"Hey… couldn't sleep either?"

"…Hey."

Adam glanced at Clementine as she stepped onto the balcony beside him. The moonlight caught her blonde hair, making it shimmer silver against the dark fabric of her oversized shirt. She still smirked at him, but didn't say anything else as she stared at the moon.

She stayed like that for a moment, only letting her humming breath whisper from her lips.

Without a word, Clementine slid closer to him along the railing. Her shoulder almost touched his arm as she gazed out at the garden hedges below. Still, she didn't speak… so Adam didn't, either.

The two just stood there in silence. But in a way, they didn't need to speak at all.

She nudged his arm with her elbow, chuckling at Adam as he almost lost his grip on the railings. She finally opened her mouth to speak, but only a small gasp escaped it. Adam turned to meet her gaze, confused as to what she actually wanted from him.

"Did… you need something from me?" he asked quietly.

Clementine widened her eyes at Adam, and her smirk turned into another chuckle as she stepped back from the railing. And to Adam's surprise, she suddenly climbed and stood on top of the marbled fence.

Adam almost grabbed her, but quickly realized she wouldn't really be hurt at all from falling from that height.

Clementine glanced down at her and then once again looked at the moon without a word. She stretched her arms above her head, arching her back slightly. The moonlight filtered through the thin fabric of her shirt, outlining her figure in silver shadows.

Adam's eyes followed her silhouette before he realized her shirt was pulling up, and he could see the skin of her buttocks. He quickly looked away, focusing on the arc of the moon instead.

Clementine stared down at Adam again, placing her hands behind her back as she smiled at him.

"I like you, Adam."

"Oh…" Adam's eyes snapped back to her.

"I… don't really know how to—"

"Not like that," she said quickly, waving a hand. "Not romantically. I understand that now. I thought so at first, but no."

"Oh…?"

"Hmn." She turned to face him fully. "You're my friend. My first actual male friend, really. Having all this wealth and influence… It has its downsides. People want things from you. They're never just... themselves. But you…"

Clementine quietly giggled, shaking her head before sighing.

"...You've never really been anyone but yourself."

"That… is not true at all." Adam shook his head.

"You think…? You're Sylvie's first real friend, too, you know," Clementine continued. "But..."

She paused, studying his face carefully. "I think my sister might like you more than a friend. And I'm sure you know that."

"I... what?" Adam blinked. No, I had no idea."

"You're serious? You really don't see it?" Clementine burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the stone walls before she shook her head in amazement. "Mon Dieu, you're as dense her."

The laughter faded, and Clementine's expression grew serious again. She sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly.

"Are you sure you're going back?"

"Yes."

"The Hospital is dangerous, Adam. More dangerous than you realize. Louis told me exactly how big they are, how far their reach extends."

"I know they're—"

"No." Clementine interrupted him, looking him deep in the eyes. "You don't understand anything. The Hospital has many other subjects like you, Adam. Other special people they've... experimented on."

"What…?"

"Not as special as you, I'm highly sure of that. But you're not the only one they've hurt."

"I… see." Adam pressed down on the railings, looking down at his hands as he nodded. "Then you just gave me more reason to go home. If they're experimenting on people… then I need to be there to help them."

Clementine gasped softly at those words. Adam said that without any hesitation at all. He didn't even stutter.

"You know you make it easy to fall in love with you, right?" she murmured. "You say things like that, and you're not shy about it at all. At least have some decorum, Adam."

She stepped down from the railing and started walking toward the door.

"Get some rest, Adam."

"I will." Adam nodded. "But… I might take a walk later. Might be the last time I'm seeing this place."

"Oh…" Clementine's steps halted. But she didn't glance back. "Well, goodnight and enjoy your walk. I… think it would be dangerous to join you and spend more time together right now."

And with those words, she quickly made her way out into the hallway… and Alfred was there standing in the shadows.

"I will assume you did not tell our friend about the woman?" he asked.

"He'll find out eventually." Clementine's eyes narrowed at Alfred. "And besides, Alfred…

…I'm selfish."

***

"Hm…"

An hour later, Adam stepped out of his room. The castle felt different at night—older, more mysterious even. He made sure to keep his steps light, afraid he might disturb or wake up the people hiding within the walls.

Yes—after spending weeks at the estate, Adam finally realized why he couldn't see the castle's staff; they were hiding inside the walls. They had their own hallways separate from the main path.

It was… weird.

He really needed to leave. This luxury, this comfort—it was making him want to stay. He was becoming too attached to this place, to these people.

Clementine said it herself, the Hospital was dangerous.

No matter how wealthy or how influential their family was, Adam wasn't going to drag them to this path—Sylvie was even banned from landing in America because of him.

"Ha…" He sighed, shaking his head off the thoughts as he continued his supposed peaceful walk.

He studied the paintings lining the castle's wide hallways. He'd looked at them before, but tonight was the only time he truly stopped and studied them—this might be the last time he'd see them, after all.

They were incredibly fascinating to Adam. The sisters' history was all laid out for them. It… was the complete opposite for him.

He couldn't even remember the face of the doctor who took care of him and was the only one who was kind to him back at the Hospital.

And then… there were these visions flashing inside his mind.

He'd never really asked it before… but did he actually have an entire life before the Hospital?

Adam sighed again, once again shaking off the thoughts as he focused on trying to enjoy the paintings.

His eyes caught on a small plaque beneath one painting—a landscape of rolling hills under a stormy sky. And there was a quote written on the bottom right of the canvas.

"Perhaps one day, even this will be a joy to remember." It said.

Adam nodded slowly.

Perhaps, one day… it will be.

He started to walk away to another painting, then abruptly stopped.

"Hm…?" Something nagged at him. He didn't know what it was, but he turned back to the painting. His eyes scanned it again before ultimately landing back on the quote.

"What…" he muttered, taking a few steps back as he read the passage again. This time…

…in the language it was written.

"Forsan et haec olim… meminisse iuvabit."

This… wasn't French, that much he was sure of.

It was in Latin.

"...Huh?"

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