The Witcher 3 is chock full of romance that often ends in disaster but CD Projekt Red has revealed one tragic love story from the Blood and Wine expansion that no one knew about.
Speaking during the developer's AnsweRED podcast, story director Tomasz Marchewka said CD Projekt Red designed one character to be secretly in love with another, but circumstance kept those feelings locked away.
That character is Damien de la Tour, captain of Toussaint's ducal guard under Duchess Anna Henrietta. And who was he in love with? The woman he was sworn to protect, Henrietta herself.
"I don't think it's said anywhere in the game but we assume that he is secretly in love with her," said Marchewka. "And because he's not an aristocrat, it's impossible for him to even imagine that that could have happened.
"I think there's one moment when she states she's gonna be in grave danger and so on, and he just looks at her. And if you know what to look for, in that look you see the depth of the relationship. It's super subtle, I don't know how transparent it is, but we always remembered about him being basically willing to give his life for her if needed."
Also in The Witcher fashion, the ending of Blood and Wine has different outcomes that see the pair's relationship put to the test. Spoilers for The Witcher 3's Blood and Wine expansion follow, reader beware.
One ending has Henrietta killed off altogether, and Damien obviously doesn't take it well. While his visceral reaction was once considered a result of his failure to protect Henrietta, as well as losing a friend, knowing he was secretly in love with her certainly adds a lot more understanding.
"When Anna Henrietta was treacherously murdered by her own sister, Damien blamed himself most of all and wanted to fall on his sword, as he felt befits a man of honour," reads his in-game journal entry. "The only thing stopping him was the thought that Her Grace would never have forgiven him for that.
"Damien spent many years deep in mourning, often thinking about how the tragic events had come to pass and who was responsible. This meant not only the duchess had died, but all chances for a friendship between him and Geralt of Rivia as well."
Blood and Wine is the critically acclaimed expansion for The Witcher 3 that took protagonist Geralt of Riva beyond the swamps of Velen and stormy isles of Skellige to the sun-soaked idealistic Duchy of Toussaint.
In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Geralt gets a fitting send-off in The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, courtesy of a strong cast and new items."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
