I think she really admired him but not in a romantic way like she respected him as a leader of his people and was obsessed with wanting to be acknowledged by him as a rival and be his equal. When she was dying I think she felt regret over being too stubborn and thought she should have followed him and fought beside him instead of against him for pride’s sake.
Mmm I found the beginning a bit confusing on how both of them felt. Even Arhad’s feelings and past actions still confuse me a bit their relationship seems super complicated. I think she cared about him more than anyone else in her life but she also had really strong feelings of competitiveness towards him. She totally denied herself feelings and relationships in her past life so maybe she couldn’t acknowledge or fully understand it. I think she sees it as admiration and hasn’t even considered it any deeper until very recently in the story.
Did Ianna fall in love with Arhal at her previous life?
I don’t know because she treat him like someone she respect