Allyce

They both heavily use charm as a weapon. Beldaruit sees through it pretty easily during their conversation and calls Deanreldy out, firmly rebuffing his interest. He seems very aware of what the king wants out of him and how he's using his position as healer as leverage to get something out of a person in a vulnerable spot.

Deanreldy instantly throws that right back in his face as he holds the view that witches do the exact same: offer help disguised as control.

The whole scene is uncomfortable in the way the king shifts tactics through the conversation, trying to win Bel with charm, logic, then by being vaguely threatening when the first two don't work.

There's a menacing, creepy intimacy to the way this is presented, with Bel on the bed gripping the sheets and the king looming over him in a position of power.

Bel is constantly presented through the panels looking up at the king, being framed as smaller or having to lean himself up to engage. And when it's clear Bedaruit isn't going to give him what he wants Deanreldy jokingly dismisses him and ends the conversation.

Someone online pointed out that it also seems the king has not offered Beldaruit the use of a mundane wheelchair, essentially trapping him in bed which leads to the bedsores and his need for treatment, lending an even more sinister edge to the situation.

Later, after Silver Eve, Deanreldy is incensed when the counterclock heals the wounds of the people he'd spent all night doctoring. Here I can honestly sort of understand his upset. He's likely been laboring for hours, fighting to keep wounded people alive and lost who knows how many, when the witches just come in and appear to 'instantly' fix everything.

But in retaliation he uses his position as king to forcefully tip the balance by kneeling to Beldaruit and Lagrah in front of his subjects when they're unable to stop him. He succeeds by backing the witches into a corner and literally forcing them to retreat.

Deanreldy truly seems to want the ability to wield magic as a tool and he will use whatever means necessary to get it.

Eoleo, on the other hand, seems more interested in rekindling the old partnership between king and witch.

He first forms a connection with Tetia when they met during Silver Eve and he's hiding from his bodyguards. From her he learns that the old bond between king and witch might be possible to achieve when she's so open to a friendship with him. He even says "In speaking with you, lady witch, I see a flicker of hope for a dream I'd thought impossible."

Tetia, much like Beldaruit, clocks him pretty quickly, seeming to realize she misstepped by so easily offering him friendship and later expressing discomfort with his proposal. Tetia is a very emotionally intelligent character so it's possible she read the undertones in Eoleo's seemingly innocent request.

Eoleo later meets Riliphin, reaching out to him with empathy while he was overwhelmed in the forest after the leech attack and separated from his master.

His interest in helping Riliphin when he was having a panic attack is presented as genuine. He sees his scars and offers him a way to ask for help if he's being abused. He sits with him, doesn't mock when he expresses fear of crowds, and offers advice that helps him calm down.

When Eoleo realizes that other people might be suffering in a similar way he wants to help and instantly hops to magic as a solution, asking Riliphin if he knows Tetia and seeking his aid to find her.

And Eoleo does succeed in getting Riliphin, Tetia, and the other apprentices to help the evacuated citizens. He does so by reaching out with empathy and friendship to the young witches who are more open to reciprocating this sort of relationship than their elders, which likely only reinforces Eoleo's belief that king and witch as partners can work.

After Silver Eve is over Tetia goes home and isn't in Eoleo's immediate sphere any more. It seems he shifts targets to Riliphin who is stuck in the castle while Beldaruit recovers from his broken arm. Like Tetia he's young and kind but unlike her, at least as far as we know, he has a history of being abused by people in authority.

Eoleo and Danreldy have different tactics when it comes to trying to get what they want but their views and some of their approaches parallel each other quite closely.

They both make a point to highlight the divide between witch and non-witch, Deanreldy to point out how old-fashioned it is and Eoleo to use it to put Riliphin at ease. Both takes seek to break down that barrier with their respective target.

They both use a tactic of being overly friendly and familiar with their witches. Eoleo employs a lot of physical touch, which he can likely better get away with given his age and how well he plays innocent.

Deanreldy leans on verbal familiarity, speaking to Beldaruit in a way that's not really proper between two leaders and also sweeping him up in his bold acts, forcing Bel to participate even if it's not overly wise to do so.

Both of them speak of 'their' witch and their powers as a tool they wish to acquire or something they wish to have. In Eoleo's case he first seems to be talking about Tetia specifically but after Silver Eve he may just be open to any witch.

I found that interesting because I wasn't sure if the story was trying to set up a relationship between Tetia and Eoleo in the vein of Richeh/Eunini. But Eoleo does the same disarming, eager-for-friendship play with Riliphin, so I get the feeling he's not quite so picky.

And now we're at a point where master and apprentice are stuck in the castle with these two for the time being, as Beldaruit requires more treatment.

The discomforting isolation is back when we see a few panels of Bel in bed, surrounded exclusively by the king's staff. It's an opulent space, not a prison cell, but for all intents Deanreldy essentially has Bel at his mercy, again weaponizing his position as ruler and healer to control 'his' witch. (Bel does not look happy about this.)

With Beldaruit in this position it's unsure how much supervision or protection he can provide his apprentice, leaving Riliphin to Eoleo's attentions.

The prince has already started up with the charm and working to build a close friendship with Riliphin much in the same way he did with Tetia.

With her he appealed to her outgoing and upbeat personality, with Riliphin he seems to focus more on his desire not to upset anyone in a way that feels like a guilt-trip. Which is uncomfortable in the light of Riliphin's past abuse.

Eoleo is breaking down the barrier in a slow, personal, 'soft' way in contrast to his father who took a direct, public route that instantly put Beldaruit and Lagrah on the defensive.

There's also a costuming thing going on. Eoleo asks to try on Tetia's hat and apprentice garb when they first meet, blurring the lines between them. There are some visual elements that tie Eoleo and Riliphin together too, such as the flared cut of their sleeves and a noticeable triangle shape to their collars.

Later, Eoleo has his guards clad Riliphin in the same feathered black cape he wore when they first met, tying their visual language even closer together, in a way that feels to me like Eoleo is claiming him.

I'm both anxious and interested to see where the plot goes with these four because I don't at all think it's anywhere near done yet.

These two are just so layered and intriguing to me as characters, with their complex motivations and differing ways of using their skills and abilities to acquire what they want.

I really want to like them both but they're dangerous too and pose real threats to Beldaruit and Riliphin on a personal scale and witchdom in general.