#tl2.dad

[scalamore]

[Thoughts] Why Lari regressed

I strongly believe that Lari regressed to save Rupert's fate from becoming a tyrant. It was never stated explicitly in the novel, but there's quite a few hints to suggest it. For starters, the author, Eclair-nim posted in an afterward in Vol 6: "[...] Even if people put their minds to it, "change" is not something that is easily accomplished. So even if I could turn back time, it would be difficult for me to reverse a decision I've already made. Despite this, I hope that Lariette and Rupert, who have not given up on growing and moving towards the future with each other, will be happy for a long, long time."

Both Elclair-nim and Hayeon-nim, on social media say that they wish for Rupe/Lali to be happy (yes, most authors say that but I feel they wish happiness for these charas a bit more than usual). Throughout the story, one of the biggest themes is [change], and it's established that Lari wanted to change from her previous impassive, ignorant self to someone who can think for herself and choose how to live her own life... but she also suffers from a fear of change, which is why she continues to cling to House Belois despite knowing they lie to her and continue to keep secrets. As a person who is naturally trusting of others, it's hard for her to be wary of others unless they betray her first. TECHNICALLY, House Belois hasn't harmed her/betrayed her yet, so all seemed good... Lari knows that everyone has a secret or two they wish to hide, like her own secret of regression Another thing that gets a lot of focus, is that Lari's personal wish of "saving House Belois from death" is not her true wish; over time, it changes to "save Rupert becoming a tyrant/ensure Rupert is happy". Over and over, especially after non-productive conversations with Lehan/the Count, Lari wonders why the heck she regressed. No matter how much she tried to convince them, House Belois refused to change. But that's the point - the reason why she regressed, and the reason why she thought she regressed were different. She didn't regress to save House Belois. That's why they were an insurmountable obstacle, where she could never get to them. Because they were not the ones in need of help from her regression. It's been described over and over, from multiple characters, that House Belois is extremely old fashioned, and it's true of trash dad, and by extension, Lehan. They are unyielding to their core beliefs, and they will die for their beliefs. Of course, Lari knew this about her own family, but she felt that maybe, because it's her, she can change something ---- nope, not at all. She witnessed them dying because of that stubbornness in TL1, and at this rate, if she does nothing, they'll suffer the same fate in TL2.

So despite her telling them about her regression, and was very hurt when they didn't believe her and ignored her warnings, she gave up on trying to change them by chapter 68. She will do her own thing to save them, because that was her only wish when she regresed. It became a duty for her she had to fulfill. She remembered happy memories of TL1, and she wanted to repay it back to them, even if that's not the case in TL2. But as Elcair-nim says, change is hard. Even if a person wants to change a decision they've made, it's really really difficult. For Lari, who believed wholeheartedly that her regression was to save her family, it's a pathetic, cruel joke to realize when in fact, she made the wrong decision/wish. Because in the story, besides Lari, there's one other person who changed so much - Rupert. Lari didn't realize it, but her existence saved Rupert from the moment they met. Without her, he would have continued to be controlled by Eva/Tory, and was on the fast track to being a hated, lonely tyrant. But with Lari around being a positive influence, he remained a relatively nice, reasonable guy. Still cranky and hot-headed, but reasonable. The irony is that Lari didn't realize that Rupert had already changed, while she was off to the side worrying when he'll change and flip that switch. But he had already changed long ago.

Rupert is the one who needed Lari's existence the most in the series. It's very likely that in TL1 he lived his entire life lonely, hated, alone, murdering all his enemies but also earning the public's hatred. After his closest person, Tory died, he had literally no one else beside him. It was a very pathetic and lonely way to live, to not ever feel happiness or warmth. If anything, Rupert never tasted basic human warmth or happiness until chapter 59, when he was 15. He was already starting to find life a bit fun when she came to the palace, but his happiness really started after Lari proved to him she wanted to stay out of her own accord, wanted to be his ally, and wanted to stay beside him. When they separated, he realized how much he depended on her. His source of happiness was gone, and he had issues coping for a while without her. Because he cherished Lari so much, and wished for HER happiness, he offered everything he had: his rich/power, but the thing that Lari appreciated the most: was her freedom. As a lady in waiting, she was allowed to come and go whenever she pleased, and when they got along better, she was able to speak her mind and bicker with him more. The more comfortable they became with each other, the more she voiced her thoughts and opinions, and Rupert really valued her thoughts. He hated when others, including Trash dad looked down on her and didn't listen to her, so he made sure to let her voice be heard everytime.

So by regressing and ensuring Rupert's happiness, that in turn, is the ONLY way for Lari to achieve HER happiness as well.

Because for the first time in both lives, Lari is finally happy, and that's by being around Rupert. The times they laughed and ran around in the forest of the detached palace, The times they bickered and argued about little things. When she would share nice things with him and he looked at her, not quite understanding but nodding, When they go shopping together, when they have conversations about anything because they spent so much time together. So during the climatic event, after House Belois' betrayal smacks her in the face, she fulfills her "duty" as a daughter to protect them by getting rid of the variable that would instigate any war - herself. When she recovers from her injuries, she had already decided to cut off House Belois, especially trash dad. He will never change. He's a lost cause. She burns the fir-tree family crest she has. She denounced her noble title of being part of a Count's family, and is now just an aristocrat without a title (Sort of like Amelia Belois). She was fed up by them, and fed up with their treatment of her. It's over. But Rupert was different. She couldn't ever forget him.... and she just hoped he would find his own happiness soon, because he deserves to be happy :(

[tommy-trusty]

Neuralblender ai created image based on my hardcore timeline

[tommy-trusty]

HI HI THANK YOU LOTS THESE R VERY GOOD,,, ANSWERS ALL UNDER THE CUT CUS MEMORIES GO BRRRRR

>> Did you ever go flying with Philza? Did he carry you, or did you have wings as well?

I did! Most of my memories of flying were being carried, since as a baby/kid he had to take me with him everywhere and I wasn't able to fly yet- well I might have been able to fly a little, but he wanted to make sure I was safe since we were gliding over very large and potentially dangerous stretches! Don't want your kid to fall into the ocean or void or lava or just in general fall from as high up as we had to fly to get to places quickly.

I had wings though, so when I got older I did do some flying with him! Generally I enjoyed the ground and the ocean though, although flying was definitely fun in the same way any other exercise based travel is! Occasionally fun to fly through little courses and rock formations with him too!

>> Did you ever do anything dangerous to annoy Philza? Ever go on Nether or End trips without telling him? Ever meet the deity's?

OH HEHEHE HE HATED ME FLYING IN THE NETHER WHEN I WAS SMALL…. when I got a bit older it was more chat that got worried because "WHY ARE YOU LETTING THE CHILD FLY IN THE NETHER" "PHIIIIIL [NAME]S FLYING GO GET [THEM]"  "PHIL THEYRE GONNA DIE" but phil just laughed cus like. I was like 10 and he didn't care XD chat picks up on Phil, they had to report me being awful and dangerous when I was younger and it took them YEARS to shake that habit. If anything they never did, as I got older I wasn't with Phil all the time anymore but I know they reported me to him anytime I did something stupid LMAO. I'd guess he just did the same thing as when chat came over telling him wil was eating sand or trapping frogs in a battle arena in the swamp, just like "yes that's very nice chat yes" because they needed acknowledgement XD

I definitely went on end trips without telling Phil when I was old enough to not have to be constantly with him, but this wasn't to annoy him or anything. The end was conquered by then, if I went there it was to grind levels, enchant things, or just hang out there because that place was rad! The nether was a bit stuffy so I spent less time there (whole magical realm at my finger tips and I just go "nah, it's kinda hot innit.")

>> Did you ever fight the ender dragon? What was it like? Did any mobs really scare you?

Pffff NO I did not, me and wil don't fight Phil's battles we just fuck around because Phil is a good dad who will fight THE ENTIRE EARTH for us (and by for us I mean for himself because he wants to build there, we are fully capable of not going to the end this wasn't a protective maneuver lol.) I wasn't that scared of mobs cus I just grew up watching Phil casually slay everything, like it's hard to have instilled fear of monsters when your developing years were spent strapped to a hardcore player! Philza avoided death like the plague so I learned to too, but not out of fear, just out of habit. I suppose I found blazes a bit freaky though.

>> Did you ever help Philza with his builds? Ever make your own?

Both! Honestly dad's builds were very big and ambitious so he had a LOT of room for help with just menial building shit. Wil didn't really help for shit because mom didn't let him (they're gods, that's "cheating." I thought it was a bit silly that wil wasn't allowed to have fun with us in that way, but wil didn't like building and dad really really did so it wasn't really a big point of concern for anyone other than kid me who just wanted to build with my big brother lol.) Phil was director of most things up until I was an adult, but he asked me, chat, and less often wil for opinions on build ideas which we were all very helpful with! In my timeline everything moved much slower than this world's hardcore, most builds took YEARS, so trust that a few helping hands were not a necessity for Phil, he was a patient man, but help was still appreciated.

As far as my personal builds, it's a bit more difficult to remember since I don't have a frame of reference but I did have a very nice house! Not too far from dads house, bit behind a ways, need to be able to walk out and say hi to pog! It was a pretty comfy house, just made of wood, had a lil workshop inside, just for general crafting. I remember chat used to sit on the windowsills and roof, dad'd say they're just watching their baby, annoying old man (affectionate.) I also built pathways quite a lot, and some minor world projects, I believe something in a rainforest, and I swear I remembered something else just a minute ago but now it's eluding me and I'm going to kill I HATE when that happens /lh

>> Did you get into sibling fights with Wilbur sometimes? Do your best to annoy him? What was your favorite thing to do with Wilbur?

Ah wilbur, we loved to make up things to fight about, it was a fun hobby, wilbur loved to argue and debate over the most inane topics, often he'd just come to Phil with the most pointless but still awful takes out of no where, and I learned from him that that's one way to start/have a conversation, so I did it too him too, I just had to turn around the tables to make him the philish voice of reason.

Dad left his iron footprint in the earth, the world bent around him, every spot he walked was left behind in his shape. Chat and I similarly left our major footprints in this world, because this was our world, damn it! But wil wasn't much more than a whisper over the earth, he might as well have never been there. Which is to say we… didn't have much to argue about seriously. Everything important to me was this place, and wil couldn't hurt that. Everything important to wil was… well it was beyond me, I wasn't a… demigod, or glitch, or whatever wil was, so I couldn't hurt his world either. The one thing I could've done to frustrate him was die, because if there was one thing important to wil that me and Phil could actually affect, it was ourselves, but frankly I didn't have any plans of dying so flying around the nether in the absolute most batshit risky way possible was my #1 only way to drive him insane as a teenager.

My fav thing to do with wilbur was talking! Arguing, sharing stories, making jokes, brainstorming- anything and everything, whenever he came by we always found something to talk about.

>> Was there any special places where you loved going? Anywhere that was important to specifically you?

Important to specifically me would be our home, and my home. All the beautiful places and statues were all wonderful, but they were projects, attractions, home was a lived place. Home was our ocean, our beach, our cat, our field, our house, my favorite place in the world. The best memories I have of most places are of building them with Phil or being there while he built it, but home wasn't a place to finish, it wasn't a project to work on, it was just a place to live! We were seagulls and I loved to go up and fly just to fly while at our beach. Flying was always for travel, to just be at home enjoying the natural ocean air with no where to be and nothing to do was something more full of light than anything we could have built in a hundred years, I loved it so much.

Timeline questions for tommy📒 !!

! Timeline : Hardcore Philza Kid !

>> Did you ever go flying with Philza? Did he carry you, or did you have wings as well?

>> Did you ever do anything dangerous to annoy Philza? Ever go on Nether or End trips without telling him? Ever meet the deity's?

>> Did you ever fight the ender dragon? What was it like? Did any mobs really scare you?

>> Did you ever help Philza with his builds? Ever make your own?

>> Did you get into sibling fights with Wilbur sometimes? Do your best to annoy him? What was your favorite thing to do with Wilbur?

>> Was their any special places where you loved going? Anywhere that was important to specifically you?

[irlbigq]

kin call!

Finally feeling well enough to make some strides back into. I dunno fuckin EXISTING-

Anyway, looking for a few things. D/SMP kincords to join (18+ only please,) sourcemates to chill with, potential canonmates if it crops up. Basically stuck in a LOOONG Quac/kity shift and I am lookin for my people. I have three timelines as Q.

Honestly really looking for my Techno/blade from tl2. So if any Tech//nos actually remember a trans Quackity with feathered ears and gold-brown mallard wings who freakin’ adored you (and died twice oops) send a message my way. Sam was my adoptive dad in that one, and Phi/lza ended up teaching me how to fly properly when I was an adult. Tommy was a VERY close friend. Quick sketch of what I looked like under the cut.

Low ass chance but, worth it right?

[shootyourarrows]

The Leica TL2 On Tour with Hurts

Hurts are an English synthpop duo formed in 2009, consisting of synthesist Adam Anderson and singer Theo Hutchcraft. Their two albums ‘Happiness’ and ‘Exile’ reached the Top 10 in the UK and they have recently released their new studio album ‘Desire’ so we caught up to find out more about life backstage. You’re currently touring across Europe, tell us a bit more about the tour.

This tour is celebrating the release of the fourth record, ‘Desire’. We’re spending nearly 7 weeks on the road, travelling from Siberia to Switzerland, Moldova to Manchester… and everywhere in between.

Could you tell us a little about your route into photography and anyone who influenced you on the way?

My dad is a painter and photographer, so from a young age we were always encouraged to pick up a camera when inspiration called. Benefitting from the immediacy of a digital camera, we used to review my images straight away and he’d advise me with regard to framing and composition, then off I’d go, continuing to happily click away, training my eye and sharpening my focus.

Another key influence is Sebastiao Salgado. I went to see an exhibition of his years ago and was absolutely blown away. His images are so clear and pure and really struck me. They carry an enormous yet understated emotional weight and that exhibition and those photographs have stayed with me for a long time.

What photography genres are you interested in?

Like Sebastiao Salgado’s portraits, I love an emotive image.

I particularly like the use of black & white as and - I’m not sure if this is because I am colour blind - but I think it allows you to fill in the colour yourself.

What camera are you shooting with and how are you finding it?

I’m delighted to have taken a Leica TL2 with a 35mm lens on the road and am absolutely loving it. To me, it feels like an instrument. It does what you tell it to do. It’s crafted so beautifully that using it comes completely naturally. It translates what I want to see, without having to do too much

What projects are you working on next?

We have a second leg of this tour which takes us to Asia in the New Year. Other than that I’m very much looking forward to getting back in to my studio and working with lots of new talent.

Their new studio album ‘Desire’ is out now and available at:

https://www.informationhurts.com/home/#music

Follow Hurts on Instagram:

Theo Adam Lael Discover the Leica TL2 here.

[empirestateofmars]

A thriller by Hakim, Terminale L

Fairies and Old Age

Hakim TL2

Rope around my neck burns my skin. As ashes fall over my lethargic body, my hand will not kneel before my fear. It keeps on writing my life, scared it would fall into oblivion seas. You, who reads my words, you have not read what comes before this last eulogy. You would have ran away, people tend to do that. You should as well. There will be no redemption, no innocence, no happy-ending and, alas, no more fairies for me. On this day, I, Cynishy Kidiur, hereby pledge to retire in his deathbed. There remains one story to tell, one ending to suffer…

Once upon a time, there was a dandilion, subsisting in a yard, that had never dared to cross the garden wall. The lonesome house the flower lived in was as far away from civilisation as anything could. Its owner had the unhealthy habit of running back and forth in the yard, crossing over the garden wall many times. Each day, at noon, he would sit, a teddybear in his arms, and wait for flying lights to appear. Screaming « Please, fairies, come again ! », the way his joyful face turned into sweet sorrow within a short amount of time, when he understood no fairies would come today, was a hearthbreaking scene the dandilion could not stand anymore. A sacrifice had to be made. When the man came to receive his tribute, he held the flower with tender firmness, thanking it for its support. The man kissed the white flower goodbye and blew it away, covering the garden with a warm coat of snow. The wish he made matters not, for in seconds, he shall receive a kiss of his own from the grim reaper. I said, that day, I wished fairies would take me to their realm. My mom, my dad, my sister, my dogs, my cows, my field, my tree-house, my sky and my stars… Each stated no fairies would unveil their saint body and expose it to my disgusting person. At eight years old, I contemplated fairies, or dull trick of the light, as my village judged. This is not the story I will tell you, nor an introduction of anykind. This is how faith flee my soul, how I have to euthanize myself.

Used to work as private investigator, tracking people. Feed my with gold and I could find anyone, anything, anywhere. For over fifty years, kindness kept me on the right path. I searched for missing children, needed to tell the parents good news when none was to be broken. Two months ago, a man posted a letter. Poorly written, sadly decorated, I knew peasants did this. It filled me in with valuable details about the missing Cando, ten year-old boy. I adorned a horse and galloped straight to the house, not understanding what to make of this. They had a modest home in Green Pineapple Street. I looked at it for an instant. I was warned by my expert intuition. It was necessary for me to abandon feelings, faith and hopes, dreams and expectations, otherwise, detectives wouldn't be as good as humanly possible. I knocked on the door. A feminine voice yelled and opened the door. She was a middle-aged woman, ferocious look, clever look, she threw at me. Behind her, threatening, over protective, the husband and another man.  Vilinshya, Cando’s six-year old sister, held her mother’s hand, shaking, frightened. We came in. I sat on an aged gnawed wood chair, facing them. When she offered « wine », I knew how dangerous it would be to refuse. Piscivorous smile, teeth out, threat of an injured animal. She had the maternal instinct to step back when I took the cup. I forced myself to gulp down the bitter beverage. We discussed important matters such as weath for an hour and a half. I went straight up to the point : Cando. During the night, the mother heard her child's bloodcurdling scream. As soon as she could, she entered the room. Nothing. Cando was gone. The mother lead me to the bedroom, like a shepard would with his sheeps. If they get lost, or dare deviate course, the shepard punished, for he sees all. She saw all. Nothing in Cando's bedroom. Clean... Window not broken, lock untouched. The floor was as clean as a peasant house could be. I hurried to find something, anything, a clue... No note under the bed, no blood stain. To focus, I paced around. I suddenly felt a difference between two planks near the bed. I removed one, desperate to escape the stiffling house, full of whispers, expectations and hopes. I didn't have it in me to break another disappointing news and see parents fall. A ticket ! To Disubo Village, about a hundred miles from Green Pineapple Street. It struck me. Disubo Village was known for its offer of safe house, asylum, without distinction of race, religion or age. I hid hit in my backpocket, the safest place I knew. I escaped the spotless bedroom, rushed out, babbling insecere apology : « I haven't found anything, sorry. I will be back soon. » As the Sun was tired, and prepared to bequeath his daily duty to the Moon, I dashed. Wind in my hair, sweat on my forehead, racing all around the city... I was a panicked unstoppable force of thinking nature. In one hour, or less, I got to an inn. Three bedroom, undrinkable muddy beer. Would do for now. A hundred pairs of eyes, hitting me with smirking look, judging how rich I was, where I came from. Then, they remembered a drinking man in an inn as no more origin, skin color. The discussions resumed. Mistake. My work started now, with some spying. All whispers, all discussions, all secret schemes I heard that night. I drank myself to death with apple juice. At last, I could drink something that would not kill me after three gulps. « Unhappy » was a recurrent term to define Cando's behavior. Sick, pale, distracted. This was Cando at his best. Despite the neighbor's warnings to the family, nothing was done. The child wandered during daylight as if a snake bit him perpetually. He had no ennemy. Rage filled my body, I took a sip from the bottle of apple juice, thoughts of horrible suspects appeared. The Sun shone on my shaking hand, a ray of light drew a line for me to cross : wheather or not I was ready to accept the truth. And this truth has never been that painful, that real for a man to hear, alone, in a bar, apple juice in his hand. To be a good detective, forget hope, beliefs, expectations. Drown them in alcohol, burn them and reduce them to the nothingness of mankind. I knew the culprit. I knew where Cando was. It did not occur to me before due to a shield I built for myself. Can't accept human beings as they are, so you see fairies, create the illusion of a « good man ». There is no such thing. I stood up. Touched the floor. Crossed the damn line. I was the carcass of a man, the remains of my childhood. If someone had called me, he would have found no answer to the name « Cynishy ». I sprinted to the family's home, concerned with the possibility I might be forced to interrogate them. I knocked, talked and fought with logical arguments. Three hours passed, I convinced them of the interrogation. I first spoke to the husband and the other man. They were playing chess. Two suspects confirming each other's allibu wouldn't do... Hope the mother had a . She unwillingy sat. No reaction when I mentionned her son could be cut in pieces, dismantled, his cadaver raped and devoured. My experience told me such things happened. But then mothers would cry, flooding the husband's shoulder with tears. Nothing. Hours passed, and with words we battled. Each time I approached the truth, she pushed me away with comments on my private life, my inability to be detective or my mental health. She put up a good fight, outstandingly turning things to her advantage. I, sadly, never have the chance to be wrong. With a magnificent strike, I cruelly put my master card on the damn table : the ticket. There. She smiled with pride. I won. And she knew I won. And all the skies of all the worlds knew I won. However, I lost, on that day. More than my serenity, it was a part of me that broke, turned to dust. When you solve this type of crime in two days, when you accept the truth you are given... End is near. I know I will never see lights flying in the night, breaking the darkness with me, warming my cold dead heart. No more fairies for me. She lost, or won. It was a draw. She had no allibi, asleep in her bed. When she opened the door, screaming at the males, I knew something was wrong. I was trialed with another test when she passed me the beverage. Was I a threat to her ? Then, Cando had the main traits of a beaten child, which I had the misfortune to experience myself. From there, it is easy to say she was beating him. He attempted a first escape. That night, to join Disubo Village, he took the ticket, cautiously hidden under the floor. I learned later Cando was a bastard, born of the union between the mom and her dead fiancé. As the father's purse was full of gold, she kept him : that's the « other » man. The « father » held a grudge toward Cando. All it takes is one bad day, one moment when moral codes fall. The mother was the carcass of a civilized human being. She hated her child as he reminded her of the fiancé. When she got married again, she had two minions to obey her words. In years, the men were slaves. A room was discovered when police searched the body. They found it, along with torture tools, weapons, knives and poison... I couldn't take it. I knew I would find no point in living, working, breathing, eating, sleeping. When I left, wet eyes glanced at me. Innocent, confused and tormented. Tiny drops fell on the ground, washing the soil of the blood, the events and the memories. The half-sister, against a tree, held her head with both her hands, as if she was afraid it would fall. I tenderly took her in my arms, preventing her head to fall and I said : « Don't worry about a thing, every little thing is going to be all right. Cando went to a marvellous place called : « Fairy's Realm ». I went there myself, flying on a white dandilion. There won't be any screaming in the night, nor red scars on his skin. Every little thing is going to be all right. Kind people have accepted you, you are to go to them tommorow. Before that, come. We will drink apple juice all night, celebrating your brave brother. »

There remains no more air to breathe in the world. Changing it could be compared to trying to drink the see in one gulp. I am trying to escape it with a little dignity. The livid shadow of my childhood and I are standing in a madding crowd, both drowning in broken dreams. Isn't it the way ? A haunted detective, drinking, smart, clver, decrepit... Finding burried clues ? Until he breaks the case ? My mast desire is to look at the starts, try to see those lights, those fairies...Pity. No stars. I hoped there would be stars. All I see are lights, spinning. How worthless. No fairies. I thought so. A thousand shining stars are rushing toward me. When my time had come, all I can do is hang myself on a tree, give back everything Earth gave me. For there be no fairies to light up the sky again. To bad these lights in the sky are not fairies. They should stop rushing now. It will only exhaust them. I am Cynishy, the Man Who Saw Them. If you are reading this, I comprehend you have not seen what comes before. You would have run away. Farewell, friends...

[scalamore]

(Spoiler) Fates of Other Characters at the End of the Story

Just putting it out there since there have been a few incorrect spoilers floating around that I would like to correct:

>> Duke Arnbach's faction:

Queen (who became Empress consort): Killed in TL1 from a fire carriage accident; Still alive in TL2; Arnulf: Killed in TL1 for "being framed for treason" (it actually was treason); Still alive in TL2. ***note, Vol 6 doesn't go into detail about what happened to the Queen and Arnulf. Just like in TL1, they, along with Duke Arnbach, his grandfather (and the queen's father), had engaged in silent warfare against Rupert, such as sending assassins. Some point after Lari left, Arnulf tried to attack Rupert in a silent attack and was injured in the process (described to be crippled now). Of course, all this was behind the scenes, so Arnbach's faction couldn't do anything about it, and Rupert chose to not publicize the attack either. At the time when tensions were mounting, Rupert would very much rather watch and guard over Lari, as he had a bad feeling about the psycho baker hovering around her. However, he was urgently summoned back to the palace, because Louis had gotten word that Duke Arnbach and the Queen were now planning to openly attack the Capital with their army of knights. Unfortunately for Duke Arnbach's faction, they were completely no match for Rupert's own army. Of course, rebellion against the Emperor meant certain death, but Rupert allowed him, the Queen, and Arnulf to survive. In the end, Duke Arnbach pledged allegiance to Rupert, including all their political power and wealth. This was publicized by all of high society and the commoners of this faction's fall in power, and how they dared to go against Emperor Rupert. Unfortunately for him, Duke Arnbach only feigned innocence and loyalty; he tried to rebel again a few years later by trying to assassinate a pregnant Lari and was promptly executed this time for good.

Nigelle: Alive in both timelines - Went to live in some remote area near Hirel Island, not involved in politics anymore.

>> Grand Duke Ventibolt's faction

Grand Duke Ventibolt: Died in Tl1, died during the rebellion in Vol 6

Aunt Amelia: Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Gave birth to a son, but Rupert publically denounced her and the son when Ventibolt died; they were allowed to live but will have no role in the battle for the throne in the future since they couldn’t prove the baby’s legitimacy, they had no power of their since Ventibolt didn't use his own army, but rather mercenaries that were bought off by Rupert. Ventibolt’s bloodline was now known as traitors just like House Belois.

>> House Belois

Trash dad - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: I forgot if he's confined in the capital for life or in the south. House arrest for life though.

Lehan - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Will inherit House Belois once he becomes of age; tasked with rebuilding it to its former glory, as the house is known to be one of traitors who rebelled against Rupert. Lands are confiscated by the royal family, but the rest of the family and staff are allowed to live there peacefully in the south still. He's now the Captain of the Guards (the position that Louis was supposed to be in TL1). Unknown if he settled down or married, last we see of him is when Lari was giving birth and he was trying to calm down Rupert

Amanda Belois - Died in Tl1, alive in TL2: Still living comfortably in the South. Doesn't associate with her husband anymore.

>> RupeLari's group

Tory - after betraying Rupert, had died during the Rebellion of Vol 6, leaving only behind the Blue Eagle Crystal. From her conversations with Louis to not forget her, and with Rupert, it was evident that she knew she would die soon - and she did. After the battle, there was no trace of her in the armor, but just the crystal that made up her core. RupeLali left her at the St Voldegord's lake as a final resting place. Years later, she somehow materialized a [body] and reunites with Rupelali in the special side stories.

Louis - Not sure what his official position is, but he's completely replaced Lari as Rupert's close aide/right-hand man. He's always drowning in paperwork as Rupert is busy hanging out and enjoying life with Lari. Countess Lemille - Jailed in TL1. Initially the Queen's aide, but is now Lari's aide. Suffers the same fate as Louis as an overworked aide. She's introduced as an antagonist, but her heart is in the right place - she wants the current corrupt, backward Empire to take a step forward and be one that is kinder to women, and allowed women more rights. One of Lari's mentors and supporters as she aims to become Chief Justice while being an Empress, all to better support Rupert. Papa Felipe - Rupert occasionally summons him for some tasks if needed. Extras: From the special side stories: A lot of people are interested in the prince and princess from this generation's Wiletan Royal family: I forget what the Prince's name is, he's forgettable, still alive. Othelia, the princess: she's very much alive. Her only purpose is to wear Ardel's famous perfume, for Rupert to get necessarily close to her so he can get a sample of it on a tissue, and he goes back to his office to recreate it and give it to Lari as a gift. Some drama because he's framed to be unfaithful to Lari, but Lari doesn't buy it lol. (She's more upset that their daughter was upset at various things he did in general lol)

(Vol 5) Psycho Baker - Beheaded with his head displayed in the town square for the crime of poisoning, assaulting, and kidnapping with intent to harm a noblewoman. Riche/House Gorten - we find out in both timelines they were initially against Rupert and supported Archduke Ventibolt but eventually bit their own tails and swore allegiance to Rupert once they saw how completely overpowered he was. They enlisted the help of foreign mercenaries (kidnapping arc), which Rupert eventually took control of as well. That's why House Gorten got away scot-free in TL1: because they had sworn their allegiance to Emperor Rupert despite doing shady things at the start. Smart. There were also mentions of a small power struggle in the South: with House Gorten and House Vincent against House Belois. In the end, it resolved by itself. House Vincent in general doesn't like House Belois.

[scalamore]

Lari's memories of TL1 with House Belois

Not spoilers as this is a nice summary of the pieces that were revealed so far in the manwha

Up to age 12, Lari was routinely sent to the “room of repentance” (nice name….) for “acting bad”. This includes defying parents, not studying, not wanting to do something etc. They would lock her in the dark room - which she hates even now - by herself for an unknown amount of time (early chapters). (Psychological discipline)

When they felt Lari was being particularly stubborn and defiant, they would bring out the whip/cane to physically punish her. It’s implied it happened relatively often, because Lari cursed at Lehan for not even resisting and just easily going to the next room to grab it. Even Trash dad says “it’s not serious enough this time to cane her” - again, suggesting she was physically disciplined a few times.

When the kidnappers in chapter 47ish were beating her up, she made a strange comment of “I’ve never been beaten up this badly before” ….. if she had never been beaten up at all, wouldn’t she say something like “I’ve never been beaten like this before??

In the novel, when Arnulf’s maids beat her up, Lari made a strange comment of “She wasn’t sure why, but she knew that she needed to protect her head and stomach, so she curled up into a tight ball to protect those areas” This sounds to me like she doesn’t remember getting hurt, but her body remembers instinctively on how to protect herself when it happens

Lari ate the bare minimum, and didn’t go outside so she can be “thin and pale” Iike a proper lady. She was ridiculously thin where she easily fit into corsets, and was shorter than her TL2 self by a few inches.

She never went shopping by herself, all her needs were given by House Belois (Ch 27?)

She never left the south by herself; she only went to Champagne with family - she was always under the watchful eye of her family ALL THE TIME

In ch 82(?) Trash dad said he wanted her to be under his protection at all time, in his fenced-off area, not knowing anything for her safety (yup for sure this happened in TL1)

Lari admits early on in TL2 that she’s scared and just wants her father to guide her and tell her what to do, but after she felt he didn’t believe her regression, she chose to take matters in her own hands - but yes, she really wanted her father to solve things for her but lost faith in him in chapter 58.

didn’t get along well with Lehan, they were very distant

Killing her self esteem because they destroyed all marriage offers for her, making her think she was undesirable both in appearance and personality. They allowed some gross baron to ask for her hand in marriage, and of course she rejected that. IT messed with her self esteem that literally, her option was to be alone or with a gross baron??? (early chapters)

Killing her self esteem x2 because she was gloomy, quiet, and reserved, and wore a pathetic brown dress that covered her up like a nun with no accessories. she didn’t know how to socialize and was a wallflower during her debutante. She was excited that Prince Rupert introduced himself to her, but got really sad when she realized that he introduced himself to “Lariette Isabelle de Belois” because he had an eye on House Belois, not because he was introducing himself to her as a person (early chapters)

Trash dad didn’t even sponsor her Debutante; Lari had actually was very excited for it in TL1 and resorted to Aunt Amelia for help, and scraped together the bare minimum…. And that led to disastrous results. It was so disastrous that she didn’t even WANT a debutante in TL2, because she’s so afraid of repeating the results.

Lari has NEVER defied or went against her parents, because they knew what was best for her and the family (mentioned multiple times)

In TL2, the unchanging Trash dad continues to gaslight her in saying she was rebellious, bad child, upsetting Lari because she’s trying her best and they don’t acknowledge it at all. (mentioned multiple times)

Again, it’s interesting how all the memories she’s revealed to us there’s literally NO HAPPY MEMORIES.

I really think that during her isolation in that dark jail cell for months, she did some serious repression of her memories of the negative and only clung to the positives because that was the only way she could cope with life at that time. Her words are telling as well, from the novel version of Ch 84 - “The moment I lost my family, i realized how precious they were. The things most precious to us are usually so close that you wouldn’t realize how truly precious they are until it’s lost.” She lived a comfortable, ignorant life guided by her family the whole time. Without them around, she, as a very sheltered, ignorant girl, could not cope with the stress of the situation, and clung to all the happy memories to try to survive another day… and also placed unreasonable hatred and blame on Rupert in the meantime.

On a side note, the in real-life example of Lari’s situation is if she were raised by helicopter parents that dictated her every move, stunting her own growth and development and maturity, and when left on their own, the kid would fail at everything and be a nervous, anxious, and depressed mess :(.

[scalamore]

Rupert and Lehan as ML

the story, especially the manhwa does a really good job of developing both Rupert and Lehan as ML candidates. (Lets be real, Lehan was never a real candidate lol).

Early on in the series, if you see it through the lens that Lehan has had a crush on her this whole time because he saw her as his future bride - he acts very passive. You could even say that he thought it was natural she would become his bride, join the family, and become a real Belois - its not like she can go anywhere else, so if anything, the way he acts is consistent with someone who feels that since they've already obtained their prize, they don'tneed to work hard for it anymore. Lari is the prize.

It's just like Arnulf, who thought he would become Crown Prince and never actually did any preparatory work and lazed around. Lehan as well, pledges he was born to protect her, his future wife, as her sword. In other words, he doesn't protect her because of "Lari herself" but he's protecting the "Lari who will become his wife when they're adults". Because he's so passive, he never tells of Lari of his actual feelings. Such feelings were insanely obvious to Riche, and thus her antagonism. He's such a coward that he's afraid to change the status quo - he literally ran away from her and avoided her for years in TL1 because he's so shy, and in TL2 he gladly accepted her affections to her "beloved younger brother". As the years pass, he does become more uncomfortable because her feelings are still "BELOVED YOUNGER BROTHER", so he tries to be affectionate with small touches like hand kisses, brushing her hand, holding it, but Lari just thinks it's him warming up to him. Despite all his blushing and DOKI DOKI, Lari NEVER had her heart skip a beat because of his actions. She simply never saw him that way, and never will. What severely limits him is his obedience to trash dad, who told him to keep everything a secret from Lari. When he realizes that Lari trusts Rupert quite a bit, he clamps down on the secret even more. He never saw Lari as an equal, just a prize to be protected and owned as part of the family. If anything, he's seen as thick headed and stubborn by Lari "her beloved, but very stubborn younger brother" because all he does is tell her the family and him want her home, despite what SHE wants. He also considers all the "sibling hangouts" as "dates" (as well as passerby). He fails to realize that what Lari wants the most, is someone whom she can trust and rely on... he lost the moment she sensed he didn't truly believe in her regression. So she enjoys their sibling time together, but doesn't bring things up from the past anymore. When he sees Lari getting closer to Rupert, instead of reflecting on why they seem to be getting closer but he's always bro-zoned, he tries to copy Rupert by growing out his hair, or dabbling in alchemy (although he can't manifest it at all). The only thing he gets is Lari's praise for being a smart younger brother, and reassurance that he's handsome, as expected of her younger brother. He also tries to pick up smoking to impress her, but didn't realize Lari didn't like that habit lol. He repeatedly says that he'll save her from any harm, but yet he's the one who causes her to be hurt the most, through his lies or making her doubt Rupert. Just like other generic MLs from other stories, the moment he's rejected by Lari he grows a spine and chases after her, despite her telling him she doesn't want to associate with him or House Belois anymore. His advances are completely unwelcome, but he still pushes her buttons. Too little, too late.

Not to mention, Lari has lost complete trust in him by this point. He lies to her face, he keeps secrets, and she can no longer have any faith in him. She doesn't think of him as her beloved younger brother, just a stranger/acquaintance at best. If anything, she admits that she "never knew Lehan" in either timeline. They're just too different and will never understand each other.

-- Meanwhile, while Lari and Rupert had a really rough few first years together with neither one trusting each other, they eventually warmed up and started trusting and relying on each other. As Rupert matured and underwent puberty, Lari would always inevitably compare his changing features to both his future Emperor self or to the also growing Lehan. (She's always liked Rupert's appearance more than Lehan's too, but is slow to admit) But the key point between RupeLali is, is how despite being rude and cranky, he's never harmed her in any way, and if anything, protects and saves her over and over again. He doesn't try to lie or trick her either. (Ch 40s). He's a straightforward, honest guy. Lari can't quite pinpoint exactly when, but at some point she just naturally started to trust and rely on him. (Ch 105ish) She feels safe around him, and in the back of her mind knows that if she gets hurt, Rupert will be there to help her out. Not to mention, they spend so much time together, to the point where both of them know a lot about each other - they both know all the good and bad points of each other, but still accept each other for who they are.

For Lari, who suffers from the burden of her memories of TL1, where she's the only one who has these memories and experiences, yet has to hide them from everyone in TL2 - it's so incredibly lonely. So when Rupert accepts her past, it's such a relief as well. She WANTs to rely on someone. She WANTS to trust someone. She WANTs to share all her worries and fears with someone. He’s the only one who accepts Lari for who she is. I think Rupert really started to trust Lari for real around the time he became crown prince, and it doesn't take long for him to have unconditional faith in her + no more secrets. Lari even thinks that even though Rupert doesn't tell her everything, if she were to ask about something he'd probably honestly answer it (he will). While Lehan intentionally keeps secrets from Lari, Rupert never felt the need to. One could say that he kept the secret of knowing about her birth, or about House Belois from her is deception - but it's a very "gray" thing. In Ch 54ish, he did offer to tell her everything he knew about her, but she declined and neither brought it up again. Later on, Lari figured that Rupert might know, but she didn't want to ask. Rupert is stuck - because he knows that Lari will react badly, and he doesn't really want to see her hurt. After all, there's no need to rock the boat right now, things are calm and comfortable, so things should be OK? After all, he already has backup plans just in case House Belois rebels, and no matter what, he'll give them a fair punishment. But as we see in Ch 110-111, Lari DID take it badly, and was so so so hurt to the point where Rupert was hurt as well :(((.

For the first time, Rupert had experienced how much it hurt to have someone he cared about not trust him in return, and be hurt because of miscommunication. So that's why during the separation, he makes up his mind to be clear on everything: he can't read Lari's mind, he can't read hers, so he'll make it absolutely clear on his intentions so there won't be any doubt between them. He really is a character that learns from his mistakes !! Also, Rupert never treats Lari as a prize, or something to be won. he MAY have been persistent with reminding her that 'she belongs to him', but in the context of this story, it's not that he truly believes she belongs to him - but rather, that's the bond they have right now, for most of the series before the separation: she offered herself up to him to become someone who belongs to him as proof of her loyalty. Despite 'owning' her, he's never made her do anything she hated. He doesn't boss her around unreasonably and never forces her to do anything. If anything, if he says something unreasonable, he'll bicker with Lari and reach some sort of compromise. He also likes to hear her thoughts and opinions, and asks her for her advice.

That's why, when they reunite, Rupert wants to be equals. He'll treat Lari as "Lari", and have her choose how to define their relationship. Obviously, he's the Emperor (can't change that), but Lari can choose if she wants to stay with him (as a maid, as a neighbor, as his lover, or you know, maybe Empress ;)), but he won't force her. He wants her to give him a chance and then decide. And that's why Rupert clearly wins. By developing him and Lehan simultaneously, we see that Rupert truly cares about Lari, knows her very well, treats her as a person and seeks out her opinions. He doesn't hide things from her, and is always honest. In the end, she's the one who chooses to be with him, not him forcing her into it because he could. :)

[scalamore]

House Belois extra details

House Belois never intended to tell Lari anything. They said it was to protect her, but that's a flat out lie. They considered her a liability. In both timelines, her purpose was simply as a doll used for the purpose of rebellion as a doll to be put on the throne. The ones who would actually rule would be House Belois. In TL2, things shifted: they did not tell her anything, because they KNEW Lari would never agree. After all, Lari's been telling them from the start to not even consider the possibility of treason. They used her information to change their plans, and get an extra few years to prepare. After all, they'll strike early when Rupert is less prepared, so of course they'll win, right? No, because it's pure arrogance. They looked down on the "commoner" Rupert and ignored all his hard work to prepare for the throne. They ignored Lari's warnings, because her opinion means nothing to them. They thought that as a pure-blooded family, they will win via their birthright. After all, their strength rivals the the Marquess in the Southern territories. They also got routine reports from Lehan, who told them how much Rupert cares for her, and the entire family saw how much Rupert cares for her first hand as well. They even noticed how close RupeLali were: in this case, they certainly can't tell Lari their plans for rebellion because 1) she won't agree to it, and 2) she definitely won't agree because she cares for Rupert. They even thought that if Lari knew, then she'll tell Rupert and ruin all their plans. So they need to find an opportunity to get Lari back home to Belois and strike against Rupert.

Despite seeing firsthand how much Rupert cares for Lari, they believe it's a temporary crush and the moment Rupert learns of Lari's bloodline, is when he'll betray her. So of course House Belois has to swoop in and bring her home before that. Amanda is the only one with a sense of reason: her intuition told her that Rupert genuinely cares for Lari, and even told her that it would be great if RupeLali could be happy as a couple. In the background, she's actually opposed to the whole rebellion, because she trusted Lari. Unfortunately, as a woman, she has absolutely no leverage in the family so her wishes were left unheard. While Lehan and Trash dad went full steam ahead on rebellion. In the end, what matters to Trash dad the most isn't the prosperity of the Empire through a capable ruler, but to make sure one of "suitable Vellnelni blood" is on the throne. After all, he's been ok with the last 18+ years of corruption, considering he was safe in the South this whole time and avoiding politics...

[scalamore]

Thoughts - House Belois was justified in treason

As much as I think they're annoying and infuriating, I have to admit, in another story, they would have been justified in their attempt at rebellion.

After all, consider this: Trash dad was Akan I's closest associate. Even their wives were close. House Belois was always known to be loyal to the Crown. Unfortunately, Akan I was overthrown by his brother, but he at least was still a member of the imperial family. After this event, House Belois withdrew from most political activities and stayed mostly in the South. Although not as active, he got along well with the Queen's faction enough to send them/Nigelle an invite to Lari's 12th birthday party (the one Rupert ordered Tory to steal).

It's implied that the promise made between Trash dad and the Crazy emperor was something like this: In exchange for keeping the secret of the Emperor's infertility and how Eva is a wiletan spy and wants to escape, the Count will live like a mouse in the South, along with smuggling Lari away, but also on the condition that Eva's child will not inherit the throne.

Ch 72:

Notice in both timelines, Trash dad was quiet and didn't earnestly make plans for treason until he learned that Rupert would be crown prince/Emperor. In TL1, it wasn't until Rupert became Emperor and soon took Tori as his Empress that Trash dad started acting up: he openly complained about how a commoner was the mother of the nation, but he also knew that the new emperor was also essentially a Wiletan commoner with no speck of Vellnelni blood. He didn't take action because although Rupert was named Crown Prince, the emperor, Arnulf, and Ventibolt was still alive so it wasn't a guarantee that he would become Emperor next.

In TL2, he had a jump-start of 3ish years to plan the treason and was on the lookout for the truth that Lari was correct in that Rupert was actually a male would become CP, and we see the evidence through Lehan: his unusually quick improvements, knightage, promotions, transferred to another location, now part of the army instead of the military (or something like that).

As someone as loyal to the crown and as traditional as House Belois, it is utter madness to allow non-royals to masquerade as the real ones and fool the entire nation. There was no way they could accept that. So of course he had to take action to put Lari back rightfully on the throne. Ventibolt is a coward, Arnulf is weak, but through Lari, House Belois can "set the Vellnelni empire to the right path" again.

(It's also explained in the novel that in hindsight, she's aware that her father loved/idolized/respected Akan I and House Belois so much, and that he only "loved" her as long as she was useful to him with his goals. The moment she cut ties with House Belois, he was ready to abandon her. Gross. This was hinted as early as Ch 54 with the first visit to Aunt Amelia's house where she told Lari that Trash dad didn't love her, he only loved Belois)

It just so happens that in THIS story, it's a story of choices, changes, healing, acceptance, freedom, autonomy etc, so the reader sympathizes with Rupe/Lali so we WANT them to succeed and be happy.

Just thoughts.

[scalamore]

(Spoilery thoughts) 107 - Lari’s side

AAAAA I just love how this was adapted, and at such a great cliffhanger too!

It doesn't take much for Lari to start connecting all the dots.

She's royalty.

Meaning House Belois definitely knew, and they definitely lied and hid that fact about her both times. Lehan knew as well. No matter how much she begged him before, he never answered her...

This also changes everything. If she's royalty, then she's the actual true heir to the throne, not Rupert. Her family already hid the fact that she was royalty, there's no way that they're also hiding something like.. the rebellion she told them not to even consider, right!??

Lari had already given up on trying to get them to tell her what they were hiding, but now she wants to demand the truth from them. She is utterly convinced they're actually planning treason behind the scenes. the next thing.... does Rupert know? Rupert's smart... he's very thorough... he might? but he hasn't said or done anything... so he might not? Then... what happens if Rupert didn't know, and he will soon? Neither Lari or House Belois is safe anymore. Just the fact House Belois is planning treason is enough to justify their deaths, and the fact that Lari herself is royalty is another reason. That’s the reason why House Belois lied to her face and kept on telling her to go home - because they were convinced that the moment Rupert found out about her origins he’ll have her killed. They didn’t tell her anything for fear she would accidentally leak that information to Rupert + she didn’t agree with their plans anyways. Their plans involved her, but didn’t require her knowledge. In the end history repeats itself and she’s left as an ignorant doll, to be used for House Belois’ treason. This whole time, she thought of Rupert as the enemy who cruelly annihilated House Belois. But it turns out, he was completely justified in doing so in TL1. She was just ignorant, and blamed him without realizing the truth. Even when she thought she found the answer, it wasn’t the correct one.

Yes Rupert had promised her that he wont harm House Belois as long as the Count doesn’t try to take the crown from him… and she is freaking out that Trash dad will.

She doesn’t think it’s possible for Rupert to overlook that treason, even for her sake. After all, like he always tells her, she belongs to him. That’s it. He had worked so hard to earn the Emperor’s position, there’s no way he will allow any chance of it being stolen from him :((((

So in the end… Lari thinks that she’s wasted her second chance in TL2. Everyone’s the same. It’s not possible for anyone to change. She worked hard for nothing. It’s impossible. She can’t save anyone.

House Belois will continue to use her as a tool against Rupert. But she doesn’t want Rupert to fight against them either. She doesn’t want him hurt

… so.. what now? ;——;

LARIIIIII 😭😭😭

[scalamore]

(spoiler) FYI House Belois

A lot of readers tend to fixate on the fact that Lari still loves her gaslighting family even knowing that they’re hiding things from her, calling her stupid for doing so. A lot were spoiled about House Belois’ betrayal (in the wrong context), and say that Lari has been ignoring this obvious issue when she keeps on saying she’s working hard to not be ignorant, but she still is. (What I mean is, readers know of the impending betrayal, but when they see Lari not continuing to try to dig up more info, they get annoyed at her lack of focus on her goal to find out the truth, because they think it's the only one). The thing is, during the Grand Duke Ventibolt arc, Lari did find [the truth], but the issue is, it wasn’t the correct one.

In chapter 55-59, Lari learned that her father was the reason why Rupert and Eva suffered such misery and abuse at the hands of Crazy Emperor. The father that she thought was so morally righteous, ABANDONED someone in need and ran away, like a coward. Not only that, but he didn’t believe her when she told him about her regression, and only insisted she come home. It was as if he didn’t listen to a word she said, and only came to give her a sob story. She felt SUPER disappointed in him. Meanwhile, she has to deal with whatever feelings she has for Rupert - it was easy when she didn’t know this information, because she could project all her hatred and blame to him. But knowing this new information, that he was a victim that just retaliated against House Belois who had abandoned him - this changes everything. He’s no longer a monster to her, but rather a kid who was justified in his slaughter. She’s finally starting to see TL2 Rupert as his own person, not just from her memories of TL1 Rupert. Chapter 60 has a few months time skip, where Lari has been ignoring Trash dad’s letters to meet and talk again. She’s not ready yet, she doesn’t know what to say or do yet. It’s one of those nights where she can’t sleep - and neither can Rupert, for their own reasons. After their chat, where Lari reaffirms that she wants him to live well and be happy, she finally is ready to talk to Trash dad… Who in chapter 61 sends Lehan to talk to her in his place. The conversation goes nowhere, as expected, and Lari is frustrated by how her own family his keeping so many secrets from her. If she doesn’t know, how can she save them? They refuse her help. But she knows that they can’t save themselves, the way they are - so obstinately stubborn. Once again, the only way to change the future, is if she changes, because no one else will.

After Rupert rescues her from Arch Duke Ventibolt’s mansion, Lari realizes that Rupert is not a crazy bloodthirsty person like his TL1 self. He saved her not once, but TWICE, and this time he wore himself ragged in the process. He’s someone who has morals, and is reasonable. She reasons that the cause of House Belois’ downfall in TL1 was very likely because of his rage when Trash dad abandoned him and his mother years ago. Their crime was the neglect, and abandonment of the young prince and Emperor, and subjected them to lives akin to being slaves. It makes sense that in TL1, his rage grew over the years, and the moment he became Emperor he enacted justice on the House that caused the Empress’ death by trapping her in the palace until the day she died. With one last chat with Lehan and Trash dad she’s convinced - they don’t believe her, they won’t listen to her, they think of her as some doll. At least they confirmed they aren’t planning treason, so that crime during her trial of treason was “fake” just like how they accused her of living an extravagant lifestyle.

So with that, Lari is satisfied. It’s lonely, but she’s content. House Belois isn’t planning treason, and it’s clear they have no intent on changing to help her out, so she’ll do it herself - Rupert hates House Belois because of their abandonment of him/Eva, so it’s up to her to continue to get on his good side, and mend the relationship between the families so he won’t enact revenge on them in a few years. After all, he’s a reasonable guy. If she successfully shows him that her/House Belois doesn’t mean any harm, then she’ll be able to quell his anger and things will be good! :) Now that the “mystery” of why they were annihilated in TL1 seemingly solved, with Lari having a plan to prevent their deaths again, things seemed great. Belois was quiet in the south and not causing trouble. Now Lari can focus on taking care of Rupert and making sure he stays safe as crown prince, and soon Emperor. Now that her hatred of him has quelled quite a bit, and she sees him as a person instead of a monster, and he has really come to care for her too, the two spend a lot of time together and naturally grow closer, with mutual feelings (although both don’t realize and deny those feelings) (Ch 77-106, the rest of S3 manhwa basically).

In chapter 96, after Rupert yeets down to the south to check up on her, and saves her again from the carriage accident, Lari's feeling rather confident.

Now I know. The Tory from the previous timeline who participated in the wedding was someone else, the family who exploited Rupert's mother was annihilated. For the sole purpose of becoming Emperor, Rupert planned it out carefully. (ch 96)

As Lari says later on in Chapter 96 when Elaine reminds her that tonight's her birthday, she thinks that in the 4-5 years since she's regressed, she worked really hard, and she did pretty well, didn't she? Rupert's nice to her, her family's staying quiet, at this point she can FINALLY live her life some day after all this is over :)

… and then Chapter 108 hits, with Lari finding out the real [truth] of why House Belois was killed in TL1. :(

——

So it’s not that Lari is stupid for getting distracted from finding the truth of why House Belois was killed off in TL1, it’s more of she found a good reason as to why they were killed (the abandonment of Eva/Rupert) , she ruled out Betrayal because Trash dad said he didn’t have any plans for it, so once she found the reason, she thought it was over. She spent 2-3 years being content with that [truth] she found, so when she learned of the real one, the sense of betray was just that much worse to her.

[scalamore]

(Major Spoiler) Lehan

I'm dreading the Lehan/Lari chapters in a few weeks, probably around chapter 108/109 because the reveal is just painful to read (in various ways). As unintentionally annoying as Lehan is, he's a pretty well-developed character IMO. He has his "big reveal" around those chapters, and all the hints were there in both the manhwa and novel, it's just... readers didn't care because its Lehan HAHA. Ultimately, it's hurtful for Lari, because she realizes, like a slap in the face, that she never knew the real Lehan. She said it herself in the early chapters: in TL1, she was never close to Lehan and she regretted it so much when she realized she couldn't remember much about him, and she couldn't even remember what he looked like before he died. She felt so guilty that she "neglected" to be a proper sibling, and made the resolution to be one in TL2. The key is that Lari didn't know anything about Lehan in TL1 or TL2. She thought Lehan was a rebellious kid because House Belois was never a military family, yet "he insisted on going to the military academy in Champagne and was a troublemaker during his time there". Despite being a trouble maker, he was always polite at least to her, and for some reason, started drifting away from her when he became a teenager and their contact was minimal. She wasn't sure what happened, but again, she wanted to tone down his "rebellious nature" and get along better with him in TL2. Throughout TL2, however, Lari knew something was off - Lehan wasn't acting like the Lehan she knew (because she didn't know him at all, and had projected a "Lehan" from her memories to cope during the end of her life in TL1). She didn't know that House Belois had SENT Lehan to the military academy. It wasn't Lehan that was being rebellious and wanting to join, he was SENT there by the family for the sake of the mission. There, he interacted with the necessary military instructors who used to be affiliated with Akan 1. Here, he was able to get in contact easily and monitored House Gorten through Riche. In both timelines, Riche loved Lehan, but it was always an unrequited love because Lehan loved Lari. But none of them ever revealed their feelings. In TL2, Lehan actually became a knight sooner, probably influenced by House Belois to rack up the achievements and expedite their plans of rebellion. In Chapter 100, Lari was surprised to hear that he had been promoted and transferred to the south to protect the borders. She became especially suspicious because he was now stationed at Lorraine, a military base but it was one less affiliated with the imperial family, and was kinda it's own separate army. Back in Chapter 61, when Lehan mentioned that "he" was wary of the CURRENT Imperial family? Lari had thought it was him being a rebellious teen, but in fact, it was House Belois that was preparing for rebellion itself. Lehan was transferred there because it's closer to Belois, has less eyes on it from the Imperial Family, and is commanded by one of Akan I's former executives. He was sent to the military academy to learn the skills needed to command Belois' army, to be used against Rupert.

Over and over, despite Lari pleading him throughout the entire story to tell her the truth, to believe in her, to keep her informed of how the family is doing...especially if there was any chance the family was planning rebellion/treason: he CHOSE to lie to her to her face, each and every time. He thought he was doing the right thing, because he was born and raised to be the one who "will be the sword that will protect her now and forever". He even had the audacity to take advantage of her sisterly kindness and give her affectionate actions when he never thought of her as a sister, but rather a future bride/woman. He was going to keep the secret for as long as possible, until "the time is right" - AKA, never. And it's with that choice of his, with the collaboration of Trash Dad, that he burned all the bridges he had with Lari once all this was revealed. Because indeed as both Rupe/Lali say, he was born and raised to be a sword.... that will inevitably stab Lari in the back. Because just like most men in this series, Lehan/Trash dad only treat women (Lari) like possessions - She belongs to the family, to them, and all she needs to do is stay at home, safe and ignorant, while they "protect" her and "save the country from Rupert". It doesn't matter what Lari wants. Ever.

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(Spoilers) Mid S3 Check in - Belois Vacation Arc summary + novel details

It’s easy to miss, but we learned a few interesting things:

She meets Viscount Cohen, who gives her a giant hint of her past at the abandoned palace… if she chooses to pursue it

Nanny Viscountess Cohen’s death isn’t due to happen for another few months, but Lari, wanting to protect all her loved ones, managed to prevent this particular carriage accident + also had a chance to meet Viscount Cohen, who told her that tip above.

Lari found it sus that Viscount Cohen, whom she’s never conversed with - even he knows SOMETHING about her past. Like.. LITERALLY EVERYONE KNOWS SOMETHING?? EXCEPT HER?? But again, she puts it on the back burner - gotta save the nanny first (bless her).

Lari is still very frugal, she saved up all her money she earned being Rupert’s attendant and bought Hirel, a small island for her family members to escape to if Rupert randomly goes crazy.

Lari’s essentially poor now (novel detail) - She actually asks Rupert for money, and he does give her some. She actually also takes that bag of jewels to be used as “paying for the House Belois hotel fee” lol

The rumors of the Rupelali romance at the palace has long made its way to the south - literally everyone knows about it including the nanny, the maids etc. Of course Trash dad knows about it.

Unlike TL1 where he completely blocked all men from interacting with Lari, in TL2 he tried to tell Rupert she was off limits by preparing a stack of marriage candidates for Lari. He even says that as a member of House Belois, the one she marries is up to him, which displeases both RupeLali and surprises everyone else

Rupert actually tells us later that he knew he wasn’t welcome at House Belois, and that Trash Dad gave him dozens of warnings to stay away/don’t covet Lari. Ofc Rupert ignored it all as always.

The unintentional RupeLali flirting was not unnoticed by the staff and family members. If anything, this confirmed to House Belois that Lari trusted Rupert too much, and they chose to keep her even more in the dark, lest she leak their plans to Rupert.

Not even just trust, at least Amanda Belois realizes that Rupert just flat out loves Lari, enough to the point to run down to Belois to check up on her. It seems that she's the only one from House Belois that actually supports Lari, even if she doesn't speak up much

As much as manhwa Lari is in denial of her feelings for Rupert, those blushes and imagination gone wild when she imagines being a couple with Rupert suggest that she’s not THAT opposed to it… (vs if she really hated him she wouldn’t have imagined that scenario at all)

Carriage accident shows that the world just hates Lari, it wants her dead, and Rupert saves her again

Lari does really care for Rupert’s well being, even if she’s being conflicting about it

This establishes that Rupert truly cherishes her, that whenever he feels that she’s in danger, he will run off to protect her even at the cost of his health

Rupert now listens carefully to Lari’s requests and tries to make them all come true

Rupert still doesn’t quite understand his feelings for her, he wants her to care for him and feels himself getting jealous when he sees her around other men

Rupert normally doesnt’ care for gifts, but he really wants a gift from lari

RupeLali bicker and banter so naturally now, and they’re touchy. They look like flirting to everyone else

:)

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Trash Dad spoilers

Count Belois is a piece of work in the sense that he’s xenophobic, racist, and elitist.

He knew early on that Rupert wasn’t the Crazy Emperor’s child, and considered Rupert inferior/lowborn because he was born from a Willetan mother (Eva). in TL1, he was especially offended because he insisted on marrying Tory, who, officially, was a commoner with a rich merchant father. 

He thought it was sacrelage that both the Emperor and Empress had no drop of true “pure” blood, and that was going to ruin the Empire. He had already plotted treason years ago. 

In TL2, again, he knew early on that Rupert was born with Willetan blood, was not the Emperor’s (Royal) blood. When he sneaked Lari out of the palace, that was his intent. As a fiercely loyal supporter of Akan, her real father, he planned that once Crazy Emperor stepped down from power, he’ll have Lari regain her “rightful” seat of the throne. A year after adopting Lari, he and Amanda Belois were able to conceive Lehan so their plan was set: Lari, with her pure royal blood, and Lehan, with his pure Belois blood, will be the new rulers of Vellnenli. Not the low-blood Rupert who tricked everyone so boldly. To do that, he funneled all the money from Belois into raising a powerful, strong army, to be used against Rupert when that time came. Unfortunately for him in both timelines, he completely underestimated Rupert who was able to find out about planning for treason, and apprehend him before he set his plans in motion.

He never truly believed in Lari’s regression - he just used her knowledge to build an even stronger army this time. He wants her back not completely for her safety, but rather he wants his “puppet” back in his hands. 

Another thing is - although he wanted Lari on the throne, it was to be with Lehan ONLY. After all, Lehan was conceived to be her partner, after all. Also, Lehan fell in love with her easily both timelines, so it works out very well for the Belois’ plans. Of course, it doesn’t matter what Lari thinks, because as a proper lady, she’ll listen to Belois’ wishes. (Except in TL2, she is able to think independently and argue back).

During the Belois vacation arc, the entire Belois estate get a first hand experience of how obvious Rupert likes her. Count Belois does not accept at all the possibility of a relationship of Rupert and Lari - he considers Rupert dirty and beneath them all. He had already seen how close they were in chapter 80 - so he went home and prepared a bunch of “marriage candidates” for Lari to distract Rupert from pursuing her. During Rupert’s time in Belois, the count had hinted to him many times to not look at Lari, not covet her, she’s off limits etc. He repeatedly says that Lari, as a Belois, has a duty to marry whomever he deems is the best for her, and of course both Rupert and Lari don’t like that idea. Obviously Rupert doesn’t want Lari to marry some random guy and leave him alone at the palace, while Lari doesn’t even want to marry anyone right now because she’s trying to survive right now and make sure Rupert becomes Emperor safely. 

Of course, when Lari finds out how much Belois looks down on Rupert , is offended on his behalf. She thinks Rupert worked so hard, suffered so much, that he is the person who deserves the throne the most, and it’s unacceptable for anyone to dare think about stealing it from him. She’s never thought that he was low born, or that he was dirty for not being born from Vellnenli - to her, Rupert is just Rupert.