For the girlies here in their divine feminine energy, this might ruin your current mindset

lol girly this pov is crazy she’s already lived 3 lives so she decided she’s got a live this word for herself, and for her love, and she never had the chance to be with like that is the most divine feminine energy to give your life for love for what you want sacrifice only what you need to give your life to revenge is like literally the opposite of Divine feminine energy that’s pure, feminine rage she lived her life as a Korean and then she lived her life as Gabby to survive, and now she’s living her life as Peony to love she sees how hard life is for the man that she loves so she’s doing everything to make it easier and for him to recognize that he doesn’t have to hurt anymore because his love is still there with him and she didn’t choose to kill herself. I don’t know where you got that from like literally nowhere and none of the stories does she choose to kill her self she dies a regular death then she dies because she was kidnapped and an overturned carriage, and then the situation she saw the future and knew she wasn’t gonna die

"Divine feminine energy to give your life for love" but she doesn't do that. I can understand if you said that she's living the life for herself and not love since she literally does not take into consideration her husband's feelings after Gabby's death and then reincarnate to a new body. Basically, her agenda was to make him realize that she was alive all along and hopes that he becomes his old self - for this to work she decides to shake his own feelings by making him remember certain memories that she knows reminds him of old Gabby.

Personally, I find it a bit disrespectful for someone to intrude into my life like that. I get it that they're married so she has an excuse to be around him and all, but it doesn't really sit right with me the way she's going at it. I was kinda hoping that they would atleast develop some rapport with each other first and then let him slowly warm up to her as Peony.

For the revenge part, regardless if it's feminine energy or not (was not the point of my first argument) she is in a situation where she can't freely move unless she deals with the mastermind of her old death and her brother. From the direction of this manhwa, I predict that they're going to butt heads in the future, so it's inevitable anyway lol

Lastly for the killing herself part, from what I understand it wasn't really the overturned carriage that killed her - otherwise the killer she was with would've died as well. It was consuming the holy relic (ring) that killed her. And from what I've seeing in the manhwa, she's still experiencing the effects of ingesting it (her and the husband scene where she bows and then collapses). But correct me if I'm wrong, since i haven't seen any spoiler for this story yet. Nevertheless, I still stand by my opinion on the feminine energy part.

"Divine feminine energy to give your life for love" but she doesn't do that. I can understand if you said that she's living the life for herself and not love since she literally does not take into consideration her husband's feelings after Gabby's death and then reincarnate to a new body. Basically, her agenda was to make him realize that she was alive all along and hopes that he becomes his old self - for this to work she decides to shake his own feelings by making him remember certain memories that she knows reminds him of old Gabby.

Personally, I find it a bit disrespectful for someone to intrude into my life like that. I get it that they're married so she has an excuse to be around him and all, but it doesn't really sit right with me the way she's going at it. I was kinda hoping that they would atleast develop some rapport with each other first and then let him slowly warm up to her as Peony.

For the revenge part, regardless if it's feminine energy or not (was not the point of my first argument) she is in a situation where she can't freely move unless she deals with the mastermind of her old death and her brother. From the direction of this manhwa, I predict that they're going to butt heads in the future, so it's inevitable anyway lol

Lastly for the killing herself part, from what I understand it wasn't really the overturned carriage that killed her - otherwise the killer she was with would've died as well. It was consuming the holy relic (ring) that killed her. And from what I've seeing in the manhwa, she's still experiencing the effects of ingesting it (her and the husband scene where she bows and then collapses). But correct me if I'm wrong, since i haven't seen any spoiler for this story yet. Nevertheless, I still stand by my opinion on the feminine energy part.

I think she got stabbed by the carriage driver who tried to fake her murder as a carriage accident. Maybe the ring was what killed her because magic or something, but she didn't know that would happen when she swallowed it. She didn't want to die or anything. She swallowed the ring when the guy attacking her tried to take it from her so that he wouldn't get it. That's what I got from that chapter at least. And, I haven't read any spoilers or anything either, but I think the pain and the visions that come with that when she passes out are actually something the original Peony experienced. I think Peony had visions before Gabriella started taking over her body about Gabriella and that's why she told the 3rd prince that she wanted to say goodbye for the last time since someone else would be coming into her body the next day.

I also sort of get what you mean about the plot seeming backward since they have to deal with her brother and all (frankly, that seems more pressing than the romance), but I also think it makes sense the way she's going about it. She died because someone plotted her death. She was traveling to the place with the cure to the disease that made the North have an unequal deal with the imperial family so that the North could be free. The current problem is that she needs Ernest to trust her before she can make any big moves to deal with the problems. From her perspective, the easiest way to do that is to make him realize that she's Gabriella and then they can have a conversation. It makes more sense to make plans together instead of potentially getting in each other's way with their individual plans since neither of them have the same information as the other currently. She's missing information from what happened in the six years since her death, and he doesn't know about the cure to the disease or that Gabriella is inside Peony's body (and he likely doesn't know about the ring). So it does make sense from a rational perspective for her to be trying so hard to get him to recognize her before the restrictions get lifted.

From an emotional perspective, neither of them wanted to get separated that soon, but they didn't know that the other person felt the same way. She regretted not properly connecting with him before she died as Gabriella because of their contract to not love each other making her think she might get kicked out if he found out she loved him, but he was going through the same thing. Both of them were so good at acting like they weren't in love with each other that they were both completely fooled into thinking that the other didn't love them back. She knows that he was traumatized by her death, so she's trying to get him to notice who she is even before she manages to lift the restrictions because she wants him to know that she's alive sooner and that he doesn't have to blame himself for her death. She needs him to know who she is before she can start consoling him and making plans. She doesn't even know that he's been planning and making moves towards getting revenge for her death. She's only suspected that he's investigated to find out who was responsible for her death so far since she didn't know that he had feelings for her. He's only grieving because he thinks she's dead and that he'll never see her again. It would be one thing if he had come to terms with her death and met someone else or something, but that's not what happened. It's pretty clear that even after 6 years he hasn't stopped having feelings for her. If she's not really dead they can be together, which is what they both wanted. What she's doing is perfectly okay because even though she's Peony on the outside, she's still Gabriella on the inside. It's not like he fell in love with only Gabriella's outer appearance, and I think part of her wants to confirm that too now that she has some idea that he loved her before she died. So even viewing it from both sides, it still makes sense from an emotional perspective too.

Don't get me wrong, I love revenge plots lol. But I don't think that the way this is playing out is out of character from what we've seen of these two so far. I feel like she's just not the type to go for two fold revenge like other villainess reincarnators that get second chances. I think she would want to stop whatever the person responsible for her death was plotting, but prioritize that she and Ernest and the rest of the territory would have a happy ending. Maybe I'm projecting though ╮(￣▽￣)╭.

Perfect explanation

You make sense! It would be nice if they would share information about how to deal with the current issues at hand by him knowing who she is on the inside. Plus you’re on point on the perspectives for both characters regarding their old relationship.

However, I don’t think we’ll ever agree on her way of doing this. She doesn’t have to tell him who she was and what happened to her so that she could gain his trust. As you’ve said, she has lived 2 lives before, she’s capable of handling herself and making use of the situation given to her - as of now, she can act her fake ditziness to lull other people into a false sense of security and use that to her advantage, also the fact that she knows what kind of people are surrounding her while she’s living with her husband.

This is my projection: I’m putting myself in the shoes of the husband - if ever my wife was to do what she’s doing (as of chap 12, since I’m not updated) I’d feel some resentment towards her. "I don’t like getting my feelings manipulated for you to get my attention. I’m sure there are other ways you can tell me that we’re allies (or that you’re really Gabby) then maybe I’ll listen to you (unlocking the restrictions). Besides, I’m sure you know from the time that we’ve been together how I really am, why can’t you trust me that I won’t abandon anyone standing by my side, including you." (<— kinda cringe but I hope you get my point)

“Both of them were so good at acting like they weren't in love with each other that they were both completely fooled into thinking that the other didn't love them back.” If this was what really happened in their previous life together then I was right in pausing this manhwa. I read this with a certain expectation, but unfortunately I just can’t continue reading with this plot. Honestly, when I read the first few chapters it really made me feel sad and frustrated. My first comment is a warning for those who can’t deal with that. If you can and you think the story is good, then good for you! Imma wait till I have the spoilers for the ending for me to proceed.

TLDR; but off what I did read, I agree not everyone has to be gungho about revenge. If someone tried to kill me and I reincarnated, I don't think I'll devise a huge ass revenge plot. On the other hand if someone killed my loved one then I just might. People are like that, they react differently and I like to keep that arbitrary component in the story.
The accident though, I don't think she tried to fake her death. I think she knew it was coming so she sent Ern somewhere else and ate the ring to save it from being stolen. Her older body probably could not handle the power so the body died. However, her soul is 'loved' by magic as the magician put it. The ring shows a clock dial on the gem, so it probably transported her soul into a compatible body while traversing time and finding the right moment for it to be done. Her wish was to live with Ern a long life. Even in this life she is okay if Ern doesn't end up loving her. She still wishes to dedicate her life to her people including Ern n everyone else.
Also, its a bit wierd to blame her for doing something she did as Gabriella. Bc although she has become Peony, she doesn't have to like and do everything Peony does. Just bc she is repeating things she did as Gabriella, doesn't make her someone to be blamed. Those are things she did and said in the past. I don't understand how it is disrespectly to her husband and the other like someone above said.. ┑(￣Д ￣)┍
I like the story so far tbh. Its unique in its own way. ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~

I didn't notice the clock on the ring!! I just figured she ended up in Peony's body because she swallowed the ring and some kind of reaction between it and her soul that is "loved by magic" happened. And yeah, I also don't get why it would be disrespectful of her husband for her to behave like Gabriella. First of all, she IS Gabriella lol (if I remembered what her name in her first life was I would have put that). From what I understood, even though she acted more villain-like to play her role, she wasn't completely committed to it so her actual personality showed through a lot when she was Gabriella. The things that Ern saw as being Gabriella's likes and dislikes were her likes and dislikes from her first life before she became Gabriella. I don't think there's anything wrong with her being herself lol. Now that she's in Peony's body she's specifically letting certain things show that she knows Ern would see her as being similar to Gabriella, even though she has to act like Peony because of the restriction. She wants him to notice that Gabriella is alive so they can be together and so that he doesn't need to be sad about Gabriella's death anymore.

You're probably right that we won't agree on it lol. I'm continuing to read it because it seems fresh compared to all the other mass numbers of contract marriage nobility romance manwha I've read and I want to see where it goes lol. Gabriella's definitely not as much of a girl boss icon as the MC from Beware the Villainess, but she is badass in her own way.

I get what you mean about being upset that she was manipulating him, but she is doing it for his benefit in the end (which we could see from the future visions she had of them together with her as Peony). He looked so happy to be with her again once he figured out she was Gabriella.

Also, when I put myself in Ern's shoes, I would be happy if my spouse (who I thought was dead and thought it was my fault) came back to life, but just looked like a different person. I mean sure they would look different, but they would still be the same on the inside. If they did what Gabriella is doing as Peony, I might get upset that I keep being reminded of someone who was already dead at first. But, once I figured out it was them, I would just be glad they were alive again and I didn't have to lose them forever.