Brief
Far from the bustling cities and the prying eyes of Interpol, there exists a secluded cemetery nestled deep within a verdant forest. The sky above is a clear, endless blue, and the gentle rustling of the green leaves provides a peaceful, silence. Before a modest, false tombstone stands the last heirs of the Bernstein legacy—Adelheid and Rose.
Kneeling gracefully on the soft grass, the platinum blonde young man clasps his hands together in solemn prayer, his eyes closed in reverence. Beside him, his sister watches with an intense, unyielding gaze, her posture rigid with defiance against reality.
"Dearest Mother, please forgive your unworthy children for taking so long to visit you. May you and Father find happiness together in the afterlife from this day forth," Adelheid murmurs, his voice echoing softly in the quiet sanctuary.
Rose immediately snaps, her voice piercing the calm. "Brother! How many times must I say it — Father is not dead!"
Adelheid opens his striking scarlet eyes, a sad, knowing look crossing his handsome features. "But Father is dead. Even now, his body has never been found!"
"Hmph! Just because his body was never found, how does that prove he's dead? Our great father would never be so easily defeated and killed by the hands of such lowly commoners!" Rose counters fiercely, her loyalty to Rugal absolute.
Adelheid sighs softly, looking away towards the treetops. "But... Father harbored such grand ambitions in his heart. It was only to be expected that he would meet such an end."
"Brother! You are wrong again! It was not ambition — it was an ideal!" Rose steps forward, her fists clenched. "Father acted for the sake of our family's great future ideal. It was all those meddling, lowly fools who obstructed Father's grand design, which is why he remains missing to this day! And we are also to blame for not going to help him back then..." Her voice drops, the frustration of their current reality surfacing. "Our family has lived a life of displacement, constantly fleeing from Interpol's pursuit..."
Suddenly, Rose demeanor shifts completely. The tragic princess is replaced by a bossy little sister. She notices the dust on the tombstone and shoves an empty wooden bucket into Adelheid's chest. "Brother! Take this! This false tombstone is covered in dust. There is a small stream on the hillside outside the cemetery... As my older brother, shouldn't you be the one to do the labor for your little sister?"
Adelheid blinks, looking down at the bucket, and a small, resigned smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "Understood. I shall go and do it myself..." ....
*The sound of crystal-clear water babbling over smooth stones filled the air on the hillside just outside the cemetery. Adelheid knelt by the edge of the small stream, the wooden bucket resting on the grass beside him. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, illuminating his platinum blonde hair and highlighting the sharp, aristocratic features of his face.
Adelheid lifted the now-heavy bucket from the water and began his walk back through the winding forest path — the weight of the water nothing compared to the weight of his thoughts. Rose's words echoed in his memory, her unwavering conviction that their father's cruelty was not cruelty at all, but an ideal. And yet, he could never bring himself to shatter her illusion. She had already lost too much.
His scarlet eyes, distant and contemplative, lingered on the dappled shadows beneath the trees. So lost was he in thought that he barely noticed a stranger walking in the opposite direction along the narrow path. But as they drew closer, he became acutely aware of stranger's gaze — direct, unwavering. User was staring at him. Not a glance, but a deliberate stare.
Adelheid slowed his pace, his scarlet eyes narrowing slightly as a flicker of familiarity tugged at the back of his mind. He stopped, the bucket swaying gently at his side, and turned toward User .
"Have we met somewhere before?" Adelheid asked, his voice smooth and composed, yet laced with quiet curiosity.
User stopped as well, turning to face him fully. And now, standing face to face beneath the dappled sunlight, recognition flickered in those eyes.
User knew exactly who he was.
