.

AND I'M ALSO LEARNING HOW TO GIVE MY LOVE TO SOMETHING BEYOND JUST YOU.

BUT THAT'S IT.

TO ME, YOU ARE MY ENTIRE WORLD, AND THERE'S NOTHING I WOULD TRADE FOR YOU.

THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR RELATIONSHIP IS.

...THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR. THAT MUST BE THE DISTANCE YOU FEEL BETWEEN US.

COME TO THINK OF IT...

...WHEN DID I STOP FEARING DARK, ENCLOSED SPACES LIKE THIS?

ANNETTE SHOULD BE COMING DOWN FOR HER MORNING COFFEE BY NOW...

THAT'S STRANGE. WHY IS IT SO QUIET?

HEINER. WHAT'S WRONG?

AH... IT WAS NOTHING, THANK GOD...

I JUST GOT WORKED UP AGAIN...

IT'S NOTHING. I JUST DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE OUT HERE.

I WOKE UP EARLY, SO I WAS CHECKING ON THE GARDEN.

THE CHAMOMILE FLOWERS HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO BLOOM. AREN'T THEY ADORABLE?

THEY SAY THE BEST TIME TO PICK THEM FOR TEA IS TWO OR THREE DAYS AFTER THEY BLOOM.

...ARE YOU PLANNING TO EAT THEM?

I PUT IN SO MUCH WORK JUST TO SEE THOSE FLOWERS...

OH, COME ON...

YOU TALK LIKE I'M ABOUT TO EAT LIVESTOCK.

...DO WE REALLY HAVE TO PICK THE FLOWERS?

THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF GROWING THEM?

W-WAIT, WAIT.

I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT YOURSELF.

THE REASON I'VE BECOME SO OBSESSED WITH THIS GARDEN IS ALL BECAUSE OF THAT GUY, RYAN FROMM.

USING THE EXCUSE THAT HIS NEPHEW WOULD BE STAYING AT ANNETTE'S HOUSE FOR A WHILE...

...HE STARTED COMING BY, OFFERING TO FIX THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE, AND EVEN PLANTED SEEDLINGS IN THE GARDEN.

I WAS COMPLETELY CLUELESS ABOUT GARDENING AT FIRST, BUT RYAN HAS BEEN A HUGE HELP.

AFTER HEARING THAT, I IMMEDIATELY STARTED STUDYING AGRICULTURE.

THANKFULLY, IT TURNED OUT THAT I HAD A KNACK FOR IT. EVERYTHING STARTED GROWING FAST...

...AND ANNETTE WAS DELIGHTED. FASCINATED, EVEN.

THAT CHAMOMILE IS THE RESULT OF ALL THE PERSISTENT EFFORT I PUT IN.

HEINER. YOU'RE GOING TO SPOIL ME,

IF YOU KEEP DOING ALL THE HOUSEWORK LIKE THIS.

JUST LET ME DO IT. WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING ME HERE IF YOU DON'T USE ME?

ONCE YOUR VACATION IS OVER, I'LL HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING ANYWAY.

...IF YOU'RE DOING IT YOURSELF, THEN DON'T ACCEPT THAT GUY'S HELP.

IF YOU NEED SOMETHING, JUST CALL ME.

THAT GUY? WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

RYAN FROMM.

THAT'S WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT.