Cyrus Vescovi

Cyrus, a character in the The Royal Masquerade book, is the Head of House Vescovi and Crown Shield's older half-brother. He is first seen in Chapter 2.

Appearance
Cyrus has blue eyes, shoulder-length wavy brown hair, and fair skin. He has a full beard. He wears a gold and red doublet with cream-colored fur draped around his shoulders.

Personality
Cyrus is flirtateous and appears narcissistic, taking any insults in stride and turning them around to shine a better light on himself. He enjoys the pageantry of the Tournament of Flowers more than the jousting itself. In Chapter 16, it is revealed he is not entirely bad, as he really cares for Pompadour and offers his dog for you to adopt, since he is going to spend years in prison if he is not executed.

The Royal Masquerade

 * Chapter 2: A Noble Effort
 * Chapter 3: Predator and Prey
 * Chapter 4: A Night Under the Stars
 * Chapter 5: Valor and Vanity
 * Chapter 6: Confessions
 * Chapter 7: Betrayal
 * Chapter 8: Sisters (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: A House Divided (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 10: Wildfire
 * Chapter 11: Court of Whispers
 * Chapter 12: Lovestruck
 * Chapter 13: Love and Power
 * Chapter 14: Secrets
 * Chapter 15: The Conclave
 * Chapter 16: Truth
 * Chapter 17: Unity  (Mentioned; Physical Appearance Determinant)

Crown Shield
Crown Shield is Cyrus' illegitimate half-sibling. Although they share a father, there is nothing else they have in common. As Crown Shield puts it, Cyrus is a stain to their name and to the court. Even if Crown Shield wishes for a better relationship, their disagreement with each other doesn't come from an argument; it comes from a conflict in their personhoods.

In Chapter 5, Crown Shield enters the jousting tournament under an alias of your choosing. If you do not wish to joust against Cyrus yourself, Crown Shield does and wins against Cyrus.

It wasn't always this way. In Chapter 14, if you decide to hide with Crown Shield in his/her childhood bedroom at the Vescovi estate, Crown Shield tells you more about their history. It was their father who instilled into Cyrus the arrogance and belief that nobility was better than common folk. In the beginning, Cyrus either did not see or he did not care about the differences in their births. When their father had returned from a trip to Drakovia, the kingdom north of Cordonia, he had brought Cyrus a single gift but did not bring anything for Crown Shield. When Cyrus found out, he was furious and gifted Crown Shield the toy in secret. It wasn't until Cyrus fell in love with Raven, the daughter of a minor lord, who had come to stay with them for a season. Unfortunately for the siblings, Raven fell in love with Crown Shield which incited Cyrus's anger and in that moment, he became all the things their father had always told him that he was. Cyrus was of noble blood like her, and it wasn't right for Crown Shield to catch her eye when he/she was an illegitimate child. It did not matter that Crown Shield did not return Raven's affections; the wedge had formed between Cyrus and Crown Shield and it never healed. Cyrus would openly shame Crown Shield 's birth while pursuing his newfound lust for everyone.

In Chapter 15, when The Regent arrests Crown Shield for Queen Kendra's assassination, Crown Shield uses the ruse to say his/her co-conspirator was Cyrus. Cyrus is surprised by the sudden display of magic by his baby brother/sister and protests Crown Shield 's words but the guards cease them both. In Chapter 16, when The Regent pardons Crown Shield for his/her part in the assassination, this is the last time the siblings see each other unless you previously visited his/her childhood bedroom in Chapter 14. In Chapter 17, if you had, when Fabian Rhys pronounces sentence for Cyrus's crime against the Crown, Crown Shield pleads for mercy and Fabian allows Cyrus to remain in the dungeons. If you hadn't, Crown Shield does not appear for his/her brother.

Theodosia Nevrakis
In Chapter 4, you and Crown Shield discover that Cyrus and Theodosia have entered a secret relationship, where Cyrus has promised her that they will reveal their deep, abiding, and passionate love to the public after he is crowned king. However, when Emery Beaumont announces that Cyrus and he/she are betrothed, Theodosia angrily throws two glasses of wine into Cyrus's face. It is assumed their alliance has been broken.

Throughout the rest of the book, Theodosia pines for Cyrus. In Chapter 5, she appears to sway at his sweet words to her but seeing his favor pinned to Emery Beaumont's armor makes her livid. In Chapter 12, if you decide to use the master key to spy on others, you find Theodosia in Cyrus's "chamber of desire" where she stands naked in a large birdcage that he cannot unlock. She wanted to tempt him and to show him that she would never be his again, not realizing that she was talking to you and not to Cyrus. When he is imprisoned for his role in Queen Kendra's assassination, Theodosia is assumed to have given up on him as she does not visit him or plead mercy for him. Eventually though, she is able to let go of her love for him and instead love herself.

Renza Fierro
In public, Cyrus flirts with Renza like he does with all ladies of the court. She acts disgusted with him, playing on the general distaste other members of court have for the Head of House Vescovi. In Chapter 7, you find that this is mainly a ruse as you hear their conversation in your cabin on the Fierro yacht: he had hired the assassin who killed Queen Kendra, who used Renza's poisons. It is unclear if Cyrus' bid for King was a ploy as they both intend to dominate over the other, but Renza says that once she is crowned Queen, she would annul her marriage and force him to marry her instead. Neither of them submit to the other.

In Chapter 11, their relationship is revealed during Theodosia's Court of Whispers game, where you have the choice of giving details to what you witnessed. In Chapter 13, Cyrus withdraws his bid for King and says he supports House Fierro but during the Conclave in Chapter 15, the votes keep flipping back and forth until he is arrested for Kendra's death. It is the last time they speak as he is incarcerated in the dungeons and Renza continues to plot without him.

Your Character
Cyrus meets you during your House's Noble Debut. He conspires with Damon Fierro to vote against your house, but is subject to peer pressure if you push him to hold his tongue. In Chapter 3, he uses your sigil animal as the prey for the Hunt, increasing your dislike for him. If you decide to distract him from the animal's trail by giggling, Crown Shield compliments you for knowing Cyrus's weakness. In Chapter 4, Cyrus interrupts your date with Emery Beaumont and you discover that he is playing both Emery and Theodosia. In Chapter 5, you have the premium option to joust against him under Crown Shield ' s entry into the tournament.

Percival Beaumont
Although Percival does not hold Cyrus in high regard, he feels that because they are each the Heads of their respective Houses, they are equal. When his younger sibling, Emery, announces his/her engagement to Cyrus in Chapter 4, Percival aligns their house with Cyrus's. He explains that he will not fight against Emery's heart. However, when Percival sees Cyrus's treatment towards the people under his care in Chapter 10, Percival withdraws his support for Cyrus. This angers Cyrus, but Percival tells him that he has a duty to provide for his people at least and if Cyrus cannot do that, Percival supports the person who can - in other words, you.

Emery Beaumont
Emery Beaumont is Cyrus's fiance/e beginning in Chapter 4. It appears that Cyrus has no real feelings for her/him and is mainly using her/him to gain the Beaumonts as allies.

Pompadour
Lord Pompadour has been Cyrus' beloved pet for years. He doesn't only talk to Pompadour in front of others, but also in private as you and your friends watch during the Hunt.

Pumpernickel
Lady Pumpernickel was Cyrus' pet before Lord Pompadour. According to Crown Shield, she ran away.

Trivia

 * In Chapter 4 he is proven to be LGBT, since Emery Beaumont's gender depends on the gender you're interested in.
 * He shares the same forename as Cyrus Fabian from the #LoveHacks series.
 * His crimes include conspiracy, treason, and aiding and abetting.
 * In Chapter 7, it is revealed that he hired the assassin who killed Queen Kendra. If you steal his Sapphire Comb in a premium choice, his hair will remain disheveled in subsequent chapters.
 * He resembles actor Tom Payne.
 * When Fabian becomes the new king of Cordonia and if Crown Shield isn't there to sway his opinion, Cyrus is sentenced to death for regicide, attempted murder, conspiracy, and treason. He is executed by hanging the following day. If Crown Shield does sway Fabian's opinion, his sentence is commuted to life imprisonment instead. He only physically appears in this chapter if he survives.