I have a lot of things I can say about this, and I don't know if I can even condense it all into an adequate review, but I'll try. Because *wow* this is. Incredible. Elite. I'll pre-empt that I have my guy on the Mathias romance route, and good or at least, what I assume is high friendship value with the siblings, and pretty much anyone who isn't an active enemy.
The visual design is fabulous. The black and white is dreamy in a way, and each character is just superb. With the excellent writing, I've been playing for hours and feel all the more sucked in with each turn of the page. I love the gentle music, and how it settles in nicely with the story, rather than overpowering it. There's something about this story that is just beautiful, and (at least with the route I'm on) feels so, romantic, but heartbreaking too. I feel both relieved and tense with every *good* moment, because our MC is just a tragic character with low self-esteem, constantly waiting for the other shoe to fall.
But one bit in particular is so stand-out to me, and that's the game, Story. By the time my MC wised up to what was happening, I felt close to tears. They *are* loved and cared about, and no matter how much mistrust and deceit surrounds them, there is hope. It's no shock that they feel the way they do, since their entire position in life was one of 'get lashed in place of another' after being sold into that place, but the way the story turned into a mirror of the MC's life and situation was just brilliant writing. I am going to hold the name Lady Gingerkettlepuff near and dear now.
All of this is to say, this is absolutely show-stopping. One of my favourite VN's to date, if not a top 3. Thank you so much for this fantastic work.