They made the MC too useless. There is no way that she would be able to stay alive even day after meeting that evil lady.
Especially when all you need is little magic / magic item and MC is done for.
So it's pretty clear now that mage will be main antagonist.
I'm just curious:
1. Why he didn't save / contact princess sooner?
2. Why he's mad on Empire when it's princess former kingdom fault.