Hi there! I'm new to the fandom and don't know alot about the stars.
So far I really like Tsumugi, what is he like?
Admin: Hi! I'm sure this ask was sent so long ago. I'm not Tsumugi's biggest fan. He is just not my favorite. I never really looked into his character, especially after everything that went down with Ex Fine. I'm sure he's an absolutely fine character and I'm glad you really like him! ✨️❤️
Why did Gilbert change? Why did he stop believing in love and did someone betray/lie to him?
End of route spoilers
I get the sense that life under the Mad Emperor wasn’t super great, but at first it wasn’t too bad. Gilbert had friends, he loved his brothers, and was generally well liked.
Then one day the Emperor announced he was going to choose his successor.
Suddenly everyone around him changed. His brothers formed factions and secret groups, friends would smile and laugh with you while you drank their poisoned tea - everyone was trying to murder each other, or do other terrible things to each other for the slightest advantage.
That Gilbert could handle, but the worse betrayal was by his mother and favorite brother, Albert. They were both shielding him from the worst of what was going on, so he didn’t realize how bad it really was until they were executed by the emperor for trying to put a stop to the succession. This broke him, made him give up on love, and made him hate liars.
He’s convinced if they hadn’t lied to him about how bad it was, he could have saved them.
This is just a very quick and dirty plot summary up to chapter 10. Lots of spoilers, I'm leaving out a lot of information, and there's no guarantee that it's accurate.
I made it so that I could follow along with the plot, keep track of the mysteries, and a few of the interesting scenes.
Spoilers for Gilbert's route
Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers
Not all of the officials in the castle are aware of Emma being Belle, so after the ball they’re about to throw hands with her in the domestic faction’s office. From their POV - mystery woman shows up out of nowhere to ‘study’ at the castle, and then a week later she’s dancing with the Obsidian Prince at the ball.
The princes all saying that she’s trustworthy and fine doesn’t really convince them, and Emma leaves so the domestic faction can get some work done
Gilbert finds her and immediately drags her off on a ‘date’ to a store he has reserved for the night.
It’s Emma’s old workplace, and Gilbert starts talking about how much of her he already knows.
The book comes up - it’s game of thrones but everyone is extra evil. Emma doesn’t really know where it’s from, just that the bookstore owner gave it to her after his last trip. It’s currently Emma’s favorite book. (Sorry Sonia)
Gilbert tells her that they’re going to be friends and spend as much time together as possible over the next month.
When they come back, Chevalier immediately drags Emma into his secret library and directly asks her what Gilbert asked her to do.
He is absolutely flabbergasted when she tells him about Gilbert’s Project BFF.
He recovers quickly enough, and tells her that since she’s now ‘friends’ with Gilbert, she can be Chevalier’s exclusive spy/agent. Which also means that she doesn’t need permission to make decisions on how to handle Gilbert. He’ll take responsibility for the fallout.
Also, this is also a secret from everyone who isn’t Chevalier - including Sariel and Rio. Gilbert has several spies in the castle, and it could be anyone but Chevalier.
To signify this arrangement - he gives her a pin with his seal.
Chevalier also warns her that as much as that pin will help her, it might also get her head cut off - so yeah.
The next morning, Gilbert has Emma join him, Keith, and Silvio at breakfast - unlike what Silvio’s done in other routes, Gilbert fawns over her.
There is an interesting scene where Emma drops her fork, and when she bends down to grab it, Gilbert grabs her hand and ‘reminds’ her that grabbing things off the floor is what commoners do.
Also - Gilbert has enough pastries on his plate to feed 10 people. He very generously and loudly (in front of Keith, Silvio, and the servants) transfers enough food to feed 3 people from his plate to Emma’s.
During this scene, Gilbert starts talking about all the things he knows about Emma - events that go back before Emma even met Rio.
Keith and Silvio are now convinced that Gilbert is a creepy stalker - and Silvio gives Gilbert a new nickname.
Gilbert adds that since he and Emma are good friends, he’s going to help her help the princes with their duties. He’s obviously expecting Emma to balk at this, but thanks to Chevalier’s pep (?) talk, Emma pulls out the pin, fastens it openly on her blouse and welcomes his help.
Instead of getting angry, Gilbert starts laughing and praising Chevalier.
The first business is perhaps the most awkward carriage ride ever, with Leon, Yves, Gilbert, and Emma going to investigate an orphanage. Gilbert makes it very clear that he already knows what’s going on, and Emma is completely in the dark. Yves begins to ask Gilbert about his (Yves’) mother but Gilbert immediately shuts him down, he doesn’t want to talk about her, and he hates Yves.
At the orphanage, Gilbert immediately begins playing with the children. Leon and Yves go with the director to investigate the ledgers, and Emma decides Mr. ‘My Hobbies Include Training Spies’ probably shouldn’t be left alone with the kids. The play ends with them outside in the garden, and Emma sees the way that the director is acting with Yves (pretending that he’s not there and only looking at/speaking to Leon)
It turns out that while the orphans are raised well and treated nicely at the orphanage, when they age out they are essentially ‘sold’ to a baron who uses them for slave labor.
The group confronts the baron at his mansion, who literally has a dungeon of teenaged slave laborers and a fight ensures.
The baron tries to run away, but Emma and Gilbert cut him off.
Interesting - while Rhodolite has a full justice system - Obsidian is more of a dictatorship. If they were in Obsidian, since he’s part of the Royal family, if Gilbert decided the Baron should die because he didn’t like his socks, it would be legal to kill the baron.
This is also the scene where a Gilbert starts referring to Emma as his prey, and gets violent when he thinks his prey is threatened.
Later that night, Emma brings Gilbert a cart of 100 cookies to thank him for saving her during the fight with the baron. He invites her into his room for tea and cookies - and we find out that Gilbert is here without an entourage. He is his own servant, so he personally serves her the tea.
Emma also finds a familiar black book in his room, and Gilbert admits that he’s been reading it. It’s the sequel to Emma’s book. It’s very popular in Obsidian, and Gilbert offers to loan the book to her. He also does the whole ‘you aren’t leaving my room tonight schtick’ Emma then leaves his room that night.
Over the next few days Gilbert is very diligent with helping Emma, he goes over battle formations (with Emma) in the foreign affairs office, he helps Emma with documents with the domestic affairs office. He is her partner for dancing instructions (and warns her about stepping on his feet again lest he gets violent in response) He also adds supplemental instruction alongside Sariel. He even tries to get Emma to call him Gil-sensei.
Things come to a head, where one day Gilbert isn’t with Emma, and a mean aristocrat woman trips Emma badly enough for her to sprain her ankle. The woman and her maid start to make fun of Emma, but Yves comes in for the rescue and after yelling at them, makes them leave. Remembering how Gilbert got after the baron threatened to hurt her, Emma asks Yves to let it go or else someone will report it to Gilbert and the lady and her maid might get murdered. Yves does, brings Emma to her room, bandages her up, and gives her a pep talk about how it’s really okay to stand up for yourself.
They have an interesting discussion about Gilbert’s motives. Yves can tell that he’s trying his best to isolate Emma from the court, but he doesn’t know the end goal. He was thinking that Gilbert could be trying to start rumors that whomever she chose would be influenced by Obsidian, or even really influence her decision, but he doesn’t think so anymore.
While all of this has been going on, Emma has been giving daily reports to Chevalier. After her talk with Yves, she goes to report, only Chevalier isn’t in his secret library. Emma exits only to find Gilbert waiting for her. He’s decided that since she’s become familiar with Chevalier the prince, it’s time that she meets Chevalier the beast. He takes her out to the gardens.
He does pause briefly when he realizes that Emma is in pain while walking. He asks if she has anything to say to him, until Emma finally gives in and says that she’s tired and needs a small break. Gilbert stops for a little, then announces that his cane is too cumbersome for him to carry, so Emma has to carry it for him. Emma accepts the cane and finds that it’s weirdly heavy. Using Gilbert’s cane, they continue.
Because of the surprise break, they don’t make it in time to see Chevalier mow down assassins in the garden. But they’re still early enough to see the bodies, the blood everywhere, and Chev (for once in his life) wiping down his sword. While Emma BSoDs, Clavis pops out from behind the garden gazebo, and complains that Gilbert did this on purpose. Gilbert responds that he was just bringing Emma to Chevalier.
Emma recovers enough to say that Chevalier is obviously in the middle of something, and she’ll talk to him later.
Clavis manages to separate Gilbert from
Emma by promising him food, and takes Emma with him to calm down by the garden pond.
As revenge for what Gilbert did, they dig a pit trap for him. After he’s done eating, Gilbert happily hops into the pit trap, and announces that in recompense, he wants an invitation to Clavis’ next soirée. Three of them.
That night, Emma goes to Chevalier’s room to report/consult with him. Chevalier is mildly impressed with Emma willingly facing him, and we get our first sighting of Lucien, the guard who’s monitoring Gilbert in the events.
Chevalier doesn’t blame the assassination attempt on Gilbert - though doubtlessly he was involved. He tells Emma a little about Obsidian’s history, about how there hasn’t been a major war since 10 years ago. Instead, the countries Obsidian has taken over since have all willingly surrendered without bloodshed. This is Gilbert’s true power, and the reason he should be feared.
Chevalier and Emma come to the conclusion that Gilbert doesn’t see the people around him as ‘human’.
The next day, Gilbert, Emma, and Luke go through Clavis’ trapped mansion, with Gilbert pointing out the traps and Luke very skillfully dodging them. They find the anti-monarcy fist fighting with the pro-democracy faction in the party room, but they quickly recognize Gilbert. About half the room is happy and excited that he’s there, and the other half are pissed off. We start hearing about the Blood Stained Rose day 10 years ago, and seriously, how has Emma not heard anything about that?
Gilbert starts talking to the room, and remembering her talk with Chevalier the previous night, Emma asks if this is how he gets nations to surrender and join Obsidian without bloodshed.
Yes, this is Gilbert’s MO.
Someone else tries to stab Gilbert, and Emma tries to jump in and save him. Instead her collar is roughly grabbed, and Gilbert throws her into a nearby wall, and takes care of the assailant himself.
Emma takes this moment to speak - not to Gilbert - but to the crowd. She reminds them that if they close all dialogue, they’ll be no better than mindless beasts.
At this point, Clavis shows up to his own party, fashionably late. Luke and Emma agree that they’ve seen enough, and leave Gilbert to continue speaking with the anti-royalty factions.
Rio was waiting for them at the castle gates, and he is upset. Since Emma had gotten involved with Gilbert, she has gotten quite beat up. He is about to run off and attack Gilbert, but thankfully Luke stops him. Emma also tries to stop him, but Luke just picks her up, while holding Rio down.
They manage to convince Rio to not run off and pick a fight with Gilbert, but both men agree that Emma should cut herself loose from whatever hold Gilbert has on her.
Emma considers this, and ultimately decides not to.
Later that night, she follows Gilbert to the castle chapel, though she’s not a good tail so Gilbert knew she was following him the entire time. He was hoping to avoid her tonight, since he’s still very angry with her and can’t guarantee he won’t get violent. Emma doesn’t care, she needs to talk to him when he’s like this. She understands that he’s angry that she put herself in harms way and might of died, but she doesn’t regret the action. Even if he’s the final boss/main villain, he’s still a human and she doesn’t want him to die. Though, he really could take care of himself.
Emma has a new plan, just as Gilbert has been trying to isolate her into his cold desolate world, she’s going to resist him. Instead, she will drag him into her warm world full of human kindness.
Emma asks Gilbert to become her friend. Gilbert warns her that if she’s being his friend of her own accord, that means that she must promise never to betray him or he’ll be so sad he’ll kill her himself. Emma clarifies what he means by betrayal - if Emma becomes someone else. With that promise they kiss each other’s cheek, and Emma asks if this is a tradition in Obsidian.
No, it’s not.
They part ways, and Emma immediately goes to Chevalier’s secret library, only to find Clavis there as well.
Emma bluntly asks Clavis if he’s betraying Rhodolite, and they get into the whole kingdom vs. people, good vs. evil talk. Chevalier cuts in and asks Emma to report.
Afterwards, Clavis wonders again about what Gilbert’s plans are - specifically what was up with introducing her to the anti- factions. Is it to sow discord? Emma thinks it was some kind of test he was putting her up to.
Chevalier thinks she might be right - and furthermore, Gilbert might be using Emma’s reactions to make his own decisions going forward. They wonder about how Sariel picked Emma to be Belle, and just as Rhodolite is using her to decide it’s next king, Gilbert is using her to decide his next course of actions.
Chevalier orders Clavis to investigate the anti-Royal faction further, and to take Nokto with him. He is told not to involve Luke.
The next day, Gilbert brings Emma out with him on a date. And like all the best dates, he brings her to a sketchy deserted alley where Emma is convinced she’s going to be raped and murdered - maybe in that order. To put her mind at ease, Gilbert tells her it’s already too late, no one will come and rescue her.
He holds hands with her, and brings her to a desolate door, opening it and politely letting her in first. It’s a weirdly ordinary flat - and Gilbert explains it’s his safe house in Rhodolite.
While proudly bragging about how he just had it cleaned, Gilbert does not react well to the lingering dust and nearly keels over. Emma gets him a glass of water and rubs his back until his breathing gets under control.
Gilbert explains that back in the day, when he was a kid, the relationship between Rhodolite and Obsidian was pretty good, so he used this flat when he was visiting. Which he now bequeaths to Emma. He explains that this is the last time he will ever visit Rhodolite, so it might as well get some use. Even if he conquers Rhodolite in the future, he will not use this room.
Gilbert also reveals that he used to have four other brothers, all who died in ‘accidents’ and implies he’s the cause of the ‘accidents’. Emma thinks he didn’t kill then and is sad about their deaths.
Emma promises to take care of the flat - it’s not the request of an enemy prince, but the request of her new friend.
Gilbert is standing against the light in a way that she can’t make out his expression, but when he repeats the word ‘friend’ he sounds conflicted.
For some reason, Emma thinks this flat smells familiar.
Also, Gilbert reeeeealy wants her to start calling him 'Gil'.
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