It took Utena some time to understand how apt the title of ‘Rose Bride’ was for Anthy. She was beautiful, of course, and elegantly so, as if she were a rose left alone in a delicate glass vase. Yet as the weeks passed, Anthy unraveled slowly, each intricate petal unfolding until Utena could nearly swear she finally understood the enigma of a woman.
Still, that wasn’t the whole picture. Utena didn’t see the entire image until the blades were piercing the Rose Bride’s body But of course—she had not been able to see the thorns until that very moment.