Asterope Franz

The Crown Prince Asterope Franz, also known by the pseudonym *"Asher"*, is a main character of the series ***"The Villainess Reverses The Hourglass"*** He is the current Crown Prince of the Empire and is also the love interest of Aria Roscente

## About

Asterope is introduced as a man who, despite his high noble origins, appears rather unrefined and carries out important missions either by himself or with the help of his closest aides. This is suggested to have originated from the political influence of the Aristocratic Party, which has led his upbringing to be oriented towards a struggle for power. In the initial line of events, a series of mistakes diminished his remaining influence, and he was forced to enter a political marriage with Isis Frederick, one of the Aristocratic Party’s key figures, who ultimately ended up serving as the true regent of the Empire. Thanks to Aria’s guidance, however, he manages to avoid becoming politically irrelevant, regaining the former power of the imperial family.

## History

Asher coincidentally meets Aria near the casino, whose owner has been involved in a human trafficking scandal that is soon to be exposed. Knowing the future, Aria advises a shop owner to sell an auction ticket, catching Asher’s attention. The two of them encounter each other a few more time, at first Asher believes that she was Mielle Roscente because he wasn't aware of her name, but this misunderstanding ends up being cleared up very easily, and they end up ultimately falling for each other. Following Aria’s decision to go public with her business ventures, the two of them become a couple; their romantic development forms a central part of the second half of the series’ plot.

In the end, Asher manages to destroy the Aristocratic Party with the help of Lohan Croa by having all prominent members executed for treason. He ends up marrying Aria, with her becoming the Crown Princess of the Empire. Aside from Aria, Asher is the only person in the series known to have special powers, being able to move through space at extremely high speeds; this ability is said to have awakened when the Aristocrats attempted to have him assassinated as a child. He is also the only one to know about Aria’s past (aside from Mielle, who finds out about it the day before her execution).

## Appearance

Asher is described as an exceptionally tall young man with short black hair and highly handsome facial features. He has an angled face, pale skin, and ears that redden when embarrassed. Although Asher’s build is rather slender overall, he has very wide shoulders. Most prominently, his eyes have a distinct blue color which is commonly remarked upon in the novel.

Asher’s attire is highly variable throughout the series, depending on the situation. When first introduced, he is seen wearing a cloak of uniform dark color with a blue brooch and a tight black tunic with small white stripes and a white belt around the waist region underneath. He also appears to be wearing black hoses and blue boots. In official ceremonies, however, Asher is dressed much more extravagantly, wearing a white tunic with various golden accessories, white gloves, black boots, and a long golden cloak when first shown attending a formal event. Over the course of the series, Asher is shown in various different outfits on formal occasions, many of them designed to go along with Aria’s attire. It is shown that Asher is quite knowledgeable about fashion (among other things, designing Aria’s wedding dress himself) and puts great care into his clothing choices.

## Personality

When first introduced, Asher appears as a rather frank and cold man. On public occasions, he is seen behaving in a calm and inviting manner; however, he is shown to lose his composure quite quickly, walking up to Aria, grabbing her arm, and speaking to her quite informally upon hearing her remark foreshadowing the end of the casino under Viscount Lupré. He is presented as being quite stoic and rather exclusively oriented towards power. Asher is also extremely ruthless and calculating, showing no hesitation to kill or harm others for political reasons. This side appears to originate from his upbringing as a Crown Prince under constant pressure on behalf of the Aristocratic Faction.

After getting to know Aria, he behaves in quite a different way. Initially merely interested in recruiting her as an ally due to her sharp intellect, he begins to display sincere affection towards her, becoming flustered extremely easily and pursuing her quite openly. Upon hearing about her past, he has even stated that he does not mind her wicked behavior and is happy to assist her in her plans to get revenge on Mielle and the Count’s family.