Rose of Versailles, Volume 12 (ベルサイユのばら), is composed of two stories. One following the hapless Florian F Girodel (no one knows what the ‘F’ stand for,) as he watches, but does not participate fully, in Versailles life – and while Oscar pretty much robs him of everything he desires, without even trying. She’s got his job, isn’t becoming his wife as he intends, she gets all the attention and she even gets the girls, as he finds out when he meets Fersen’s sister, Sofia. We watch him suffering through Oscar’s resignation, and her death, and we learn of his fate after the war. Girodel’s life, as so many others, ends with a date with Madame Guillotine.

The second half of the book, follows a tempestuous affair between a young woman, betrothed to a well-borm man old enough to be her father, and a gorgeous young noble, whose love of Lorraine matches her own. Despite her betrothal, Georgette sleeps with Regnier, and later admits her crime tearfully to her mother. The engagement is called off, and her lover, with the new prince’s permission, accepts a commission in the Army, sweeping Georgette away to Versailles to become Mrs. Regnier de Jarjayes, and the mother of Oscar Francois (named after the new Prince of Lorraine) de Jarjayes.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – More sex, but still a lot of crying 8
Characters – 9
Service – 2
Yuri – 1, if only for Sofia’s obvious crush on Oscar.

Overall – 8

Oscar’s mother is actually one of my favorite characters, because you sort of assume she’s not even alive at first, then suddenly midway through the series you find that she’s perfectly fine and has been at Versailles all along. ^_^

Also included in this volume are the 2014 images of Oscar created for fashion magazine Spur.