hmmm i don't know about other stories but in this case, the weight of her dress is significantly pulling her down because of the water. medieval dresses have many layers after all ((that's why you need a maid's help to put them on, and remove it))
if she's not an experienced swimmer and try to struggle anyways, she will end up cramping her muscles, paralyzing herself, and losing oxygen quickly -- hastening the process of drowning
so i don't really blame her for just giving up (⊙…⊙ )
plus i dont think they enforced swimming lessons back then on women because perhaps they thought it was unethical and not ladylike which is why a lot of them tend to drown in these manhwas
Also dresses like these (with ruffles and stuff) have many layers up to 8 or 9 layers of clothing including a skirt hoop that was made from heavy material, her corset because it's not exactly easy to move around in and the fl is always wearing long sleeves, and fabric from that time wasn't exactly flexible and easy to move around in. Plus the lack of swimming lessons might do it to you
that fucking dress is like 200 pounds when its wet
ok in so many stories ive read the fl is pushed/falls into water and then they act like its the end of their life but like do they not know how to swim? im confused（ー△ー；）