I totally agree with you and sorry I didn't mean to put dislike
It's fine haha
Yeah true but she's also supposedly competent and has common sense so why is she being a pushover to him and making things worse by not discreetly getting a restraining order?
Being intelligent =/= having wits. She is portrayed as an intelligent woman, but not a socially clever one. And that's fine, we don't always need super empowered women as a protagonists. She doesn't want to be a bother to the emperor by asking for help, and she's trying to end things with the Duke in a civilized way (It was not possible at the end).
And restraining order? I don't believe those things where a thing in that era xD especially in really misogynistic times.
The girl was practically raised all her life to be the perfect wife for the Duke. The only family she ever had was the Duke parent's and the asshole himself. She didn't have friends nor other relatives, so she dedicated her whole existence to manage the Duke's assets and be the perfect fiance. And, after the war, the asshole found another girl and the poor mc is confused.
Bruh, the girl was literally raised with a mindset, THAT'S ALL SHE KNEW. PLUS, SHE BELIVES THAT SHE IS IN DEBT WITH THE DUKES PARENTS SO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO DISRESPECT THEIR SON/FIANCE. Of course she won't have a 180° change and be the baddie y'all want her to be. The change is slow but pretty realistic, let her be.
Smhhh