| Estella Lilburn | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Japanese Name |
エステラ・リルバーン |
|
Romanized Name |
Esutera Rirubān |
|
Nickname(s)/Alias(es) |
- |
|
Debut |
|
|
Voice actor |
川澄綾子 |
|
Status |
Deceased |
Estella Lilburn was Elvis Lilburn's granddaughter and heiress to his possessions, including a collection of books. She is present in the Book of Fetus story.
Background[]
Estella was abused by her grandmother in her childhood.[1] As seen in the anime, she would beg and still be beaten with a whip and probably locked in a dark room.[2] Like all women in the Lilburn family, Estella turned into someone capable of killing, doing that to prevent people from leaving her. Elvis Lilburn's wife was also a killer around Estella's age. Estella was following her grandmother steps, 50 years later.
Estella's parents were murdered, making her inherit all assets from her grandfather Colonel Lilburn. A golem was created to hide the evidences of the murders she committed. She's Martin Geese's cousin, with whom she has a love relationship.[1]
Personality[]
Estella's personality is affected by the cruel way she was raised. She's well-mannered despite being a murderer. Estella is possessive and needy, killing her fiancés so they can never leave her. She shows no remorse after killing someone. Estella still fears her late grandmother, apologizing profusely after having her dress stained.[1]
Appearance[]
Estella has blue eyes and brown hair, which she uses in an updo chignon style, exposing her nape like her grandmother, as seen in the anime. She's always with an amber brooch in her chest. In Episode 2, Estella appears with two different clothes. The first one is a long-sleeved light green dress with shoulder pads and blue borders and buttons. After this dress is stained with blood, Estella uses a short-sleeved wine dress, also with shoulder pads, with details in khaki. She was wearing red lipstick on her last day of life. As a child, she appears with the same hairstyle, although wearing a frilly dress.[2]
In the light novel, she's described as a beautiful, 17-years-old blonde girl. Her hair is down during the second day of the story.[1]
Plot[]
Estella meeting Hugh and Dalian.
Estella guides Hugh and Dalian to her grandfather's study. She had send a letter to Wesley, requesting his services, unbeknownst of his death. However, Hugh accepts the job to assess the collection of books Estella inherited from Elvis Lilburn, since she does not know the value of them. She exchanges pleasantries with Hugh, putting Dalian in a bad mood. Since Estella's parents have already passed away, she had inherited the mansion, along with her grandfather's collection. When the bells from the clock tower are heard, Estella explains that the source of the sound is the carillon of the mansion that plays every hour. Her grandfather amassed his fortune manufacturing music boxes. He applied the same techniques to construct the clock tower.
Later that day, Estella is mentioned by Hugh and Dalian. The latter is not happy noticing that Hugh is showing interest in Estella, assuming that he's attracted to her hair. Estella is also mentioned by Martin Geese, her cousin. Martin affirms that Estella is isolated because of a curse which attracts murder to everyone that tries to take Estella out of the mansion, including her parents, and that the source of the curse is a Phantom Book hidden somewhere in the Colonel's collection. At night, Hugh learns that the first murder occurred 50 years ago, when Estella was not yet born, and that the incidents suddenly stopped for a while and, after decades, started again around her. Dalian affirms that the curse doesn't exist and that Phantom Books do not affect those who only possess it. A Phantom Book only works when someone reads it.
Through a window, Hugh sees Estella outside, walking next to Martin. Dalian is delighted knowing they are a couple. When Hugh goes outside after hearing Martin's scream, he finds Estella with blood in her dress, next to a golem holding Martin's body in its arms. After the Golem flees, Hugh asks if Estella is fine. She worries about Martin, apparently oblivious of what just happened. Estella shows a creepy smile for a moment and then profusely apologizes to her late grandmother for the state of her dress.
Estella stabs Hugh.
The next day, Dalian reads a book about the history of the Lilburn family and learns that Colonel Lilburn's wife is descendant of people hunted down because of a string of murders within their territory. Estella interrupts them, bringing lunch. The servants who prepared the lunch left the place after Martin’s death.
Estella believes that Hugh will be with her forever. She goes crazy when he says otherwise. She stabs him with the kitchen knife she was using. Estella explains that she kills so that people cannot leave her. The Golem breaks through a wall, revealing the bodies of all the servants. Dalian explains that the women of that household are born with an impulse to kill. Hugh shows that he was saved because of a book put in his pocket by Dalian. The latter reveals that the Golem was created to hide the evidences of the crimes committed by Estella and her grandmother.
Estella in her last moments.
When Hugh uses The Clay Tablet of Ugarit to attack the Golem, Estella is pushed away. She tries to get up while the Golem walks towards her. Estella is unfazed when the Golem is defeated, after Hugh and Dalian destroy the clock tower where the Phantom Book controlling the creature was located. The mansion starts to collapse. Estella affirms that she will stay in that place with everyone else. A week later, Dalian explains the curse that affected the women in the Lilburn family as a psychological change due to abuse in their youth. Dalian mimics Estella's hair to attract Hugh's attention.[1]
Trivia[]
- In the anime, she seems to hold her grandfather Elvis Lilburn in high esteem, keeping the promise to stay in the mansion.[2]