Spoiler: MC's Past Life Mary (MC) possessed OG Mary when she was around 5/6 (can't remember the exact age, but it'll be years before she turned 9 when the Grand Duke will find her at the orphanage). MC in her past life ran away from home after she injured/hurt her uncle out of self-defense. I'm not sure what exactly the uncle did since the mtl didn't make sense, but from what I can understand, it might have been that he tried to sexually harass her or assault her. She ran away and got hit by a car/truck. MC's life on earth was full of suffering. Her parents died when she was still very young. Her relatives saw her as bad luck because of her cat-like eyes. Her grandmother took her in after her parents died. Her grandmother taught her not to cry and to hold things in because she told her crying wouldn't solve anything. But a few years after that, her grandmother also died. She didn't cry at the funeral because if I'm not mistaken, it was her grandmother's last wish for her not to cry at her funeral. Her relatives saw her as something ominous and cold-hearted for not grieving the grandmother that took care of her. In the end, she ended up with her aunt (iirc, she's her mom's sister). They treated her badly. Not that they hit her, but she was always excluded. She's more like a maid if you will. Her cousin isn't any better. She always tried to trample on MC. MC didn't have any friends at school because her cousin would spread malicious rumors about her and no one wanted to get close to her. Her cousin and her aunt and uncle were all praised for keeping someone like MC around. Spoiler: The OG Novel Plot In the novel, Mary was the main antagonist. She bullied Astina and made her life miserable in the orphanage. Astina would, later on, be adopted by a marquis couple. Mary would then be discovered by the Grand Duke when she reached 9 years old. But OG Mary didn't gain the affection of her family and MC mentioned that it might be because of her bad personality. Her brothers were affectionate to Astina, but not her, wishing that Astina was their sister instead. Her second brother, Aiden, was the second male lead in the novel. Mary and Demimore (ML) would be engaged, but Demimore fell in love with Astina. This made Mary hate Astina even more. It was mentioned that OG Mary had Astina kidnapped by using her cousin Rex. Rex was the Grand Duke's brother's son. He had manifested the power of necromancy. MC mentioned that Mary bullied Rex a lot when they were kids. MC deduced that it might have been because Rex had powers of necromancy and Mary and no magical powers despite being the daughter of the Grand Duke. Rex kidnapped Astina to sort of punish the Conler brothers (Mary's brothers) since they all cherish her. But later on, he would fall in love with Astina as well and would be the one to aid in exposing Mary's misdeeds iirc. Mary would try to kill Astina, but would be unsuccessful. This would be the main reason she would be punished and exiled to Nikor, the coldest place on the continent. If I'm not mistaken, she was removed from the family registry. Spoiler: Life at the Orphanage When MC transmigrated into Mary's body, she apologized to Astina (OGFL) for bullying her. MC didn't know how much damage OG Mary had already inflicted on Astina, but upon realizing the "novel" she transmigrated in, she decided to treat Astina better and establish a good friendship between them. She took Astina in. In the orphanage, there were two groups. Mary's group and Brian's group. Brian was much older than MC, but MC didn't shy away from fighting against him. When MC took Astina under her protection, most of her followers switched to Brian's side. Only Rio, a boy two years older than her iirc, remained by her side. Rio and MC would sometimes sneak into a neighboring farm's field and steal some potatoes so they could eat something. MC promised herself that once she was able to get a job or create a business with a steady income, she will pay back the owner of the potatoes. The orphanage they were in was located on a mountain far away from MC's home. MC even said that it didn't look like the one who kidnapped her made a clean job of hiding her since they even left a note that her name is Mary when she was a baby. If I'm not mistaken, the orphanage receives money, but the director keeps most of the funds for himself, leaving the children to fend for themselves, thus the groups forming in the orphanage. From what I gathered, MC was mostly involved in fighting against Brian since they always liked to pick on Astina. After a year or two, a marquis couple visited the orphanage and fell in love with Astina. Astina bid her and Rio farewell. She thanked MC for protecting her and advising her all the time. MC thinks Astina was too pure and too kind for her own good, so there were times when she lectures her to be strong and that kindness isn't the answer to everything else, sometimes she will have to fight back since people will just abuse her and take advantage of her kindness. Astina gave MC her necklace and wished her well and for them to meet again in the future. A few years passed, and MC would sometimes wonder if the Grand Duke would find her since she was almost 9 years old. She decided she would live quietly and not cause any trouble. It doesn't matter if they didn't accept her, she'll just wait until she can get her inheritance and go somewhere else and establish a business. There came a time when the youngest child in the orphanage, Peppy(?), died. If I'm not mistaken, the cause of her death is severe malnutrition and her fever/cold not being treated properly. MC and Rio themselves had dug a grave for Peppy and buried her. It was the moment she realized that the director's corruption could kill them all. She plotted with Rio to steal money from the director. She thought that money was supposed to be for the children anyways. She planned on stealing the money while the director was away from the orphanage and gambling in the town at the foot of the mountain. She planned to distribute the money among the children and encourage them to run away and survive in the meantime with the money they got. The night came when the director left and Rio and MC moved to the director's office. Rio was having some doubts about whether they could pull this off, but MC told him that if they were caught, she will take all the blame so he doesn't need to worry. They got in and we're able to get the money. There were loads of golds in there and MC got angry. She thought if she had only stolen a bit earlier, Peppy might have still been alive. However, they were caught by the director. Brian snitched on them when he got wind of what they were plotting. The director was hitting and kicking MC for stealing. MC thought she's gonna die again and felt the beating stop. That's when she realized the Grand Duke came and rescued her. As she was losing consciousness, she blurted out "Dad.... Why are you here now?", sort of asking why just now after all the years of hardships she went through.
Spoiler: MC's Family and Relatives Grand Duke Estine Conler - Mary's father. Inherited his title at a young age. Seemed to have lost some of his human emotions due to the blessings of the demon. It was mentioned some emotions started to stir in him once again after meeting MC and seeing her bruised and wounded. Married to Helena. He loves his wife and the effects of the blessing of the demons (loss of emotion) seemed to start after the death of his wife. He loves and cares for his children in his own way. He initially didn't have any affection for the lost Mary, he only kept the search going for the sake of the family's pride. I think this was because, after almost nine years, he had already accepted that maybe Mary had been dead a long time ago. Grand Duchess Helena Conler - Mary's mother. She had red hair and was an excellent archer. She was well-loved by the people in the duchy. Mary resembles her mother except for her eyes and hair color. Helena had always wanted a daughter after giving birth to three sons. She used to joke to Estine that it was unfair that their children all look like him (having black hair and eyes). She was delighted when Mary was born. She was greatly affected by Mary's kidnapping and it was said she withered away and died. But later on, when MC met the king of the underworld, she heard that 'they' made her mother sacrifice her life. Gilbert Conler - six years older than Mary (15 at the start of the story). The eldest son of the Conlers, and is the exact replica of the Grand Duke. Prior to his mom's death, he was more open and caring, but after his mom died, he had become more withdrawn. He is trying his best to imitate his father. He will be the first brother MC would meet. He was initially cold to MC, saying that one isn't a Conler just because they have black hair and eyes. He's sort of strict, but he greatly cares for MC and his brothers. In the OG Novel, he was engaged to Princess Roseanne (ML's half-sister). He came across as cold, but he meant well. The first time he dined with MC, he told her to finish all the food on her plate. He thought she was so skinny and too little for her age. But MC can't eat anymore since she's used to eating too little or not at all, but she forced herself to finish the food. Gilbert would, later on, stand in front of MC's bedroom door where MC's maid would find him. He gave a digestive medicine to the maid and told her to give it to MC. Aiden Conler - the second son and if I'm not mistaken, he's one year younger than Gilbert. He's a rational/logical man. He believed his sister died a long time ago. When news came that she was found, he felt a little relieved but had little resentment against her. He knew it wasn't her fault that their mom died, but he still felt a little bitter toward her. He's the last one of the brothers to warm up to MC. He thinks that everyone in the mansion had gone weak when it came to MC, even their dad. He's not hostile towards MC, but he just finds it annoying how everyone treats her when she doesn't even have magic/talent. Aiden and Theodore would first meet MC at Count Stein's hunting ground after the first prince, Cameron, made a bet with MC. Aiden would warm up to her and would be overprotective when he witnessed MC being kidnapped in front of him. Theodore Conler - the third son and two years older than MC. He was the most excited to meet MC and wanted to see her as soon as possible, but their dad didn't approve of him and Aiden leaving the academy right away. He found her interesting, especially when he and Aiden heard MC made a bet against Cameron. MC noted that Theodore's personality was unlike the Grand Duke and his brothers. So, she thought the Grand Duchess must have been like that. He's the most outgoing of all of them and was often called the most unConler of the family. He's the fastest to warm up to MC. MC also noted that Theodore resembled her the most among the three brothers. Duke Mandela Blois - I'm not sure if that's his first name lol I can't remember, but it starts with M, I just hope I got it right. He's Grand Duke Estine's younger brother. He was removed from the family registry simply for being born with blond hair and iirc blue eyes. It's implied he hated anything to do with the Conlers who abandoned him. But when Mary was kidnapped as a baby, he tried to find a woman with black hair and eyes. He found a daughter of a farmer with those traits and took her in as his second wife. He was wishing to give birth to a baby girl with black hair and eyes and potentially take the place of Mary. But his second wife gave birth to a blond blue-eyed baby boy, Rex. He then confined his second wife and Rex in the attic of the detached mansion iirc. When his second wife died, and Rex manifested necromancy, he abandoned Rex and called Estine over to give Rex to him because he and his sons from his first wife sees Rex as a monster. Rex Blois - MC's cousin. He's the son of Duke Blois. One year younger than MC. His mom died in the attic. He missed his mom so much that he wished she would come to the attic and hug him. His desperate wish awakened his powers. The corpse of her mom got out of her grave and went to the attic and hug him. The Duke of Blois wished to get rid of him by sending him to the Conlers. In the OG Novel, Mary bullied him so much. MC made the resolution to befriend Rex. MC genuinely cares for Rex as she now sees him as her little brother. MC can't believe he would turn out to be a villain in the OG Novel as well. MC complimented him that he looks like an angel because of his blond hair and blue eyes. MC and Rex would spend a lot of time together since they were closer in age. MC first met Rex before she met any of her older brothers. Rex is kind of a two-faced from time to time. He's extremely sweet and like a puppy to MC and her brothers, but can be rude/mean to people who hurt/insult MC behind her back. Spoiler: The Conlers' Origin and the Blessing and Curse of the Demons The Conlers were the only Grand Duchy in the empire, but they were mostly known as the marionette of the imperial family. This stems from the pact between the founder of the Conlers and the emperor of that time. The crown prince (that would, later on, be the emperor at that time) was good friends with a magician, the founder of Conlers. The founder was blond-haired and has blue eyes. The crown prince waged war with another country but the alliances he expected to back him up turned their backs on him. Fearing he would lose this war, he relied on his friend, the magician. The magician disappeared and the crown prince thought it would be their doom. But then his friend returned and single-handedly defeated the enemies. The crown prince was crowned emperor. He then became wary of his friend's power and asked him how he grew so powerful. The magician confessed he prayed to the god of death to not fear death and to be able to give death to his enemies. The emperor was grateful for his contribution but was afraid of his powers. The magician was granted the title of grand duke for his achievements. The magician fell in love with a demon. She had black hair and eyes. He wanted to marry her, but everyone, especially the emperor, who feared his powers and the power of the demon, was opposed to their union. The emperor would only permit it if the magician agreed to a blood oath, that him and the future generations after him would be under the control of the imperial family, and in no way would they try to harm or usurp the throne from him and his descendants. The magician agreed and married the demon woman. She gave birth to a son with black hair and eyes and their baby was blessed by the demons. This blessing was something that made the person better than the others, be it in wielding magic, swords, in terms of intellect, etc. But the god of death became resentful, because his only follower, the magician, had forgotten about him. Since this was a time of peace, there was no need for wars, thus no deaths of people. The god of death, out of spite, made the blessing a sort of a curse and a blessing, that while they may be better than everyone else, they will sort of lose their emotions that make them human. The generation after the magician hated being chained and used as a puppet by the imperial family, thus they endeavored to bring back the blood of the magician (to sire a blonde hair and eyes baby). The successors would then try to find a mate with blonde hair and blue eyes. Until one day, a baby with blonde hair and blue eyes was born. Iirc the demons were not too happy about it since it's like they were disrespecting the blessing that was unique to the Conler family. Once the blonde-haired and blue-eyed baby was born and brought to the temple (black-haired and black-eyed Conlers can't enter the temple because of the demon's blessing), a prophecy was made that when a blonde-haired and blue-eyed child was born in the Conler family, the current head will die young. The said baby died before he/she could turn ten years old, as well as the current head of the Conler family at that time. This curse was the reason why Grand Duke Estine's father abandoned Duke Blois and removed him from the family registry and passed the title pretty early to Estine. Estine's father didn't want to die soon. MC may not have magical abilities unlike her brothers, but she has the ability to see through the magic. She would discover this when Cameron framed her for kidnapping Astina to get back at her after he lost the hunting bet to MC. This ability was like the gods' blessing if you will. And I'm not sure yet about this, but the manifestation of this ability meant that the curse in the prophecy would soon take place. Meaning, that there's a high possibility that Estine would die. Estine mentioned, "you finally did it, father." I guess this meant his father escaped the curse and Estine would be the one to receive it in his stead. Spoiler: MC's Dreams and the God of Death When MC was preparing for Princess Roseanne's salon, her new tutor, Logan made her read a poem. This poem was popular among young ladies and was considered romantic. When her tutor asked her to interpret it, MC said she was not sure if it was romantic since it seems to be more of unrequited love. MC thought that while many consider someone admiring someone else as romantic, the opinion of the receiver is what matters. What if you are loved by someone you don't love? Wouldn't that be a burden? Wouldn't that love be suffocating if you keep forcing it on someone who doesn't reciprocate the same sentiments? MC thought it was a bit scary as well since this could turn into an obsession. The poem mirrors the dream MC kept having even in her past life. The dream goes like this: a man was standing by a tree and was looking at a tower but a lake separates him and the tower. The man holds so much longing and for MC, it felt so suffocating. The POV would soon change and it'll tell the story of the god of death. This is somehow similar to Hades and Persephone if you will. The god of death is the only god who did not have a place in the tower. He was an outcast. Then there came a woman who took pity on him because she thought it must have been so lonely that he has no place/altar in the tower. So the woman sort of made a little altar for him beside the tower. The god of death fell in love with this woman, but he can't have her for she belonged in the tower. The god of death then thinks of ways how to get her. He was obsessively chasing after her, mirroring the suffocating feeling MC would feel. The gods took notice of the god of death's ploys and tried to take away the woman. The god of death has cursed the woman that she will always suffer and be abandoned by the one she trusts and loves. He thought that if she felt betrayed by the ones she had faith in, she would eventually come to him. There were gods who abandoned the woman, saying that she was not worth it, but the god of earth took pity on her and took her away. This is where it's revealed that MC is that woman and that it's the god of earth protecting her in her past life. This explains why MC had suffered a lot of tragedies. And it was always emphasized how she has cat eyes and how her personality resembles a cat. The narration stopped with the statement that cats have nine lives. If I'm not mistaken, this would be MC's 9th life since the unknown man behind her multiple kidnappings, (he called himself X) kept saying 'this is the last time'. MC had been continuously dreaming of OG Mary's life and how she was abandoned by her family and how Demimore had always rejected her and chosen Astina again and again. After the last time she was kidnapped (her 10th birthday when the king of the underworld revealed to her that the blessings of the demons were weakest during the person's birthday), MC's left ring finger always hurt. When the POV shifted to X, there was a red thread on his ring finger as well (you know the red thread of fate) and I think that's the reason MC's finger was hurting. MC was also called the saint of the underworld by the black smoke that kidnapped her. X said she was still too young at that time, so he'll come back again to get her. X called her his fiancee.
Here https://page.kakao.com/home?seriesId=58222570 Spoiler: Correction + a lil details I just read chapter 127 and I'll have to retract my statement that it's her 9th life lol. The previous chapters made me think that because it kept referencing cats having nine lives and X being a little over the edge that this is the last time. I just read that her life as Ha So-hee was MC's second life. It seems like X has planted her with false information regarding the novel. The frequency of MC dreaming about the novel has increased, reminding her that Demimore will end up with Astina and MC will be abandoned. X was manipulating Sophia (I'll spoil about her later) and was making her do what OG Mary did in the novel. Supposing MC's first life was when she first met the god of death by the lake, then the plot in the novel never happened. Just poor MC being tormented with nightmares especially when OG Mary was exiled in Nikor, where it's supposed to be extremely cold that being exiled there was equivalent to a death sentence. If there's a particular spoiler you want to know, feel free to ask. Although I'm just halfway through the novel, I'll try to answer the ones I already read. I just don't know what to write anymore lol. Spoiler: Sophia and Baron Bruno Sophia Bruno is the daughter of Baron Bruno (forgot his first name). Baron Bruno will first appear after Rex settled in the grand duchy. He's a new vassal of the Conler family. He wanted to use the opportunity that the Grand Duke was away to meet Rex because of his powers. To be fair, he was manipulated by Logan, who would later become MC and Rex's tutor. Baron Bruno forced his way into the mansion despite the butler rejecting his entry. MC and Rex were playing nearby and heard the commotion. Long story short, Baron Bruno insulted Rex for being a son of a lowly woman. He did it in a way that seemed he was sympathetic and admires Rex's talent. However, MC took offense on behalf of Rex and called him out. Baron Bruno was not really that smart and has quite the temper so he argued with a nine-year-old child. He was so pissed he attempted to hit MC but Gilbert came. The baron was so angry he forgot where he was and who he was dealing with. It was Logan who had intervened and taken the baron away. As they were about to leave, Rex stopped them and told the baron that if he ever hurt or insulted MC again, he would make his sister see him since the baron obviously missed his cherished sister. The baron had a sister whom their father loved more than him. She was smart and kind and their father preferred her over him. At first, the baron didn't mind because he would still be the one to inherit everything since he's the man. On their father's deathbed, he asked his son to take good care of his sister until she's able to marry. He promised that he will. He provided for his sister like their father wanted. However the baron was able to get his hands on their father's will and it states that once his sister marries, everything will go to her and her husband. Betrayed, he tried to burn the will to get rid of it, but it was enchanted with magic and did not burn. Their father made sure that he will not be able to tear/burn/destroy the will. The baron has a daughter, Sophia. He dotes on her a lot. From what I understood, he loves her, but since she's beautiful, the baron wished that she will be the crown princess. Simply put, a little affection plus the benefits he will reap if he invested in her. But Sophia was struck with an incurable disease when she was young. It was like a fever, but it never go away no matter what medicine she drank. The baron and his wife had searched for doctors and medicine that could cure her but to no avail. Iirc, Sophia will die if they can't find a cure. One day, the baron's wife, Maria, came to him and told him she met a witch that told her how to cure Sophia. At first, the baron was dubious, but through his wife's pleas, saying 'didn't you say you'll do anything for our daughter?', the baron agreed to listen. The wife said they needed to find someone who would replace Sophia. They needed someone related to Sophia and someone of the same age. The baron thought of his sister. I didn't get the same age thing, but it was mentioned that the baron and his father were the same age when they had their daughters (I initially thought the substitute should be the same age as Sophia lol). The baron said he'll think about it. But when his wife left the room, he was rejoicing inside. He finally found a way to get rid of his sister. The baron visited his sister that night. Poor sister had no idea she'll be killed soon. She was asking about Sophia's health. But iirc she was dragged to abandoned storage and she was locked inside and it was burned. The baron made it seem like it was an accident and made it look like she's supposed to meet her lover there or something. He just made her funeral extravagant to make it seem like he cherishes her a lot. After that, Sophia was cured, but she sort of changed. She used to be a good kid lol. After Rex's warning, the baron kept having nightmares about his sister. When Estine returned to the grand duchy from his inspection, Gilbert reported what happened. Estine was angry because he tried to hit MC. The baron was out shopping with Sophia. He bought her another dress after she was sulking she didn't get the dress she wanted because it was already reserved for Astina. She was saying things that orphans don't deserve to wear dresses like that. The baron warned her not to talk like that in public cos someone might hear. When they went home, his wife hurriedly told h to go to his office. Estine and his aide, Lucas, were waiting for him in there. The baron tried to apologize for what happened, but Estine said he would take his mansion as compensation lol. The baron protested the mansion holds the history of their family line. Estine countered that the house was never his in the first place. He subtly threatened him that he knew what he did to his sister. After Estine and Lucas left, Lucas asked if Estine can see the baron's sister. Estine said he could hear her screaming. He told Lucas that the baron could somehow sense or hear his sister's soul since the baron's family was able to have the demon's blessing as well for murdering his sister. Their blessing is comparatively weak compared to the Conlers. It's like a bit of what they possess. It was mentioned one way to receive it was to commit a heinous crime. The baron and his wife were able to enter the underworld because of this blessing since anyone, but not everyone can enter there. The baron blamed MC for his predicament and went to the underworld to gain the power to get back at the Conlers, especially MC. Regarding Sophia, she's you're typical white lotus bish. She often bullied Astina. MC was surprised that Sophia was playing the role of OG Mary. She just thought that because she was friends with Astina this time, the future changed and someone else took the antagonist role. Sophia was obsessed with being the crown princess. She colluded with Cameron, trying to frame MC as the one who published and distributed Princess Roseanne's novel. Princess Roseanne loved to write novels and she often send MC her latest work secretly since it's embarrassing for a princess to be a novelist (that's what I'm getting since when the novel was published, the princess was warned by the emperor to stop, and she thought MC betrayed her). Cameron used that opportunity to throw away Sophia. When Sophia was caught, Cameron confessed to his sister she did it and apologized to MC for what he did. He wanted to get rid of her since she's been so obsessed with him and had been whining most of the time.
Spoiler: ML and Rio I guess it's safe to say that Demimore is still the ML. As far as I've read he doesn't appear that much, but he's now considering strengthening his power/authority in order to protect MC. His aide, Jasper, uses MC to stimulate ML's desire for the throne. When MC and ML first met even up to their supposed engagement when they were 10, ML had no desire to be the emperor. He asked not to be engaged with MC when they were 10. I guess partly because he thought they were too young and partly because he wanted MC to think about him more lol. But the emperor only delayed their engagement until they were 14. Since Cameron has always targeted MC, ML now wants to have more power to protect her. About Rio, when MC was rescued by the Grand Duke when she was caught stealing by the director, all the orphans in that orphanage were transferred to the orphanage in Conler territory. When Estine heard from MC how Rio and MC are always partners in crime, he provided more financial support to the orphanage. He wanted the children there to be able to live comfortably and be educated. It was stated that the education being implemented now in the orphanage may be a step lower than the academy (which only accepts the best of the best), but the children will be guaranteed a good future. It's stated that it was the best situation for an orphan to be in, this was explained when Cameron used Brian to frame MC. They questioned why would Brian run away from an orphanage that gave the best service. Anyway, MC thought of wanting to see Rio and the other orphans, but her dad always told her they can go visit once she was all better. Since she's small and skinny, Estine thought she would be hurt easily. Fast forward to Princess Roseanne's salon, MC reunited with Astina there. Sophia was bullying her and MC came to her rescue. They were talking for a while and Astina asked about Rio. MC told her what her dad told her. Astina then revealed that Rio disappeared. MC was so shocked she almost fell, but ML caught her. Astina said she asked her dad to look for the children in the orphanage after she learned that MC found her family. It was reported that Rio suddenly disappear, he didn't even say goodbye to the other children. MC hoped he was adopted into a good family. ML said he will help search for Rio. ML asked Jasper to search for Rio, but there were no records about him. As if his trace was completely erased. The children in the orphanage said he will look for MC. I highly suspect Rio to be X, it was mentioned he would always borrow human skin, but I don't know for sure.
Thank you.. Well, that was unexpected to rio. I was expecting he will be adopted as well to a better family and meet with mc again later and become potential 2nd ml. Haha..
Spoiler: MC and ML's First Meeting MC would first meet ML when she first went out to shop for clothes under Estine's command. Iirc, it was less than a month since she reunited with her father. Lucas escorted her to a dress shop that doesn't usually accept customers because the owner was eccentric like that and his/her (not sure about the gender) dresses were famous for being high-quality and works of the art yada yada. She was fitted there and since she was malnourished, she only fit in clothes that were meant for seven-year-olds. Estine wasn't able to accompany her since he had something urgent to deal with in the port or something, but Lucas told her that her dad would come and pick her up later. After they were done shopping for dresses, something came up and Lucas had to go to Estine, but he couldn't just leave MC there. MC said it's okay and she would just stay around the area and window shop. Lucas reluctantly agreed and left. I kinda find it a little bit stupid that there was no other escort assigned to MC and she was literally left alone. Anyway, she wandered around shops, stopping outside a toy shop and marveling at the toys inside. Then she encountered a group of men who kidnapped her. They didn't know she was the Grand Duke's daughter. They just thought she would sell high if she was sold as a slave since black hair and black eyes were rare. MC was already contemplating how she would get out of the situation before Estine finds out she was gone. She was acting obedient and weak at first to sort of fool the men when a boy showed up and asked what was going on. MC sighed in relief that someone can actually help her. She was slightly taken aback when she saw his silver hair and red eyes, she first thought of Demimore, but disregarded the thought. she thinks there were a lot of other kids with silver hair and red eyes and an imperial prince wouldn't wander around the Conler's land. Too bad that the boy was easily caught by the men too lol. MC was so disappointed and was like this is why I can't rely on anyone. They were dragged into a dark alley. This part of the district mostly consists of shady people and shady things. They were brought to where the three men lived. When ML and Mc were left to the care of a young woman, iirc her name was Carol, MC noticed that Carol was abused by those men. The two tried to help Carol prepare food because one of the men commanded Carol to cook some food for them. MC wanted Carol to get out of that place because she was clearly being assaulted by the men, but Carol said she can't afford to lose her job because she had siblings to feed and their mother is sick. The man who demanded food burst in, angry that Carol was moving too slow for his liking. MC grabbed the pan and hit him hard in the head lol. When he was knocked out, MC grabbed Carol's hand and MC and ML ran away. The two other men ran after them. MC realized ML's stamina isn't that much since he easily got tired. The men almost caught up to them when MC, ML, and Carol ran away again. ML's aide, Jasper, took care of the two men. MC only thought they lost them. They bumped into Hestia, the vice commander of the knights of the grand duchy. She was searching for MC because she wasn't anywhere near the carriage or any of the nearby stores. Estine has already arrived and he had mobilized the knights to look for MC. MC immediately went to ML and asked if he has gold, money, or jewelry with him. She was sure he carries one because he looks like a high rank noble. ML gave her some sort of jewelry (can't remember exactly, but it was more than one placed in an elegant box). He introduced himself as Peter. MC gave the jewelry to Carol and told her to quit her job and use the money she'll get from the jewelry to pay for her mom's medicines and for the food for her siblings. She promised her she'll find a way to get her employed in the grand duchy, but in the meantime, she should survive on the money she'll get from the jewelry. ML took interest in her and wanted to know more about her because she acts differently than her brothers. Jasper said he would have the opportunity once they attended MC's debut, sort of MC's introduction to society as the Grand Duke's daughter. The party would be delayed and would be held on her 10th birthday since 1) MC still has to learn etiquette and be educated 2) a lot happened along the way (e.g. MC having to train because she had a hunting bet against Cameron and MC being kidnapped as she was on her way home from the imperial palace). MC and ML parted ways since MC was in a hurry to get back to Estine. She was afraid of causing any problem and be hated like OG Mary. When she got back to where the carriage was, she signaled Hestia not to tell Estine where she found her. MC didn't tell Hestia she was kidnapped, only that some men were chasing after them and that they were already caught. Hestia reported that MC was just around some toy shop. Estine took her to the toy shop and told her to choose something. MC was hesitant at first because she knew those toys were expensive. Estine reassured her that she can choose whatever she wants and he can even buy the whole shop and it wouldn't even matter because they were that rich. MC chose a black cat stuffed toy iirc. She named it Nero. She cherishes Nero a lot since it was the first toy she ever had. Estine noted that MC had a tendency to overthink and only depend on herself. Spoiler: Kidnapping After MC's Reunion with Her Family and Meeting ML MC would be kidnapped again after she went to visit the palace. The emperor had an audience with Estine because of what happened between MC and Cameron during the bet. Iirc, MC was attending Princess Roseanne's salon party. Estine escorted MC back to their carriage after the party and told her she had to go home without him because the emperor had tasked him to check on something. Estine was reluctant at first, he didn't feel good letting her go, but MC told him she'll be alright. Estine only took one knight from MC's entourage to accompany him. MC was told that Lucas would meet her party halfway as Estine had already sent someone to Lucas to come and meet MC and escort her home. Some minutes have passed and MC sensed something was wrong. The knights told her to never open the carriage door and she heard people fighting. She then saw some sort of black smoke that materialized into the orphanage's director. I guess MC still has some trauma because of the director and she was initially frozen and panicking inside. After she was rescued from the orphanage, the director can't be found. Estine wanted to hunt him down and brutally punish him for all the abuse MC had to endure. And now he was in the carriage to kidnap MC. She first thought he wanted to kill her, but he wasn't doing anything. So she decided to run away and open the carriage door. The knight screamed that she should stay inside and MC saw that her escort knights were wounded and fighting zombies. She went out and the director followed suit. She also saw one of the men who tried to kidnap her when she met ML. She then realized that both the man and the director were zombies too. The knights can't kill them and the ones who ambushed them. The director grabbed MC and that's when reinforcement came. When they were ambushed, one knight escaped and went back to the palace to catch up to Estine. He reported that MC was in danger and they can't seem to kill the enemies. So Estine hurriedly went after MC. Lucas came, along with Aiden, they were surprised by what they saw and Aiden used magic to kill the zombies (MC called them zombies because she said they look like one, but the knights, even Lucas and Aiden don't know what those are). Aiden tried to attack the director, but he grabbed MC and they vanished along with the black smoke. Estine came and Aiden sort of lost it cos his sister was just kidnapped right before his eyes. Estine and Aiden then saw a black dog. The dog was named Arsene, it was mentioned in the beginning that the dog was the gods' pet. MC saw him when she woke up in the grand duchy after she was rescued. She went to the garden to play with the ball and when she threw the ball too hard, she went deeper into the garden and saw Arsene. She didn't tell anyone. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to. When Rex and MC were painting, she drew Arsene when she was asked to draw another monster iirc lol she first drew her toy Nero, but everyone thought it was some sort of monster and praised her for her artistic skills. Estine said her drawing looked like Arsene, and in legends, he's sort of a sign that you are favored by gods, something along that line. Arsene materialized before Estine and Aiden and he's beckoning them to follow him. Aiden was hesitant because it could be a trap, but Estine said it's better to follow after MC quickly because they never know what the kidnappers would do to her. MC was in a forest and in sort of an illusion if you will. She was seeing how her dad and brothers have abandoned OG Mary and there was a voice that was urging her to come to him. She almost did, but Arsene came in between, making MC come to her senses. The voice was furious because they got interrupted. Estine and Aiden were able to catch up to MC. Estine grabbed the director and Aiden took MC away. Estine was beating the sh*t out of the director when there came an explosion. Aiden shouted after his dad. Estine was fine, but the director blew up and they had no way of knowing who was behind MC's kidnapping. Mc was crying that it was all her fault, that she should've been locked up in the orphanage all her life. The forest they were in was the forest in the grand duchy and because of the explosion, everything was burned to ashes. I guess you could say MC was still in shock that she was blaming herself over and over again, with her being kidnapped and witnessing her dad being caught up in the explosion. Estine comforted her that it was thanks to MC that the people that were supposed to relocate to their estate, as per the emperor's command, now have land to settle in. He said they didn't need to cut down the trees anymore because everything was burned lol. After this, Aiden became more affectionate and overprotective to MC, before this, they were sort of awkward since Aiden initially find people's treatment of her annoying.
Spoiler: The Imperial Family Cameron, the first prince and the son of the empress and the emperor, will visit the grand duchy after a few weeks or so when Gilbert was first introduced in the story. The empress instructed him to get along well with the Conlers, especially Mary. Cameron has a great inferiority complex against Gilbert and is a huge brat. In the academy, Gilbert was, iirc, the best in terms of magic and he excelled in all of their subjects. Cameron was not academically inclined, and I suspect he only got into the academy because he was the first prince and most likely to be the next emperor since the academy only accepts the best of the best. The empress wanted him to establish a good relationship with the Conlers, even an engagement with Mary, so Cameron's position as the next emperor would be solidified. He always considered the Conlers as his dogs, especially Gilbert, and he intend to make them do his bidding once he become the emperor. The empress was a princess from a neighboring country. She was like 16 when she married the emperor. There's a twelve-year gap between the two. Initially, the emperor tried to establish a good relationship between them by giving her all sorts of gifts and treating her well. She was so naive at first and didn't know much about the political stuff iirc. It was already too late when she tried to solidify her position and authority since the emperor fell in love with ML's mom. If I understood correctly, the emperor really tried to have a good relationship with her, but because of the huge age gap and cultural differences and the empress' naivety and maybe immaturity, he grew tired of making efforts. The empress hates ML's mom who was now favored by the emperor, and all the gifts that the emperor used to send her were now being brought to ML's mom, and even ML's mom's palace looks grander than hers. She would ban ML's mom to use any silverware. The empress had been slowly poisoning her and because she wasn't allowed to use silverware, the poison went undetected. ML's mom, the emperor's concubine. It was unclear what her real status was since when the emperor first met her wandering in the palace, she was already suffering from amnesia. The emperor fell in love at first sight with her iirc. For him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She doesn't socialize and the nobility considers her low-born since her origin was vague. The jewelry ML gave to MC when they first met was supposed to be his birthday gift for his mother. ML's mom was saved from dying because of MC. When MC won the hunting bet with Cameron, Estine asked her what she wanted as a reward. MC asked for a healing potion (I forgot the name lol). This potion was very rare, the Conlers only have 5 bottles of it, one was already used on MC when she got bitten by a mosquito-like monster and became very sick (like dengue). The bottle can only be made every five years iirc because of the materials used were difficult to grow and procure. When MC met ML at Princess Roseanne's salon party, she gave him the potion and told him he would need it in the future because, in the OG novel, ML's mom died because of the empress' poisoning. Years later, ML was able to save his mom because of this potion. ML's mom gifted MC her favorite necklace as a token of gratitude and the emperor had showered her with gifts and had granted her a wish. MC delayed asking for a wish, she thought it would be useful to use such a favor in the future. Princess Roseanne is the biological sister of Cameron. She loves both her brothers, even if Demimore is the son of the emperor's concubine. She regularly hosts salon parties because she loves art and literature. In the OG novel, she used to antagonize and humiliate OG Mary because Astina is her best friend. She liked MC because MC knows how to express her honest opinions. Usually, people tend to just agree with whatever she says and echo her sentiments. She liked that MC's interpretation of the poem (the one I mentioned in a previous spoiler) was unique and not romanticizing since not everything is about love. She and Mc became good friends. She secretly corresponds with her. She likes to write novels and likes to ask MC for her opinion because she was the only one who was honest enough to point out where her story could improve. She would be angry at MC because she thought MC leaked her novel. It was Sophia who stole the novel the princess sent to MC. Prior to the novel being leaked, MC advised her to be cautious of Cameron and the emperor because of the painting the emperor sent her during the party. It was the painting of Roseanne's namesake, a princess of a foreign country. Legends tell that her namesake was the savior of the country for reviving her land through marriage with a powerful country iirc. But MC knew that that princess was just like a bird in a cage and grew up being controlled and never being able to do what she really wanted. MC warned her that maybe the emperor now knows they're exchanging letters because Roseanne said Cameron once caught her writing a letter to MC. Roseanne took offense to what MC said because she can't believe her dad and Cameron are just using her as a pawn. ML would try to be a bridge between the two. He would help to prove MC's innocence. MC planned for Roseanne to invite once again all the ladies that were at the party. The party was held 4 times iirc and MC attended the first. Each time, Roseanne would hand MC a different novel she wrote and MC would leave it in her carriage. And lo and behold, the culprit was Sophia who attended on the same day as MC. That's when Cameron came rushing in after MC, Roseanne, and ML confronted Sophia who was acting like the victim. Cameron confessed Sophia was the culprit and he was wrong in doing this to his sister. Roseanne realized that she might have been looking at Cameron and the emperor through rose-colored glasses. She became noticeably colder to Cameron after this since it almost got leaked that she was writing novels. Demimore, the male lead. In the OG novel, he didn't end up as the emperor since he didn't want to be shackled to such a position. He was the one who had sent OG Mary to Nikor. Even in the current timeline, he has no desire to be the emperor. Jasper, his aide, follows him because he thought he was more fitting to be the emperor rather than Cameron. Jasper was one of the reasons Cameron hated ML since he was trying to recruit him to be his advisor, only to be rejected and become ML's subordinate. He loves his mom a lot that's why he feels immense gratitude towards MC since the potion she gave him, cured his mother. He liked MC pretty early in the story, something he hasn't realized yet at that time, but something Roseanne pick up on when she first saw MC and ML interacting. He tried to not get engaged with MC, he told her this on her 10th birthday lol. Roseanne told him he's sort of a jerk, trying to reject someone on their birthday. He confessed to his sister that he didn't want the engagement because they were too young and because he wanted MC to think of him more (as in more than an obligation to fulfill). He wanted to establish a good relationship between them first. He's low-key jealous of Rex. Rex would tell him to break off his engagement with MC because he didn't have enough power to protect her iirc. Rex confronted him when MC was not around. This happened a few days before their official engagement when they were 14. Demimore became more resolute in gaining more power to protect MC from Cameron, something which Jasper was grateful for. Spoiler: Hunting Bet After some time had passed, after Gilbert was introduced in the story, Cameron was set to visit the grand duchy. He was commanded to visit and check on MC and what was she like. He came to the grand duchy quite resentful and would find fault in almost anything. As Gilbert tried to guide him to the drawing-room after he arrived, he demanded that Rex and MC come as well. Since they had no reason to refuse, Rex and MC joined the two. MC didn't like how rude he was but tried to keep it in. Then, Carol, who had now become MC's maid, came to serve them tea. She just recently work in the grand duchy and still had a lot to learn. MC was groaning inside why it had to be Carol to serve them tea. Then an accident happened. It was all Cameron's fault. Carol was serving tea when he abruptly stood up and moved his arm, causing the tea to be knocked over and spill some on him. He was so furious he wanted Carol to be immediately fired and to have her punished for trying to harm him. He was screaming for someone to bring him a whip so he could punish her. Carol was crying as she knelt, her forehead touching the ground. MC was enraged to see it since everyone present in the room knew it was Cameron's fault. If I'm not mistaken she slapped Cameron and told him off. Cameron was further enraged. He taunted MC to settle the matter through a hunting bet. The hunting bet is a practice used in the academy where the family's name and honor are at stake. Gilbert found this ridiculous since 1)MC was just nine years old, and a small girl at that, and 2) MC wasn't even attending the academy. MC agreed. If she wins Cameron would apologize to her and her Carol personally, and if Cameron wins, MC would have to fire and hand Carol over for him to punish. Gilbert and Rex tried to dissuade MC, but she refused to back out. Cameron also put the condition that it would be him who would choose the hunting ground. Once Estine returned from his inspection, he was notified about what happened. He called MC over and they had a talk. He told MC it doesn't matter if she backed out since everyone would just consider this a childish quarrel on her part, and the Grand Duke's power would override whatever Cameron decided. He said MC doesn't have to think about the family's honor since it was Cameron who would be the laughingstock for challenging a nine-year-old girl. MC flatly refused Estine and told him it was her honor she was fighting for, as well as Carol's well-being since she was her master and she should be responsible for the lives she had chosen to take under her care. Estine then agreed and told her to train with Hestia. MC has three days to prepare for the bet. Hestia had given her a little old bow that used to belong to Helena, her mother. Hestia told her that the Grand Duchess had been delighted when she gave birth to Mary. MC was so happy when she learned this. Even in her previous life, no one told her that they were thankful or happy that she existed, this was the first time she knew that someone was happy because she was born. She wished to know more about her mom. She wanted to find traces of her since she was the only one in the novel that wasn't mentioned, and she probably loved OG Mary a lot in the novel, and even now in the current timeline. MC quickly learned the basics of archery. Hestia praised her that she took after her mom who was a great archer. MC trained really hard to be able to hunt properly. She even sneaks out at night to practice. Estine caught her and followed her after he saw her trying to sneak out. When he saw MC trying to shoot the target, he saw the image of Helena shooting with her bow. He then helped MC and lit up the area with magic to help her see the target because she kept missing it since it was so dark. The day of the hunting bet came and they all went to the forest in Count Stein's territory. Aiden and Theodore were on their way home when they were notified of the bet and changed their destination to Count Stein's territory. Count Stein arrived along with Cameron, making it very obvious who the count was supporting. The count lowkey insulted MC but she was just indifferent and retorted back that he isn't even trying to hide being biased, making him shut up. The count then said they should start the hunt. The two would hunt on different paths to avoid meeting each other, Cameron was on the right side, and MC on the left iirc. The two are to come back before the sun sets. Once the two entered the forest, Aiden and Theodore came. Theodore was disappointed he wasn't able to see his sister. Demimore also came, but at first, he was observing from afar. When he saw where MC entered, he figured out what his brother planned all along. In the forest, MC was confused because she had been walking for so long but still haven't met an animal. She encountered a cute rabbit but she didn't kill it because she finds it cute and wanted to take it home. She figured she needed to go deeper but she tried to camouflage herself first and covered herself with mud. She grew up on a mountain after all and knew she had to blend in well with the environment to catch good prey. Some time had passed, and Cameron returned with a big wolf. MC was still nowhere to be found. Count Stein was praising Cameron when Demimore appeared and told him it was such a dirty trick to use on MC. Since Estine and his sons and Rex were now starting to worry, Estine demanded that Demimore explain what is happening. The count tried to stop Demimore, but Estine wasn't having it. Demimore said that he had already been to this hunting ground once and the forest was divided into three paths, each with a different level of difficulty of prey. MC entered the easiest, meaning she would only find rabbits in there. Cameron entered a path with a lot of beasts. Estine and his sons were so mad at the count and the prince that they were emitting auras, making them suffocate, the count iirc was already at his knees. Estine was about to command the knights to go find MC, when MC emerged from the forest, pulling a dead body. When Cameron saw what she brought, he cursed loudly. The count became frozen, and Demimore noted she really was a Conler. MC was so tired because it took a lot of effort to bring the dead body since it was so heavy. When she saw Cameron's wolf, she groaned because it was larger than what she had. Then she noticed everyone acting weird and asked what she caught because she doesn't know what it was lol. Flashback to when MC was in the forest and she still hasn't found any prey to hunt, Arsene appeared before her for the second time. Arsene was motioning for her to follow him. She followed Arsene and they stopped before a dead beast. Arsene was beckoning to MC to shoot the beast with her arrow to make it look like she hunted it. MC did what Arsene wanted and brought the body back with her. Estine iirc explained to her that she caught a monster lol, the ones that the Conlers had been killing to keep the people of the empire safe. Killing a monster is on another level than killing a mere beast like wolves. It was much more difficult because they're like stronger and some monsters have the intellect to strategize to kill their prey. So, MC won the bet, humiliating Cameron so much since he was beaten by a girl way younger than her and that she caught a monster at that. The count was so surprised since there were supposed to be no monsters in his territory. He thanked MC because if it weren't for her they wouldn't even find out.
Spoiler: MC's 10th Birthday and Another Kidnapping Attempt After the hunting bet, Cameron stormed off and didn't bother to apologize to MC. After a few days or so iirc, MC received gifts from Cameron and Count Stein. Cameron sent her a taxidermy of the cute rabbit she initially wanted to take home, yeah he's a real jerk. Count Stein sent her a beautiful dagger. MC was so amazed by the craftsmanship of the dagger that her opinion of Count Stein improved a little. She thought she should now learn how to fight at close range, considering that archery would be her long-range form of attack, she was thinking perhaps she should learn how to wield a dagger. After some time, MC would celebrate her 10th birthday. It was the first time her birthday was celebrated since even in her last life, no one really appreciated that she was born. I don't remember much from this, but this was one of the rare times that the grand duchy opened its gate to outsiders since Estine disliked having too many people around. This was also the time when Demimore would tell MC that he didn't want to be engaged to her. Since MC had constantly been dreaming about the OGnovel, she really didn't want to get involved with ML and thought that he was probably in love with Astina by that time. I don't remember what led to one thing after another, but MC was kidnapped once again in her own home. She was enveloped with a black smoke thingy and instantly teleported elsewhere. This is where she met the king of the underworld (the mtl is kinda confusing so I'm not sure if the king of the underworld is a separate character from the god of the underworld since the latest chapter I read seemed like X was working for someone and that might be the god who fell in love with MC. I initially thought it was X since he was the one manipulating people left and right and the one who personally meets Cameron). Anyway, this dude was like "oh you're still young, I'll come back for you later". He called MC his fiancee and told her the blessing of the demons becomes weak on the birthday of the person blessed with it. The smoke that carried Mc also referred to her as the saint of the underworld. Their conversation was once again interrupted when Estine found her in one of the grand duchy's castles (she's on the top most floor). Prior to the start of the party (iirc), Estine had given her a gift (I forgot what it was lol if it was a necklace or something). It turns out it was imbued with magic that no matter what, MC would never be able to leave the grand duchy. Estine had it made because of the kidnapping earlier (the one Aiden witnessed). Estine, her brothers, and Rex became overprotective of her. She tried not to show that she was affected by it, but they know she was experiencing some PTSD. Rex would often come to her room in the middle of the night and would often try to wake her up from her nightmares. So, the bracelet would prevent the kidnappers from getting MC out of the grand duchy. Rex had also given her a gift. Iirc, it was a bracelet or something. He had been trying to harness his abilities to be able to protect MC better. He was able to track exactly where she was because of his gift. The party was cut off and the guests were sent home along with some gifts as a consolation of some sort. Spoiler: MC Being Framed and Some Rant About Astina Fast forward to the time Astina's dad (the marquis) requested an audience with MC through Estine. MC was being framed as the mastermind behind Astina's kidnapping. The marquis loves Astina a lot and it might be difficult, but he's willing to fight Estine if MC was really the reason Astina got kidnapped. This is just a personal opinion, but idk I really find Astina a bit annoying. She's too naive for her own good. She never stand up for herself and always let herself be bullied, even if she had the upper hand since she's now a daughter of a marquis. I mean she just let Sophia bully her all the time when she was just a baron's daughter. She always has to be saved by someone else, by MC whenever she sees her being bullied, presumably by her adoptive brother who dotes on her a lot and who is overprotective of her, and I think by ML in the OGnovel as well. The kidnapping attempt was unsuccessful. She wasn't hurt or anything. It happened on her way home from MC's birthday party. She had been sick for idk how many days because of the thought that maybe MC was behind the kidnapping. I personally find this so stupid. Brian told them that MC ordered him to kidnap Astina and that MC would soon be the fiancee of ML and promised him a great future ahead. Granted, Brian presented them with the dagger Count Stein had gifted MC as evidence, but still. MC had defended and protected Astina for years against Brian, it involved MC being attacked physically by a boy years older than her, and MC always ensured that she would always have food to eat. Hell, she didn't even try to help MC get out of that shitty situation knowing full well how corrupt the director was and how abusive the environment was. She was just like I wish you get adopted into a good family too, goodbye. How hard is it to ask the family who overly dotes on her to transfer MC and Rio to a nicer orphanage? She only thought of asking her father to look for Rio and the other kids when she learned MC was the real daughter of the grand duke. In Astina's adoptive family's POV, it was only logical to assume MC was the culprit since there was a piece of evidence and they didn't personally know MC. But Astina? Lol she was like thinking what if MC hates her again after so many years. I guess what I'm annoyed about was deep down, Astina can be self-centered and likes to be the victim. In her POV, it was always about her, why are the people around me so mean? Why am I being treated like this when I didn't do anything wrong? Maybe if I wait, they will soon apologize to me like what MC did. She just thought that if she just endure and wait, people would eventually apologize and like her, like what happened with her and MC. MC had been advising her that too much kindness isn't good either (from when they were still at the orphanage) and that Astina shouldn't forgive quickly as if nothing happened. Astina doesn't do anything. When she's being bullied by Sophia, she just stands there with her head down. In the OGnovel, Princess Roseanne would be the one who goes against OGMary (this I can sort of understand given that OGMary is of higher status than OGAstina). Even when Cameron was forcing an engagement with her, she just say nothing, MC has to be the one to do things leading to another hunting bet (iirc if MC wins Astina doesn't have to get engaged with Cameron, and that Gilbert (once he becomes the grand duke and Cameron the emperor) would be given eight chances (iirc) to say no to an order issued by the emperor). Idk maybe I just don't personally like her, but there's something wrong with her lol. Anyway, when the marquis visited the grand duchy and told MC and Estine about Brian's story and presented the dagger, MC told Estine that her dagger had been missing for days, but sort of forgot to look for it and the one who stole it since iirc she had been busy with the birthday preparations. Hearing MC's side of the story and Estine supplying that the orphanage Brian was transferred to had the best services, the marquis was inclined to believe MC's innocence, although the dagger was the hardest evidence that's nailing MC as the culprit since that dagger was made only for MC. MC was staring at the dagger when she realized she was seeing some weird patterns. She told the marquis and Estine but they couldn't see it. Estine asked her to draw what she was seeing and they found out it was a magic spell to teleport the dagger. Yeah, Count Stein was a bish too, he went along with Cameron to get back at MC. With this, MC's innocence was proven. Estine asked a magician from the tower to verify the spell in the dagger, This was also the time they found out about MC's ability to see through the magic. I guess we can use the analogy that she can see the blueprint of a building. Estine went to the palace and had an audience with the emperor. The emperor was apologizing and making excuses for his son, but Estine wasn't having it. The emperor doesn't want to punish his son for framing MC and attempting to kidnap the marquis' daughter. The emperor was saying something along the lines that Cameron wasn't caught in the act so he can't punish him. So Estine told him that if that's what the emperor was going to be like, then Estine can also attack Cameron as long as he doesn't get caught in the act right? Estine reminded the emperor that one of the Conlers' curses was that they can never protect, but they can always destroy what they wanted to destroy.
Spoiler These are the only ones I can think of right now. MC intially referred to Estine as Grand Duke, sometimes father in the mtl (I'm guessing this was a very formal way to address your father). It took her some time to actually call him dad. She would only call him dad unconsciously. Whenever this happens, she's sort of in a lot of stress and pain. Estine had figured out early on that MC was so used to handling things by herself she doesn't rely on anyone else. So he told her that she could rely on him whenever she's in trouble or in pain. There was a time MC was bitten by a mosquito-like monster and had high fever. Estine stayed with her and he heard her calling him dad while she's sort of asleep and suffering from the fever. Estine smiled bitterly and was like you only called me dad whenever you're in pain. He then ordered to bring the potion (that rare potion that cured ML's mom) and give it to MC. Iirc the doctor and his aide was strongly against this because MC would recover in a matter of days, but Estine couldn't stand her suffering for another minute so he wanted to cure her asap. Some time later, I think it was Gilbert who pointed out to MC that she's still haven't address Estine as dad (atleast not in front of them). Her other two brothers also chimed in saying it's high time she calls Estine 'dad'. She said she will practice and try and they told her the sooner the better. Estine then came home from work and the brothers put MC on the spot and were like "dad, Mary wants to tell you something" lol. So MC was forced to call him dad and ever since then she called him dad. Later on in the story, Estine would be sent away to subjugate some monsters. It's taking him and his knights quite some time to finish it up because the leader of the monters was quite smart and using tactics. Back at home, Gilbert (being the eldest is the default head) was relaying the info to his siblings. I forgot who among the brothers asked MC but she was asked why she doesn't seem to worry much about Estine. MC said because Estine is the strongest person she knows. She suggested that Estine should sort of use a trap to lure the leader of the monsters out. She said Estine should just come alone and make it seem he has no other reinforcements. Gilbert joked that MC put a lot of trust in their father. Back to Estine, he had received a letter from Gilbert. Gilbert usually reports what happens in the grand duchy and their days. Estine was surprised there were two letters and even more surprised when he read it's from MC. He excitedly opened MC's letter. It was the first time she wrote to him. MC thought she doesn't need to write since Gilbert reports everything to him anyway. The letter was like Dad, don't listen to what brother Gilbert said lol. Estine was curious so he then read Gilbert's letter. He liked MC's idea so he only went out with a couple of knights to lure out the leader of the monsters. Soon enough it came out. Estine told Hestia and the other knights he would deal with the leader alone. So the battle ensued. At one point Estine called out to Hestia. Hestia thought it was really a tough opponent for Estine to call for her. She thought Estine can't deal with it alone lol. When she got closer Estine told him to watch and easily killed the monster. He came back to Hestia and told her to tell MC that her dad just single-handedly defeated a very powerful monster and tell her that her dad is very strong lol. After the subjugation, Estine went home. He suddenly have a long vacation because he was able to deal with a lot of monsters. He asked his children what he should do cos iirc he's sort of a workaholic and haven't really had the time to go on a vacation. I don't remember who suggested it, but it's to go in this place (sort of a rural area where it was really peaceful, later on it would be revealed that it was where the tower and the lake MC dreamt about was located). At first, Gilbert was against MC going there. MC was trying to act cute so her dad could override Gilbert's objection, but Estine was like nope, you can only go if Gilbert allows you lol. So MC started following Gilbert around for 2 or 3 days straight. She would act cute, draw pictures for him, and would use Nero (her toy) like what Gilbert did before, to persuade Gilbert to say yes. She got permission on the last minute and she was so happy she hurriedly packed her things. In the carriage on the way to the villa, the two brothers asked why did Gilbert say yes in the end. Gilbert confessed to the two that he was actually going to say yes, but the sight of MC following him like a baby duck was so cute he put off giving his go signal the day before they leave lol. After that time MC was kidnapped by the director, MC became withdrawn again. When Aiden witnessed MC blame herself for what happened, he was like how was that your fault? He couldn't stand seeing her so broken saying she deserved to be locked up etc etc. Aiden became overprotective of her after this. Rex , as I've mentioned earlier, would come to her room and comfort her the same way MC did when Rex had nightmares and was keeping everything to himself. I forgot how many days have passed since she was kidnapped, but she was really shaken by what happened. She would hug Nero and tell what she feels/thinks only to the toy. She wished for Nero to somehow understand/communicate with her. She fell asleep crying iirc and when she woke up. She saw Nero moving (sort of dancing iirc) and MC was so delighted her wish came true and was like Nero, you can move! Is this magic? Then she realized Gilbert was hiding and was the one who was moving Nero. It's the only way he can think to sort of cheer MC up since she loves her doll Nero a lot. When Gilbert was introduced in the story, MC got the impression he's strict and trying to imitate Estine. After the scene with Baron Bruno, she went looking for Gilbert (I forgot why lol). She assumed he's in the library cos he was always there. She went to the library but Gilbert was nowhere to be found, although his things are there. MC found Gilbert's diary and read what he thought of when they faced off Baron Bruno. It was written there 'today the children almost got hurt, I realized I should become stronger to protect them better' along that line. MC realized that Gilbert actually cares for his siblings, but wasn't being showy because he wanted to discipline them so they could grow up as good people. She realized that he has been working hard both as the eldest brother and as the heir of the grand duchy. She then decided to draw a card for him (she's sort of dubious if he'll appreciate it since she doesn't think she can actually draw, but since Rex and Estine think she's a great artist, she might as well try lol) iirc she put on the card 'you're doing a great job' and put the card in the book Gilbert was currently reading. Iirc Gilbert saw her leaving and when he took his things he noticed the card MC left and read it. He was so touched, he smiled because no one told him he was doing a good job iirc. This was the start of him warming up to MC.