Spoilers ahead. Pls view with caution. Aren't the MC and the real Penelope two different persons? They have different personalities and the twist in the end where they are revealed to be the same person kind of falls short for me because it comes off as sudden with little to none foreshadowing. And even the the mc herself never truly accepts that she is the real Penelope. That plot line serves no function, either as she doesn't have any additional knowledge about the world other than what she has learnt from playing the game and the system. She has no memories of the multiple timelines she lived. And the magic she has was given to her because of some contrived plot point by the ancient wizards. I felt as if this was inserted by the author just to wrap up some remaining threads. As such it makes more sense to view them as two different people, and among them is one with such a tragic ending, I wonder why the story wasn't written about her. Like I get that the mc had a terrible life and her happy ending was deserved but the real Penelope went through so much worse. Being unloved in so many lifetimes and killed by the same people who were supposed to be your family time and time again till your soul literally broke into tiny pieces all for the sin of trying to warn everybody that there was a freaking demon planning the demise of the nation is such a terrible thing and my heart breaks for the real Penelope. And speaking of the ducal family. I absolutely hate them. Like I know that many love them and think that they deserve better but I am vehemently against that (no hate to the people who like them, tho. You do you girl!). Like they are just so terrible. Not liking someone because they took your sister’s place is okay but physical and emotional abuse. That is just . And the real Penelope was a 12 year old child who lost her mother and was living on the streets when she was taken in. She was then psychologically abused, starved, berated, mocked by the only society and company she knew, was physically abused to the point that of deformation(yes! Huge, Sharp Needles are so painful), isolated considering she had no friends and was revealed to be severely suicidal and depressed so much so that her harming herself for the ’’attention of the family ’’ were regular occurances. And all of this by the age of 17. And unlike the mc who had gotten into college and had a chance at escaping her abusive family, the real Penelope had no such choice because she was a)killed in very dehumanizing and painful ways and b)even if she wasn't what are the chances that she could start again in a new country with a new identity. The real Penelope was taken in by the duke who made the excuse of saying ’’he didn't know better’’. Kind of stupid coming from a grown man was the head of an active ducal house and was very close to the emperor, enough to do him favor. The real Penelope was treated like a pet. A stray dog taken in. Where she would be given treats if she behaved and stayed put near the door or chased out and beaten of she tried too hard to enter the house. And apart from the mention that the two of them are the same people(which is very underwhelming in my opinion) the real Penelope’s fate is never mentioned again. The only little respect she was given was when the mc acknowledged the abuse she had gone through (and just to clarify I don't blame the mc for what happened to the real Penelope that would be stupid) but what I do dislike is that she forgives them and makes amends with them when it a) wasn't her place to do so and b)the real Penelope is fully unaware of this and perhaps has no idea that someone is possessing her body (unlike the beware of the villianess situation). Just imagine someone else possessing your body and having everyone who ever wronged you (the duchy’s servants) and abused you (need I point out who it is) love and cherish this entirely new person without any reason. And I say without any reason because the mc was focused on survival (not blaming her) and viewed the people around her as tools and cardboard cut outs (a reasonable reaction) unlike the real Penelope who tried very hard to bond with her family to the point of degrading herself by inviting herself to family dinners where her so called gamely didn't even realize she was being served sub par food and doll cutlery. All of the reader’s outbursts that the mc should have been more caring and she have viewed the people around her with more love were all done by the real Penelope who received none of the benefits. She was thrown aside in favour of the mc. And the mc knows all of this and she still chooses to patch up things with them (or atleast the duke and reynold). I don't know what she was thinking but whatever. And what irks me the most is that the duchy is under this impression that everything is all fine and dandy when they weren't even apologizing or making amends with the real Penelope but someone else. And it speaks volumes of their character when they didn't even realize that the girl they were supposed to take care of changed into an entirely different person. It’s sad and downright pathetic that the o’of one who joined that the real Penelope was gone was the Lelia aka thesemon that was responsible for the repeated death of the real Penelope. (Enemies to lovers, amiright fellas?). In short I have a lot of thoughts and lot of frustration about this topic.
Can you spoil me only About Derrick Eckart? His endgame & what he did that everyone hating him so much.