Idk what the comments are about, it was a really satisfying ending in my opinion. I think people don't get that *they were in love the whole time*. He hurt her, but they're husband and wife, they're in love and he has a right to try to right his wrongs if she's willing to allow it. Plus so much of it was terrible misunderstandings in his intentions (because he sucked at expressing himself and also just had a terrible personality at first). My thought was that if so many people hadn't actively gotten in the way when she ran away, they would've made up. But I also understand Francis wanting to free her from Edric. He didn't realize Edric really loves her and Edric didn't know how to treat her right and took her for granted. This sort of needed to happen, but the amount of time she was gone is unfortunate because I think this could've all been sorted out much earlier if she hadn't been being lied to and Oz hadn't hidden the letter. Which again, I get is because she also thought he didn't care about her. Everyone around them thought he didn't care about her, which really just shows how badly the optics were. He really needed this wakeup call. Him watching her live her life happily in the village showed him what she wants and also highlighted even more what she'd been doing for him though.
Francis was a really nuanced character, I'm very satisfied with how he ended up, as platonic family with her and Jade. It was fitting. All he wanted was family, he realized he could have that even if she wasn't his wife. That's why he had the realization that she hadn't betrayed him. With her character development, I'm looking forward to seeing Rosaline and him work it out. Since he did love her.
It hasn't been said explicitly yet, but I think that what Edric did for her was allow her a leadership position where she no longer has to worry about which man she's attached to, and in the absence of that she's now just wanting love and looking back to Francis. She has some making up to do, since she treated him badly in their relationship even though they were childhood friends.
I can see what people mean about the pacing, I guess, since suddenly everyone is nice to her when she comes back, but I think it's explained by the story if you think about it. Everyone thought she *died*. Like, I was a little thrown off by the crown princess being nice to her all the sudden, till I realized it's not really "all the sudden", it's been three years, a funeral and the Duke being a suicidal mess for those three years. It's understandable for mood/opinion to have changed in light of these events and time having passed. The evil mother (Ada, I think?) is gone, so no more pressure on the staff/no more machinations in general since she was sort of responsible for like all aspects of Mellie's failed life as an aristocrat.
I'm satisfied with Edric's growth and the reveal of his feelings. I don't justify his behavior up till then, it was trash, but I'm happy for them that he'll spend the rest of his life making up for it.
Idk what the comments are about, it was a really satisfying ending in my opinion. I think people don't get that *they were in love the whole time*. He hurt her, but they're husband and wife, they're in love and he has a right to try to right his wrongs if she's willing to allow it. Plus so much of it was terrible misunderstandings in his intentions (because he sucked at expressing himself and also just had a terrible personality at first). My thought was that if so many people hadn't actively gotten in the way when she ran away, they would've made up. But I also understand Francis wanting to free her from Edric. He didn't realize Edric really loves her and Edric didn't know how to treat her right and took her for granted. This sort of needed to happen, but the amount of time she was gone is unfortunate because I think this could've all been sorted out much earlier if she hadn't been being lied to and Oz hadn't hidden the letter. Which again, I get is because she also thought he didn't care about her. Everyone around them thought he didn't care about her, which really just shows how badly the optics were. He really needed this wakeup call. Him watching her live her life happily in the village showed him what she wants and also highlighted even more what she'd been doing for him though.
Francis was a really nuanced character, I'm very satisfied with how he ended up, as platonic family with her and Jade. It was fitting. All he wanted was family, he realized he could have that even if she wasn't his wife. That's why he had the realization that she hadn't betrayed him. With her character development, I'm looking forward to seeing Rosaline and him work it out. Since he did love her.
It hasn't been said explicitly yet, but I think that what Edric did for her was allow her a leadership position where she no longer has to worry about which man she's attached to, and in the absence of that she's now just wanting love and looking back to Francis. She has some making up to do, since she treated him badly in their relationship even though they were childhood friends.
I can see what people mean about the pacing, I guess, since suddenly everyone is nice to her when she comes back, but I think it's explained by the story if you think about it. Everyone thought she *died*. Like, I was a little thrown off by the crown princess being nice to her all the sudden, till I realized it's not really "all the sudden", it's been three years, a funeral and the Duke being a suicidal mess for those three years. It's understandable for mood/opinion to have changed in light of these events and time having passed. The evil mother (Ada, I think?) is gone, so no more pressure on the staff/no more machinations in general since she was sort of responsible for like all aspects of Mellie's failed life as an aristocrat.
I'm satisfied with Edric's growth and the reveal of his feelings. I don't justify his behavior up till then, it was trash, but I'm happy for them that he'll spend the rest of his life making up for it.