Been a hot minute since I've posted anything from my own hands that wasn't me crocheting or posting about cookie run.
v To spare the audience my yapping, here's the keep reading button v
The first two pages are dedicated to Saphir DeCorbon and her 'cousin' Lady Pearl Asmodeus. I wanted to expand and experiment on dialogue and designs. Their relationship is rather strained as adults due to past traumas that happened during their childhoods and the present. Pearl is currently an opera singer/ courtesan, trying to live her dreams of the stage whilst desperately trying to escape her controlling cousin. Saphir, being royalty could at any time lord herself over Pearl yet cannot do so without villainizing herself. She worries deeply despite her cousin's assumption that it's merely a vague pretext for control.
As children, they were close for a time. Saphir often venting to Pearl about how her own mother is practically dressing her up like a doll. Imprisoned by layers of velvet and other fineries. Lady Asmodeus would bluntly tell her that it's all about appearances with that woman. She also took umbridge with Igneous, as she felt he was a weak, unsuitable fool for her regal relative. She was proven right when they had arrived to see him choking on a sandwich.
The third pages is that of a younger Violette Quartz and Milo Lancaster when they were briefly engaged. The two of them were somewhat closeted yet felt the weight of obligation looming heavily upon their necks. The young maiden wondered why of all the things for her father to do was agree to the clearly manic depressive archduke's demand of engagement. Milo offered his theories which consisted of generational trauma and unresolved grief on the part of his mentally ill father. Violette apologized to him since she knew he detested this arrangement as much as she did. It didn't stop them from opening up to each other.
Apparently, Milo was forced to grow up quickly in the face of being kidnapped and abused by his own mother. He was helpless when his own cousin Emma was violently beaten seemingly to death when she tried to stop it. After coming to the duchy, young Lancaster clawed his way to the top for years in trying to escape. He was shaped by the hell birthed from his mother's spitefulness towards the man he'd call his father. The same man who was still grieving the loss of his wife and living with the horror of being violated by said wife's friend- Milo's mother. It seemed that the older Lancaster saw Milo and Violette (a distant cousin of his dearly deceased) getting along- perhaps projecting onto him which resulted in their betrothal. What a mess.
The final page is for Igneous Crimizion, the prince of Infernus. During his engagement at the age for 14, his dear fiancée Saphir had gotten into a heated argument with his tyrant of mother. It wasn't even 15 minutes prior they had just gotten betrothed and already- war was on the horizon. All he could do in the face of two massive egos was sit paralyzed by anxiety.
A year had gone by and out of the blue, the poor boy got called out for eating cake. By his own partner. She called him fat despite the fact he was quite underweight. She blamed the cake he loved to eat. Truthfully, the cake was sugarless and made with protein powder. Also, it was a coping mechanism to deal with all the 'bitterness' in his life. Saphir included.
Alas, that comment was enough to deter him from even looking at cake without feeling ugly. 15 years later, it still haunts him. He vents to Milo, unaware he's eating some cake. Admits to him that he developed a bit of eating issues after that and complains Saphir can scarf down anything she wants. Doesn't take him long to it, the dreaded cake in his advisor's hands. Milo, scrambling to explain himself- finds himself breathless as Igneous tries to assure him its okay for him to have that cake. It is too late, there has been a total misunderstanding.
Whilst portioning out some chia seed pudding (a go to in low sugar sweets for him), Igneous laments in his accidental shaming of Milo. Believing he has passed on his own insecurity to him.
Meanwhile, the clever Lancaster is looking for desserts that won't make his majesty feel worse. He thinks it's not far that his dear lord cannot enjoy anything too sweet due to snide comments and sugar content. Milo is utterly determined to find a cake that Igneous can enjoy without guilt!
All characters and art belong to me, Misskazehana
