[ He takes a long drink from his tea. A long one. And then he sits there for a moment, as if thinking. Where to start. ]

Tell me, Klavier. Did you truly never notice? The stricter standards I had placed upon me? The fact that our parents fawned over you while I was forced to smile on the outside, unwelcome? I know you don't remember the incident that gave me this scar. You were far too young--four. But surely you noticed something was wrong with our happy, little family.

[ No. Not happy. It was always, always about appearances. Kristoph had learned far, far too young that the only one he could truly depend upon was himself. So why he'd thought he could depend on Klavier is beyond him. Maybe he'd still held out some hope someone would be there for him, to pull him from the darkness that had consumed him.

No one had. ]