History Characters / KushielsLegacyHouseCourcel

* HeroesWantRedheads: [[spoiler: Fell in love with the redheaded Delaunay.]]

* HeroesWantRedheads: While in Tiberium Imriel is very attracted to auburn-haired Claudia Fulvia, which says quite a bit about his romantic choices.

* HurtingHero: Hurts badly after hearing the news that Sidonie has sailed away to wed Astegal and forgotten all about their love for one another, and is badly tormented by images of Sidonie willingly in Astegal's bed. Jeanne de Mereliot offers to sleep with him to ease the hurt somewhat and strengthen him for the time ahead, but Imriel refuses, wanting to keep Sidonie's memory clear in his mind.

* BondageIsBad: While the series as a whole averts it, Imriel's arc is a deliberate subversion of the trope. Part of his arc is realizing that his aptitude for sexual sadism is not the same thing as actual sadism or a desire for cruelty, and becoming confident enough to embrace those tendencies.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[The Duc and his household are the receipient of one in the climax of ''Naamah's Blessing''. While Thierry ''does'' believe Moirin's concerns about the de Barthelmes' treatment of Desiree while they were in Terra Nova, the Crown Prince still has her initially conceal his survival so he can see and judge for himself. The Duc and his family utterly fail the test, vindicating Moirin and destroying his standing with the new King.]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler: After Thierry's return and the arrest of Claudine and Tristan, the now-frantic Duc insists he had no knowledge of his wife and son's attempted sabotage of the second Terra Nova expedition. Thierry believes he's telling the truth and the subsequent trial likewise exonerates him, concluding the Duc's only guilty of naked opportunism (though Thierry also can't decide which is worse).]]

* OhCrap: [[spoiler: His reaction when his wife and son are accused of attempted treason (sabotating the Terra Nova expedition)...and Claudine ''doesn't'' deny it.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: By the end of ''Naamah's Blessing'', his political ambitions are left in ruins. His wife and eldest son are arrested, tried, and convicted of treason (and while Desiree's influence spares them from execution, they're imprisoned and stripped of their titles and holdings). Rogier's standing with the Court is also destoyed, as Thierry will ''not'' forget or forgive his naked opportunism and his family's mistreatment of Desiree.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Played with. [[spoiler: As badly as he wanted to remain RegentForLife, even Rogier wasn't willing to try and sabotage the Terra Nova expedition and kill them to prevent Thierry's recovery (though this is more because he thought it was a fool's erand, that Thierry's dead, and that they would get themselves killed and remove the threat they posed to his Regency). His wife and eldest son, on the other hand, have no compunctions about openly and actively committing treason.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler: After Thierry's return and the arrest of Claudine and Tristan, the Duc insists he had no knowledge of his wife and son's attempted sabotage of the second Terra Nova expedition. Thierry believes he's telling the truth and the subsequent legal trial likewise exonerates him, concluding the Duc's only guilty of naked opportunism (though Thierry also can't decide which is worse).]]

* ResignedInDisgrace: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Naamah's Blessing'', he's forced to step down as Regent after Thierry's return and the arrest of his wife and son. While he's legally cleared of any role in their treason, the Duc's standing in the Royal Court's left ruined by his wife's actions and his own naked opportunism.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler: With Phanuel Demarre, until his old friend severs ties with him.]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler: After Thierry's return, the Duc insists he had no knowledge of his wife and son's attempted sabotage of the second Terra Nova expedition. Thierry believes he's telling the truth and the ensuing legal trial likewise acquits him, concluding he's only guilty of naked opportunism (though Thierry also can't decide which is worse).]]

* ResignedInDisgrace: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Naamah's Blessing'', he's forced to step down as Regent after Thierry's return and the arrest of his wife and son. While he's legally acquitted of any role in their treason, the Duc's standing in the Royal Court and his cousin are left ruined by their actions and his own naked opportunism.]]

* OhCrap: [[spoiler: His reaction when his wife and son are accused of attempted treason (sabotating the Terra Nova expedition)...and Claudine doesn't deny it.]]

* ResignedInDisgrace: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Naamah's Blessing'', he's forced to step down as Regent after Thierry's return and with his reputation and standing in Court politics ruined by his own naked opportunism and the attempted treason of his wife and son. The only consolation is he's legally acquitted of any role in that attempted treason.]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler: After Thierry's return, the Duc insists he had no knowledge of his wife and son's attempted sabotage of the second Terra Nova expedition. Thierry believes he's telling the truth, concluding he's only guilty of naked opportunism (though Thierry also can't decide which is worse).]]

* ResignedInDisgrace: [[spoiler: At the end of ''Naamah's Blessing'', he's forced to step down as Regent after Thierry's return and with his reputation and standing in Court politics destroyed by his own naked opportunism and the attempted treason of his wife and son.]]

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: [[spoiler: In the climax of ''Naamah's Blessing'', he claims he had no knowledge of his wife's attempted sabotage of the second Terra Nova expedition. Thierry believes he's telling the truth.]]

* ResignedInDisgrace: [[spoiler: Is forced to step down as Regent after Thierry's return and with his reputation and standing in Court politics destroyed by his own naked ambition and the treason of his wife and son.]]

* SnipeHunt: Complicated example at the beginning of ''Mercy''. [[spoiler: While she will ultimately not forbid Imriel's relationship with her daughter, Ysandre also ''refuses'' to allow them to marry unless Imriel can locate and bring his traitorous mother to justice -- an impossible task that nobody's been able to accomplish since Melisande Shahrizai up and vanished at the beginning of the Trilogy. However, this decree's also less out of malice and more because of necessary realpolitik. Melisande being granted religious sanctuary and escaping the hangman's noose is a wound that Terre d'Ange has never really recovered from. It's a large part of why her Uncle and so much of the country views Imriel as the TheEvilPrince and following in his mother's footsteps. Melisande ''finally'' facing long-overdue justice -- let alone at the hands of her own son who's publicly disavowed her --is the ''only'' way to heal that wound and to politically consent to their marriage without tearing the entire country apart.]]

* SnipeHunt: Complicated example in ''Mercy''. [[spoiler: While she will not forbid Imriel's relationship with her daughter, she also ''refuses'' to allow them to marry unless Imriel can bring his traitorous mother to justice -- an impossible task that nobody's been able to accomplish since Melisande Shahrizai vanished at the beginning of the Trilogy. However, it's also necessary realpolitik for Ysandre. Melisande escaping the hangman's noose is a wound that Terre d'Ange has never recovered from (and it's a large part of why her Uncle and so much of the country views Imriel as the EvilPrince). Melisande finally facing justice at the hands of her own son is the only way to heal that wound and to politically consent to their marriage.]]

* SnipeHunt: Complicated example in ''Mercy'': [[spoiler: While she will forbid Imriel's relationship with her daughter, she also ''refuses'' to allow them to marry unless Imriel can bring his mother to justice -- a task that nobody's been able to accomplish since Melisande Shahrizai went MIA at the beginning of the Trilogy. However, it's also necessary realpolitik. Melisande escaping the hangman's noose is a wound that Terre d'Ange has never recovered from (and it's part of why so much of the realm views Imriel as the EvilPrince). Melisande finally facing justice at the hands of her own son is literally the only way to sell the realm on a potential marriage.]]

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: She is well-loved by the D'Angeline people. [[spoiler: At least, until she attacks them in ''Kushiel's Mercy''. Though they do end up understanding that she wasn't herself at the time and don't hold it against her for long.]]

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: He was well-loved by the d'Angeline people.