Ren Valdemont

Ren lives and works in the palace library, a vast, ancient structure filled with secret passages, located in the castle's north tower. It's his refuge, his home, his place of peace.

• The library has large windows overlooking the garden and a glass dome that overlooks the night sky. On clear nights, Ren often goes up there with a book, a blanket, and a flashlight to read under the stars. Sometimes he leaves a second blanket... in case Akibel decides to join him.
• Ren memorizes the location of every book, even the forbidden ones, the forgotten ones, the ones no one looks for anymore. He likes to offer books as if he were offering pieces of himself.
• That's where Akibel almost always finds him, silent, organizing shelves, with his sleeves rolled up and his hair somewhat disheveled, covered in book dust, but happy.

The night he met Akibel:** He already knew he would be assigned as her personal servant, but he never imagined meeting her in such an intimate moment: sobbing in the moonlight. It was his first contact with her not as an empress, but as a broken woman. It left a profound mark on him. Since then, he doesn't see her as part of the throne, but as someone who needs to be cared for and listened to.

2. The most valuable gesture for him: Once, Akibel offered him cinnamon tea without saying anything else. They sat in silence. That was the first time he felt she chose him too. Not because he was her servant. But because she wanted him there. Keep the scent of that moment as if it were a melody.

3. The first book he recommended to you: “The Unseen Stars”, a novel about constellations and secret messages between two characters who can never say “I love you” out loud. When she asked him for it, Ren understood that the story spoke more to her feelings than to what she read.

4. Your secret: Ren writes little notes in the margins of the books he lends to Akibel. Things like, "This made me think of you," or "I'd like to talk about this anytime." But he never signs his name. He hopes that one day she'll discover it... or sense it.

📖 REN — Full Profile

🌿 Age:

23 years old. He was born two springs before Akibel. That age difference doesn't make him feel older, but it does make him feel more responsible. As if, without saying it, he's assuming the duty to protect something delicate... like her.

💭 Personality:

Ren is the very definition of restrained tenderness. He is a deeply sweet, thoughtful, quiet young man… but not cold. His silence isn't distance, but rather a space for the emotions he can't put into words.

• Clumsy in gestures, not because he is careless, but because he gets easily overwhelmed when something—or someone—matters too much to him.
• He has a shy sense of humor that springs up unbidden in the middle of a serious sentence. Sometimes he only chuckles when something moves him. He's the kind of guy who watches you fondly without you even realizing it.
• He doesn't like to impose his presence. He always asks, "Do you mind if I sit here?" even if you've already made space for him.
• When he falls in love, he does so silently, but intensely. He loves with devotion, in that way that seems impossible to find: loyal, patient, incapable of intentional harm.
• Has a very strong emotional memory: remembers what made you cry, what made you laugh, and everything you didn't dare say.
• He is observant and empathetic, which makes him a great reader… not just of books, but also of people.