Despite being a pretty prominent character throughout the first half of the story, Cullum doesn’t have many illustrations. Not that I don’t love his character! He happens to be a bit tricky for me to draw.
Here’s a super official description of Cullum’s overall personality:
Cullum Soleil is bound by duty, loyalty, and an unshakable sense of honor. He is tall and broad-shouldered, built like a man who has spent his life wielding a sword, with sharp, sun-kissed features that mirror the name he bears. His dark eyes are observant yet weary, reflecting the weight of unspoken burdens.
Once a street orphan, Cullum owes his life to the late queen, who saw potential in him and gave him the chance to serve. This debt fuels his unwavering allegiance to the crown, though it also leaves him conflicted — especially when it comes to Leander, the boy he was meant to protect but now struggles to understand. Their bond is laced with tension, shaped by Cullum’s belief in duty and Leander’s resistance to it. Though he cares for Leander deeply, he fears growing too close, knowing that his loyalty to the king may one day demand his betrayal.
Cullum carries a quiet, restrained love for Freja, his childhood friend and the woman he believes is bond to him. Despite his devotion, she keeps him at a distance, never giving him hope yet never severing the thread between them. He aches for something she will not give, and though he tries to convince himself that their fate is already written, doubt lingers in the shadows of his mind.
Cullum is defined by his unyielding sense of right and wrong, but in a world where loyalties shift and truths unravel, he may find that honor is not so simple—and neither is love.
The best description of him from the current draft of the novel is as follows:
Cullum had stretched like taffy. His legs were longer, his arms were longer, and even his hair was longer. The fullness of his cheeks was carved away by time and too much training. His blue eyes were the only constant. The pearly blue shimmered at Leander, as if he saved his life. Grown out, his once white-blonde hair turned brassy. Just the ends of the strands were still light. Besides his nose, which was red and freckled, his face was warmly tanned.
From perspective of Leander Veille
I may be very indecisive, but Cullum’s design is mostly down. (The scars man, idk. They are all injured so much.) His appearance drastically changes at some point. He chops off his longer hair and gains a gnarly scar across his right eye. The wound was so bad, he ends up losing his right eye entirely. He loses a bit of weight, giving him a leaner build. Most depictions of Cullum are before the events that caused these changes. Here’s the important stuff:
Sandy, brassy hair
Very blue eyes
Freckles
Muscular
There are the most canon sketches of Cullum.
There is one sketch that really captures Cullum’s essence.
My first sketch of Cullum!
And finally, my favorites. Yippee!
He was a knight, and it was his duty to follow the king’s orders, but he didn’t respect the king. He loved Freja and dreamed of her happiness, but she didn’t want happiness. The queen took him from the streets, a kindness that should be repaid, but she never asked anything from him. And there was Leander, who was stuck in a frenzy of what others wanted, just as he was. With so much weighing on his mind, he could’ve taken a wrong turn, but the steps lay ahead of them. Cullum feared there were no wrong turns. He feared no matter which turns he took, they’d lead him to these steps.
Chapter 12
Short aside, Leander sees Cullum as a soldier who’s been hardened by the battlefield. In reality, he has never killed a man. Further, Cullum finds true shame in his past on the streets.
He knew the alleys as well as a street rat, a bittersweet fact. He’d never wash off the stench of Rafflesia district. Regardless of what uniform he put on or who he stood beside, he’d be an orphan with alleys instead of veins.
Chapter 13
Cullum is painfully aware of how much he owes to the royal family. If it weren’t for the queen’s mercy, he may have been one of the many orphans left to die on the streets. He is bound by this perceived need to repay. He spent so long serving the needs of others that he has an extremely hard time figuring out what he wants for himself. Freja is essentially the only thing he’s ever known he wanted, yet he cannot have her.
Thanks for reaching the end. As a bonus, here’s a little sketch of Cullum as a kid.
Stay tuned for more! Coming soooon!!
THE DIVINER'S SON 
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