There’s quite a few things to unpack here.
1) It’s mentioned before by Sebastian but Comte seems especially fond of MC. Through all the routes, he seems close to her and does everything to protect her. He cares for all his residents, whom he sees as family, but there is an implication that MC is slightly different and especially holds his favor. This is also bizarre considering, upon first meeting her, he notes that she has a lovely scent when it is said that vampires who have fallen in love / formed an emotional connection to humans can smell their scent more strongly.
2) Comte also seems to know Shakespeare is not acting alone and is also hiding who he could be working with. Shakespeare notes that they would need a door that could travel back in time in order to revive someone who has already died and seems to needle Comte by asking him if he’s hiding another door from everyone else. Knowing that the JP game is more advanced, we know that this is a reference to Vlad who is also copying Comte for whatever reason and is helping Shakespeare write tragedies. This opens the question as to why Comte hasn’t told anyone that he knows someone is pulling Shakespeare’s strings and that he knows there’s another door that can travel back in time. This seems like an important secret to hide and Shakespeare definitely knows Comte would be in trouble with the others if they found out.
3) Comte seems to have a weak spot for Shakespeare. He loses his composure when it comes to him and goes as far as to threaten him with violence if he acts out. Shakespeare has a way of getting under his skin and knows how to provoke him. Comte who takes pride in now being the perfect gentleman still loses it when he provokes him into anger. This is something Leonardo knows too since he suggests going with Comte to go speak to him because he knows he’ll need someone to keep him in check.
4) Comte saw himself in Shakespeare once. He notes that his eye color reminded him of himself once upon a time but has now changed as a result of an injury. This makes me wonder if there was a friendship between them once or he felt more attuned to Shakespeare than any other resident. I mean, Shakespeare is hinted at being the first of Comte’s resurrections, so it is possible a Comte just learning to bring other back might have seen parts of himself in Shakespeare and felt connected to him on some level. If he was his first, they may have struck a kinship up until whatever happened, happened and Shakespeare left the mansion. This would explain why, despite knowing Shakespeare has a hand in tormenting the others, he is never punished by Comte and why Comte feels especially responsible for his actions. The JP version claims an argument broke out between Shakespeare and Comte which prompted Shakespeare to leave, so there’s definitely the implications that something happened which created a rift between them and whatever ‘connection’ they had once upon a time was severed yet some of the association remains. Additionally, Comte calls Shakespeare ‘Will’, an affectionate nickname only Vincent uses asides from him as his friend, so there’s definitely the implication that they were friends / close at one point.
5) Finally, Shakespeare is blind in one eye. His red eye, if you look closely, has gold in it. This seems to imply that his red eye is red due to blood and went blind as a result of an injury. I think the JP game also mentions that Shakespeare is afraid of the dark and seems to draw a connection between the dark and his eye. It makes me wonder what exactly happened to blind him and why the dark makes him so afraid. Comte seemed to know somehow why the dark bothered him and takes special note of his eye when he threatens him which makes him release his grip. A part of me wonders if maybe Comte feels guilty over the injury, maybe a result of their argument, or knows what happened and still feels responsible. This sense of debt and guilt would also explain why he’s so lenient with Shakespeare and let’s him get away with his shady actions even after everyone begins suspecting him.
Really, there’s a lot revealed in this one scene. 🤔
