I'm not sure if Delita is intended to be sincere here or not, but to me it looks a lot like manipulation. Crush her self esteem and isolate her before making a move. Seems like something straight out of a pick-up artists playbook.
Similarly, is Ovelia a fake princess? Or is that just a lie to make her easier to manipulate. The source for that information wasn't particularly what I'd call trustworthy.
This kinda made me realize, if we are going with a Delita manipulation route.
You are princess Ovelia, over the past few weeks/months(?), you've been isolated from everyone you know, love and trust. Your told the truth, about how your entire life has been a lie. Isolated your entire life for the purpose of peace, they said. And yet you watch as the entire country is slowly descending into a brutal war, where people will and are allready dying.
And so much of it hinges upon you, so much of it hinges upon a princess that you've just been revealed you truly aren't. You are in turmoil, praying to the Gods for any kind of relief, salvation. When the brave Holy knight Delita walks into you, casting himself in the path of an assassin, protecting you. Assassins sent by a duke that should by all accounts been a loyal noble, and in this world of treachery Delita protects you. Heroically dispatching all of the assassins, as he turns to you with concern in his eyes, stoically but surely so tenderly asking if your safe. How couldn't your heart at the very least, thump a little from that...
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In the tale of the Hero Delita, this is surely a moment that's been memorized. Books must been written about this, art and film. It is such a beautiful fairy tail moment. The lonely princess being protected by the one person that promises above all else that he is on
her side. It is a really compelling idea.
I think few people wouldn't feel a twinge in their heart, couldn't help but trust in the presence of Delita in such a moment. Whom is so strong, whom is so smart. For a girl that's lived her entire life in a monastery, pulled by forces beyond her control? It must almost be intoxicating.
Of course, when you start to consider this from the perspective of Delita, whom is show to be quite shrew and cunning. It's a pretty lucky situation. Assassins happen to just strike as he reaches the princess alone, outside the rest of his co-conspirators.
if you were someone, that wanted to ensure that the princess was in your corner, this is a pretty good way of manipulating her like that, isn't it. Plant a false attack, and then just happen to concidently be the one that saves her in a moment of vurnability.
It doesn't even need to be pre-planning on Delita's side either to be honest. Delita name them as pawns of Larg, but it should be noted that Delita is the only one that accuses in this scene, the assassins says nothing. The only one that Delita needs to convince in this scene is the Princess, into further pushing her away from the differnet Dukes into only trusting him. And saying it so boldly against assassins, is a pretty good way of doing it.
It could be that Delita did walk in on a assassination plot, and is just smart enough to use the situation this creates in order to intertwin the princess further into his hands. He is definintly smart enough to do something like this on the spot. There are some stretches, but this is a final fantasy game, so this feels like something Delita could have done. Be it planning the attack himself, or finding out enough to interupt one at the perfect time
It could also be that Delita is just also interested in the princess, and was doing this out of concern. Or perhaps it was a mix of both. There's enough ambiguity i think for both sides to be a valid read, which is one of the really interesting things of final fantasy tactics. Just how little we get to know what the actual character thinks.
