#ditoftv

AU where Eorka and Delman make a peace treaty and Penelope, who had been adopted only to be passed off as Ivonne, is wedded to the prince of Delman, but it's Iklies' elder brother who is the crown prince, instead of Iklies who is a bastard and has no political power. But because Penelope is like 12 years old, Iklies' brother is like "wtf Eorkans are insane. I am noooott going to fuck that." so the wedding remains unconsummated and Iklies' brother just treats her like his little sister 😊 (basically imagine a reverse Derrick/Penelope situation where her husband can't bring himself to view Penelope in a romantic light even as she ages and he loves his wife like a family). Penelope and Iklies grow up together and naturally fall in love and when Penelope is old enough, they dissolve the marriage so she can remarry Iklies.

Derrick's birthday is the 21th December and Penelope might have been adopted in December. Even though it was never explicitly stated that Penelope was adopted in winter, it's suggested that her mother died during the cold months (it makes sense since winter was the harshest time for poor people and many would die either of starvation or the cold). Derrick being 18 years old when he met Penelope, meaning he was around the age where he should've been debuting in high society... Did the Duke bring in Penelope at that time, practically interrupting the preparations for his eldest son's birthday celebration? Cha Siyeon mentioned that Penelope's cup had been hastily prepared for Derrick's coming-of-age-cerremony and they didn't even have enough time to inscribe it with her name, meaning she must have arrived at the duchy shortly before Derrick's birthday and witnessed his entrance into adulthood. Could Derrick's interruption of Penelope's debutante ball with Ivonne in the present be interpretated as his revenge against Penelope for crashing his party in the past?