• • The ML being cold to all + disinterest or distrust in communicating private matters with his subordinates, leading to widespread opinion for his marriage to the royalty to be the best outcome.

• • Then there's ML and MC struck in their own world, timid from differences from the past and their expectations. The circumstances only promoting the despondent mess of misunderstanding and disappointment...

• • MC's rationality also going offline from the anxiety and insecurity about the ML destined happiness with FL happily-ever-after; that, imo was aggravated due to repeated hypnotism on our MC by OG villainess witch she possessed for whatever possible reasons; combined that with her lack of sleep from nightmares and fatigue from overwork, the knights' hostility, the servants' anxiety, the king and temple's intervention... hehe

• • Nor does the only one who could advice ML happen to be puppy spirit king who doesn't understand human complexities?

So when ML, who was struck in confusion about men and women relationship, realized his puppy love and son-zone finally separate himself from his work transition as the liege, FINALLY understand what's going on around them, MC was already on the verge of fleeing before divorcing afterward.

AND THAT'S WHAT GOES ON FOR TENS OF CHAPTERS BEFORE He got it together and straighten things out so that MC at least wasn't on pins and needles everyday, but then MC divert her attention to money making projects instead, haha poor innocent puppy love ML...

Our ML finally realizes that he loves the FL only after the FL brings up divorce with him. But then again, good on him for finally doing something to further the romance (especially with these recent chapters)

To be fair, there seems to be some kind of magic that is forcing the FL to think about the original novel/ plotline so I can somewhat forgive her for not being being receptive to romance and whatnot. That being said, she doesn't show an inkling of having romantic feelings and is extremely dense to everyone around her when it comes to attraction.

For example in one chapter, a MAID had the audacity to ask to sleep on the same bed with the MC just because she was sad that the MC was ill on the basis that she used to do that to the MC when the MC was sad when she was younger! How is that even possible when the MC is a DUCHESS????.

In another chapter a few vassal BARONS, not viscounts, not counts but mere BARONS had the audacity to meet with the MC who is a duchess (and has a lot of power and riches) and tell her to her face that she's not suitable to be the duchess and that they want to remove her and make THEIR very immature granddaughter the new duchess. Like, how is that possible????! And a whole ducal household seems to have nothing but barons as their vassals. Not even a single viscount.

Third, the male lead came back from war and did not even got to the palace to pay respects to the EMPEROR. He didn't even set foot in the capital city at all!! Like, what kind of disrespect is this, and the emperor just let it slide??! Totally unrealistic. In a normal setting the emperor could have punished him severely even though he's a war hero.

This list could go on and on and on. I don't even want to mention the knights around the ML especially Heinz and Brien. A MERCHANT, just because he and the MC have done a few business deals can just waltz into the MC's home whenever he wants and on top of that speak informally to her (A DUCHESS)

1. And finally its super strange that in the novel, the MC and ML don't come into contact with any other noble. No tea parties, no invitations to balls, nothing, especially when the ML was making waves on the battlefield. There's even no mention of her family at all coming to visit or sending letters after she got married. Like they forgot about her. The novel keeps on talking about how greedy her father is and his horrible character, but how is it possible that such a greedy father didn't try ti leech onto his daughter when the duchy became rich while the ML was at the battlefield. And even after he became a well celebrated hero, it was as if her family was mute.