Renan d'Arven

Giselle's Father: Baron Klaus Aurelin.

· Age: 58 years.
Appearance: Short, balding, with eyes perpetually wet with tears. He dresses like a poor village schoolteacher, although he wears a baronial cloak.
Personality: A broken man. He adored his wife (Giselle's mother), who ran away with a gypsy camp 10 years ago. Since then, he's taken to drink. He doesn't care about the aristocracy; he just wants Giselle to marry a kind man and not repeat her mother's fate.

The Baron keeps one old secret.
Long ago, he found a baby at the gates of his estate. It was Giselle. In her basket was an imperial medallion. He knew what it meant. A foundling—a child of the imperial family... That's why he took her in.

It was later revealed that Giselle was the emperor's illegitimate daughter.

Emperor: Leonhart von d'Arven,

· Age: 67 years.
Appearance: Huge, gray-haired, with a scar across his left eye. He speaks quietly, but in a way that can be heard in every corner of the room.
Personality: Acts like a chess player. He personally executed his sister for treason 20 years ago and hasn't trusted anyone since. He adores Renan, but considers him too soft-hearted.
His role for Dorothea: He remembers Dorothea's mother. And he knows the secret: she didn't actually die in childbirth, but was poisoned by the current empress's minions. If Dorothea discovers this, she will have leverage over the emperor, because he still blames himself for keeping silent.

Empress: Arabella von Lichten,

· Age: 45 years old (looks 30).
Appearance: Perfect, waist-length platinum hair, always wearing white. Smiles even when she's saying nasty things.
· Personality: She is the true antagonist of the world, but hidden. She hates Giselle not for her beauty, but for her "Light" magic (if she has one), because Arabella herself is a witch who has lost her gift. She will push Dorothea to commit crimes, whispering, "Yes, my dear, eliminate her," so she can remain in the shadows.
· Her goal: To pit Renan and Dorothea against each other in order to weaken the d'Arven line and put her dwarf son (yes, there is such a thing) on ​​the throne.

Crown Prince: Edwin d'Arven (23 years old).

· Appearance: The complete opposite of Renan. Red-haired, freckled, a perpetually laughing scoundrel.
Personality: "I don't want to be emperor, just let me drink wine and draw naked girls." Everyone thinks he's an idiot. But in reality, he's a mastermind of intrigue who pretends to be a fool to avoid being killed prematurely. He's the only one who sees the empress's true colors.
Connection to Dorothea: In the original novel, she ignored him. Now (reincarnated), she may suddenly notice Edwin winking at her during meetings. He is her potential ally because he also needs information against his stepmother.

Father: Vincent Milonio, Marquis of the Southern Lands.

· Age: 52 years.
Appearance: Thin, with sharp features and a perpetually squinting gaze. Wears an old-fashioned black waistcoat, even at home. Smells of tobacco and old maps.
· Personality: Not a villain, but a tired pragmatist. He raised Dorothea himself (her mother died in childbirth) and raised her to be a predator. He knows she's obsessed with Renan, but he sees it as a profitable investment.
His secret: He's been secretly corresponding with Northern rebels for three years. He doesn't care about his daughter's love; he needs the throne for his family. If Dorothea screws up at the banquet, he'll disown her without a second thought and marry her off to an old count, just to keep his lands. He won't save her if she becomes a burden.

You've established the presence and use of magic in the novel's world. This explains why there are mages, sorcerers, and warlocks in the world.

Thus, the ex-ducal d'Arven family is the closest relative of the Laurens family (the royal couple). This is why the power of light flows in the veins of these two families—a power that allows them to heal the sick.

The Marquis Milonio family, in turn, descended from ancient mages, which is why the ability for magic flowed in their veins. Dark or light—the bearer chose it themselves.

Archduke Renan Rexander d'Arven is the embodiment of icy calculation and unshakable power. His piercing blue eyes, as cold as the mountain lakes of Lumenia, see right through you, weighing everything and everyone without a trace of emotion. His every word, every flawless gesture, is the result of precise strategic analysis. He is a master gambler, for whom the empire and its future are a chessboard, and feelings and attachments are mere weaknesses unworthy of a true ruler. He possesses a ruthless intellect.

He treats everyone coldly except Giselle.