This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set. Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published. You've been warned.
I have included all of my past comments on this Forgotten Secret. I want all of my thoughts in the same post, and it will be easier for me to find what I need if I separate the Forgotten Secrets into separate posts. I will indicate any additional thoughts by adding comments in brackets.
From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 The Forgotten Secrets:
Page 217 "I know you want me off the Council." "I do?" Kenric lowered himself into the chair and propped up his feet. "That's news to me."
Page 217 She leaned closer, placing her hand over his. "You're a better liar than most. But I can still tell."
Page 218 "I'm not a fan of you, either." Kenric's lips twitched with a smile: "Is that so?" "Yes. You're arrogant and boring. And you have terrible taste in everything." She crinkled her nose at his orange tunic—which did clash with his bright red hair.
Page 218 "And there it is," Kenric said, pointing to the hand she'd placed over her heart. "The wide-eyed innocent act you love to hide behind." "There's no act!" "Really? So you parade around in pink and ruffles because you want to be taken seriously?" "No, I dress this way because I like the way I look." "Pretty sure it's because you like to be admired." Kenric stood up to face her.
Page 222 "I'm capable. And I'm tired of being treated like I'm weak!" "I don't think you're weak, Oralie. In fact, I'm fairly certain you're stronger than all of us. But your ability will always make you more vulnerable to certain things."
Page 222 "During my last investigation, I learned that we've been imprisoning someone for thousands of years—someone whose crimes were so horrible, they've been completely stricken from any kind of record."
Page 223 "Emotions can't be erased. They can only be buried or misdirected—which is much harder to do with an Empath."
This memory shows how Kenric and Oralie did not get along with each other at first. We also learn that Kenric apparently knew about Vespera and that it could be considered his fault that Vespera escaped from Lumenaria.
Also of note is that Kenric props up his feet. He does that in this memory and in Forgotten Secret #5. I mentioned in my previous post that Forkle as Leto props his feet on his desk on page 490. The reader is being led to draw a connection between Kenric and Forkle/Leto.
We learn that Kenric was a good liar. We know that Forkle is a good liar.
From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 More on the Forgotten Secrets:
This secret is the one that fascinates me the most since it provides a full conversation between Kenric and Oralie in an everyday situation. Oralie has stalked into Kenric's readying room to complain about him missing most of her special first-year-as-Councillor celebration. The fact that she's so bothered shows that she has deeper feelings for Kenric than she realizes.
She complains that Kenric left during dinner after the first course. She thinks he couldn't stand to watch her celebration. Kenric tells her that he had an upset stomach, contacted Elwin, and then returned. Oralie places her hand on his and replies, "You're a better liar than most. But I can still tell."
So, we know that Kenric is lying about why he left. He certainly didn't go to see Elwin. The first few times I read through this scene, I took the scene at face value and didn't think anything of it. I just figured that Kenric left because he didn't want to be at the dinner. But then, that really doesn't make sense.
A moment later, Oralie complains that Kenric has bad taste "in everything."
Page 218: "I'm not a fan of you, either." Kenric's lips twitched with a smile. "Is that so?" "Yes. You're arrogant and boring. And you have terrible taste in everything." She crinkled her nose at his orange tunic—which did clash with his bright red hair. Kenric's smile widened. "If you were a better Empath, I doubt you'd denounce my taste in everything."
Kenric's last statement implies that he does care about Oralie, and she has no idea. If Kenric does care about Oralie, then he didn't leave the dinner to get away from her celebration. What would he have been doing, and why did Shannon make a point of mentioning it?
I think Kenric was switching with his twin. He'd have to disappear at times in order to make the switch. This must be why Kenric left the dinner.
Page 218 "And there it is," Kenric said, pointing to the hand she'd placed over her heart. "The wide-eyed innocent act you love to hide behind." "There's no act!" "Really? So you parade around in pink and ruffles because you want to be taken seriously?" "No, I dress this way because I like the way I look." "Pretty sure it's because you like to be admired." Kenric stood up to face her.
My take on Kenric's remark this time is that he correctly understands that Oralie puts on an innocent act. She pretends to have a fragile voice, and she dresses in pink ruffles so that people think she's just a helpless beauty. Kenric is very annoyed by Oralie's behavior, and at this early stage in their acquaintance, he has no idea why she acts like this.
[I no longer think Kenric is annoyed by Oralie's behavior. He's just acting annoyed so that Oralie won't realize how much he loves her. He's saying whatever he can to keep her riled up so that she doesn't sense his true feelings.]
Kenric and Oralie's conversation then switches to why Kenric voted against Oralie becoming a Councillor. Before Kenric answers Oralie, he "[takes] a step back." I suspect that Kenric steps back so that Oralie can't detect a lie. Kenric then tells her that she rushes through her assignments in order to garner attention and that is why he voted against her. Oralie is deeply offended.
Instead, Kenric probably voted against Oralie being a Councillor because he already cared about her. That is, the twins already cared about her. They saw her as a complication, and they had enough problems dealing with their shared identity and keeping that secret. They didn't need a potential love interest to be a Councillor, especially since their shared identity prevented either of them from ever marrying.
I also suspect that Kenric is openly hostile towards Oralie as a means to mask his true feelings. By angering Oralie, he keeps her from realizing how he feels.
[Yes, that's all this is. Kenric isn't annoyed by Oralie. He thinks she's wonderful, but he can't let her sense that.]
Lady Fayina is also mentioned during this conversation. She apparently fell off a cliff, and Oralie closed the case so that she could be declared dead. Who was Lady Fayina? Is she really dead? Could she be of some importance?
All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:
Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories
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