Rose of Versailles 4 (2nd half of 2nd bunko volume) Catch the Black Knight! Ikeda Riyoko Shuueisha Translation by Emily Horner Oscar : Ow, ow, ow...can't you be just a little gentler? --If you wanted to be treated gently, you shouldn't have gotten into a fight in the first place. Oscar : What about André? He was worse off than I was. --I treated his injuries and gave him a good punishment! That good-for-nothing, taking an important lady to a place like that... André : She's awfully strong, for a grandmother! <> Oscar : {That Robespierre! So he's a lawyer in Paris now? And that man who called him the Queen's dog-- what was his name again?} --Look at that! That girl was waiting for you all night, without getting a wink of sleep! <> Oscar : Come here, Rosalie. Rosalie : Sir Oscar? Oscar : You were up all night? I'm really sorry for worrying you. Rosalie : That's all right. I'm just glad that you came back safely. Oscar : If I were really a man, I'd certainly make you my wife. Rosalie : Sir Oscar... Oscar : {It would be so much easier if I really were a man!} Rosalie : Sir Oscar...? <> --I've come all this way, and it's been so many days... --I'm sorry, no matter how many times you ask, no means no. The Queen isn't receiving any more audiences, and no one who hasn't been invited can come to Petit Trianon. --I can't believe the Queen won't come to the palace! --And we came as representatives of our village with a petition to lower the taxes... Rouen : {I'll be able to go there! I met with the Queen at night, and I insured her loan.} --Where are you going, Archbishop Rouen? You cannot go further without the Queen's permission. Rouen : Oh, it's all right, I'm just going to see how that necklace looks on the Queen. <> --Necklace? Rouen : {She must look so beautiful! My Antoinette...} --The peasant look that you've been wearing lately is so stylish, your Highness! --You're always so fashionable! Marie : Who let that man in here? Get him out right away, he's awful! It makes no difference if he is the Archbishop! <> Rouen : Jeanne, Jeanne, the Queen wasn't wearing that necklace at all! What does it mean? Jeanne : Well, you see, she's a true Queen. She isn't going to wear it until the payments are completely finished. Rouen : {How wonderful! Surely the Queen's love for me will grow deeper! Her attitude before worries me a little, but if all goes well, we'll finally have a lovely relationship!} Oscar : Nicolas de la Motte! Is Nicolas de la Motte not here? Is there anyone who's seen him recently? Damn him! I've always thought he was irresponsible, but I let him in at Archbishop Rouen's request. I didn't have a choice. But it's already been half a month! I'll have his neck if he comes! He'll be severely punished! <> Oscar : Take his place at the front of the troops, Geroudel! --Yes, sir! Oscar : All except for the cavalry, line up in battle formation! André : {A burning red military uniform, drenched in sunlight...} <> André : {Blond hair that waves...giving commands gracefully on horseback...and those blue eyes! She looks just like Pegasus flying through the sky...blond hair that waves, and waves...} --Your Highness, the jeweler asked me to give this message to you. Marie : Please call Lady Campagne to read this out loud. --What is this? The contract...the first payment... Marie : You do not understand it either? The jeweler sent it addressed to me... <> Marie : Perhaps his head has turned strange because he was unable to sell me that necklace! --Ah yes, that must be it! Marie : There's no reason for me to keep something like this. Antoinette did not yet know what disastrous things would result from carelessly burning up the letter... <> Marie : {The burning flames, the flying bullets...that lovely body wrapped in a military uniform...my love, fighting, fighting in the mud in a far-away land...you haven't returned, Fersen...I just hold your love in my heart.} <> Marie : {Can I bear the heavy weight of that love alone, Fersen? Could it be? Could it be?} <> Marie : Fersen! Fersen : Your Highness, I, Hans Axel von Fersen, have returned. Marie : Fersen! Fersen! <> Fersen : As I was about to return to France, I was struck ill with a fever and stayed by myself in America. Marie : {This really isn't a dream? Those eyes, those lips, that beautiful hair...Fersen, it really is you!} It was as if time itself had stopped to return to them the long years and months when the lovers were not even allowed to see each other. Fersen : Lady Antoinette, I will never leave your side again! Marie : Fersen? <> Fersen : I'll stay in France as long as I can, give everything I have to you until my life and my heart burn...my love orders me to do so. I will never again leave you. If we must, we will fall to Hell together! More than God, more than the law, I seek the one I love. <> Oscar : Fersen! Fersen! Fersen : I'm sorry I worried you, Oscar, but I'm finally back. Oscar : I'm glad you're back! You look a little worn out. Fersen : Yes, I caught a fever overseas. Oscar : Rest well! Let's meet again later. Fersen : Oscar? André : Oscar, Fersen was heading to Petit Trianon just now... Oscar : I know! <> André : Oscar! Where are you going, Oscar? <> Oscar : {Fersen...Fersen came back! He's alive and well! He came back to me!} <> Soon after returning from America, Fersen was appointed to regimental commander, with the help of Queen Marie Antoinette. The little "temple of love" on Trianon hill...The music hall that glittered white in the sunlight... <> The realistic farmhouses scattered on the banks of the lovely river, where real farmers milked the cows and ground wheat with a water mill... Swings and hide-and-go-seek among the trees...dancing cabots and minuets on a carpet of flowers... Antoinette must have known the enormous sum of taxes it cost to build this pastoral garden to ease her heart... Polignac : {Everything's going just as I planned.} Oscar was in my way, but she's barely been at Versailles lately. And even Count Fersen hasn't appeared before the Queen much. That leaves Rosalie, my beloved daughter... I want to bring her to the Polignac house. That means I have to do something to take care of Oscar...} Marie : What do you think, Lady Polignac? <> Polignac : I'm sorry, did you... Marie : Didn't you hear me? I'm going to act in a play in the little theatre we just built. --The Queen's going to act in a play!? Marie : Other ministers and counts are going to be in it as well. I'll play Rosina, the main character in "The Barber of Seville." --Oh, how wonderful! Let me join in too, please! Polignac : I hope Count Fersen comes to see it, Queen. Marie : I doubt he will come...no, certainly, he will not. Polignac : Queen? Marie : To protect our love, he promised me that he would never meet me in public again. He's my one love, I do not want to lose him, and so...we promised... <> Oscar : I can only think that everyone at Petit Trianon, including the Queen, has gone mad! To talk about putting on a play themselves...and "The Barber of Seville," of all plays! "The Barber of Seville"! A play that savagely attacks the upper class! And those same nobles it criticizes are going to act in it perfectly happily, as if nothing was wrong! André : Oscar, calm down! Oscar : Calm? I am calm! I'm the very picture of rationality! Isn't there one person in the Queen's entourage thinking of how the citizens of France feel about nobles after reading the script? <> --Allow me to see the Queen at once! I'm the jeweler, Vemaire! --She's rehearsing a play at Trianon right now. You certainly are persistent. --I can stay silent no longer! How long will it be before the Queen pays for that necklace? It's too much! --Necklace? <> --Your Highness, return to Versailles at once! --Archbishop Rouen, you're ordered to come to Versailles! <> Marie : Are you saying that I bought that necklace by asking Jeanne Valois to make Rouen my guarantor? And even that I met with you at night in the Venus thicket? Archbishop Rouen, in ten years I've never spoken a single word to you! How could you believe I would do such a thing? Rouen : But Jeanne Valois de la Motte gave me...love letters from you, and a contract... Oscar : {De la Motte?} <> Louis : Archbishop Rouen, this signature is very different from the Queen's handwriting, and everyone in the palace knows that she doesn't sign her name anything like 'Marie Antoinette de France.' Marie : I have never let Jeanne Valois de la Motte have an audience with me. I've never even heard her name before! Oscar : Your Highness, Jeanne's wife Nicolas de la Motte serves under me. Rouen : My King, my Queen, I'll pay for the necklace, so please keep all this a secret, I beg of you! <> Louis : Perhaps we should...after all, he was tricked... Marie : No! This man planned everything, I'm sure of it! It's an insult to me to believe that I would ever meet with or send love letters to such a man! Put him on trial and expose him to the whole world! Polignac : Oscar François de Jarjayes! You're responsible for failing to look after your own men properly! {The perfect chance has just fallen into my lap!} <> --Captain, arrest Archbishop Rouen and everyone connected with this incident! Oscar : Yes! I'm sorry, Rouen. {Nicolas de la Motte...so that's what he was up to!} <> Jeanne : Here's the promised 15,000 livres, Oliva. --How wonderful! I can't believe I got all this money for such a small thing! Jeanne : {I'll have to take care of this girl, Nicole d'Oliva, soon. The fact that she pretended to be the Queen may someday be exposed.} <> Oscar : Nicolas de la Motte and his wife, Jeanne! You are under arrest for forgery, larceny, and fraud! <> Oscar : {The Queen? No, it can't be!} Jeanne : Damn! {I won't give up yet! The proof is the necklace, and Nicolas ran away to England with it!} This was to go down in criminal history as the famous necklace incident! --What!? Archbishop Rouen committed fraud? --No, there was a woman, Jeanne, who deceived him! --Who is that woman? <> Except for Nicolas, who escaped, all those involved were locked in the Bastille until the trial. Oscar : She forged the Queen's name and stole 1,600,000 livres of diamonds! Rosalie : 1,600,000 livres!? Sir Oscar, this has to be a mistake! My sister would never do such a thing! Sir Oscar, it's a mistake! Jeanne : It was Rouen who stole the necklace! I was ordered by him to do it all! Rouen : Jeanne! --We have no time for your transparent lies, Lady Jeanne Valois de la Motte! Jeanne : Lies? Then where's the proof that I'm the criminal? The necklace that was supposedly stolen is nowhere to be found! And if I were really the criminal, wouldn't I have run away by now? --She has a point. --Indeed. --Maybe... <> --Maybe the Queen really does have the necklace, and she cheated Archbishop Rouen and the jeweler... --It's possible. After all, the Queen's extravagances are famous. --Order! Bring Nicole de Oliva to the witness stand! --It's the Queen! --Look closer! --She looks just like the Queen! --What's going on? --How do you explain her, Lady de la Motte? Jeanne : {Calm down, Jeanne! There's still no concrete evidence!} All right, I'll tell you everything. I planned all of this at the request of someone of very high class. <> Jeanne : That person is--the Queen herself! --Order, order! Well, Lady de la Motte, how do you and the Queen know each other? Jeanne : You see, we have a lesbian relationship. The Queen is actually a lesbian, and she loves me. --The Queen is... --A lesbian!? Rosalie : Jeanne, what are you saying? Jeanne : {Rosalie! And beside her...} --That's the first time I've heard anything of the kind. Do you have any grounds for saying that the Queen is homosexual? <> Jeanne : Yes, I do. There's Lady Polignac, whom the Queen cares about so much; they're actually lovers. And, more than anything, the Captain of the Guard should be proof enough! <> Jeanne : My husband Nicolas's commanding officer dresses as a man, but is actually a woman! The Queen made the woman she loves dress like a man, and kept her close to her so they could have a relationship. That's the proof! Oscar : Are you calling me a lesbian? I'll chop you into little pieces! Rosalie : Sir Oscar! Oscar : How dare you say such nonsense just to avoid punishment for your crimes! Jeanne : It isn't nonsense. I'm one of her lovers too. Oscar : Listen to me! Ever since long before the Queen came from Austria, I, Oscar François... --Captain, members of the public are not allowed to speak without permission! Be quiet or I'll arrest you for contempt of the court! Oscar : {Fine, say what you like!} <> --Jeanne Valois de la Motte, the Queen denies knowing anything about you or the necklace. Jeanne : She is only trying to put all the blame onto me! Didn't you say that she burned the bill from the jeweler? That must have been to destroy the evidence! --The real criminal is the Queen! <> --No! Archbishop Rouen made that woman, Jeanne, do it all, and blame it on the Queen! --You're not going to side with her, are you? --The real criminal must be the Queen! --No, Rouen! --No, the Queen! Oscar : {What a fearful woman...cunning, bold, and wonderfully daring.} Marie : This is utterly absurd! How dare she say that I'm in a lesbian relationship with her, and if that weren't bad enough, that I ordered her to steal that necklace! And now the citizens take it as the truth! Now I'm sure of it! Rouen used that woman to trap me! What a humiliation! Just you watch, Rouen! Everything's going to be revealed at the trial! The court ruling on the necklace incident was set for Wednesday May 31st, 1786! --Nicolas de la Motte is wanted for his absence at the trial! He will be arrested on sight! Letaut du Bilette, you are banished from the country! Nicole de Oliva, you are found not guilty! Lady Jeanne Valois de la Motte, you will have the letter V branded on both your shoulders and be imprisoned for life! V stood for the word "Voleuse," meaning "thief." Jeanne : Branded!? But I'm innocent, I tell you! Innocent! I won't stand to be imprisoned for life! <> --Finally, Archbishop Louis de Rouen, regarding the charges in both the necklace incident and contempt towards the Queen, you are hereby found not guilty! --Rouen is innocent! --The Queen lost! --Three cheers for the law academy! --I bet the Queen's shaking right now! --I'd like to see that Austrian cry! --Hurray for Rouen! <> --Hurray! --Hurray, the Queen lost! Saint Juste:This is indeed a wondrous event. It smeared mud on the royal family! The young law student Saint Juste, severe, beautiful, and cold as ice, was a revolutionary who was to become Robespierre's right-hand man. Marie : The citizens are celebrating my defeat! Whatever did I do to them? What did I ever do? Polignac : Queen... <> Marie : The law academy is made up of traitors! I have to go to Paris and tell the people the truth! Oscar : Your Highness, you mustn't go to Paris! It's too dangerous! Marie : Oscar, why? I am the Queen of France! Oscar : It's because you're the Queen that it's dangerous. As captain of the royal guard, I am responsible for your safety. Marie : Are you saying that it's possible the citizens would harm me? Oscar : I'm afraid so. <> Marie : I had no idea that they hated me so much. When did this happen, and why? Polignac : Don't you find Oscar François's behavior suspicious, Queen? Didn't you say that the husband of that criminal Jeanne was in Oscar's command? I can't believe that she wouldn't notice if one of her men committed a crime like that and then ran away to England. Marie : Lady Polignac!? <> Jeanne's punishment was carried out early on the morning of June 30th, in front of the public. Jeanne : Let me go! I'm innocent! Damn you! --Ow! Ow! Jeanne : I'm innocent! This was all part of the Queen's plot! Let me go! That Austrian is just trying to put all the blame on me! --I can't hold her down! --Finish branding her quickly! --She got away! Jeanne : Demons! Go to Hell, you Austrian bitch! <> --Now, the other shoulder! Jeanne : Die, you whore! <> --That is one scary woman. --That was awful. --She bit me so hard I'm bleeding! --Take her to Salpetrierre jail! --That poor thing. --You think it was really the Queen who stole the necklace? --That woman has to be innocent. Because of her clever lies, the whole country sympathized with Jeanne. There was a long line of people waiting to visit the jail and see her. --Don't push! --Hey, you came in from the side! <> Marie : What? The common people and even the nobility are going to see Jeanne? It's as if they're doing it just to spite me! Oscar : They have not forgiven you for deserting the court and going to Petit Trianon! The incident did not end there. <> --Someone! Come quick! Jeanne has escaped! --Jeanne escaped from prison! --Really? That's great! --Jeanne escaped? Of course! --The Queen must have let her out! --Yes, because Jeanne took all the blame for the Queen's crimes. --She does have a good heart, she must have felt guilty. Polignac : Jeanne escaped! Someone let her out of that high-security Salpetrierre jail! <> Polignac : Only someone with high status and military privileges could have done that. Aren't I right, Captain Oscar François de Jarjayes? Oscar : Are you trying to imply something, Lady Polignac? Polignac : Don't try to play the innocent! Nicolas de la Motte, who was in your command, stole the necklace and left the country, and you didn't notice for a long time! Why was that? It was because you're in league with him, Oscar François! <> Polignac : Your plan was to draw attention to Jeanne to blind society to your own actions, then let her escape once the excitement died down! Oscar : Ha ha ha! Have you gone mad? Or are you becoming senile? Polignac : Senile!? The King and Queen will take you to court for your crimes! There's nothing I couldn't do, if I wanted! Oscar : Let's go, André, Rosalie. Rosalie : {Lady Polignac is serious! With her influence, it would be easy to make Oscar look like a criminal! I can't let that happen!} Madame de Polignac! Polignac : "Madame de Polignac"? Why won't you call me "mother," Rosalie? Rosalie : Sir Oscar isn't involved with any of this! So please don't say so to the King! <> Rosalie : Please! If you tell anything to the Queen, she'll take it seriously! Stop trying to trap Sir Oscar! Polignac : Will you come to the Polignac house, Rosalie? Will you call me mother? Well, Rosalie? If you do that, then I promise not to make this matter public. Not otherwise. Think about it well, Rosalie! You know how much influence I have. Rosalie : {Oh, no!} <> Rosalie : {To save Oscar, I'll have to go to the Polignac house, and call her mother? Or else, Oscar will be implicated in this necklace incident? "Will you call me mother?" What an awful thing to do! She's such a coward, to try to get me like this!} <> --There you are, Rosalie. There's a letter for you. Rosalie : Jeanne! {I wonder if anyone read what was inside... I'm so happy! I have fond memories of the sister I was raised with, no matter what kind of person she may be. Saverne...it's so far away. She got away safely. She must really regret her crimes now.} Rosalie : {Jeanne, I hope you can regret what you've done and live in peace now.} --Have you heard!? Jeanne published a book! --Jeanne from the necklace incident!? --You found out where she went after she escaped from jail? --It's even more interesting because I don't know! Read it, everybody, the first volume has the truth about the necklace incident! --What do you mean? --Look, it's about how the Queen made Jeanne steal the necklace... Oscar : "Memoirs of Jeanne Valois, volume 2: Scandals with Marie Antoinette"! It's a list of the Queen's lovers. I'm in there. André : Wow! She wasn't satisfied with just male lovers, so she took women she liked into bed with her!? Oscar : You really are stupid! This is absolutely shameless! It's nothing but false stories and fabrications! <> --The third volume of Jeanne's book is out! --I'm going to buy it! --The last one was sold out at every book store! --I can't believe that gorgeous captain of the guards was really a woman! --And she dressed as a man because of the Queen's orders! --That woman had ten lovers, men and women, while the rest of us are living so terribly! --That Austrian whore's having lots of fun at Petit Trianon! Marie : {What awful lies! This is nothing but pornography! But it's a best-seller all over France, and the people are taking what's written in there as the truth! How dreadful!} <> Jeanne : Look at this! Volumes 4, 5, 6 of Scandals with Marie Antoinette! I'll write any number of them! All the citizens are my allies now! I sell all I can write, and the money just comes pouring in! Rosalie : {Jeanne, you're a demon! You don't regret a single thing you've done!} --We cannot allow this to go on any more, Your Highness! Louis : We must dispatch troops to find out where Jeanne and Nicolas are. Oscar : Let me, Oscar Francois, do it! Nicolas once worked for me. Please, at least let me be the one to capture him, Your Highness. Polignac : Don't you think you're over-acting a bit, Sir Oscar Francois? Louis : All right. Captain Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, I turn authority over the case with Nicolas and Jeanne over to you. Oscar : I will catch them or die trying! --You promised to catch Nicolas and Jeanne, Miss? Oscar : I'm in a hurry, ma'am. There's no time to go home. Andre's coming with me! I've got to ask him to carry on after me if something happens to me. Andre! Where's Andre? Oscar : Andre! Andre : Oscar, come quick! Rosalie's... Oscar : {What?} Rosalie, are you serious? You're going to the Polignac household? What did Lady Polignac say to you, Rosalie? She threatened you, didn't she? Rosalie : No, she didn't. Oscar : Then why do you want to go there all of a sudden? Rosalie : It's just because I love my mother, even if she's someone like that! And her family has a lot of money and influence! Please let me go... Oscar : Don't think that you can deceive me! You're not that kind of girl. But I won't stop you. She is your birth mother. <> Rosalie : {Oh, Oscar! Oscar!} --Rosalie, there's a carriage here for you from the Polignac house. <> Rosalie : {Sir Oscar, even if you are a woman, I love you. I love you so much I could die. That's why I'm leaving you. I'll never forget you. I could never forget you, not even when they call me "Rosalie de Polignac." My days at the Jarjayes house were the happiest of my life. You were my first love!} <> Oscar : I want to give this to you, Rosalie. Rosalie : Sir Oscar? <> Rosalie : {Goodbye! Goodbye to my youth, my happiness! Goodbye, people of the Jarjayes house!} <> Andre : Oscar... Oscar : {A girl like a spring zephyr, with rose cheeks, wrapping everything in the house in the scent of flowers. She truly loved me...} But she was a woman. There was nothing I could do. Andre : Oscar, Rosalie told me to give this to you when she got on the carriage. <> Oscar : {A letter from Jeanne!} Saverne! That's where Jeanne is! Get ready to leave, Andre, and choose some of my men to come. {Rosalie, you must have worried about this so much. No matter what wrongs she's done, she's still your sister. Thank you, Rosalie!} Get a carriage! --It's unusual for you to be in such a hurry! Nicolas : Jeanne! Jeanne : What is it? Nicolas : There's an army headed to this house! Jeanne : {Rosalie betrayed me!} Don't panic, Nicolas! We've prepared for this! Nicolas : Right! Hurry, Jeanne! Oscar : It's there! Come on! Oscar : Nicolas, Jeanne, you can't run any more! Give yourselves up! Nicolas : It's been a long time, Captain. You're as spirited as ever. Do you know what this is? Oscar : That smell--it's Bertre gunpowder! Nicolas : How clever! That's right, the new gunpowder with the highest explosive power. If I light this fuse, the whole place will go up in smoke. Make all your men go outside the building, if you don't want them to be blown to bits. <> Andre : Oscar... Oscar : All right. Do as he said, everybody. Andre : Oscar! Oscar : Did you hear me? I said, get out! Nicolas : You're pretty bright, for a woman. Close the door, Jeanne. <> Nicolas : Damn you! <> Jeanne : Nicolas! Oscar : Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman! I was still your superior officer! Oscar : Stand up, you! Go out the front door with your hands behind your heads! Jeanne : It was Rosalie who told you where we were, wasn't it? Oscar : Do you understand the pain Rosalie felt when she realized she had to do it? <> Jeanne : Things were good in the old days, with mom and Rosalie and me. We were poor, but we loved each other and laughed together. Rosalie was always quiet, inside other people's shadows. I never knew her warmth until I left. Oscar : Then you should tell that to Rosalie. Go on! <> Oscar : Damn! Let me go, you coward! Nicolas : Did you really think you could beat a man, woman? Oscar : Let me go, dammit! Nicolas : Jeanne, you slit her throat while I hold her down! Hurry! Jeanne : You really are a woman. You get clumsy when you get sentimental. Nicolas : Hurry up! <> Oscar : Andre! Andre! Andre : Oscar's calling! --I think you're hearing things. I didn't hear anything. Andre : No, she called me! --You're going to get blown up! <> Jeanne : I'll get you this time! Andre : Oscar! Jeanne : Oh, Nicolas! Oscar : Get out quickly! The gunpowder's going to blow up! Jeanne : Nicolas, Nicolas, Nicolas! Oscar : You've got to get out! Jeanne : I won't be deceived! You came to get my money! It's my money, and I won't give it to anyone! Andre : She's mad! Oscar : Come with me, your gunpowder is going to blow up! Jeanne : Go away, don't come near me! Andre : Hurry up, Oscar! --The Captain's safe! Oscar : Everybody get away from the building, it's going to explode. <> And so, the case of the necklace was solved, leaving nothing but suspicion and bad feelings towards the Queen and the royal family. Who was it who let Jeanne out of prison? Was it the King's brother, the Count of Provence, hoping to trap the King and steal the throne? Some said it was the marquis of Orleans. The true culprit remains unknown. Marie : Fersen! Fersen : Lady Antoinette! Marie : I missed you so much! I...I... Fersen : Lady Antoinette! <> Marie : Please, tell me what I should do! Now I know what the citizens think of me! It isn't just the 3rd Estate. There are nobles in the 2nd Estate who hate me as well. Why is it? Why? <> Marie : Tell me what to do, Fersen. I'm so lonely. Fersen : Lady Antoinette, you should cut off contact with Lady Polignac and her friends. Remember that Oscar and Count Mercy worried about you from deep in their hearts when you were still just the Princess, and thought about "Lady Antoinette" rather than your position and homeland. You told them that you didn't want to hear what they said, but they were always loyal to you. Cut off contact with Lady Polignac and go back to Oscar and Count Mercy. Marie : Yes. Until now I've ignored their kind advice. Once again, I will call Oscar and Count Mercy to my side. Fersen : And you must come back to Versailles, open the court and call back the nobles. Right now, you need them as your allies. Stop appointing whomever you like for cabinet positions. Marie : What else? Fersen : Stop wasting your money on frivolous pastimes. Marie : I'll give up luxury. I won't have any more expensive dresses made, and I won't buy any more diamonds. Fersen : And then, stop the production of the play. Marie : What else, Fersen? <> Fersen : Oh, Lady Antoinette! If only I could stay with you and protect you! I will do what I can, Lady Antoinette. You're suffering like this all alone... Marie : I'm scared, Fersen. Is it all too late? Don't abandon me, Fersen. I'm scared. <> Polignac : What did you say? The Queen will not appear at the Polignac ball? {That's very strange. The Queen has been acting strangely lately. She came back to Versailles from Trianon, too.} Someone call Rosalie to my room! --Miss, you're safe! --You're getting quite a reputation! Oscar : I'm glad to be back. --Good work, Oscar. It's not official yet, but you're to be promoted. Oscar : Andre deserves a promotion more than I do. Andre : Oscar... Oscar : What is it? You seem to be checking the locks especially closely tonight. --I've been doing this all the time lately, Oscar. Haven't you heard? <> --A thief recently appeared who's been targetting all the noble's mansions for burglary. He wears a black mask and he's dressed completely in black. He's very nimble, and no one's ever seen his face. --He calls himself the "Black Knight." Oscar : The Black Knight? <> Rosalie : I'm to be married to Count de Guiche!? Polignac : You shouldn't be so surprised, Rosalie. That's what he wanted, since Charlotte died. We should have the ceremony as soon as possible. The Count will come to see you at your party. Rosalie : {I'm nothing more than a replacement for Charlotte! A replacement, taken so that the Polignac family could be tied to the De Guiche family!} <> Polignac : Rosalie! Do you know that the Queen has returned to Versailles, and isn't associating with your mother and her friends very much any more? But if I could have you marry Count de Guiche, that would all change! Yes, I should become a relative of the Count as soon as possible! <> --The Queen has been wearing all the same dresses lately. I wonder why? --She fired her designer, Rose Bertrand, and ever since she came back to Versailles she's barely been coming to balls and playing cards. --And she doesn't come to Paris to have fun, either! --Have you noticed that Lady Polignac hasn't been here lately? --That's right! Before, she was always at the Queen's side! --Do you think the royal family's worried about money? --Yes, after the Queen wasted so much before. Marie Antoinette had finally begun to realize what she had been doing, who it was that had truly been faithful to her, and where the money she wasted had come from. Oscar : I'm glad Lady Antoinette has finally become a Queen. She's awakened as the true Queen of France. Andre : I hope that it isn't too late. The royal family already has financial troubles. Oscar : That's right. The Finance Minister is thinking of exacting taxes from the clergy of the 1st Estate and the nobles of the 2nd Estate. Andre : Making the nobility pay takes? Oscar : Why is that so surprising? The way it is now is stranger. Why should only the poor commoners pay taxes, while the nobles and clergy who have money pay none? Oscar : I wonder how much our family would be taxed. I hope they take an awful lot from the nobles! --We're opposed! --We're against taxing the nobility! --Fire the Finance Minister! --Never in history has the nobility been taxed! --Have a meeting of all the nobles and fire him! --You greedy, arrogant, brainless nobles! As soon as I'm fired, I'll disclose all the nobility's debts to the public! <> --Listen, gentlemen! Listen to how much the palace owes because of wastefulness and overspending! 1,250,000,000 livres! --No way! We have to work for months to save a single livre! --How on earth did they get that far in debt? --Because of the Queen's spending! --That's right! She doesn't know the meaning of simplicity! --The Queen used it all herself! Polignac : This really is terrible, my Queen. You ought to have fired him sooner. <> Polignac : Have you chosen a new Finance Minister yet? One of my relatives would really like to become the Finance Minister... Marie : Lady Polignac, I no longer choose ministers by myself. Please speak to the King about that. Oscar : It seems that Lady Polignac's influence is fading. Andre : That truly is refreshing! Oscar : {I wonder what Rosalie's doing. I should have stopped her from going.} --General Rene de Jarjayes! Oscar! I've come from the Polignac house! Have you seen Rosalie anywhere? Oscar : What happened to Rosalie? --Oscar, Rosalie left a note and ran away from home! <> Rosalie : {If I go back to the Jarjayes house, I'll only cause trouble for Oscar. Years ago, I walked barefoot along this path from Paris to avenge my mother's death. And then I met Oscar...} Ouch! {Oscar, I'm going back to Paris, the city where I was born. Please be happy...} <> Fersen : She did? No, she hasn't come here. Oscar : I see. Fersen, if Rosalie comes here, please tell her to come back to the Jarjayes house. Fersen : I will. Oscar...I'm glad you came back safely from Saverne. I wanted to come with you when you went to capture Nicolas and Jeanne. <> Fersen : I cannot act openly because of Lady Antoinette, so I had to let you face danger alone. I'm sorry. Oscar : It was my duty. Fersen, tell me if you find out anything about the Black Knight. Fersen : The Black Knight? Oh, that thief who's been robbing the mansions of nobles. Oscar : I would say that if he's targetting nobles, he's probably a member of the 3rd Estate. His base of operations is probably in Paris. He comes in and runs away, swift as a peregrine falcon, taking jewels and firearms. Fersen : The jewels are probably to sell... Oscar : But what of the firearms? Fersen : Do you plan to catch him, Oscar? Oscar : I cannot just let him go free. Fersen : Please protect Lady Antoinette for me! Oscar : Fersen... --Hans Axel, Sophia has arrived! Fersen : Oh, she's here? I'll introduce you. This is my sister, Sophia. She's on a trip from Sweden. This is Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, Captain of the royal guard. Oscar : Welcome, miss. Sophia : You're quite good. I understand French, monsieur. My father was very interested in France. <> Oscar : Excuse me. I hope you enjoy the sights of France, Sophia. Fersen : Are you going already, Oscar? Oscar : Yes. Will you be at the Duchess of Conti's ball, Fersen? Fersen : I think that I will. I would like to show Sophia a ball at Versailles. Oscar : All right! Sophia : What a wonderful person, brother! Frenchmen are so handsome and elegant! Fersen : Despite appearances, Oscar's actually a woman. Sophia : A woman? I called her "monsieur"! <> Sophia : That type of person rarely lives a long life, brother. Fersen : Don't say such things! Oscar : {Fersen, isn't there even a little space for me in your heart? How far along the path to destruction will you let your unrequited love for Lady Antoinette lead you? It's so painful. Tell me, Andre, Rosalie! Must all people pine and suffer for unrequited love?} <> Oscar : {Will I ever be able to forget, and let go of him?} --Oh, I'm so happy! Oscar's finally wearing a dress! She said she was going to a ball. I have to hurry! Where are the corsets? Andre : {Oscar? Wearing a dress? Am I having a nightmare? My Oscar's going to wear a dress and dance with men?} Oscar : Don't tie it up so tight, it hurts! This corset's like armor! --Hold still! <> --Which way should I tie the cord, a la Francaise or Turkish style? Oscar : I don't care! Andre : Oscar, in a dress! I bet she'll look just like a mannequin. --Oh, there you are, Andre. Come in and see how she looks in a dress. Andre : Why would I want to do that? --Just go and look! <> Oscar : It's so tight I can barely walk. Andre : But you're so beautiful... Oscar : You think so? There's no harm in doing this just once in my life, but don't tell my father. --All right. Remember to be careful how you speak! Oscar : Right, I will. --Oscar, please pick up the hem of the dress when you walk! Oscar : Dammit! Once in my life is too much! --You can't come with her tonight, Andre. She's trying to hide her real identity. <> Andre : {Oscar, Oscar! You're so beautiful, just like Aphrodite! It's intoxicating...is this for Fersen? My Oscar...} --Have you heard? The Black Knight broke into the Duchess of Lanbarre's mansion last night! --How dreadful! --All of her duchess's diamonds were stolen at the ball! <> --He's awfully fearless, to break into her mansion! --We have to be careful! --This is terrible, coming right after the necklace incident. --Well, look at that! --I've never seen her before. --She's beautiful! --Where is she from? --She's a foreign Countess, apparently. --Foreign? <> --I hardly knew there were such beautiful people in the world! Sophia : Look, brother! She's as pretty as a picture! And she's a Countess from another country! Fersen : May I have this dance, madame? <> Oscar : {Fersen's hands, Fersen's chest...these are real. I've dreamed of his arms around me...} --She's so slender! It's enough to give you an inferiority complex! --Have you ever seen someone so graceful? --Her Turkish-style dress suits her so well! --Oh, look! --It's Lady Polignac! <> Polignac : Please prepare a seat for me. --Hmpf! Fersen : Which country are you from, Countess? <> Fersen : I'm sorry, madame! I know someone who looks quite like you...someone beautiful, with lovely blond hair like yours. Someone gentle and well-educated, who would risk her life to defend her ideals. Though she is beautiful, she wraps herself in a golden army uniform and plays the part of a man, like an icy flower. Is it you, Oscar? <> Oscar : {"Someone beautiful, with lovely blond hair...gentle and well-educated..."} <> Oscar : {"Who would risk her life to defend her ideals." He held me in his arms, and in his eyes. Fersen's lips told me...that I can let him go now.} <> Oscar : {Now, I can let him go.} <> Oscar : You rogue! Wait! Are you the Black Knight? Knight : Who is that woman? --Over there, there was a sound... --And a black shadow! <> Andre : What? You want me to make a schedule of all the nobles' balls? Oscar : Yes! From now on, I'll go to all the balls! Andre : Does that mean you'll go in a dress every day? Oscar : Don't be silly! I couldn't move in one. I'll be waiting for the Black Knight, who targets balls. Just wait and see, I'll catch the Black Knight! <> --This really is remarkable. Lots of young girls have been coming to all the balls lately. --I'll have to have some adventures quietly, so their mothers don't catch them. --Sir Oscar! --Sir Oscar! --They only came for Oscar Francois de Jarjayes... --Indeed... Marie : Have you seen the Black Knight, Oscar? Oscar : Unfortunately, he always outwits me. I haven't been able to catch him yet. <> Marie : But everyone's glad that you've been coming to all the balls, and many young girls have started coming. Oscar : It's quite embarrassing. --Maman Reine! --Maman Reine, Louis Joseph made Charles cry! --No I didn't, Charles started crying by himself! Marie : All right, all right. Joseph, go say hello to Captain Jarjayes. You are the Crown Prince. --Hello, Oscar Francois! I hope you let me ride on a horse again sometime soon. Wait, Marie Therese! <> Marie : Marie Therese, the first princess...Louis Joseph, the first prince...and Louis Charles, the second prince, who is almost two. They are my treasures. The past, when I went out to masquerade balls and gambled, seems like a distant dream. Children are so much better than that silly merrymaking. If I lost my children, I would surely die. Oscar : Going out to balls every night is exhausting! Andre : Don't you think the Black Knight knows we're here? <> --Eek! Who turned out the lights? Oscar : Andre! Andre : I'm all right. --Who did that? Don't touch my neck! --Over there! --My necklace! --My bracelet! --It's the Black Knight! Oscar : It's the Black Knight! Turn on the lights! <> --The Black Knight! <> Oscar : Black Knight, wait! <> Oscar : {He's heading for Paris! I won't let him get away. This time, I'll take off that mask!} Oscar : Damn! <> Oscar : He's not here? Where am I? <> Oscar : It's the Palais Royale, house of the Duke of Orleans! {What is the Black Knight doing at the home of the King's cousin? I had heard that anti-royal factions had gathered at the Palais Royale, but...} --Don't kill him, he's the Captain of the royal guards! Chase him to the weapons storehouse! Oscar : {Captain of the guards? The weapons storehouse?} --Where did he go? --Over there! Oscar : {This is...this is...why am I...} <> Oscar : Rosalie? <> Oscar : Where am I? --Oh, you're awake? Last night I heard a strange noise, so I went to investigate. And there was the person in this girl's picture! You lost consciousness when I brought you in the house. Oscar : Rosalie, I've been so worried! Rosalie : I'm sorry. I was being forced into marriage, so I came back to this house beside the one I used to live in... <> Rosalie : I'm working at a vegetable market now. I'm used to the work, and I can have some of the leftover vegetables. I'll bring you some food. <> Oscar : Rosalie? Rosalie : Sir Oscar! Oscar, Oscar, Oscar! Oscar : Why didn't you come back to my house, silly girl? You don't have anything to worry about any more. Lady Polignac has lost all her influence in the court. <> Oscar : Um, could I have something before supper? A cafe au lait? Rosalie : I'm sorry, this is all we have to eat. Oscar : {Just this? But this is just soup, with just a few pieces of vegetables in it! Is this a meal? I can't believe it! At my house we always had hors d'oeuvres, and different kinds of soup, and plates and plates of entrees...meat, gelatin, wine...} Rosalie : You don't like it, Oscar? I'm sorry, but this is all we have. We don't even have any bread. <> Oscar : Why are you apologizing, Rosalie? I'm terribly ashamed right now, of no one but myself. I thought that I knew everything. I accepted the everyday life that I was given as something completely natural. I never thought that my fellow humans were eating this kind of food! I never thought about it at all! Rosalie : Oh, Oscar... Oscar : You gave me the food you worked so hard to get. I want you to have it all. My mother and nurse will be so surprised to see you back here! --What is it? --The bakery over there was attacked! --The owner was killed! --Lots of people attacked him! --Serves him right! He wouldn't sell anything! Oscar : {Paris has become dangerous.} <> Oscar : Andre, this is the Jarjayes house, Paris, and Versailles. Make me a list of all the nobles' houses inside this circle. Andre : You want to bring the Black Knight to the Jarjayes house? How? Oscar : By making a fake Black Knight and having him attack the houses, in order. Andre : A fake? Who would do that? Oscar : Correct. It's you, Andre. Andre : I refuse to impersonate a thief! Oscar : He won't just let it go if a fake appears. And when the real one shows up, you can draw him to this house. Now, Andre, your hair... Andre : Let me go! Not the hair! I don't have hair like yours, that you can just leave alone and not do anything with! Oscar : I'll have you know I do my hair every morning! <> Oscar : Perfect! You look just like him! --Don't complain about it! This is the only way you can be useful! Andre : Why do you want to go to the Jarjayes house, Oscar? Oscar : It will be easier to catch him if the court doesn't know about this. I want to talk to him. <> Oscar : He's not just an ordinary thief. I want to know what he's planning. Louis : It seems to be completely frozen over. --Your Highness! Oscar : This is good timing. Get some out-of-work boys from Paris and have them crack the ice. Tell them I'll pay them a lot of money. --That will make them happy! --Your Highness, the Queen has asked you to return to her apartment! Louis : All right! --He is a strange King! He doesn't even have one mistress, and even when the Queen wrapped herself in furs, he only has one simple coat. His hobbies are hunting and reading, and he actually likes the citizens. Queen : Your Highness, the Crown Prince Louis Joseph... Louis : Has something happened to him? Joseph : Maman Reine, maman Reine... --Based on his high fever and the condition of his spine, I would say that he has spinal caries. [a degenerative disease of the spinal cord] Louis : Spinal caries!? Can you save him? He's the Prince who's to become the next King of France! Marie : Joseph, Joseph...your mother's here. Marie : Isn't there anything that modern medicine can do? This is too cruel! He's only seven years old! Oscar : Not in front of the children, Lady Antoinette! Marie : Oscar... Oscar : Marie Therese, Louis Charles, let me take you over there. <> Polignac : Don't meddle in this! Have you forgotten that I was in charge of educating the Prince and Princess? It's so unfair! Polignac : {How could my influence be so fragile? I thought it was a much more certain thing than the human heart! The people who bowed before me yesterday now stick out their tongues at me!} --These burglaries by the Black Knight are awful! --What are Paris's police doing? At this rate, we'll all lose all our property! --This makes two nights in a row! --And at my house too! --Even our honour's being stolen! <> Oscar : I never knew you had so much talent at burglary, Andre! But you shouldn't be so rough! Andre : It's not a laughing matter! I'm risking my life out there! Anyway, what do I do with these stolen jewels? Oscar : Give them back after I catch the Black Knight. You've got to be polite. Andre : {Laugh if you like, Oscar, but I'd never do it for anyone but you!} --Oscar, your father has called you to the armory, immediately! Oscar : The armory? What is it, father? --Oh, Oscar. The 200 rifles I ordered haven't arrived. They somehow disappeared en route. Oscar : {Rifles? Ah, it's him!} --Do you have any ideas? Oscar : No, but I'll get them back soon. --Help, it's the Black Knight! Andre : Black Knight, if you don't show up tonight, you'll have to burglarize the Jarjayes house tomorrow. Ah! <> Andre : {It's the Black Knight!} Knight : I will not allow you to use my name in order to fulfill your personal desires! Andre : I'm not doing it because I want to! <> Knight : Wait! Andre : I don't think so!