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I'm not downplaying her shit origins but...
Y'all know she's been killing all maids ESPECIALLY blonde ones because she fears that they'll do to her what she did to Navier...oh wait am I spoiling the story?(⊙…⊙ )
So, she lost her mother at a young age and had to "mature quickly" but she is shown to still behave childishly. Her whole demeanor is off considering that she is a duchess/ comes from a ducal family (I guess like a regal bearing?). She comes off as feeling more like a commoner/ low ranking noble who is mistreated by her family (Timid, or unsure of herself). Why is she suddenly so naïve? She was well loved by her father, and it was never mentioned that he neglected her, so why did she cling so hard to this supposed "love" for the prince (just because he was occasionally nice), and just blindly believed in him? With her father apparently a key player in the noble faction, how was she so ignorant of everything? (i.e. the competition between factions) Was she a shut-in with no friends? What about relatives from either side? Is the Emperor a tyrant? Even if he's been ill, there's no way Viktor and the other guy(can't remember his name) could just scheme all/ get away with that shit unless the replaced all the Emperor's people with their own (which would have taken a few years at least, to avoid suspicion). How did the church get that powerful? Even if they had the support of the Imperial family, without the support of the nobles, they'd be a paper tiger....The church is only formidable with the support of the commoners, so why not create a different temple or adopt another religion to keep their power in check? Oh and I'm still lost on that "your only sin was love" bit...
Damn this is a long-ass rant!
I'm sorry this story doesn't feel hashed out to me, it's missing SOMETHING and I don't know what it is...(maybe more backstory, but that could be coming later) ┑(￣Д ￣)┍
I think we're not giving her trauma the depth it deserves. She was basically kidnapped from her father, who seems to have been her only relative and taken to a religious authority figure who basically starved her, beat her and psychologically abused her for years.
Her one out from all this was the Prince.
She is basically isolated from anyone and everyone while under the religious dude's authority, so the Prince is like her saviour.
Then he makes that fake promise to love her....Not only abandoned her, but also tortured her and condemned her to be *burnt* at the stake...
I think she's behaving quite maturely for someone who is still haunted from all she experienced in her last life.
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Regarding why the temple is likely so powerful. The timing of the Oracle is suspicious as hell, as was contents.
It is hinted at there have been quite a few natural disasters in the kingdom. When there's uncertainty and suffering religion (unfortunately) flourishes.
Especially with the help of a saintess under their control.
Just wanted to respond, but I hear your points (⌒▽⌒)