Renée de Noailles

Renée de Noailles is the main character you play as in the book Vying for Versailles.

Her name can be changed at the beginning of the story or it can stay her default name. Most choices you make for this character influence one of the following variables: Altruism 🍃 (helping friends and family, serving King and country, and giving without regard to consequence), Calculation ♟️ (considering what's best for yourself and others, cleverly and patiently thinking out moves in advance), Hedonism 🍷 (embracing the moment and the senses, pleasing yourself and others), Bright Influence ☀️ (a good reputation in court) and Dark Spycraft 🌑 (a bad reputation in court).

These choices change the story, the interactions you have with other characters and the scenes you will be able to play.

About Renée[]

Renée is a young woman living in France. Her family used to have a fortune, but after her paternal uncle decided to support the rebellion against the young King Louis, the Queen Regent and the Cardinal Mazarin, their family estates and wealth were confiscated. As a child, Renée had always liked her uncle and remembers him as a funny man who taught her small magic tricks and took her on adventures around town. Her mother was an educated woman and loved to read little Renée stories. She also trained crows and even continued to feed them when she got seriously ill. After the family lost their home and fortune, her mother died and Renée and her father, the Marquis de La Fayette, had to leave their estate behind. The money they got from selling her mother’s jewelry quickly ran out, and begging proved to be unsuccessful since they still looked like nobles. Eventually, little Renée started stealing food and convinced her father that they had to move in with relatives.

Three years prior to the events in Versailles, Renée was in love with a pawnbroker's child and sold them family heirlooms no one would miss to made some money from it. Later on, her lover was arrested for dealing in stolen goods, and Renée never saw them again. Together with her father, she's now staying with Aunt Suzanne, her late mother's sister.

The story starts in 1665. Since Renée takes care of the family accounts, no one knows the truth of their situation. To keep it that way, she secretly steals from her aunt, who blames the servants. After the King's valet, Alexandre Bontemps, catches her red-handed and makes her an offer she can't refuse, her dream comes true and Renée is introduced at court. In return, Alexandre makes sure her father gets enough money to move into a small but beautiful and comfortable townhouse in Paris.

After being introduced to the court, Renée meets a lot of new people and visits parties and events, constantly moving up and gaining more and more influence. After she and her current love interest get shot down while riding in a hot air ballon, she starts investigating, ultimatively finding the culprit and uncovering even more intrigues going on in Versailles. At the end of Season 1, King Louis himself judges her based on her reputation in the court: He either asks for her continued insights regarding court matters or demands that she will serve as his personal spy, keeping herself and her work in the shadows.

When summer ends, Louis moves the court back to Paris and the Palais-Royale, while Renée returnes to live with her father in his townhouse. If Renée still has a good relationship with Alexandre and didn't try to free herself from his blackmail, they continue to meet and he teaches her how to pickpocket; he also hires a dancing master who helps her with learning proper etiquettte and the best and popular court dances. One year later, in 1666, the King invites the court back to Versailles for summer entertainments and Renée gets to return with them. She has to deal with new faces like Françoise-Athénaïs de Montespan and members of the Mancini family. In addition, Rénee helps to imvestigate the kidnapping of the Dauphin, son of Louis and Maria Theresa, and the heir apparent to the throne. Depending on the player's choices, Renée can be granted the title of the Duchess of Marley before the summer ends and gains a château with her own staff.

In 1667, Renée returns once more to Versailles and works on finding a poisoner before they can harm the King. Her standing at court is threatened by witch hunts, orchastrated by the new Chief of Police, and the return of a General involved in the Fronde Uprising who knew her uncle. In the end, Renée and Alexandre arrest the poisoner and Renée gets to ask for a boon from the King, shaping her future forever.

Relationships[]

Endgame Love Interests:
- Louis XIV: The King.
- Maria Theresa: The Queen.
- Prince Philippe: Louis' brother.
- Bonne de Pons d'Heudicourt: A young woman in Dowager Queen Anne's retinue.
- Alexandre Bontemps (from the end of Season 1): The King's valet.
Casual Love Interests:
- Armand de Gramont: A young man in Prince Philippe's retinue. Brother of Catherine.
- Catherine de Gramont: Princess of Monaco, a young woman in Prince Philippe's retinue. Sister of Armand.
- Chevalier Philippe: A young man in Prince Philippe's retinue.
- Henrietta: A young English woman in Prince Philippe's retinue.
Other relationships:
- Marquis Guillaume de La Fayette: Father.
- Aunt Suzanne: Her late mother's sister.
- Marielle/Nicolas: Ex-lover.
- Jean-René: Her uncle. He supported the rebellion against the young King Louis and was killed as a punishment.

Trivia[]

Renée speaks French, Italian, Latin and Greek.
She loves to read, whether it’s essays, poetry or literature.
The author stated that if the characters of the story would get transported into the modern world, Renée would end up being an antique dealer. ^[1]

Possible endings[]

If Renée ends up with her Love Interest, they stay together and live happily ever after. Depending on your previous choices, Renée might also be able to marry her partner and/or adopt a child.
If Renée ends up single, her fate is influenced by her reputation:
- On Bright Influence, people move aside when they see her, and know that she's well-respected by the King. Louis asks for Renée's opinions as if she was any other council member. She loves the feeling of power and influence, and everyone knowing her name.
- On Dark Spycraft, she continues to monitor the court from the shadows and hones her spycraft skills. The King seeks Renée's counsel away from view of everyone else. She loves her freedom, knowing the darkness has more to offer than the light.
- If her reputation is not good enough to stay at court, she will be exiled to Northern France, as the King sees her as a destructive force in his court.
If Renée has been romancing Louis, tried to poison Maria Theresa and got caught, she will either be exiled to Northern France or be executed in front of the court.