#expecting Jin or Nokto to take care of them

[believaeu399]

this is kinda nsfw I think but um

Do yall think Jin and Nokto have mastered the art of pulling out? These two sleep around non stop and I’m sure they don’t want any mini versions of them running around. I know in a certain era they use something that’s almost like a condom but it’s made from an animal and I’m not sure they had it in the era that Ikepri takes place in

[romance-rambles]

concept: in an alternate universe where the three princes arrive in rhodolite after emma leaves, five years after chevalier's coronation, silvio ricci—"mr. secretly a caring brother"—decides to take a stroll around the capital to clear his mind.

he's been trying to find valerio for ages, and he'd briefly thought that maybe his brother is still in rhodolite, but for whatever reason, he can't seem to get any leads. after making the questionable decision to drink, he ends up wandering into the bustling markets of the city.

a pair of brothers catches his gaze. the older one is buying the younger one a treat—and really, they can't be too old. silvio has had little interaction with kids, but he'd guess them to be around the early teens. and it makes him think of how he was never able to do anything like that for valerio.

naturally, in the middle of cursing his brother out, he happens to hear a vaguely familiar voice professing his love for some woman named emma. he has to rub his eyes to make sure he's seeing things right and—

yup, blonde hair, blue eyes. an earring. the face of a man he loathes, though not as much as his mother.

and in front of his kneeling self—

a clearly pregnant woman who looks on, with amusement glittering in her brown eyes as she gracefully accepts the offered rose. silvio thinks he might be going insane.

"emma" then proceeds to pull him up and the lady selling flowers giggles about how wonderful it is that they're so in love. the guy from the stall next door hollers about how, since it's rio, it's to be expected.

they leave and silvio does not follow them.

what silvio does do is go back to his room in the castle and punch the wall, unable to figure out how he should feel about the fact that valerio is married with a kid on the way. one thing's for sure though:

emidio must not know.

so, silvio packs up and leaves for benitoite, and in about two years, even those in rhodolite whisper about how the second prince attempted to commit treason—and admitted, in a fit of rage, that he was the one who sent valerio to die.

(for this, the king begrudgingly thanks silvio and offers to make him king. but silvio pretends he hasn't already found valerio and vows to find him.)

then, silvio returns to rhodolite.

and finds out that the child valerio's wife was carrying was their second child, after a brat who happens to be the splitting image of valerio overhears asking about "rio" and "emma".

this kid is nothing less than a blabbermouth. within thirty minutes, silvio's aware of his history and "rio"'s too. he knows that valerio's second born is a girl, that he's disappointed that neither of his two children look like his wife, and that they'll probably not stop at two kids. he knows that the kid's name is elliott, that he's named to match the first letter of his mom's name—it's the same for his sister, who is named rhys, after his dad.

and yet, despite the fact that being armed with this seemingly useless knowledge comorts him, he's too much of a coward to try and approach valerio. after all, emidio's dead. valerio seems happier than he ever was in the benitoite's court. isn't it selfish to drag valerio back solely for silvio's pride?

(a part of him is also jealous of elliot's long list of uncles, who he suspects to be rhodolite's princes—most frequent are nokto, yves, leon, clavis, and luke. sometimes, jin and licht. chevalier, surprisingly, does ask after him and rhys, but never visits. sariel keeps tabs on them, just in case)

so he runs before his sister-in-law arrives to take elliot home.

and rinse and repeat. days bleed into weeks and he's not keen about letting them bleed into months, even if he views elliott as a "second chance."

but he doesn't have to.

valerio comes to him.

apparently, he's seen silvio hanging around his son. his wife is delighted that elliott's made a friend, even if he is older than she'd hoped for, and also a bit concerned about silvio's identity, so she wanted to invite him to dinner.

unfortunately, elliott told rio about how silvio once told him to cherish and protect his sister. he said that he couldn't protect his brother from getting hurt, and that he hopes valerio is happy.

the names are what tipped rio off.

there was other identifying information too, but rio already had his memories. the names were all he needed.

you see, he'd started having an inkling of his identity when emma was belle. he'd been pouring over some texts about benitoite and he thought some of it felt strangely familiar. but he kept those thoughts hidden because he was afraid of letting emma know. it was when emidio was arrested that his memoried fully started coming back.

[we now take a brief intermission to talk about how rio married the love of his life:

emma, whilst fretting over her uncontrollable feelings, is looking at the "engagement ring". rio comes in, and for a moment, they simply stare at each other.

then rio correctly guesses that this is something he had on him before. emma confides in him that she thinks it's an engagement ring, which causes rio to realize why she would push him away.

he tells her that he has no interest in returning home. he wanted to die, after all. it's likely nothing was waiting for him. and, if it is an engagement ring, he probably bought it because he knew he'd be meeting the love of his life soon (this makes her hit him on the shoulder). rio thinks he likely wasn't engaged at all.

this causes emma to decide that she wants to be selfish, even if it means living with that kind of guilt.

the rest is history.]

rio: "i really don't want you to meet emma...what if you fall in love with her? she's so pretty, i can see it happening."

silvio: "huh? why would—"

rio: "...but i need someone to testify that i wasn't engaged before i lost my memories. i didn't have a lover either. my wife's been holding onto this misconception, so i want to clear it up immediately."

silvio takes it for the olive branch it is. everyone and their grandmothers know that he's been searching for valerio. it's really no surprise that rio would realize his intentions.

the next night, he joins rio and his family for dinner. silvio brings flowers for emma and gifts for each of the munchkins, and for rio, he shoves a bottle of wine at him. his reddened ears don't have the luxury of returning to normal because elliott starts pointing out how his ears are super red. they have an enjoyable dinner, after which emma reintroduces herself as his sister-in-law and they confirm that they'll hold off on telling elliott, like silvio wants them to.

silvio is a coward though, so he tells elliott on literally the last day of his stay in rhodolite. elliott makes him promise to come back soon, and rio and emma, who are there to pick elliott up, reveal that they might go visit silvio instead.

[this is because someone manages to spill silvio's secret to the king. which means rio would need to establish himself to better protect his family.]

[clavissionary-position]

Ikeprinces Ranked By Birthday Candle Extinguishing Skills

*A baseline of 34 candles is used

1. CHEVALIER

You came here today hoping to see Chevalier blow out 34 candles with a single huff of his laugh. You leave here today after seeing Chevalier chuck his sword at an intruding Clavis, where the mere act of drawing said-sword produced a blade of wind so supreme that not only the candles on his cake but all candles in a 10-room radius were decimated down to their quivering wicks.

2. LUKE

You would think Luke would have no problem. He’s a Big Fuccin Lad with Big Fuccin Lungs. And you'd be right, except he gets bored during the process of you lighting 34 candles and decides he'd much rather get to work on devouring you first. Your make-out sesh lasts up until you see the still-burning near-stub shape of 34 candles out of the corner of your eye. At which point Luke does the whole snuffing-a-flame-out-with-one's-fingers thing except it's 34 candles versus his gigantic fist.

3. JIN

You’ve set the cake down in front of him; he’s distracting you with playful acts of misplaced hands and roaming lips; you're both chatting, laughing, and somewhere amidst that revelry he leans over and takes all 34 spirited flames out with little more than a casual exhale. The candles are in the way now, and you two happily work them off the cake before putting the dessert to more stimulating use.

4. SARIEL

Your unwavering faith in him in the face of this celebratory sea of fire is enough to marshal the air in his lungs out through his bewitching, decadently puckered lips. Not that the candles wouldn't have already voluntarily noped off the cake in perfect rank-and-file regardless of your presence, but you being here today makes Sariel lean into mischief. (Candle POV: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY—*cut off by static*)

5. YVES

He trips while carrying the cake and the candles put themselves out. That's what the preliminary report written by an anti-Obsidian palace minister says, anyway. In reality, Yves strategically and deftly rearranges the candles before you light them. The new formation is much easier to take down with minimal exertion. The most touching moment is not when he takes out all the candles at once, but when he sits back, satisfied, chest puffed out while his eyes are wide with disbelief that he’s actually able to get something right.

6. RIO

Rio can do anything he sets his mind to if you set his mind onto it first. When you surprise him with the cake, he clearly reads the expectation in your glittering gaze. He knows you don’t care if he can take out all the candles in one go or not, but he still has his pride. He pulls his chair closer to the cake before giving you that charming, blue sky of a smile and holding both your hands under the table. At the end of a simple countdown that he gives himself, he wipes all the flames across the board so spectacularly that you feel as though you’ve witnessed a magic trick.

7. LICHT

He blows out 33 but the final candle refuses to yield. Palms on either side of the cake now, Licht leans in, his brow set into a stern line. He draws a deep breath while eyeing you to make sure you're a safe distance away. You don’t see him exchange that fleeting, somber glance with Nokto. It is the hidden conversation of wombmates: if something happens to Licht, Nokto is to look after you. After making peace with his fate, Licht squares his shoulders, zeroes in on the remaining candle, and puckers his lips...

8. NOKTO

He blows out more than half, presumably exhausting his skills, before spontaneously refusing to extinguish the rest unless you do him a favor in return. Apparently this favor has nothing to do with giving him a kiss or letting him get handsy with you because he’s already doing that as he presents the deal. Stripping? You two were naked to begin with. So what is it then? When you ask Nokto to elaborate, he pins you to the bed and asks if you’ll replace the candles with carrots because that would make things a whole lot easier for him. You follow-up with the perfectly valid point of “blowing out burning carrots means you’re rescuing them.” A point which Nokto begrudgingly accepts before quickly blowing out the rest of the candles so he can bury himself inside you.

9. LEON

34 candles is no problem for him, but he would much rather intentionally draw the process out and extinguish only a handful at a time. Poor Leon, he's having suuuuch a tough time of it. You’ll help out, won't you? Sit on his lap while you work together? This cake business is really digging into his private time with you. Wouldn’t it be better to just leave it for now and… He grins at your insistence, suddenly walking off, but coming back behind you and surprising you so astoundingly that your yelp extinguishes the rest of the candles before being cut off by a whirlwind kiss.

10. KEITH

He is absolutely determined not to let his alter switch in for this. If he can't do something as simple as blow out 34 birthday candles then what hope does he have of looking かっこいい in your eyes? After several minutes of tense discussion, both Keiths arrive at an agreement to let Shy Keith have 50 attempts to get it right before Wicked Keith steps in to save the birthday. Of course you’re fully aware that the only reason such a ridiculous margin would be offered is if a certain someone had no intention of interfering in the first place. Nevertheless it takes Shy Keith 49 tries to get every single candle in one go, just as he’s always dreamed. Like a tiny supernova in the darkness of the greenhouse. Before a couple of nearby plants catch fire.

11. SILVIO

He blows all 34 candles out in one flashy exhale, and all 34 candles instantly revive in one sassy flicker. He glares at you, then, as if you and the candles and Rio are conspiring together. But the truth is he's just embarrassed and mad at himself for looking like such a loser in front of you. Carlo gets ordered to produce a second cake with more agreeable candles. You snap at Silvio about wasting a perfectly good cake. You try not to be grumpy about it for the duration of the party, but it’s hard to stay mad when the first cake reappears in your shared bedroom later with a very different fate in store for it… "Dammit, do I gotta spell it out!? I'm sayin' I need you to blow the damn candles out for me first!"

12. GILBERT

He could resort to a simple stage trick to avoid exerting himself at all if he so wanted, but instead he refuses to engage with the candles altogether in favor of casually threatening you to do it for him. When you childishly complain that his birthday wish won’t come true like this, he gently cups your face and assures you that your wish is more than enough to count for his (while also being conducive to the world’s continued existence).

13. CLAVIS

It’s like a music box. Or a self-playing piano. Each syllable of his infamous laughter triggers a subset of the candles to go out. When all is said and done, you push the birthday hellcat aside to investigate, but to your surprise, the candles are totally legita… no they’re not. And why do they smell like that!? Clavis wraps an arm around your waist to give you a tour of how his miraculous candles work… and how edible they are, down to the wick. He gets last-place for using his own materials but first-place for showmanship and inventing edible flammable non-toxic candles in the medieval age.

[scorchieart]

⬥◇◆ Clothes Shopping with the Ikeprinces ◆◇⬥

With Act 3 and Silvio's route just around the corner, let's slow down, take a step back, and remember how we all ended up in here. Particularly, how we all ended up in these clothes.

Silvio’s Dubious Preorder ◆◇⬥

*the front door to the clothes shop opens in the middle of the night*

Shopkeeper: Who’s there?

Silvio: Your worst nightmare…

*Silvio drops a heavy bag of coins in the shopkeeper's hands*

Silvio: And your salvation.

Shopkeeper: What?

Silvio: Listen closely, tailor. Tomorrow you will be visited by a pathetic pack of princes with questionable fashion sense. They are in search of new outfits to wear for the upcoming story arc and have chosen your lousy shop as their genius loci. Lucky you.

Shopkeeper: …What?

Silvio: I’ll be in attendance as well, but I’m only interested in an outfit that’ll blow everyone else’s out of the water, so I’ll mostly be observing from the sides. All you gotta do is keep those other guys occupied and catch all the notes I send your way. You’re an experienced man, you’ll know when I’m dropping you a hint. But no one else needs to know about our little deal, capisce? 

*Silvio pats the coin bag and leaves. Shopkeeper puts on glasses and cleans out his ears*

Shopkeeper: WHAT?

⬥◇◆THE NEXT DAY ◆◇⬥

Judge Yves, Round 1 ◆◇⬥

Yves: As members of Rhodolite’s domestic faction, we are the pillars our citizens look towards to represent the values our kingdom instills in art, culture, and conduct. The outfits we select today must not only reflect the propriety expected of the royal family, but also that of our people for generations to follow.

Yves: Jin! Button your shirt all the way up right this moment!

Jin: You can’t cage the collarbones, Yves!

Yves: Leon! Too much detailing will overwhelm your conversation partners! You look like you’re drowning in gold.

Leon: But you’re talking to me just fine now?

Yves: Licht! You look wonderful, of course. But if I had to nitpick, the white on your lapels clashes with your black jacket. Try wearing more color, you don’t want to look like a walking chessboard.

*Sariel slowly backs into the dressing room*

Nokto Seeing Double ◆◇⬥

Nokto: No, this blue vest doesn’t bring out my eyes quite right.

*hands vest over to Licht. Licht tries it on*

Nokto: Hm… and these tassels make my face look too narrow.

*hands shoulder pads over to Licht. Licht tries them on*

Nokto: And these black gloves clash horribly with my hair, what was I thinking?

*hands gloves over to Licht. Licht tries them on*

Nokto: You look great, Licht. Ugh, nothing in this entire store works for me!

*a bag of coins flies across the store*

Silvio: Tailor! No vests, tassels, or gloves!

Judge Yves, Round 2 ◆◇⬥

Yves: Ahem! I’m only doing this because you four are an extension of Rhodolite beyond the borders, and I don’t want you messing up our image in front of our neighbors. It’s not like I particularly care how you dress everyday!

Nokto: Aww, Evie, you care~

Yves: Shut it! Ahem! For starters, the white theme you all have is a very nice choice. It’s a good idea to set up a visual indicator to let others know you’re working as a team.

Clavis: Oh, that wasn’t intentional. This humble shop is simply fortunate enough to have had enough pieces for each of us. Otherwise, these poor white coats would have been prematurely stained red! Hahaha!

Yves: Wha—?

Clavis: With strawberry jam, of course! Chev gets particularly pouty when someone wears white instead of him. I wouldn’t put it past him to “accidentally” sully that poor someone’s outfit with his toast.

Luke: That’s why I eat mine with honey instead!

Yves: No, that’s why we eat breakfast before we leave the palace! 

*Yves swipes the toast from Chevalier and Luke*

Yves: Luke! If you’re going to wear white, you can’t carry honeyed toast in your pockets!

Yves: Clavis! If you’re going to wear a coat over a jacket again, at least make them match in style this time!

Yves: Nokto! If you’re not going to button your vest all the way, you have to wear a shirt underneath!

*Chevalier covers his chest and slowly backs into the dressing room*

Small Talk Sariel ◆◇⬥

*In a quiet corner of the store, Keith looks over himself in the mirror. Sariel notices and joins him*

Sariel: Ah, a modest choice, Prince Keith. Were you to show Prince Yves, I am certain he would impart nothing but praise.

Keith: 🙂

Sariel: Modesty is, of course, cornerstone for a prince to emblem. Although, with our continent so rife with rowdy royals, one would not want to appear too humble, lest he be trampled by his more verbally-inclined peers.

Keith: 😐

Sariel: But too loud a statement piece would have a similar effect of disfavor among colleagues. One would not want to appear too brash in company of those whose opinions matter.

Keith: 😟

Sariel: Finding that sweet spot in the middle is crucial to deduce, and this is the moment to do it. Tell me, Prince Keith, is this the outfit you wish to present to the world in the next act?

Keith: Excuse me, I seem to have misplaced something in the dressing room.

*another bag of coins flies across the store*

Silvio: Make it loud, tailor!

Multi-talented and Multi-purpose Luke ◆◇⬥

Luke: Hey, Yves! How about this? I keep the lid open just enough to stick a spoon in like this, and my pockets get to stay completely… Hey, you okay?

*Yves blushes in surprise*

Yves: Yes, yes! Why wouldn’t I be?

Luke: Well, you’ve been standing by the hair accessories for a long time now.

Yves: Because there’s no one else here. I need rest from evaluating all your outfits, obviously.

*Luke puts down the honey jar*

Luke: Hey, close your eyes for a bit.

Yves: What for?

Luke: Just trust me. Besides, you said you wanted to rest, right?

*5 minutes later*

Luke: Tada! Whaddya think?

Yves: How did you…?

Luke: My sister used to make me braid her hair all the time. I’d say I’m pretty good at it, eh?

*Yves blushes in joy*

Yves: Thank you. But how did you manage to keep it in place? You didn’t use any clips or anything.

Luke: Oh, that’s ‘cause I packed it tight with honey. It oughta keep its shape all week, plus it’s good for the scalp. Bonus!

*Yves blushes in rage*

Life Lessons with Big Brother Jin ◆◇⬥

Jin: Hey, Chevalier. Come try this cloak on, it’ll help cover your…

*Chevalier quickly wipes his mouth and hides his hands behind his back*

Jin: …

Chevalier: …

Jin: Chev…

Chevalier: I was merely inspecting them for poisons.

Jin: Come on, big guy. We’ve been through this.

Chevalier: The showoff apprehended my toast. 

Jin: You can’t eat the roses.

Chevalier: …

Jin: …

Chevalier: The yellow ones taste best.

Jin: So you’ve told me.

*yet another bag of coins flies across the store*

Silvio: Bring me the juiciest rose you have! I know you’re keeping it from me!

Gilbert’s Infinite Hyperspace ◆◇⬥

Gilbert: Are you sure the shopkeeper won’t mind you making alterations to his designs?

Clavis: That wonderful man doesn’t need to worry about a single hair on his rapidly balding head! I won’t be defiling his style because all the additions I’m making will be completely hidden from sight.

Gilbert: How like you to run your dirty work in the shadows. Such fun.

Clavis: I wouldn’t use that particular arrangement of words to describe it, per se. But considering Sariel has egregiously forbidden me from purchasing more than one belt today, I am forced to improvise my carry-on capabilities.

Gilbert: Ah, pockets! How very fun, indeed!

Clavis: Not just any pockets! Secret pockets! And just look at this enormous canvas I have to work with! Only… my hands were full on the way over here carrying Chevalier’s breakfast, so I wasn’t able to bring much of my usual tools to measure. I don’t like leaving the palace without at least a net or two on hand.

Gilbert: You can borrow mine!

*Gilbert produces a large fish net out of thin air*

Clavis: How fortunate, this will work nicely! I do wish I could have brought my trusty shovel with me, though. 

Gilbert: Regular or extra large?

*Gilbert produces two digging shovels out of thin air*

Clavis: Ah... R-regular is fine…

Gilbert: Anything else?

Clavis: You’ve been plenty helpful, I couldn’t impose—

Gilbert: No need to be shy. You still have plenty of space to work with, I see. 

Clavis: …

Gilbert: Try me.

Clavis: …Well, I do like to be armed with more than just my sword—

Gilbert: How about this?

*Gilbert produces a hatchet out of thin air*

Clavis: … Thank you.

Gilbert: What are friends for?

*Gilbert claps his hands, taps his cane twice, and pulls a tiny comb out of the heel of his boot. He combs Clavis’s hair out of his eyes and walks away smiling as the largest bag of coins yet flies across the store*

Silvio: Secret pockets! But don’t tell anyone where they are, you hear? Not even me!

Doggy See, Doggy Do ◆◇⬥

Leon: Find anything you like, Rio?

Rio: Lots! But I’m just not sure she’d like them, too.

Leon: Why not show me what you got so far? I may not be Yves or Sariel, but I’ll bet I can point out a stinker in the mix.

Rio: Okay then. What do you think of this gilded vest?

Leon: Awesome! The color matches your eyes perfectly. That’s good… I think?

*Coin bag toss #1*

Silvio: Tailor! Look into my eyes and get me a jacket that matches them perfectly! No, not a vest! We said no vests!

Rio: Huh, that was weird. Anyway, what about this broach?

Leon: She’d love it! The looped design brings out the curves of your smile just right. That kind of attention to detail is probably really important.

*Coin bag toss #2*

Silvio: Tailor! Bring me your loopiest jewelry! The more hoops, the better!

Rio: Did you hear something? Ah, nevermind. Do you think I should go with one earring or two?

Leon: Hmm… Yves rocks the one earring look—

*Coin bag toss #3*

Silvio: Tailor! I want your gaudiest single earring in my palm right this second!

Leon: —but earrings are supposed to come in pairs, right? So maybe two would be fine. For symmetry, and all that.

*Coin bag toss #4*

Silvio: Make that two!

Leon: Sorry, I’m not too sure, to be honest.

*Rio knowingly smirks*

Rio: Your advice is great, Prince Leon. Tell me, what do you think of these snow boots?

Leon: Well, it’s not exactly winter. But they’re really a statement piece, and she might appreciate a good conversation starter.

*Coin bag toss #5*

Silvio: I need the furriest boots you’ve got in this place, pronto!

Rio: And this zebra-print cloak?

Leon: Chevalier looks good in tiger stripes. I guess that’s basically the same thing.

*Coin bag toss #6*

Silvio: Where do you keep the darn striped fabrics, old man?

Rio: Great! What’s your opinion on oversized hats?

Leon: Uhh… go big or go home?

*Coin bag toss #7*

Silvio: GO BIG OR GO HOME!!

Leon: Hey, Rio, do you hear an echo?

Rio: Nope. Just the sound of a nation’s GDP falling.

I wanted to add a joke about their gloves, but this post is getting way out of hand, even without puns.

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If you would like to be added or removed from my tag list, please send me an ask or a message.

[aquagirl1978]

Hello I believe requests are open if not you can throw this ask away! I was wondering if you would be able to do hc of the princes as Dads(mainly Clavis and Chev or anyone else you wan to do) I feel like they would be all so adorable 🥰

Thank you for this request - with Father's Day approaching, it feels appropriate to write some Dad headcanons.

IKEMEN PRINCE HEADCANONS - PRINCES AS DADS

Jin Grandet

Jin is a caring dad. As the oldest brother, Jin already has experience being the mature one of the group, the one keeping an eagle's eye on everyone else. When he became a father himself, he was overjoyed, his heart overflowing with love for his new child. The pair are often spotted together, walking hand in hand.

Chevalier Michel

Chevalier is a reluctant dad. In the past, he would have said having children is a royal obligation - and not one he was particularly interested in. But seeing you around children has changed his opinion. Having no experience with parental love himself, he had no choice but to look to you to follow your cues in raising this child. He watches how you hold this small human who bears the same hair and eyes as he, and he mimics you best he can. Over time, he becomes quite the capable parent, but if asked, he will always say that you do it best.

Clavis Lelouch

Clavis is a joyful dad. Plagued with insecuties, Clavis never thought he'd find someone who loved him as much as he loved them. But then you came into his life, and not only loved him, but created a family filled with love. Clavis has a large family army of Lelouchians. During the day, he teaches his children the ways of perfecting the Lelouchian trap, and at night, he shares in the bedtime routine of telling nighttime stories. The kids' favorite story? Well, that would be the one about Sariel and the day of a thousand rats.

Leon Dompteur

Leon is a proud dad. Leon still remembers the day you told him the wonderful news that he would be a dad. A family of his very own, of his own blood. It was almost too overwhelming for him. And the day he met his firstborn, well, that was the best day ever. Leon waited maybe a week before bringing his baby to work with him. Leon said it was because he wanted to give you some time to rest, but really, he wanted to show his baby off to his brothers.

Yves Kloss

Yves is a doting dad. Move over, Licht. Yves has a new bundle of joy to shower with love and attention. Don't worry, Yves still adores Licht and Licht is secretly happy to not have so much attention showered upon him. Yves celebrates every milestone with an extravagant tea party. Baby's first steps? Cake and cookies - it doesn't matter that the baby can't eat yet. Yves takes every moment he can to celebrate this precious child of his and let them know just how much he loves them - for who they are.

Licht Klein

Licht is a protective dad. He never wanted to be a father - given his childhood, who could blame him? But after falling in love with you and allowing light to shine in his life, he wasn't quite ready when you told him you were expecting. Thankful it wasn't twins, Licht loves his child as much as he can. And he does what he does best - protect. When his child is afraid of the dark, he first does a sweep of the room to make sure no monsters are lurking and then stays by their side all night. When they fall and scrape their knee, Licht is there to bandage it and kiss it to make them feel better.

Nokto Klein

Nokto is a tentative dad. Like Licht, Nokto didn't want to be a parent. He was too afraid he'd screw things up. When you told him he was to be a dad, boy, was he nervous. And when you delivered twins, Nokto was besides himself. But because of you and your reassurance, reminding him what a good man he is and how much love he has to give, Nokto crept out of his shell and allowed himself to fall in love with these two little babies. Nokto was known around the palace as a master negotiator, and no one could outfox him - except for his children.

Luke Randolph

Luke is a strong dad. Being raised by Gilbert strengthened Luke in many ways, not just physically. As Luke can handle Gilbert and stand up to him, Luke teaches his children this inner strength. No one bullies Luke's kids at school - not just because their dad is the biggest and strongest, but because they know how to stand up for themselves.

[judesmoonbeauty]

Licht Klein Act 2 - Chapter 1 Summary

Not 100% accurate. Cybird owns everything. This is a summary only. Expect grammatical errors.

I'm finally getting around to this. I'm not going to rush though, so please be patient.🐺

The chapter opens with the single rose that in the glass jar in the middle of the garden that symbolizes the love of Licht & Emma. There are flashbacks of Licht's romantic route CG, and their engagement ceremony. Licht promises to make her happy even though their love will come with pain. The more the light of their happiness grows, so does the depth of the shadows of their love. They both choose to ignore this and remain in their blissful dream.

Licht runs into Nokto in the corridor. It's the middle of the night and Nokto is worried by how much sweat Licht is drenched in. Licht says it's no biggie and Nokto calls him a liar. Nokto tosses a burlap sack to him. It's drugs that Nokto got from Jade. They are controlled and he even fudged the books so no one finds out that he obtained them – especially Sariel – because let's face it like Licht says: He'd be more than pissed. It's a powder that Licht is skilled at taking and he downs it in front of Nokto. Licht is about to down another when Nokto stops him because it's a stronger dose than normal. Nokto says that he is getting worse by the day and asks if he dreams about their mother that much.

Licht says no, it's a more terrifying dream than that. Nokto is still squeezing his hand and grips it more tightly, much so that Licht's face contorts. He asks why Licht is the only one who gets this way, and says that Licht should be happy already. Licht tells Nokto not to get him twisted because ever since he's met Emma he is happy everyday. Nokto is confused by this. They stare at each other trying to find the right words until Licht says that this isn't like Nokto, and Nokto agrees releasing his brother.

Like none of their exchange just happened, Nokto asks how Licht going to hide it when he leaves Court? Licht says he isn't sure because Emma is sharp as a tack, but he'll figure it out. Nokto hands him one more thing – a book. A diplomacy manual that's packed with fine print. Nokto mentions Licht sucks at diplomacy at Licht admits its true. Emma will be handling the diplomacy and Licht will be the escort, which Licht thinks isn't cool. He asks why Nokto is being so nice, and Nokto says he'll take the book back. Licht is like: Just kidding, thanks. Nokto tells him to bring back souvenirs, and he says that he heard a rumor via Silvio about the country he is to visit, and tells Licht to be careful.

Emma's transition from commoner to royal fiance is a busy one. Classes all day long, but because of the abolition of Clause 99 she can see Licht everyday. Then one day, Licht surprises Emma with their very own villa. He's finally built her their home that he promised her in a previous event. He hates that there are so many things that keep them a part and he wants to keep her for himself as much as he can.

He places the blame mostly on Jin, Clavis and Leon for always taking him to drinking parties he doesn't want to go to, traps, and so on. It seems they're doing whatever they can to be close to Licht. (Cuuuuute).

He gives her a key to the villa and they go inside. He brought in the bare necessities, but wants Emma to furnish it fully. He kisses her sweetly at first, but then pries her mouth open with his fingers and delves deeper with his tongue. They slowly lose themselves in the kiss, until their lips part with a silver strand of saliva still connecting them. If it were nighttime Emma thinks that she would've begged for more. She mentions to him that it's a shame that they won't be able to come to the villa again for a while since they will be going to Tanzanite.

Flashback to a few days prior, Leon calls Licht and Emma to the throne room. Since they are teaming up with Obsidian. In exchange for a military alliance/protection and some advanced technology, Rhodolite agrees to cooperate in trying to obtain information on the alliance between Ruby, Achroite, and Tanzanite.

Gilbert had personally made his way to Rhodolite to ask for their cooperation. To respond in kind, Leon, Chevalier and Yves traveled to Obsidian. Leon plans to send Licht to the most dangerous country. Which Licht thinks he is referring to Ruby – which is overrun by civil wars. But Leon says it's Tanzanite. Leon is sending Licht because no one knows what is going on in Tanzanite, but it's easily accessible due to it's large tourism industry. Licht mentions there is a clear boundary between the common people and the royal family as they are known as, “messengers of God.” Leon is impressed that Licht has done his research as he doesn't usually care about what goes on in other countries.

It seems a painting that contained a certain place that a certain person used to talk about all the time to Licht sparked his interest in the past. The picture contained the desert. Emma started to look for clues about that place and eventually she finds out the person who talked about it was from Tanzanite. Licht says that it is a strong possibility as they welcome dancers and singers of all sorts there, and his mother was a songstress. And it was his mother who told him about it.

Leon mentions that if Obsidian is having trouble obtaining information then someone is concealing it very well. Emma and Licht agree to go despite the danger.

Back to the present – Licht sits on the bed with Emma and combs her hair. He tells her that he brought her there because they will be gone for a while. He promises to protect her, and hugs her. He tells her:

“I won't let anyone.....take you away from me.”

Fast forward a bit and they are at Tanzanite via the Benitoitian sea route, and they notice that they market is a lively place. Emma is wide-eyed like a child and Licht thinks she's cute. However, many people have been staring and whispering about Licht and the color of his hair. Licht grabs her hand because it's packed with people and drags her to the middle of the square. There is literally a large statue of Azel in the middle of the square.

Emma wonders if it is of someone who is famous in Tanzanite and then she walks up to it because the face looks familiar, but can't quite put her finger on where. Licht is literally jelly of the statue and pulls her back to him. Emma kisses him out of his childishness.

[Next] [Master List]

[quen12]

Nokto Klein Alternative Route Part 1

Okay, I’m not a good writer and there might be mistakes. But while reading Nokto route I wondered what if in the first chapter Emma and Nokto sleep together and she ends up pregnant. Everything in route happens only difference is Emma is pregnant without knowing so I skipped writing some of parts that happen in route such as the pretend fiancée in Benitoite and the part we’re she and Nokto connected by reading books late at night. This a fan fiction like “What if”. Tell me if you would like a part two

I actually wanted to change Liana hair to brown so she looks like Emma but I don’t know how.

Lucian. Liana

After Emma wakes up and finds herself in Nokto's room with a throbbing headache and naked with only the sheets to cover her up. She panics it is just the first day of her being Belle and she ends up sleeping with one of the Princes. While she tries to remember what happened last night, she realizes Nokto looking at her with a devilish smile. He tells her just right after I warned you not to go home alone with anyone, you cling to me and won't let go I didn't know you were so feisty while drunk. Emma then remembers they went to a party and danced and she drank something that was supposed to be water but was alcohol that was strong and shattered all her responsibility. She remembers how she became when she was drunk and vowed not to drink again after realizing what she had done. Nokto tells her he tried to be mindful of people so there wouldn't be a rumor but it didn't work out and everyone saw him carrying her to his room. Emma panics and gets frustrated more, she leaps out of the bed quickly puts on her clothes, and leaves while Nokto laughs. She goes to Sariel's office and as soon she enters she sees his devilish smile like he was expecting her. “I warned you to be careful after all these Prince are beasts in disguise, sadly the Fox isn't very easy to slide off” and “Also I hope you haven't forgotten clause 99” Clause 99 what was that? she thinks of the form she signed as Belle, it was a hectic day and she couldn't go through all the clause, she had forgotten to look over them as soon she got the free time. Sariel adds “I hope you read the clause well before signing your name, or do we need a test clause” “Me who loves books to not read the form no what is going on of course I remember” Emma gives a nervous smile making a note in her head to check over the form again as soon she out of the devil lair. Sariel informs her he has arranged for her to dine with the princes and right now Leon's fraction should be there. So she should go get to know all the princes well, and as the days go by three weeks have passed since that night. Emma has been dining with princes sometimes Clavis and Luke, Nokto are there. As the morning of the third week Emma has become Belle, she wakes up tired and sluggish as she forces herself to go dine with the princes. She enters late and Yves comments “You dare show up late and make us wait!” Licht “Yves stop screaming it’s 7 am”. Leon gives his friendly smile as he looks over at Emma and then at his little brothers and Jin teases Yves “Aww how thoughtful my brother is he is mad cause the food has gotten cold since you took a while to come. Yves pouts as he goes back to elegantly eating and Licht glances at Emma for 1 second only to go back to his food. Emma takes a seat as she smells the eggs and her stomach takes a turn she runs out of the room to puke, as the Prince worriedly glances at her. Passing by Rio who worriedly follows her, he opens the door to hear the sound of water running “Emma are you okay? Are you sick? Are you fine?”. Emma tells Rio to calm down she has just been a little out of the weather, but with a little tea, everything will be fine. Rio then rushes to get the tea prepared for Emma, as she sits on the bed thinking of the symptoms she’s been feeling after a while she comes to a realization and puts her hand on her stomach and off as soon she hears the door opening. Nokto walks inside and informs her thaSariel want them in his office. As there walking Nokto glances at Emma realizing she’s paler then usual, they finally made it to Sariel office were he informs them there gonna have a pretend Engament to convince the other alliance. As Emma asks Sariel if she can have a day off he allows it and tell them to leave the office he’s busy. As the Emma day off approaches she leaves the palace and goes into a dark alley we’re she buys a cape to cover her as she goes in deeper to a vacant area we’re she finally finds a underground doctor. She enter the building the doctor appears with weird mismatched clothing’s and messy hair and big glasses “I take it your here to do an examination?”

“Yes, and everything disclosed here is secret”

The doctor smiles and replies “That’s what an underground doctor does. Shall we”

Emma is taken to the back room and told to lie on her back and lift her shirt. As the doctor scans her stomach.

“Congratulations, your with child”

“Oh, look at that there is a heartbeat, would you like to hear it ?”

Emma thoughts were all over the place her, she could almost hear her heartbeat. She discovered the 99 Clause the day Sariel told them about the engagement party.

99 Clause “Once the selection process is concluded, Belle is forbidden from having any further contact with the chosen king in any capacity”

She nodded to the doctor, she couldn’t help it

As she heard the heartbeat of her child her tears won’t stop falling.

[askjingrandet]

yo jin, i have a question that got me thinking 24/7...

can you tell me the difference between you and nokto on the way you both handle women? the way y'all flirt with them? the way y'all sleep with them? also like nokto, do you also woo women to gather information from them? if not, how differently do you both do be in charge of information (or should i call it negotiation-).

another question is that, what is your relationship with nokto? since...i never really seen y'all directly interact to each other despite both of you being WOMANIZERS. (if y'all did please lmk 🥹🙏🏼).

please answer them when you're free, if you want 😅

take care of yourself 💟.

Hey there Anon, this is a really great question!

I can tell you right off that bat that I've never managed to piss any woman off even a quarter as bad as Nokto has. Actually I can't think of anyone who can piss a woman off as much as @asknoktoklein can, even @asksilvioricci isn't that bad.

You're right in thinking that Nokto and I have very different approaches to women and that comes down to our personalities and natural skills.

For myself (and Luke) I'm what you'd call a natural born charmer. It's not something I worked on or learned at all it comes so naturally to me there are times I don't even realise I'm doing it, and between you and me that got me into trouble more than once when I was younger. As I grew up and gained more experience I learned how to manipulate it better but even then it's still something I fully control or as I said am aware of.

Nokto well he's really sly and cunning and he's great at reading people so he naturally uses those skills when it comes to seducing and flirting with women. With just the tiniest bit of knowledge about a woman he can weave an unbelievable tale around her that speaks to everything she desires and make her swoon.

Now a big difference between Nokto and I is also why I never have any women angry at me (especially since I made my rules) but it's that Nokto doesn't care about lying to the women he seduces. He'll tell them whatever he needs to to get what he wants from them and that causes him a lot of headaches. He's got a bad of habit of leading them on or stringing women along with the things he says and when they find out he has no intention of living up to it well. Thing is he's so damn clever at it that when pushed these ladies can't see he promised them anything concrete because he never does, it's always inference and innuendo with Nokto but what can you expect from a fox *shoulder shrug*.

Speaking as his big brother I'm not totally happy about the way he does things and one of these days he's gonna get himself into a mess he can't get out of but that'll be his problem. I know he's really hurt from the stuff he went through, hell we all are in different ways, and I hope he can clean his act up a bit before it's too late. He really is a sweet kid at heart who deserves something good in his life.

As for using women for information well there's different ways to go about that too. There have been a few professional ladies I've used my charms on to get information out of but they play just as may games as Nokto and I do so they know what they're getting into. As for gathering information from the non professional ladies if I think a bit of flirting and sweet words will get em talking sure I'll take advantage of that. In either case I won't compromise on my rules though but that's never hindered me so far.

As for your question about Nokto and I and how we get along we get along fine actually. It's true we don't spend a lot of time together but that's because we're so busy with our duties and 'hobbies' that we just don't have a lot of free time at the same time. We have enough in common that we can have a good laugh or conversation and we definitely have some fun together from time to time. I hope this answered all your questions anon but if not feel free to reach out again anytime.

[viatagrinner]

Keith Howell. Tell me what you like. Epilogue

Chapter 1-2

Chapter 3. Sweet End

Chapter 3. Premium End

The day after MC found out what Keith liked about her, the "self-proclaimed Cupid of Love" approached her.

Clavis: Have I been a good cupid to you?

MC: Yes, thank you for that.

The girl thought she'd better go along with "Cupid" or he'll come up with something else.

Clavis: Lord Keith likes you more than I thought he would.

Clavis: I'm not the type to play with girls like Nokto and Jin. It's just that you're a woman who suits my taste.

MC: ......I'm so happy, hahaha...

Clavis: So be careful, okay?

The atmosphere has changed a little bit.

Clavis: I'm not going to stop your romance with another country's prince.

Clavis: But unless you intend to gain the prince's favor, I recommend you step back now.

Clavis: It's wise to draw the line at the "might fall in love" stage.

It became clear that "Cupid" didn't make them fall in love.

(You warned me not to stop.)

Clavis: Of course, it's different if you're ready for anything, right?

Clavis, indeed, worries.

(I like Prince Keith.)

But he and Keith have different social status, different countries, etc.

???: Mr. Clavis, what are you talking to Miss MC about?

Clavis: Ha ha, no, I was just worried that Lord Keith was bringing my MC to tears.

Keith: Uh... What did I do to you?

MC: ...No, no, nothing.

Keith: That's good. I feel relieved.

The prince put his arm around the girl's shoulders. And he did it in front of Clavis.

She turned around and looked up and there was a evil* smile on his face.

*This is what mean Keith's "evil smile" looks like.

The girl realized it was the evil Keith.

Keith: Well, MC. Do you have time for me later?

Keith: You were interested in the history of Jade yesterday, weren't you?

Keith wanted to give the book to MC.

(His eyes say .... "Follow me.")

Keith took MC's hand while Clavis looked at them in surprise.

Keith: Mr. Clavis, can I take Miss MC with me?

Clavis: Oh, there's nothing I can do to stop you, is there? However...

Clavis: Lord Keith, please be nice to MC, okay...?

Keith: Oh, sure. Miss MC is also a woman you hold dear.

Keith: I'll be honest and polite with her.

━━━━━━━༻❀✿❀༺━━━━━━━

Empty room

She realized that she wasn't here to get a history book.

MC: What do you want from me?

She looks at her and Keith's intertwined hands.

Keith: It would be dangerous to be alone with a man in such a deserted place, wouldn't it?

MC: Right now....

Keith: Sure, isn't it dangerous?

Keith: No. I brought you here to teach you that all humans are animals, right?

The prince pulled her by the arm and pushed her against the nearest wall.

Every time she felt Keith's warmth and smell and breath, her heart rate increased.

MC: Don't be mean.

Keith: Didn't the merry rascal warn you?

MC: ....Did you hear us?

Keith: No? It's just that the man seemed wary of me.

Keith thinks that Clavis invented "Cupid" to find out Keith's true intentions.

(Sharp... I don't think I can fool him now.)

Keith raises his angle, as if he took my silence as a sign of approval.

Keith: I didn't know he was going to give you that kind of advice......

Keith: You like him?*

*Question about gentle Keith.

MC: ...I do...

MC: But that's not what I meant!

Keith: ...Okay. You're not falling in love with him, are you?

MC: Yes, I know that ...

Keith's finger touched the girl's lips.... Then he brought the finger to his lips.

The girl understood the situation and quickly blushed.

Keith: You're my favorite, aren't you? It's no fun if you fall in love with him.

MC: ........

Keith: Ah....This face.

Keith: As expected, I like you when you look like you're about to be eaten.

(Why do you do things that make me think about it!)

A girl wants her heart to settle down.

Keith: Your face now......Isn't it funny to see how he'll react when he sees this?

Mean Keith moves away from the girl and......

Gentle Keith appears.

Keith: .....Ah, what... That's...

From meanness to panic and confusion.

MC realized it was a gentle Keith.

The prince bounced back.

Keith: I'm sorry! I did something rude!

MC: No! Nothing happened...

Flashback to More Love with the Beast:

Mean Keith: Don't tell him about me. I want it to be a secret between you and me.

Flashback is over.

She'll pretend she didn't notice anything.

Keith: Really...But your face is red.

MC: It's imagination!

Keith: .............

Keith: ......Really, nothing happened?

MC: .......There may have been a minor misunderstanding, but nothing more than that.

(I'll keep quiet about the kiss.)

(Because if I tell Prince Keith now, he'll probably faint.)

Keith: ......Really.

MC: ......Are you all right?

Keith: Oh yeah... I'm fine.

He took a couple of deep breaths and looked straight at the heroine.

Keith took her hand in gentlemanly manner.

Keith: Miss MC.... I'm sorry to have bothered you.

And he kissed her hand.

MC: That's right. That kind of thing is an accident/It was...an accident.

(You can't let your guard down with both gentle and angry Keith.)

Instead of the usual apology, Keith smiled contentedly.

Keith: ......I like your cute reaction right now.

Flashback:

Clavis: There's no sin in falling in love.

Clavis: Even if it's a prince from another country, you can't control your heart.

Flashback is over.

(I just can't break it down like that, so I have to be careful.)

Keith's smile, which should have been familiar to her, made her feel pain for the first time.

Keith's Masterlist

I recently started updating the masterlists. I thought I had already posted an epilogue to this event, but I haven't. ....😅🤦‍♀���

[anischa22]

Meet the Prince! Clavis Lelouch 🐆

After Luke, here's the next suitor :

The 3rd Prince of Rhodolite Kingdom, member of Chevalieris Faction. His route will be released this fall!

Arm of coat : Leopard

First impression of him : he do remind me of Mitsuhide ... I'm sure many player will like him!

His voice actor is Kenji Nojima. known to voice Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon .... Wait, really? Tuxedo man?), Kita Shinsuke (Haikyuu!), Albedo (Genshin Impact) and many more

Eggplant Prince. Always with a mysterious (or dangereous?) smile. He's quite charming and very confident about that, so he's sure all girls will fall for him. Then when MC rejected him, Clavis immediately does anything to make MC 'fall in love' with him lol. The harder MC refused, the more excited Clavis tried 🤣

Clavis was first introduced as Chevalier's closest person. Where there is Chevalier, there is Clavis. Then is Clavis an admirer of his brother? ... Haha turned out to be the opposite! Everyone knows that Clavis hates Chevalier, including Chevalier himself. So Clavis will do anything to beat his amazing brother including by always being Chevalier's side. But other than that reason, Clavis likes Chevalier's unconventional thinking and the chaos after that. Furthermore, Clavis is allowed to do whatever methods he wants when Chevalier tells him to do something. So ofc Clavis love by being Chevalier's side 😂

Then, Clavis known for his fondness for pleasure & entertainment. The fun that Clavis is referring to is not the unusual one, but set a trap that causes chaos such as throwing banana peels, digging holes in the garden, throwing pies, releasing rats in castles, sending threatening letters and many more! His mischief is so random!🤣 And the target is random too. Make Sariel's headache increase three times than the normal 🤣 Predictably Clavis will make a mess if he gets bored or things are too calm lol. Luckily, his prank didn't get people killed (and maybe that's the reason why no one took hard with Clavis prank and they got used to it).

One more thing that stands out from Clavis is his gentleman nature. He behaves like an ideal prince very well that makes anyone forget that the third prince is a living chaos. In some situations it will be shown that Clavis being kind to MC by encouraging her (and to be honest I melted for him!). Later it's known that everything Clavis does (ofc most of them are pure mischief) has a good reason. Makes no one will be able to hate this prince

Sadly, Clavis is still very mysterious. What we all know are the 3 things above. Is he really a gentleman in a mischiefs mask or vice versa? No one knows what's in Clavis's mind. Sometimes i feel sad when see Clavis being kind, but others think maybe Clavis is up to something. I mean, what if Clavis really cares? Poor baby eggplant Clavis

Clavis is not recommended to anyone who doesn't like mischief guy, more or less same as Mitsuhide. Maybe you can't stand Clavis with MC as if he just toying with MC. But he has the same popularity potential as Mitsuhide. Really can't wait for his route!

Btw, I'm just remembered that Clavis often appear in important events! Idk, its just like ..... something tense happened, then suddenly Clavis -with a big smile- appeared and helping the suitor! So many times he appears nowhere that I was not surprised anymore and just shouted "yeay! Clavis save the day!"🤣 He's also the prince who often visits MC's when she's not Belle anymore

I'm sure people who appear the most on his route later will be Chevalier and Jin. But of course we can't expect Chevalier to talk about Clavis' past, so this must be Jin's job to explain Clavis condition to us😂 or maybe Sariel, who have mutual hate with Clavis (and maybe Sariel can take big part there as a possible route that will be released after Clavis)

Clavis sees his other sibling as cute bro or... his toy. But because most of his siblings are immune to his pranks, then he's aiming to another people, nobleman, maids, servant, knight, citizen or enemy. Usally the one who fall for Clavis's prank the most is Yves (poor Yves), even though he would rather annoy Chevalier but since Chevalier is too strong, Clavis is looking for a new target, and he's found the MC!

Ah! Clavis, together with Jin and Nokto, known as 'Lady-killer Princes'. If Jin likes big boobs, then Clavis prefer woman thighs *cough*

Since I only have eight Clavis expressions, i will give you one of Clavis card that I have! No, it's not that I was aiming for Clavis card, I'm just too lucky to always get Clavis every time i gacha 😅

Here, Prince Clavis Lelouch already waiting for you ...

Next will be the sadistic bureaucrats, Sariel!

[ga-yuu]

My opinions on Ikemen Prince Characters...

Leon

He’s okay. Nothing so much special. Just a milder version of Masamune and more energetic Napoleon. Other than that I don’t find him that much special. Also his route is okay. The ending made me scratch my head a little. That’s all I can say about him.

Yves

Yves is cute. I love how he’s always unlucky. He’s the tsundere character and although I have seen a lot of those type, I still can’t get enough. I think I’m the only one who thinks this way but Yves reminds of Barbie dolls. His blue eyes and blonde hair makes him look like a barbie doll not a prince. Also his room is pink and elegant. Also I love how he always changes from a tsundere to a doting brother when he talks about Licht. He has the most beautiful smile according to me.

Licht

Licht for me is like a robot. When heard Licht’s voice, he sounded like a robot. Also his clothes looks like its made of steel. Like the buttons on his jacket looks like screws for some odd reason. So Licht is the depressed guy of this game. I haven’t played his route because for some reason nothing was encouraging me to play his route. But other than that I like Licht little more than Nokto.

Nokto

The fox of this game. But I’ll be honest, I love Mitsuhide and Tamamo more than this guy if I had to compare fox characters. Nokto is the flirt and polar opposite of his brother. I love Nokto’s voice actor though and that’s the only thing I love about this character. I only played halfway through his route and stopped playing for some reason. I have no idea why I leave the routes halfway, maybe because I find it boring or maybe because I’m not interested on going further because I don’t feel any kind of emotions at all.

Jin

Jin Jin Jin....where do I even start with this one. I’m a person who is obsessed with older men so taking that in mind, I should be liking this character. But that’s not the case. I FREAKING HATE Jin very much. I feel like he’s a showoff. Whenever I see him, I always cringe. He’s like ikesen Shingen’s clone for some reason. But Shingen is funny and always compliments Mai-chan which is also funny. When he says those generic pick up lines I kind of chuckle because they don’t work on Mai-chan because she is from the 21st century. Jin is just AAGHH!! This happens when he talks about boobs and stuff. It just kills my mood when I eagerly progress through the story and suddenly out of nowhere this guy shows up. Also, why doesn’t he button up his shirt? I know it is obviously for fanservice and that’s another reason why I don’t like him. I know he is also the big brother and all, but I don’t want a big brother who talks about boobs and walking shirtless around desperately to look like a daddy. Rather I would like to have a brother who is matured and occasionally spoil me. This makes me think, what makes a man ‘daddy’? 

 Chevalier

Chevalier, according to me is somewhat of the normal and much more relatable character. I love him because of how intelligent and practical he is. He doesn’t care about how people see him and always works for his country to make it a better place. Cheva’s route was the first one I’ve played till the end, and it was not that bad because he and Clavis was the only thing best about the route. I love how he calls everyone nicknames and also his obsession with romantic novels. I sometimes wonder if I give him novels like Twilight and 50 shades of grey, will he read them too? Also if he is present in this era, will he be watching romantic k-dramas? Who knows? Maybe he will.

Cheva also has the best chemistry with Clavis than any other characters (including Emma), where Clavis is always teasing him and Cheva is like “......”. Cheva is much more better daddy than Jin.

Clavis

I FREAKING LOVE HIM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!! According to me, he’s the best thing about this entire game. I’m just waiting for this guy to come home so can slowly take my time and enjoy his story to the fullest. If someone asks me the reason for my liking this guy, I would say ‘IDK.’ Seriously, I have no idea why I like this guy so much and I have also seen other players liking him so much. I only re-installed this game for playing this guy’s route. So cybird, I won’t be telling you to release his route quickly. I want the writers to take their time and come up with a better storyline for him. Don’t ruin him please!!! Because the recent routes were not that great for me. So take your time, and write a good story. I’ll wait as much as you want only for this guy.

Luke

Luke is my 3rd favorite character after Clavis and Cheva, because I think he’s a very good person. He’s the right person to talk to when you’re feeling down. Also his obsession with honey. Hehe....I love that about him. He’s quite unique. I don’t know much about him about he’s the kind of character that I won’t hate no matter what. Such a calming personality.

Sariel

Okay. So is it just me or almost all the male character with glasses in otome games are portrayed as a sadistic devil who likes to punish MC by whipping her ass. Because of how much otome games I have seen and played, these type of characters always has a whip in their hands. Well there are exceptions like Sasuke in ikesen. So since its so common, when I saw Sariel for the first time, I expected him to be the same and I was not wrong. So, I just don’t find anything interesting about him. Just another glasses character to fill the sadistic slot in the game.

Rio

This man is soooooooooooo annoying sometimes. Other times he’s okay. I know he’s Emma friend and always follows her like a little puppy wanting for affection but he’s just so annoying when he starts to talk good things about Emma. He just never shuts up. No matter how many times he is friend-zoned by Emma he never gives up. I feel bad, at the same time annoyed. Whenever he starts praising Emma, I’ll be having the same expression as Sariel and tells him to shut up. That’s all.

Bonus:

Emma (MC)

This list is not complete without Emma of course. Emma is like a boring version of MC from ikevamp. She is portrayed as this kind and innocent young lady with the most purest heart in the entire town. But for me, she is this dumb woman who lives in her own fairytale world and once she started learning the reality, she’s all scared. Sometime she’s bearable but other time she’s just boring. I love brave MCs who fights her fears and stands up on her own, rather than a dull one, who is just there for the sake of romance and fanservice. Seriously she makes some of the routes even more boring to play. Good things about her is just that she’s kind person and that’s all. I wish I could say she is fierce but sadly she’s not. If I get to play very badass MC or MCs who have much more than being kind like a tsundere MC, won’t mind the story even if it’s too blunt. Playing like that would make me happy than being called dumb or stupid by male characters.

[vlads-yuka]

A few Ikepri suitor theories (hc?)

So just earlier (not really anymore, since this took me a few d a y s) I was talking on discord about who among the suitors would be which type (the mom, yandere, tsundere etc) and since I wrote such a long thing about Rio, I thought I could try to do the same for the others 👉👈

I base my assumptions on translations I found of canon content (as of June 7th) as well as my own understanding of Japanese (I might be wrong about things that I claim canon, so if I do please tell me).

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Leon

So it's pretty obvious that Leon is the Ore-sama type basic black haired first guy. I honestly don't have much to say about him, his animal is the Lion, often labeled as the king of animals (how funny haha) so he's going to be very proud and probably use MC just to do his thing and that's it. It's likely he treats MC unfairly and grants you a few misogynistic comments about how useless you are if not to allow him the throne. Eventually, he'll fall in love and become at first awkward af and then probably really sweet and somewhat protective (he has a goal to achieve and his pride won't allow him to let you be hurt in front of him). He'll have some kind of sexy scene when feelings are returned and single handedly resolve whatever drama happens while swearing to protect you and make you happy once everything is over.

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Yves

Yves is really awkward. He tries to act tough like he doesn't give a damn but that's to hide that he's too clumsy to say things honestly (unless it comes to Licht). Pretending to be a tsundere, maybe his lack of luck will also come with the fact that being a bitch to everyone draws them away from you, and he's probably scared of hurting the people he cares about with his harsh words, but that's his only way to hide his "weak" self. He actually doesn't feel comfortable with a lot of people so he doesn't bother opening up. He's dense as fuck and doesn't realize that Licht DOESN'T CARE. Once you try hard enough and keep on being nice to him even though he'd expect you to hate him by now, he'll be so thrown off guard that you'll get to see his adorable stuttering messy self. He'll probably threaten you to not spill what you know about this part of him. He'll gradually sweeten and allow himself to touch more MC and he probably has the cutest laugh once he fully opens up. He's not really clingy unless he's sleeping with MC (you're not getting out of the hug until he says so) and will act selfishly from time to time because suddenly he wants a hug but doesn't want to do it in front of everyone. Note that his earring will be an important part of his past and since there's only one of it, it's either that the other is somewhere else or it's originally not an earring and was something else belonging to someone dear to him. He might break/lose it at some point in his route (since he's unlucky). After MC help him trying to fix/find it for his sake he'll grow soft and tell her how she makes him happier than ever by being her lover and he doesn't need it anymore if he has you, thanking you to have let him love you (I'm thinking about that one adorable cg in the trailer where you can't see his earring and I can't tell if it's just hidden or not) and he'll find/have it fixed soon after. He'll probably tell you that being by your side makes him feel better because he's so lucky to have you that it's almost like his usual rotten luck is meaningless (or at least that's what he'll think if he's too embarrassed to say it). He probably needs to be praised (not exaggerated or he'll sulk thinking you're making fun of him) and he'll blush into an adorable mess.

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Licht

Licht is that one suitor who thinks he doesn't need anyone (and no one needs or wants him). He's super love deprived and will say mean stuff like he's too cool for you (it's canon he's a kuudere and misanthropist) and sincerely doesn't want to have to do anything with anyone. He's the definition of a lone wolf (funny innit) and will be cold, interested and mean with MC for a good part of the beginning of his route. Now this could go two ways. Either Nokto will reveal you about his/their past (because he's that bitch but he probably cares about him) which will allow you to somewhat find your way inside his shell and let you do something he likes, which would, for once, let him show his pure and cute smile, or something will happen causing him to have to protect you (it may be a real danger, but I'd rather think it would be something not necessarily dangerous but triggering to a trauma) and he'd drop his resting bitch face. I think his case could be similar to Kenshin's. He doesn't dislike people, he just hates that he can't/couldn't protect them. His animal being the wolf, I think Licht would become very protective once in a relationship. Him being the powerful male of you two, he'd act like the leader of a bundle of wolves and protect you as you and him. By that I mean he doesn't protect you especially, he protect what the both of you are, and it's like protecting himself at the same time. I think he'd be really quite but would love nuzzling in private. He's that one prince who's icy to everyone but warm to his lover in private. In the same logic as protecting, he'd make sure that you have everything you need and I can imagine Nokto working a bit behind the scenes too to make sure Licht can open himself in a good environment with MC. I don't think Licht hates Nokto, but I definitely think he'd be mad that Nokto is popular and can keep people around him (and in that way, somewhat protect them) so I can see Nokto understanding that and plotting things so MC can help his brother regain confidence. Licht would be the type to, like wolves, have his lover stick to him all the time, but it wouldn't feel obsessive, it'd feel more natural and protective (he's definitely not a yandere imo). In terms of displays of affection, he wouldn't be too vocal about his feelings (he doesn't know much about it yet, it's not really familiar to him to let himself feel so much) and wouldn't say much in general, he's more of an action person. In public, your hands would probably be GLUED but that's about it. In private he'd definitely hug a lot more than kissing and would be the big spoon most of the time when cuddling.

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Jin

I have a feeling Jin is one of those suitors who thinks MC is too pure for him and he shouldn't stain them with however disgusting he thinks he is. I expect him to be a fun mix between Shingen and Arthur and I'm pretty sure his route will be a RIDE. He's absolutely shameless and probably touchy (it's canon he's a boob man, Clavis said it so you better believe it), but I don't think he will with MC. Since he said in his profile he wants to watch MC chose a suitor rather than get involved in becoming king, I think it's going to start by him spending gradually less time with Clavis as he spies on you. Naturally, he'll fall in love (before MC does) and understand quite fast but might take some time to acknowledge it. Something will probably happen like MC randomly tripping or facing a dangerous situation for him to come out of the shadows to protect both her body and her pureness (the type of guy to fight while telling you to not open your eyes and remove your hands from your ears until he says so). Upon you thanking him, he'll go with a bitter smile because he knows he loves it but doesn't deserve it. MC will probably try to make it up to him and so he will spend more and more time being intoxicated with love while trying to push you away. Will come a moment where something bad happens and he realizes that the only way to protect what he wants to protect is with the throne. He'd probably say some cheesy line like "I didn't intend to become the king but I guess it wouldn't be too bad to have you as my wife" and will end up accepting. He'll be a king putting the well-being of the people before his and he'll keep on saying how proud he is of you. In terms of affection, he wouldn't go overboard in public but he'd definitely say some inappropriate stuff in your ear to make you blush in front of important guests. I think he would definitely keep PDA to a minimum because you're his woman and he doesn't want anyone else to see your pleasured face. But boy once you're together between 4 walls he has no self control and doesn't care a single bit if you want to work a little more before sleeping, because you're not going to be able to anyways with him in your bed. An eagle looks like it'd be free spirited and proud so I think this is where his personality will go.

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Chevalier

The information we have on him definitely makes him one of the hardest characters to guess for me, so I'm quite unsure and I'm sorry (I love him tho). For a start, I think a good comparison would be Nobunaga, since the first impression is pretty much the same. Now Chevalier certainly isn't as shameless as Nobu when it comes to touching women (in fact, I think that in the beginning of the route he'd be treating MC with respect but lots of distance). I'm pretty sure I caught him referring to himself as a monster several times, and he's convinced that his core is filth. However, the fact that he's a monster doesn't mean he can't do anything good. The fact that he's often drenched in blood means he fights a lot and this comforts him in his own thought that he's a monster (my best guess is that he's been called so by people in his childhood because he beat some brat up or something and he just decided to stick with it because it's just more convenient than trying to explain why he did), as well as the fact that he probably doesn't smack just anyone and does so it protect his ideals (in that way, he's quite like Mitsuhide). Again, I think that, like Mitsuhide, he overall doesn't bother supporting his acts with saying why he does them, and just does what he thinks is right. Rio mentioned that Chevalier is a late riser and Sariel added that tigers are nocturnal. During night, I think he secretly does some sort of charity stuff (secretly, because it's just laughable to have a monster do charity and he wants to keep acts of light away from his name, that's associated with filth) and probably also beats up some criminals here and there. I think that this would be uncovered a night where MC can't sleep and follows Chevalier out of the castle (maybe she's curious and wants to understand him more, maybe he dropped something) and finds about it. He's not stupid and MC probably is to some extent as usual so he'll notice and will start to tell her why he does this and why he doesn't want it to be known. Following this event MC will start to think that after all he's not just a monster and will stick with him when he goes doing charity at night because you can "Do whatever, it's not my business". While spending time there with you, you'll slowly creep up on his list of things he wants to protect even if he has to stain his hands. Of course, some kind of drama will lead him to have to do it, probably in front of a large number of people and I can see him leaving his sword aside and kneeling to the enemy to protect MC from danger. There, he'll show his sweet side and his desire to see you happy more than anything. Of course, you, who already loved him, will call him out on his bs and tell him you don't want him to be hurt either and you love his beautiful smile. He'll definitely be confused at first but then will take a new breathe and save you, who became a part of him. He'll obviously still think of himself as a monster, but he knows that doesn't mean you can't love him. He won't stop fighting for his ideals, but now that he has to protect himself to protect you, he'll stop being as reckless and definitely will be thankful that you helped him access the throne to pursue his dreams (even though at first everyone told you that you should stay away from him, but you loved seeing his eyes so full whenever he was doing something good). In terms of relationship, Chevalier will be reasonably protective and will trust you to not betray him because "Only you could love a monster like me, and I won't stop loving you either" or something like that. He'll definitely be quite of a tease in private when he wants things to get heated but most of the time it'll just be fluffy with small forehead kisses, hair combing and warm hugs (he's always the big spoon and he's soo warm).

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Clavis

You heard it, the court's number one problem child is romanceable (and this is so messy wtf I literally can't decypher him at all I feel like I wrote something so wrong for him ugh I'm so sorry). He loves to stir up drama and then sit back to watch and has no shame in doing so. Since MC will, as usual, be kinda dumb and innocent, Clavis will tease her A LOT, and use her to stir up even more shit. No one at the court really likes him (COUGH Sariel COUGH) but some somewhat tolerate him, like Chevalier (but if he goes overboard he'll end him). I mean I say no one important, because he sure has a lot of women swooning over him, but I can see him being all flirty and stuff but then not doing anything because he just doesn't really care, it's for fun (lol). When he mentioned Jin's preference, I think he said that he himself was more of an ass man (he said something like leg or something iirc but bruh we all know what that entails when the other option is boobs). Clavis will propose you to mess up the king election (more like drag you into it), but I'm pretty sure that it's because he knows that something fucked up is happening or bound to happen. It seems he will pull up a Mitsuhide except he drags you into it, probably to have you by his side when shit will go down so he can protect you (since you'll trust him, i guess ?). Everything will go according to plan, except for the fact that he's starting to be fond of you, so instead of just having you into the drama and protect you from afar, he'll start to actively stick with you, which will screw up his plans. I'm honestly not too sure about what will happen but basically he realizes he can't be as carefree as usual when something so big is going on and his love interest is in the middle of it because of him and decides to tell you what is happening so you can untrust yourself to him. I think from this point onwards, you both will somewhat have understood what you feel for each other, but nothing will have been said. Hand holding will be normal, and cuddling too if the situation forces you both to stick together outside and/or hide. He figures he'll just confess properly after everything will be over and he'll get to apologize for getting you into all of this. Once it is actually over, he'll turn into a big romantic (Chevalier but cringe) to start the relationship like it deserves to and then will proceed to tease the shit out of you. Overall he'll be a Mitsuhide or Leonardo type lover in my opinion. Now HEAR ME OUT, have you ever seen a leopard walking ? It's beautiful. He knows it. I can just see him walking while somehow seductively balancing his hips sjshid imagine him crawling on bed djdbjd MY MIND IS GOING DOWN THE GUTTER. He's such a flirty seductive ass but I swear he's loyal he just wants to see your cute pouting face. He's quite blunt when it comes to PDA (that's where the fact that he's an ass man comes in handy if you see me haha I can't help it he has a thot dot) and will not hesitate to straight up make out in public if he thinks it's needed (he's not dumb sjbsix he likes to stir up shit for fun but he wouldn't do something extreme if he knew it would end up bad when there are other ways).

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Nokto

Two words: skirt-chasing liar. The man painted his nails to have them black when he does the fox/kitsune hand symbol, he's totally trying to have people distrust him. It is mentioned that Nokto's behavior is a great contrast to his past heroic acts. Linking this to what I wrote of Licht, I think he might have been praised for whatever he did and he hated it because he didn't reach his goal (like nobunaga who unites Japan but hates the fact that there are victims nonetheless). What would be the most interesting would be if it was like I hypothesized of Licht, that he couldn't protect someone in particular. In that way, there would be a contrast between Licht feeling like he can't protect anything and Nokto who can protect everything but what he really cares about. Following this logic, his womanizer personality could be explained in the way that by chasing skirts left and right he can feel like he doesn't have anyone important and protect himself from the pain of loving someone too much and the pain of losing them. Now, either the two's traumas are totally different, or it might be the same event; if so, my best guess would be their mother's death. However, Nokto being a womanizer leads me to think that it was actually a love interest that he lost. Being a good liar and trickster (kitsune things), I assume he's good at reading people and is probably very observant of his brother. If his brother even confided in him, I'm pretty sure Nokto would hide his disappointment of not having been able to protect a few people for his brother's sake. I think his route (or at least the beginning of it) would be a mix of Mitsuhide and Arthur's, being some bold flirting at first as a warning because he wants to draw pure MC away from him. I think MC would then be drawn by his caring attitude toward Licht (almost like a big brother, even though he's the 7th prince and Licht is the 6th) and would make him notice how kind he is. Nokto would probably find a way to make her uncomfortable with heavy flirting mixed up with denying but if it repeats, he'll probably just say that he wants to protect the last person he dares to care about. MC would probably see pain and sadness in his gaze and choice of words and kind of like Arthur's route, she'd be drawn to this vulnerable caring side of him and understand the flirting is only a part of Nokto. Drama will happen, and Nokto will have a breakdown, because he got attached to MC and is convinced he won't be able to protect her. It's likely he tries to push you away even more to make you mad and break his own heart before he has to see you die before his eyes too. Due to this bring a heavy and very bottled up trauma, he will be looking very distressed and MC will rather try to soothe him. I do think Nokto might be crying at this moment (the other one I have in mind would be Yves) and both will realize their feelings at this very moment. However Nokto still won't think he can protect you, but maybe Licht would think something like "I can't protect anything by myself but I can help my brother protect what he cares for" and help him, which would easy Nokto into the idea of having to fight. It's also possible Clavis and Chevalier join in, but I'm not too sure about that. In terms of relationship, Nokto would be a super touchy fluffy lover, liking to feel your chest move in rythm with your breath against his chest while hugging you tightly reminds him that you're alive and that he could protect you and he always will no matter how many times he has to. Like Licht, he would be very protective, but he won't become too obsessive if you soothe him back enough and prove him that you won't break in his palm (the fact that he becomes king also helps since you can have personal royal guards). He's a bit more into PDA than his brother and won't mind resting his hand on your hip in public, but your cute facial expressions are for his own pleasure only~

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Luke

So Luke is the big brother one (but only for MC) and apparently he's lazy. Like a bear, he's huge but you can bet he would spoon you For his lazy traits, I think it might just be his personality, but I do think his doting comes from his past. A guess would be that he was very fond of his little sister but lost her to another man for arranged marriage. I don't know where or when Ikepri happens but arrange marriage can be planned very early, and this would explain his hate/disinterest for official affairs and his doting (it's like he would try to see his little sister in MC while treating her as such) and the fact that he tries to drag her out of official affairs as well. Like mentioned in his profile, his eyes sometimes look somewhat dark and dull, so I assume this could be when he thinks back about his past. I wouldn't go as far as saying he's a yandere, but he'll definitely try to drag her away from court life (not especially people, not especially violently, he'd just try to not lose her). It's sad, but you will probably get sis-zoned for a nice long time before he realizes that 1. he can't force you to do something you don't want to and 2. he doesn't just love you as a sister. Maybe this realization will make him want to become king with you to not lose you, or maybe he will be needing a little something else to be pushed to do so. In terms of relationship, he'll be doting and have remnants of big brother behavior but he'll finish his light scolding sessions with a big fluffy hug. Jokes on you if you wanted to spoon him. For PDA, I think he'd be pretty much just like hand holding and head pats/hair ruffling.

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Sariel

Sariel is known in the court as the "Devil". I would say his role is a mix of Giles (midcind) and Mitsuhide. As the profile says, his past, identify etc is quite of a mystery so I wouldn't get too much into this. Now Sariel expects MC in his profile to kind of suck up to him and do as he pleases while she finds a new king. Whether Sariel is loyal to the princess (you) and the crown or not will determine whether he's simply a shady suitor or the villain of most of the other routes if not all of them (William things hehe). He'll obviously be EXTREMELY shady and will make it very clear that it's best you stay away from what his job entails. However MC will find a way, consciously or not, to get involved way too much in Sariel's affairs (Mitsuhide things haha, he radiates the energy of other chaotic shady suitors only) and he will have to first of all scold her a ton shit and secondly a find a way to get her out of his business. They will probably struggle together their way out of an important job of his and MC will most likely have a good impact on the overall outcome but he'll mostly scold you for getting on the brink of death thanks to what he'll consider a foolish move. As a relationship, once king, I don't think Sariel would go any further than formal hand holding, arm holding and back of the hand kisses. I have a feeling that in private he wouldn't be the touchiest either (I mean he's busy with his shady stuff) but he would definitely pull you into his lap without asking and I could see him stroking your hair while your head rest on his shoulder until he finishes work before carrying you to bed, whether you're asleep or not.

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Rio

Rio IS the yandere and it's 100% canon I'm not accepting critiques on this (someone saying "Look only at me, you only have to think about me" screams yandere already, not to talk about my obsession consisting of comparing him with Toneri of Yuroma) and I honestly think it's soooo cool that the yandere is a butler I love it. ANYWAYS. Rio lost his memory 3 years ago (he was already your butler back then) which means his memories only consist of serving you. That said, you're literally his world, his only friend and his master. I think Rio would be scared not only to forget about everything again and see (I assume) you sad again and forget all your smiles he saw for 3 years (I definitely think he's one of those suitors that love you right off the batch but give you the liberty to be happy with whoever), but also lose you as easily as he lost him memories. If he lost you to someone else, either he'd be forced to watch you be happy with another man, or be left behind. As a loyal dog, he would totally hate the later. Now being your love interest's butler is extremely convenient as a yandere. If he doesn't want you to get out of your room he just has to give you some sort of somniferous stuff or lock you in saying you're sick and "My Lady does not wish to receive anyone in her quarters". Butlers not only attend to their master's wishes (he does say that granting your selfish wishes is also his job), but also are their first connection to the outer world. If your butler doesn't come with you outside, he'll at least be there to see you off and the first person waiting for your return. Now I don't know what entails the secret behind his memory loss at all so I'll leave it as it is. I don't think Rio will be as brutal as Toma from Amnesia or anything (Sariel is watching too) and will probably try to convince you that you need to stay in for a while and that he'll look out for you (bonus points if something bad actually happens). I'm actually not sure to what extent Rio would go. Would he harm others ? Just keep them away ? I don't know, but a dog sure knows how to bite to protect its owner. The route will probably follow the classic yandere schematic: everything is fine, he gets really obsessive, you try to push him away, he gets hurt, you explain him that you love him too but you can't stay locked in forever, he eventually chills. As a king, I think he'd take some time to stop being there for his Mistress' every needs but he definitely would in private, he just wouldn't want to embarrass you in public. For PDA, he would also not be too touchy, sticking to basic butler extent touchy, but he'd be extremely cuddly in private, trying to hook up as much time as possible from you. He'd give a lot of little pecks and smol kisses everywhere on your face and neck until you stop working so he can pull you on the bed in his arms for a slower making out session.

♦

THAT'S IT

That took me quite a while, phew ! Sorry if there typos and sorry for the huge length inconsistency !

If you have something to add, especially regarding the ones I didn't write as much, please do say so in comments or in my messages and if it adds something to the analysis (and if you're okay with it) I'll add it with credits !

I'm so excited for Ikepri I hope to be able to play soon but for now it's 3am haha

[mitsuhidethesnek]

Time to liveblog Ikepri!

There will be complaining so I won’t tag the characters when I’m complaining lol. Also, this will reflect my blatant bias for scary boys plus Leon. I’m not into softies or tsuns. This is just me airing out MY opinions, so please feel free to disagree and have your own thoughts. I knew I should have started this liveblog earlier. I’m already 4 chapters into Chev’s route. Character first impressions under the cut. Just prologue content.

Prologue thoughts - I like that she owns a bookstore. IkeVamp also had an MC after my own heart, travel journalist. - Yves and Chevalier both lay it on so thick with the insults. Everyone is unworthy to Yves, but it’s his overcompensation from the start. For Chevalier, everyone is just literally inferior because apparently he’s worked so hard to be so ruthlessly superior.

- Eight princes have gathered, one of them will be chosen to be king. Except only our three starter pokemon want to be king, and more than half of them have asked you to be less formal with them lol.

- pfft. Everyone calling Sariel out for kidnapping me. Sariel is like “how dare you accuse me? MC is here of her own free will, right, MC?” and only LEON actually asks my opinion. But he also tries to persuade me by pointing out the icing on top of the ordeal lol.

- I like that Sariel was impressed with me the moment I slapped a drunk. A man who appreciates violence “for a good cause.” I mean, a solid reason to choose me.

- Okay, it is furthermore not about eight different princes vying for power. It’s really just two factions. Team Chevalier and Team Leon. plus Yves kind of

- Prologue Chapter 8 is where Leon starts being nice to you wants to know your thoughts. uwu

- This MC asks questions multiple times. She asked “why her?” for Belle multiple times. It’s extra self-deprecating, which I’m not into, but I guess it’s humble. She doesn’t understand that just being a commoner is enough. It could be anyone. And it just one unlucky standout moment she was chosen for. Leon gives a good reason though. We need someone common who understands what it’s like to be human, because all the royals are a bunch of beasts.

- I love that Belle is a title. Such a good trope. Like how Alice is a title in Ikerev

- I wonder if our translation enthusiasts are complaining. Probably. >> The English localization seems really on the nose with some lines. ><

Individual character thoughts

Rio

- I was expecting puppy immaculate sub. I wasn’t expecting literally obsessed with you. But the fact that he makes Sariel nervous and is too much for Sariel is HILARIOUS. Terrifying levels of enthusiasm. I approve.

- Unfortunately Rio is exactly the type of man I have often had to discourage. It is never just harmless flirting! >< Girl, he gonna keep trying even once you’re married.

Sariel

- Sariel has some sexy lines, but it is 100% creepy since we don’t know each other. - I figured he was my type. Sadistic. Devil-type. The way they do it is he says some pretty unnatural things that imply violence and madness. Disciplinarian. He’s extra and kind of unbelievable and way too handsy in a way that makes him come off shady, but I’m here for the sadistic disciplinarian ride.

-I was looking forward to the contrast between Sariel and Rio, someone who makes you serve and someone else who loves to serve, so I’m here for that contrast. Yves

- No, I don’t appreciate you insulting me every second. He seems like a dainty tsun, so not really my type off the bat.

- However, something tells me his story might be surprisingly moving and relatable? Kind of like Ikevamp Mozart or Ikerev Jonah. Very prim condescending characters who reveal relatable insecurities and standards. Characters that reveal more in their routes than as NPCs.

Luke

- I’m not into big kind guys, but he’s honestly a breath of fresh air. I like that he’s not an active flirt, but what he says is just extra friendly so it comes off flirty. He’s the tallest and is compared to a bear. He doesn’t want to be king. So he seems like someone who will just be nice. I like that he’s super not into the drama and tries to get away from it and discourages it.

Jin

- He’s not my type either. He’s the eldest brother, so he has this knowing air about him all the time like nothing surprises him. But he’s just an observer and commenter so far, doesn’t really interfere. He’s more cool like IkeRev Ray, not an uptight brother-mom figure.

Licht

- Not my type either. Reminds me of IkeRev Harr and Luke. Just really quiet at first so it’s hard to say. He might be the most normal though of all the brothers. Similar to Luke, where he wants to stay out of the drama, but much more taciturn and grumpy about it.

Nokto

- He’s my type. Constantly trying to get in your pants. But he’s coming off kind of cheesy and just nonstop horny to me. Idk, I like seductive enticing dialogue, and I lose interest when it goes past coaxing to full on pushing.

Clavis

- I was REALLY hype for Clavis. Constantly amused character. Turns out, he’s not just this puppeteer in the background. He’s a full on meddler, which I’m still into. He likes starting chaos for its own sake.

- I wonder if he’s different in other routes, but so far having started Chev’s route, I don’t like that he’s mostly here to cause chaos in all matters relating to Chev, instead of being about causing mischief in general. And I don’t like that he’s more of a prankster. I was hoping for sophisticated knowing trickster.

Chevalier

- He lays his superiority complex on SUPER thick. The payoff is supposed to be good when he goes from being utterly unimpressed with you to being obsessed with you. But it’s super disheartening to have characters that make me feel like an idiot. And it’s just how he treats everyone, not just me, but he lays it on thickest at me.

- I literally only like this dude because he’s got that regal IkeSen Kenshin gaze and black fur-lined cape. My brain goes stupid for the regal fur boa, and I like that it’s black against his white color scheme because it suggests that he is the sinister brutal white of winter. So I’m here for all those metaphors.

- But he’s really extreme in how his character revolves around basically two thoughts: Love is worthless. Everyone has a use, and I don’t care about anything but the use of things.

Leon

- saved Leon for last because he’s too easily my favorite!! I’m glad I started Chev’s route because there’s no way I would have touched anyone else if I had started with Leon.

- He’s the best parts of Ikesen Masamune and Nobunaga and Ikevamp Napoleon and Leo! 

- I’m a sucker for the one character who actually cares about what I think and values it even when I underrate my own opinion. ;~;

- He’s the domestic faction in contrast to Chev the foreign faction. so already Chev is about conquest, and Leon is about doing a good job as King taking care of the people. Leon radiates power and can apply it at will, but mostly he asks first, and it’s so nice. Best of both worlds! Power and compassion!

- In a lot of his dialogue, the way he appeals to you is: “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You don’t have to do anything that you’re not ready for. But if you do, it will be fun and life-changing. What do you say? Will you put your trust in me?” He never makes me feel bad for choosing what makes me feel safe or better. And he makes the danger option sound good because he acknowledges the danger and shifts your focus to the benefits, and you know you’ll be protected if you stay by him.

In summary...

I’m here for Leon.

I’m hopeful that Chevalier, Nokto, Sariel and Rio will scratch my itch for their tropes.

Luke and Yves surprised me. I’m open.

Lost interest in Clavis.

No interest in Jin and Licht so far.

[scorchieart]

Midnight Snack-Attack

Midnight Snack-Attack | AO3

Characters: Yves Kloss, Luke Randolph

Rating: G

Summary: In the middle of one of his midnight snacking sessions, Yves receives a visit from the last person he wanted to talk to.

Warnings: contains minor spoilers from Yves's route, and *very* slight mentions of blood/gore (like 1 line), overeating

Word Count: 5,356

A/N: The idea came to mind as I was reading through my second playthrough of Yves's route and noticed Luke popping up a lot more than I expected him to. Another thing I wasn't expecting was this story to come out to over 5000 words, but here we are.

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A warm breeze fluttered over the palace of Rhodolite signaling the arrival of summer. Hurried footsteps and the occasional clanking of metals emerged from the kitchens, and you would think that the cooks were in the middle of preparing a feast fit for the entire court, if you ignored the fact that it was past midnight and the halls were empty.

Old cupboards hung open and their contents spilled out on the countertops. Stacks of used bowls and utensils piled high as shrubs filled the sink while discarded plates coated with mixtures of sauces and creams littered the floor. The open window above the stove brought in occasional wafts of balmy air and sleepy cricket chirps, though they weren’t enough to mask the heavy scents of baking nor the loud sounds of munching emanating from the center of the kitchen.

Yves Kloss sat on the floor amidst a towering array of pastries, phyllos and other baked delicacies. He unceremoniously devoured sweet after sweet in between bursts of incoherent mumbling and grumbling, pausing every now and then only to toss aside finished plates and reach for new ones.

“Stupid Jin… munch… stupid Clavis… crunch… stupid Nokto… munch… everything’s just… chomp… a joke to them…”

Crumbs spilled freely as he shoveled a couple of dolces into his mouth, reminiscing about his brothers’ activities. It was only Tuesday, and yet the troublesome trio had already managed to make him want to barricade himself in his room until the weekend. Between the precariously planted pranks, incessant taunting, and nonstop immaturity, Yves was sure he had aged a decade over the past two days alone.

He grunted and reached for a bowl of petit fours, aggressively popping one into his mouth for each misdemeanor of theirs he recounted. Halls lined with haphazardly littered banana peels.… Brazen displays of flirting around the palace.… Garden reduced to a minefield of pitfalls.… Irresponsible misappropriation of the rules.… Where were they finding the time for all this foolishness, and why hasn’t Sariel put a stop to them yet?

He gloomily bit into a frosted éclair, not caring as the custard filling dribbled down his hand and onto his sleeve. As much as he wanted to complain about his brothers’ recent surge of tomfoolery, he knew perfectly well why Sariel was lagging in his supervision. The man had recently been burdened as the foremost authority for maintaining order within the palace on top of his usual ministerial duties. Coupled with keeping a close eye on peculiar happenings across the kingdom, supporting the princes’ actions from the background, and the fact that Foundation Day was less than a week away, Yves was sure Sariel was even closer to his breaking point than he was.

A puff of powdered sugar wisped before Yves’s eyes as a sigh escaped his lips. It wasn’t just those three; it was as if everyone in the palace wanted to take a crack at him these days. Just that morning, Leon skipped out on their faction meeting without a word for an impromptu stroll around town, and when Yves berated him for his selfishness upon his return, Leon brushed him off saying he was worrying too much. Later during training with the soldiers, Licht pushed himself even harder than usual and ended up twisting his wrist, but when Yves told him to take it easy he coldly responded, “We’ve lost the luxury to do so anymore,” and went straight back to swinging his sword. Then at dinner, Sariel reported that Obsidianite troops were spotted assembling near the border, to which Chevalier grimly declared he would eliminate them all if they got too close despite Yves’s suggestion that they employ a wait-and-see approach.

And to top it all off, the King had to go and drop dead.

No, that’s not right… it’s not as though the King had wanted to leave them in the middle of it all.… It’s not as though he wanted Rhodolite to be in such a state of disarray upon his death…. It’s not as though he wanted to stick them with the issue of his succession on top of their other dilemmas…

It’s not as though he wanted to keep that fact that he had an eighth son secret from them for twenty years…

Another soft breeze rustled through the window, and Yves watched with growing apathy as it carried a few wayward crumbs into the air. He sat against the counter and aimlessly counted the number of mid-air loops they made before falling back to the floor.

It was only a matter of time before someone was called in to select a new king; it’s not like they could hold on for long without one, what with the nobles questioning the late King’s whereabouts more often every day and the increasing threat of their neighbors on the horizon. A new Belle would be joining the palace soon, but were they ready for her? Was he ready?

His arm automatically extended to retrieve another sweet when a loud crash broke him out of his stupor. The shock made his whole body jerk and his head collided with the edge of the countertop, making him gripe loudly in pain. Whoever caused the crash must have been startled to hear him as well, because he could hear the unmistakable sounds of boots pivoting in his direction and the clank of a sword unsheathing.

An intruder, at this time of night? Yves hitched his breath and stilled the hand that was rubbing his quickly forming bump.

Well, it would make sense that if someone wanted to sneak in they would do it under the cover of darkness, but why enter through the kitchen? What if the cooks were still making preparations for the next day, or some servants got held up with their cleaning? Not to mention the fact that the kitchen was located near some of the busiest hallways of the palace; it would be near impossible to slip around undetected.

Whoever it is must not be very bright, thought Yves. After all, with such a loud entrance they were practically begging to get caught. He reflexively reached for his belt, only to remember that he did not have his saber on him; he had left it in his bedroom while undressing before deciding to let off some steam with baking.

The intruder slowly began inching towards him. Yves quickly swiveled his head left and right in search of a knife, a whisk, a rolling pin, anything he could use to defend himself until his eyes fell on all his batter-coated baking tools lodged in the sink far on the other side of the room.

The footsteps grew closer. The pain in his head increased dramatically with his heart rate and he squinted at the stacks of uneaten muffins and danishes, desperate to conjure up some way to fight back. Maybe he could throw them and blind the intruder long enough to reach through the door — No, most of what remained was too solid and would just bounce off — Then he could try vaulting over the counter and slipping past — No, he’d be wide open and get sliced instantly — What if used a plate as a shield — Oh come on, it couldn’t even cover his face!

The footsteps stopped. The only thing left separating them was the counter Yves was perched under.

Was this it? Was he going to be done in before Belle ever had a chance to meet him? Before he could ever show her… show his brothers… show his kingdom what he could really do?

The wood of the countertop squeaked as the intruder leaned over.

Yves hid his face in his knees as his head throbbed violently, visions of his brothers flashing through his mind. He saw Leon and Chevalier glaring down at his grave, eyes full of disdain…. He saw Licht drooping in the distance, his expression darker and drearier than Yves had ever seen…. He saw Jin, Clavis, and Nokto laughing derisively as they tossed the king’s crown between themselves, devouring the last bits of dessert he left behind.

His face grew hot. It was burning so rapidly that he almost forgot the pain in his bump. The only thing he could think of was not giving those three hoodlums the satisfaction of him dying before the real battle even began.

He jolted his head, grabbed the nearest dish (which happened to be a crostata) and swung it straight upward. A deafening howl reverberated throughout the kitchen as the plate made contact and smashed, and Yves sprang up over the countertop and struck his arm out, groping several times in the dark, before his hand finally connected with a wrist and he moved to wrestle the weapon out of the intruder’s grip.

He could feel his grasp slipping occasionally through his cream-covered fingers and he inwardly cursed for allowing himself to stuff his face so messily. If he made it out of this, he vowed to never participate in another late-night-grub-gorge for as long as he lived.

At last, he could feel the intruder’s fingers loosen away from the hilt. If he could just make one last pull —

Clunk!

For the second time that night Yves felt as though his head was splitting open. His grip slackened and he tumbled backward, a familiar mop of messy red hair flashing in sight before he fell.

Yves landed on his back with a taut “Oof!” His rear and head both ached considerably, but he forced himself to sit up and peer around the counter, gasping as his suspicions were confirmed when he recognized the low groan that emerged from behind.

“Prince Luke! What are you doing lurking around the kitchens in the middle of the night?” he yelled.

“Urk! — Making sure no one was planning an attack in here!” Luke Randolph called. He had fallen backwards too, though he was unfortunate enough to have tripped onto a spread of half-eaten pies and fruit tarts along the way. Luke vigorously wiped away at the crostata on his face enough to gape at Yves. “What are you doing lurking around the kitchens in the middle of the night?”

Recovering from his shock, Yves quickly stashed the rest of the uneaten dishes out of view behind the counter while Luke struggled to sit up. Luke’s upper half was dripping with flakey crusts and berried fillings, yet the dirt that caked his boots and trousers hinted that he spent much of his day outside. Yves figured the loud crash was from him flinging himself in through the window.

He pushed the last muffin tray out of sight just as Luke straightened his back. “It’s none of your business what I do with my time. And what do you mean ‘planning an attack’?”

“I heard a bunch of angry grumbling and some names. ‘Thought someone was planning to attack a prince.”

Yves was thankful that the room was dark when he felt his ears redden. How much had the boy heard, and did he happen to see him gorging himself so indecently? “W-Well, as you can very well see I am perfectly fine and there is no one else here, so you can just go back to your room now.” Yves motioned towards the door and subtly brushed stray crumbs off his shirt.

But Luke made no motion to leave. Instead he scrunched his eyes and scanned the room before resting them on Yves’s forehead. “You sure about that? Looks like ya gotta ‘couple nasty bruises on your noggin.”

Yves pouted and pointed to his wounds. “You gave me one of these, or have you already forgotten?”

“Well, that makes us even then,” said Luke, patting his own forehead. He picked the fruits and scraps off his chest and tossed them jovially into his mouth. “For real Evie, I thought you were some kind of assassin or something!

“Don’t call me that,” Yves hissed.

Luke flinched and a raspberry slipped out of his fingers. “Oh, I heard Nokto call you that in the office. I figured you guys all had nicknames for each other.”

Yves glared at him. “Half the stuff that comes out of that silver-tongued fox’s mouth is senseless drivel, and the rest is just slanderous poppycock.”

“Oh, he seems alright.” Luke’s face fell and he began rubbing the wrist Yves seized before. “Chevie and Clavis do it too and, I dunno, I thought it might be nice — I mean, it’s easier than calling each other ‘Prince’ all the time, yeah?”

Yves’s scowl deepened and he turned away to roll up his soiled shirt sleeves. This was the first time he spoke with Luke alone and he already grew tired of the boy. It was one thing to sneak up and headbutt a prince in the dead of night, but if Luke wanted to place his loyalties with his faction members and blindly follow them, then Yves had nothing more to say to him. Maybe those three would step up and take responsibility for their new comrade and leave him to focus on his own problems in peace.

A sharp pain stung in his skull and he inadvertently found himself reaching for his head to mimic Luke’s ministrations. Just peachy, he thought, another problem to add onto his ever-growing pile of woes.

“So, uh, can I have one of those?”

Yves gave a little yelp when he turned and found Luke kneeling directly beside him, eyeing the trove of desserts longingly.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yves stammered, pretending he was too preoccupied with his wound.

“What? I’m talking about — Oh, I get it!” Luke’s green eyes sparkled with the naiveté of a child that solved a riddle. He sat on his knees, straightened his posture, cleared his throat and spoke in a loud, clear voice, “Might I please sample one of your appetizing looking delicacies, Prince Yves?”

Yves’s wound pounded more irritably. Was Luke mocking him somehow, either about his manner of speaking or his midnight snacking? He felt the temperature in his face rise again and he clenched his fists to keep from launching at the boy.

“I said I don’t know what you mean, Prince Luke,” he said through gritted teeth.

Luke’s shoulders sank and he sighed loudly. “Are you kidding me? Man, I knew all those lessons were a waste!” He flopped back onto the floor, face in his hands, and moaned exasperatingly.

And people call me overdramatic, thought Yves. He stole a glance at the door and wondered if Luke would notice if he slipped away, but a loud rumbling stopped him midway from standing.

“Don’t tell me that was your stomach,” he said. Luke gave him a weak hum and rolled on his side to stare at the sweets again.

What was with this guy? First he comes barging into the kitchen with his sword drawn pretending to be some valiant hero, then he has the audacity to beg for food like some hungry pauper? Sure, he had only been at the palace for a few days, but it’s not like they were starving him! He could have easily come to the kitchen anytime during sensible hours if he was really hungry, and mealtimes were always set up in the roundtable room.

“Why weren’t you at dinner today?” Yves asked, craning his eyebrow.

“Uh, guess I missed it. Took a nap an’ lost track of the time,” said Luke. He was now straining his arms to reach past Yves to the sweet stash.

“When did you wake up?”

“Just now. I smelled the sweets and followed ‘em here. Come on, just one —”

“Dinner was over five hours ago!”

Luke retracted his hand at Yves’s outburst and glared up at him. “What’s your point?”

Yves tightened his lips to a thin line. How could this boy possibly integrate into the royal court? It was one thing to be born with royal blood, but the studying, mannerisms, responsibilities, and experience that came with the role take a lifetime to master. And that did not even include politics and dealing with citizens. Why, if the nobles had trouble accepting Yves into their circles, they would eat Luke alive. Perhaps it would have been better to spare him the harsh realities of his lineage so he could keep living his pedestrian life in peace.

But it was too late for that now. The truth was revealed and there was no shying away from it, not for Luke nor the rest of the princes.

Yves watched Luke’s feeble attempts to hook his finger on the rim of a plate of cookies and a slight pang twitched in his chest. He sighed, picked up the plate and brought it just above Luke’s head.

“I’ll let you have some if you stop whimpering like a helpless pup,” he said, trying to avoid Luke’s eyes which grew to the size of the cookies in anticipation. “And if you answer a few of my questions.”

Luke gave an ear-splitting grin and sat up, arms outstretched as if ready to play a game.

Yves balanced the plate on one hand and rested the other on his hip in an attempt to look as princely and imposing as possible despite his sullied outerwear. “First, why were you napping for so long today?”

“Oh, that? I was just tired from all the studying that Sariel-guy’s been making me do. ‘Gave me a mountain of books one day and said —” he straightened his back again and mock adjusted a pair of imaginary glasses — “‘This amounts to a comprehensive purview of the fundamentals and expectations of the royal family of Rhodolite, both domestically and internationally, over the past seven generations. I trust you will have their contents memorized by the end of the week’. I don’t reckon I’ve ever even read that many books in my entire life!”

The hold Yves had on the plate wavered slightly. He was no stranger to Sariel’s arduous (sometimes borderline demoniac) teaching methods, but this sounded like a task even the genius Chevalier would struggle to complete.

“You must have at least made some progress,” said Yves.

“Yeah… not much. He didn’t exactly say what would happen if I didn’t do it, but he was holding that whip of his real threateningly.” Luke shuddered for a moment. “I mean, if that’s the standard, I bet you guys can probably read books in your sleep!”

Yves sneered softly at the bit of exaggeration, knowing full well it was true for some of his brothers more than others. His mind wandered to Chevalier’s personal library and its countless shelves lined with his prized collection, then to Clavis and his pronounced hatred of all things literature, and finally on Leon and his struggle to get halfway through a single page without snoozing.

“Er — so, can I have one now?”

Still chuckling at the image of Leon’s head sagging in between a book, Yves idly picked up a cookie and raised his arm, but as he did he felt the previous warmth that filled the room slip away. He turned his head and froze when he came face-to-face not with Luke’s gentle eyes, but rather those of a murderous beast glinting ravenously in the pale moonlight, a sight completely new yet hauntingly familiar. In an instant Luke lunged forward, nabbed the treat, retreated to his seat, and devoured it in one breath. Yves’s jaw dropped.

“Oh dear Lord…” he whispered.

Luke patted his stomach and smiled sweetly, his eyes back to their usual composure, and Yves became exceedingly aware of the height difference between the two of them despite the fact that they were both still sitting.

“Man, talk about the reward being sweeter the longer you wait! Next?” said Luke.

Yves picked up his jaw and swallowed hard. “If you could do that… if I was just a little slower… you could have killed me back there!”

“That’s a bit of an over exaggeration. I was just aiming for the cookie, it’s not like I was gonna rip your arm off,” said Luke, raising his eyebrow.

“Not that!” said Yves, his voice rising considerably. “Before, when you were wagging your sword. You could have sliced me open! Or… or smashed my head! Or —”

“But I didn’t —,” urged Luke, but he stopped midway as though a realization dawned on him. “Oh… no… not again…”

But Yves could no longer hear him. His body shook violently as he tilted his gaze behind the counter where Luke’s sword lay, still covered in the remains of berry fillings and cream custards. He pictured them instead as his own blood and entrails… his arms slackened… the cookie plate shattered… the room spun around him… he clutched his stomach… a sudden light-headedness washed over him… he was falling…

He awoke to an incessant nudging in his cheek and an uncomfortable squishy feeling underneath him. He held his breath and reached his hand to his back, but exhaled in relief at the realization he had only collapsed on a bowl of jelly-filled doughnuts. Luke was staring down at him, concern reflected in his eyes as he ceased his poking and retracted his finger.

“You good?” he asked timidly.

Yves slowly sat up, the thumping in his head returning as he did. He wiped his arm across his forehead both to massage it and shield his face from Luke’s anxious gaze.

“Just tired…” he grimaced.

Before he could give Luke a chance to respond, Yves grabbed a nearby napkin and stood making his way to the sink. He pulled a bucket of drinking water from beside the windowsill and dunked the napkin into it, pleased to find it was cool to the touch. He wrung the napkin before applying it to his forehead with a hiss and closed his eyes as relief started to take over.

He couldn’t believe he fainted in front of Luke. He was sure the flash in Luke’s eyes was a reflection of the beastly side harbored within each of the princes, whether or not the boy was aware of it himself, but why did it frighten him so? This was hardly the first time he’d confronted one, and Yves was just as much of a noble beast as any of them were, yet he always came up short, be it in the office or on the battlefield.

A feeling of utter defeat washed over him as he moved the napkin to cool his crown, trying to drown out the loud shuffling sounds Luke started making behind him. He let any chance to at least get Luke to take him seriously slip away splendidly. And if none of the princes respected him, there was no possibility Belle would even consider such a weakling as a candidate for king.

“OUCH!” said Yves.

He winced when he accidentally applied too much pressure to his bruise. Resolving he’d feel better if he rested in his bed, it wasn’t like there was any use staying in the kitchens, he rested the napkin on his head and turned on his heel when Luke appeared in front of the doorway with an apologetic look, arms hidden behind his back.

Luke rocked in place momentarily before extending one hand to reveal a single cookie. “It’ll make you feel better,” he muttered and flashed a sympathetic smile. Too tired to claim he didn’t want his pity, Yves wordlessly accepted the cookie and nibbled it quietly.

Luke looked pleased at this and continued rocking in place, letting his eyes wander around the kitchen. When Yves finished the cookie, he opened his mouth to tell Luke to step aside, but Luke spoke over him.

“So, er — what’s the next question?”

Feeling a little more alert with the extra sugar in his system, Yves focused his eyes on Luke and noticed him pulling out the same cookies on a new plate from behind his back. He wanted to tell Luke he wasn’t up for playing anymore and that he could help himself to whatever was left, but his words caught in his throat when he saw the childlike smile grace Luke’s face again.

“Um, are you sure you want to continue? It’s gotten quite late,” said Yves, but Luke firmly shook his head and beamed.

“Anything to keep me from those history books. Besides, it’s fun talking to you.”

A warm sensation sprouted in his cheeks and Yves averted his eyes. This had to be a joke; after the little misunderstanding with their scuffle and Yves’s fainting episode, Luke was probably just sparing his feelings. Still, Luke had yet to dismiss his opinions or outright laugh in his face, and the pain in his head was starting to subside…

Yves sighed and took a seat in a chair by a table underneath the window, gesturing for Luke to follow. When Luke lowered the plate and seated himself across from him, Yves removed the wet napkin and studied the boy more closely. He was still covered with pastry remains (globs of jam and doughy crusts wildly stuck his hair on end in particular), but to Yves’s surprise he otherwise seemed undisturbed. In fact, staring expectantly with his chin in his hands, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

Yves diverted his gaze from Luke’s smile again and let it land on the small stuffed bear that dangled buoyantly from his lapel.

“Where did you get that?” he asked, pointing to the bear.

Luke followed Yves’s line of sight and smiled even wider. “‘Made it myself!” he proudly proclaimed, puffing his chest so that the bear bounced merrily.

Yves observed the stitching more carefully and noticed the nostalgic homemade-feel it aroused. “It’s very nice,” he said. He smiled softly and pushed the plate towards Luke. “Have two.”

Luke conscientiously craned his arms towards the plate and rested each hand on a cookie, keeping an eye on Yves the entire time. When Yves made no sudden reaction, he grinned, picked them up and took a hearty bite from both. “Ffanks!” he said while he chewed.

Yves watched the bear continue to bob up and down as Luke devoured the cookies.

“‘Course it was only a matter of time before Rhodolite’s leading fashion expert took notice. Game recognizes game, after all.” Luke licked the remaining crumbs from his fingers and gestured towards his ear.

Yves blinked when he realized his hand had unconsciously drifted to stroke his earring. He released it and felt the cool metal tickle his neck.

“Who says I’m Rhodolite’s leading fashion expert?” he asked.

“Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, you’re by far the most put-together person in the palace. But since you asked, Jin told me.” He hovered his hand back over the plate ready for his next reward. Yves nodded and Luke scarfed down another two cookies while he sat back in his chair and looked at the ceiling.

Was it true? Well, like Luke said, it was no secret that Yves spent a lot of time prepping his appearance every day, but he didn’t realize Jin thought so highly of his efforts.

“What else did Jin say about me?”

Luke slowed his munching and shrugged his shoulders. “Just some general stuff, I s’pose. You’re the fourth — no, fifth prince, you’re in the same faction as him, you’re a whiz in the kitchen,” he eagerly picked up more cookies for each trait he listed, “you get along well with Licht, you don’t get along at all with Nokto, your mom’s an Obsidianite princess, you like to play the violin —”

“Wait, back up a bit!” Yves shot up in his seat.

“Oh, the part about Nokto? Sorry if that upset you before. But you know funny thing, Jin called him a ‘silver-tongued fox’ too, but he made it sound like a compliment —”

“No, after that. You know about my ancestry?”

“Oh… yup.” Luke triumphantly eyed the collection of seven cookies he managed to stack into a tower.

“Does it… doesn’t that bother you?” Yves asked in a small voice.

Luke peered around his cookie-tower quizzically. “Should it?”

Yves made a pointed face that shouted ‘Obviously!’, but Luke interpreted it as a new question and reached for another cookie.

“Does it bother you that I grew up a commoner?” he retorted, eyes fixated on the tower as he carefully positioned his construction of the eighth level.

Yves opened his mouth to answer but stopped himself as he pondered the question. Yves recalled the dumbfounded look he wore when he first learned of Luke’s existence, the stinging betrayal he felt toward his father, and the sleepless nights plagued with apprehension ever since, but he never actually considered his feelings toward Luke. Jin was also raised as a commoner at first, but he managed to overcome his handicap and integrate within the ranks of royalty so seamlessly Yves often forgot his origins. Would it be the same for Luke?

He admitted he never went out of his way to interact with the boy since he arrived at the palace, but he chalked that up to their schedules never overlapping rather than some preexisting prejudice he may have harbored. Adding that to the fact that Clavis scooped him up for the diplomatic faction almost instantly, Yves never interacted with Luke beyond passing him the occasional dish during mealtimes in the roundtable room. As far as he was concerned, Luke was just another person he happened to be related to.

That wasn’t right either; it’s exactly how he described his Obsidianite relatives. At least Luke was talking to him instead of outright pretending he didn’t exist.

“No,” he said in a flat voice.

“There you go then,” Luke stated matter-of-factly. He set the eighth cookie on the top and sat back to admire his work. Once he seemed satisfied, he grabbed the structure from opposite ends, condensed it as much as he could without making it collapse, and brought it in its entirety towards his mouth.

Yves watched wide-eyed as Luke forced as much of the tower as he could into his open jaw. Some of the ends crumbled in the chaos and spilled onto the table, but that didn’t stop Luke from pumping his fists and letting out a victorious “hummh!” when he finally managed to close his mouth. Yves blinked at him several times before erupting with gleeful laughter. Luke tried to join in as well, but his attempts only ended up with him sputtering and spraying the table with even more crumbs.

Five minutes passed with uninterrupted mirth filling the previously lonely corners of the kitchen until the pair calmed down. Yves’s sides started to ache; he couldn’t recall the last time he let go and allowed himself to laugh so freely. He wiped away tears that sprouted in the corners of his eyes and looked back at Luke, who finally managed to swallow the entire cookie tower and was now bouncing in his seat.

“I suppose that concludes the interrogation?” he said, moving to stand.

“Haha, hold up, I can keep going!” Luke grabbed his arm and pulled him back down to sit.

“Alright, but I can’t think of anything more — Hang on, what does Nokto say about me in your office?”

Luke’s face turned pale and he immediately ceased his bouncing. “On second thought, I think I’m full.”

Yves frowned and pulled the plate of cookies (which had about a dozen remaining) towards himself, lifted it in front of his head, and tilted it so that the cookies slid into his mouth in one swoop. He fixed a hard stare on Luke as he gobbled the lot, and it was Luke’s turn to watch him bewildered.

Yves wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smirked. “In that case, how about you ask me something?”

And thus, the two princes talked animatedly for hours with the familiarity of old friends catching up after years apart. They spoke of hilarious exploits, rambunctious mishaps against authority, and perilous adventures across borders, neither of them making any mention of the upcoming Belle selection nor the looming threat of Obsidian, and Yves prayed that dawn would never arrive.

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I really enjoyed writing from Yves's perspective. I'm sure he had a lot on his mind before Belle showed up to the palace, and he always seemed the least "beastly" of all the princes, so I imagine his isolation is what led him to his midnight feasting. (Side note, his metabolism must be through the roof!)

As for Luke, I'm not quite sure if I captured his personality correctly, but he was still very fun to write. Throughout all the routes currently available in the English version (up to Licht), he's probably shown up the least in total and he almost never mentions anything about his past. It's a shame, but that'll make it all the more exciting once his route does finally come out. It also makes me wonder if the King will ever show up in any flashbacks (got some choice words for him, let me tell you).

But for those who have finished his route in the Japanese version and find some errors in this story, chronologically or otherwise, my apologies.（◞‸◟）I'd really like to see if they tell us how Luke meets each of the princes, that'd be really cool.

Regardless, Yves and Luke's interactions in the game are precious. Good night!