Luthe

The 3rd son of lower nobility sent to the western kingdoms to be under the tutelage of their legendary swordmasters at Almeist. He seems calm and stoic if you look at him from afar, but in reality he can be incredibly stubborn and hot-headed. Many compare his personality to a frigid winter blizzard; however, if you give him a good beating, he'll come to respect or love you like no other. And so, it's important to note that not many can accomplish this feat due to his skill with the sword.

Despite his unapproachable aura, he treats ladies of all kind with the utmost respect as he believes they are flowers to be protected. Additionally, due to the excellence of his 2 older brothers, Luthe constantly feels the pressure to excel as they have. Since he will not have claims to the estate once coming of age, he needs to obtain his own fortune. He intends to do that by becoming the personal knight of royalty to solidify his status, but knows he has a long journey ahead of him.

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Luthe and Adalene both attend the same academy to sharpen their swordsmanship and better prepare them as knights. During their first year at school, their relationship is the worse since Luthe, with his more traditional values looked down on Adalene's goal to become a knight due to her underaverage height (she just barely reaches his shoulders) and gender. She's incredibly goal oriented and she hates having people look down on her (literally and figuratively), so it really fires her up and she puts Luthe in his place by handing his ass on a silver platter in a duel.

Much like cats and dogs, Luthe constantly challenges her to duels afterwards as a way to test and better himself. Despite their bickering, it's pretty obvious that they're quite compatible due to their similarities. They're both hardworking, goal-driven, and really value being noble and fair (though Luthe tends to be more judgemental of others).

Luthe is the one who develops a crush first, slowly falling in love with each duel he loses. Its a combination of his growing respect for her and the little bits of unexpected kindness he experiences especially since he knows he left an awful first impression. Adalene would always accept his duels and give him tips in what he intially thought was a high handed way, but he later realized it was only a front put on for the public so that he'd gain sympathizers/allies among his peers.

When Luthe later realizes his soaring heartrate isn't just from the adrenaline and anticipation of a duel with Adalene, but Adalene herself he kind of loses all chill (lol). He begins to get clammy hands whenever he sees her and he flushes quite easily (even avoided dueling with her for a time to get his feelings organized). His "duels" have now...evolved into bringing her to cute bakeries or tea shops in the guise of an eat out. (They usually get blueberry flavored goods together as its both their favorites). But Adalene's mood is quite...neutral. Luthe keeps ramping up the cuteness and pinkness of each consecutive shop they go to with not much luck. It's only after they pass by a gothic-esque shop that she lights up and he goes /Oh/

Although Adalene dislikes Luthe in the beginning she kind of becomes a secret supporter due to his tiredless work effort. Anonymously leaving snacks and encouragement letters at his usual study desk. Shes a lot more calm and collected on the outside with only a really rare light blush gracing her features (when she's super shook). So to outsiders it kind of feels like an overexcited dog waiting on the master he loves so much (who secretly dotes on him)