I havent finished the current ikepri event but it's making me think again about how Gilbert's life was.
We got this dude, struggling plenty as a child but trying to still keep a positive attitude. Outside of his room is his father, killing people on a whim. So much so that looking outside some windows to where the entrance is visible, is viscera at any given moment. His father will kill anywhere, and the castle itself is a hunting grounds if other members of his family so wish it. They attempt to poison each other, hire assassins on each other,kill each other, trap each other, etc for the throne. Daily(?)
And there's Gilbert, the youngest and weakest for various reasons. And at one of his weakest moments he's sent away with a promise it'll be fine, just to return to find the only people he trusted (sans Walter) are dead because of him. (Not 100%, but he's involved in it to a degree and of course he internalizes it as such)
And at that moment he caves into the violence the rest of his family had been committing. Blood on his hands, killing any other complicit family member aside from his father, because he's not strong enough yet.
And despite being the only remaining son left, despite climbing the ranks and establishing he's got some worth, his father and other nobles still try to kill him on a regular basis.
How can you get close to anyone in an environment like that. Everything had been taken away once before, and theres never a promise it cant be taken away again. We look at his actions in yhe current year of the game, and we're like "oh, he's obsessive again. At least he's learning?" But how often are we fully unpacking *why* he's so cagey with mc and her ability to be with others in obsidian.
The emperor stuff wasnt that long ago. It was about ten years before him and mc get back together, meanwhile how long do you think it took to weed out any other schemeing soldiers or others in the castle? Those with grudges against the royal family that would be fully willing to take it out on Gilbert? Those biding their time, pretending to be loyal to him? Do you think he could weed out every bit of corruption in ten years, including the outside forces as well? The rest of the noble families outside of the castle, who are still willing to be as cruel as the royal family was?
I feel like he's not getting enough credit for trying to be more rational given all the trauma he went through sometimes. I get swept up in the sillies and the romance that sometimes I forget the lengths he likely needs to go through to trust that she'll be safe doing xyz.
Not to mention all the OTHER trauma of the awful shit he's done, regardless on if it was for the betterment of the country or not. The trauma of his father praising him as a 'you really are my child!' At the last moment. The trauma of learning so many awful things from his father via unwillingly witnessing cruel acts. Jesus christ.
