I have often wondered why, in many a profile description, Relena is called a spoiled brat. Does she ever really act like a brat? People always use the same examples, but I don't really notice anything that justifies the claim.
You can't say that wishing that her father would acknowledge her birthday more than fleetingly, or even spend more time with her, is bratty. She was actually extremely selfless in the fact that she let her father go without whining to him about her birthday. She even walked herself home when a car was offered to her. She didn't want to trouble anyone. WHile walking home, however, she only burdens the air in front of her with the weight of her emotions as she complains about her father not making time for her.
Relena is an extremely kind and thoughtful person. She may be spoiled, but that doesn't make her a brat. People make the mistake of putting those two words side by side like they belong together when sometimes they don't, especially in Relena's case.
As the daughter of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, Relena is very polite and quiet. She appreciates her "friends", even though they like her just because she's rich. She's conservative and always acts properly. It's sad, really, that she acts like the way she does. She doesn't have any real friends because she's virtually closed herself off to other people. She's like a shell of a human being at school, and it even seems she's like that around her parents as well.
When Heero comes into her life, Relena's own curiosity and compassion for him lure her beyond her walls of polite sophistication. She allows others to see her feelings of anger and hurt and surprise. She doesn't wear the same mask anymore. It seems she's too preoccupied with all the things that life seems to sudden throw into her lap to plaster her familiar fake smile on.