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* Foreshadowing: During her first meeting with Gabriel when she is ten, she [[PrecociousCrush childishly tries to get his attention]] by showing the tip of her foot under her skirt, even though her mother made a point to tell her that it was unladylike to let her stockings show. A few years later, the same sort of innocent indecency is what gets her expelled from Saint-Cyr.
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* Foreshadowing: {{Foreshadowing}}: During her first meeting with Gabriel when she is ten, she [[PrecociousCrush childishly tries to get his attention]] by showing the tip of her foot under her skirt, even though her mother made a point to tell her that it was unladylike to let her stockings show. A few years later, the same sort of innocent indecency is what gets her expelled from Saint-Cyr.
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* BreakTheHaughty: Downplayed. He is severely against his younger daughter working for a living, but cannot afford to give her a dowry. Madame de La Ferté needs to remind him that his ancestors reached their current status thanks to the very trade Marie-Cécile wants to pursue; and he eventually gives in.
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* BreakTheHaughty: Downplayed. He is severely against his younger daughter working for a living, but cannot afford to give her a dowry. Madame de La Ferté needs to remind him that his her ancestors reached their current status thanks to the very trade Marie-Cécile wants to pursue; and he eventually gives in.
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* IUsedToBeQuiteALooker: Speaks like this at 35, though she knows that she still is a very attractive woman.
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* IUsedToBeQuiteALooker: IWasQuiteALooker: Speaks like this at 35, though she knows that she still is a very attractive woman.
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* TheDeuteragonist: To an even greater extent than Anne in Book 9; he is the titular Black Prince, is actually introduced before Adélaïde, and has more agency than she does in the plot.
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* TheDeuteragonist: {{Deuteragonist}}: To an even greater extent than Anne in Book 9; he is the titular Black Prince, is actually introduced before Adélaïde, and has more agency than she does in the plot.
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[[folder: King Zena]]
The Essouma king of Assinia
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*TheGoodKing: The Assinians like him, and even Aniaba takes pride in having him as a king.
*ParentalSubstitute: Deconstructed. Aniaba technically has to call him "Father", since he adopted him, but he loathes it. Zena doesn't seem to care about him much more than about his biological children.
The Essouma king of Assinia
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*TheGoodKing: The Assinians like him, and even Aniaba takes pride in having him as a king.
*ParentalSubstitute: Deconstructed. Aniaba technically has to call him "Father", since he adopted him, but he loathes it. Zena doesn't seem to care about him much more than about his biological children.
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Currently under construction
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[[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilMembersOfTheCourt Members of the Court]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilSaintCyrStaff Saint-Cyr staff]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilLouise Louise and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesduRoiSoleilCharlotte Charlotte and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilHortense Hortense and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilIsabeau Isabeau and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilEleonore Éléonore and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilHenriette Henriette and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilGertrude Gertrude and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilOlympe Olympe and her entourage]] | '''Adélaïde and her entourage''' | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilJeanne Jeanne and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilVictoire Victoire and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilGabrielle Gabrielle and her entourage]] | [[Characters/LesColombesDuRoiSoleilDiane Diane and her entourage]]]]\\
The characters who appear in Book 10, ''Adélaïde et le prince noir''[[note]]Adélaïde and the Black Prince[[/note]].
[[folder: Adélaïde de Pélissier]]
*AscendedExtra: In Book 1, she was there mostly to serve Hortense's narrative: she too became involved with a man during the representations of Esther, and was expelled from Saint-Cyr for it, which would be Hortense's worst nightmare. Book 10 is explores her side of the story.
*FieryRedhead: Averted. Like most of the doves, her education encouraged her to be quiet and discreet, and even when she leaves St-Cyr, the gentlemen of the court consider her cold, and "harder to take than a Vauban citadel".
*Foreshadowing: During her first meeting with Gabriel when she is ten, she [[PrecociousCrush childishly tries to get his attention]] by showing the tip of her foot under
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Depicted with red hair and green eyes on her cover; her father considers them her greatest assets, and Aniaba, who has never seen a redhead before, is smitten by them.
*PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: She develops a PrecociousCrush on Gabriel the second she meets him for their betrothal, and keeps these feelings in the years that follow.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Her expulsion is one of the events that push Madame de Maintenon to turn up the religious severity of Saint-Cyr.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Gabriel Ruault de la Bonnerie]]
Adélaïde's fiancé since childhood.
*EarlyBirdCameo: He actually appears and speaks in the first book, though the reader doesn't realize it until they get Adélaïde's point of view of the scene.
*PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Was initially nonplussed about his betrothal, but started seeing it this way [[ShesAllGrownUp when he met again Adéläide a few years later]].
*PoliticallyCorrectHero: One of the few French people Aniaba meets who treat him with friendship and respect from the start.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Marie-Cécile de Pélissier]]
Adélaïde's younger sister.
*AnnoyingYoungerSibling: The most likeable version of this trope.
*TheDeterminator: She is determined to become a master lacemaker, even if she needs to go behind her parents' back for it.
*ThePollyanna: She is constantly enthusiastic and optimistic, even when her dream is fleeting out of her reach.
*SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Since childhood, she has dreamed of becoming a master lacemaker and managing a perfect workshop where her young employees would be able to enjoy healthy working conditions, lots of free time and good wages. It becomes clear over the years that such a perfect place demands investments that her family can't afford, and she eventually accepts that she must start from the bottom.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: François Michel de Pélissier]]
Barthélémy, Adélaïde and Marie-Cécile's father.
*BreakTheHaughty: Downplayed. He is severely against his younger daughter working for a living, but cannot afford to give her a dowry. Madame de La Ferté needs to remind him that his ancestors reached their current status thanks to the very trade Marie-Cécile wants to pursue; and he eventually gives in.
*DotingParent: He loves his children and makes it clear that he thinks the world of Barthélémy and Adélaïde when the latter is eavesdropping on him.
*FantasyForbiddingFather: Subverted. The fantasy he's forbidding Marie-Cécile is "working for a living".
*HappilyMarried: Compared to other couples among the Doves' parents, he and his wife seem to be very fond of each other.
*NobilityMarriesMoney: He brings the honor and lineage, but his wife was the one to bring the money they lived on for many years.
*ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Was an illustrious commander in war, but lost most of his money in it as unlike other officers, he refused to RapePillageAndBurn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Suzanne de Pélissier, née Joubert]]
Barthélémy, Adélaïde and Marie-Cécile's mother.
*BoringButPractical: She needs to be careful with money, and doesn't understand the point of buying her daughters embroidered stockings when it is unacceptable for a woman to show even her feet.
*ChildhoodFriends: Grew up very close to her cousin Madame de La Ferté.
*HappilyMarried: Compared to other couples among the Doves' parents, she and her husband seem to be very fond of each other.
*NobilityMarriesMoney: While of noble birth, her family initially made their fortune in lacemaking, and her dowry made up most of her family's treasury for a mong time. Her husband, belonging to the military nobility, is of higher standing than her.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Barthélémy de Pélissier]]
Adélaïde's older brother.
*AloofBigBrother: Adélaïde recalls that he became this when he entered his teens, preferring spending time with the adults than with his little sisters.
*TheGhost: He is mentioned but never appears. He is significantly older than his sisters, and is off making a name for himself on the battlefield for most of Adélaïde's childhood.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Émétine de la Ferté]]
Suzanne's cousin, who takes Adélaïde under her wing.
*ChildhoodFriends: Grew up very close to her cousin Madame de Pélissier.
*DeusExMachina: She is [[RefugeInAudacity so bold when a problem needs to be confronted]] that she appears like this to Adélaïde.
*FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: She is Adélaïde's first cousin once removed, but tells her to call her "aunt" to simplify things.
*HappilyMarried: Barely ever sees her {{Workaholic}} husband and enjoys his wealth and status.
*IUsedToBeQuiteALooker: Speaks like this at 35, though she knows that she still is a very attractive woman.
*{{Nephewism}}: After Adélaïde leaves Saint-Cyr, she takes her under her wing and acts as a ParentalSubstitute, treating her like the daughter she never had.
*PoliticallyIncorrectHero: She initially thinks that Aniaba made up his story because all Africans are uneducated liars, calls him a "[[{{Fetish}} savage beauty]]" and later considers that his skin color is no obstacle to [[spoiler: him marrying Adélaïde]] because "exotism is fashionable". She keeps those thoughts to herself, however, and is nothing but pleasant with him.
*ShipperOnDeck: She is eager to help Adélaïde live her love story with Gabriel. Later, [[spoiler: as soon as Aniaba comes into his princely status, she wants to marry Adélaïde to him.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Aniaba]]
*TheAce: Masters the art of being a French courtier incredibly fast, learning to speak French fluently in a matter of months. He is also an amazing shot, rider, and billiard player. His courtesies are as polished as they come, and he slips from footman to prince with ease.
*AgeLift: The real princes Aniaba and Banga were sent to the court of Versailles as wards when they were around ten; in the book they are in their late teens.
*CunningLinguist: As one of the two people who speak any French in Assinia, he initially undermined D’Amon’s negotiations with King Zena out of dislike for him, by removing most praise and politeness from their exchanges.
*TheDeuteragonist: To an even greater extent than Anne in Book 9; he is the titular Black Prince, is actually introduced before Adélaïde, and has more agency than she does in the plot.
*DoomedByCanon: The book ends when [[spoiler: he sets sail back to Assinia. Unfortunately, the real prince Aniaba never ruled in Assinia, and died shortly after returning to his country.]]
*HistoricalDomainCharacter
*KingIncogito: Against his will. He spends months working at a jeweler's shop waiting to be introduced to King Louis.
*LastOfHisKind: His tribe, the Etiholé, were massacred by the Essouma when he was a little boy, and he was only saved because the new king's favorite adopted him.
*MeaningfulRename: Upon being baptized, he is given the name ''Louis-Aniaba'', highlighting his new deference to Christianity, France and King Louis.
*MissingMom: His mother was exiled after the Essouma coup, and he never saw her again, though he hopes to someday.
*TheOneGuy: The only man in all the POV characters of the series.
*TheTeetotaler: Made a sacred vow to his fetish never to drink alcohol so it would keep him safe.
*ThereIsAGod: He did not care for christianity when he was taught about it as a child by missionaries, because the Christian god never appeared to them, while in his own would manifest in nature. However, once in France, he makes a genuine conversion to Christianity after being struck by the splendor of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Banga]]
Aniaba's closest friend and adoptive brother.
*AgeLift: The real princes Aniaba and Banga were sent to the court of Versailles as wards when they were around ten; in the book they are in their late teens.
*HistoricalDomainCharacter: In name only. Their stories are very different.
*ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After having a falling out with Aniaba and living in misery for months, he decides to take the first ship back to Assinia.
*SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: He was initially as hopeful as Aniaba about their journey to France, but the difficulties of life on the ship and in France, the racism they experienced and the constant swindling from D'Amon and other French people desillusioned him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Bama-Li]]
*MadeASlave: She was sold to the French slavers by the rulers of her home country, and sold again as a housemaid when she reached France, as even though slavery is technically illegal on French soil, wealthy French people loved to show their worldliness by having African servants.
*RagsToRiches: She starts the story as a slave, [[spoiler: and finishes it as a princess]].
*SatteliteLoveInterest: Only reappears in Aniaba's last couple of chapters, as he sort of forgot her while climbing up in the world, and had to be reminded of her by Banga. He is ashamed of this.
* SpiritedYoungLady: She doesn’t take kindly to the slavers, or to Aniaba, whom she initially considers a traitor to his race. While she describes her masters in France as “kind”, she is somewhat cowered by her months in slavery, though she remains proud.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Brother Joseph and Brother François-Xavier]]
French missionaries settled in Assinia.
*GoingNative: Apart from their unsuccessful proselytism, they were quickly embraced by the locals, as they were hardworking, humble and knowledgeable men, as eager to learn the ways of the Assinians as to teach theirs; they were also appreciated for their storytelling skills. When they died, they were mourned as members of the community.
*KilledOffForReal: Both died of a fever a few months after their arrival, despite the Assinian’s attempts to cure them. They refused to bathe, claiming that it was the surest way to rot their organs, despite Aniaba telling them that such fevers had been cured that way before.
*TheMissionary: They remained in Assinia after Ducasse’s ship left, to instruct young Assianians in the French language and the Catholic faith. They were more successful with the former than with the latter.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Yamoké]]
Zena’s brother
*ZeroPercentApprovalRating: He takes power in Assinia when Zena dies, but is so unpopular that D’Amon, King Louis and Aniaba all consider that there would never be a better time for a French-backed coup.
*EvilUncle: He wants to inherit the throne of Assinia; thus, while he doesn’t see Banga as a threat as the king’s biological sons cannot inherit, he does his best at every turn to thwart Aniaba, who is only Zena’s adoptive son and therefore heir presumptive, notably trying to get him killed during a hunt.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Chiki]]
One of King Zena’s wives
*ParentalSubstitute: Subverted. While she very much wanted to be this to Aniaba, not having children of her own, he was never able to consider her as such, hoping to find his birth mother again someday, and kept a distance between them. However, he does have affection for her and is conflicted about this.
* RoyalFavorite: Zena’s favorite among his wives.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: D’Amon]]
The captain of the second French expedition to Assinia.
*PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A proud, disdainful, lecherous conman, obviously a massive racist, and of course, a slave trader.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jeannot]]
A ship boy.
*ChildrenAreInnocent: Played with. He is first introduced teaching Aniaba how to cheat at cards, but he is also one of the few amongst the crew to care about the slaves in the hull, offering to save his food rations for the three children among them.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Master and Mistress Hyon]]
Parisian jewelers specialized in high-quality pearls. They take in Aniaba and Banga as tenants.
*OutlivingOnesOffspring: Their only son Henri died recently.
*ParentalSubstitute: As they lost their son, they quickly take to Banga and especially Aniaba as ReplacementGoldfish.
[[/folder]]
