CD Projekt Red has revealed that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt featured a secret love story no one knew about.
During the first episode of the studio's AnsweRED podcast (via IGN), story director Tomasz Marchewka explained that in the game's Blood & Wine DLC, Damien de la Tour, captain of Toussaint's ducal guard, is secretly in love with the person he's charged to protect - Duchess Anna Henrietta.
"I don't think it's said anywhere in the game, but we assume that he is secretly in love with her," Marchewka said. "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."
If you've played the Blood & Wine DLC, you may know that one possible outcome during the end of the campaign will find Anna's sister, Mary, killing her off, and Damien will be heartbroken.
However, the game implies that he's simply upset for having failed his Duchess and friend, but with the new information from CDPR, it's understandable why he is so grieved, especially if you read his journal after the fact.
"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," his journal entry reads. "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."
Thankfully, there's an ending that doesn't involve Anna dying, so this unrequited love story doesn't end tragically if you make the right choice, but it's technically not a happy ending for Damien either, as he continues to pine after the Duchess secretly.
Elsewhere, CD Projekt Red recently announced that an official mod editor is currently in the works for the PC version of The Witcher 3.
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