beta
i’m almost 99% sure the freesias don’t actually do shit it’s just coincidence and timing that the second ophelia takes out the red freesias, is when felix decides to act on his feelings, that’s why it looks like he’s brainwashed, but he rly just has bad timing.
evidence being him unwilling to sever his engagement with ophelia despite the freesias in the flower bed being red. you could chalk this up to him trying to fight the brainwashing but really i think he was just fighting the decision in his head as someone who will one day become emperor, so he’ll have to marry the holy maiden, or as the boy who’s in love with freesia. in the end he made his decision to be the boy who’s in love with freesia and the second he does, io planted the black freesias.
point two being felix being delighted to eat lunch of ophelia but his schedule is full. as the crown prince he also has to be responsible for the shrine maiden since she decided to still attend school. we even see him upset that he’s losing time with ophelia but that’s only seen after the red freesias are taken out again. we can imply however, that he felt that way even while the freesias were red. it just APPEARS that way so the shrine maiden can keep believing her fantasy, and in the end when it probably gets revealed that *shocker* felix has a will of his own and has remained in love with ophelia this whole time, only then will she realize that they are real people and not o just a capture target and villainess.
i see the freesia’s more as symbols of ophelia’s inner turmoil. the moment she starts to doubt felix, miss him, or feel threatened by the shrine maiden, she realizes the flowers are red. the flowers are always changing colours cause the shrine maiden genuinely believes the freesias are the game mechanics or believes there’s some sort of all powerful omnipotent power that the freesias have to bend the will of people’s romantic feelings for her and only her. i think this will lead to a dramatic build up where felix confesses he’s been in love with her the ENTIRE time and not once wavered. and while ophelia does see him as a real person, it’ll solidify their love and the shrine maiden will and never be a threat. that’s just a theory, a game theorrryyyyyyy