Line #9 Tearjerker/KingsMaker


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20191030_053335.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:He has no idea the person he's asking was molested by his father, by the way.]]
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4	'''WARNING: Per troping policy, all spoilers are unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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8	* Even Wolfgang and Soohyuk's most impressive or heartwarming moments are undercut by the fact that they never got to be regular teenagers. They never got to experience any of the "normal" milestones that come with adolescence because they were too busy trying to ensure their survival in an environment that they never should have been in. Even though they end up genuinely falling in love with each other, they were only brought together by their mutual interest in a revolution.
9	** When they ''do'' actually get the opportunity to do things one would expect from a couple of teenagers experiencing romantic love for the first time - indirect confessions, slow dancing under the moonlight, making out in the hallway, etc., Soohyuk is the one that ends up taking the brunt of the ensuing punishment, thanks to his status as a slave. When the King suspects that he was with Wolfgang the night before, he tells Soohyuk that he's to sleep with him that night, and when Soohyuk tries to get out of ''that'' by finally being honest with himself and confessing to Wolfgang, he's instead [[ComeToGawk forced to stand naked in the middle of a harsh winter in front of the entire court.]] It's not played for titillation at all, and upon seeing this, Wolfgang is outraged at his long-time partner in crime being so thoroughly dehumanized, but is powerless to do anything unless he wants to blow their cover and put a swift end to the rebellion.
10	** There's also the fact that Wolfgang reacts to this treatment a ''lot'' more than Soohyuk does - one of Wolfgang's goals in the rebellion is to protect his loved ones (among which [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Soohyuk is now included]]) but Soohyuk was always prepared to suffer for his feelings, regardless of what his LoveInterest thinks.
11	* In the DecadentCourt of Goldenleonard, Dandelion is a rarity - a normal, if not very sheltered, child. He has yet to be exposed to the corrupt underbelly of the court, or his father's true nature, and as a result Wolfgang ends up becoming very protective of him. However, his attempts at preserving his brother's innocence end up backfiring when:
12	** Dandelion ends up receiving the beginnings of a CynicismCatalyst when his tutor and ParentalSubstitute, Theo, is executed for an attempt on the King's life. Even worse is that he did it to protect Dandelion, but because he was mute and unwilling to break the pedestal that Dandelion had put his father on, the latter will never know why his seemingly gentle and pacifistic tutor suddenly decided to turn on the monarchy. To rub salt into the wound, the narration that plays over the flashback of Theo finding out about the King's true nature, poisoning him, and subsequently being beheaded is him promising that [[TemptingFate he'll stay by Dandelion's side until his wish for a family is granted.]]
13	** After the TimeSkip, it's clear that both Theo's death and Wolfgang having grown distant over the years are starting to weigh on him - so much so that when he tells Soohyuk he plans to meet with the King in person and the latter gently tries to dissuade him, he breaks down, demanding to know if wanting to see his own father is really such a bad thing.
14	** Dandelion's death in its entirety - Wolfgang cradles Dandelion's body in tears as he furiously calls the entire court out for their hypocrisy for only being concerned when a prince dies, meanwhile countless other children have fallen victim to either the King's greed, wrath, or lust for ''decades'' while they stood by and ignored it, since it didn't affect them. His funeral doesn't make it any better, either - instead of being honored in death, he's used as a cautionary tale about the importance of remaining obedient to the royal family at all times.

Context Tearjerker / KingsMaker