Sigh, yep. Time for a rant.
-ROSEMARY-
You know, even though she is designed to be annoying, she could've been written as something more than a typical shoujo antagonist. She could've at least played a role as an emotional or social contrast to Serena. Even if not that, she could've at least been more.
I do get tired of seeing characters designed for the sole reason to get hated and killed off. Maybe I'm late, but these authors are starting to come off as mad vindictive now.
Lastly, the amount of people who are impatiently waiting for a child who is acting like a child, to get off'd is amazing. I understand that it is fiction and all, but damn, you people really out here making 2010s Call of Duty VC Lobbies seem ethical.
-THE MOTHER-
There's also the people hating on the mother, but after rereading the first chapter and these latest ones, I can't hate her. Serena has never intended to connect with her "family" and her mom did actually make an effort, until Serena stabbed that dog. Think about it. You were there for the entirety of the child's life (or so you think), and raised them. Obviously, that would include teaching, so that child should know what you taught them, and not much else more because that should be outside of an ordinary child's understanding. But then all of a sudden, this child takes a life (or so was implied) without batting an eye, and speaks about it in a way completely unfamiliar to you, like murder was a given in that situation. Imagine having a 3 year old (for reference) talking like a war veteran. Would you still feel like that child is familiar, or would you start to have second doubts?
And to make it worse, when they adopted... uh... Rosemary (yes), what they got from her was what they expected. It's one thing if Serena was an only child, because then, there would be no comparisons. It has already been established that the mother doesn't like attending social events, so she probably always stays at home, meaning her interaction with children was limited to Serena. So when Rosemary arrives, it would obviously, become more apparent how strange Serena actually is, and when that reality dawns on you, you will have reservations. Not once has Serena shown a genuine smile to her "family". I may not be parent, but I can imagine the torment one must feel as a parent. What's worse, given how she reacted, I wouldn't be surprised if that fake smile wasn't even taught by her.
I'll say it again. Serena knows shit that a child her age shouldn't, and everyone in the household can see it.
That said, Serena has actively used Rosemary as a distraction to get everyone else off her back so she can be what she was in her previous life. Serena has actively and consistently shown not only disinterest towards being a part of the family, but avoids it.
What could her mother do? You people keep spewing that it is her job as a parent to teach her child, but when she tried that in CHAPTER 1, 6 year old Serena brushes it off with fake concern, and when Rosemary appears, Serena calls her an infiltrator. What child says some shit like this? Though this is a guess, I think the relief the mother felt in that moment was copium and hope that her child was actually normal.
But in Chapter 2 (6 years later), Amaryllis (the mother), is talking with the father and expresses her doubts that Serena was her child, because she can't understand what Serena is thinking (who shows no intention of fixing that), whereas Rosemary makes it easy when she wants attention.
If anybody forgot, Serena is 16 when she attends the noble academy, meaning long before the age of 16, Serena has been interacting with her parents and her adopted sister like an adult. Does that make sense to you people? Also, why is all of the blame going on the mother, and none of it on Serena? When it's a shounen reincarnation isekai, everyone is quick to call out the "mental age" disparity when it comes to romance, but nobody is saying shit about a mother unknowingly trying and failing at raising what she doesn't know is an adult.
-SERENA-
Like their shounen equivalent, Serena has no character beyond being parentless in her previous life, her pragmatism and her skillset, and instead of living her second life better than her impoverished first, she decides to be an assassin again, yet people love it. It's one thing if Serena was actually curious about learning how to "love", but not only does she show no effort to understand it, but she writes it off as unnecessary. I really want to know what you people find so endearing about Serena? I'm starting to think the only reason you people like Serena, is not for Serena herself, but the pursuit of how that Prince can "fix" her, because other than that, she ain't no more special than the shounen Jesus who can do no wrong as everything narratively happens to their benefit.
Shit, even Scarnet (or is it Scarlet? whoever is the translator needs to make up their fucking mind) is a better character, because even though she is your typical stuck-up noble daughter with a crush on His Highness (still a child btw), she does give advice to Serena in regard to Rosemary's public antics in school, and actually expresses genuine concern for Rosemary. Wow... when a half-supporting character has more character beyond their trope than the protagonist, that is sorry.
You people...
The brain rot has really rotten your brains, holy shit. I can't say I'm any better, but shit, I expected more empathy and intelligence from the shoujo side of things, but the shoujo/josei community seem more vindictive and combative than the shounen/seinen side. Once again, amazing. Like other rehashed stories, Manhwa does it better.
Rant over, I'm done with this shit, but I'll return for the final chapter.