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Yufina Castella, was a Countess of the Kingdom of Marlon, and the lover of King Karchess. After her beloved had gone missing, Yufina was asked to help investigate the disappearance cases plaguing the Beelzenian Empire. Discovering that Duchess Lukana Venomania had been the perpetrator, Yufina assassinated the Duchess and eloped with Karchess whilst dodging both Beelzenia and Marlon.
History[]
Early Life[]
Born in EC 110, Yufina became a countess of the Kingdom of Marlon and befriended Baron Tae Conchita. After Princess Aprilis ascended the throne, Yufina became the favored retainer of her king, Karchess Marlon, and the two entered into an affair, regularly meeting privately in secret. During this time, Yufina told Tae about the affair.
Venomania Event[]
In March of EC 136, Yufina learned the royal couple was departing for the Beelzenian Empire and secretly met with Karchess in the port town of Jamet the day before their departure. After exchanging the usual intimacies, Yufina was reluctant to part with Karchess and begged him to stay a little longer. Touched, Karchess then gave her the golden key pendant he always wore, telling her of its importance and to keep it until he returned.
Interpreting it as payment for breaking off the relationship, Yufina became incensed until Karchess insisted he wouldn't be gone too long and promised to come see her as soon as he returned. Karchess then bid her goodbye and Yufina swiftly departed, waving him goodbye. Later on, Yufina joined the crowd awaiting the royal couple's return at the harbor. Watching as the return ship arrived and its passenger disembarked, Yufina was puzzled to not see Karchess or his wife.
Seeing his acquaintance Leuno Dino, Yufina interrogated him, given the cover story that Karchess was too ill to return and was staying in Beelzenia to recuperate. Refusing to believe the cover story, Yufina hounded Aprilis once she returned; Aprilis eventually confessed that Karchess had been abducted in Asmodean. Traveling to Beelzenia to search for him, Yufina was eventually asked by Tae to help her and Prince Kio Beelzenia with their investigation.
Yufina accepted the offer, traveling to the imperial palace and meeting both Kio and Tae in person. Telling Kio about the affair, Yufina was met with his amusement before being allowed by him to help with the investigation. Handed all the documents they had so far, including confidential information regarding Karchess, Yufina agreed to handle them with discretion after being warned by Kio. She then excused herself and looked through the documents, deciding to start investigating in Mystica.
Later on, Yufina discovered the golden key's unique ability to shapeshift and assumed it was some form of advanced technology. Noticing that Rajih Assad's disappearance in April coincided with local Ferdinand Family's massacre, Yufina traveled to the Ferdinand Mansion in Mystica and met with the Marquis residing there. As they talked, Yufina confirmed that the new marquis had been transferred in as his uncle's replacement following the massacre. The two then discussed the culprit's objective and the possible connection to Rajih's disappearance, the marquis confirming that his uncle and the boy had never interacted.
Yufina then learned no one even saw Rajih leave town, much like in the other disappearance cases. The marquis furthermore told her that a peasant named Lilien Turner who was friends with Rajih had apparently gone mad after his disappearance, claiming Duchess Lukana Venomania committed both crimes despite no one else seeing the Duchess come to Mystica. Interested, Yufina pursued the lead found Lilien who had just come out of a shop. Yufina confirmed this was the woman she sought and, as she introduced herself, began to question her about Duchess Venomania and Rajih.
As the embittered Lilien tried to leave, Yufina stopped her and convinced her that they would talk with each other as equals. She then showed Lilien the golden key in her possession, explaining it was a weapon that could kill a demon. After hearing Liliens full testimony, Yufina sent a report to Kio of her progress in the past month.
Included in her report were hrr findings, namely that Duchess Venomania was the most suspicious, and that all the people testifying against her were from the Held sect, although acknowledging that they could be merely trying to smear Venomania's name due to the differing accounts. Regardless, Yufina requested Kio to arrange an audience with Venomania.
Slaying the Demon[]
Once Yufina arrived at the imperial palace herself, she was stopped by Tae at the gates and informed that Kio had gone missing the day before. They then set out for Asmodean, having tracked Kio to there. Yufina and Tae were unable to produce any results.
After Tae was finally able to meet with Venomania, only to be given the cover story that she was still recovering from her family's massacre, Yufina decided to gather more information about Venomania, meeting with the old woman Witnis Truth in the town of Lisa-A. After the woman, apparently an old guard of the Venomania family, related her history with them, Yufina paid her before leaving.
Later on, Yufina met the mage Elluka Clockworker at her inn in Lasaland, expressing frustration at the imperial siblings' slow action. As Elluka cautioned her with regards to Venomania, Yufina refused to listen to her; she then explained how the golden key pendant Yufina carried was actually a vessel of sin capable of defeating Venomania.
Asked to hand it over to her, Yufina refused. Elluka then left, saying to look for her at her inn should he change her mind. Soon after, Yufina formulated a plan and forged a contract with the Demon of Wrath, transforming the key into a knife. She then ties up her hair to look like a man and visited the Duchess at her mansion.
Impersonating as a man, she spoke with Venomania, accusing her of being the culprit but also claiming she wanted to join her harem under the pretense of having fallen in love with her. After allowing Venomania to believe she'd exerted her powers over her, Yufina followed the duke into her basement and stabbed her in the chest with the knife once she came too close.
Triumphantly shedding her disguise, Yufina left Venomania to die before searching for Karchess; with all the men freed, including her beloved, Yufina and Karchess fled Asmodean and eloped. With their affair exposed, the two became fugitives of both the Beelzenian Empire and Marlon.
Later Life[]
In EC 138, Yufina returned to her homeland and launched a coup to establish a legitimate Marlon country. With Karchess considered the one legitimate heir to the Marlon Royal Family, she received the backing of many Marlon nobles and was able to successfully install the new government, overthrowing Aprilis. Yufina then ascended to the throne as its queen and part of the royal family. Later on, Yufina give birth her husband children.
Legacy[]
Following his lineage continued for over eight centuries, including Banica and Michaela Marlon; the latter adopted "Yufina Castella" as a pen name for her paintings and later using it as her alias during the Lucifenian Revolution. The Golden Key wielded by Yufina was kept in the royal family's possession for several centuries, with tales of Yufina' triumph over Duchess Venomania passed down to future generations since that time.
Character Connections[]
Lukana Venomania: Yufina's object of pursuit. During her investigation Yufina was suspicious of Duchess Venomania, thus following the lead Lilien provided. When she discovered her role in the men's disappearances, particularly Karchess's, she became wrathful towards the Duchess, taking delight in her eventual death.
Karchess Marlon: Yufina' lover. Yufina was a passionate lover for Karchess, both entering an affair with him and later eloping with him after the Venomania Event. His disappearance was another motivation for Yufina' interest in the missing men, becoming frantic to track his down, and he had provided her aid beforehand in giving her the Golden Key.
Lilien Turner: Yufina' partner. Yufina saw Lilien as a useful lead in discovering and catching the culprit of all the abductions.
Elluka Clockworker: A fellow investigator of Venomania. Yufina joined forces with Elluka for the sake of defeating Duchess Venomania, although he did not take their partnership seriously, deviating from it when she thought necessary.
Kio Beelzenia: Yufina' employer. Yufina was a close enough acquaintance of Kio that she accepted his request to investigate the men's disappearances, after Tae's recommendation.
Tae Conchita: A friend of Yufina. Yufina and Tae had a good relationship, the latter being one of the few privy to her affair with Karchess and recommending her to Kio to help with the investigation.
Trivia[]
Conceptualization and Origin[]
- Yufina's name is partially inspired by the name of her representative UTAUloid, Yufu Sekka, with both names sharing the first three letters.
- Yufina' surname, Castella, seems to be a reference to "Castella Cake" (カステラケーキ), the character item of her representative UTAUloid.
- Her later surname, Marlon, is a reference to Mammon, the patron demon of Greed.