#that's not even getting into the condescending paternalistic vibe he brings to every interaction with Celene

[linka-from-captain-planet]

what I like about The Masked Empire is that it's all about Terrible People and Their Terrible Misadventures, but there's one character whose terrible person factor (tpf*) is so underrated:

Michel

Throughout the book, Michel's POV gives constant lip service to his devotion to Celene and the Empire, right or wrong, on his honor as her sworn champion... yet, on several occasions, he puts his ego above everything else. He only practices what he preaches when it upholds his ego and his fragile sense of self.

What's funny is that he probably IS being sincere when he says he'd die for Celene... because dying for Celene would uphold his ego and self-image. It would allow him to go out, taking his Horrible Secret to the grave, as the man he's spent his life pretending to be.

But to forego his Chevalier Code, even once, even if it would put an end to a brewing civil war, even if it would prevent imminent harm to a real person he supposedly cares about? No way. He's too selfish for that.

It's so ridiculously on point that he goes into every battle screaming his own name like a pokemon, because that's all he truly cares about - that he is Ser Michel de Chevin, Chevalier - and it's only in the end, when he's been defeated, that he's also an elfblooded bastard.

*tpf is not a bad thing and in fact is typically proportional to sexiness and/or coolness, so all of this makes Michel a much more interesting character