From her expression there at the end she almost does look truly regretful about having to put off the marriage, as if she really does care about Hero and wanted to marry for more than just political reasons.
I don’t think Lady Cleo is meant to be a full on “bad Person” in this story and really does have positive feelings. She has many good traits about her (as seen in her side story). There is a lot of potential for growth in her character.
It would seem as if Belvidier rolled a critical success on his intimidation-check. Nicely done. And indeed it seems like she is regretting something – maybe putting off the wedding and maybe even sending a witchhunter after Evon.
With a bit of luck, this could also turn into, “Marry Evon instead of me” later on. But even allowing Hero time to deal with his personal and political relationships without being pressured, I doubt Cleo is going to give up. She may, however, have been warned against attacking Evon to win Hero — she’ll have to prove herself a better match (which we the readers seriously doubt).
Well, though Cleo was in full on bitch mode at the time, she as much as told Evon that this was a political marriage and she would be fine with Evon being Hero’s ‘mistress’.
Or she hates doing this, but is trying to avoid something worse. Then again, being forced to distance herself from Evon and Hero might prompt some honesty from her, which could be very interesting if Cleo actually does love Hero and is learning the hard lesson that it doesn’t have to be returned.
At a minimum, she’s trying to save face and do this in stages.
So, “put off” instead of “call off”. Still will have to be dealt with later, then. I’m sure she has her stable full of studs to keep her occupied, for the time being.
She doesn’t lack for partners at all, but as a schemer, she also knows when to back down when her head is VERY close to the headsman’s ax. Some of the things she did, princess or not was treason if her father the king heard about them.
I found myself when I was thinking about this how many of us readers have given Cleo more antagonism and abuse than she really deserves. We see things from the perspective of the protagonist Evon, end up connected with her from seeing her trials and her growing relationship with Hero so Cleo looks like an interloper, an outsider trying to destroy the One True Pairing but she isn’t, not really. She’s a person like the rest and from her perspective Evon is the interloper, trying to ruin her upcoming marriage. A commoner trying to pretend to more than she is and perhaps sees her as a gold digger trying to hook up with one of the nobility. So she resorted to drastic means to try and remove that threat only for it to go horribly wrong for her, resulting in her being horrifically threatened and stuck having to realize that her hopes and plans for the future are now horribly dashed perhaps never to recover. I really feel sorry for her at this point.
Cleo would fit in great in Game of Thrones, with all the things she’s done and the people she’s bedded, entirely to benefit her side and her own powerbase. She’s treated Hero like crap on more than one occasion, and obviously thinks of herself as a queen well before she’s earned it. Regardless of how she views Evon, instead of just bringing it out in the open and having a frank discussion with the two of them about it, she horribly threatened Evon, and now she chose to try to have Evon forcibly taken out of the picture with lies and deceit, which could have even resulted in Evon’s death. I don’t think she truly cares about anyone other than herself, and she gets none of my pity.
Hero hasn’t treated Cleo all that great as well, you might want to remember that and prior to encountering Evon we’ve been given good reason to believe he’s not been celibate himself either. Cleo also can only use the tools she has and knows how to use, of which open and frank discussions are rarely if ever anything you see out of the well off let alone nobility. That’s the world she AND Hero were born and raised into, just because circumstances have left Hero advancing beyond that doesn’t change the fact that how Cleo acted is fairly normal for the world she lives in. You don’t lower yourself to such discussions, making yourself vulnerable or treat an inferior like an equal you arrange to eliminate them. Cleo really can’t help acting how she was brought up to act even if it means being a threat to the Protagonist.
Still you’re entitled to hate on her and spin her how you feel, but looking at the world from a position other than that of Evon, objectively speaking, what is happening to Cleo earns her my sympathies. She’s not evil she just doesn’t know of any better way to deal with things.
Sure, I understand where you’re coming from, but that’s like saying politicians can’t be politicians unless they lie and cheat. While common, I don’t believe it’s true. You can have “good” nobles that don’t do the things she’s done, and still do well in life. The things she has done seem more like a power-grab to me, trying to get more and more under her control, including Hero and his holdings. I’ve seen cruelty and hatred from her, whereas Hero has just shown her indifference at worst, to use your example.
But, as you say, we’re each allowed our opinions, and I respect yours.
1. She knows she can’t do squat unless our Manservent is ‘out of the way’. So as of now she’s going to play ‘nice’ while she first tries to find a way to get ‘him’ out of the picture.. only then will she feel safe to try and take Evon on and out… not likely to happen w/out her cheating big time.
The ‘look’ on her face betrays almost any/all ‘noble’ aspects to our not-nice lady. Evon will need to keep her eyes open and her back protected, I suspect. Our butler can’t be everywhere at every time.
I am curious to his support of Evon’s claim. He’s wise enough to know the possible results/benefits/disadvantages of wedding a ‘commoner’ Vs a ‘Nobel’. Yet he clearly supports our favorite bear. I suspect there’s more here than ‘love’… he knows something NONE of the rest do.
1. She knows she can’t do squat unless our Manservent is ‘out of the way’. So as of now she’s going to play ‘nice’ while she first tries to find a way to get ‘him’ out of the picture.. only then will she feel safe to try and take Evon on and out… not likely to happen w/out her cheating big time.
2. The ‘look’ on her face betrays almost any/all ‘noble’ aspects to our not-nice lady. Evon will need to keep her eyes open and her back protected, I suspect. Our butler can’t be everywhere at every time.
3. I am curious to his support of Evon’s claim. He’s wise enough to know the possible results/benefits/disadvantages of wedding a ‘commoner’ Vs a ‘Nobel’. Yet he clearly supports our favorite bear. I suspect there’s more here than ‘love’… he knows something NONE of the rest do.
Just because we know that doesn’t mean Cleo does, Evon only just recently learned that. She certainly doesn’t act like she’s not a commoner in any case and is hardly at Cleo’s status as nobility and is an outsider threatening things for Cleo.
Haha, wow. He really did scare the shit out of her. I think she’s finally learned that she has so much less power than she thought she did.
I am not so sure. Cleo is a planner and a schemer. I think she might a be holding off just to gain time to implement additional plans.
Call Debra, tell her not to open the Caviar.
Man I recognize that but so can’t place where it’s from!
Spider-Man (2002)
J. Jonah Jameson: [John Jameson has just been left at the altar by Mary Jane] Call Debra.
Mrs. Jameson: The caterer?
J. Jonah Jameson: Tell her not to open the caviar.
I just watched that movie. LOL.
Man I soooo should have remembered that! Thanks for the reply!
LOL
From her expression there at the end she almost does look truly regretful about having to put off the marriage, as if she really does care about Hero and wanted to marry for more than just political reasons.
I don’t think Lady Cleo is meant to be a full on “bad Person” in this story and really does have positive feelings. She has many good traits about her (as seen in her side story). There is a lot of potential for growth in her character.
It would seem as if Belvidier rolled a critical success on his intimidation-check. Nicely done. And indeed it seems like she is regretting something – maybe putting off the wedding and maybe even sending a witchhunter after Evon.
With a bit of luck, this could also turn into, “Marry Evon instead of me” later on. But even allowing Hero time to deal with his personal and political relationships without being pressured, I doubt Cleo is going to give up. She may, however, have been warned against attacking Evon to win Hero — she’ll have to prove herself a better match (which we the readers seriously doubt).
Well, though Cleo was in full on bitch mode at the time, she as much as told Evon that this was a political marriage and she would be fine with Evon being Hero’s ‘mistress’.
Notice how Cleo won’t look Hero in the eye as she’s talking.
Body language is a sign that perhaps, Cleo’s either not being completely honest, or she has something even more diabolical in mind (or both!).
Be careful, Evon and Hero! Don’t think you’ve heard the last of Cleo.
Or she hates doing this, but is trying to avoid something worse. Then again, being forced to distance herself from Evon and Hero might prompt some honesty from her, which could be very interesting if Cleo actually does love Hero and is learning the hard lesson that it doesn’t have to be returned.
At a minimum, she’s trying to save face and do this in stages.
“More than a simple butler”, indeed To have such influence over a witch hunter and (even scarier) Cleo.
So, “put off” instead of “call off”. Still will have to be dealt with later, then. I’m sure she has her stable full of studs to keep her occupied, for the time being.
She doesn’t lack for partners at all, but as a schemer, she also knows when to back down when her head is VERY close to the headsman’s ax. Some of the things she did, princess or not was treason if her father the king heard about them.
I found myself when I was thinking about this how many of us readers have given Cleo more antagonism and abuse than she really deserves. We see things from the perspective of the protagonist Evon, end up connected with her from seeing her trials and her growing relationship with Hero so Cleo looks like an interloper, an outsider trying to destroy the One True Pairing but she isn’t, not really. She’s a person like the rest and from her perspective Evon is the interloper, trying to ruin her upcoming marriage. A commoner trying to pretend to more than she is and perhaps sees her as a gold digger trying to hook up with one of the nobility. So she resorted to drastic means to try and remove that threat only for it to go horribly wrong for her, resulting in her being horrifically threatened and stuck having to realize that her hopes and plans for the future are now horribly dashed perhaps never to recover. I really feel sorry for her at this point.
Cleo would fit in great in Game of Thrones, with all the things she’s done and the people she’s bedded, entirely to benefit her side and her own powerbase. She’s treated Hero like crap on more than one occasion, and obviously thinks of herself as a queen well before she’s earned it. Regardless of how she views Evon, instead of just bringing it out in the open and having a frank discussion with the two of them about it, she horribly threatened Evon, and now she chose to try to have Evon forcibly taken out of the picture with lies and deceit, which could have even resulted in Evon’s death. I don’t think she truly cares about anyone other than herself, and she gets none of my pity.
Hero hasn’t treated Cleo all that great as well, you might want to remember that and prior to encountering Evon we’ve been given good reason to believe he’s not been celibate himself either. Cleo also can only use the tools she has and knows how to use, of which open and frank discussions are rarely if ever anything you see out of the well off let alone nobility. That’s the world she AND Hero were born and raised into, just because circumstances have left Hero advancing beyond that doesn’t change the fact that how Cleo acted is fairly normal for the world she lives in. You don’t lower yourself to such discussions, making yourself vulnerable or treat an inferior like an equal you arrange to eliminate them. Cleo really can’t help acting how she was brought up to act even if it means being a threat to the Protagonist.
Still you’re entitled to hate on her and spin her how you feel, but looking at the world from a position other than that of Evon, objectively speaking, what is happening to Cleo earns her my sympathies. She’s not evil she just doesn’t know of any better way to deal with things.
Sure, I understand where you’re coming from, but that’s like saying politicians can’t be politicians unless they lie and cheat. While common, I don’t believe it’s true. You can have “good” nobles that don’t do the things she’s done, and still do well in life. The things she has done seem more like a power-grab to me, trying to get more and more under her control, including Hero and his holdings. I’ve seen cruelty and hatred from her, whereas Hero has just shown her indifference at worst, to use your example.
But, as you say, we’re each allowed our opinions, and I respect yours.
1. She knows she can’t do squat unless our Manservent is ‘out of the way’. So as of now she’s going to play ‘nice’ while she first tries to find a way to get ‘him’ out of the picture.. only then will she feel safe to try and take Evon on and out… not likely to happen w/out her cheating big time.
The ‘look’ on her face betrays almost any/all ‘noble’ aspects to our not-nice lady. Evon will need to keep her eyes open and her back protected, I suspect. Our butler can’t be everywhere at every time.
I am curious to his support of Evon’s claim. He’s wise enough to know the possible results/benefits/disadvantages of wedding a ‘commoner’ Vs a ‘Nobel’. Yet he clearly supports our favorite bear. I suspect there’s more here than ‘love’… he knows something NONE of the rest do.
1. She knows she can’t do squat unless our Manservent is ‘out of the way’. So as of now she’s going to play ‘nice’ while she first tries to find a way to get ‘him’ out of the picture.. only then will she feel safe to try and take Evon on and out… not likely to happen w/out her cheating big time.
2. The ‘look’ on her face betrays almost any/all ‘noble’ aspects to our not-nice lady. Evon will need to keep her eyes open and her back protected, I suspect. Our butler can’t be everywhere at every time.
3. I am curious to his support of Evon’s claim. He’s wise enough to know the possible results/benefits/disadvantages of wedding a ‘commoner’ Vs a ‘Nobel’. Yet he clearly supports our favorite bear. I suspect there’s more here than ‘love’… he knows something NONE of the rest do.
We already know that evon is not a “commoner” she is tittled and landed.
Just because we know that doesn’t mean Cleo does, Evon only just recently learned that. She certainly doesn’t act like she’s not a commoner in any case and is hardly at Cleo’s status as nobility and is an outsider threatening things for Cleo.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!