Pride

**Spoiler Warning**: This page has been edited since the release of *Kingdom of the Feared*. Proceed with caution.

## Pride

### Relatives

Wrath (brother)
Lust (brother)
Greed (brother)
Envy (brother)
Gluttony (brother)
Sloth (brother)
Lucia (ex-wife)

### Affiliation

House Pride
The Wicked

## Appearances

### Appears in

*Kingdom of the Wicked*
*Kingdom of the Cursed*
*Kingdom of the Feared*

**Pride** is one of the seven princes of Hell, and the ruler of House Pride.

## Biography

### Early Life

Pride initially met and fell in love with Lucia long ago. The two were married, despite Lucia's mother's objections. Though he still flirted and had dalliances with others, his brothers, including Wrath, believe he would have done anything for her, if only she'd asked.

After Vittoria and Emilia, as the rulers of the House Vengeance, were contracted by Sursea to help break him and Lucia apart, he was targeted by Vittoria as part of their scheme. The sisters planned to pretend to be the same person, with Vittoria seducing Pride and Emilia seducing Wrath, and would then orchestrate a public falling out between the brothers that would hurt Lucia and push her to leave him. Before the scheme could finish, however, Emilia and Wrath fall in love in truth, and Emilia is stolen away by the witches and cursed.

Lucia leaves him regardless though. Unbeknownst to him, she'd begun to feel hurt by his flirtations, and chooses to disappear without a trace. Pride believes his wife and consort was murdered, with her heart torn from her chest. A few of her royal ladies and her sister were also believed to be killed. He was then cursed to never leave the underworld until another witch was taken as his bride, leaving him unable to search for her or find any true answers for her disappearance. As the curse drags on, Pride becomes increasingly apathetic, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. Grumbles of annoyance are coming from House Sloth and House Gluttony. Pride has locked himself in his private rooms, searching through books and grimoires he's stolen from legendary witches looking for a way to end the curse.

### *Kingdom of the Wicked*

Emilia learns from Wrath that he is helping Pride find a bride because he must marry in order to break a curse that was placed on him. His bride must be a witch because he requires someone with magical abilities to break the curse. The potential brides are given a full day to think it over. If she declines the offer, she risks death.

Wrath also reveals that the recently murdered witches, including Vittoria, were killed after becoming Pride's potential bride. Emilia is led to believe that Pride is the devil.

Emilia summons Pride in the monastery chamber where Vittoria had hidden La Prima's grimoire. There, Pride possesses Antonio. Pride gifts Emilia a metal dress and offers to kill Antonio as a gift for her acceptance of becoming his bride. Emilia declines and instead declares she needs an hour to gather her things before meeting him or a representative of his at the cave where she first summoned Wrath.

### *Kingdom of the Cursed*

Emilia believes she is betrothed to Pride and constantly asks Wrath when he will take her to House Pride. Emilia meets Pride in person when he is disguised as a guard, and she accidentally crosses into House Pride's territory during the Feast of the Wolf. Without introducing himself, Pride orders her off her horse, threatening her life if she doesn't comply. Emilia is kept captive in House Pride for a few hours before being released. Emilia realizes the guard she interacted is Pride when he makes his grand entrance at the masked ball that night.

Pride insists that Emilia share the first dance with him. He calls Emilia "Lady Vengeance" upon officially meeting her. While dancing, they exchange banter and Emilia manages to distract him long enough to back him into a corner. She manages to extract a bargain with him. She tells Pride that she will cross his lands, twice, on a time and date of her choosing without any interference from anyone aligned with his House in exchange for keeping his secret about growing slumber root, which she saw when she crossed into his lands.

It is then announced that it is time for the elected guest of honor, Emilia, to sacrifice her biggest fear or a secret of her heart in front of the princes and guests. When Wrath attempts to save Emilia from giving up her biggest fear, Pride traps him into having a tryst with Emilia instead. He is attempting to bring them one step closer to completing their marriage bond. Envy and Gluttony support Pride's plan.

When Emilia learns the truth about who Wrath really is and his true title, she asks him why Pride goes along pretending to be the devil. Wrath explains Pride's "sin of choice makes it nearly impossible for him to deny being the king the demons. Mortals assume that's who he is, and his pride keeps him from admitting the truth." Wrath continues by saying Pride soaks up the prestige, allowing Wrath to complete his job without posturing.

### *Kingdom of the Feared*

Wrath crowns Emilia in the Sin Corridor in front of his brothers, Vittoria, and Domenico. She is now Queen of the Seven Circles, princess of House Wrath, and the goddess of the underworld and the Shadow Realm.

## Appearance

Pride has burnished gold hair and silvery blue eyes. His sun-kissed skin is free from all but one imperfection, a pale silver scar that diagonally cuts across arrogant lips. His eyes are hard. His hair is a chestnut brown with threads of gold spun in. It's cut close on the sides and stylishly longer on top.

Pride reminds Emilia of a "golden-maned lion." She describes him as "a shining diamond encapsulated in pure platinum." His voice is low and slightly gravelly, but still beautiful. "He could almost be mistaken for human if it wasn't for the nearly imperceptible flecks of red in his silver irises, or the dark energy that subtly pulsates around him like a second heartbeat." His irises can change to being nearly black when his power surges.

When Emilia first meets Pride, disguised as a guard, he is wearing an open-faced iron helmet on his head with deadly-looking wings on either side, and a set of claw marks melded into the metal above his forehead. He wears clothes of dark navy and silver. His House dagger has a roaring lion's head on the pommel.

## Personality

Pride is, as his name suggests, prideful. He is also intelligent and cunning. He spends his time hosting near-constant parties full of debauchery. He gladly welcomes anyone he's fascinated by into his bed. And if he desires, all at once. Wrath recommends not injuring his namesake sin. He carries an aura of confidence and pride. As his namesake sin would suggest, he is exceedingly conceited. Pride exudes a carefree attitude perfectly. It's clear where the term *devil-may-care* comes from. Pride leads others to believe he is debauched, too drunk on wine and lovers to bother with anything of importance, yet as Emilia discovers, he is actually plotting and scheming and leading his guards around the grounds of House Pride. He tells Emilia that "as a matter of principle, he rarely shows his true face to anyone." Pride enjoys feeding his ego. While Pride is ferocious and deadly, he can also be lovely when he wishes. Pride loathes when his efforts aren't commended ad nauseum.

## Abilities

Pride controls his namesake sin others. His power lies in sensing other's emotions and inflating the ones he thrives on. He gains more power from others experiencing his affiliated sin. Because of his influence, manipulation, and control over emotions, it's nearly impossible to fool him. He can sense emotions and lies in others. He can use compulsion to force his will on others. He is also capable of wielding the powers of other sins besides his own with ease and strength. Pride can also sense when magic has been used. As one of the Wicked, he can make objects appear and disappear at will. Like his brothers, he can Mark others, giving that person the power to summon him without the use of an object of his House.

As an immortal being, he is ageless and his wounds heal almost immediately. He is unable to be killed by anything except for the Blade of Ruination. He has supernatural senses, reflexes, strength, and speed. He can travel freely between realms using *transvenio* magic. He has the ability to cloak himself with a type of glamour. He can cast wards and is impervious to the weather.

## Relationships

### Vittoria

Vittoria, as Nicoletta, went to seduce the prince of Pride nearly two decades ago, part of a scheme that the First Witch created. During that time they developed feelings for each other, and after Nicoletta's betrayal was revealed, Pride was hurt. They both have similar interests and they understand one another. If Pride had met her before Lucia, things might be different. Vittoria always avoids to talk about him, as it still an open wound, and Pride is time and time again affected by her presence when they are in the same location. He seems hurt, and doesn't believe that he knows her, as he thinks that "Nicoletta" was never real.

### Lucia

Lucia is Pride’s first wife and the daughter of the First Witch. Long ago they got married out of love but Lucia’s mother objected because of her hate for Pride. Despite her objections Pride and Lucia got married anyway and for a while they shared a blissful romance with one another. After a while however Pride started having dalliances which took a toll on Lucia, she refused to talk to him about it and distanced herself. By this time Sursea, the First Witch and Lucia’s mother had plot and made a deal with the House of Vengeance to prove to her daughter that Pride wasn’t serious about her and never had been. During the scheme Pride was said to be courting Nicoletta, who was really Vittoria, had reached Lucia’s ears alongside with her mother’s words of doubt, in order to separate the two, Lucia heartbroken by the what was transpiring decided to leave Pride and travelled to the Shifting Isles where she chose to purge her memories of her past life as Lucia and decided to live as Claudia. In Kingdom of the Feared, Pride had never stopped looking for her and had built a secret crypt with legendary grimoires stolen from legendary witches in order to trace her bloodline, as an attempt to locate his former wife. Pride had loved his wife and feels guilty for his actions, letting his Pride get in the way, decidedly not letting him tell his wife that nothing had transpired between him and Nicoletta but a kiss. By the time the scheme was taking place Pride had also been working on his marriage problems with Lucia. At the end of the book a conversation between Pride and Emilia revealed that Pride thought that he should have tried harder to understand her.

Words associated with them: Star crossed lovers. Tragic. The one who got away.

## Trivia

* Wolfsbane is required to summon Pride. His colors are navy and silver.
* According to Wrath, Pride's rage has a metallic tang to it.