(╹◡╹)ﾉ Here's a little recap and another perspective.
FL's main purpose in returning was to make him happy no matter what. She was here the second time around for her atonement. Before clearing the misconceptions she had in the first timeline, she believed he died because of her, because she forced herself on him and their marriage, that she made his life miserable, and he died just like that.
Their miscommunications from the first timeline had hurt her and she resented him after his death from all the pain until the woman she assumed was his lover delivered the ring he commissioned for her leaving the words "he told me to give to you." Which led her to search for answers and coming to a conclusion all on her own then eventually brought her to the mage that help her rewound time at the expense of hers, to grant her most desired wish, and that's to make him happy.
She herself admitted that she had been selfish during their first timeline, this time, she wanted to make it up to him. She's doing all that because she loves him then, when she was a truly evil woman, and now, that she has become matured and wiser due to her past experiences.
The misunderstandings from their past were cleared after wounding back in time, but the fact that she only had 1 year regardless of the outcome of her wish remains, so she had to do everything in rush to fill his life with people and he won't feel alone and miserable like he was in the first timeline.
His aunt was infuriatingly judgemental-for a justified reason that doesn't make her actions right- but FL can't be a chooser since ML had limited people in his life, and she's his only closest kin.
FL appeared to have begged the Aunt, but she actually played with the her mind, appealing to her using her emotions to lower her guard and trust them. That's the easiest way to deal with deeply manipulated people like her to get the best result that FL wanted after weighing her options. Yeah she could just demand the ring but that will only push the Aunt away and hide the ring to oblivion. ML might be more isolated in the future when FL's gone and that's what not she wanted.
Her drive for doing all of that was because she loves ML, and she already resigned herself that his happiness don't reside with her because she already lived a life that it didn't, and it's hard for her to think otherwise because that traumatic phase of her life was still fresh as yesterday to her. She's not over it. She can't see herself as a victim either because to marry ML in the first timeline she did a lot of bad things and she's owning-up to it.
FL didn't entirely come off strong with her actions but she was graceful with it. She never lowered her dignity and ML wasn't stepping on her, in fact FL was the one stringing him along in both lifetimes. It was obvious ML also had feelings for her in the first timeline, but because of his circumstances, he never knew how to convey himself, which was his shortcomings. Since FL was being straight forward with him in the current timeline, ML was baring himself to her more often. She disturbed him in unspeakable ways.
Also, it's a bit harsh to say that because he had been to war, he shouldn't deserve what FL was doing for him. He was sent to that godforsaken place while he was still a child. He's not innocent, yes, but "innocent puppy characterization" isn't the right term to what's happening with him. That was vulnerability and It wasn't an act.
ML was known as cold in the public but often finds himself acting out of character around her cuz FL just always got her right where he's vulnerable. He's not used to people having him by his weakness. FL pointed out in the recent update that ML tends to put up a wall and take care of his problems alone. FL relates to him because they're the same. This stirred him so much because she knew him all too well while he's already attached to her yet knows so little about her and felt like she could disappear at any moment. Then every time he asks, she never gives him a clear answer. That's frustrating and anyone would act out of character in a fit of emotion.
Yeah, the way they're dealing with their situation is clumsy, but that's realistically how beginners react to something novel to them, like what ML and Fl's current relationship is. They are just learning to navigate whatever the two of them have at the moment.
The reason she's not acting like the other OP femme fatale FMC like in other stories was because the point of her story wasn't the same as the others, her character plus backstory and goal didn't call for a highly dominant character narrative.
It's true that there are FMC's that lost their original characterization, but our FL here is not it, at least not yet. ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~
What began as a promising story quickly deteriorated into mediocrity. The MC becomes so soft and overly kind in this timeline that she no longer stands up for herself. She’s somewhat aware that she’s also a victim, but she refuses to actually acknowledge this fact.
She’s set on unnecessarily punishing herself, like she’s to blame for everything.
“My gOaL iS uR hApPiNesS”—atp it’s so cheesy that it’s downright annoying to hear.
I absolutely don’t enjoy watching a woman sacrifice her own dignity and prowess for any man. Idgaf whether he “deserves” it, because she certainly shouldn’t be treating her own life as insignificant compared to his.
She could still help him out without compromising her own dignity. It’s starting to look like a kink, she wants to be stepped on by ML so bad.
Not to mention, no man deserves such self sacrifice from a woman. Also, isn’t he a mass murderer? That’s literally what “war hero’s” are. His innocent puppy characterisation is so unconvincing, like pls as if a grown man is ever truly pure. The creepy brother is more realistic.
I read fmc stories to enjoy a genuine female pov, not to witness such a poor char portrayal. Like I’m not convinced even she agrees with her own choices.
She has become a far duller version of her past self.
Her approach to helping is unnecessarily ridiculous. Instead of simply demanding the ring back, she chooses to beg a judgmental old hag—from a family with no real worth—to stop despising the boy she’s hated her entire life, despite having no valid reason for it because she’s simply too stupid.
In doing so, she rly ends up making a fool of both herself and the duke. Like her choices are so bad that I’m getting second hand embarrassment from her.