Why Raeliana Ended Up in the Duke’s Mansion Ep 3: The Duke Is A Truly Sadistic Villain
The actions of the eponymous duke in Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion episode 3 are effectively demonstrating that he’slikely one of the most sadistic villains to ever appear in manga, and the series has hardly even started. In fact, what this duke does isn’t as salacious as it could have been. But it’s still enough to send a shiver down one’s spine, a shiver that Raeliana undoubtedly experiences after the interaction in question.
Essentially, the duke exercises the undeniable power he has over Raeliana by forcing her to call him by his first name behind closed doors, a form of intimacy that they had agreed to only put on public display as part of an elaborate scheme to enforce the facade that they are really engaged. But forcibly having her do so in private is wholly inappropriate and isn’t applicable to their current circumstance as no one is present to see them speak to each other with such familiarity. The duke is clearly looking to satisfy a more sinister urge on his part.
The situation goes from bad to worse when he uses the guise of an intimate gesture to physically coerce her into saying his name. As a result, his action feels more like an invasion of privacy than anything else. The fact that the conversation also transpires in Raeliana’s room where he had first laid in wait for her when she was away without her consent is even more unsettling.
Aside from how he touches her unpleasantly, the duke also takes twisted pleasure in how he upsets her and delights in her frustration. There’s one scene in particular after he makes her think he’s left her room where he watches from behind her partially closed door as she punches a pillow and curses his name. The amusement he expresses at her expense further solidifies his inherent maliciousness. Moreover, he has an affinity for playing mind games. After going out of his way to make her feel uncomfortable, in the same breath, he’ll suddenly give her flowers, throwing Raeliana off guard.
Luckily, there are some bright moments in this otherwise dark episode. Undoubtedly the longest and most enjoyable scene transpires through Raeliana’s time with Monsieur Nick, a flamboyant cross-dresser who clearly seems to genuinely care for Raeliana, wanting nothing more than for her to be radiant at that night’s ball. (That’s right. The duke told Raeliana during their uncomfortable interaction that he was announcing their engagement that night at a ball that he just decided to tell her about.) Raeliana feels so safe and clearly trusts Monsieur Nick enough that there’s a heartfelt moment where she leaps into his arms after she sees the full extent of his handiwork. Also, isn’t it refreshing that Raeliana makes sure to ask how she should address him before automatically assuming his gender?
And who can forget Adam Taylor’s reaction when he first sees Raeliana after Monsieur Mike’s makeover? Remember, in Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’s Mansion episode 2, he broke character by helping Raeliana’s younger sister in the most adorable way, an astonishing development that’s especially so when considering his background and overall demeanor. The episode even goes out of its way to have the duke comment on Adam Taylor’s ostensibly innocuous assessment that Raeliana is “strange” that he was actually being uncharacteristically positive, causing him to wonder if Adam Taylor actually likes her.
Of course, the episode is also filled to the brim with more comments and reactions from Raeliana that could only happen in a novel Isekai such as this. Because she possesses the experiences of the woman she reincarnated into while retaining everything she learned from her previous life, Raeliana is able to incorporate all of this knowledge into her strategies and responses to certain challenges, which in turn complicates her thought processes as she tries to outwit the duke and his allies. It’s clear that things are going to get confusingly convoluted very quickly.
Also, did anybody else find it odd that when Monsieur Mike asked Raeliana to envision the one person she hated more than anything else she didn’t think of the duke? Instead, she thought of her fiancé. While a terrible person who was supposed to kill her, the duke is the current and most immediate threat. Hmm.
Watch Why Raeliana Ended Uo in the Duke’s Mansion episode 3 on Crunchyroll.
