I just started this & binged read this and also thought they were madly in love” but that wasn’t the case. The princess was unhinged/obsessed with the duke. She forced their engagement because she was the spoiled princess. She was well aware he didn’t have feelings for her but she didn’t care she just wanted to be near him. She said this multiple times when they were young. The duke being raised to be the perfect heir played the perfect finance. Even her mother at one point was please just play along. Her unhinged possession was clear when he became a servant. She caught those 3 servants who were bullying him & told him he can kill them. I mean that was normal behavior for nobles but in that moment she just looked out of it. Yes you can say they eventually were in love but their relationship started twisted
the moment when she gave up his ownership she hadn’t explained anything to him. He was suppose to go to a faraway land & then come back a noble. Her brothers lied to her because they wanted him dead.
They havent explained anything, but I’m assuming maybe the brothers were trying to marry her off cuz in that scene were they get killed it looks like she’s in a wedding dress. He probably came back victorious from the war ready to kill them all, but maybe in that moment he couldn’t do it. And that’s when he came up with the crazy condition. That she would give herself to him for the throne
The grand duke is so manipulative oh my god...It's so tragic given the fact that they were so in love once , his hardships actually did turn him into twisted and cruel person he is today... him forcing her to sleep with him every night and then withdrew his support off when she refuses to do so , if literally like telling her "You are just a empress in name and I lead the palace , you are just a whore to satisfy my desires , and you have no real power is just a pawn who must forever obey me or you die"... even the servants and the subjects don't respect her or acknowledge her as the empress , and the fact they know the empress had to literally beg the grand duke to not withdraw his support is destroying her reputation and dignity more... he is literally pushing her into a corner and manipulating her into becoming nothing but a sex doll and saddest part of it , even she is starting to believe that maybe she is just grand duke's property and whore and not fit to be an empress and she doesn't belong anywhere and nobody will ever help her if she tries to run away...
Also I can understand where the grand duke is coming from given his parents were killed , he lost everything, his status, his dignity, he was abused and bullied by nobles , humiliated by everyone and then suddenly send off to die in the front line at war with barbarians by the only person he loved, but what I don't understand is how did he even believe that he could ever hurt him ?? Was the transfer of his ownership paper enough to break his trust in her ?? Did he not see how my she sacrificed to save and protect him ?? She literally gave up on the mines , her status as the princess and even her family just to protect him ...Oh this is so heartbreaking