Prez (Calpernia)

## "Prez"

* Currently (25)
* Pre-banishment (21)

**Princess Calpernia of the Polygon Kingdom**, better known as **Prez** by her club members, is the founder and president of the Cursed Princess Club. She was exiled because of her curse, and decided to begin the Cursed Princess Club because of it. Prez is the tritagonist of the series. She was permanently banished from the Polygon Kingdom when she was 21 years old, as she was presumed to have eaten Prince Whitney of the Monochrome Kingdom, her fiancé, while in her cursed were-spider form. Her color motif is blue and black, along with golden of yellow.

## Appearance

Prez has a tan complexion, amber eyes, and steel blue hair. When she was young, she typically wore a frilly blue-and-white dress with a gold sash featuring a gold polygon, gold high-heels, gold bracelets on both wrists, gold star earrings, and a hairclip made of two gold polygons. Her hair was also sometimes curled.

After Prez began the Cursed Princess Club, she began styling her hair in an intricate bun. She started wearing a black-and-blue pantsuit with a puffed-up white collar, shoulder pads, white frills, and two gold pentagons under each shoulder (representing her homeland). She also wears a pair of knee-length brown boots with small yellow stars attached; a five-pointed black tiara decorated with three gold pentagons and a spider's web/widow's veil; longer earrings with larger stars; and the necklace Asa gifted her from the Oval Kingdom, made of a gold band with a blue oval in the center. On outings from the club, she puts a brown cloak over her pantsuit.

Prez's crown was actually the first craft project she made upon starting the club. According to Curtis, it is a "carbon steel replica of her crown with detachable components". When Whitney is revealed to be alive in Episode 94, Prez decides to remove the "spider's web"/widow's veil from the tiara. According to her, the web was actually a widow's veil, representing how she believed she had made herself a widow by killing Whitney - however, now that it was clear she hadn't murdered him, she could remove it. Syrah had always interpreted the veil as a spider web, alluding to her curse. Prez also reveals her "Princess Charming" outfit was inspired by a "woman" she had seen at a gala when she was young.

## Personality

Before her banishment, Prez was "practically perfect": intelligent, beautiful, and so obedient that her entire life seemed to be focused on following her parents' orders. She had had an endless list of duties to complete and topics to study, and before she met Asa, she rarely ever had time to relax, or even go outside at all; in fact, it's implied that she had never experienced true laughter before meeting him. The 'perfect eldest princess' is her first mask, which shattered once she's cursed and banished.

Prez is kind and empathetic, showing great care for all of the members of the CPC, especially Princess Gwendolyn. She is strong, tough, and not afraid to defend anyone, physically or otherwise. This is the opposite of her past self, always obedient to authority. She was inspired by a mysterious 'woman' she saw in her childhood, which led to her "Princess Charming getup." Prez has a passion for lectures and teaching others. Although she is strong, she is still capable of breaking down, such as her destroying Curtis' cake and getting emotional about her curse. Abbi mentions that Prez is so hard headed (along with Jolie that agrees with notion) if has idea about something like CPC's commandment, which makes her gets clash with Aurelia who notices Prez begins coddling Gwendolyn too much to the point that Gwen herself uncomfortable. Although that treatment is justified as it's CPC way especially for new members that got Slumber Party to keeps get coddle on until new member come in, it still shows how Prez is hard headed - but behind of it there's vurnerable personality which is dorky, sensitive and easily angered especially about safety of the CPC members.

## History

### Early Life

Prez, while growing up in the Polygon Kingdom as the eldest daughter of the family, wasn't just a good girl, but "practically perfect." Her parents were 'endlessly pleased' that she was everything she was supposed to be - smart, obedient and easy on the eyes - and her mother remarked that she had excelled at everything her parents had asked of her. Calpernia and her younger sister, Princess Charlotte, would frequently be displayed at dinner functions because of their beauty, and at the Bippity Boppity Gala, a mysterious "woman" caught her eye. The woman prevented a bar fight simply by walking through it, and Calpernia aspired to be like her. It was also said that she wore a lot of dresses in comparison to her later choice of a pantsuit.

Calpernia attracted many suitors, and after much consideration, her parents, the King and Queen, arranged that she would wed the eldest prince of the lavishly powerful Monochrome Kingdom, Prince Whitney on her 21st birthday. Despite not wanting to, she agreed to the marriage, as was her self-perceived duty. However, in the months before her wedding, she began to feel unwell upon realizing she would never have the chance to be like the mysterious woman. The color began to drain from her vision, she lost her appetite, and developed a persistent stomach ache. Eventually, she was confined to permanent bedrest in the infirmary, her parents desperate to cure her 'persistent and mysterious illness' before the wedding. In reality, these were symptoms of her depressive episodes and what Asa, her nurse, described to be a "desperate need for some fresh air and sunlight."

Calpernia had had a never-ending list of duties to complete or topics to study, and so she never really relaxed inside or outside of the palace. She learned how to cook and have fun with Asa, and it is implied that she had never experienced true laughter before him. During this time, unknown to Prez, Asa developed feelings for her, and prepared a gift for her to open when she was alone; a heirloom necklace from his home kingdom, and a note asking her to marry him instead. Her world started to look vibrant and colourful again, and so her parents saw fit to invite Prince Whitney to their castle so the two could meet. Calpernia managed to get away from him during the meeting in order to read Asa's letter. When she read it, she felt as though she should be happy, but her stomach pain only doubled. Whitney then confronted her, forcing her to tell him that she could not marry him because Asa loved her; so, Whitney made a plan to kill him. He sent his servant to buy a serum that would turn Asa into a spider, so that he could inject him with it and then crush him, but his servant got a 'were-spider' curse instead of a normal spider curse.

At night, Asa arrived at the palace because of a message from Calpernia. She was wearing the heirloom Asa had given her, and he complimented her on it. However, Whitney then appeared from behind a curtain, calling Asa the least sexy nurse he'd ever seen. Just as he was about to stab Asa with a spider-curse-filled-needle, Calpernia ran forward and took the shot in place of him, then slumping to the floor. As Whitney was going to punch him to death, though, the were-spider curse took effect on Calpernia, and she transformed into an enormous spider. Unfortunately, this meeting culminated in Calpernia's transformation into a were-spider and murder of the Prince. Due to the amount of scandal, the event was covered up and Calpernia was exiled from her kingdom. In a moment of compassion, her father secretly arranged for her to live in his abandoned vacation home in the forest of the Pastel Kingdom under the care of Curtis, which she transformed into the Headquarters of the Cursed Princess Club.

### CPC

Her first member of the CPC was Nell (whose curse was to be able to foresee small premonitions of misfortune) who was thrown into a dungeon by her own family. She also rescued the Princels, three boys who suffer from the same trauma of 'ugliness' that Gwendolyn does, and later invited more and more princesses (and princes), rescuing some and welcoming more. Whitney is the latest member of the CPC so far. At Invasion, Prez tells Blaine that she grows fond of Frederick.

## Relationships

### Asa

Nurse Asa was assigned to take care of Prez, then known as Princess Calpernia at the hospital. She developed a constant stomachache and loss of appetite, and the color drained from her sight. However, Asa figured out she didn't have a sickness - she was just in need of sunlight and fresh air. He decided to take her on walks and bring her to his home. Eventually, Asa began to fall in love with Prez, and gifted her an old family heirloom, the oval necklace she still wears today. Prince Whitney found out about this and almost stabbed Asa with a spider potion - however, Prez jumped in front of him and took the shot, getting the were-spider curse intended for him. She was banished from the public eye, and before she left, she decided to give Asa back the necklace, but he let her keep it. As Prez left, she realized she had always wanted to be like Asa, someone who helps others. She held a deep admiration for him because of what he did; thus she formed the Cursed Princess Club, beginning with Princess Nell, who Asa had told her about.

Asa saw Prez again at the 32nd Bippity Bop Gala, about to touch Whitney's red face. Despite originally being in shock, he agreed to sneak the CPC into the gala and check on Nell, as long as he got to have a one-on-one talk with Prez later. Their private talk did come when Prez went outside after a talk with her family. Prez rushed them inside the gala when she thought the raffle winners were being announced, putting Asa in danger of getting in trouble. When a security officer came over, though, she was able to convince him that they were just a couple on honeymoon, both in costume. The officer left, but not without encouraging them to keep dancing first, something they had both forgotten about. Prez informed him that she wants to stay in the home she had made in the forest. Asa understood this, but also told her that if she ever needed a 'safe harbor' to retreat to, he would be there for her. After saying this, he stated his break was over, leaving Prez on the dance floor.

### Whitney

Prez, then known as Princess Calpernia, was supposed to be engaged to Prince Whitney of the Monochrome Kingdom, but she did not want to marry the prince. She attempted to get out of the marriage by telling him that Asa was her lover, infuriating Whitney. Whitney then forced her to lure Asa in, so he could murder him by stabbing him with a spider potion, cursing him into a spider, and crushing him. However, Prez sacrificed herself to save Asa by taking the shot instead of him, giving her her were-spider curse. The following morning, Prez spit out the necktie Whitney had been wearing; so, he was presumed to be dead. Even though Prez thought of Whitney as a "despicable monster", she didn't think he deserved to die, and she felt remorse for his 'death'.

After Whitney was revealed to be alive to Prez, she was happy to learn she didn't kill anyone, but was still willing to actually kill him to protect the Cursed Princess Club, even though he had changed. She did not care for his apology and still seemed to be upset over what happened in the past. However, Prez eventually realized that she wasn't actually mad at him, and expressed her emotions by punching Curtis's spider ganache. Whitney would sent her and the other members of the club "gifts", which she was slightly weirded out by. At Gwendolyn's Dinner Party, Prez had Whitney distract the other guests while they searched for King Jack's storage room by telling everyone that he had something fun he would like to show them, since he still owed her. After that, she apologized to him. She asked him if there were no hard feelings between them two days later in the Haunted Forest, which he replied no to.

### Curtis

Curtis is a "super" butler that was assigned to Calpernia by her father to tends to her needs when she got banished. Calpernia determinedly asked Curtis to help her become strong, and thus, he trained her. Under Curtis' unique tutelage, Prez sharpened her physical strength and combat skills, and eventually went on a mission to rescue Nell. Prez trusts Curtis a great amount. She thanks him for kicking her in the face when she was in were-spider form, grateful that she didn't take Gwen's life. Curtis isn't afraid to be strict with Prez either, taking over preparations for the Dinner Party when asked to.

### Nell

Prez saved Nell from her prison, and she was the first one to join the Cursed Princess Club. Prez was slightly frightened by Nell when she hissed at her, so she decided to recruit more members. Nell don't directly interact much, but Nell rushes to protect Prez alongside the others when they believe she is in danger.

### Gwendolyn

Prez first met Princess Gwendolyn when Gwen ran into the Haunted Forest. The CPC was suspicious of Gwen when she wandered in, so they gave her a scare, causing her to faint. When they caught up, though, Prez realized that she wasn't a threat. She felt bad for making Gwen faint, so she took her to the CPC. During the slumber party, Gwen's test to officially join the CPC, Prez, along with the rest of the club, was upset with Prince Frederick when she learned he had called Gwen "ugly". The entire club was delighted when Gwendolyn became an official member of the CPC, and Prez was quite empathetic towards her, letting her choose lecture themes and giving her advice. After Aurelia was discovered to be the one who intentionally led Gwendolyn to the barn for those reasons, Prez was extremely infuriated at either Aurelia or herself (because she could've killed Gwendolyn, and she already repented "killing" Whitney at that time). So, she let Gwendolyn remain in the club, but banished Aurelia.

When Prez and the other members accidentally revealed themselves to be cursed to Frederick, they attacked him, both so that he wouldn't tell anyone about the club and because they were still mad at him for calling Gwendolyn "ugly". The club helped her with her dinner party as best as they could. Prez also became a part of the Cursed Princess Club's Potential Curse Provision (CPCPC), which tried to find out more about Gwendolyn and see if she was actually cursed. This was because Gwendolyn didn't look anything like the rest of her family, which Prez found peculiar.

During the dinner party, Prez decided to carry a sleeping Gwendolyn to her room. When Gwen woke up and insisted she needed to go back down, Prez told her she had thrown a great dinner, but had worked a little too hard. After bidding Gwen good night, the group went to search the King's storage room. They were mainly looking for a portrait of Gwendolyn's mother for the CPCPCP, but another reason why Prez desired to break in was because she wondered why Jack would snatch gifts away from Gwen. After reading the first page of the Diary of Queen Lilyth, Prez was mortified by what it said. Therefore, she decided not to give the diary to Gwendolyn, and to "merely continue loving her just the way she is". She was a little skeptical of Frederick and Gwendolyn ending up together because she believed Gwendolyn was still in the middle of loving herself, but still chose to trust and support her.

### Aurelia

Prez was the one to recruit Aurelia to the Cursed Princess Club. Aurelia did not visit the Cursed Princess Club very often, so not much could initially be said about their relationship. However, it became a lot worse after Gwendolyn entered the barn, where Prez was staying in her were-spider form, due to notes she had been sent that claimed to be able to make her beautiful. After Gwen safely left the barn, an argument ensued over who had sent her the notes, and it was revealed that Aurelia was the one who had done so. Prez, no longer in her spider form, became furious hearing this and backed her to the barn wall. Aurelia apologized, but also told her that she still stood by what she said. Prez then scolded her for what she did, telling her that being "cursed" wasn't a fundamental part of being in the CPC, but "assisting others" was - and still is. Aurelia had violated that by purposely putting harm in Gwendolyn's way, so Prez banished her from the club and shattered her favorite pearl necklace, which she didn't want to do. She also sent spiders after Aurelia, so she wouldn't think of doing anything to expose the club.

Later, Prez said that she didn't know if she was actually angry with Aurelia or if she was simply angry with herself for almost eating 'another' person, especially since it was Gwendolyn. She also stated she couldn't blame Aurelia for her confusion about the club's purpose, since the club started out as being for princesses with curses only. Prez wrote a card to Aurelia, stating that she was furious about what Aurelia had done to Gwendolyn and the club, and that she believed she had a right to be. However, she then said that she was wrong to banish her forever, and that she thought both of them cared a lot about the club in different ways, and they both made big mistakes. So, she hoped that Aurelia would come to talk to her at the club.

When Prez saw Aurelia for the first time again at Gwendolyn's Dinner Party, she remarked that she was proud of Aurelia for helping the club out. She was amazed when Aurelia managed to subtly convey her message to King Jack, and when Aurelia remarked that she was too subtle, Prez told her that it was for the best. At King Jack's storage room, the CPC members needed Aurelia to melt the door's lock with her curse, so Prez complimented her before asking her to melt it, and praised her after. On their way home from the dinner party, when Aurelia revealed she obtained the Diary of Queen Lilyth, Prez entrusted Aurelia to take the diary to her home and not read it.

### Frederick

When Prez heard that Prince Frederick called Princess Gwendolyn "ugly", she was infuriated, and stated she was willing to hurt him to teach him a lesson. She thought that Gwendolyn should still confront him even though Gwen didn't want anyone to harm him or her sisters' engagements to the Plaid Princes. Once she finally encountered Frederick, she tried to get him out of the Haunted Forest while staying calm, but struggled to as she gradually got more and more irked by him. After she and the other CPC members accidentally revealed they were cursed, she released all of the fury she felt towards him by attacking him and threatened him to keep the CPC a secret. While she and the other members attacked Frederick, she told him that Gwendolyn didn't need him and to leave her alone. Before Whitney told everyone his story, she yelled at him to stay and listen to it, stating she would figure out what to do with him later.

Prez eventually forgave him, apologized, and said that he was a "good kid" who "didn't deserve any of this". However, she was a bit skeptical of Gwendolyn and Frederick ending up together just yet, because she believed Gwendolyn was still in the middle of "loving herself".

### King Jack

When Prez arrived to Gwendolyn's Dinner Party late, she greeted the Pastel King politely, apologized to him for being tardy, and gave him a luxury scarf made entirely of spider silk. However, when she later tried to give chocolates to Gwendolyn, the king snatched the chocolates (as well as the flowers Prince Frederick was going to give Gwen) for himself, perplexing Prez. During the actual dinner, when King Jack was further hindering his children's dreams, Prez and the rest of the CPC were very irritated. She wanted to directly confront him about his behavior; however, she also didn't want to ruin the dinner party or the CPCPCP's mission.

Later, the CPCPCP members managed to break into King Jack's storage room, and found the portrait of Gwendolyn's 'mother' they needed. Prez recognized 'her' as the person she had looked up to for years, after seeing 'her' knock someone out at a gala as a child. While they were awing over the portrait, the King came in and asked why they were looking at an old portrait of *him*. Prez was disappointed and refused to accept that the 'strong, inspiring woman' she modeled her dreams and her entire image after was actually just a bumbling, soft old man who was too scared to let his daughters attend a gala. When she did tell him about what happened at the gala, King Jack replied that he didn't recall knocking someone out, though something weird did happen, and Prez was disappointed once more. Although she was shocked to learn that Jack hates adventurers who raid tombs and exotic lands, she came to respect that he returned artifacts to their rightful lands and never kept them for his own benefit.

### Abbi

Abbi seems to admire Prez and to be very dependent on her; during the training for Gwendolyn's Dinner Party, she said she needed Prez because she was like "a mom and a prince in one person" and made her feel safe. Additionally, when Abbi was reading stories to children at a hospital, she threw a storybook about being rescued by Prince Charming out in favor of telling them about being rescued by "a very tall, cool lady in a pantsuit". Abbi has called Prez "confusingly hot", and admitted that she has Prez as a "backup crush". Despite her admiration of Prez, though, Abbi still despises her lectures and disagrees with her strictness.

### Miss Agatha

Prez attempted to talk with Miss Agatha about academics at Gwendolyn's Dinner Party, but Miss Agatha didn't listen because she was occupied with staring at Curtis, disappointing Prez.

## Quotes

"But what could I possibly do to stop it? My only skill in life was to do exactly what was told of me..." [...] "Nothing in my life was what I actually wanted... So then why... Why was I going along with any of it?"

"He who hits it, gets it."

"Well aren't you the most polite little vagabond we've ever met!"

"You can't just let this guy talk about you like that!!"

"I still think you should confront him about what he said, and give him an earful about how a gentleman should properly speak about ladies. It'll also give you some closure."

"Gwen, all you have to do... is love yourself. Exactly the way you are."

"But until that day, you have to lean more on those of us who love you. And believe us when we tell you that you're beautiful."

[about Monika's baby portrait album] "Come on guys, stop looking. It's making Monika feel uncomfortable— Omg so adorable, I can't take it."

"You've got real nerve thinking that being chummy with her will atone you of everything you've made her through"

"I wish there was a magic cure to fix us completely, like we were told to believe. But we shouldn't have to wait until we've fixed everything to feel whole. We should all take the time to admire who we are right now, with the pieces we've gathered so far."

"Hey, Aurelia. This is Calpernia. I don't know how to start this letter except to say that... I was furious about what you did at the barn to Gwen and to the club. And I believe I was right to be. But I was wrong to banish you from the club forever. It was vindictive, and it came from a place that had more to do with myself than I could admit at the time. I think both of us care a lot about the club in different ways, and both of us made some pretty big mistakes. If you're up for it, I'd like to sit down with you and talk about it at the club. I hope you'll say yes. And as you can see, everyone else in the club does too."

"We appreciate the sentiment, Gwen... but it's not worth spoiling your dinner over. Nor is it worth spoiling what we came for tonight... because another thing that any strong leader knows is... when to stay focused on their mission."

"Oh that's it, buddy. You guys can say whatever you want about me and my club, but if that's how you raise your daughters, then--"

"It's for the best. You gave those girls renewed conviction. And these things aren't solved in one night."

"Oh! How quaint. I had a fiancé once." [...] "***I ATE HIM*.**"'

"Why don't you show our little princess school how the big boys drink...?

"Oh, don't worry about us. I'm confident we'll find exactly what we're looking for."

"I can't wait to wipe those smiles off their faces when they see that the family disappointment has returned..."

"Hold your horses, kiddo. I think you worked yourself a little too hard tonight."

"All right. The princess has been safely delivered to her chambers."

"For a chance to get rid of one of our curses? There's nowhere I **wouldn't** go, Saffron!!!"

"N-no!! Frederick's a good kid. But... I mean, Gwen's still in the middle of learning to love herself. I admit I don't know a single thing about relationship stuff... But I do know about the feeling of having constant stomach pains back when I was still an unbanished princess of the Polygon Kingdom. And mine sure weren't due to romantic feelings..."

"When I was banished to the forest, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into creating a home as a way to push down the shame and anger I felt from my parents. But now that the air has been cleared with them, I can truly say that the home I've made is the one I'm most proud of."

"Well what if it's nothing but a facade of safety?! And a facade of acceptance, and growth... a-and of me thinking I was doing anyone good."

"What have we really even accomplished here? Monika, you came here to learnI don;t want to manage your anxiety, and yet it's worse than ever these days. And what about you, Thermidora? You're not any closer to reuniting with your lover in the ocean again! And it's no coincidence that we haven't seen Gwen since the gala... when she finally stopped listening to my advice. And now she's busy living her best life, and we'll never see her again either. Whitney just came to the same conclusion as everyone else... that this place is **total garba--**"

"If I got truly to be free... ...from all my fears and all of my obligations... ...then I'd choose to be here"

"It's easy to forget once we step outside this forest, but we each define our own standards. And for me, I don't want to be a good princess and settle down with anyone. I never have...!!"

"I... I DON'T WANT TO SAIL ON ANYONE'S HARBOR!! I'M THE WIND ON MY OWN SAILS!!"

"**AND I'VE GOT PLENTY OF WIND!!**"

"...*WE'RE THE CURSED PRINCESS CLUB*."

"Y'know, I think you could relate a lot to the lessons in our little club."

"That's the ***old*** you, that needed all that validation. This cruel and evil prince -- This is the ***real*** you, right?

"The only thing you need is to reach the top. And you think that will solve everything."

"But that's not what you want--"

"***IT'S JUST EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE!!***

## Notes & Trivia

* King Jack was Prez's childhood hero. She modeled her "Princess Charming" outfit on Jack's image, who she misgendered as a woman.
* Prez's real name, Calpernia, is a variant of the name Calpurnia, which means "cup" or "chalice". Calpurnia was the name of a wife of Julius Caesar.
* Prez carries around a stopwatch.
	+ Additionally, the thing she wears on her head is also a weapon.
* The amulet she wears is a gift from Asa, meant as a symbol to live with courage and honesty.
* Prez has appeared twice on the cover of CPC's OST albums: first on the 4th volume, and the second on the 6th volume together with other CPC members.
* As her curse latches onto her period time, if her period is stopped, she won't transform.
	+ Her parents' solution to her curse to keep getting pregnant so she won't have a period, which is an idea that horrifies her.
	+ In Episode 136, Whitney mistook a shelf's color at an apothecary, causing him to find a surprising solution: "the period pause", as revealed in Episode 137. So far, it seems to be working.
* In Gwendolyn's Alice in Wonderland dream in Episode 141, Prez appears as the Mad Hatter; her hat has a slip of paper with the formula for compound interest tucked into it. This references Prez's lecture titled "Financially-Savvy princesses and the Fairy Godmother that is Compound Interest", mentioned in Episode 36.
* Prez's were-spider form differs from typical arachnid biology in several regards:
	+ Firstly, it has a gaping mouth full of teeth like steak knives, and mandibles that appear fixed in place like forward-pointing horns. Arachnid mouths don't have teeth or mandibles — they have a pair of appendages called chelicerae tipped with fangs that are typically connected to a venom gland. The venom liquifies their prey's internal organs, allowing the spider's small "sucking mouth" to drink the slurry up like a smoothie.
	+ Secondly, the legs appear to end in sharpened points optimal for stabbing. Real spiders have legs that end in tiny claws on the tarsus. These claws are what allow them to climb walls and navigate their webs. The sharpened limbs of this giant spider more closely resemble the dactyl at the end of a crab's "walking legs" than they do spider legs.
	+ Thirdly, the Square-Cube Law is ignored. Or could just be handwaved away because its the magical effect of a curse and Giant Spiders are cool.
* Prez is featured on an official T-shirt available for purchase in Webtoon's Cursed Princess Club collection . The T-shirt shows her posing while saying "Support Each Other!"; her pose resembles that of the famous "We Can Do It!" poster.

## References

1. ↑ Episode 124
2. ↑ Episode 111
3. ↑ Episode 86
4. ↑ [1]
5. ↑ Episode 14
6. ↑ https://shopwebtoon.com/collections/cursed-princess-club/products/support-one-another-tee