How to Unlock & Romance Brunhilda in Sovereign Tower

Who’s Out Here Hating on This Soup?

Brunhilda is at the kitchen table mid-culinary tasting ritual, a ritual involving a surprising amount of sound effects. The food, she announces, is a total banger. Three menus later she is telling you about never eating a meal with her mother.

Dialogue Choices:

• Open the conversation,
  • “Unfortunately, there’s no consensus…” (What?! Who’s out here hating on this soup?? slurp. It’s those Groveshire losers, she bets. Just ignore them. They’re the type to say salt is spicy.)
  • “You could be quieter.” (Oh, cutie, you have this whole image in your head of what a crown princess should look like when she’s eating. Go take it up with her mom, then. slurp.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Follow up,
  • “You’ve never eaten with your family?” (Your question causes her to frown instantly. Then her eyes soften, distant for a moment. She seems cautious to say anything but finally answers: no. Home wasn’t like that at all. No meals with her mom, and certainly not with anyone else.)
  • “How were the vibes?” (It was fire, honestly. Super festive. Everyone teasing each other. Imagine if she’d missed out on those nights, having contests to see who could choke on the most bread possible. Yeah, they had this optimism, this feeling that everything is about to change.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Four ways to respond, two of them worth affinity,
  • “… Fortunately, you managed to break free.” (Neutral.)
  • “Did your family… ostracize you that much?” (Neutral, and slightly clumsy.)
  • “I understand you a bit better now.” (+1 affinity) (Yeah, uh. Wait, what exactly do you understand better?! You low-key psychoanalyzing her right now?! OMG, STOP!! She bursts out laughing. Anyway, her mom wasn’t exactly the best at having empathy, to put it nicely.)
  • “I think you’re very brave.” (+1 affinity, romance option) (Thanks, cutie. Then: wait, are you actually trying to make her trauma-dump just so you can analyze her?)

Sirens and Other Sea Spells

Brunhilda is engrossed in a book on a kitchen stool, Sirens and other Sea Spells. This is her longest scene, it has the only genuinely punishing branch she offers, and it quietly explains where her Magic 7 came from.

Dialogue Choices:

• Open the conversation,
  • “What are you reading?” (Kind +1) (Big weirdo, she saw you squinting to read the title. Hahaha help. Come on, don’t make that face, she’s only joking. You’re low-key kind of cute when you try to make conversation.)
  • “Where did this book come from?” (Tyrannic +1) (The library in this old Tower is PACKED with books about ancient magic and legends. She found this one in the Creatures section. Mermaids, half-human half-trout creatures, can you even?! Apparently there are some in Brizh, ewwww.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Three ways forward, and one is a trap,
  • “Are you interested in mythology?” (Yes! Occult books, mystical stuff, creatures, practices, spells, curses. You’ve never seen her eyes burn like this. She’s captivated. When your blowout’s been hit with a top tier hair curse, you kinda don’t have a choice but to binge the entire section.)
  • “Wish I had more time to read.” (Sorry, but you’re just making mid excuses, it’s all about choices. Well, have you ever tried being a crown princess? It really helps.)
  • “I don’t recall giving you permission to use the library.” (Tyrannic +1, Kind -1) (She mocks you back in mocking capitals, then: LITERATURE SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE!!)

Dialogue Choices:

• If you went for the library trap,
  • “My apologies. I’m frustrated because I don’t have enough time to read.” (Defuses it.)
  • “Stop immediately.” (-1 affinity, Tyrannic +1, Kind -1) (OMG, if you’re so bothered by her being here, maybe give her something to do? Like, isn’t that your job?)

Dialogue Choices:

• On the Gavault library,
  • “Did you have a large library in Gavault?” (Massive! A library that covered the entire wall, floor to ceiling. Having access to something like that as crown princess was literally a free starter buff. And she admits her nanny literally stuffed her with books since she was born.)
  • “Wish I had more time to read.” (The mid excuse again.)

Dialogue Choices:

• On the Candid songs,
  • “What were the Candid songs?” (+1 affinity) (You’re so not in the loop, it’s THE hype book in Brimwood. Honestly she didn’t get it at all as a kid, but we can still say she was kinda ahead of the curve. You should totally snag it, just to score some tips for ruling, cutie.)
  • “I know the Candid songs well.” (+1 affinity) (Who would’ve thought? Lowkey sexy of you. Hope you’re reading between the lines.)
  • “So you like to read?” (Wraps the thread early.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Answer her,
  • “I have never read a book in my life.” (Ewww, it’s, like, so cringe to say that while being in charge of a kingdom!!)
  • “I prefer fiction and novels.” (+1 affinity) (Yes, some fictional works, she knows the type. Helps you unwind after a toooough day at work, cutie? She bursts out laughing before going back to her book.)
  • “Mostly scholarly essays and research papers.” (Wise +1) (Uh, big brain. She legit loves that too.)
  • “Similar things to you I think.” (Wise -1) (Ewww. Simp.)

The Silent Courtroom

Brunhilda stands straight and motionless before your throne. This is the lore scene, it explains her entire politics, and it carries the harshest affinity penalty in her whole arc.

Dialogue Choices:

• Approach her,
  • “(Join her)” (Immersed in the solemn stillness of the courtroom, you cannot take your eyes off your knight. The steady rhythm of her breathing, the only movement in this suspended scene, wraps you in a strangely soothing feeling.)
  • “What are you doing here?” (AHH!! What is wrong with you?! You don’t just sneak up on a lady from behind like that. Fine, she’ll forgive you, but only because it’s you, okay? At least you didn’t try to jump scare her.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Ask about the throne,
  • “You haven’t always been against it, have you?” (Wait, excuse me?! Of course she has! It’s always been like this, okay?? Okay, maybe she’s exaggerating a bit. When she was little she used to play on her mom’s throne, like all princesses. But then one day she stumbled upon Epicrates’ writings, and then BOOM. No turning back.)
  • “And yet, with your revolt, you would have ended up taking Gavault’s throne.” (Maybe she took the whole thing a bit too lightly. For her, starting a revolution didn’t necessarily mean kicking her mom off her seat just to take her place. But hey, that’s what everyone expected. She was the perfect symbol.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Four ways forward, two romance-gated,
  • “Are your comrades resentful towards you for abandoning the revolt?” (A fair question, and she answers it.)
  • “How did you discover Epicrates?” (Opens the nanny backstory.)
  • “I imagine that breaking the mold is a discipline reserved for the sharpest minds.” (Flattering, and she takes it.)
  • “I’d have loved to see you on a throne. To be at your feet.” (Romance option) (If you are not far enough along: Excuse me?! Back off with your weird kinks. And honestly, it’s kinda creepy to imagine.)

Dialogue Choices:

• On Epicrates and the nanny,
  • “How did his writings end up in the library at Fort Gavault?” (Her nanny had totally set the whole thing up. She used to slip her books that were never supposed to end up in a crown princess’s hands, and when she grew up, recommended this one like it was nothing. She must’ve already been in revolt herself. When her crazy old mother caught on, the nanny lost her job instantly.)
  • “Tell me about Epicrates.” (His writings opened her eyes. It questioned every single pillar of her upbringing. She’d always felt this unease about her name and where she comes from, and then she finally put words to it. And she understood that another system was possible. One her mother was doing everything to prevent.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Give her your position,
  • “Things are fine as they are. Balance is reassuring.” (-2 affinity) (The worst answer available. She is a revolutionary and you have just told her nothing should change.)
  • “I do what I can within the scope of my role.” (+1 affinity) (Honest, and enough.)
  • “I have high hopes of eventually creating something else.” (+1 affinity) (The answer she wants.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Close the scene, romance-gated,
  • “…” (A mutual, pensive silence envelops you, far from the noise of the revolution.)
  • “… Either way, I’m happy to have you by my side. I couldn’t ask for a better ally.” (Romance option) (Not the kind of thing people tell her often. It’s weird, but a good weird. She thinks. She’s not promising anything regarding her conduct, but she’s glad to be by your side too.)

Brunhilda greets you with something peculiar enveloping her voice, something you have never heard from her before, and it rings false immediately. This scene punishes generic sympathy, so the obviously kind answers are the wrong ones.

Dialogue Choices:

• Press her,
  • “Everything okay?” (Yes, she says. You’re worried about her now, cutie? And that something rings false.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Push through,
  • “You don’t look well.” (What are you implying? She’s very fine.)
  • “I don’t believe you.” (Same bristle, same crack underneath.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Break the facade,
  • “Why do you feel you must keep up the facade?” (She throws it back at you in mocking capitals, then stops, her gaze torn between quiet anger and sudden regret. Sorry.)
  • “It’s okay for you to be vulnerable, you know.” (The same mocking repetition, and the same apology.)

Dialogue Choices:

• The three-way that decides the scene,
  • “You can tell me anything.” (-1 affinity) (That just sounds like a super generic, textbook response.)
  • “I’m not going to judge you.” (-1 affinity) (Why are you lying? Everyone always has something to say.)
  • “I too am sometimes sad for ridiculous reasons, you know.” (+2 affinity) (The right answer. Sorry. Again. Believe it or not, she’s really trying not to be so defensive.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Choose your register,
  • “I’m sure she’ll hear your words.” (But it’s just so hard. How is she supposed to…)
  • “Your mother is still alive. You’re the one standing in your way.” (It’s true, she says, but you could have been less mean about it. Y-your right. But she just can’t.)

Dialogue Choices:

• Then,
  • “Make the first step and you’ll see.” (Excuse me, she says, shaking as she slumps back against the wall.)
  • “You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone.” (I don’t know…)

Dialogue Choices:

• Close it, romance-gated,
  • “Thank you for opening up to me.” (And thank you for listening. Well, for the record, don’t count on her doing that again, cutie. She’s got a toxic-girl reputation to maintain, right?)
  • “Thank you. (Gently take her hand.)” (Wh-what. Despite this peaceful interlude, contact still seems to burn her. Then the panic in her eyes is replaced by something clearer. Indeed desire.)

Dialogue Choices:

• The final choice in her arc,
  • “(Lift your mask and kiss her)” (Your lips meet in a kiss of deep fervour, mingled with an unexpected tenderness.)
  • “(Hold her in your arms)” (Your bodies come together in a gentle embrace, filled with an unexpected tenderness. Either way it carries the silent promise to protect one another, a promise neither of you would have had the strength to voice aloud.)