Sovieshu is a completely lost character at the hands of Alpha Tart, yet a potentially very interesting one. In this post, I am not going to justify him, but rather share my own thoughts that arose while reading the entire novel.
Letâs begin with a quote from the wiki:
"As a child, Sovieshu was a kind and sweet boy, continuously looking out for his mother and best friend by trying to ensure they were alright and comfortable. He was very playful, as shown in flashbacks during his time with Navier. In one incident, he even ended up injuring himself to pick peaches for her from a high branch to make her happy. He also teased her often and in return he often got hit with a pillow by her."
From early childhood, Sovieshu showed strong empathy toward others, and he does not stop doing so in adulthood. He is the first to show compassion toward Rashta and to see her not as a runaway slave, but as an ordinary person with her own thoughts and desires. He genuinely cares about her, visiting her whenever he can. He does not grow close to her immediately, but as soon as the court nobles begin spreading rumors more actively, he makes her his concubine in order to protect her in some way.
He could have fabricated a commoner background for her, but the author, in order to make Rashta a particularly hated figure at court, does not allow Sovieshu to take such actions.
âUnlike most nobles, he questions the existence of slavery and considers to restrict its practice (for example: minimum living situations would be granted, certain abuses by their owners would not be allowed, etc.), but does not consider to try to limit the crimes that condemn the punished as slaves, eliminate its inheritance system which condemns the descendants of slaves to the same fates, and much less completely abolish slavery itself. Generally, it seems that, as a ruler, his heart was originally good-intended, but his own interiorized prejudices and beliefs interfered in his desire to help his people.â
Unlike Navier, Sovieshu questions the very concept of slavery, which, for a ruler of that era, is an almost revolutionary and liberal ideaâone that requires a great deal of empathy (though it is unclear which specific prejudices are being referred to here). Sovieshu sees people rather than titles. That is why he forgives Viscount Roteschu for revealing Rashtaâs past (he allows him to continue visiting the palace freely - though this is likely the authorâs will, without which the plot could not continue, rather than an actual fault on Sovieshuâs part). He also forgives Grand Duke Kaufman, who, out of jealousy, allows himself to strike the Emperor of another nation (!) and insult the official concubine.
At the same time, Sovieshu emphasizes that he refrains from imposing serious punishment only because he does not want to ruin the manâs reputation, and instead limits himself to severing diplomatic relations - after which Navier accuses him of acting emotionally:
âI do not know what you are planning, but I cannot trust someone who seems to be driven only by emotion. To protect your reputation, I will not imprison you.â He turned away coldly. âBut I will have to reconsider my agreement with Kaufman.â
Sovieshu repeatedly asks Navier to treat Rashta with compassion, but she refuses to be involved with her in any way, even though Rashtaâs safety and comfort are literally her responsibility as the mistress of the palace. At the very beginning, when Navier withdraws her hand from the injured Rashta, Sovieshu says a phrase that reveals everything we need to know about his worldview:
âIs an empressâs dress nobler than a human hand?â
Even the attempted murder of Rashta by ViscountâDuchess Tuaniaâs lover - is regarded by Sovieshu, who is often called weak-willed, as a brutal crime, and he sentences the viscount to death. However, due to Navierâs special power - namely, the authorâs unlimited love - he mitigates the sentence and merely exiles the criminal (which could be interpreted as his belief in second chances, though it is more likely the authorâs desire to portray Navier - who, incidentally, had intended to spare a man who tried to kill someone! - as wise and rational).
Let us talk about Sovieshuâs other qualities. Everyone knows that he is deeply dependent on Navier, with whom he spent most of his life. He loves her, and at times even shows jealousy, which is usually nothing more than genuine concern for her. For example, in one of their conversations about Heinrey, he warns her to be cautious around foreigners - which is fairly logical. It would be unpleasant if the secrets of the Eastern Empire suddenly ended up in another countryâs hands - especially one with which they had long-standing tensions and, until the New Year celebrations, no diplomatic relations at all.
He even admits that he would not necessarily object if Navier had lovers (which is still very different from legal concubines, a common practice in the Eastern Empire, unlike lovers, who could damage the Empressâs reputation).
Throughout the novel, Sovieshu is the only one of the two who tries to repair their relationship and restore the friendship the author constantly alludes to:
âWould you like a drink, Empress?â
âIâm fine. Iâll have cake.â
âYouâll gain weight.â
âThatâs better than getting drunk in public, isnât it?â
âIâm not going to get drunk. But if you eat at this hour, youâll grow fat.â
âEven if I gain a little weight, I have a tailor.â
Sovieshu smirked into his wine as I put a piece of cake into my mouth."
This dialogue is pure teasing, reminiscent of the friendship they once shared - the one the author keeps insisting existed.
Sovieshu is an empathetic character, capable of kindness and care. The novel repeatedly mentions how he dreams of having a child (and ultimately, he becomes the only genuinely good father figure who truly tries to care for his child). When his future firstborn appears, he worries that Navier will not accept the child:
Sovieshu hesitated at first, but eventually replied,
âI am afraid the Empress will treat the child with hostility.â
It is precisely because of his love for children and his desire to be a good father that Sovieshu takes the child away from Rashta, fearing that, due to her deteriorating mental state, she might harm him:
âHer mental state deteriorated further after her crimes against the empire were exposed, and Duke Ergi Claude maliciously brought his estranged son to Sovieshu during the paternity trial of Glorym. When the results showed no blood relation, Rashta was arrested for crimes against the empire and the Emperor. During the trial, she was found guilty of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. She was stripped of her title as Empress. She committed suicide in prison by swallowing a poison pill, and Sovieshu had her cremated and scattered her ashes.â
Because of shock and despair after the falsified paternity test results, and considering his frail health (throughout the story, Sovieshu frequently faints and experiences hallucinations), he likely did not even attend the trial.
I am not trying to justify Sovieshuâs dishonest actions toward Rashta, but I do believe that, to some extent, he became a victim of circumstances. Rashta, portrayed with childlike speech and behavior, was written that way deliberately so that she could never compete with Navier. The author intentionally made Rashta appear as pitiful as possible in the eyes of readers so that her favorite heroine would shine by contrast.
Sovieshu could have been an interesting character and a great Emperor if Alpha Tart had not been afraid to challenge Navier. He could have been a likable character if he had been developed not solely through the lens of hatred toward a treacherous adulterer, but through a more objective perspective free of favoritism.
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