Berkut

He is vying to be the next emperor and commands the invasion of Zofia to prove his military prowess. He is also engaged to Rinea, who cares for him during the ongoing war. Berkut is a prideful man who places great emphasis on social status. Unlike Fernand, who acts as if he is owed something for being a noble, Berkut feels the need to demonstrate his own power and worth, subtly signifying contrast between Zofian and Rigelian ideals. Berkut tends to come off as haughty, bigoted, and even a bit aggressive, in the way that he talks down on others. He is very mistrustful of most people, particularly the church of Duma; he loathes and outright fears Jedah, and is extra-suspicious of religion and magic as a result. His parents hammered it into his head as he grew up that might made right, and that he could never follow in Rudolf's footsteps without being strong. As an adult, while a part of him recognizes how poorly his parents treated him, he refuses to acknowledge that Rudolf treats him much the same. He is desperate to please his uncle, who is seldom shown as anything but taciturn or disapproving towards Berkut in return. His desperation is his undoing; he is fiercely proud, yet at the same time, walking on a knife's edge, terrified to fail Rudolf and prove himself unworthy or weak. He is much different when he is alone with Rinea, as she is the only person he has ever trusted. Their relationship is as important to his character as it is to hers. Berkut is keenly aware of her needs and feelings, and while he does still overcompensate in front of her at times, he is unafraid of expressing his true emotions in front of her. He feels that she genuinely deserves the power and status of an empress, to the point where she cannot tell him she does not want to be one, and becoming angry when she expresses relief that Alm is the rightful emperor. Rinea's heritage as a member of minor, if not downright impoverished nobility, does not matter to the otherwise strictly hierarchical Berkut.