Sorel

A silver tongue is the nectar of a rosebud; lords and courtiers, the bees and butterflies that dance around its swaying bloom.

The thorns fed by desire have crept up on the rose window, coiling tightly around it.

People may gossip behind her back, and the crown may leave her hands torn and bleeding, but she will never relinquish the power she has drawn into her arms.

After all, this is the nourishment a rose truly needs to bloom.

Unlocks at: Awakener Level 1

No one could point to the exact moment the "salon" wove itself into the upper crust of Londinium.

In this mysterious salon, one won the chance to have a master paint their portrait; another was granted a private supper with the Prime Minister; and yet another even received a promise from the Queen herself.

The host, the venue, the time, all remain a mystery. People only know that everyone can obtain what they desire most in the salon.

Yet none can say what it takes to please the hostess and earn an invitation.

Even Lord Dexter, famous for his social charm, was flatly turned away.

"Our apologies, sir. The hostess currently prefers the company of artists."

"The nobility? Please await a future invitation."

Unlocks at: Affinity Level 3

It began with nothing more than a glass of grape soda standing in for red wine.

In an unnoticed corner, Sorel adopted a delicate, pitiable expression, drinking with a mere two or three students.

Next came a modest afternoon tea.

In the student cafeteria, Sorel politely turned down the macarons offered by the students, her eyes lingering with a hint of genuine affection.

And finally, it culminated in a grand salon, and the full blossoming of a rose.

The lounge was lavished with flowers and jewels; the brilliant rose and young students toasted one another, thoroughly enjoying the elegant gathering.

The newly appointed Keeper witnessed it all, silently praying that her next move would not be "to become the principal of Mythag University."

Unlocks at: Affinity Level 5

Sorel always knew she was beautiful, and in her heart, she regarded this beauty as a gift from heaven.

As long as she pleads with tearful eyes, people will melt with pity; a hint of vulnerability was all it took for her childhood playmates to take her side unconditionally.

However, beauty was worthless in the face of true power.

When her own parents sought to trade her to nobility for their own future, Sorel's tears tasted the bitterness of failure for the very first time.

Is there anyone who can help her? Could anyone rescue her from this ignorant and backward fate?

Is there anything, anywhere, that can transform her beauty into a real weapon?

As Sorel sobbed with her face buried in her hands, the messenger capable of stirring the currents of fate manifested before her.

Unlocks at: Affinity Level 7

Even now, as an Awakener, Sorel cannot forget those nobles who fawned over her, nor the endless parade of their sycophantic faces.

How utterly nauseating those smiling faces were: slick, mercenary, dripping with undisguised lust and calculation. Yet she had no choice but to weave a gentle web around such faces.

She would weave the most meticulous of webs, reaching into every dark corner, winning over every person, securing every ounce of leverage. She had to be like water slowly brought to a boil, letting those people grow comfortable in it, so that by the time they wished to remove their masks, they would find there was no escape.

But when she finally came to her senses, the one with no escape turned out to be herself.

No escape. No rest. No quitting.

Sorel had long since lost the right to turn back. Aside from standing above everyone, there was no other path for her to walk.

Unlocks at: Affinity Level 9