@SirangWuxian I don't think you completely understand the meaning of having a mental illness. We can't judge a physically diseabled person based on the norm for perfectly healthy people. Like that, we can't judge a mentally ill person beased on normal moral values one should have as a mother or sth. else.
I get that you are annoyed at the FL (me too sometimes), but you have to uderstand that it's not exactly her choice.
honestly her depression and the fact that everyone just blames her for it (even some of the READERS) hits too close to home for me to get into this story. if you have issues with that you might want to be careful, just a heads up. also if you thought this was just a story about a mother trying to get back a relationship with her son: no lol. but if you're into political intrigue and angst doesn't bother you, this is the story for you!
The topic of postpartum depression is rather heavy.
Marriage without the base of love and the lack of support from family, and considering the ordeals she had to face while she was in her pregnancy and post-birth periods alone like her father looming death, her father-in-law death, her husband absence and unknowing fate, the Duke's vassal interference of her duty, her sister shaky position and miscarriage, and some more issues, it would be weird if she could pass all of that with a healthy mind.
Depression is a real sickness, it's not something that could be avoided or overcome just in the name of love or something. People battle with depression in their own way, there's a lot of things that maybe make sense for normal people but not for people with depression and vice versa. It's not about how people act to her, even the Duchess said that she knows that one person could never understand another completely, but she couldn't help being hurt. For a better analogy, a cold wind won't do anything to someone with a healthy body, but it could worsen the condition of people who already sick with flu. The same with people who are suffering from mental illness, some action, words, or behaviours from a person to another person with a healthy mind would do nothing, but it would trigger or worsen someone with an unhealthy mind.
The author here describes the issues here not as an excuse for the Duchess behaviour, but rather as the cause of her actions. Some people recover from depression, some people spiral back, and some people never actually recover. Women who already experience postpartum depression are more susceptible to suffer from another depression in the future. Considering the era of the story it took place, also the view of the worth of women of that time, and the fact the doctor only said that the Duchess should "take a walk" to cure her depression, should show how hard someone from that era could recover from mental illness.
So yeah, this story is kinda heavy and angsty and maybe some of the readers couldn't relate to her problems especially regarding postpartum depression. So read this story at your own discretion but please be respectful.
@SirangWuxian
My point is that her depression prevented her from doing what a normal mother would. For us readers it's very easy for us to say she should've have left or acted differently, but for someone like her whose sister is the crown princess or who has now become apart of the royal family, she can't just get up and abandon her political and social responsibilities. It was through her marrying the duke that her sister was able to ascend to throne and solidify her position, so imagine if she left her position as the Duke's wife. I think she bears responsibilities in being both a mother and the Duke's wife. However, due to the stress of both, to her, it most probably seemed better to abandon her duties as a mother as the implications wouldn't be as 'extensive'. But we clearly see how that plays out for her. I think we should just be more understanding of her actions and give her grace to fix them. Having a child isn't easy, so many things happen to your body and depression, for some, doesn't end when the baby turns 1 or something. She clearly made the wrong decision, but I definitely think her depression contributed to her actions. I get what you mean though!
Man I was bawling, depression is no joke and depend on the person and their situation the severity of said depression varies. The fact that she was alone throughout most of her ordeal sucked. She didn't have anyone on her side in that house, even though she was apart of the family she was treated like an outsider, and the only person she could lean on was like 85% of the time absent.
The people in that house didn't respect her as the duchess or as a person but just a person that can provide an heir. If the had given her some kind of responsibility, some purpose maybe it would've helped even just a little. I don't know I just wish that she and Harsen would have a conversation and he would include her and stop hiding what he's feeling.
The more story progress the more i hate the wife, first i feel symphaty for her, but now as i seen duke's pov, i start to think she plays victim. It's not just her who suffer though, the husband too, why she presume the husband doesn't love her? If she think logically, she will finally know there's no way she's his best choice because of all trouble that come after they married, it's tamed the duke's family's neutrality. And duke was such a coward, just tell her you love her.
Even though he support her so much by let her went to party and play with her friends while he's busy handling problem. It's not because he want to left her behind, he just want to make her happier, but he still has no word to support her. Well, it's supposed that sometimes words are more effective than act.
all of yall who hate the wife prob dont understand depression and/or mental illness at all. yallre just chalkin it all up to her being selfish, inconsiderate, and annoying without any ounce of compassion or sympathy for her. one of yall were deadass like "she has depression, fine" like what ?? thats such a huge flag that you dont understand it. she has depression. she wanted to
LITERALLY KILL HERSELF
and has lived her whole life with the idea that "if it's not the best choice or useful for my family, it's useless" which includes any path that couldve made HER happy. she was about to marry a disgusting man bc he was her BEST CHOICE before harsen came into her life. deadass those last two chapters showed yall that
she was CONSTANTLY looked down on and has NO real authority, like she couldnt even manage the accounts in her own home? she hasnt ever been able to relax fully before??? she has to ASK PERMISSION to leave her own home.
im really disgusted by the lack of compassion from yall. if this is how yall act to a fictional character, i cant imagine what yallre like to REAL PEOPLE who have the SAME illness. im not saying yall should LOVE her, im saying shes a complex character (they all are) who deserves at least some sympathy for everything shes been through. A LOT of the things shes experienced are things real life people experience too
The amount of comments supporting the FL is just *chef’s kiss* I almost cried when
the guy uplifted her with simple words that she probably needed to hear
I’m torn about the situation because people doubt her sudden change and she can’t tell them the truth behind it. But seeing her try so hard to change everything about herself (her relationships, her mental being, her habits, etc) without support from her own partner (who she thought was on good terms with before she died) is heartbreaking.
Well, i'm not totally blame the wife, i have been depressed too, just try to communicate, the husband just try to told her (but i guess he couldn't bcs he's being considerate and don't know the way how to talk to her, well he knows she's depressed cause she told him). I think the husband want to accompany and assist his wife, but he couldn't, and it's not because he doesn't want to (even he never try to told her), so the wife doesn't know about it (the reason i hate her, just like the old me), that's why it's suck to don't know anything. So the both side are at fault
I think the third parties needed, it would be a great help for them
