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Rhodolite
The small kingdom you and the princes live in. Known for the beauty of its roses, which bloom throughout the year, it is a peace-loving kingdom with abundant resources. Although on good diplomatic terms with Benitoite and Jade, it has been in dispute with Obsidian for a long time.
–Ikémen Prince: Beauty and Her Beast
Rhodolite is a tiny country surrounded by three much larger, much more powerful countries: Obsidian to the north and west, Benitoite to the north and east, and Jade to the south. It has remained an independent nation through superior diplomacy, not through strength of arms, although it has a well-trained army.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0T7gsYaX3e
Benitoite, its ally, is its main trading partner, bringing in resources from all over the world through their ships. Obsidian, its enemy, cut off all contact with other nations twenty-six years ago (after Yves' mother died in childbirth), and little more is known about the goings on within the country other than it has a massive army and advanced weaponry. Jade remains neutral to the other three nations, although it is wary of Obsidian.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYUAlZYReR
Rhodolite has its own resources, but its small size means it can’t produce enough to trade with other nations. To ensure it remains a viable ally, the royal family has long encouraged artistry. Jewelers, painters, sculptors, authors—creativity flourishes here. Artists use resources from within and without the country to produce exquisite pieces that can be found nowhere else. Individual members of the royal family often sponsor individual artists, and they fund frequent auctions that draw merchants from around the world.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckDHr4Xh7I
Roses feature heavily in everything Rhodolite produces. It is the kingdom of roses, with a special variety grown only in the palace gardens that blooms year-round. Rose imagery in artwork, rose-flavored drinks and food, rose-themed festivals—if there’s a way to incorporate a rose into something, Rhodolitians have done it. And roses mean much more to them than beauty and romance. To purposefully crush a rose or trample on rose petals is a huge insult to the national identity.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnCZYIlz84
Politically, Rhodolite has a structured system of nobility, which I’ve had trouble pinning down. I think this goes back to Cybird picking and choosing what they want from history and making up the rest, and to be fair, systems of nobility are varied and numerous, something I didn’t realize until I looked them up. Different countries have different titles that sometimes correlate with other titles in other countries, but often don’t, and different periods within a single country’s history may have different systems, too.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpvl2DLQfZ
The easiest rank to understand is royalty. The Rhodolitian royal family consists of the king, the queen, who is the king’s first wife, and their children, the princes and princesses. Bigamy seems to be allowed and encouraged for the king, although I don’t see evidence of this being the case for anybody else in Rhodolitian society. Because of that, the princes and princesses take their mother's last name instead of their father's to distinguish each lineage.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ziCiKN7pq
Regardless of parentage, the royal family has historically been known for their cruel, vicious behavior, something that earned them the nickname of noble beasts.
Noble Beasts
A name once given to members of the royal family, due to their obsession with internal power struggles. Even now, anyone with royal blood is dubbed a "noble beast". It originally referred to their inhumanity and selfishness, but is now more used to describe the savage ferocity with which the current princes fight on the battlefield.
–Ikémen Prince: Beauty and Her Beast
Eventually, a system was instituted to try to curb corruption and cruelty among the royal family and give the people a voice in the palace, and this is the Belle system. When the king dies, a young woman with a pure and beautiful heart is chosen from among the commoners, and she then has approximately one month to learn as much as she can about the princes and every aspect of Rhodolite before she has to choose the next king.
Belle
In Rhodolite, this word is used to mean "someone with a pure, beautiful heart". It is also the title given to the commoner appointed to choose a new king. In times long past, the royal family laid waste to the kingdom in their savage, inhumane fight to possess the throne. To avoid this tragedy ever occurring again, it was decreed that someone with a pure, beautiful heart would represent the people and choose each future king.
–Ikémen Prince: Beauty and Her Beast
It's never stated anywhere, but I think the Belle system also encourages bigamy. More princes from different mothers means a wider variety of personalities for Belle to choose from, and more choices means a better chance at least one prince will be a halfway decent human being.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvPE1ktSWp
The amount of time Belle has to choose is decided by a special rose called Beauty's Time. It's a special variety of roses cultivated just for this purpose, and it blooms for about a month, even after it is picked. When the king dies, one of these roses is picked and placed under glass, dropping its petals gradually while Belle serves her time at the palace. When the last petal falls, she has to make her choice.
Beauty's Time
A special variety of Rhodolite rose that is picked when the king passes away. It is tradition in the royal court that the next king must be chosen by the time all the petals fall. This unusual rose blooms for approximately one month.
–Ikémen Prince: Beauty and Her Beast
There’s a lot more I could say about Rhodolite, but I think this is enough for now. I’ll get it into the rest all in future chapters. Things to look forward to include the ranking system of nobility I decided to use, Rhodolitian holidays, political factions, recipes, specific locations, and the meaning of different roses, of course.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IZnL8lNQR
