I... guess we're both... kind of self-destructive, aren't we?

[ with richard pointing it out, the fact is fairly clear for ayaka. and while she's always known her worst habits, having them pointed out so nonchalantly by her servant adds a new layer of embarrassment to it. she threw herself into the knife out of a desperate and unnecessary desire to protect richard the same way that he let himself be turned into a pincushion by the golden servant in a feeble attempt to protect the church she was hiding in.

and what would he have done, had someone started to doubt her during that trial? would he have threatened to turn that trial into a bloodbath and destroyed every good relationship he had just to protect her?

she doesn't ask; she thinks she knows the answer. instead she leans, resting her head on richard's arm, staring ahead. ]

But I... I have to admit that I'm glad you're here. And...selfishly...I'm glad that the majority didn't vote for you. [ may those words never reach siffrin. she knows that he doesn't deserve to have died in either of their stead, nor did andrew deserve to have her life taken in response to that, but... ] I don't know what I would have done if that had happened.

[ would that have been the straw that broke the camel's back? would she have tried to sway the others' opinions on her and get them to vote for her instead or would she have shut down and watched it all happen in horror. the uncertainty of it scares her, and she can't help but be glad it never happened. ]

So thanks... for staying with me this whole time. Even if I was probably a lot of trouble sometimes.

[ richard might as well be an angel considering how much he had to take care of her. ]