Enjoying Winter Surrounded By Warm, Fluffy Friends Back Home!
Laetitia has been enjoying a life of leisure surrounded by all sorts of fluffy friends since she became King Glenreed’s figurehead queen, but her peaceful days are shaken when she receives an invitation from her homeland of Elltoria. She’s asked to attend not only an Elltorian ceremony, but the wedding of her ex-fiancé, Prince Fritz… With King Glenreed at her side, she sets off for home to see her brothers and tie up all the loose ends she’d left behind her!
I love this series but I have to say this is my least favorite volume so far. There was a lot of focus on Laeticia's brother Claude and the spy from another country in this volume. I don't really have any attachment to them so I found the chapters focusing on them a little dragging. The story picks up once they go back to Laeticia's home country as it shifts back to the main couple and we finally see some recompense for all her injustices during her banishment.
We get to see more of the dynamics of Laeticia's family and the Royal family. Her family is really cute and the King and Queen are a far cry from her awful ex-fiance. There are also more intimate scenes with our main pair as we see how they interact outside of home. This volume has possibly the most visible romantic progress between them but without proper communication their becoming a true couple is still some ways away.
The discovery of Claude's big secret was also quite interesting and was a huge foreshadowing for possible future arcs. I have an inkling about what his goals are but only the next few volumes will reveal what it is for certain. I look forward to it.
While I appreciate the extra "mystery" and apparent scheming, I'm 50/50 on the Claude angle. I like his character, but I'm not sold on the series needing the "plot" or the intrigue. I would love to see more of the "Letitia is only a placeholder queen until about a year" storyline.
After spending winter playing with wolves, eating hot pot, and peeling frosted oranges, Laetitia departs for Elltoria with Glenreed. The purpose of the trip is to attend Elltoria’s spring ceremony, as well as the wedding of the couple who caused Laetitia’s exile: Fritz and Sumia. The problem is that on top of them being stupid as hell, there is now a power struggle between Fritz and his older sister, Princess Velta, who is also… a bumbling idiot… so. Terrible situation. Laetitia also has to finish her studies and take the graduation exam during their stay, which not only gives her the chance to deal with any unfinished business, but also ties into the overarching plot and Elltoria’s internal politics.
Since Laetitia is back at her family home, we get to meet her doting father and her two other brothers, Yurius and Bernard. It’s nice to see the author poking fun at the “disgraced villainess” trope here, because while the engagement-breaking scene is commonly used, it does bring up the question of why none of Laetitia’s family members were present when it happened. The reason for this isn’t revealed yet, but it was done on purpose by a certain someone who’s been behaving mysteriously. I also like how the author highlights all the challenges Sumia has to face as the crown prince’s fiancée, as well as the stark contrast between the way she handles it and how Laetitia used to play that role. It’s quite realistic despite the series’ sweet and fluffy vibes.
While there isn’t as much cooking in this volume, the intensity of the plot and the presence of fluffy friends make up for it. Two of I-Liena’s foxes are accompanying Laetitia on her trip, and she’s having the time of her life fluffing up their tails LOL. She also gains new friends to bring back to Wolfvarte by the end of the book, who can be seen chilling with her so comfortably on the cover. Her villa has turned into floof heaven and she also feels truly at home there, but her role as the placeholder queen is still an issue to be solved. The next volume will be the final installment, so I look forward to see how they’re going to tie up all the loose ends.
Oh, and Laetitia is also concerned about someone from her past life. This, along with her obliviousness to Glenreed’s affection, causes him a lot of frustration and he ends up getting jealous… of her dog. Very valid, to be honest. I feel bad for him, but his internal drama is so hilariously angsty. The scene in the carriage with the ice was adorable too.
It is hard for me to read this series because I read it in like 2 days but the next one will not be out for almost half a year. I want to jeep reading the story. All in all I love this book series.