Violet Evergarden Volume 1/The Prisoner and the Auto Memories Doll

**The Prisoner and the Auto Memories Doll** (囚人と自動手記人形, *Shūjin to Ōto Memorīzu Dōru*?) is the fifth chapter of *Violet Evergarden Volume 1*.

## Summary

A young Violet learns about snow from her master. He tells her that snows makes color and sound disappear. When she asks if it would make all of his worries disappear if snow covered the world, he tells her that making something disappear doesn't mean solving them.

Violet goes to the Altair Detention Center to meet with her latest client. A staff member named Chaser takes her to meet with him. Chaser mentions that Violet is the basis for the protagonist for one of Oscar's latest plays. The two descend the depths of the prison until they reach the client's cell. Violet is asked to leave anything that can be used as a weapon with the guards. She gives them all the weapons hidden on her person and enters the cell.

Inside, Violet meets its prisoner and her client, Edward Jones, the most securely guarded prisoner in Altair. He asks Violet to recite his criminal record, which she does, outlining his extensive list of crimes, including committing war crimes in the Continental War, assault, rape, arson, creating a cult and killing all the members and desecrating their bodies. Only thirty minutes were given to them by the guards, so Violet wants to get started right away, but Edward wants to continue chatting. He recognizes her from a joint mission between their countries back when they were soldiers and even knows that she had abandoned her past and become an Auto Memories Doll.

As Violet continues asking him to write his letter, Edward suddenly starts banging his arms against the table and howling. He rants about how both of them had killed many people, but because his country lost, he was labeled as a war criminal. He rambles about how the members of his cult wanted to become a part of him, and so he asked them to prove it. He tells Violet that he is envious of her and talks about the things he wants to do to her. Violet wipes the blood from his hands with a handkerchief. When Edward remarks that it has been a long time since he had been touched by a girl, Violet responds that she is not what could be called a girl, but a murderer who is supposed to be in prison like him. She tells him that she hadn't forgotten about her deeds, and that she still carries weapons in her bag, which surprises him, as he assumed that she had thrown away her past.

Edward asks her many questions, including what she thinks about killing and if she thought of herself as the same as other human beings. Violet has no desire to return to the battlefield, but will obey the person who ordered her to be in her current position if he told her to. She does not understand emotions and thinks that she probably likes hurting and killing people. She admits that she is a wicked person. Edward claims that he has fallen in love with her and is overjoyed that they are so similar. Violet once again asks him who he wants to write the letter to, and he reveals that he is on death row. He tells her that he wants to write the letter to the one person he can't kill, God. He whispered into her ear and told her what he wants her to write. Just then, the timer goes off, marking the end of their time together.

Violet leaves the prison with Chaser. Just before Violet sets off in the carriage, Chaser asks her who she will mail that letter to, but Violet refuses to say. Chaser reveals that she has been listening to their conversation the whole time and asks her to throw away the letter, but Violet refuses and says that the God she and Edward will meet one day is different from the one Chaser will meet. Chaser says that she will tell God that Violet cared for her when she meets him in the future, and Violet thanks her. The carriage leaves, and Chaser shouts that she will ask Violet to write her a letter one day. Inside the carriage, Violet asks the major to give her an order.

## Characters

* Gilbert Bougainvillea (flashback)
* Violet Evergarden
* Chaser
* Oscar (mentioned)
* Edward Jones
* Gilbert Bougainvillea (mentioned)