X - Richter Belmont - Tags: Torsolus"Yeah, she's family," Richter responded with a warm smile.
"You see, several years ago, Dracula was resurrected," he explained, his smile fading. "His forces wreaked havoc, raiding villages and capturing maidens. Annette was among those captured... They left her hometown of Aljiba in blazing ruins."
He gave his head a small, brief shake.
"Anyway, another one of the villages they targeted was Maria's hometown." A particular glimmer of sadness and anger appeared in his eyes. "Maria was only twelve years old at the time. Both of her parents were killed... Apparently, she tried to fight the monsters herself, but ended up being captured and brought to Dracula's castle. That's where I found her," he continued. "I rescued her on my way to save Annette and confront Dracula. She wanted to come with me and help out, actually... Apparently, she had met Annette, who told her all about me," he recalled fondly, unable to help laughing a little. "I tried to stop her, but she was so eager and insistent... I had no choice but to let her tag along. Fortunately, with her powers, she was fine. Thank goodness."
Richter breathed a near-inaudible sigh. "Anyway, after Dracula was defeated, I vowed to be Maria's protector. She came back with me and was adopted by the Belmont family, making us brother and sister," he finished, smiling once more and looking off into the distance. "I must say, she's definitely grown and matured a lot in the years since." His expression gained a more deeply thoughtful tone. "She had to embark on a very difficult quest of her own about a year or two ago. The castle ended up reappearing. I... wasn't there to help her." His voice wavered, especially at this last sentence, as if swerving around some troubling and painful details.