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This is actually so fcking sad! Like, we KNOW Shaia knows his fiance loves some other person that he can never live up to, and it's not like Beryl is trying to move on and WANTS to be with Shaia, he's simply doing this whole thing FOR the dead soulmate. That musty old dog set him up with someone who had a soulmate already on purpose, with hopes he'll just sleep with numerous people. What's so horribly sad to me is exactly that: Shaia only agreed to this marriage for politics and looks because he wanted to give Theo what he really wanted (a relationship with his brother without anyone meddling) because he loves him. It's so fcked that Shaia and Hugo likely fell for Theo around the same time and ages, but Theo simply fell in love with Hugo in a way he cannot for Shaia. And Shaia seems very, very aware of this.
I get he's being a bit of a turd, dare I say a troll, to Beryl -- but I argue that this isn't because Shaia is some evil brat. I think he's desperately sad and really really wants what it seems everyone else is able to have: a real relationship. His parents, grandparents, his uncles, and now his brother all get their happy ending with THEIR love of their life. His giving up on Theo is recent and probably still a fresh hurt. The side story implies Shaia started to be more independent to give Theo reason to pay him less attention. Now Shaia's love life is being dictated by someone who laughs at the idea of him never finding what his parents had, a relationship so strong you want only that person forever and you CHOOSE them, not just for fate's sake but out of love and devotion. And now he's constantly in competition with a dead soulmate (no that's not fair to Beryl, his dead soulmate, or Shaia). Like, I feel for Shaia. Hopefully the story spends time letting this develop. It's not hard at all to feel bad for Beryl, he's a sympathetic character who is easy to like because he's so sweet and all he wants is to do right by his caregiver and soulmate. But at the same time, I really hope we get Beryl opening Shaia up beyond this "Everything is fine. Life is fun!" facade he has towards his classmates. I mean, Shaia straight up said he wanted them to pretend, at school, that they are high school sweethearts and that Beryl does all these things Theo does for Hugo, because he wants the facade that he is loved the same way Hugo is loved. He's going about it terribly, but geez it only makes it sadder that he so obviously wanted exactly what he cannot have: a relationship started out of pure interest and formed into an honest love. Maybe they'll work up to that (hopefully) but rn every scene confirming that Shaia is doing his BEST to keep the peace for his family is gut wrenching.