LOVE THROUGH A PRISM
Dear Mother and Father, I hope you are well.
I finally became number one student!
#14/FAREWELL ON THE SEA
And that's not all!
In recognition of my achievements,
I received a recommendation to the prestigious Royal Academy of Art.
But don't worry. I'm not going to stop putting the effort in.
I'm going to work even harder
and devote myself to painting, here in London.
Mmm! Yes! Let's do this!
Ah, sounds like you're raring to go!
Huh?
Good morning, Lili.
Good morning, Dorothy.
Writing to let your parents know, then?
Yes.
Your mother's in for such a shock.
You're so right. Now I have to keep it up.
Lili, I hear that Kit's gone missing again.
Oh... Yes.
I wonder where he is and what he's playing at.
You and me both.
It is almost time.
I heard that the Duke had been ill for quite some time,
but it's still a shock.
Yes, he was having treatment at his country house
but took a turn for the worse.
Richard seems to be coping with it well,
but it's a heavy burden to carry.
Hmm. What about Christopher?
Well, the engagement to Lady Catherine Astor
has been broken off.
And he is going back to his art college.
You know, Saint Thomas's Academy.
Ah, of course, His Grace was the founder, wasn't he?
Christopher, my lord.
Sorry to intrude on your grief.
Do you remember us, sir?
Yes, of course I do.
You're Evans, the head gardener.
Yes, sir. I worked on the estate about ten years ago.
You were still a very young lad when I left service.
So that must mean this little girl is Amy.
She's really grown.
She has, sir.
And it was your father who named her.
I hope you don't think it inappropriate,
but I just had to pay my respects to the late duke.
He would have been very happy.
He really was a wonderful man, sir.
He was always so very kind to us ordinary folk as well.
I'm truly sorry for your loss.
Thank you, Evans.
- Christopher? My lord. - Huh?
Thank you, Amy. It's very beautiful.
This year's autumn roses are doing really well, my lord.
Please come round and see them sometime.
It would make us very happy.
Christopher, please say you'll come and visit us one day.
Hm.
Welcome home, Christopher.
You lingered behind for a while.
Oh. Yes, I did.
My, how beautiful!
It's a new species of autumn rose grown by Evans, the old gardener.
It bloomed for the first time this year.
Ah, bless dear Evans.
He has named it Henry in my father's honour.
How lovely, my dear boy.
Every year, when it blooms, we'll be reminded of your dear father.
And which wine should we serve?
Hmm. We'd better have the Château Latour at the memorial service, Stuart.
Certainly, Your Grace.
I think it's a more than fitting occasion to open it.
And the silverware?
We are polishing it to perfection. Nothing has been overlooked.
Excellent.
- Hello, Richard. - Mm?
You are home very late. It'll get busier from now on.
Get some rest now, while you can.
- And you should do the same. - Yes, I agree with Kit.
My dear Richard, you should rest a little at least.
There's too much to do.
Even at a time such as this, standards must be properly upheld.
Even so.
We can grieve for him later, can't we?
But now there is just too much to do.
Maria, I do understand your concern for me.
But I must return to work. I'll leave the rest to you.
I'll take care of everything.
What a brave man. He doesn't complain at all.
Still, he needs to take care of himself.
Not only did he make all the funeral preparations,
he's taken over all of Henry's diplomatic work too.
He's not sleeping or eating.
If he's not careful, he'll make himself ill.
I'll talk to him.
Huh?
Uh, Christopher?
You should get some rest, Richard.
I am fine. I will cope.
Everyone's worried about you.
What would we do if you were to fall ill?
If that happens, it won't just be a problem for the family.
You're responsible for the lives
of all the people on the estate and in the village.
I never thought I'd hear those words ever come out of my brother's mouth.
You're right, of course, Christopher.
I mean,
Kit.
Huh?
How about you and I get some fresh air?
Yes, very well then, Richie.
I thought you said it's rude to walk with your hands in your pockets.
Oh, don't be such a stick-in-the-mud.
No one's looking, are they?
I always used to do it to annoy you.
It's been a long while since you and I were here together.
Kit, do you remember
that our mother planted this entire bed of blue poppies?
Of course I do, Richard.
We both helped her with planting them, didn't we?
It was you who helped her, really.
I seem to remember I got fed up and went off to climb this tree.
And right here, this is where Father came to paint.
Yes.
I remember.
I've had enough of all this!
Richie, please will you stop misbehaving?
Your father wants to paint us.
So be a good boy and come and sit down quietly.
No, I shan't!
I said I wanted to go hunting with Stuart, Mother!
- Oh! - Richie, stop, boy!
Richie! Come back here now!
Why do I even bother? That boy is such a handful.
I wonder where on earth he gets it from.
Huh?
Richard is exactly the same as you used to be, my darling.
In fact, by comparison,
he's far better behaved than you ever were as a child.
At least he wears shoes.
When I first met you, I thought to myself,
"Maybe that girl was brought up on a farm somewhere,
or she has been raised by a pack of grey wolves."
I've no idea what you're talking about.
In fact, the first time I clapped my eyes upon you,
I got the impression that you were the rudest man in the whole wide world.
I couldn't believe it.
You actually tried to feed me bits of blackened bread
all covered in charcoal.
How could I have known that that feral wolf girl would grow up
to be the most beautiful lady in the world and my adored and beloved wife?
And the uncouth and ill-mannered artist rediscovered his aristocratic roots
and became my irreplaceable husband.
Well, I was able to change because I had you.
And I was able to change because I had you.
Excuse me, Mother.
What is it, dear Kit?
Do you like the pictures that Father paints?
Yes, more than any other artist's in this world.
Hmm.
Father!
Hmm?
What is it, Kit?
I want to do painting as well!
Huh?
Hmm.
That's it. You're really good.
- Having fun, Kit? - Yes!
This child might have a talent for painting, you know?
I say, Mother, when I grow up,
I want to paint pictures, just like Father.
That's wonderful, Kit.
But you know,
your father doesn't make his living as a painter.
Oh. What's his job?
Protecting people's happiness.
That's your father's real job.
Your father and I are the custodians of our land and estates,
and people depend on us for their health and livelihoods.
Our job is to look after and protect all those people.
That's our role as members of the aristocracy.
I am just now only starting to really understand the importance
of what our dear mother was trying to tell me back when we were young.
That the lives of the aristocracy are borrowed from the people.
You've grown up quite a bit while you've been in London, haven't you?
From now on, I'm going to treat you like the grown man that you have become.
Like it or not, Kit, we have inherited our dear father's blood
and thus his responsibilities.
It's our fate.
But know it can be a burden or it can be a gift.
You must decide which for yourself.
If you decide to renounce your noble birthright,
I won't stop you.
A storm is coming.
A storm of steel wrapped in gunpowder, and it's bearing down on England.
Huh?
See you again, dear.
Thank you so much, madam.
It's terrible. The prices just keep going up.
- The economy's so bad these days. - Hm?
It's bringing back memories of the last recession.
Hopefully, it won't get any worse.
It's like there's a cloud hanging over the entire city.
Oh!
Kit?
It's been a while.
Is that all you can say to me?
You disappeared again. For days.
Don't be so dramatic.
Huh? I was worried you were sick again or... or that you got locked up!
Well, I wasn't.
Humph!
Anyway, I'm glad you're all right.
I've made up my mind. I'll never worry about you again.
- Really? - Huh?
I did hear from...
Huh?
...Dorothy.
What did Dorothy say to you, then?
Now's your big chance, Lili. I set it up for you.
You can tell him exactly how you feel.
What? No, no, no, no, no! I told you, it's fine!
W-- W-- W-- What?
I don't know what you heard from Dorothy,
but-- but-- but I don't really think anything of--
Well done on coming first.
Huh?
I was at the academy a while ago.
I heard about it when I was there.
Ah! You... You, uh, had me worried for a second.
Oh, by the way,
why on earth did you submit my sketchbook for the critique session?
What do you mean, "why?"
You didn't tell me you were going to do that.
Aren't you glad, though? You came first.
Or did I overstep the mark?
Well, no, you didn't.
I saw your drawings, and they were good, so I submitted them.
That's all.
You're the one who drew them.
That's true, isn't it?
W-- Well, yes.
So it's thanks to you I got another chance.
I can't thank you enough.
Thank you!
You're being overdramatic again.
All I did was hand it in to Professor Brant.
Anyway, are you free right now, by any chance?
Huh?
There's a place I would like to show you.
Now?
Where is it?
Let's head to Charing Cross.
What? We're getting a train?
Beautiful.
It's worth the trip.
Yes. It's so wonderful.
It's funny to think that this water stretches
from here all the way back to Japan.
To Japan.
The place where you were born.
I really do love the sea.
I was born and raised on the coast.
And you can see the sea from my parents' house.
So even though I'm far away, I feel as if I'm near my hometown.
Yokohama?
That's right, Yokohama.
It's a large harbour town
where lots of boats from other countries dock.
Sounds lovely. I'd like to go there one day.
Huh? Do you mean that?
Of course. Why would I lie?
W-- Well, then,
you have to visit!
There are so many things I'd like to show you if you come to stay.
Japan and England are actually very similar, in fact!
Ah, except the food there is completely different, though.
The fish in Japan is very fresh, you know?
There's anmitsu. There's soba. There's tempura.
Mm-hmm.
Ah! B-- But it's not just food though!
There are lots of beautiful places!
Kit, you would adore the landscape there!
It's so beautiful.
Ah, but I don't think I will be going back there for a while, though.
I still have so much to do here in England.
After graduation, if I do well at the Royal Academy,
maybe I'll get to stay here in England forever.
Yes! I'm so excited!
You really want to be here that much?
Of course.
There's so much I can learn here and so many places I want to go,
like the Crystal Palace, The Tower of London and the Tate Gallery.
And I haven't seen a tenth of the British Museum.
Ah, no matter how much time I have, it won't be enough.
We can try though.
Huh?
Oh, yes. Let's all go again together... Oh.
Kit?
Lili.
You're really strong.
Stronger than you think.
Continue on the path you believe in.
It will be hard. Keep going. Don't stop.
From this very moment onwards,
your paintings will touch the hearts of people from all over the world.
Kit, tell me,
has something happened?
Europe is divided in two.
The Balkans are a tinderbox about to catch light.
If time and circumstance align,
the entire world could be swept into a war.
Into a war?
Yes, and we are doing all that we can
to extinguish the fires to try and prevent it.
But the flames are spreading far too quickly.
Our dear father's death really couldn't have come at a worse time.
He's such a loss. And I do not have his experience.
I fear that the fires will spread.
Even England may become a battlefield.
I don't know if I'll be a worthy successor to our father,
but it's too late to turn back.
I will do what I can.
I'll help you, brother.
You must be sure, Kit. It is not the time to be half-hearted.
If you have any doubts, stay out of it.
Know that your career as an artist will end.
If you choose to uphold your aristocratic duty
as the younger son,
you will be sent to the battlefield.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Richard, I... I have no doubts at all.
I've met someone who understands my paintings
more than anyone else.
And that's enough for me.
But I want to paint one last picture.
Just give me some time, and then I'll come back.
I will be away from the academy for a time.
Huh?
W-- What do you mean?
I need to concentrate upon my next painting.
Huh?
There's a motif I really need to paint.
I have never truly felt this way before.
I want to give it all my time and attention.
To face the painting properly.
I won't have the time to travel in to school and attend classes.
And so I'll be on leave for a while.
I wanted... to tell you.
Oh. That's how it is.
There you go, Lili, being overdramatic yet again.
Me? You're the one who keeps mysteriously disappearing--
Lili Ichijoin.
I'm so glad I met you.
Huh?
Me too.
Let's get back to the station before it gets dark.
Uh, Lili?
Forever promise, tell no lie, stick a needle in your eye.
Cross my heart and hope to die!
Uh, what on earth are you doing?
You will come back, won't you?
I swear I will never forgive you, Kit, if you disappear again.
Yes.
All right. It's settled.
Forever promise!
Mm!
Come on! There's no need to look so serious.
Hurry up and finish that painting so you can come back.
All right! I'm going to give it my all too!