English Dub Review: Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion “Why Raeliana Was Taken Away”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Raeliana has been kidnapped, and a rescue from Noah and his knights is her only hope. But can they make it in time? And what kind of trap will they find waiting for them if they do?

Our Take:
Raeliana has gotten in another pickle as if being a fake fiancé to a snarky duke wasn’t enough. As she’s about to be invited into a mysterious group of noblewomen, Raeliana has unexpectedly been captured by an unknown stranger. It turns out that the kidnapper is Raeliana’s sneaky ex-husband Francis Brooks. But he’s not alone in this latest scheme, as he’s accompanied by Jake Langston. The flashback shows that Francis and Jake schemed to kill Raeliana to steal her fortune. They both worked together when Brooks was blamed for the murder of Jake’s younger sister Sophie, who actually killed herself to end her suffering.
Francis is still an asshole for being a part of Jake’s plan despite being framed for something that wasn’t his fault. However, the episode shows that Jake may have taken that crown away from Francis as he strives to avenge his sister’s death by using Raeliana’s fortune to buy her a fancy headstone for her grave. So, Raeliana now has two heartless, greedy scumbags to worry about.
Additionally, the episode took a different direction that I didn’t expect in the second half. After Adam Taylor rescues Raeliana and confronts Jake, the latter sends out a monster to attack Adam. No joke, there’s an actual behemoth in a romance novel. I initially thought the show would be a straight-up romance isekai series, but that sequence shows that that’s not the case. Like the first episode, this scene further showcases the series providing small bits of fantasy elements in its love triangle scenario. The question is, how much more will we see those elements in the later episodes? I’m willing to call the monster an unnecessary addition regarding the tone it’s committed to, but I’m holding it off until the series can expand on this world further.
“Why Raeliana Was Taken Away” delivered an intriguing direction in the genre that might play a role in future episodes. More importantly, it offered a kidnapping scenario that’s more enticing than a regular ball, mainly due to Francis and Jake being taken into custody and Raeliana standing up to Francis by threatening him with Noah’s gun. When a woman threatens you with a weapon, you’ll know she’s not messing around. Unfortunately, the two kidnappers still have another trick up their sleeves, which could spell trouble for Raeliana’s survival.