Was Rhea romantically interesting in Jeralt? ( spoiler)

[Timlugia]

Since the new DLC has a questionable book

Spoiler

 

about Seiros(Rhea) was romantically involved with the first emperor

(Which two books in the church library also made similar claims)

 

I can't help but wondering if Jeralt was also romantically involved before Sitri showed up

 

There were a few things I noticed how Rhea gave preferred treatment to Jeralt over the years:

1. Jeralt was the only person Rhea saved by giving her blood. Rhea had many people worked under her over the years, but Jeralt was the only one had such treatment, even Catherine didn't receive her blood. Jeralt was also not even an knight, but a mercenary augmenting the knights

2. Jeralt also got more blood from Rhea than anyone maybe except Emperor Wilhelm, even cardinals only have minor crests but Jeralt has major one.

3. Jeralt was invited to the knight by Rhea's order, he then raised rapidly in the ranks, eventually he became the second in the church after Rhea, commanding the whole order of knights, despite he wasn't even a believer.

4. Jeralt was never punished for setting fire and steal away Byleth, despite being accused publicly by Seteth. Rhea often punishes traitors harshly but reinstated Jeralt to the captain instead. Jeralt also seem to not worry about being chase down by the church, he used his real name the whole time despite being a well know figure. Both Leonie and Edelgard knows him by name

It's harder to demostrate but I really feel Rhea speaks a lot softer regarding to Jeralt, both with him or about him. In fact, when I first played Three Houses, I thought Rhea was Byleth's mother and estrange wife of Jeralt just by the way of their interaction.

 

It's pretty obvious that Jeralt has strong favoritism from Rhea and to him alone, question is why? Was she interesting in Jeralt? Did Jeralt reciprocate? (obviously he married Sitri later) Was there other human over the years that could be involved with Rhea? From a side quest we know that she has many suitors from mortal men, even her students.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Timlugia

[eclipse]

Might want to mark this as CS spoilers!

Anyway, didn't he save her life or something?

[Timlugia]

Already edit for new spoiler

 

Yes, Jeralt indeed saved Rhea once according to Rhea, but presumably he wasn't the only one ever did so.

(Assuming Rhea needs to be saved to begin with, like how random bandits could even harm her.)

Even so, Rhea's favoritism extended long after she saved his life and practically grant him immortality in return.

[eclipse]

Without knowing the circumstance behind "Jeralt saved Rhea's life", it's hard to say.  Regardless, I think he got hurt in the process or something?

[Timlugia]

20 minutes ago, eclipse said:

Without knowing the circumstance behind "Jeralt saved Rhea's life", it's hard to say.  Regardless, I think he got hurt in the process or something?

Quote

Rhea: Since you are here, shall I tell you about the Jeralt that I knew? By the look of it, you haven't heard much about his time at the monastery, have you? When I first met Jeralt, he was quite young. Why, he could not even grow a full beard at that point! On one fateful occasion, the band of mercenaries he belonged to fought alongside the Knights of Seiros. I was traveling with the knights at the time, and Jeralt jumped in front of an attack meant for me. He was gravely wounded. On the verge of death. I tended to his wounds in a desperate attempt to save his life. Thankfully, my efforts were not in vain. Jeralt managed to escape a seemingly certain death. I made arrangements for him to receive further care at Garreg Mach. The moment he was deemed fully recovered, I invited him to join the knights.

Quote

Alois: We spoke before about how Jeralt never seemed to age, right? Once, when he was drunk, he let the secret slip. He said he'd had an infusion of Crest-bearing blood, and it had greatly extended his life.

I think that's as far as we know at this point, really wish they would reveal more about Jeralt, Rhea, and Sothis someday.

[eclipse]

Just now, Timlugia said:

I think that's as far as we know at this point, really wish they would reveal more about Jeralt, Rhea, and Sothis someday.

Sounds like that act made quite the impression on her, if she remembered that much detail.

She's also implied to be very motherly, so perhaps she sees Jeralt as one of her adopted kids - after all, her blood literally runs through his veins!

[Crysta]

Yeah Rhea perceiving her underlings as her children seems to be the running theme. I did not perceive any romantic connotations in any of their interactions.

[Timlugia]

1 minute ago, Crysta said:

Yeah Rhea perceiving her underlings as her children seems to be the running theme. I did not perceive any romantic connotations in any of their interactions.

But then there goes Wilhelm I, who also took blood from Rhea (thus "one of her children") but implied in the new DLC support also by books from the base game also to be

Spoiler

lover with Rhea back in the day.

 

[Crysta]

Has the actual text been posted online anywhere? Because I suspect it depends on how you interpret it.

[Timlugia]

57 minutes ago, Crysta said:

Has the actual text been posted online anywhere? Because I suspect it depends on how you interpret it.

 

Quote

...A young man, staring as Emperor Wilhelm as he caught the saint and pulled her into a close embrace, suddenly beckoned me. He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered sweet nothings, mirroring Emperor Wilhelm and Saint Seiros upon the stage

From book banned recently by Seteth, The Feast of Decadence.

While the book itself was depicting a play on the Imperial Wedding, books in the actual church library supports the claim that the emperors traced their lineage to Rhea

Quote

In addition to the first emperor,
its lineage is also traced back to Saint Seiros herself, which is why
generations of emperors are believed to bear the Crest of Seiros.

Quote

As the goddess's sword, Seiros wards away evil.
As the goddess's child, Seiros makes emperors of mortals.
As the goddess's wings, Seiros elevates her people.
As the goddess's voice, Seiros spreads the word of love.

And Seteth is known to ban books that was too close to the truth in regard of Nabatean, such as how he confiscated drawing of Immaculate One from Claude...

[Crysta]

Plays are not typically known for their historical accuracy, since they're meant to entertain people and the truth is usually really boring. And I don't see anything explicitly hinting at a romance between them? The author may not know the particulars about the weird dragon blood transfusions.

Since it's titled "The Feast of Decadence" and Seteth is a bit of an uptight white knight, I can't say I find that argument very convincing.

 

[Sid Starkiller]

5 hours ago, Crysta said:

Plays are not typically known for their historical accuracy, since they're meant to entertain people and the truth is usually really boring. And I don't see anything explicitly hinting at a romance between them? The author may not know the particulars about the weird dragon blood transfusions.

Since it's titled "The Feast of Decadence" and Seteth is a bit of an uptight white knight, I can't say I find that argument very convincing.

 

I agree with this. Even Dorothea herself suggested as such in CF, about a hypothetical opera starring Byleth and Edelgard, that they'd "fall madly in love, even if that isn't historically accurate."

[Timlugia]

8 hours ago, Crysta said:

 And I don't see anything explicitly hinting at a romance between them? The author may not know the particulars about the weird dragon blood transfusions.

Since it's titled "The Feast of Decadence" and Seteth is a bit of an uptight white knight, I can't say I find that argument very convincing.

 

I don't see how you could interpret "pull her into a close embrace" not as some

hint of romantic involvement, but at least in JPN/CN version I check it literally said the emperor embraced Seiros closely and spoke words of love to her.

The book title is also likely a mislead, the other book in the same room was called encyclopedia of insect, but it's about technology

Quote

I agree with this. Even Dorothea herself suggested as such in CF, about a hypothetical opera starring Byleth and Edelgard, that they'd "fall madly in love, even if that isn't historically accurate."

Thing is, the official church stance is that Seiros was the origin of the emperors, but most of us used to interpret it as just blood transfusion

Now it makes likely they were telling the truth,  that it could be by actual birth. At least the book indicates it's widely believed by the general population.

 

And is there any evidence suggests otherwise? Against the theory Seiros was with the emperor?

Edited February 15, 2020 by Timlugia

[Crysta]

4 hours ago, Timlugia said:

I don't see how you could interpret "pull her into a close embrace" not as some

hint of romantic involvement, but at least in JPN/CN version I check it literally said the emperor embraced Seiros closely and spoke words of love to her.

The book title is also likely a mislead, the other book in the same room was called encyclopedia of insect, but it's about technology

Thing is, the official church stance is that Seiros was the origin of the emperors, but most of us used to interpret it as just blood transfusion

Now it makes likely they were telling the truth,  that it could be by actual birth. At least the book indicates it's widely believed by the general population.

 

And is there any evidence suggests otherwise? Against the theory Seiros was with the emperor?

Somehow missed that bit, but eh. Since there's a typo in it I'm fairly certain it's not the in-game text, and the grammar is... off. Is it the actual text or a translation? The actor is pulling someone into a romantic embrace but it sounds like someone separate from Seiros since it suggests they're mirroring something. I'm just gonna say it's the bad translation and they're actors playing Wilhelm and Seiros... and following a script imagined by a mortal. Who likely doesn't know about the blood transfusion and went with the next logical conclusion.

The title seems to fit and doesn't seem like a misdirect, either way. That is pretty romantic language use.

Still, it doesn't really support your theory. There is nothing in game suggesting Rhea has romantic feelings towards Jeralt or vice-versa, and just because she might have had a thing for Wilhelm doesn't mean she's interested in Jeralt. The existence of an S-support already confirms she's capable of such things, but I can't imagine romance is typically on the mind of a thousands-year-old dragon pope.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Crysta

[Quillmonger]

Before the recent reveals in the DLC I actually thought that she might have actually been Byleth's mother and that she and Jeralt were either lying or Rhea was so crazy she thought that she was two people. 

But I think the in game evidence is really more akin to them being close as friends which is why he gives her some benefit of the doubt and doesn't just turn on her when he comes back. I think it is also why she doesn't get all off with his head when he shows up with the kid he obviously claimed had died.