Even noble MCs are forced to still feel attracted to Breden months later at the end of winter celebration even if the MC has had months to come to dislike Breden.
I actually think Breden is worse than those two. When I first played this game, I actually liked Breden. However, the problem with Breden is that “less is more”, by which I mean “the less you know Breden, the more you’ll like Breden”. Conversely, “the more you know Breden, the less you’ll like Breden”. Breden is not only a RO shoved down our throats, Breden is a deliberately intensely flawed RO who after you have played enough different paths proves to be both arrogant and cowardly.
As stated by @Havenstone in the XOR 1 WIP thread:
Breden belongs (by definition) to a sex that you’re attracted to. That’s part of the mix that’s meant to make your relationship with Breden complex and memorable. I’m still not convinced that the initial pang of attraction should be a choice, any more than I get a choice in real life to feel attracted to a striking, highly charismatic woman. As you get to know Breden better, there are almost immediately options that take you down a not-attracted-to-this-individual path. As a noble, you can be pissed off at her manipulation of you in the helot meetings, you can reject her, and when she forces the issue in Ch 2, you can shut it down permanently. I wholly understand people hankering for noble romance options from your preferred sex, but I’m afraid I don’t intend those to crop up until Game II – when they will crop up in abundance.
The MC isn’t forced to like Breden. She’s attractive, and starts the game interested in you; but you can have a wide range of responses to her, many of which will quickly put the relationship into collegial or hostile territory. And yes, a non-bi MC has Breden or no one in Game 1. (Unless, as Taylor says, you interpret the initial “you couldn’t help noticing how attractive s/he was” as, for example, the way I inevitably recognize Channing Tatum as an attractive guy despite being straight myself). Other ROs will pop up in Game 2.
The first game is already out so I am less concerned with things that are too late to change than with how the sequels will be.
If the MC is a covert wisard and stops the Fourth Harrowing with a speech involving knowledge of the weak position of the Theurges, then Breden actually joins in though whether the MC feels Breden deserves any credit for that depends on whether or not the MC thinks Breden is a traitor and thus whether or not Breden’s life was ever at risk.
However if the MC stops the Fourth Harrowing as an overt wisard then Breden contributes absolutely nothing so my MC feels stronger grounds for suspecting Breden. Then if the MC gives the perfectly honest and reasonable answer that the MC is not sure who to trust, Breden actually has the gall to say:
Breden’s face hardens. “I thought I’d earned more of your trust than that, de Serin. Damn it, how do you hope to lead this band without relying on anyone?”
You keep your voice and eyes steady. “I’ll rely only on people who prove themselves trustworthy. The stakes are too high for me to make an exception for my friends. Even close friends.”
“Close friends? Xthonos burn you, you brainsick dandy. This isn’t about finding traitors. You’re just like the rest—behind all your pretty words, you still believe that only nobles can be trusted to lead.” You open your mouth to protest, but Breden cuts you off. “See how many helots will give you their trust when you’re so sparing with your own.” He stalks away.
My noble MC gave up EVERYTHING and risked the MC’s own life to try to save the MC’s friends while Breden did absolutely NOTHING. I don’t know whether or not the noble culture permits or encourages dueling to resolve disputes. If so, then Breden should count himself/herself lucky my MC had COM 0 or my MC would have been tempted to draw steel to settle that. As it is, I imagine my MC clutching tightly to the phials of aetherial blood and repeatedly reasoning out that Breden is not worth wasting blood for wisardry on.
At the end-of-winter celebration, the MC is forced to still feel attracted to Breden and Breden has the oblivious gall to ask the MC to dance. Rather than attraction, it would be closer to barely contained fury. In the strongest possible terms, I resent that the MC is still forced to feel attracted to Breden months after their first meeting and months after the mortal insults Breden gave to the MC. The only aspect of my MC that would still feel an irresistible attraction to Breden by the end-of-winter celebration after how insulting and arrogant Breden had been is my MC’s steel blade. Just because my MC treats helots with the same decency as any human being would deserve does not mean my MC is willing in any way, shape, or form to forgive or forget Breden’s arrogant oblivious rudeness.