Emmaline Valreaux

* Duchess
* Underworld

> *"I do not bow down to power; power bows down to me."* **- Emmaline Valreaux, In Emryn's Dream**
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Emmaline Valreaux is the founder of the First Dukedom of Valreaux and is known to be society's most dangerous threat. In order to protect the Empire, she was offered nobility of the second-highest status in exchange to never mix with de Casteret blood. Her name was erased from all historical documents and her name was seen as a curse. Many of the Valreaux are unaware of her.

### Appearance

Prior to her Nobility, Emmaline possessed long snowy-white hair and lilac eyes that everyone envied. Her skin was soft and fair and she had a smile that wooed many men in the Underworld - whether that was good or bad was undetermined. Despite working in the Underground and performing laborious tasks, Emmaline had soft hands without a single cut or callous.

When Emmaline became a Duchess, her irises shifted to a blood-red colour - symbolising the Blood-Eyed Pact. It is rumoured that the eyes contain the blood of the Monarchs at the time, and the shades change depending on the colour of the blood they are staring at.

### History

#### Pre-Duchy

Emmaline lived in the Underworld with her mother, father and two older brothers. She was born into a life of crime, where she had to carry out the tasks that the Crimelords burdened her with. Emmaline spent a life of thievery, kidnapping and harming but she refused to kill. Whenever she had to kill someone, her eldest brother would shed the blood whilst she looked away.

Emmaline hated her life in the Underworld and desired a life of nobility, where she didn't have to worry about if she would wake up dead the next day, where she could simply smile and waltz, where her only worries would be if a little, risque rumour was spread about her.

At 15, Emmaline awoke in the middle of night with intruding thoughts: thoughts of killing those who have control of her and to usurp the power. She did exactly this and murdered her only family and the all five crimelords that ruled the Underworld. After this, she was a hostile threat and was bestowed the title *Queen of the Underworld*. Power immediately shifted and she was at the top of the food chain. She was happy that she now had the liberty to do what she wanted and how she could control anyone.

Emmaline became so feared and powerful that she even became a threat to High Society, and rumours spread that she was even a threat to the Monarchy. Due to this, many guards and assassins were sent to kill her but she killed every, single one with a simple glare of her eyes. Her presence was overbearing, her demeanour was unmatched, she was simply pure evil.

After all the failed assassination attempts, the Monarchy had no choice but to settle the danger. They offered Emmaline the second highest noble title: The Duchess of Galdenbrough. She demanded that the entire Dukedom be renamed to Valreaux and that she could make up her own rules within the Duchy, all in exchange to be safe from her bloodlust. In desperation to calm the public, the Monarchy agreed and thus forging the forced alliance that brought about the infamous Blood-Eyed Curse.

House Valreaux, the First Dukedom was born.