
I totally feel bad for the bad. As far as he’s aware he’s never had sex, so for everyone to suddenly doubt him and to just accept her must be hard for him. Not only does he now have a daughter, but his reputation is also stained. Like apart of me hopes that she’s not his. I do want him to be her father, but maybe not through the traditional means yknow? You don’t have to have been apart of the baby making to be a parent.
On another note I could see it being that he was cursed or something to forget the woman he’d been in a relationship with. But then it begs the question why did no one else know about this relationship? And he seems to honourable so I couldn’t see him having sex before marriage. I think it’s more plausible that she’s created from dark magic if I’m being honest. Or that he’s got a twin somewhere out there.
Being honest I don’t know so if anyone has any spoilers please spoil me.

I don’t ship her with either men and here’s why.
The knight, he just needs to find someone who makes him feel normal, and that’s our FL. she fancies him, but she doesn’t see him in a romantic way. And he’s the same. I see a legit, opposite sex friendship blossoming. And then the duke, the reason he’s a no is he’s not actually powerful enough to take down the prince. He wouldn’t make a “power” couple with our fl. plus he only sees her as a pawn to use. They’ll probably become good friends and he’ll back her up.
The brown haired one- now he’s someone who will be her equal. He’s got a royal lineage so check. He’s caring about his friends, check. He didn’t fall for the dits....check. He’d be a real threat combined with the fl. she has a strong family background to support her, IF they come out of hiding. Then he has his family background. Plus the other characters supporting them. And tbh I ship him more because he seems like he’s not a loner like all the other guys. I live for his caring side. Cold guys are getting annoying. “Cold to everyone but the girls like bruh...”

But I’m shipping nine with our fl. I think poor (yuri?) needs a break from all this “romance” to discover who she is outside of this story. Seems to me she’s lived this life over and over and has lost who she is and just accepts it now. She doesn’t even love her ml anymore. She just wanted out, the poor thing.

That the male lead is a healer, I find that most stories will have a strong female lead, but the male lead is always a warrior. It’s rare that he’s anything other. So I’m finding this refreshing. A witch and her pharmacist .
Also if you’re looking for a more mature read with a similar dynamic then read dark slayer by Christine feehan. The female lead isn’t as fierce, but she is a warrior and her partner (the male lead) has strength but he’s not really a fighter. She has a wolf pack to...it’s cool and a simple read.

Just a disclaimer it is a very smutty book, but also one of my favourites. There’s a whole series and this book can be read alone. Here’s the link
https://novels80.com/241891-dark-slayer.html
I think the emperor and the empress aren’t in a love relationship. More of a friendship kind of thing, I could be wrong but they seem to love each other but not be in love with each other. Business partners I think. And this is why she’s so chill, it seems she knew about the mother, and her husband having a mistress’s. She didn’t seem to care and even wrote about the other woman. I could be wrong in this though, but it’s refreshing. Maybe she’d have reacted differently if fl was a boy. As it stands though the fl is no threat to her children, and her husband seems to love the child, as well as her own children. She legit has no reason to be a bish. She’s also not what I was expecting but she’s better.
Your right they don’t love each other they’re more like friends because they are an arranged marriage.