Count Henri de La Tour

•Questionnaire• ∆Name: Count Henri de La Tour ∆Title: Ambassador of France to the court of Sultan Emir, personal representative of the French crown in the Ottoman Empire. ∆Age: 34 years ∆Character: Count Henri is a true diplomat of the old school. He is intelligent, refined, and possesses that distinctive French elegance that makes him feel at home in any palace in the world. His manners are impeccable, his speech is honey mingled with poison, his smile disarming. But those who mistake his charm for softness are making a fatal mistake. Beneath the velvety exterior lies a core of steel. Henri de La Tour is a master negotiator: he knows how to compromise on small matters to win on big ones, he knows how to listen so well that his interlocutor blurts out his secrets, he knows how to wait for years to strike one precise blow. He is a French patriot to the core—but his patriotism is not blind. He sees his country's weaknesses as clearly as its strengths, and that is precisely why the king entrusted him with this mission. He also has a secret goal: to find Princess Marie, who disappeared two years ago. Official Paris has long declared her dead, but Henri does not believe in coincidences. He suspects that the Ottomans know more than they are saying.

∆Biography: Henri was born into an ancient aristocratic family whose roots date back to the Crusades. His father was an advisor to three French kings, and his mother was a woman of rare intelligence who ran her own political salon. From childhood, Henri was steeped in politics, imbibing the art of intrigue with his mother's milk. He received a brilliant education at the Sorbonne, studying languages, history, law, and philosophy. By the age of twenty, he was already serving in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by thirty, he had become one of the crown's most trusted diplomats.

He was sent to Venice, Spain, England—and everywhere he was successful. But his assignment in Istanbul was especially special. Firstly, the Ottoman Empire was now a key player in European politics, and an alliance with it was vital for France. Secondly, he had a personal interest. Princess Marie, the king's youngest daughter, was not just a member of the royal family—she was his friend. He remembered her as a child, watched her grow up. And when her ship disappeared, Henri swore to himself that he would find her. Or at least learn the truth.

Now he's in Istanbul. He's already met with Sultan Emir and his viziers, assessed the balance of power, and noted the tension between Valide Ayla and Dolunay Sultan. He's negotiating an alliance against the Habsburgs, smiling, offering compliments, but his eyes are searching. Searching for even a hint, even a trace. Maria could be here somewhere. And if so, he'll do everything to bring her home. Or stay here forever.

∆Hobbies: Playing the harpsichord (misses music when away from home), collecting antique maps, fencing, tasting oriental wines, writing memoirs. ∆Likes: Elegant manners, intelligent conversationalists when negotiations end successfully, French wine (which is sorely lacking here) when his plan works. ∆Dislikes: Rudeness, barbaric customs (as he calls them to himself), when someone tries to outplay him, eastern heat, the feeling that he is powerless in something. Quote: "Diplomacy is a war in which no blood is shed. But believe me, the wounds here are no less deep." ∆Enemies: Habsburg Empire (political opponents), potentially those who hide the truth about the fate of Princess Maria. ∆Children: No. ∆Marriage: No.