While you are a little right, I think you’re mostly wrong actually so let me start with what you are right about.
I think you’re completely right about the grandfather. I don’t think he should be portrayed as a pitiful, old man or regretful old man or whatever because he’s ultimately the catalyst of all the problems because if he was just a better father and grandfather, we wouldn’t have a story but he was awful. Due to his neglect of his granddaughter, she tried to kill herself and from that point on he went a little crazy because from that point on he was like “ok, I need to absolutely protect her from the entire fucking world” but the way he decided to do that was via locking her in a cage.
The reason why she holds the blame at her sister, however, is simply because of the scapegoat child and golden child phenomenon we are one child is constantly elevated, and the other child is constantly lowered, which creates a very harmful sibling relationship and often breeds resentment from the scapegoat child to the golden child and anger from the golden child to the scapegoat child both of which is seen here. The only difference is the FL has the ML and he’s able to talk to her emotions with her, which makes her realize that she actually doesn’t hate her sister at all. Erica doesn’t have someone like that because the mercenary isn’t really like that.
The mercenary is hosting is that he constantly sacrifices for his brother and so I think maybe Erica was expecting a kind of kindred spirit because she always sacrificed for her sister because it was for her sister sake that she didn’t live her life but then she got angry about it due to the resentment she has for being the scapegoat child however the mercenaries is able to talk her out of this kind of because he tells her that when you really love your family any and all sacrifices are worth it which is why when her grandfather injures himself she’s able to see that in fact because she didn’t see herself as someone to mourn. She understands why she has to sacrifice, but she doesn’t think anyone should sacrifice anything for her because she’s just not worth it which is why she does other villainous shit because if you don’t have any value like if your life means nothing then your actions mean nothing and your consequences are nothing which is why she didn’t think that her actions could affect the alchemists in such a harmful way because why would they care about someone as worthless as her? How would her worthless self and her worthless actions meaningfully affect the world?
I think the mercenary leaving his brother is ultimately a good thing because he’s not permanently leaving the Brother or anything. He’s just stepping away a little which he does do for you know his missions and stuff when he was a missionary but now he’s left his brother, not in the slums of wherever they used to live, but in the home of his two benefactors and him, knowing that they are kind good people are probably gonna put him through school if they aren’t already. Like this is literally the safest place for his brother to be. He’s not worried about him at all. However, he is worried about you know the emotionally volatile girl who’s been put in his care because familiarity breeds attachment like he was said to watch and guard her from herself he probably understands her better than her sister does. I’m not surprised he got attached to her. I was more surprised that she attached to him, but I think even the fact that he existed ultimately meant she was worth something and if you haven’t picked up on it, her big issue is her self worth. Because why, by the best mercenary in the business to watch her if she was ultimately useless? His presence validates her existence. And when you have been directly invalidated from your grandfather and indirectly invalidated from your sister, simply buy her being the golden child then someone like that would be a saving grace, even if she understandably hated him for most of it. I also think a part of it is like how I was saying he was supposed to be a kindred spirit to her, but he stood against her, through his words, he was nothing but gracious with her. The ML had no patience for her games. The FL had patience for her in the very beginning that was seemingly wearing out. The grandfather, she clearly had a very strained relationship with. The other guy was using her which she understood at some point, but was powerless to really do anything major against until the end, but the feelings of resentment still buildup towards him. The man who was said to guard her her warden essentially had a endless amount of patience for her and warmth for her.
I still think their relationship is complex especially for a second couple. Like I hope the next time we see them they’re not “we’re so in love with each other” because they really never took that step. I don’t even 100% know if I want them to gain the title of second couple or just two people who really care about each other because they can be platonic technically but I don’t think the series is going that direction but this could 100% be a platonic relationship. I generally think that they should’ve you know expanded on the mercenary more, especially if he is going to be the second male couple because he has a brother and he’s poor. That’s all we know, right but if they were going to do too lonely people learning to trust each other and fall in love, they could’ve done two people with low self-worth learning that their lives have value that they live meaningful lives and they still can’t do that if they just show that he started that journey before she did.
In terms of the redemption being satisfying, I don’t know 100% what to say because she’s not redeemed technically. Like she’s on the start of her redemption very start. What we have seen is the lead up to her redemption, but not her actual redemption because she still doesn’t know what to do with her life. She still doesn’t know how to help the people she hurt and how to convince herself that she matters, but she wants to. She can’t find it in her heart to forgive her sister because she knows it wouldn’t be a genuine apology because she still trapped in the falls of self-doubt because how can she give her sister a meaningful apology when she doesn’t exist as a meaningful person. And the same with the grandfather, but that’s a little more complicated because you know of their relationship.
Yeah, she’s such an interesting character and a good character to do a character study on because she’s a really good character to look at the consequences of golden child and scapegoat child phenomenon as well as the negative effects of a lack of a self worth like in my opinion, girly up there with pearl from Steven universe
Additionally, I am excited to see how they go about her actual redemption because I wouldn’t be surprised to see that she falls back into more familiar thought patterns and the mercenary has to break her out of that because I imagine that that’s the only reason he’s there and narratively because that would build their relationship because if he doesn’t do that, why the fuck is he there? And additionally, if he does that that would be very reminiscent of the main couple and authors tend to make the side couple harmonious to the main.
I agreee so bad. Like the grandfather knew the sister was a nut and never thought to try to stop her. Not only that but he told the mc not to hate her when the sister fully intended on getting that her killed. Then the sister gets a whole redemption arc with a man like wtf. I woulda been on that ass if I was the mc cause ain’t no way she gotta away with all that
love the relationship between Laurencia and the Duke, just two lonely people learning to trust and slowly love each other.
but honestly the family drama is wack. the manwha explained everything by ''Ercia was dumb as a child so she was neglected then hid herself then plotted to have her sister EXECUTED''.
first of all, both were children when their parents died and both were emotionally neglected by their grandfather. but Laurencia was given heir duties as an 8 yo child and so only Ercia turned out to be a murderous sibling?? this makes no sense. also since Ercia tried to kill herself as a child, she's been receiving emotional support from her grandfather so the neglect argument isn't really valid??? like she tried to have her sister KILLED it's not just a tantrum, it's straight up murder. either she's actually insane, of there is something we don't know? like what was that talk about Laurencia ''misremembering her childhood''? maybe something else happened that made her sister hate her more idk. anyway, if nothing happened and it was just because of jaleousy then she's a horrible person and deserves jail i'm sorry. the grandfather is to blame for the neglect, why not try to have HIM killed instead of your sister who has to shoulder the responsability of her dead father since she was 8 and always checked on you since you were ''sick''.
second of all, wtf was this resolution. i'm glad Ercia chose to leave and to atone but the last conversation she had with Laurencia?? ''i can't say sorry yet'' bitch at least apologize wtf. you tried to have her KILLED say sorry!!! the fact that Laurencia apologized for something that was actually the grandfather's fault (being the heir) and she didn't even get a sorry for something that Ercia knowingly planned, serioulsy??
and thrid, the grandfather is terrible. the manwha portraying him as some regretfull old man but he never did anything except saying sorry when it was too late. he covered for Ercia actions for years and then was like ''try to understand Laurencia". bitch it's not because YOU feel bad because YOU messed up that Laurencia has to be understanding and forgiving.
also the mercenary, like i get it she's pitful but she tried to KILL HER SISTER and after all that your having ''familly means home'' conversation and you leave with her?? what is wrong with you??? i'm sorry if i had a sibling i cherished more than anything i would NEVER go with that woman.
honestly it all felt really unsatisfying. it felt like they all tried to forgive Ercia's actions too easily.