A Court This Cruel and Lovely

Lorian is a primary character, and many scenes are told from his first-person perspective. He has features that look “carved from stone” (47), long dark hair, broad shoulders, and bright green eyes. His position in the narrative is a complicated space between antagonist and love interest for Prisca. With his cold and calculating demeanor and his willingness to use violence to achieve his goals, he is the embodiment of everything that Prisca fears becoming. Lorian’s worldview is built on pragmatism and shaped by years of making hard choices and living with the consequences. He views the world through a lens of survival, and in his mind, strength and strategy are paramount while emotions are a liability. To send a message to anyone who might cross him or harm those under his protection, he murders and mutilates the man who attacks Prisca in the inn, and this act reveals Lorian’s understanding that in his world, violence is a language. By killing the man in such a gruesome manner, he strategically reinforces his dominance.

Another crucial aspect of Lorian’s character is his dangerous charm. He knows the effect he has on people and uses it to his advantage, whether to disarm them or to assert dominance. He often comes across as a predator, particularly in his interactions with Prisca. From the beginning of their relationship, Lorian assumes control and frequently treats her as a pawn in his larger game, using both physical dominance and psychological manipulation to keep her off-balance. However, there are moments where Lorian’s callous veneer cracks, revealing that he is not as emotionally detached as he appears to be. For example, he admits that he is drawn to Prisca in ways he cannot fully explain, and his protectiveness over her occasionally strikes a genuine note, and he is humanized by his sporadic tenderness when he holds Prisca as she cries or protects her from making fatal mistakes.

The final critical facet of his character is his capacity for deception. His ability to adapt, whether as a mercenary or a supposed Gromalian prince, indicates his chameleon-like nature. One of the most critical revelations of the novel is that not even the version presented on the page is the real Lorian. Throughout most of the story, Prisca believes that Lorian is a hybrid like her. However, Lorian is eventually revealed to be a fae prince, the infamous “Bloodthirsty Prince.” This moment highlights one of Lorian’s most important character traits: his willingness to deceive and emotionally manipulate those around him to serve his larger purpose. To gain power, he must play a long game, even if doing so means breaking the trust of those he might care for, like Prisca. In his mind, the ends justify the means, and he compartmentalizes his actions, seeing them as necessary rather than cruel.

Tibris, Prisca’s adoptive elder brother, is a supporting character in the story. While he is absent for most of the first half of the novel, his presence is still made palpable in Prisca’s thoughts, for despite her resourcefulness, much of her resolve stems from her desire to reunite with Tibris. She believes him to be her only remaining family after their mother’s death, and the thought of him serves as her anchor in the early chapters.

He comes back into play as a character once the plot shifts from the journey to the infiltration of the castle. At the beginning of the story, he has been working with his rebel friend, Vicer, for some time, communicating through notes written in the coded language that Tibris and Prisca used as children. He isn’t a hybrid, and because he is over 25 years old, he has already undergone his Gifting ceremony. His power is that of a healer, and Prisca recalls that Tibris often drained himself to the point of collapse in his efforts to heal others. When their father fell ill, Tibris lay next to him for weeks, using every bit of his energy and magic to try and save him. Tibris is defined by his selflessness and loyalty. As Prisca’s older brother and protector, he has spent years ensuring her safety. This loyalty, however, is often expressed in quiet, practical ways rather than in grand, heroic gestures. Tibris is not prone to dramatic displays of emotion; instead, he channels his devotion into action, often working behind the scenes to support Prisca and the rebellion. While he is deeply committed to the cause, he also feels responsible for his failure to protect Prisca in the past. His protective instincts also clash with Prisca’s independence and growing power.

Demos is another supporting character, as well as Prisca’s elder biological brother. He is a hybrid and a critical member of the rebellion who is imprisoned in the king’s dungeons. Vicer agrees to help Prisca free her friend Asinia if she agrees to free Demos as well. In the dungeons, Demos has assumed a leadership position among the hybrids. Despite not knowing they are blood relatives, Prisca immediately feels a connection to him, and they spend time together scheming how best to help the prisoners and plan an escape.

A central element of Demos’s character is the trauma he carries from his past. He was separated from his family at a young age and subjected to the cruelty of the king’s regime, and this ordeal has left him physically and emotionally scarred. However, he rarely speaks about his own suffering, preferring to focus on the safety and well-being of those around him. This stoic silence suggests that he has internalized much of his trauma; however, there are moments when his scars manifest. His arguments with Tibris, for example, reveal a bitterness born from years of isolation. He envies the life that Tibris has shared with Prisca: the life he could have had if they hadn’t been separated. At the end of the novel, he takes an arrow meant for her and nearly dies in the process. This sacrifice is not only an expression of his love for his sister; it is also a redemption of sorts, as Demos carries the guilt of not being able to protect her earlier in life. By sacrificing his own safety in this moment, he feels that he is finally fulfilling his duty as an older brother.

King Sabium is the primary antagonist of A Court This Cruel and Lovely and represents The Corruptive Influence of Power. It is later revealed that his actual identity is King Regner, the human king who began the war with the fae over his jealousy generations ago. With each passing generation, he kills his heirs and assumes their identities, magically altering his appearance to avoid suspicion. While he doesn’t have much of a physical presence in the novel, his reach manifests through the actions of his guards and others working under his orders.

As a ruler, his actions are marked by his unyielding desire for control and his ruthless suppression of opposition. He also uses extensive manipulation and fear to maintain his authority. The annual execution of hundreds of hybrids on the Gods Day festival is a key example of this practice, for these public spectacles are not just acts of brutality; they are orchestrated performances meant to remind his subjects of his absolute power. While his cruelty serves a strategic purpose, he is also gratuitously sadistic and takes pleasure in inflicting physical and emotional pain. He is also deeply paranoid that he will lose control to the hybrids or the fae, and he uses his guards, assessors, and spies to root out any hint of disloyalty and ensure that all whispers of dissent are crushed. This constant surveillance creates a culture of distrust and fear both among the rebels and within his own court.