01x07 - The Villainess Sits This One Out

[bunniefuu]

[GILL]

It's been a month since Alicia

secluded herself in a shed

to study magic.

Oh, good morning, Gill!

Morning. So, that's for her?

[ROSETTA]

It is,

but this is as close

as I can bring it, you know.

[pops]

♪

She won't let anyone near.

She even put up a wall

with her magic.

She must be struggling

to get by on her own, and yet.

It's really sort of sad.

It is but getting

all sentimental won't help her.

♪

[indistinct chatter]

Oh, good morning, Gill.

Morning.

Weren't you told

that you could eat

what the young lady

typically does?

Not much food there.

I want to get to the library

quickly.

But, man,

if servants get to eat

fancy meals like this,

you're living a good life.

You think so?

It's fried potatoes.

Well, you see, I grew up poor.

[all whimper]

[MALE STAFF 7A]

Here, have some bacon!

[GILL]

But I have my apple, thanks.

I'm the most fortunate villager

to have ever come out of Roana.

We didn't have potatoes

anywhere near this big there.

It's of the utmost importance

that I live up

to Alicia's expectations of me.

[chomps]

No one's going to put me down

or tell me I can't do something

because I'm a commoner!

♪

[door opening]

[footfall]

[ARNOLD]

That you, Gill?

[GILL]

Yes, sir.

I have something to give you,

so I'm glad you're here.

This potion Avel.

Don't you need it to

get through the magic barrier

and back to Roana?

Oh, I get it now.

Why even bother with this?

You could just pick me up

and toss me out.

I mean, it is your mansion.

You misunderstand.

Up to this point, I had been

giving them to Alicia

but from now on, whenever

you want to use one,

you need only ask.

Huh,

you're not telling me to leave?

Why, then?

Did you know

that I am Alicia's father,

so I'm rather grateful to you.

Her whole life

all I have wished

is for her to be happy

but I'm not sure I can ever

truly understand her

or that I will always be

in a position to take her side.

[ARNOLD] Even when Alicia

was very young,

I'd see all the other

little girls playing together,

but not her.

She'd be in the library,

throwing herself at her studies

as if her life depended on it.

I've never known her

to care much about

friendship with anyone

until she started talking

about you one day.

I hope you and she

will remain good friends

for a long time.

You sound like a regular dad.

Well, that's good

since I am one!

I thought you were a cruel man

for locking her in a shed.

I still don't understand

why you did that.

My wife said the same thing.

You better explain yourself.

What's going on here?

[ARNOLD]

Well, you see, Layla.

[LAYLA] I understand taking her

out of school for a while

but what purpose does using

magic to lock her up serve?

Why aren't you letting her out

until she reaches level 90?

That's crossing the line

into child abuse!

And you call yourself

a good father?

I'm disappointed in you,

Arnold!

-[growling]

-[ARNOLD] Now, wait a second

hear me out, I can explain!

I had no idea she would ever

take her studies this far.

Are you really telling me

she decided

to go into the shed?

Well, I set

the level 90 condition

but only because I wanted her

to give up on being

the Saint's watcher.

So, I gave her an extremely

difficult task on purpose.

For some reason that just made

her even more motivated.

Your plan backfired on you,

huh?

[ARNOLD]

The only goal I had

was to no longer allow her

to be a watcher if she failed.

I was going to let her

return to the academy

when the time was right.

She always manages

to pull it off.

If she says she can do it,

she can.

Maybe you should have

a little more faith

and try to trust her with this?

Alicia's stronger

than you think.

I don't want her to get

involved with Liz Cather.

Being on the wrong side

of a conflict with Liz

put my daughter in danger.

And Albert has changed

so much since meeting Liz

that I'm questioning whether

I still want him to succeed me.

After that incident,

the King himself

paid me a visit to apologize,

and granted me his blessing

to relieve Alicia of her duty

as Liz's watcher.

But to be honest,

he probably wants her

to continue doing it.

[GILL]

Because Liz is the Saint?

I'm still trying

to understand that.

You all believe she's going to

save this kingdom?

I suppose that's

rather difficult to answer

and who's to say

what she can do?

But it's certainly true

she's worth something to us.

Liz's extraordinary

magical talents

could prove useful

in countless ways.

Once she graduates,

she's destined

to be lauded as the Saint

and I've no doubt

she will be put to work

for the kingdom right away.

The same goes for Alicia.

Anyone who possesses

exceptional talents

is exploited by the kingdom.

If she were

but a powerless little girl,

perhaps I could've

protected her as a father,

but as the head of one of

the Five Great Noble Families,

I'm just one of the many

who'll end up using her.

That's what I mean when I say

I might not always be

able to take her side.

Will you hold me

in contempt for that?

No way.

Alicia isn't some pitiful child

who'd get taken advantage of.

If anything,

she thinks you people are weak.

[gasps]

[GILL] She's been saying

the magical supremacy

in this kingdom

is completely inefficient.

[GILL] They would discuss

using a little girl

for the benefit of the kingdom

but experienced people

who lack magic

aren't even considered?

[GILL]

She's smart.

Her intention is to train me up

into someone she can use.

You know why?

Because I'll always be

on her side, no matter what.

[ARNOLD]

Is that so?

I think

I'm beginning to understand

why she trusts you so much,

young man.

Wow, we dug up so many of them!

[BOY 7A]

So, can we eat enough

to fill our bellies

every day now?

I don't think it's quite enough

to fill you up forever.

That's fine.

This is still a huge harvest.

We should have a feast.

Oh, yeah!

I never dreamed we'd be able to

grow food like this in Roana.

I can't wait to show Alicia

how much we've done.

Nobles sure know what

they're talking about, though.

She even knew which varieties

would do best here.

We grew them just like

she told us we should

and we harvested way more

than expected!

[WILL]

True.

The daughter of a nobleman

shouldn't know anything at all

about raising crops.

She must've taken it

upon herself to study it.

[GIRL 7A]

Stop, thief!

It's your fault

for showing off all this food!

Wait, come back here!

Try and catch me

if you think you ca--

[grunts]

[male thief 7A sobbing]

Thanks, Nate! That's our food!

You know,

you shouldn't be charging

at people with that leg.

Sorry,

guess I acted without thinking.

When you grow crops

in a big field like this,

of course,

you're gonna be a target.

[REBECCA]

Yeah, fair point.

We're like a big,

happy family now

but there are still quite

a few people in the village

who aren't on board yet.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say

how much of a blessing

it would be

if you would join up with us.

And your friends as well.

They're strong guys, right?

Hold up a sec.

Be completely honest with me.

Do you really believe

that noble girl

will set this village free?

It's merely nothing

but a passing whim for her.

She just wants

to make herself feel good

by doing charity work.

It's been forever

since she's been back here.

She probably got bored.

And yet, you and grandpa

will take her seriously.

Seems pretty naive.

It's painful to see.

Alicia isn't anything like that

but even if she was

it'd be fine by me.

[REBECCA]

Think about it.

Alicia taught us

how to grow crops

on our very own land.

If it was just about charity

it would've been easier for her

to buy food and give it to us.

But instead what she gave us

is the knowledge

of what crops can flourish

where there's not a lot of sun

and how to raise them

with the number of resources

we have here in Roana.

Now, we know

how to take care of ourselves,

and we have the chance

to live much better lives

right where we are.

That knowledge alone is

worth more than anything else.

Ultimately, we are

the only ones who will decide

if we keep moving forward

and making progress.

Alicia helped us

find hope again,

I'd hate for that to fade away.

[LUKE] You've been getting

involved with Roana

haven't you?

You're not in trouble.

It was in Alicia's

written proposal.

-Hmm?

-Liz's essay proved inspiring.

I've never seen

such a reaction.

People sympathize with Roana.

But this issue cannot be

resolved with sentimentality.

Alicia has compiled

various concerns

and proposed plans in a way

that builds upon

Liz's ridiculously lofty ideas.

Duke

have you any interest

in undertaking

an official reformation

of Roana?

The village has been used to

lock up innocent people

and isolate them using magic

on a large scale.

As Liz has stated,

it has become

a humanitarian issue

and as Alicia

has deftly pointed out,

it's a waste of land

and mana sources.

It's an issue we knew we'd have

to deal with eventually

but the need was not simply

pressing enough,

especially with

a multitude of other problems

awaiting government action

at any given time.

Thus, it has been put off

by generation after generation

of kings.

I'm no exception, myself.

You've always been

such a brilliant young prince,

more so than I ever was.

You are by far

the better choice for this.

Of course,

if my brother were here.

Perhaps you should consider

taking some time off?

Roana is indeed

a matter of concern

but a King

with too much on his plate

is also an issue

in need of remedy.

[DUKE]

The range of affairs,

down to the smallest minutia,

that demand a King's attention

is far too broad.

Making each decision

takes precious time

and that in turn slows

the entire kingdom's progress.

Perhaps

you should start trusting

what the people that actually

live there have to say?

Ah, so you think so as well?

[DUKE]

"As well?"

[LUKE] No, you're right,

the truth hurts.

Change is never easy.

I'm certainly aware that

you're currently too busy

to deal with the reformation

of Roana.

But I'd be willing

to tackle the issue, if I may.

Yes, please do so.

It's hard to imagine

she could come up

with restorative spells

at such a young age.

Allowing her to vanish

from center stage now

would be such

a complete waste of her talent.

[sighs]

[REBECCA] Oh, hello there!

I'm your sweet little savior!

Do let me know

if anything's tro

[GILL]

It's not macarons?

Well, then what is it?

Oh, macarons.

[birds chirping]

[GILL]

It's now been six months

since Alicia

went into seclusion.

[HENRI] Alicia's magic practice

must be really intense, huh?

She's still the one

with the most talent

out of all us siblings.

I don't see why she's

being pushed farther.

You know, that reminds me

of something she once told me.

[GILL] Your

follow-through's impressive.

[ALICIA] If you wanna

increase your magic level,

start by getting

into tip-top shape.

Muscles are the building blocks

of everything!

Tell me, do you train this hard

to catch up to her?

I'll never catch up to Liz,

no matter how hard I try.

Not ever, it's impossible.

I don't get it,

then what's the point

of training like this

every day?

[ALICIA] Hard work

is never rewarded.

But still,

I want to get as close

to Liz's level as I can.

I can't act better than her

if I don't!

The reason she works so hard

is to gain the confidence

to face Liz Cather.

She'd go that far

just to compete with her?

We're talking about

an actual prodigy, here.

[HENRI] She can easily

cast spells over and over

that are difficult enough

to cast even once.

No one can compete

with someone like that.

They wouldn't

even stand a chance at all.

Only those who aren't bound

by being "normal"

are able to change

the status quo.

[HENRI]

Honestly, I also thought

she was wasting her time

writing about that proposal

about the state of Roana.

And yet, perhaps

Exactly. That's why I have

to work harder, too,

so that I can stand there

by her side.

[chuckles]

-Henri.

-Hm?

Alicia's not here yet.

Is that so?

[FEMALE STUDENT 7A] I feel

terrible for Prince Duke.

[MALE STUDENT 7A] He hates

Alicia Williams so much,

he's worried that

she might come to the academy

and ruin his good time

with her antics.

[FEMALE STUDENT 7A]

That girl should just

-quit school already.

-[both gasp]

They don't know anything

about what Alicia's like,

but they won't stop running

their mouths.

Sorry, should I have

kept that to myself?

Oh no,

in fact, I'm glad you turned

to glare at them when you did.

If they kept on going

those jerks would've been

expelled by the end of the day.

Huh, really?

[CURTIS] Hey, come on.

Don't say such ominous things.

Be mindful of others.

That's how I aim to be

at school.

If you want to complain,

take it up with

the idiots spouting nonsense.

Still though, I do feel bad.

They're such vindictive rumors

and I have no clue

who started spreading them.

That is the nature of rumors,

isn't it?

[HENRI] Yeah, well,

no matter what I say

to clear up her reputation

no one believes me anyway.

People just tell me

I can't be objective

because she's my little sister.

No one wants my opinion,

so I'm not helping anything.

Hmm. They assume you're acting

on favoritism and prejudice.

Such rumors.

That poor Ali's

a loose young woman

who called on Duke at

an inappropriately late hour.

Oh, was that out loud?

If I'd imagined this,

I most assuredly

would've come up

with an unshakable

fait accompli.

-[HENRI] Huh?

-[CURTIS] Huh?

[LIZ]

There you are!

You look like there's

something upsetting you.

Well, when you look so somber,

it makes me think you need

some delicious tea

and pastries

for a quick pick-me-up!

[ALBERT]

Did Liz actually bake a cake?

[ERIC]

Liz's cakes are the best!

People always cheer up

after they have a piece!

Prince Duke

and Miss Liz really do look

lovely next to each other,

don't they?

With Miss Liz around,

even Prince Duke will be

sure to forget all about

that annoying Alicia Williams.

-[grunting softly]

-Please try it.

I poured my heart

into baking this cake for you

in the hopes that it might be

able to make you smile.

If it succeeds,

I'll be so happy.

I apologize but I am

not in the mood right now.

[gasps]

But, Duke

Dear girl, don't you worry

yourself over it!

He just doesn't happen

to be in the mood

for sweets at the moment!

Oh, is that all?

[ALBERT]

Not quite.

He's been acting on edge lately

and all because

of my stupid little sister.

Apologies.

No, no!

You don't have

anything to be sorry for.

I'll simply try harder.

I'm sure that I can bring

Duke's smile back.

It's my purpose!

[ALL]

Aw!

There's no doubt if you say so!

[ERIC] [laughs]

Yeah!

[ANNA] So, is it really

Alicia Williams's fault

that nothing has changed

romantically

between Miss Liz

and Prince Duke?

[ELEANOR]

I do believe so.

[NINA] That girl's

absolutely maddening!

-Hmph!

-[all gasping]

[chuckles]

Interesting, is it not?

[indistinct chatter]

When you say, "interesting"

you mean the nasty rumors

going around about Alicia,

right?

Hmm.

You know

what I don't understand?

What happened to those girls?

They used to hate Liz's guts,

you know.

It was all

they could talk about.

They always

went out of their way

to give her a hard time.

But something changed

and now they're

all crazy about her,

out of the clear blue.

Pretty strange,

don't you agree?

These things don't happen

every day.

[scoffs]

Hm.

Thank you for backing me up,

Finn.

Not sure how long

I'll be able to do it, though.

I know what you mean.

Student council's prickly.

I guess it'll be impossible

to have a normal school life

at least until Alicia returns.

They'll only be

more interested in her

when she comes back though!

[chuckles]

[CURTIS] I can't believe

you're having fun with this.

You're something else,

you know that?

[birds chirping]

[water burbling]

Hey, Mel, there's a matter

I want you to look into.

[MEL]

Could it be the Saint?

It's the Saint, isn't it?

[DUKE] There may be

some sort of method

behind her ability

to make everyone adore her.

[MEL]

Wow, that sounds fascinating!

I'm on it!

And what's more,

father has officially given me

full authority

over the matter with Roana.

Get me

more detailed information.

[MEL]

Oh, boy!

At last you-know-who

really doesn't seem so excited

about the whole thing, though.

[DUKE]

That's true.

[water splashing]

But I don't intend

to force anything.

[MEL]

Hmm, I bet this would've

gone more quickly

if she were here.

♪

Hey, Master!

Would you like me to

check on Miss Alicia as well,

while I'm at it?

-[DUKE] No.

-[MEL] Why not?

[MEL]

You're curious, aren't you?

[DUKE] I don't want anyone

who isn't me

finding out more about her.

[MEL] [laughs]

I never thought I'd see the day

when you wished you had my job!

Well, it was good to catch up.

I've gotta go do my thing now!

[Duke sighs]

Sometimes,

I do wish I were the only one

who could really know you.

[HENRI]

Here, studying that hard

must make you crave

something sweet, right?

[clears throat]

Thanks a bunch.

I remember.

Alicia said

she likes to eat macarons

to improve

the quality of her focus.

[HENRI]

That's probably just because

macarons happen to be

her favorite treat.

How much longer

can she keep this up?

She doesn't even have

any sweets to eat in there.

[GILL]

Yeah.

It's been two years now

since Alicia

started her training.

There's less than a year left

before Liz Cather graduates.

You know,

I'm actually quite surprised.

I thought she'd be back

in no time.

Never once did I imagine

all of this.

She must be struggling

to lock herself away

for so long now.

[HENRI] Well,

she is going for level 90.

It can't be that easy.

You know, when Ali turned 15,

father approached her

about her desire

to go back to the academy,

but she turned him away saying,

"I'm just now

at the good part."

Really makes you wonder

what is "the good part?"

Who knows? But it sounds

like Alicia hasn't given up yet

so, I have no plans to either.

There you are come quick!

Oh, Master Henri,

I didn't see you there!

[HENRI] It's all right.

What's this about?

[ROSETTA]

I heard that Miss Alicia

has finally

completed her training!

[gasps]

[Gill panting]

[GILL]

The barrier's gone!

Alicia!

[ALICIA]

Hello?

You're so tall now, Gill.

Uh

I wasn't sure that it was you.