link
Ferdinand, Dorothea enter the scene
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Ah, Dorothea. I am surprised to find you here. I did not think you were all that religious.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

There's a lot you don't know, Ferdie. But you're right. I'd hardly call myself devout.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

After all, it was thanks to the goddess and her noble regime that I suffered so much as a child.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

You must be quite brave to speak so coarsely in this hallowed place.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

But what do you mean...about suffering as a child?
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Ugh... Do I really have to tell you?
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Oh, forget it. I'm sure you already know that I'm an orphan.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

I grew up in the alleys of Enbarr, begging for coins, eating scraps, drinking from drains.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

I see. I remember seeing street children around the city...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

I could've died. Then the right person overheard me singing...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

And suddenly I was in the opera. I was a songstress. And my goodness...did the nobles like me.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

The people who used to spit on me and call me an urchin? They praised my voice and my beauty.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

A nobleman who had once kicked me, gave me the most gorgeous shoes. I almost asked if it was a joke.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

So, that is why you despise the nobility. But why do you think I am the same as them?
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Do you really believe that is the kind of man I am?
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

You think I would ever treat people differently based on appearances? There is nothing noble about that!
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Oh, really? You're something different? That's not how I remember things...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

It was the very day that I was discovered... I was in high spirits. Nothing was wrong in the world.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

I secretly bathed in one of the town's fountains, hoping to wash off some of the dirt from the streets.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

I sang the same song the opera composer overheard earlier that day. And that's when you appeared.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Me?! No... It could not have been...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Don't play dumb. You glared at me, the same look I'd gotten from every other noble. Then you ran off.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

When we met at the academy, you were a different person. All smiles and friendly words.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

You were like a bee, Ferdinand. A bee attracted to a flower in full bloom.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

So, it was you then, singing that song...
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Dorothea, please listen. This is a misunderstanding.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

When I saw you... I could not take my eyes off you. I was hypnotized.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Your beautiful voice, your elegant face...droplets of water on your skin that glittered in the sun. I thought you were a water nymph.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Stop it. Don't lie to me.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

No, it is true. I was only a child. The vision overwhelmed me. That is why I ran.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

I plucked up the courage to return, but no one was there. I thought perhaps it was a dream...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Maybe I can believe you. I've wanted to ever since the day you made me those treats...
link
Dorothea
volume_up

I thought then that maybe you weren't like the others, but... There's a lot I have to let go of, Ferdie.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Of course. I am glad we had this conversation. You know, I do not mind you thinking of me as a bee.
link
Ferdinand
volume_up

Life as a simple drone, circling a queen... It actually sounds quite wonderful.
link
Dorothea
volume_up

Don't drones keep the queen safe from other bugs? I like the sound of that.