Margarita Blankenheim

"Please sleep with this Gift of mine."

- Margarita Blankenheim

Margarita Blankenheim, born Margarita Felix, is a marchioness of Elphegort and the wife of Caspar Blankenheim. As a member of Père Noël, she was given the codename '''III. the Princess of Sleep'''. Willing to accept help for her situation, she fell under the influence of the Demon of Sloth.

Early Life
Born Margarita Felix, she had been close friends with Caspar Blankenheim, later falling in love with him. At the time, the two made a promise to each other that Margarita held close to her. Years later, as part of a political alliance between the Felix and Blankenheim families, she married Caspar. Margarita later discovered that her husband was a shameless philanderer, blatantly playing women and bringing them to their Toragay mansion in front of her. Around the same time, she realized her husband's motivations for marrying her were purely economical, wanting the wealth of her father, and that the promise they made as children was long forgotten by him. At some point, she became close friends with Julia Abelard and joined her criminal organization, Père Noël, designated the codename III. the Princess of Sleep.

Toragay Serial Killings
In EC 609, due to her failing marriage, Margarita lapsed into a depression over her hopeless situation. Julia intervened, gifting the Marchioness the Clockworker's Doll. Possessed by the Demon of Sloth, Margarita found the doll held instructions inside a secret compartment that taught her how to refine Gift, a deadly poison. Desperate to escape her unbearable circumstances, Margarita gave her "gift" to her worn-out husband, claiming it would help help him recuperate. After doing so, she continued to administer her "gift" of repose to her father, mother, and the rest of Toragay to "relieve" them of their worries, convinced they were all insomniac and unhappy with their current lives. Once her psychopathic genocide was over, Margarita was left to claim all the freedom and wealth left by her deceased family. Margarita then committed suicide via her own poison, joining all those she murdered in an eternal "sleep".

Legacy
As the incident arose, the newspaper reports following the strange string of serial murders reported the deaths of at least 24 victims with Julia Abelard and Père Noël's involvement heavily suspected. The Elphegort government later entrusted the Freesis Foundation with the matter and its investigation team arrived to find Toragay already in ruins. Elluka Clockworker and her apprentice, Gumillia, also arrived in search for the Clockworker's Doll, determining it had already been taken and was in the hands of Julia. Officially, Margarita was labeled a psychopath who took pleasure in killing others, leaving Toragay a ghost town. It was questioned whether it was due to her own circumstances or because of Julia's influence but, due to Margarita's suicide, the matter was believed forever unknown.

Centuries after her death, Ma and Gammon Octo created a screenplay regarding the incident and it was subsequently reviewed by the Master of the Court. While organizing the "motion", Gammon hypothesized that Margarita had intentionally brought an incarnation of a demon into being, referring to the Judicial Doll being the awakened vessel of Sloth.

Personality and Traits
Outwardly, Margarita acted content with her life. Since childhood, she had a strong affection for Caspar and regarded the promise they shared as proof of their close relationship. Although married due to political circumstances, Margarita was in love with him and was overjoyed to be with the Marquis. After discovering Caspar openly philandered with other women, married her for her father's money, and had forgotten their childhood promise, she remained tolerant of it and his apparent apathy towards her so long as she was able to be with him. She also acted concerned about his and the city's well being, claiming she wanted to relieve them of all their worries and troubles that caused stress in their everyday lives.

In reality, Margarita's concerns about others had been a reflection of herself and her own dissatisfaction with her life. Having believed in a child-like fantasy, she became burdened by the reality of her false relationship and failing marriage. Margarita slipped into a depression as a result and grew embittered by how her and her situation was ignored by her husband and the town, feeling hopelessly trapped and used as if she was a decorative doll. Because she bottled up her emotions, she acted as if her husband's indifference didn't bother her when she was actually greatly hurt by Caspar. As her life became increasingly troubled, Margarita sought comfort in Julia Abelard and considered her a dear friend, enough to even be part of her criminal organization, Père Noël.

Under the influence of the Demon of Sloth, Margarita snapped under the weight and became psychopathically obsessed with destroying all her problems. Although having decimated Toragay and "freeing" herself of their control, she remained unsatisfied. After witnessing how peaceful and "happy" everyone she poisoned appeared, Margarita chose to share in their "sleep" and become "Sleeping Beauty," a princess awaiting her happy ending.

Skills and Abilities
As a doctor's daughter, Margarita was skilled in creating the poison Julia taught her and created enough of it for her eradication of Toragay. She also was able to either convince or secretly administer her poison to everyone she knew even as the death toll began to rise. As a member of Père Noël, she is assumed to have had a role in the illegal activities that occurred within the criminal organization.

Character Connections
Caspar Blankenheim: Margarita's childhood friend and husband. Margarita loved Caspar from when they were young, and this love continued even after he showed he didn't reciprocate her feelings; she convinced herself that being close to him was enough. Over time, Caspar's flippant attitude toward her and their marriage warped Margarita's love into despair and eventually caused her to snap, murdering him.

Julia Abelard: Margarita's friend. Their relationship was close enough that Margarita let Julia comfort her when her marital life left her miserable, and later joined her criminal organization, Père Noël. She followed her advice and accepted gifts from her, such as the Clockwork Doll and instructions on how to make her "gift".

Conceptualization and Origin

 * Margarita is inspired by Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray: both used poison to accomplish their goals, with Margarita killing her husband to end her failing marriage and Marie killing her father and brothers to earn their estates.


 * Her surname, Blankenheim, is the name of two German municiplaties; Elphegort, Margarita's native country, is inspired by Germany.
 * Her maiden name, Felix, is Latin for "happy", referencing her constant desire to achieve happiness in her life. Ironically, the sin of Sloth is often associated with feelings of depression,
 * In numerology, the name Blankenheim is associated with being emotional, sentimental, inquisitive, independent, and ruled by love, needing encouragement or affection when unloved and feeling unhappy when there is a lack of harmony.
 * Margarita's name is partially inspired by her representative Vocaloid, Miku, sharing the same first letter.

Curiosities

 * Margarita offers her "gift" as a "depressant" to relieve insomnia, a wordplay on "depression" and the sin of Sloth.
 * Margarita delivering a deadly gift to the town's inhabitants ties with the characteristic twisted "Christmas" motiff that surrounds Père Nöel.
 * Margaret, a minor character in Story of Evil, seems to be a reference to Margarita; both have the same name derivative, committed suicide via poison, and bear a strong resemblance to Eve Moonlit.
 * While Julia Abelard was her close friend, it is unknown when and how she became involved with Père Noël.
 * In the Five the Pierrot PV, III. the Princess of Sleep is labeled as the "first green" and that she had retired, referencing her suicide the year before.

Gallery
Concept Art=