So, I finished all of Leopold's bad endings this time. *screaming internally*
(The guide helped a lot btw!)
(MORE SPOILERS)
.
.
.
.
Whew, those really put my heart through a wringer. (I was not kidding about peeking through my fingers while picking the wrong choices deliberately.) But!! I very much appreciated how each ending reveals a bit more about Leopold and Iolanthe (especially Leopold), in a way that you wouldn't be able to see if you just read the best ending (aka The Stolen Crown).
*clears throat* I conclude that there are 3 main things that can break Leo's spirit:
1. Crossing a moral line, in his case, murder or war. The game gave me the impression that while Leopold had prepared mentally and logistically for both outcomes in pursuit of revenge, he had not considered the emotional toll it would take on him until said outcomes had occurred. A part of him really hoped it would not have to come to that. This makes the best ending even sweeter in retrospect-- Iolanthe really did save him.
2. Iolanthe's betrayal. Like, if there was ANY doubt at all that underneath all of Leopold's charm and cunning, he really did love her, his reaction to her lying to him really dispels all of that! Like, he can be disappointed if she doesn't agree with his course of action but he will still trust Iolanthe to cash in the Silversmith bonds without thinking to ask to see the receipt right after. But Iolanthe straight up either telling him that he cannot trust her or going behind his back to the Council is where he draws the line! 'The Cruellest Cut' ending is so aptly named!! He is unable to carry out his revenge through any means because of his once dearest love!!! (Leopold returning all her letters unanswered was just an extra knife in the heart when he brought all of her love letters with him to Garllucio in the beginning 🥹🥹🥹)
3. Losing his revenge. He does take it somewhat badly in 'A Bitter Defeat', but that ending was more bittersweet than I expected instead of outright tragic or sad. In 'The Cruellest Cut' or 'Murderer' endings though...
Honestly, what a fascinating character in a fascinating story! Now I'm even more curious about his POV but I shall wait patiently. Until then, I will be figuratively spinning him around in my head like in a microwave for quite a while.
(On a side note, I started playing Guillaume's route and I was pleasantly surprised that Leopold interacts with Iolanthe more than once, which makes sense. Anyways, I took a hard left into the 'Betrayal' ending because Leopold is my favorite and now I'm imagining how a Leopold/Iolanthe romance would look like after a case where Iolanthe divorces Guillaume hahahaha.)