
It's really intriguing. Truthfully you can see there is something fishy with the OG heroine but at the same time, when FL debates with her, I truly feel like their relationship is real. While everything else is fake.
It's like OG FL isn't white nor all black, just plainfuly gray. Just like every other characters. None of them are purely angelic or full bad psychopath. There is always a bit of every extreme in each of them.
Feels pretty similar to how human's mind is shaped in reality too.
Didn't he just approved of her acquiring the title by calling her "comptesse"?
As I like Zed, I'll try to blind myself and think that this is all staged as well for those that might have seen (aka the prince or the duke). I mean, the Duke would definitely underestimate our girl even more. And we knows that he won't feel the need to assassinate her if he doesn't see her as threats.
(Also, they somehow did say goodbye for a while in previous panel so I guess right now is the moment between their reunion, and they both knows, HOPEFULLY)