Reference:   Shueisha bunko 4, 147-152 (tankoubon 7);   anime ep.35

[ The debates in Estates General continue to drag on, with no sign of compromise between the nobles and commoners.   After several confrontations, the Third Estate representatives refuse to disband by the King's order.   General Bouille orders Oscar to forcibly remove the representatives from the assembly hall.   When Oscar refuses, he places her and her men under arrest and sends off the Palace Guards instead.   With André's help, Oscar escapes from Bouille's men and takes off toward the assembly hall. ]

Oscar:	Retreat!   Retreat! Don't you dare move one step forward!
Crowd:	Brigadier Oscar François de Jarjayes!
Gerodère:	Lady Oscar ...
Oscar:	Gerodère, do you have the courage to face my sword? My fellow Palace Guards! Do you have the courage to shoot a bullet through my heart? Well, fire! If you're going to lay hands on these unarmed commoner deputies, you'll have to step over my body! Stain your shirts red with my blood! Fire!
Gerodère:	Mademoiselle ... Please sheathe your sword. How could we fire at our own Commander of the Palace Guards? How could we become such cowards and use force to subdue those unarmed men before your eyes? We will wait until the day they are armed. Until then ... Retreat!
[ Gerodère leads the Palace Guards away from the assembly hall. ]
Gerodère:	{{ Ah, you don't seem to know, do you. I'd rather face the guillotine as a traitor than see you buried in blood. My Sylphide ... }} *

* [ This part is a bit confusing because the pictures are laid out in a split frame sequence, with words floating across Gerodère's and Oscar's faces.   I can think of two possible interpretations:

1. Gerodère is contemplating over his actions as he leaves, with Oscar watching in silence.   In this case, Gerodère is the speaker.
2. Oscar is imagining what Gerodère might have said as he leaves.   In this case, Oscar is the (indirect) speaker.

In my draft translation, I chose the second interpretation and modified it to make it sound more natural (changing the pronouns to fit Oscar's viewpoint).   However, in re-reading the manga, I decided that the first interpretation was more logical.   ( -- spoiler ahead! --) In a later scene, when Oscar hears about the commoners gathering weapons, she whispers to Gerodère in her mind:   "Have you seen it, Gerodère?   The least powerful class (/Estate) has finally taken up arms."   This comment leads me to think that Oscar does not realize Gerodère's true intention.   Thus, the revised translation reflects the first interpretation. ]

 

In the manga, the scene ends with Oscar watching Gerodère ride off into the distance while thinking about his inevitable death.   The anime, however, has Gerodère whispering to Oscar that he would willingly become a traitor for her sake.   Both are equally moving, and I think it's up to a matter of personal taste which version one prefers.   The manga hints at Gerodère's inner struggle and Oscar's sadness through Oscar's reflection on the event.   On the other hand, the anime focuses directly on the romantic nature of Gerodère's action.   Yet it is unclear how Oscar feels about Gerodère in the anime, since not much is shown through her facial expressions.

For clarification, I'd like to explain Oscar's lines in the manga.   In some fairy tales (origin unknown), "sylphide" is a beautiful nymph who mesmerizes all men who see her but evades their love.   As a celestial being, she becomes a symbol of unrequited love, a love that is unattainable because of her illusory presence.

I think Ikeda is focusing on the symbolic meaning more than the literal.   A literal interpretation would assign Oscar to the role of sylphide and Gerodère to that of her suitor.   Yet that does not capture the feeling of doomed love in the fairy tale or the manga story.   I, for one, prefer a more symbolic approach:   Gerodère as a tragic figure who is about to die for love, like those men who pursue the sylphide not knowing their fated deaths.   (See the ballet Las Sylphides, or its updated version, Le Sylphide, for details).   In any case, this is a rather poignant passage, especially given that this is the last time Oscar sees Gerodère.

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