{"My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel." -Sansa Stark (George R.R. Martin) }
⚜ Respects ~*~ ☯ Neutral ~*~ ☮ Friends ~*~ ♫ Best Friends ~*~ § Wary of ~*~ ♥ Potential Love Interest

☯Raven Willow☯
"She appears friendly enough, with a stubborn streak that pop culture has deemed "fashionable". Likable, yes, but prepared to rule? That I cannot be so sure of."
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☯Shawn Hunter☯
"Goodness gracious, he may just be worse than Zhou, from what I've read of him."
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§ Elizaveta Romanova⚜
"She reminds me of myself-the revolution, the tyrannical father, the hiding. That makes me wary of her almost instantly. But there is something in her that I lost long, long ago-I feel that she still believes that people are inherently good. Perhaps that may not be such a bad thing for someone like Elizaveta."
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☯Feora Swinth☯
"She seems like a very headstrong and willful woman, one who would never stand for an arranged marriage. I wonder how that will play into the dynamics of her betrothal."
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♫Zhou Xianshi♫
"Zhou, Zhou, Zhou. What am I ever going to do with Zhou?"
Zhou is Mai's cousin. He was born a bastard but discovered his true heritage, and after Mai's uncle took the throne, Zhou quite literally burst into the throne room and demanded answers. Initially, Mai was distrustful of him, suspecting a conspiracy or something of that nature, but she gradually grew to think of him like a very improper and troublesome brother.
☯Caterina Versini☯
"​She's quite the confident one, is she not? One must wonder how it feels to be in her position, after the murder of her sister. I am inclined to believe that at least some of that confidence is forced.​ After all, she was not raised to be the heir.​​​​"​
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☯John Drake☯
"​A tutor on princely duties, hmm? If he needs a tutor, I wonder how he views the 'antiquated' practice of arranging marriages. Not with much enthusiasm, I'd gather.​"
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​​♥Casimir D'strad☮
"Oh, Casimir! His sense of fashion is both ridiculous and striking at the same time, and Ortha is absolutely enchanting-at least, the parts I've seen of it. He's quite a charmer, that Casimir, but like his kingdom, there is more to him that just what he allows to show through. I am certain of it."
​Mai met Casimir while she was accompanying her uncle on a trip to Ortha in an effort to negotiate a trade deal. She accepted his invitation to go explore the city surrounding the palace at night, and was rather surprised when he began to lavish her with gifts. To this day, she remembers him affectionately, though she recognizes that holding on to lingering feelings of fondness will do her no good in the years to come.

☯Zachary Hunter☯
"​Is it possible to be even more of a troublemaker than Zhou? Because if so, Zachary and Shawn certainly are.​"
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☯Nikolai Johanssen​​☯
"​Fooled by a pretty girl and some sweet words in his youth, eh? Interesting."
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§​Liviana Traianus​​⚜
"​Never judge a book by its cover. She may be small, but she is intelligent, and the intelligent ones are the most dangerous, even if Liviana herself does not believe this.​"
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☯Leonard Ford​☯
"Brought up with two competing ideologies, it seems like. I do wonder how that has affected his way of thinking."
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§Edwin Drakewine​☯
"A romance with a middle-class girl leading to her murder, hmm? How intriguing. He gives off the impression of being as strong as the empire he is to one day rule, but there are cracks in his armor. Even so, it would be extremely unwise to underestimate him in any way, shape, or form."
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​​☯Yu Song☯
"He reminds me of a calmer version of Zhou."
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☯Isobel Martinez☯
"Are her acts of charity genuine or for show? Nevertheless, she and Zhou will make for a heap of trouble. That will be a pain to deal with, to say the least."
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☯Henry Peterson☯
"His past reminds me of Zhou. Adventurous and filled with fun and exploration, I do not doubt. But the more important question here is if he is capable of ruling well or not."
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​​♕§Niklas König⚜♕
"I suppose I already have an unfair perception of him, given my past history with generals and soldiers and the like. If I ignore his military background, Niklas is almost too good to be true. In any case, his country is strong, and like it or not, Liang needs this alliance. So I will do what I must and put the past behind me. There is no other option."
Mai has always harbored an instinctual distrust of all things military, due to the fact that she had seen enemy soldiers do unspeakable things during her childhood and early teen years while her uncle was marshaling support for his cause. She tries to forget and move past it, especially since she is betrothed to the prince of a militaristic nation, but some things are easier said than done. Nevertheless, Mai will do all she can to make sure that her marriage is one that is beneficial to Liang and brings prosperity to her people.

☯Serafina Grey☯
"Why must she insist on dressing in all black? It makes her look like one of those overly dramatic teenagers who have too much time on their hands. But beyond that, she seems impulsive and overly emotional. Unfit to rule? Perhaps. We shall see."
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⚜Cara O'Brien☯
"Her blunt nature is a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling atmosphere at court back in Liang. Nevertheless, I must tread carefully around her. She wasn't chosen to be the heir to the throne of the Celtic Consortium for no reason."
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☯Sade Magoro☯
"Carefree and optimistic, two usually positive traits that can be very dangerous in a ruler. I suppose the death of her older brother has grounded her a little bit, though."
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☯Talya Krasnoff☯
"​We are almost complete opposites. She's practically grown up as a normal teenager-​​and a rebellious one at that. And oh, for the love of Liang, what has she done to her hair?! I'm not sure if I like it or not, but it fits her very well."
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§​​Fareeha Amari☯
"Too arrogant for her own good, that one, but I'd best keep my thoughts to myself. You'd have to be a fool to alienate the princess of an oil giant like Mamlakat Alssahra​.​"
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​???​Mai Mei​???​
"​I can only hope that I am prepared to take the throne when the time comes. Nothing else matters besides the survival and prosperity of Liang and its people. If I am to be queen, I must remember that a queen belongs to her people, not herself. Who I used to be does not matter. Who I want to be, what I want to do, none of it matters. Liang comes first, and I will do anything for my kingdom.​"
​Mai recognizes that she's lost some of herself on the way to the throne, but she isn't sure if that's necessarily a bad thing. Mai may put on a facade of being coquettish and even a little carefree, but on the inside, she is always analyzing everything about everyone and tends to be rather cynical. She wonders if there will ever be a day where she can just be herself, whatever that may be, but she knows that it is not very likely and readily accepts the fact that she will be the Mai that Liang needs her to be, not the Mai that she thinks she is.

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