No such thing as too many Princes - Let's Play Be My Princess

Wilfred likes to be the one doing the touching. He's saucy.

Edward is either nouveau riche or crazy. Nobody born into nobility acts in such an exaggeratedly princely way, unless they're an inbred lunatic who takes succession way too seriously. If he's legit, expect that a failure to bear him a son will cost you your head.

Roberto's the real deal. Mud splash guy, too, but he'll probably break up with you and marry a College Republican.

I will not be satisfied with Edward's route if he doesn't turn out to have a secret dark side.

I just... something about his appearances in Keith and Roberto's routes gives me this impression of him as the guy who smiles, speaks softly and politely, pulls strings oh-so-gently and the other princes dance like marionettes.

Just me?

Not just you! I just finished Wils (haha route joke) route and I noticed the same thing.

Clearly, there is a dark side there.

DO want.

Then again, Voltage usually picks a convenient character and sticks them into the villain role when needed in other routes (ex. Koichi). I don't think they care enough to reveal different sides of characters like that.

The prologue set up is rather different from the GREE version. In GREE, you're a fashion major desperately trying to get into famous fashion designer, Pierre(, was it?)'s studio despite all of your peers' doubts. You also have difficulty succeeding at job interviews. Amazingly enough /cough/, you get accepted! It's off to Charles Kingdom. You meet the guys at the ball when Pierre sends you off to deliver, famous model, Cynthia's dress. She was tricked into coming by her manager when she already had plans with her boyfriend so she tells you to attend for her. That's about as far as I got before GREE's system annoyed me too much.

It's not that he's cast in a villain role, though. Quite the opposite; every time he appears he's always this pleasant and usually quite helpful to the protagonist and/or the guy of the route.

He's just... it's hard to explain exactly what gives me the impression, really, but even though I haven't seen any particular indication that any of the kingdoms is more powerful than any other, it seems as though when Edward speaks, all the other princes STFU and listen.

Of course we know Voltage never goes very dark with their storylines so it's probably just that they're using him as a convenient plot device, and he'll turn out to be this game's Satsuki and I'll be eternally disappointed.

But still.

I think the reason Edward's so good at leading the others around by the nose is because his kingdom is the only one where the king has to work with a Cabinet of Ministers (the game calls it something else, but that's what it is). He's been trained since birth at making stubborn people do what he wants.

Pierre isn't in this game at all.

As Amaya is feeling sorry for herself, she reaches for a glass of champagne on a nearby table. At the exact same time, a man also reaches for a glass and their hands meet.



Amaya: "Oh, no... Please excuse me."

The guy proceeds to ignore her and drains the glass of champagne. And another. And another. And another. It's quite impressive. Then he finally notices Amaya staring at him.


Not like that, no. Except for uncle Frank, but we don't talk about uncle Frank.

Amaya's thinking to herself that she's seen this guy somewhere before, too, when another man comes up to them.



After yet another guy in a similar outfit, Amaya realizes it's probably some sort of local dress for formal occassions. Meanwhile, the two men proceed to have a long conversation. Since everyone's still identified as "??", I'll just call them Red and Blue, which is slightly more flattering than my other notion of Pouty and Alkie.

Blue: "...What do you mean by that?"

Red: "Nothing in particular."



Blue: "I don't know how you put up with being put on parade like this..."

Well, it's not by drinking, seeing as you've already guzzled all the champagne.

Red: "We don't have a choice, do we? It's part of our civil duty and all that. So come, let's be going."

Blue gives a reluctant nod.

Blue: "...I know. ...Goodbye."

The last part is directed at Amaya as the two walk away.

Amaya thinks to herself that she's seen Red somewhere before as well. As she's wondering if it's all in her head, a voice calls out to the crowd.



Voice: "Please turn your eyes now to the balcony atop the spiral staircase! The eyes of the world are all upon them; the future kings of the six greatest kingdoms on earth!"






And nobody was surprised. Well, almost nobody...

Amaya: (What!? ...I'd thought he just looked like him, but he really is the crown prince!? A real prince... I can't believe I...)



Amaya: (Oh... Isn't that the man that I almost ran into outside...? I thought he seemed quite cool and good-looking, but... He is the prince of Philip?)



Amaya: (H-he is also one of them...? Oh... No wonder he seemed to know Prince Edward. But I never would have taken him for a prince...)



Amaya: (Oh, that's the man who escorted me into the ballroom tonight... Which means...I was escorted in by a future king!?)



Amaya: (...Huh? Isn't that the man who drained all those champagne glasses? He had a slightly frightening air about him, but even he was a prince...)



Amaya: (He's a prince, too!? ...He looks a fair bit younger than the other princes, though. Maybe even younger than me.)

The six princes had all walked down the staircase one at a time as they were introduced, and the room fills with applause.

Amaya: (...How could it be that the six men I met today all turned out to be princes?)


You're in an otome game, sweetheart. Things like this happen every other Tuesday.

Altaria you say?

I'm not sorry.

THIS

I can see it now! Roberto descends the staircase. His regal posture causes the ladies below to grow faint. Then, from the ceiling sky, glides the majestic symbol of the country. Altaria.

Haha man... I wonder who gets the job to write these routes.

Go go English Degree! Land me my dream job of writing saccharine sweet romances!

I get the feeling that this game was written a long time before the other Voltage ones, judging by the art, the pacing being really weird, the heroine being spectacularly dense, and the story being a lot more outlandish. "These six people who are in fancy dress uniforms who look startlingly like princes and are at this fancy ball really are princes? I thought they were cosplayers!"

Haha true, it seems much less refined... and thus far, with fewer deep issues/apparent places that this'll go to MAJOR FEELS any time soon (looking at In Your Arms >.> [that means you Koichi]).

Also, I was reading on other threads that others were making otome games; if anyone could explain to what steps to take in order to learn, I'd be very appreciative! While I'm mostly involved with the formatting side of XHTML and not the webdesign part, I'm a fast learner and would love to be able to create my own games.

She wants to thank Prince Edward, but the princes are all completely mobbed by women with NO SHAME. Even though Amaya is hanging back, she still manages to get shoved by someone and ends up on the floor.

She's embarrassed and tries to stand when someone extends a hand to her.

??: "...Are you all right?"



She thanks him, and he helps her stand.

Amaya: "...So you...are a prince. Please forgive me for all of the thoughtless things I said..."



Edward: "No, I am at fault for bringing you someplace like this without even giving you my name. I am the one who should be apologizing."


Ooh, Mr. Edward...



Amaya: "That's not... Oh, but I do thank you for lending me this beautiful dress."

He squeezes her hand. Which he's still holding after helping her up.

Edward: "A dress exists only to be worn by a woman. I am sure that this dress is glad that it could adorn someone as beautiful as yourself."

Amaya tries to interrupt, but Edward is lost in his own little world by now.

Edward: "But if you aren't careful, you may just find yourself the target of jealousy with beauty such as yours. ...I'm sure the lovely flowers decorating this ballroom all wish they were quite as captivating as the bloom in your cheeks."

Wow. And he's completely serious.

A voice speaks up behind them.

??: "I never would have expected you to know the lady, Prince Edward."



Roberto: "Thanks for joining me before."

Amaya: "No, thank you, sir, for escorting me!"

Edward: "What's this? You know Prince Roberto?"

Speaking of jealousy...

Amaya: "I wouldn't say that I know him... We only just met at the entrance..."

Roberto: "That's right. You must know her better than I, don't you, Prince Edward?"



Edward: "...But it is really thanks to Prince Keith that I could invite her here this evening."

Of course, Keith is hovering nearby. Eavesdropping. Because he's rude.

Keith: "Thanks to me?"

Edward: "Yes, that's right. Don't you remember the woman whose clothes you ruined by your car kicking up mud this afternoon?"



Amaya: "Prince Edward kindly invited me here to apologize for the damage to my clothes."

Keith: "He invited you? ...Hmm. Well, he did always like to dabble with commoners."

And with that he walks away.

Amaya, what do we think of Keith?


'Atta girl.

Just as she's grimacing in distaste, she feels someone watching her.


*sigh*


WHUT.

Edward: "Prince Roberto, you know that Prince Keith would be angry if he heard you say something like that."

Roberto just shrugs and laughs.

Roberto: "That is fun in its own way, too. But I'd rather just talk to you more... How about it?"


Hello, there. *primps*

??: "Forgive me, but tonight's party is meant for the princes to mingle. Don't you think you ought to refrain from such private matters?"


Killjoy.



Edward: "I guess I must apologize for disrupting the evening. But I was the one who invited the lady, so could you at least excuse me?"

He bows his head.



Joshua: "...If you're going to go that far, then I don't particularly care what you do. But I would like you to avoid causing any more disruptions."

What crawled up his butt? And how did it fit with the stick that's already there?

He stalks off to the center of the dance floor to glower at other people, and someone nearby clucked his tongue.

??: "What a bore..."

It's Glenn.



Glenn: "...Oh. Excuse me. I've just always thought that such gatherings as this are quite tedious... But I should not be airing such private feelings in public. If you'll excuse me..."

And then he walks away, too. It's like one of those fancy rotating desert cases. But with pretty men instead of chocolate cake.

Edward: "He never changes. Good little Prince Glenn."



Amaya is somewhat doubting on the matter of Glenn's cuteness when Edward and Roberto's butlers call out to them.



Roberto: "Enjoy yourself, all right? I'll see you later."

Well, that all depends on how the votes go, doesn't it?

Amaya: "Y-Yes. Thank you very much."

They leave, and the music begins as people start to pair up. Apparently, the princes will be dancing as well, as each one is surrounded by a horde of young women.

Amaya doesn't dance, though, so she decides to check out the food tables.

She's on her way over, when...

??: "...Might I have this dance?"


Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?

THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME.

The purple haired one it's gotta be. /goes to see the votes

Current standings are:

1. Joshua - 22 votes
2. Wilfred - 18 votes
3. Glenn - 14 votes
4. Roberto - 13 votes
5. Keith - 11 votes
6. Edward - 9 votes

Now that we have all the prologue, I'll leave voting up for a few more hours.

I'm more than happy with either Joshua or Wilfred winning.

Final tally:



We have a winner!

Poor Edward didn't even beat out Keith. :(

Our first route will be Joshua Lieben, Prince of Dres Van!





And to prove he's not just back for more booze (probably because he drank it all), he smiles at Amaya.



Something seems off... He's speaking in a kinder tone of voice than he was with the other princes. Last time, he barely acknowledged Amaya's existence.



Amaya: "...Yes."

Joshua: "You seemed to be quite well acquainted with him, and I find myself curious as to where you are from."

Amaya: "Where I'm from...?"

Joshua: "Yes. Are you by chance of royal blood? Or perhaps the daughter of a nobleman?"

Ooooh. I get it now. He thinks she has status.



Amaya: "Oh, no..."

I distrust the kind ones....
They hide things...

Amaya should stay silent and hide things as well.

He's going to figure it out sooner or later - probably within the next five minutes, given how these games work. May as well clear it up now and tell him she's just a student.

We all know two silent ones lead to ~~misunderstandings~~ in these games.
Might as well clear everything early. Option B~

I don't know what you guys have against the GREE version.

Going to go with B on this one.

Joshua seems to have gotten entirely the wrong idea, so Amaya tells him she's just a student.



Joshua: "A student...?"

Amaya: "Yes. I am on an exchange to a university in Charles. It was there I..."

Joshua: "So you met Prince Edward out on the street somewhere... And he invited you here?"

Yep! She's only here via an amazing series of coincidences! ^_^



Joshua: "I am sorry, but I do not see any merit in asking you to dance."

Ruuuude.

Joshua: "I made a mistake... Excuse me."

And he leaves and goes to ask a different lady to dance while Amaya stands there in shock.

??: "He doesn't change."


Roberto, baby!

Roberto: "Since you are obviously free now, would you like to dance with me?"



He doesn't wait for Amaya to answer and just leads her out onto the dance floor and starts dancing. She protests that she doesn't know how to dance and he just smiles.

Roberto: "Listen to the music."

Amaya: "What?"

Roberto: "And look at me."



Roberto: "That's right. Now you will be able to dance."

He leads her gently through the dance, and Amaya can feel jealous stares from the women around them. She starts to get nervous, and Roberto smiles at her again.

Roberto: "You need to keep your eyes on me."

Amaya: "S-sorry..."

Roberto: "You needn't apologize."

Amaya: "Thank you. Your Highness is very kind."

Roberto: "Are you comparing me to Prince Joshua?"


No no no. He's rude. He's a jerk. Do not try to make me feel sorry for him.

Amaya: "His training...?"

Roberto: "Maybe you're not aware, but being born royal means having to go through special training from a young age. We have the same kind of thing where I am from..."

He glances over at Joshua.

Roberto: "But I was never separated from my parents like they do in Dres Van."

Amaya: "So, Prince Joshua was separated from his parents...?"



Roberto: "Because of that, he doesn't know how to depend on others, and only associates with us as a matter of course, while he waits in line for the throne."

Damn it, my emotions!



Amaya: "That's so sad..."



Before Roberto can elaborate, the song and the dance end.

Roberto: "Over already? I wanted to dance a bit longer..."



Roberto: "Until next time, my dear..."

Amaya watches him leave, when suddenly he turns back to her.


Yeah, like he's ever going to talk to her again. He's probably already forgotten she exists.

Amaya feels someone's eyes on her.





As soon as she sees him though, he looks away, his expression blank.

She thinks that he doesn't seem friendly at all, unlike Roberto.

She goes to the end of the hall so she can stay out of everyone's way and considers going home.

And then someone calls out to her.



(The scene goes quite differently if you decide to stay quiet because you don't know what to say. It's different enough that I'll summarize it.

Joshua gets even more interested and presses Amaya to tell him what house she belongs to. Then Edward steps in-between her and Joshua to say she's just a normal girl, and not the kind Joshua is likely to "target". (Ominous.) Joshua gets a bit indignant, and Edward quips that he doesn't think it's normal to pick a dance partner based on social status. Joshua states that Edward must not consider him "normal", then.

Sensing trouble brewing, Amaya quickly states that she really is just a commoner. Joshua snarks that he's impressed with Edward's ability to associate with anyone before turning his back on both of them saying he's not in the habit of keeping company with commoners and he wouldn't know what to talk about.

After he leaves, Edward makes the comment about Joshua never changing, adding that Joshua can only act as his training allows him to. He explains how the crown prince of Dres Van is separated from his parents at an early age. They talk a bit more and then Edward excuses himself. No dancing with Edward (boo). Another difference is that rather than Amaya catching Joshua staring at her, she watches him dance with another lady.)

Well, Joshua isn't coming out looking too good so far, but I wonder how many people Roberto is winning over to his side for the next round picked?

Definitely me. What a decent guy <3

I'm not sure...
He seems like such a cutie but the "sweet as sugar" friend-zone types can be pretty clueless. And annoying.
Either that or they make your heart explode with feels and rainbows, which is very wonderful ❤

My problem with Roberto is that he starts off all courtly and charming like this, but the farther I got into his route the more frustrating he got because he acts like such a little kid. Hard to buy into a romance when you feel like you should be patting him on the head and tucking him in for a nap. -_-

Unless it's Mirai...

Patting him on the head...

...tucking him in for a nap....

...and yet he's still so smexy.

Yeah but Mirai is mature for his age. With Roberto it's more like 'how old are you, five? Put your big boy underpants on and get a grip already.'

hmp! another game that doesn't work on my tab except on the gree version ( and its gazillion of " need more of bloody points to go further".. my! I have'nt ended the prologue and I already have to wait and just go to dance until I some butler come to throw me out since I'm so lame at everything)

anyway I'm quite surprised to see how much the storyline is really different between the 2 versions ( and so sorry we can't romance Gandalf's butler :D)
I would have pretty much labelled Glenn as the eir of the "not-India Kingdom" due to that Not--TajMahal like palast in the background but who cares. after all Gandalf lives on the Mont saint Michel (and that' s freaking hilarious for a french girl like me)

well I suppose another game wich requires a sim card, damn thing!

(by the way, can't choose, nope...why must we choose, can't we have the whole bunch? You know, nothing's impossible with a careful schedule! Monday: diner with Willy, tuesday: diner with Bobby, etc - yes I'm that familiar with kings-to-be :D)

So, someone just called out to Amaya...


Well, hello there. *primps*

Unfortunately, we haven't just unlocked the secret butler route. Zain is here to tell Amaya that Lord Michel would like to meet with her. He leads her to a private meeting room in the castle.


And it turns out that Michel is the old guy Amaya helped earlier today. My, what an amazing coincidence./deadpan

She asks him if he's feeling better, and he says he is, thanks to her.

Suddenly, the realization that Zain said he was Lord Michel hits her. Dense protagonist remains dense. But, she's just a young college student, not a professional adult like other Voltage protags, so I tend to cut her some slack.



He laughs and says he is, but asks her to call him Mike.

On a nick-name basis with the Pope. High-five, Amaya!

Zain escorts Amaya back out to the hall, but he has a request.



Amaya agrees, and Zain tells her that if she ever needs assistance with anything to let him know. He says it's in return for her saving Lord Michel's life. It's...pretty obviously a paper thin excuse when all she did was comfort the old man a bit when he was in pain. You only find out the reason Mike and Zain are so eager to help Amaya out on Edward's route. So we'll just have to remain in the dark for now.

After Zain walks away, someone speaks to her.

??: "So you were just pretending to be a commoner. You must be quite the difficult woman to deal with."





Joshua: "There is no way Lord Michel would call a commoner to have an audience with him."

You don't know that. Dude's like 100 years old. He's got a right to be eccentric.

Of course, Amaya can't tell Joshua how she helped Mike; Zain asked her to keep it a secret.

Amaya: "Oh... Mi-, I mean, Lord Michel is an old acquaintance..."



Joshua: "Oh..."

He stares at her.

And jumping from 0 to conclusion in 3, 2, 1...

Joshua: "Are you Lord Michel's granddaughter?"

WHUT




Screenshotting Amaya's denial for reasons which will come up soonish.

Joshua: "Well, I don't expect you can tell me, if it hasn't been announced publicly. That would explain why he called you back here in secret."

The wheel's turning, but the hamster's dead.

Amaya wonders what he's talking about and decides that is she stays there, he's just going to keep getting the wrong idea. She stammers out an "excuse me" and tries to leave. He follows her.



She flees to the ballroom.

Back at the party, she worries about him getting the idea in his head that she's Mike's granddaughter, but she can't exactly say anything about Mike being ill. She looks around the room and finds an oasis of sanity: Prince Roberto!



Just then...


Damn it.

She sees Joshua heading over to her.

Roberto: "What's going on? Why is Jan here too...? Did something happen with Prince Joshua?"

You could say that...



Jan: "I am pleased to inform you that... His Highness has invited you to come visit our kingdom."

Roberto is shocked.



He seems puzzled.

Roberto: "He has a reputation for disliking women... I could understand it if you were from a well known family, but..."

Oh, Lord.



Joshua makes it to them just as Roberto finishes whispering that.



Joshua: "Allow me to express my apologies with an invitation to visit us in Dres Van. I hope you will accept."

Suddenly, he notices Roberto.



Roberto: "I'm sure you didn't... But, this is a strange step for you... I wouldn't have expected you to invite a girl like Miss Amaya to visit."

Joshua's expression wavers. I get the feeling he doesn't want the other princes to know that Amaya is Mike's granddaughter. He probably thinks it can give him an advantage.

Too bad for the poor dear that it's all in his head.

Joshua: "R-Really? All I want is for people from other kingdoms to know more about Dres Van..."

Even though Joshua's forcing the words out, Roberto nods and accepts it.



He places a hand on Amaya's back.

Roberto: "I shall come along as a representative of Altaria."

Sneaky, Roberto. Very sneaky. XD

Joshua: "What do you mean by that?"

Roberto: "Just as it sounds... I shall accompany her to Dres Van as well."



Roberto: "Is there some reason that I shouldn't go?"

Joshua frowns and sighs.

Joshua: "All right, you should come as well."

Amaya: "B-But I..."

Joshua gives her a smile that is, in her words, "unnervingly kind".

Joshua: "I am ashamed of myself as a prince to have been rude to a lady from another kingdom... Please allow me to make it up to you."

Amaya finds it hard to say no when he puts it like that, and so she finds herself traveling together with Roberto...

Oh, for...

He's going to flip a table when he realizes that she's not actually nobility after all, isn't he. And accuse her of deceiving him. Even though he just jumped to conclusions in his own head and ran off with them.

WTG Joshua. -_-

Amaya is riding in Joshua's limo; Roberto's own car is following them.

Joshua: "Of course."



Amaya gets the impression that Joshua isn't being very honest.

NO, REALLY? /sarcasm



Amaya hears a bell ringing.

Jan: "Your Highness, I believe that was the midnight bell."

Joshua: "Yes, it is."

Jan: "Is it all right for Miss Amaya to have arrived after midnight?"

(Okay, the game actually says "before midnight", but context leads me to believe that is a typo.)

Amaya's puzzled, wondering if there's a problem with her arriving now. Jan notices her expression and explains.

Jan: "When entering Dres Van, all immigration paperwork must be completed before midnight on the day of arrival... To not do so is considered a criminal offense."

Y-you don't say...

Amaya: "Isn't that a problem then...?"

Joshua: "It won't be an issue. She is Lord Michel's granddaughter after all."

*twitch*





Jan sighs in relief.

Jan: "Please excuse my rudeness. In that case everything will be fine."

Joshua: "I wouldn't have brought her along at this time of night otherwise."

He wouldn't have brought her along, period.

Jan: "Of course not. My apologies."

Joshua: "And according to the law changes that came into effect last week... A member of the general public cannot enter the kingdom after 10pm."



Jan: "Oh, really...?"

Amaya: "E-Excuse me..."



Jan: "It is different for those of royal blood or who are associated with the sacred grounds... So this law will not pose a problem for yourself or Prince Roberto."

Jan and Amaya both look at Roberto's car following them. A large gate behind his car is being closed. Dres Van is a walled country, and they're now inside the border.

Amaya decides now is the perfect time to make one last-ditch effort to get through Joshua's thick skull.

Amaya: "But... I am not Lord Michel's granddaughter. I'm not someone associated with the sacred grounds either!"

He frowns.


Oh, for the love of...


Joie de Combat is presentient.

Amaya: "I never said that!"



*Ahem* Amaya, what did you say when you met Joshua after speaking to Mike and he said you must be Lord Michel granddaughter?


Thank you.

So, how does Amaya respond?

/facepalm
B. No apologies for you, Joshua Jerkface!

Oh so very much B. You jumped to conclusions all on your own, Joshua, don't go blaming other people just because you wouldn't listen to what they were saying to you.

B. Joshua, you make Eduardo look like a nice guy. Fuck you very much for now and forever even when your dere side will finally show.

God, I get he didn't have an easy childhood but that is no excuse for blaming others. Take responsibility for your own actions. Amaya, jump out of the car.

He's on his way to making Keith look like a nice guy, and that takes effort.

*Reads the reactions to Joshua "The-Stick-Up-My-Ass-Is-A-Class-Feature" Lieben*

*cackles evilly*