More than Chartres?? :o I thought he was the resident libertine/hedonist!

I've recently learned that Paul Féval in addition to writing swashbuckling stories like "Le Bossu," also wrote vampire fiction. Which is perfect for the Vampire AU I imagined for @gonzague-if characters and setting, where my Prince Gonzague,Médée, is a vampire posing as a French noble of "delicate health" with her devoted Peyrolles, and of course Lagardère as a persistant vampire hunter. That and being October, I was inspired to doodle a sketchy comic of Médée feeding from a very willing Peyrolles.

Médée: That damned Lagardère! I've dealt with persistent Hunters before, but he's been especially vexing.

Peyrolles: You've been unable to hunt because of him. Monseigneur, I am concerned you've gone too long without feeding.

Médée: (thinking) They're right. I've had to avoid drawing unwanted attention. If this keeps up, it'll be too dangerous if I don't drink blood soon. Peyrolles is a possibility, but I don't want to endanger their health. I've grown to depend on them for so much. Although if I don't feed soon, I may lose my self-control to hunger and wind up killing them! Should I just ask them? Even if they say no, Peyrolles is resourceful. They can help find an alternative until it's safe to hunt.

(Speaking) Peyrolles, I have a request, and you are free to decline. Would you...

Peyrolles, already removed their waistcoat and cravat, half reclining on a nearby couch with their shirt half of in an enticing fashion: Yes!

Médée, surprised and then intrigued: Oh? My little Peyrolles is so eager and efficient. Not even any objections or hesitation. Yet I will still ask, are you willing to allow me to bite into your flesh and drink from your blood? I would prefer not to cause you harm, but even taking a small amount of blood is still a risk.

Peyrolles: I have already bound myself to you of my own free will. Whatever ma maîtresse needs of me, I will gladly offer, even my soul.

Médée, smiling at Peyrolles with genuine affection: You truly mean it? How lucky I am! My little Peyrolles' devotion would put the Pope to shame.

(Médée joins Peyrolles on the couch, crawling into their lap with a hungry expression, then bites and drinks from their throat in an intimate manner.)

@gothvis made this absolutely stunning sketch of Peyrolles!!! <333

Peyrolles

Monsieur de Peyrolles is a minor noble at the Prince’s service. Gonzague has blackmail material that ensures their loyalty. Despite the unsavory circumstances of their partnership, Peyrolles stays Gonzague’s only true ally.

Thank you! <3

volumes .   gaze  at  my  muse  in  a  way  that  silently  says  ‘i love you’ .

It had been a long evening and you had grown annoyed with the imbibed courtiers, becoming overfamiliar with each other and even with you. You slapped one last straying hand away from your waist and made your way toward the Château de Saint-Cloud’s exit without saying goodbye to the Duc de Chartres. You were certain he was plenty busy anyway.

It was bracingly cool outside after the damp heat of the gathered bodies in the palace’s reception lounges. The dark of the night was soothing against the bright multitude of candlelights at your back. You took a deep breath of fresh, invigorating air and stepped down to the gravel path, the small pebbles crunching underfoot.

To your surprise, a carriage appeared in the castle’s glow, horses trotting up to you before turning to a stop. It was your equipage, you realized once your eyes started getting used to the darkness. The door facing you opened and Peyrolles jumped down. They held the door for you.

on that note, does it negatively affect peyrolle’s route if gonzague gives into their worst instincts? what about if they refuse to read aurore’s letter, get angry after reading aurore’s letter, or lose their temper after reading the blackmail letter? i don’t want to negatively affect peyrolles’ route but i love the scene where they bandage up gonzague’s hands (￣▽￣*)ゞ

i was also wondering if peyrolles is amab? i understand if you don’t want to answer that or my previous questions in order to prevent spoilers, though! so, here are my other, (probably) not spoiler-tempting questions:

- do chartres and peyrolles like kids? matter of fact, do aurore and nevers? i would assume so, since they have one, but liking kids typically isn’t a requirement to have them so it’s still a question worth asking i’d say. what would they all do if they had to interact with a child (whether they like kids or not)? peyrolles, to me anyway, seems like they could be either very intimidated by children or very good with them, and chartres seems like he’d get bullied by children.

- in a modern setting, what do you think aurore, chartres, nevers, and peyrolles’ jobs would be? what about gonzague?

- in a modern setting, how would they all meet?

- what are all of their hobbies in canon? what would their hobbies be in the modern world?

i really love gonzague, and i don’t know the original series (i didn’t realise it was actually based on and not just inspired by a novel until i was scrolling through this tumblr) but you’ve really made it your own! i hope you have a good day and best of luck (⌒▽⌒)♡

(p.s. is the gonzague from the novels the real phillipe de gonzague, or did he also murder his brother like your gonzague did? i’m not finding a lot about the plot online, so i can’t really tell.)

Hi anon! That's a lot of questions you got there! Thank you so much for your interest. <3

I'll answer them under the cut to avoid the post to get too long.

Some more @gonzague-if art featuring my Prince Médée, Peyrolles, and quotes from her namesake Greek tragedy.

"Terrible things breed in broken hearts. And I see in my Mistress' eyes a fury that won't be calmed... It can’t be long until her sorrow turns, as sorrow always does, into rage." -Euripidies, Medea

Playing as a female Gonzague is interesting because while Médée is still cunning, charismatic, and envious like her literary counterpart, her motivation for literally stabbing Nevers in the back hits different. Losing everything and becoming destitute is terrifying even today, but it would have been even more dire situation for Médée. She's been able to ensure both her survival and freedom because of her title as Prince, while most women during this time period would have to have very limited opportunities to be financially independent. She's very aware of what can happen if she loses everything, and having the title of Prince won't count for much if she's out on the streets. Securing this marriage is literally life or death situation from Médée's perspective!

Lbr if she hadn't taken her brothers name and inherited his title, she would have easily wound up like Aurore, or ironically even becoming Aurore's stepmother, as the Marquis de Caylus seems like the type of man Médée's father would have married her off to. Which just fills her with so much guilt and rage about this whole situation with marriage, Aurore, and Nevers.

As much as Médée loved Nevers, she's not willing to risk giving up her life or freedom to become his wife. Likewise, while she knows her intentions of marrying Aurore where more for financial gain, but she does care and emphasize with her enough to try and make their Marriage of Convenience be mutually beneficial by giving Aurore freedom to live her own life for once. Sadly, things don't work out as planned.

Médée's relationship dynamic with Peyrolles is fascinating, though, because while it started out as securing a useful asset via blackmail I could easily see them eventually becoming partners both in schemes and in life. I learned from recent asks that Peyrolles is drawn to people considered outsiders by society, and when they become romantically involved with someone, they're emotionally devoted to them. Tbh Médée would need someone like that in her life. She's become so accustomed to her affections being unrequited or rejected, it'd be refreshing for her to finally realize that she can depend on Peyrolles not just to take care of her business, and secrets but also her emotional needs as well. You know, in addition to helping her cover up the murders and conspiracies....