It's also interesting to note how naive Freya's outlook on Aura being a female ruler thst is able to live freely. Freya seems to be very mistaken as she doesn't realize thr many restrictions place don Aura as one running the country, even if Aura has a firm foundation as royalty. Freya has never had the chance to be in the ruling seat and is also young, so she has no idea that being a ruler puts chains on you.
Well Freya may never understand as she is aiming to be Zenjirou's concubine. So Freya will have a lot of freedom, probably much to the headache of Aura.
Freya also probably doesn't understand that she is entering a culture that views women much more strictly than in the northern continent. To me it seems Uppasala allows just a slight more influence to women than in Capua. Like Skaji, female soldiers that hold rank are more common unlike in Capua where the best we get is female commandera born of royalty (but even that is not normal) or assassin maids in the shadows like Ines or Margaret.
Also Uppasala women seem to be allowed to command ships as a captian which probably would never be allowed in Capua.
Freya is thinking of her country but I think she is biting more than she can chew if she thinks she'll have the freedom she had before even with Zenjirou's backing.
Zenjirou is also not fond of the idea of a concubine. So even if Freya does become one Zenjirou will never do something that will trouble or put Aura in a bad position socially. He wants to support Aura not also not make waves or try to insight a revolution of the entire culture of Capua.
Thus I say Freya is very naive and a bit wishful and forceful thinking with a lot of self projection that she'll have someone that shares her values. She also hasn't stated anything on thinking of thr wellbeing of Capua. She only sees profit for her motherland. And Zenjirou is probably the only one that is close to Freya's beliefs due to being raised in Japan. Aura while flexible is still very much one with roots of Capua.
Maybe Freya will get better later on. But I only see Freya rifht now as a person entering a foreign country ready to upend the culture with no regard to its circumstances or lifestyle. A bit entitled. It was even mentioned in volume 5 that she while not consciously, but inherently and a bit subconsciously, turns her nose up to (looks down upon) the people of the southern continent because of Uppasala's superior technology.
Freya tells Aura that she will bring her culture to Capua. Noe notice the language here that Freya uses. She does not once say she will bring her country's technology, but her country's culture. This is very much akin to what the British did to India. They tried but it didn't go well, but it was a cultural invasion. A way to subvert one country's culture for the other. Freya may not initially be thinking that but they way her country reacts to negotiations is very much so.
Aura wants to adopt technologies, but is more hesitant to adopting culture as it can underrmine a country's power base.
Freya is very sly here with weasle word. But this is the political game that is being played. And I hope Freya truly learns to love Capua to support it over the northern continent as she is marrying into the country.
Freya is greatly under estimating what marrying into another country's royalty means. I think Freya and co are a bit arrogant. Her negotiations with Aura bored rude. But that borderline rudeness does have traps set up. She even lied. And she knows she won't be giveling them metal. It will be food clothing and "lifestyle", all the while Upasala reaps benefits. I am just seeing the similarities of the British invading India, and how Spain invaded Portugal.
Freya is going to marry in and then has the gall to ask for a duchy.
Any smart ruler would see that the kingdom of Capua has little to to gain from Freya's deal and Uppasala has a lot to gain. Capua gets maybe a few bits and pieces of metal and maybe teased technology when in reality all they get is food clothing and "cultural lifestyle".
The Uppasala Kingdom however reaps almost all the benefits of this deal. They get a shipyard in a foreign country, a supply of wood and even governmental power on feudal lands such as a duchy. Freya even went as far as to try to get a position equal to that of Freya. So if accepted, Uppasala gets the added bonus of power in the central government. And let's not forget Capua loses hold on bloodline magic.
This is pure invasion type negotiations and should be rejected outright. Uppasala has everything to gain in this deal while Capua has evething to lose. Only a moron would agree to this.
Well Zenjirou also made it worse by giving Freya an opening to prey upon.
I just feel Freya is under estimating the country of Capua in case they turn hostile.
