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Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, despite being Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's
fiancée, is shown not to particular like him, criticizing him about his
strategy for not facing the other Masters face to face and hiding in the
shadows while Lancer does all the work. However during the series it's shown
she has developed feelings for Lancer.

Lancer however possesses a curse known as the Mystic Face which takes the form
of a beauty spot on his face and causes any woman who looks at his face to
instantly fall in love with him. During their first encounter at the port
Saber was shown to be immune because of the High Magic Resistance those of the
Saber Class obtain and pointed that out to Lancer (which lead to Lancer's
identity).

So I am wondering, did Sola-Ui truly love Lancer? or did she fall in love with
him only because of Lancer's curse?


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fate-zero
Did Sola-Ui truly love Lancer?


Kayneth himself tells us that even the lowest class of Magi (anyone with magic
circuits and some training in using them at the simplest levels) are
functionally immune to Lancer's enchanting beauty mark. All they have to do is
cycle their prana and it will wipe out the effects of the curse. In the anime
in particular you actually see Iri start to come under the effect of the
curse, only to immediately break it as soon as she suspects something
unnatural is afoot. This happens in the novel, as well.

Sola-Ui herself is from a respected magus family, and while not the heir to
the crest she was not ignorant of such basic techniques (by Kayneth's
remarks). Her marriage to Kayneth is specifically an attempt to combine two
high quality magi in hopes they will have similarly gifted children, which is
itself an attempt to counter the degradation in the quality of magecraft and
magi in the modern age.

However, the curse breaking only triggers if the affected person actually does
the prana cycling, and so anyone unwilling (or unable) to do so will be
subjected to the effects of the curse normally. I don't recall the novel ever
giving us any of Sola-Ui's motivations direct from herself, but it is heavily
implied that she intentionally allowed herself to be subjected to the curse.
In the anime there is a sequence where she looks upon Lancer, we get a close-
up of his beauty mark (the embodiment of the curse), and then a shot of an
obviously entranced Sola-Ui, and a reaction shot of Kayneth suggesting he has
noticed something happening. Kayneth also notices this in the novel,
specifically telling the reader (through his internal monologue) that any
magus should be immune as long as they try to resist, and then wrestling with
the implications of whether Sola-Ui just intentionally let herself come under
its influence.

So the answer to your question depends heavily on what one interprets that
choice to mean.

Given that the novel was written by Urobuchi, who is well-known as a writer of
tragic or at best bitter-sweet stories, would suggest that the correct
interpretation of Sola-Ui's motivations here are lust and escape from an
arranged future she does not desire. Romantic relationships in Fate/Zero, as
with Urobuchi's other works, are inherently all flawed and tragic. As you
said, she was not particularly interested in Kayneth, and certainly not in
love with him (and even Kayneth himself acknowledges this, but hopes that with
time she will come to love him in earnest). Lancer, on the other hand, was
very attractive, mysterious, and possessing a romantic legend.


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