Idk personally I think that Bri, the Duke/ogML, also originally liked Bell in the original story and similarly to Connie, felt betrayed by the Prince whom he swore loyalty to since he both cheated on his friend and caused his precious friend to become a mistress (where there is clearly a power imbalance), so he joined hands with Connie for revenge. Idk if I’m making sense but I think Bell is not a reliable narrator for the “novel”. Clearly her personality didn’t change after she “remembered her past life” since she still behaves in the exact way she did when she was younger and didn’t have these “memories”. Plus I don’t think the white haired dude is actually attracted to her, I think he sees her as useful and interesting. Anyways these are just my guesses/feelings so ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Idk personally I think that Bri, the Duke/ogML, also originally liked Bell in the original story and similarly to Connie, felt betrayed by the Prince whom he swore loyalty to since he both cheated on his friend and caused his precious friend to become a mistress (where there is clearly a power imbalance), so he joined hands with Connie for revenge. Idk if I’m making sense but I think Bell is not a reliable narrator for the “novel”. Clearly her personality didn’t change after she “remembered her past life” since she still behaves in the exact way she did when she was younger and didn’t have these “memories”. Plus I don’t think the white haired dude is actually attracted to her, I think he sees her as useful and interesting. Anyways these are just my guesses/feelings so ¯_(ツ)_/¯