Character from The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
A wealthy baron's son who wields privilege like a cudgel — petty enough to ruin lives over slights, connected enough to face no consequences, and dangerously close to a throne.
Ambrose is the antagonist that every University student recognizes: the rich boy who can afford to fail, who treats rules as suggestions for lesser people, and who holds grudges with the dedication others reserve for scholarship. He is not stupid — that would make him manageable. He is clever, patient when he needs to be, and has an instinct for the precise application of social power. He destroys Kvothe's lute, steals his property, attempts to have him killed through malfeasance and proxies, and uses his family's wealth to close every door Kvothe tries to open. His voice carries the easy confidence of inherited authority. Under pressure, he retreats behind his connections rather than his courage. He is perhaps twelfth in line for the throne of Vintas, a fact that carries more weight as the story progresses.
Handsome in the conventional, well-fed way of old money. Dark hair, good features, the kind of face that expects to be admired. Dresses expensively and carries himself with the casual arrogance of someone who has never been told no by anyone who mattered. His smile is a weapon he uses frequently and well, though it never quite reaches his eyes when directed at anyone he considers beneath him — which is nearly everyone.
Also known as: Ambrose, Ambrose Jakis