Like, she totally knows how most transmigration novels go, but not how a typical fiancée romance does (a difference in genre that’s understandable). So she’s being really sensible by refusing to see him as a potential mate. But she’s also human, so she freaks out and takes strides to hopefully keep her life, without realizing she’s basically reading from the wrong novel. It’s hilarious and cute, and I like it a lot. I also really like how the duke is basically totally entranced with her.
Like, he’s reading about how to capture her heart, but he’s also planned to break their engagement from the very start, so why is he doing that? It’s completely counter to his initial goals. But not only is he like “Hell yeah, I wanna set up situations like this,” he’s SETTING THEM UP FOR HIS FIANCÉE, NOT JIA. Which is, really good, in my opinion. I love how his character is steadily being warped because he wants her attention and approval, even if he isn’t fully in love yet.