The beginning is unclear
ha
ji
ma
ri
so
re
wa
a
i
ma
i
althought i'd like everything to line up neatly
ki
rei
ni
na
ra
be
tai
ke
re
do
only the words i truly want to tell you
hon
tou
ni
tsu
ta
et
ai
ko
to
ba
da
ke
get tangled up and come loose, and i can't say them
ka
na
mi
ho
tsu
re
te
ie
nai
i slowly breathe in
yu
kku
ri
sui
ko
mi
wishing that my gentle hopes will keep going on forever
ya
sa
shii
ki
bou
ga
zu
tto
tsu
dzu
ku
you
ni
i wonder if you can see that i'm in this place?
mie
ru
ka
na
ko
no
ba
sho
ni
iru
ko
to
o
i wonder if the guides i drew on my fingertips will reach you
yu
bi
sa
ki
ni
e
ga
i
ta
mi
chi
shi
ru
be
to
do
ku
ka
na
you'll surely smile tomorrow
wa
ta
shi
wa
ky
ou
o
wa
ra
e
ru
you
ni
so i can laugh about today
a
na
ta
wa
a
shi
ta
ho
en
de
surely
ki
t
to
surely
ki
t
to
ne
Episode
8:
Memories Draw Spirals of the Past...
Looks like the rain's stopped.
The smell of the roka fruit will lessen after the rain, so that's good.
Yeah.
Are you done organizing the documents from Laxdo?
Yes. I do not have much on the progress during convalescence, though.
That can't be helped. It's too far to visit.
That's true.
What should I do? I don't like this situation.
Master!
I have returned.
Obi! You were only allowed to be away for two days!
Sorry, it'd been a while since I'd been out of the castle, so I couldn't help it.
Anyway, what's bothering you?
It's about Shirayuki.
Huh? The Miss?
People believe she's Zen's fiancée, and now she's the center of everybody's attention.
Some wonder if they will gain anything from being in her good graces,
and countless others are investigating to see if another house has fallen from favor.
I told Shirayuki to be careful, too, but...
She has her job, too.
All right. Obi, I'll have you act as Shirayuki's bodyguard.
Me...?
No way, that's impossible.
I have a record of threatening her, you know.
That part depends on Shirayuki.
When I gave you permission to leave the grounds by yourself,
I did consider of the possibility that you wouldn't come back.
Forgive me.
I'll start from the west side.
Okay.
Shirayuki.
It's the first time I've seen you two together.
Oh no, Miss Kiki and I have had fun on watch together, too, you know.
I have no recollection of that.
Shirayuki, you knew that this man was one of Zen's attendants?
Yeah, I met him before.
The master forgot his own shortcomings and got mad.
Oh...
Zen said he wanted to leave this man with you for a while.
Huh?
The chief herbalist also said it was okay if that was what the prince wanted.
In fact, she said she would aggressively, vigorously,
and thoroughly make the most use of him she could.
Huh?
You can decide to send him away whenever you want, Shirayuki.
Please keep him with you for now.
Huh? But... um...
Oh, need an introduction?
I'm Obi. I have fake names, too.
The rest is secret.
So, why are you wearing a mask?
We're harvesting roka fruit, but the smell they give off makes people drunk.
I see, I see.
What are you doing?
I thought I'd help.
Oh, Ryu. This person is--
I heard. It's fine. The prince and chief herbalist both gave their permission, right?
Th-That's true, but...
Let's finish this quickly, Miss.
Only pick the ones that have a four-pointed star pattern at the tip of the fruit.
Stay away from the shriveled ones.
Roger.
Are you okay?
Huh?
Are you getting drunk on the smell?
I don't think so. As long as this is what you mean by a four-pointed star.
It is.
Wh-What is it?
Oh, uh... Huh?
My hand's moving on its own?
If you're going to move your hands, then take these, too.
Okay, okay.
We'll put these in underground storage now, right?
Yeah, the jars placed there six months ago should be ready,
so we'll see how those are doing and bring them back to the medicine room.
This work could try your patience, huh?
You think so? If you keep doing it, it's interesting.
Really? As an apprentice court herbalist, and a friend of the prince,
you seem to be having a lot of fun with what you have right now.
That was a long meeting...
Zen.
Hm?
It looks like he's doing his job properly, huh?
Yeah.
Hey, Miss. Do you ever wish Prince Zen wasn't a prince?
Give that back.
Huh?
The next time you say that, I'll take it as an insult.
Okay...
Man, he's amazing... That Prince...
Miss, please wait!
Miss!
It's roka that has been soaked for six months.
You should try drinking it so you know what it tastes like, Shirayuki.
You, too, um...
I'm Obi!
You, too, Obi.
--It burns! --It's delicious!
Chief Herbalist, that's not roka, it's alcohol, isn't it?
That's right! Good job figuring it out.
No wonder it was delicious!
Huh?
Shirayuki!
Hey, hey...
Oh dear...
Shirayuki, you can't hold your liquor?
Do you ever wish Prince Zen wasn't a prince?
Zen!
What is it, Lord Brother?
This is Mitsuhide Louen, of the Sereg Knights from the east.
I'll have him by your side starting from today.
By my side?
So this is Prince Zen...
Where are you going?
For a walk.
I will accompany you.
I don't need you to.
I was told to remain by your side for the present by Prince Izana.
You actually wanted to serve my brother, didn't you?
Huh? N-No, I...!
It was obvious from the moment you were introduced.
The way you looked at him was different.
He was very observant. As expected...
No, what am I doing letting him see through me?
Prince Zen! Please wait!
Atri!
Prince!
You're late. I thought you weren't able to get away.
Don't underestimate my ability to escape.
But I heard you got a new attendant.
Don't talk about stuff like that.
Huh? You don't like him?
It doesn't have anything to do with him.
I don't know what to do with someone ordered to be by my side.
It's uncomfortable.
Oh? Must be hard being a prince.
Don't say that like it has nothing to do with you.
It doesn't.
A humble archer guard like me doesn't understand hard things like that.
Yeah, 'cause you're dumb.
I have a pretty face, so it's fine. And I'm a good archer.
What are you talking about?
You can't see the pretty boy in front of you? That's sad.
You're sad.
Take that!
Take what?
You won't get away!
Atri...
Just you wait...
Prince Zen!
--What? Is that your new attendant? --Prince Zen! Where are you?
Yeah, sorry. I should go back.
I'll come down later.
It'll be bad if people find out the prince is playing with someone like me.
Sorry.
Oh!
Prince Zen!
I'm glad I found you...
We're going back.
Y-Yes, sir!
Prince Zen, please wait! Prince Zen!
Prince Zen, was the one who just climbed the tree your friend?
You noticed him?
Yes, sir.
He's not my friend.
Sir?
I can't have any friends. So don't interfere.
I wouldn't interfere--
Let's get this straight.
You're nothing more than an attendant.
As long as you're with me, that's all you'll ever be.
P-Prince Zen...
I would ask that you not say cold words like that.
Huh? C-Cold...?
Yes, sir. I'm hurt.
But I only said what was obvious.
Huh?!
Sorry... about that...
That back that was still young...
I didn't know anything about the burden he bore during this time...
Back then...
Mitsuhide, was it?
Your new attendant.
Yeah.
The soldiers are talking about him, too.
He's young, and he came suddenly.
That guy's a little different from a soldier or retainer.
Everything about him is strange, so it's hard to figure out how to react.
I've heard he's a skilled swordsman, too.
You can't beat him, can you?
Shut up.
Your face shows everything, Prince Zen.
It's easy to tell what you're thinking.
You're the only one who would say that.
Huh? Is that right?
Yum! What's in this?
I wonder...
I just snuck into the mess hall and made something.
What's wrong?
Nothing. It really is delicious!
You're good with your hands.
Hm?
To tell the truth, the time I spend with you is the most fun and relaxing.
I have no intention of becoming a prince's consort, you know.
And I have no intention of marrying a man.
Prince Zen...
Hm?
I'm going to be on the night shift from now on.
I won't be able to walk around during the day like I have been anymore.
Do you think you can get away sometimes at night, too?
I told you, didn't I?
Don't underestimate my ability to escape.
Atri the archer guard. He came to the castle four months ago.
He is about the same age as Prince Zen.
They are probably meeting in secret thinking of each other's social status.
From what the soldiers said,
he's a normal boy who came to work here from a far away land.
However, something bothers me...
I'll look into him a little more...
What are you in a daze about?
P-P-Prince Zen?!
Wh-When did you get here?
You were like that. That's why you're like this now.
I wonder if it's cold at night already?
Yes, probably.
Hey, in order to protect myself and my authority as a prince,
how much distance do you think I need to put between me and those around me?
Huh?
Even from your perspective, my brother's good at that, right?
If I could just copy him, I wouldn't have to learn it myself.
--Ze-- --No, it's fine. Never mind.
I think I just wanted to ask myself that.
You don't have to answer.
You can go back first.
No, I'll stay here.
An archer guard boy?
It's true that it wouldn't be hard to get hired for a position like that.
Even if he cannot come to the inner areas of the castle,
with Prince Zen going out, there is plenty of opportunity for contact between them.
Now that I have looked into it more, I believe we should be wary of him.
I'm glad I had you stay by his side.
The position of Zen's personal attendant has been vacant for a while.
Is that right?
Right now, he's rebelling against being a prince.
That boy named Atri... He switched to the night shift?
That appears to be the case...
Atri...
Atr--
Prince... Zen...
How did you get those injuries?
What happened?!
Good evening, Prince Zen.
Please don't run away or anything, your highness.
Aren't you his friend?
You guys... stop messing around...
Is that why you cut me?
Atri...?
It'll be a problem if you let your feelings get the best of you after we've gotten this far.
Don't look down on me.
I didn't come here with that kind of half-assed resolve.
Prince Zen.
Prince Zen!
What are you bastards doing?
The infamous attendant?
We have business with Prince Izana.
What?
You're going to bring him out to us.
You want us to return Prince Zen safely, don't you?
That's a roundabout way to do things.
Izana?!
Wh-Why?
He already suspected, I'm sure...
Lord Brother...
Let's hear your name and business.
Before that, why don't you throw away your sword, Prince Izana.
I said, tell me your name.
We are what's left of the Lido family you punished.
Prince Izana, do you know how many people who served the Lido family
lost their means to earn a living because of you?
I don't know how many, but I know what kind of people they are.
They were idiots who called themselves victims, pawns of their lord,
but lined their own pockets by trampling on the good.
What did you say?!
Those who think of the citizens of the land before their own profit
are working hard even now in the land of Lido for Clarines' sake.
Compared to them, where were you useless rebels hiding?
Bastard!
Atri, we don't need him anymore.
Get rid of him!
I will kill Izana here...
Bastard!
Atri... You, too?
You were a Lido rebel, too?
That's right.
I don't have anything to do other than to rid myself of my resentment.
That's not--
I understood after I met you...
How laughable we were...
A warm room, delicious food, friends who cherished you...
The smile you showed me...
You had all that just because you were born as royalty in this country...
I thought that was ridiculous from the bottom of my heart, Prince Zen!
No matter what you think of me...
I'm still looking for answers...
Mitsuhide!
Da... Damn it...
A-Atri... Atri...
What is it...?
That face... is too easy to read...
Don't be... so sad... so seriously...
Atri!
It might've been better... if you hadn't been a prince...
His back, eyes, and heart were still young...
Back then, I didn't know anything about the burden he bore...
And back then, Zen just stifled his cries...
Hibiite, Kono sekai ni
Onaji omoi no kodou
Futari wa egaite yukeru
Atataka na hizashi
Egao sakasetara
Ashioto Nasane nagara susumou
Yasashisa ni furete
Hirogaru mirai wa
Ano toki Nozonde kimeta michi
Mamoritai hito ga iru to
Tsuyoku chikaeru nara
Hanareteite mo
Chikara ni kawatteku
Shinjite Mune ni idaku
hitamuki na jounetsu wa
Kagayaku shirube ni naru no
Hibiite Kono sekai ni
Onaji omoi no kodou
Futari wa egaite yukeru
Zen's always been a prince, and there are people who act because of that, right?
Master, your eyes are a beautiful color...
What? That's disgusting.
I ended up somewhere annoying, huh?
Feelings that Connect and Reach