Thinking again about what if the Belle thing was removed and the ikepri guys got unique introductions in a world state that wasn't half finished....
Chevalier would be through books, of course. I could see him ordering rare romance books under a pseudonym and Emma, thinking he's just a rich commoner or something, starts leaving notes about them, which he ofc has to respond, and then they basically become penpals and, while they're having a heated written argument about some rofan trope, Chevalier can't take it anymore and goes to the bookstore in person.
Leon could still have a similar introduction, posing as a commoner and helping Emma disarm a situation where a drunken commoner insulted a noble.
Yves could meet Emma while she's out shopping for a new dress and she ends up his muse.
Nokto could meet Emma at a border station while he's returning from abroad, a shipment of books has been held up and he helps smooth over the process of getting them through, she insists on thanking him with dinner in the town they'll overnight in, and then they keep getting entangled as Nokto gets confused over wanting a woman, but not just as a one night stand. A lot less sexual harassment-y because they basically met in a business aspect.
Licht would be cool to meet in an action-y setting, maybe there can be the rofan typical royal hunt, the bookstore gets an invite and Emma has to go as the representative. There's a rofan typical assassination attempt that involves letting dangerous animals into the gentle animal area and Licht saves her from an attack, then she helps solve the clues that lead to the assassins.
Clavis they have as a notorious prankster everyone in the capital fears half the time, so her not knowing of him is always weird. She SHOULD know about him and maybe get pranked by him in a way that backfires on him and they get stuck together for awhile.
Jin could maybe meet her while she's volunteering at an orphanage or something. They play with the children, maybe discover that plot from the Gilbert storyline, and he starts falling for her despite himself as they stop the child traffickers together.
Luke is the easiest, of course. They knew each other while he was just living as a commoner and they were close, him doing that bit of siscon thing on her, maybe. Sariel, desperate to find some way to get Luke to learn to be a prince after he's taken into the palace finds out about Emma and brings her in to encourage him.
Sariel they could meet in lots of ways but I do still sort of like the love at first sight thing while she's helping someone. Then he finds excuses to interact with her.
Gilbert maybe comes incognito to Rhodolite to meet her before the end, Akatsuki is furious, but also Gilbert reveals the health thing and he lets him hang out at the bookstore. Except Gilbert stops just seeing Emma as a distant friend to admire and starts wanting to take her away and keep her ofc
Keith maybe is investigating the drug smuggling and runs into Emma, who has connections to some of the people he's investigating just because so many people in the capital know and like her. At first he's just using her, but then she finds out about his secret and accepts him.
Silvio could be because she's looking into expanding the bookstore to new locations and learning more about business in Benetoite, so they run into each other and he's obnoxious but a great mentor despite that.
And then the new guys can be basically the same, traveling for work, maybe with some background involving her knowing some of the princes still (like Leon and Keith for Kagari's, etc).
blakekathryn
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