Esme Santos

Esmeralda "Esme" Santos is the best friend of Luz Reynoso and one of the protagonists of the series.

Appearance
Esmeralda is described to have a model's body. She is very tall and slim. She has a bit of muscle, as she is a skilled swimmer. Esme constantly brings snacks, even while she is on the job. Despite all her snacks, she never gains any weight.

Her skin is tanned from living in Australia with her cousins. Esme's hair was darker when she was younger, but hours in the sun lightened her hair to a golden brown color. Her almond shaped eyes are dark brown and are indicative of her Filipino heritage.

Personality
Under the influence of Grace, Esmeralda became a pageant winner and successful model. She lavished in the attention and learned to ignore the jealousy of the ladies at court. Growing up with three brothers, Esme learned how to play rough. She was able to keep up with them, even excelling in some aspects. When she was twelve, Esme broke her arm trying to outdo her brothers while they were cliff diving.

Like her brothers, Esme loves a good adrenaline rush. This along with her pageant background allowed her to easily slip into her spy persona. She had initially wanted to become an Eagle Warrior, but ended up joining Josefina's elite group of spies, her Gatas.

Esme has a very warm, outgoing personality. She is sweet and kind, but can be ruthless when needed. She is fiercely protective of her family. One of her biggest fears is falling in love, as she sees her mother's story as a cautionary tale. Victoria's downfall, in Esme's eyes, was love. Esme has many relationships with people throughout the series, but none she takes seriously.

Biography
Esme was born in Cairns, Queensland, the love child of Saturn Court Princess, Victoria Healy, and Venus Court Prince Fernando Santos. Victoria decided to keep her pregnancy a secret from Fernando, with the help of her close friend, Ariel Reynoso and sister-in-law, Adelaide Williams. Esmeralda was named the character in her mother's favorite book. Her middle name was chosen as an ode to her Filipino heritage. One year later upon her mother's death, Fernando was made aware of his daughter's existence, but the custody was awarded to Adelaide. Soon after giving birth to Henry, Adela disappeared. Esme was raised alongside her cousins, Will, James, and Harry by their step-mother, Grace Collete. Together, they would explore the outback and partook in mostly outdoor reaction. Esme was seen as "one of the boys." She would wear boyish clothing and would get confused as one of Arthur's sons. She was teased by the other ladies at court, who whispered amongst themselves about Esme's scandalous origin and her odd behavior. It grew to a point where Esme refused to show up to court events. Grace was the one who stepped in and taught Esme how to weaponize her beauty, signing her up for pageants, and helping Esme start her career as a model.

Grace was a kind, supportive mother, allowing her step-children to express themselves freely. She gave birth to Aiden and Mason (twins) and Arthur's daughter, Shauna. In 2014, Grace died from breast cancer at the age of 35. Distraught, Esme decided to distract herself and was taken in by the Reynoso family to be trained as an Eagle Warrior for the royal family of the Sun Court. There, Esme met the Reynoso sisters and got along quite well with the family. She was given the task of masquerading as Ana Lucia at important functions, donning a mask and wig. At the last ball before the night of the massacre, Esme was spotted by her father, who was indignant at the idea of his daughter being used in such a manner and demanded to take her home. After hearing about the deaths of the family she had gotten close to, Esme was heartbroken. She blamed herself for Ana's death for having not been there to protect her. Years later, when Josefina Reynoso offered her a chance at redemption, Esme jumped at the chance. Her new mission was to befriend Luz Reyes and keep a close eye on her at Columbia while she was in college. Esme enrolled as a student, studying music theory and theater. Although she only was meant to guard Luz, Esme truly became her best friend, forming a strong bond that only weakened after Luz ran away to east Los Angeles.

Powers & Abilities

 * Esme is a black belt in Choi Kuang-Do martial arts.
 * Strong swimmer, diver, and surfer.
 * Fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Mandarin.
 * Lead singer of her school's jazz band; she also starred in local productions of Miss Saigon. After graduating from college, she moved to Manila where she worked as a commercial model.
 * Esme inherited her father's abilities. She can manipulate water and is even stronger than his son, Manuel Santos.

Kai Wang (boyfriend)
Esme and Kai first met as adults, fighting each other. Kai had been trying to take Luz back to her father, while Esme was trying to help Luz in her mission. They fought fiercely, able to match each other blow by blow. Kai initially found Esme too headstrong and loud. After spending time together, they discovered that they shared similar backgrounds, with both being considered "bastards" and disliking the politics of the courts. They begin a friends with benefits type relationship. They eventually break up after Kai is instructed to marry wealthy heiress Yan Tang after Jack was stripped of his titles. Kai, not wanting to tell Esme, makes the situation even worse by hiding it, with her finding out through Rubylyn about the match. Jealous from seeing Esme with his brother, Kai fights to win back Esme's heart. Although in the commence of their relationship, he had said he was not the romantic prince charming type, Kai makes a grand gesture, nearly giving up his life to save Esme. They confess their true feelings for each and begin a relationship.

Jack Wang (childhood crush)
Esme and Jack have known each other as children. Esme had a crush on him when she was young. Her first kiss was with Jack, but they were both not interested in starting a formal relationship. They continue to have a flirtation, with Jack constantly complimenting her and showering her with gifts. He later owes her a favor after she feigns being his girlfriend after an unfortunate incident at a restaurant. After Jack is stripped of his titles, the two grow closer. Esme later leaves Jack, realizing that she has fallen in love with Kai.

Family

 * Fernando Santos (father)
 * Esme does not have a close relationship with her father. Although he tried to gain her guardianship when she was a baby, Rubylyn secretly negotiated with Arthur to put a stop to the matter. Whenever Esme would visit him, despite his efforts, Esme was only ever cold to him. Fernando does care for his daughter and is proud of her accomplishments. He keeps constant tabs on her through George Healy, his friend.
 * Rubylyn Santos (step-mother)
 * Esme and Ruby have a terrible realtionship. Ruby feels threatened by Esme, as she is the daughter of her husband's great love. She was the one who started the rumors and gossip in the courts, determined to make her step-daughter's life miserable.
 * Manuel Santos (half-brother)
 * Esme and Manuel have a strained relationship. Ruby is constantly comparing her son to Esme, pressuring him to do better and outshine her. Manuel is not half as powerful as Esme and resents her for it.
 * Carlos Santos (half-brother)
 * Carlos does not have any prejudices against Esme. He loves his big sister and enjoys spending time with her. Ruby does not allow the two to see each other often, but when she is unable to separate them, Carlos relishes in his sister's attention. Esme was the one who taught him how to hold his first sword.
 * Jaslene Razon (paternal aunt)
 * Esme enjoys visiting the Razon family when she is in the Philippines. Jaslene, although a Venus Court Princess, dislikes the politics and scheming, preferring to live a quiet life with her human husband and children. They are both accountants living in Manila.
 * Benji Razon (uncle by marriage)
 * Like his wife, Benji is an accountant. He comes from a middle class family and lives a humble life.
 * Ricardo Razon (cousin)
 * Esme's openly gay cousin, Ricardo is a skilled cook. Esme often pesters him for food and he spoils her wish delicious, authentic Philippine cuisine.
 * Mercedes Razon (cousin)
 * Unlike the rest of her family, Mercedes yearns to experience the extravagant court life. She admires Esme for her beauty and wishes to become a true princess. Mercedes is the polar opposite to Esme, but they have always gotten along nicely.
 * Marisol Santos (paternal aunt)
 * Marisol is Esme's favorite aunt.
 * Victoria Healy (mother)
 * Although her mother died when she was a baby, Esme wears her pearl ring (a gift given to her by her father).
 * Arthur Healy (maternal uncle/adoptive father)
 * Her uncle took her in alongside the rest of his children when Victoria died. Arthur always treated Esme like another member of the family. He took her to court events, although it was deemed improper for her to attend, being the illegitimate child of Fernando and his late sister. Arthur was the one who first taught her to surf.
 * Adelaide Williams (maternal aunt/godmother)
 * Esme does not remember much of her godmother. Because she had no daughters, Adela spoiled baby Esme with lavish dresses and jewelry. As a close friend of her mother, Adela created a photo album for Esme to have in the future. She was the one who gave her the nickname "Esme."
 * Grace Collete (maternal aunt/adoptive step-mother)
 * Grace was the main maternal figure in Esme's life. She taught Esme how to use beauty as a weapon and deal with the jealousy of others.
 * Monique Weaving (maternal aunt/adoptive step-mother)
 * The newest wife to Arthur, Esme has not been able to spend much time with Monique. From her correspondence with her cousins, Esme does not think very highly of her. Although, most of it was greatly exaggerated.
 * William Healy (cousin)
 * Esme enjoys teasing Will about his fear of reptiles. She used to shift into her animal form to scare him. Will looked after Esme, treating her like his little sister. He often looks the other way when Esme is up to no good.
 * James Healy (cousin)
 * James and Esme and the closest relationship as kids. They would prank Will together and challenge each other to complete insane tasks. Since James is openly bisexual and Esme identifies as pansexual, they give each other relationship advice. James once punched Amir Ibrahim for making fun of Esme when they were children.
 * Henry Healy (cousin)
 * Aiden Healy (cousin)
 * Mason Healy (cousin)
 * Shauna Healy (cousin)
 * Kieran Healy (cousin)
 * George Healy (maternal uncle)

Friends

 * Luz Reynoso