#esperanza boronial

[cherself]

Tired owl man should really take a nap (Can we just talk about how amazing Esperanza is)

[toushindai]

4 with the Mask Makers or 46 with Esperanza maybe?

I was in a Carla mood this morning, so I hope Carla’s POV is fine for #46: “The waver in a person’s voice when they’re stressed.”

Shouldered with unexpected free time, Carla makes her way tothe manor’s library. She could have returned to her quarters, but Esperanza andLucrezia have both made it clear to her that she is permitted to visit anycorner of the manor that she wishes, and she does not want to retire for the dayjust yet. The library strikes the perfect balance between the nap that Lucreziasuggested for her and the self-improvement she would rather spend her time on.

When she arrives, though, she finds that the titular lord ofthe manor is already there, seated in the windowsill and reading a book by thelight of the noontime sun. Carla inclines her upper body in a slight bow withevery intention of withdrawing again, but Esperanza’s eyes turn toward herbefore she can shut the door.

“Carla,” he says, and smiles graciously. “Did you needsomething?”

“No, sir. I’m sorry to have interrupted you.”

“You wanted to read!” He closes his own book and stands,spreading his arms in welcome. “Please, don’t let my presence dissuade you. Isthere a particular book or subject you were interested in?”

As always, Carla finds herself somewhat stymied by hisgenerosity. When she was trained as a maid, it was verboten to trouble a masterof the house with one’s presence unless called for; as a guard, it is her dutyto be present without interfering in her mistress’s business. —For the last twoyears, her duty has been a more encroaching thing, but that is over now. She isa guard once more.

In the end, her duty is to do what she is told, and even ifEsperanza is less frivolously insistent than Lucrezia is, he makes clear thathe genuinely wants Carla to be comfortable. Carla ensures that her posture, atleast, is impeccable, and answers honestly. “There is nothing in particular,sir; I intended to browse.”

“Then by all means. Please do not hesitate to ask if I canbe of assistance.”

He settles back into his seat in the windowsill, and Carlabegins with the shelves nearest the door. Most of the books are in Spanish orItalian, with a smattering of what look to be English and French. This sectionis law, then economics; the next is history, perhaps a safer subject for her toshow interest in. As she kneels to consider a few titles on a lower shelf, shefeels Esperanza’s gaze on her back. She does not stand or turn, but she speaks:

“Sir, if I am interrupting you, I would be happy to goelsewhere.”

“No, Carla, not at all. It is simply rare, these days, tosee you to see you alone, rather than at your lady’s side.”

“My lady is napping,” Carla explains.

“Ah… of course. She had mentioned that she might like tospeak to me this afternoon, but if she is resting, I would never presume tointerrupt her.”

The careful neutrality of his statement is a veiledcriticism; as it is hardly unjustified, Carla politely overlooks it. Even so,Esperanza sighs and speaks again.

“I apologize, Carla. For… interrupting you. Are you findingeverything you need?”

“Yes, sir. Your collection is impressive.”

“You are too kind. I hope you will feel free to browse theseshelves whenever you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Carla is grateful when Esperanza falls silent. MentioningLucrezia has drawn a waver of stress into his voice, and to hear it puts Carlainto an uncomfortable position. The count does not like Lucrezia, Carlasuspects; he welcomes her, but that is a different matter altogether. Hewelcomes Lucrezia because she is female, and because the House Dormentaireoverpowers whatever they set their sights on and his lordship over LottoValentino is no more. Too, Carla suspects that he welcomes Lucrezia becauseLucrezia acts as though she is being welcomed. She behaves as a guest would, asthough she is here by Esperanza’s invitation, so how else can he respond? Soon,she will begin speaking as though she was always meant to be a permanentresident of the Boronial manor, and who will stop her? Certainly not Esperanza.Lucrezia knows this and will greedily exploit it. Carla knows it, too, andthough she had not foreseen it when she first came to Lotto Valentino, she willneither shy from her duty nor deny her place in the encroachment now. She is aninvader. Moreover, she is the face of the invasion, and the city’s residentshate her for it; she accepts this, so long as it keeps them from turning theirresentment against Lucrezia instead.

It would be easier if Esperanza would hate her, too.

But he refuses to. He is kind and gracious to Carla, andequally so to Lucrezia. He smiles, and listens to them when they speak. Heinvites Lucrezia to his dinner table and makes sure that Carla eats well, too—betterthan she ate back in Spain. He inquires after their well-being. When Lucreziahas a complaint, no matter how trivial, he ensures that her needs are met.

It must weigh on him. Carla cannot help but suspectthat if she were to turn around now without warning, she might see his eyesclosed and his brow pulled low over them. She might glimpse, for just a moment,the weary grimace that he must be hiding from all the women he adores.

But it is not Carla’s place to witness her superior’ssuffering, nor to feel sympathy for the House Dormentaire’s prey. She pulls abook out of the shelf at random and stands. She does not yet turn.

“Sir, may I take this book to my room to read?”

“Of course you may, Carla.” Warmth colors his voice likeincense trying to fill an empty room. “Please, enjoy it at your leisure.”

“Thank you.” She does not say you are too kind,although it is true. She only turns, bows once to him, and retreats to her ownquarters.

[toushindai]

please consider

So, when Huey and Monica are sulking in opposite corners of the city

Monica stays in what’s very clearly described as a hidden room in Esperanza’s mansion.

What do you think the probability is that that room’s also been used to hide women who need protection from abusive men?

(I’ll answer that for you, the probability is 100%.)

(shamelessly tags @maitressepatria because this seems like a thought she’d appreciate)

[toushindai]

like I’ve said this before but I think a lot of the disconnect between Monica and Esperanza comes of Maribel-becoming-Monica honestly not understanding how much danger she was in, being targeted by the Dormentaires. She says to Carla that she didn’t know until years later who Gardi was. And I think Esperanza probably deliberately tried to keep this knowledge from her, with the goal of protecting her--from fear, from having to feel the weight of all the political maneuvering that he suddenly had to handle because of what happened to her. He was trying to protect her, but he was in over his head and ill-equipped to do so, and he was able to do just enough to spare her from the knowledge of what could have happened. And not much more than that. So she feels thrown aside--feels like her brother sold her out--and meanwhile Esperanza’s fielding her resentment while the wounds of fighting his hardest for her are still fresh.

I’d really love to know how she found out just how formidable the Dormentaires are, because clearly by the time they arrive in 1709, she’s well aware. She still doesn’t expect her brother to fight for her (goes to him expecting him to turn her in), but when she speaks to Carla, she says “My brother must have been shielding me again,” so her understanding seems to be revised by then.

I really wish we could have seen more of that progression.

[toushindai]

Power Struggles

As the new head of the House Boronial, Esperanza struggles to protect his sister from the House Dormentaires' vengeance. (1700)

(Been trying to pin down something about Esperanza's and Maribel's relationship for weeks now, but Fujimoto's recent sketch of them both looking very :| finally kicked me into gear. This is written in second person because I was originally just ranting to myself (I'm not cool) about how awful things felt for Esperanza but it wound up presentable.)

You are eighteen and watching your life upend itself. Your parents were just killed. Your younger sister was nearly violated, and she killed the man who assaulted her. You are now the head of your household, and the family of the man your sister killed—the man who killed your parents—are breathing down your neck seeking a story to tell the public that doesn’t reveal his role in all of this. In exchange, they promise to call your sister innocent.

You are eighteen and your sister is nine, and if this is too much for you then it’s too much for her by far. She flinches when the flames in the fireplace crackle. She won’t stop crying and you don’t have the time to sit with her because the Dormentaires want your attention; they want this swept under the rug, immediately. You hardly have time to breathe, let alone mourn.

Your aunt comes. She looks after Maribel; she stands at your side when the Dormentaires come by to bargain. They don’t listen to her—she’s your mother’s sister and not an aristocrat herself—but she’s steely and warm and there are no words for how much you appreciate her presence. You are surer than ever that women are by far the fairer sex.

You bargain, as best you can. You remain calm, deferential. Reminders that you, too, lost family that night fall on unheeding ears, and you stop bringing it up. Briefly, you put away some of the more peculiar aspects of how you prefer to present yourself, but it turns out that the Dormentaires regard you with the same scorn no matter what you do. So you take to painting two stars on your face instead of just one. If they need a clown to laugh at, you will play the part.

You bargain until you realize that the Dormentaires are only there to take; when you realize that, you swallow your pride and you give. There’s no question in your mind that you need to make whatever concessions they ask for in order to guarantee Maribel’s safety. Yes, you will leave Madrid and retreat to a city on the Italian peninsula. Yes, you will relinquish whatever power they ask for, because even if the House Boronial’s influence almost rivals the House Dormentaire’s, that small difference is all they need to overpower you. You, without your parents to navigate the intricacies of this political game. You, with your helpless, hurting sister to protect.

You do the best you can, and it isn’t enough.

The House Dormentaire promised you that your sister would be safe and blameless, but you were a fool to hope that they might care about her happiness. “Blameless” turns out to mean that she is counted as dead alongside your parents. She is to be cut off from the House Boronial, and her new identity is blamed not only for Gardi Dormentaire’s death but also your parents’ death and her own. You try to argue against this. You plead, more than once, all dignity abandoned. They shrug. She gets to keep her life and they won’t pursue her any further; they don’t understand what more you could want. Before you can think to ask for permission to at least choose your sister’s new name, they’ve decided on one for her.

They leave the table and you sit alone. You bury your head in your hands. You feel your powerlessness as a nausea that keeps you up all night, and you rise in the morning swearing that you won’t let your little sister feel the same way.

You call her to the parlor. Her face is still stained with tears, and for a moment you falter. Then you do the only thing you can think of, which is to explain what will happen to her solemnly, as though the situation were under your control. You try to channel your father’s dignity.

You realize immediately—but not soon enough to take it back—that it’s the wrong thing to do. Your sister searches your face and whatever she’s looking for, she doesn’t find it. You watch her tears dry up, watch her eyes grow cold. She acknowledges your words in a flat, dead voice, and after that she hardly speaks to you. You think she might hate you. A year later you are sure of it, because she scales the balcony of your mansion in Lotto Valentino to speak to you and the sarcasm on her lips ages her by five years.

Her hatred, after everything you’ve sacrificed, is too much to bear. You distance yourself. Monica Campanella begins studying alchemy at the Third Library, and you write to her wishing her well in her new identity. She parodies your formality by wishing you well in “governing this pathetic little city you’ve brought us both to.” You throw her letter in the fire, and later you wish you hadn’t. You wish you could make her realize that this life is worth it if it means that the Dormentaires’ fingerprints might someday fade from around your necks. You pray to God she’ll never have to understand that.

(And when, one summer night in 1709, she appears on your doorstep trembling and ashen-faced and whispering turn me in, her pain freezes you like you never had time to freeze all those years ago. She starts crying when you say Maribel?, and you do what you should have done when you were both still children: you hold her, determined that nothing in the world shall hurt your little sister.)

(This time, you tell her that.)

[strangeshipper]

Fragrance Baccano! : : Esperanza C. Broniare, Fermet

- Some perfumes for the ladies, aye?

[toushindai]

Is Jacques-rose's (manga hat guy) last name the same as Esperanza's?

IT SURE IS. Why is it the same?? No one knows! Except Narita, presumably.

What’s really interesting is that the manga apparently started syndication before 1705 was published. So he’s the first Boronial we ever saw. It drives me a little kooky. It’s not like he resembles Esperanza, so I’m not sure what the point is…

[vilatile]

have been rally busy to upload stuff here in tumblr /////muchsecretthingstobedone but here’s the thing I did for our Queen @hrh-gwen now KNEEL.