Mali

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Mali Mancini (玛利)
Alias(es)	Mali Colonna; Duchess of Colonna 146 257
Species/Race	Witch / Wizard of the Inner World 16 109
Gender	Female
Affiliation	House Mancini; the Queen Mother's household; the Colonna/Gajola faction 78 176 257
Occupation/Role	Queen Mother's lady-in-waiting; Inner World duchess; magical adviser and operative for Louis XIV 36 78 176
Status	Deceased—died by suicide while imprisoned in the Bastille; later awakens as a Wizard-painted portrait alongside Louis in the Qixi Festival Extra setting 397 567
First Appearance	Chapter 1: “Prologue” 1

Background / History

Mali spent much of her childhood in the Inner World, where its customs were less restrictive than those of the surface world. Her Wizard relatives wanted her placed at the French court to secure status for the Mancini family, valuing her appearance and voice over her magical identity. Mali resented being treated as a tool for an advantageous marriage and wanted a husband who would understand and support her magic. 6 23

As Cardinal Mazarin’s niece, she entered the French royal household and attended Queen Mother Anne. Her unfamiliarity with court etiquette, refusal to suppress her identity as a witch, and readiness to retaliate against mockery left her isolated among the nobility. 16 23

During the royal family’s flight from rebellion, Mali helped repel a werewolf attack and used magic to render the Queen Mother unconscious at Louis’s command. Her role in saving Louis, Anne, and the royal party earned her unusual leniency at court. 2 16

Appearance

Mali is described as a small, youthful-looking woman with a round face, a delicate chin, dark curls, and rosy cheeks and lips. Even after becoming a mother, she remains notably slender. 89 127 260

• Long black hair, later styled into elaborate curls for a court ball. 89 90
• Milky skin, contrasting with the pale blond fashion favored at court. 89
• Bright, expressive eyes; when alarmed or angered, her pupils narrow “like a cat’s.” 23 106
• Often wears Wizard clothing in the Inner World, including a dark crimson velvet robe and flat shoes. 112
• During her Bastille imprisonment, she is made to wear men’s clothing and a silver-plated Fool’s Mask. 257

Personality

Mali is outspoken, stubborn, and intensely protective of her identity as a witch. She rejects the expectations placed on her as a court lady, bluntly insisting that magic is central to who she is. Her directness and honesty distinguish her from the French court’s calculated manners, but also make her vulnerable to exclusion and ridicule. 16 23 87

Her devotion to Louis is genuine but initially possessive. Raised to see Wizards as superior to mortals, she believes Louis should become a Wizard and bind himself to her through a blood-oath marriage, without fully accounting for his responsibilities to France. This conviction leads her to contemplate forcibly taking the wounded King into the Inner World. 106 107 110

Over time, Mali becomes a more capable political and military figure in the Inner World. Her involvement in violent struggles on Gajola Island leaves her with many enemies, and she eventually accepts imprisonment out of remorse and concern for Louis and their son. Her final act is a sacrifice intended to protect Louis from a curse exploiting their love. 176 257 397

Abilities & Skills

Witchcraft

Mali is a powerful Wizard with broad practical spellcasting ability, especially in emergencies and combat.

• Repelled werewolves during the royal family’s escape. 2
• Can incapacitate people through magic, including the Queen Mother. 2
• Uses evasion, confusion, and concealment spells while infiltrating guarded locations. 106
• Creates small magical effects casually, such as summoning a miniature hurricane. 112
• Transforms an apple into four animated, peeled rabbit shapes. 292
• Her magic is suppressed by the Fool’s Mask: attempts to escape or harm others through magic cause crippling pain. 257

Aerial Travel

Mali can fly on a broomstick and use magical flight for rapid travel.

• Flew toward Dunkirk with Vesalius after learning of Louis’s assassination attempt. 104
• Carried brooms from her seemingly undersized magical bag. 104
• Long-distance flight can leave her physically exhausted, though she recovers with a potion. 106

Divination and Intelligence Gathering

Mali’s magical gifts and court position allow her to access information unavailable to most courtiers.

• Uses a crystal ball, which she keeps covered with black velvet when not in use. 46 104
• Gathered secrets while serving as the Queen Mother’s personal maid; Louis later used this intelligence for political purposes. 36
• Understands Inner World customs, family hierarchy, magical crests, and travel protocol. 109

Combat and Command

Mali develops into an experienced combatant and political enforcer in the Inner World.

• Defeated Bohemian witches by combining personal magic with magical puppets, magical beasts, and Gajola Wizard attendants. 176
• Demonstrates quick reflexes with a rapier when attacked in the Bastille. 394
• Her temper and ruthless actions during the conquest of Gajola Island create lasting political opposition. 257

Equipment / Items

• Spellcasting pouch — Contains magical supplies; Louis returns it after Mali accidentally drops it. 23
• Crystal ball — Used privately and concealed beneath black velvet. 46 104
• Broomsticks — Used by Mali and Vesalius for magical flight. 104
• Potions and talismans — Used during Louis’s poisoning and curse crisis; Mali also uses a potion to recover after flight. 106
• Rapier — Used to repel a shadow creature during imprisonment. 394
• Fool’s Mask — Inquisition restraint placed on her in the Bastille to prevent magical escape or violence. 257

Relationships

• Louis XIV — Her first love and eventual Inner World husband. Mali confesses to him as a child, later bears his son, and remains emotionally bound to him despite their separation, imprisonment, and death. 78 127 176 257 397
• Luciano / Duke Colonna — Her son with Louis. Mali accepts permanent separation from him as part of her imprisonment; Louis promises to send her a portrait of the boy each year. 127 257
• Cardinal Mazarin — Her uncle and the court connection through which she enters Louis’s household. He is protective of her position but also entangled in the Mancini family’s ambitions. 1 6
• Queen Mother Anne — Mali serves as Anne’s lady-in-waiting and once helps save her life. Their relationship becomes strained after Mali’s feelings for Louis become clear. 16 78 104
• Philip, Duke of Anjou — Initially fights with Mali and is assigned to teach her etiquette; later defends her character and alerts Louis to her mistreatment at court. 16 88
• Felipe Jules Mancini — Her older brother, whom Mali calls “the most hateful one.” His actions contribute to her social difficulties at court. 79 88
• Valo Vesalius — Travels with Mali to save Louis after the Dunkirk assassination. He opposes her plan to bind Louis to the Inner World and warns that Louis would hate her for it. 104 106 107
• Theoderic of Ventrue — Intervenes against Mali’s attempt to take Louis into the Inner World through a blood-oath marriage. 106 107
• Melfa — Mali’s former teacher and a Wizard she recruits as a potential instructor for Louis. 112

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Early court life — Arrives with Mazarin’s party, proves her value during the werewolf attack, and becomes a protected but socially awkward presence around Louis and the Queen Mother. 1 2 16
• Growing attachment to Louis — Louis accepts her witchcraft without fear, prompting Mali to recognize her feelings for him. She later openly confesses, but Louis refuses because of his political marriage obligations. 23 78
• Court rehabilitation — After noblewomen isolate her, Louis publicly elevates Mali through an elaborate hairstyle, jewelry, clothing, and a gavotte dance. Her fashion becomes influential enough to inspire a special tax on elaborate hairstyles. 88 89 90 91
• Dunkirk crisis and Inner World journey — Following Louis’s stabbing and curse, Mali races to him, uses unrestricted magic to infiltrate the palace, and attempts to take him to the Inner World for treatment. 104 106 108
• Blood-oath conflict — Mali seeks to save Louis by making him a Wizard and her blood-oath husband, but Theoderic and others resist the plan. Louis later recognizes that her love has become entangled with the Inner World’s belief in Wizard superiority. 107 110
• Duchess of Colonna — Becomes Louis’s Inner World wife and acts in the name of their young son, Duke Colonna. She fights internal Mancini and inter-family struggles and becomes a hardened political figure. 146 148 176
• Bastille imprisonment — Louis has Mali imprisoned for life after deciding that a Gajola Island crisis may endanger their son. Her magic is sealed with a Fool’s Mask, while the public is told that the Duchess of Colonna has died. 257
• Final sacrifice — While imprisoned, Mali kills herself to prevent a curse from using her devotion to harm Louis. 397 404
• Portrait existence — In the Qixi Festival Extra, a Wizard-made portrait of Mali awakens alongside Louis’s portrait more than a century after his death. 567

Notable Quotes

“I was never a lady. I am a witch.” 16

“No. The one who will become Queen in the future is me. I will marry the King.” 40

Trivia

• Mali keeps lizards and later brings Angora cats from Lazio to court. 79
• Her court hairstyle becomes fashionable enough for Louis to use it as the basis for a luxury tax funding war expenses. 91
• She embroiders sapphire-blue bed curtains with Louis’s golden Sun King coat of arms, giving each face within the sun wreath a foolish grin. 397