So I'm still playing through part 1 of HC3 and have just completed Quest 17 with the reception. I know for most people on this thread it's from ages ago, but feel like I want to share my thoughts on it currently.
Rose's storyline has been great so far as it has all the ingriedients I could ask for in a NTR corruption scenario.
Cyanna's storyline started strong and of the two main women she was my favourite, in terms of character design and personality. It's unfortunate that for me at least, her story has taken a turn for the worse. She seems to be having sex with Brutus purely out of a desire to numb herself to the emotional pain of being rejected by Leto and seeing that just feels sad rather than arousing.
One thing I'm curious about is what people think Leto said to Cyanna during those interactions where she confessed to him and later when they spoke during the reception? I get that the protagonist is kind of a blank slate that we can project our feelings on to, which is definately one of this game's strong points. I personally like to think that Leto also has those kinds of feelings towards Cyanna but being the pure hearted person he is, he think it's inappropriate to act on them seeing as she is his adopted sister. I wonder how other people feel about this?
Haylen's story I have mixed feelings about. My favourite sub genre of NTR is mom/son NTR, so going into this Haylen was my favourite character. While her motivations for doing stuff with Jazon is definately the weakest of all four women, at the same time it does hit those chords of jealousy whenever I see her falling for his schemes and he keeps dominating all her time away from Leto. Even if her actions aren't believable within the narrative, it still echoes those moments in real life, when you see someone you like falling for someone else and you can't understand what they see in them.
I've not got much to say about Lily. Her storyline is fine, her motivations and actions are sound within the setting. I just don't feel much towards her the way I do to the other 3 women. I suppose, seeing myself through Leto I view Lily in a purely platonic sense, so it doesn't have that sense of betrayal you get with the other women.
As far as side characters go, I really like Meredith's storyline. The moment during the reception with Geoffrey outside the Duke's room was probably the highlight of that quest.
That might sound strange, but Cyanna is actually my favorite too. I had even forgotten that she tried to confess her feelings to Leto. I wonder if that happened before or after she gave up her virginity to Brutus to save him. What bothers me most about her is that she doesn’t seem to think things through. For example, when she’s supposed to go on a mission with Leto and he’s waiting for her, she’s busy sleeping with Brutus instead. When she finds out, she even gets angry at him, as if he did it on purpose to stop her from joining Leto because it’s dangerous. Brutus twists her mind, pretending he only did it to make Leto stronger, but I’m convinced that’s just manipulation. And the worst part? She still lets him sleep with her right before Leto leaves.
Helena, on the other hand, just lacks attention. You can forgive her for being lonely, but not for her stupidity. If she knew Jason had bad intentions toward Leto and still let him into their circle, then she’s basically the one who opened the door for the wolf to enter the henhouse. She put everyone in danger — all those girls Jason corrupted and blackmailed for his own pleasure. If she ever learns the truth, I hope she dies of guilt.
Honestly, I have to give credit where it’s due — it’s not easy to write characters this despicable. If I were writing the ending, I’d come up with punishments that really fit them. I know that in most NTR stories, the “bulls” always come out on top, but since this game includes both a happy and a revenge ending, I’m hoping justice will finally be served this time.
In
HC2, justice really only came in the True Ending. Zeno ended up in prison after seeing his wife one last time, and we learned she was part of what broke him — which explained his hatred for the High Elves. Noah kills Eydir in a duel, and Zeno learns about his son’s death while behind bars. Normally, that might feel tragic, but honestly, I didn’t feel bad at all — it was well-deserved. The only thing that bothered me in that ending was that we never see if Celis wakes up, and Noah never truly confronts his mother about what she did. I would’ve loved to see him write everything he went through in a book, letting her discover the truth and suffer from guilt after realizing she slept with her husband’s killer — her own cousin, no less. At least she seems aware of her sins in the end, when she tells Noah to leave the village and start a new life while Aywin stays by Celis’s side, waiting for her to awaken.
As for Lily in
HC3, she’s a special case. The fact that she loves Leto is pretty tragic. Personally, I’d have loved to see a harem ending where he ends up with all the women, or at least gets to choose who he stays with. Right now, though, Rose feels like the biggest betrayer since she’s officially his lover. Keeping all that a secret must have been hell for her at first — she couldn’t even face Leto after losing her virginity to the Duke. If I were Leto, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive that. She could’ve cheated after that point, but not
before.
Maybe Leto can forgive her out of love, but personally, I couldn’t. N_taii told me Rose has good reasons for what she does, but even then, I don’t think I could ever separate her from the Duke in my mind. Even if the Duke dies, she’d always remind me of him. Unless we get a harem or redemption ending that truly makes up for everything, I think the best ending for Leto would be for him to move on and find happiness with someone else — leaving Rose behind in tears but accepting his decision because she chose her duty over him. That would be the most fitting form of “love” for her — loving her kingdom more than the man she claimed to love.
She could’ve tried to find another solution or at least talked to Leto, but she stayed silent. Maybe the Duke told her not to say anything to protect Leto, but even so, when you rewatch the scenes, she eventually starts sleeping around without hesitation. Seeing her covered in sex toys and pleasure devices, it’s hard to imagine she could ever go back to normal intimacy again. By hentai logic, she’s gone too far — no longer capable of being satisfied by anything pure.
As for Cyanna, her situation is a true NTR in itself. She confessed her feelings to Leto, yet she still sleeps with Brutus. Imagine how brutal it would be if Leto, heartbroken by Rose’s betrayal, decided to open up to Cyanna — only to catch her in the act with Brutus. Is her relationship with Brutus even official? It always feels like they’re doing it behind Leto’s back. Brutus even told Leto that he’s “fucking Cyanna like a dog,” which visibly pissed him off.
Leto has already endured enough NTR for a lifetime. When he was young, the woman he loved — almost like an older sister — sacrificed herself so he could escape. She died with his parents, leaving him as the only survivor. I keep wondering what would happen if he ever found out she was still alive. Honestly, I’d love a secret ending where he reunites with her after being betrayed by everyone else and finally finds peace with her. That would be the true happy ending he deserves.