#askstepmarchen

Here's what we know about the AU (note: Translations are from what little I could find online. Translations may not be 100% accurate. If anyone has real scans of this book, I can offer more accurate details!)

Shuri: A 3rd year student at Gold Highschool with excellent grades, outstanding athletics, and in the advanced class. She lives in the city with her aunt and she's neighbors with Jeremy.

Nora: A 1st year student at Silver Highschool in the art club. He has outstanding athletics and while quiet, he gets along with his peers. He seems to be attracted to Shuri, who he met by chance.

Jeremy: A 1st year student at Gold Highschool. He is great at sports, but doesn't have a lot of hobbies outside school. He just floats around because he doesn't have any goals. He bickers a lot with Shuri.

Theo: A 3rd year student at Infinite Highschool and the student body president. He has excellent grades and plays the violin. His nickname is "the Prince of Infinite High" and he has a secret fanclub.

Ohara: A 1st year student at Infinite Highschool and the student body vice president. She has excellent grades and plays the violin. She strives to go to the top college in the U.S.

Elias: A 2nd year student at Gold Middleschool whose hobbies include gaming, going to arcades or computer cafes. He dreams to become a pro-gamer. He's going through puberty and he has a mother-complex.

Leon and Rachel: They are 4th year students at Gold Elementary School. They have a cat named Cherry. They are strong and healthy kids and Leon, who loves books, wears glasses due to poor sight. The two attend Alberon's Taekwondo gym.

Maximillian: Chairman of a large corporation and a self-made businessman. He is a perfectionist and often argues with Elizabeth, who has an opinion against all of his matters.

Elizabeth: A politician with a fiery personality. Her skill is wrestling and her hobby is wrestling. She is great at her job.

Richelieu: Part of the legal team at a large corporation. He graduated school early and as soon as he did, he joined Maximillian's company's legal team.

Wolffe: A senior year college student in the law department. He's overwhelmed with assignments, applications, and essays. He dreams of joining Richelieu's legal team after graduation.

Albert: A diplomat that deals with internationally famous politicians and often travels to different countries. He's sad that he can't see his family due to his overseas business trips.

Heidi: A traditional tea shop owner located in a small alley. She's very shy and quiet, but passionate about her tea.

Everette: An interior designer that focuses on giving people a warm and comfortable home and accommodating to their customer's needs. She is a hard working interior designer in Shinchang.

Alberon: A Taekwondo instructor that's large in size and blunt in personality. He practiced consistently and refined his skills to become a national representative, achieving great results. Children often fear his large size, but the twins take him aback with their fearless attitude. He opens up to them and becomes very popular.

Johannes: A resourceful businessman. He spends more time abroad than he does at home. He sponsors Alicia's creative activities. They got married for their mutual beneficial business relationship.

Alicia: She is an artist that works as an art museum curator and a writer. Thanks to Johannes' sponsorships, she's become a well known creator.

Even during events where Albrecht probably needs to socialize as the chairman of the nobleman's committee, he does leave early if Heidi wasn't feeling well.

That's not to say that they never fight though. He has gotten angry AT Heidi for risking her health to stalk Nora, but I think that comes from a place of worry (not that it makes it right, but it's understandable).

It is interesting that Albecht values Heidi far above anyone else, even his own son. Meanwhile, Heidi seems to value her child above her husband... as she's usually coming to Nora's defense (even if it's against Albrecht).

This kind of writing is super fascinating because it's also seen in real life, where a mother and father have different values over who in the family they value most. Neither is necessarily the wrong answer, but it makes for an interesting family dynamic.

Then Shuri saying "I'm not particularly fond of being compared to a flower" after we know that Johannes saw Shuri as a flower that must be uprooted. AND Ludovika also having her reference to the banned lavender colored roses. There are so many layers to unpack this chapter.

and YES, there's a soullessness to Theo's recent appearances that we haven't seen before. Whether this is the affect of Cardinal Richelieu's brainwashing teachings or his mommy/daddy issues showing its ugly head, I'm not sure. It's certainly eerie to see everyone all grown-up and behaving more and more like their 1st timeline selves.

In visual language, you can view the changing screen as a physical and mental barrier between the couple, with Max sitting on the couch and Elisabeth getting undressed from the celebration, in her nightgown (lingerie, for this time period). Elisabeth changing is her being in a "vulnerable" state as she voices frustrations that she normally keeps hidden away.

By the end of their argument, Max walks into her private space, which is more sexually suggestive that the cheek touch looks (he's also actually caressing her neck, which is a super intimate behavior). In a way, they are now vulnerable together, with no boundaries left between them.

Also, a common euphemism for inexplicit sex scenes in manga/manhwa is a (melting) drink, symbolizing the passage of time as two people have sex. Not to mention the suggestiveness of sweat = condensation, whiskey being an adult's drink, and yada ya.

Possibility 1: The Necklace Incident

The night Shuri returned from watching an opera show with Everette, aka the night Johannes accused Shuri of cheating, it was a dark stormy night. But here's the important part. Albrecht was seen leaving the Neuschwanstein Estate with a haunted look on his face.

Surely he can testify for Shuri's innocence... right? But exactly how can he testify, without providing a reason why he met with Johannes that fateful night? It's heavily suggested that Johannes told Albrecht about the mysterious necklace and love letter Shuri was hiding. Is this going to be brought to light? Or will Johannes' abuse finally be uncovered to the family?

And what if Shuri can't testify? Throughout the series, Shuri always freezes in fear remembering the way Johannes abused her. She recalls the night as "the night when the gates of hell opened." Even in the first court case, Shuri's trauma prevented her from making a clear testimony. Her weak testimony may just add more strength to Stella's.

It's also worth noting that the preceding events leading up to this moment is a member of the Church peeping on Johannes' coughing blood in the Parliament. Did Richelieu plant this evidence this far in advance? I'm not sure...

Possibility 2: Stella visits Shuri

Shuri has a memory from the 1st timeline of Stella visiting her following the death of Johannes. She orders Shuri to remarry for the sake of her own greed and Shuri ends up in a contractual relationship.

We can assume that this meeting transformed into the face-off between Shuri, Stella, and Lucas. Maybe Stella will try to twist this story into something that fits her narrative? It's not my strongest theory, but it's worth mentioning, given that Shuri still traded letters with her Mom around this time.