First off, i'll say what everyone is thinking: I can't believe this game is free! The amount of care and work that's been put into this blows me out of the water. People release a way inferior product and charge for it too. This is clearly a passion project, from the dialogues to the story and the sprites and you love to see it. The Dev mentioned wanting to give the players freedom of choice and it really shows.
You know how Devs promise freedom and you exercise that freedom and then you're given a metaphorical slap on the wrist, either by internal monologue of your character (''maybe i shouldn't have done that'') or other characters in game admonishing you straight up. At no point i felt like this playing this game. The Dev developed each route, whether you choose to play a soft hearted, subdued character focused on the happy ever after end, or a headstrong calloused character that's still irrevocably in love with Mathias.
I did try other paths aka the soft hearted character and quickly came to the conclusion it was not for me (perfectly acceptable). I want to praise the push and pull route, the 'adversarial' relationship, the teasing (trying to), the stolen glances, with Mathias still SEEING you despite the walls your character builds because of an unwillingness to yield, but it is Mathias, so the choice suddenly becomes obvious.
An example of this (spoiler free), is talking to Mathias after your nightmare, but choosing to lash out and be terrible because you're hurting and you're raw can end up with Mathias ordering you to kneel before him because he is your King. A metaphorical pull on the leash that's on your throat. However, this scene is directly referenced in the later chapters where it plays out in a very different manner. I see your work and your effort Dev.
What's my favorite character? It's a tie between the playable character and Mathias and it's a great thing. The player is given enough freedom to build their ideal playable character.The game being in black and white is very charming.
My interest is not with the Five Kingdoms. Even if the secondary characters are greatly written, sometimes I found my attention drifting when the narration mentioned secondary characters, as my interest lies with Mathias and the playable character, their relationship and rapport based on prior choices and what they can accomplish together. I believe that's the strength of the game.
This got very long without me realizing! I'll follow your game closely, I believe this has the potential to be something truly special.