Dubois

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Noble upbringing and estrangement from Roselle

Dubois grew up with the original Roselle Gustav. Both came from impoverished minor noble families, supported one another through difficult times, and eventually moved to Trier. As children, they sometimes stayed out so late that they slept beneath a tree rather than return home to face punishment 533 675.

After Huang Tao transmigrated into Roselle, he retained the acquaintance and continued spending time with Dubois. Their relationship became more distant as Roselle became a Savant, gained prominence through his inventions, and rose in Trier society. Dubois noticed unfamiliar behavior and inconsistencies in his friend, eventually fearing that he was facing a stranger wearing Roselle’s skin 526 676.

Dubois acquired a scandalous reputation for relationships with noblewomen and young ladies. He subsequently became a priest at Trier Cathedral, a position that offered protection from offended nobles. His expulsion followed an encounter with a noblewoman who had come to confess; Dubois explained that she had originally arranged to spend the night with Roselle, who then used his influence with the Church to have him dismissed. Dubois refused to ask Roselle for help afterward, despite falling into poverty 514 515.

Becoming Edward’s butler

After being evicted from an inn for owing a month’s rent, Dubois sought a way to make money. Knowing that valuables remained in the basement of 7 Rose Street, he considered stealing them. When he discovered that Edward had moved in, he instead offered his services as a butler, emphasizing his management training, aristocratic contacts, and willingness to work in a supposedly haunted house 514.

Edward hired him to obtain two workers. Dubois returned with two enslaved young adults, including Endili, and their contracts. He then noticed that the house’s interior had changed too extensively to have been renovated overnight by ordinary means. Recognizing Edward as a Beyonder, he voluntarily confessed his intended theft and sought an opportunity to become a Beyonder himself 515.

Edward made an introduction to Roselle his first major assignment. Unwilling to approach Roselle directly, Dubois asked Matilda to send Edward an invitation to the family’s next banquet. He also recruited staff, arranged transport, and helped find a new residence. Through Marcia, he secured access to a villa that Edward rented for five years 524 532.

Household service and investigations

Dubois’s purchase of a coveted suit brought him into conflict with Akasha and her brother. The siblings attempted to kill Edward over the dispute, but Edward subdued them and employed them instead. Dubois was alarmed to learn that his unexplained collapse the previous night had occurred during the incident, and later worried that Akasha’s popularity with the staff might undermine his authority 522 525 527.

Despite their rivalry, Dubois became concerned for Akasha after she helped him control his spirituality. He reported her arrest to Edward and assessed how far Roselle would go to assist. During the ensuing dispute with Earl Clear, Roselle also secured Dubois’s release from custody; Dubois acknowledged the favor rather than trading insults with him 548 550 554.

As Edward’s trusted intermediary, Dubois gathered intelligence about King Doloren Sauron, investigated the king’s sudden marriage plans, obtained supplies, and made contact with two Extraordinary Gatherings in Trier. Edward also entrusted him with watching for a signal at 2 Camellia Street 559 562 575 581 584 620 640.

Confronting Roselle’s identity

Dubois’s choice of the Spectator Pathway was tied to his doubts about Roselle. He wanted to detect lies and uncover hidden thoughts, eventually gaining Psychological Suggestion as a Psychiatrist. His ambition to advance was therefore not simply a desire for power: it offered a means to discover what had happened to his childhood friend 676.

After Bernadette’s birthday dinner, Dubois took Roselle into the garden and recalled their childhood beneath a tree. He asked whether the original Roselle had died after falling from a maddened horse and whether someone else had appeared in his place. Roselle denied having died and described the change as awakening memories from a previous life 675 676.

Although Dubois had prepared to use Psychological Suggestion, he did not use it during their conversation. He left without obtaining a definitive answer, proposing that they forget the discussion after sobering up. Roselle privately recognized that Dubois had noticed something even his parents had missed and called him his best friend. Dubois later regarded the conversation as having resolved an obsession he had carried for years 676 693.

Lilith’s arrival

While Edward was absent, Dubois received Lilith and a woman in a black dress whom he recognized from the neighborhood. Lilith claimed to be Edward’s daughter. Dubois incorrectly assumed that the accompanying woman was her mother and that Edward had concealed their relationship 693.

Appearance

• Hair and eyes: Blond hair and blue eyes 514.
• Features: Exceptionally handsome; Edward judged his looks almost comparable to Emlyn’s 514.
• Clothing: Introduced in a well-fitted but worn suit, maintained without a single crease 514.
• Later presentation: Wore a crisp suit and gold-rimmed glasses while arranging a countryside outing, looking more like the household’s master than Edward 654.

Personality

Dubois is sociable, flirtatious, and comfortable taking liberties with strangers. His romantic reputation is partly exaggerated: he admits that the stories are “half true, half false” and denies that every noble in Trier has blacklisted him. He nevertheless readily uses charm and personal connections to solve practical problems 514 525 532 533.

Pride is one of his strongest traits. He initially preferred hardship to asking Roselle for help, reasoning that submitting after years of suffering would make that suffering pointless. He also told Edward that he disliked continually accepting kindness he could not repay. His pride does not prevent gratitude, however: he acknowledged Roselle’s help in getting him released and refused Marcia’s employment offer because Edward had supported him at his lowest point 515 532 550 640.

He is observant and usually knows when to stop asking questions. When Edward reacted calmly to accusations against Akasha, Dubois inferred that his employer knew more than he was saying and dropped the subject. His discretion has limits: enthusiasm for his Psychiatrist abilities led him to experiment on the household, with disruptive results 559 665.

Abilities & Skills

Spectator Observation

Reads expressions, gestures, and small movements to infer a person’s disposition and immediate thoughts 554.

• Combines supernatural observation with prior knowledge of the person being assessed 554.
• Recognized that Edward’s calmness over Akasha’s arrest likely reflected preparation rather than indifference 554.
• Is not infallible: as a Spectator, he believed romantic partners who claimed to value more than his appearance, only to discover otherwise after advancing 586.

Telepathist Mind Reading

Examines auras and Ether Bodies to uncover thoughts beyond what ordinary behavior reveals 584.

• Conducted psychological screenings of the villa’s employees while acting as a Telepathist 586.
• Read the ordinary household staff with reliable precision 586.
• Intended to use his improved insight to investigate Roselle 584.

Psychological Suggestion

As a Psychiatrist, Dubois can influence a target’s behavior through Psychological Suggestion 665 676.

• Repeatedly suggested dishes to Endili, causing her to prepare bizarre food while sincerely believing it suited Edward’s tastes 665.
• Planned to use the ability to obtain answers from Roselle, but ultimately refrained 676.
• His experiments on the staff earned public punishment: Edward hung him from a garden tree beneath a banner reading “Extremely wicked” 665.

Household Management and Networking

Trained in management by his elders and familiar with Intis aristocratic society 514.

• Recruits staff, organizes household duties, purchases transport, and arranges accommodation 515 524 532.
• Uses contacts such as Matilda and Marcia to secure invitations and property introductions 524 532.
• Collects political intelligence and locates Beyonder gatherings for Edward 584 620 640.
• Advises on social distinctions, including why Marcia’s wealth does not make her an accepted route into elite aristocratic circles 532.

Piano

Plays piano with practiced ease 587.

• Performed several duets with an Intis University student at a restaurant, attracting appreciative attention from diners 587.

Equipment / Personal Items

• Fashionable suits — His prized possessions, which he calls his “battle dress.” He requested a new suit as a condition of employment and later took a disputed suit from a tailor after leaving payment 514 522.
• Pocket watch — Used to check the time while studying Beyonder pathways 525.
• Gold-rimmed glasses — Worn with formal clothing during preparations for a countryside outing 654.

Relationships

• Edward / Mr. Sparrow — Employer and patron. Gives Dubois work and access to Beyonder advancement; Dubois manages his household and gathers intelligence for him 515 532 581 640.
• Roselle Gustav — Childhood friend turned estranged rival. Their exchanges are often insulting, but Roselle secretly protected him for years. Dubois’s suspicion about Roselle’s identity lies beneath their prolonged falling-out 533 675 676.
• Matilda — Long-standing acquaintance who helps arrange Edward’s banquet invitation and hopes to reconcile Dubois with Roselle. Bernadette initially misreads their meeting as romantic 524 526 535.
• Akasha — Fellow household manager and rival for influence over the staff. She helps him control his spirituality, and he becomes concerned for her during her imprisonment 527 554.
• Marcia — Intimate acquaintance and property contact. Offers him employment, which he postpones out of obligation to Edward; he later learns that she is a Demoness 532 587.
• Bernadette Gustav — His old friend’s daughter. He had last seen her as a newborn before reconnecting with the family through Edward’s household 524 634.
• Endili — Household cook whom he originally brings to Edward. His later Psychological Suggestions interfere with her cooking 515 665.

Notable Quotes

“Because my suit is my battle dress. I can go without food or wine, but I absolutely cannot go without my battle dress!” 514

“Mr. Sparrow helped me in my darkest hour. I have to serve him for at least a year and help him establish himself in Trier before I can repay his kindness.” 532

“No matter how much you became like Roselle, you weren’t him in the end. Every time I saw you... I felt I was looking at a stranger wearing his skin, and it terrified me to my core.” 676