In the third episode of the new Isekai anime, Why Raeliana ended up at the Duke’s Mansion, we find Raeliana in a bit of a hassle after having entered into a contract with Duke Noah Wynknight to act as her fiance in exchange for coveted information. Raeliana, who thought she had successfully altered her fate by breaking off her engagement with Lord Francis Brooks, now has a rather sophisticated problem living with Noah in her mansion.
Spoilers Ahead
Episode 3: Why Raeliana Trained In Domestic Arts?
In the previous episode, Raeliana successfully got Noah to sign the contract to masquerade as her fiance for the next six months after she proved to have knowledge about future events in the kingdom. This episode begins with Raeliana getting ready to shift to the Duke’s mansion. Her parents and younger sister are delighted, but ultimately the emotion is bittersweet as she leaves their abode in order to shift to a new one and begin the next chapter of her life. Their point of view is based on the fact that they are completely unaware of the contractual nature of this relationship.
Noah sends a huge royal carriage for Raeliana, but as expected, he also sends his trusted spy Taylor to accompany her. The gates of the mansion open for Raelina’s welcome, and she is immediately startled by the presence of four butlers in the mansion. The most senior of them, a man named Gerard, welcomes Raeliana and offers to give a tour of the mansion before she can retire to her room. Raeliana, not really in a state to refuse, agrees.
In a series of pit stops around the huge mansion, Gerard shares the most boring details about the household and its rich heritage. Raeliana, already regretting her decision, suffers in silence. Her boredom morphs into a rage, which she gives expression only after retiring to her bedroom.
While Raeliana thinks she expresses herself in solitude, she is suddenly alarmed by Noah’s presence, who was calmly sitting in her room all the time, even while she vented out her anger. This intrusion leaves Raeliana embarrassed and disturbed. She demands privacy in the mansion or at least some kind of warning or notice before barging in on her. Noah displays full authority and calmly dismantles all of Raeliana’s confidence in asking for privacy. Raeliana soon realizes that complete seclusion is too great a luxury to be had while staying with Noah, so she begins to ask him the reason for his intrusion.
Noah begins to explain the twofold basis of his visit. First, Lord Francis and his family have asked for compensation. Raeliana was to marry Francis, and her sudden breakup caused a rather public embarrassment for the man and his family. Noah assures Raeliana that he will solve the problem himself. The second reason, however, concerns Raeliana. Noah asks her to begin the customary bridal training required of Noah’s fiance. He explicitly mentions that, as it is all for show, it is unexpected for Raeliana to master any of the skills received during the training. Noah’s condescending tone of delivery pinches Raeliana, and she gives her rebuttal of not wanting to master them anyway, expected or otherwise. This confident response from Raeliana seems to bring out a sadistic focus in Noah. He bends forward, gently presses Raeliana’s mouth, and asks her to call him by his name. Raeliana manages his creepiness for the time being, but one can sense her unease in the mansion. He watches her lose control as he leaves.
Forbidden to leave the mansion, Raeliana gets all her entertainment from the training process and gains excellency in all the domestic arts, even after having the opposite intention at the beginning. Noah visits her to ask her out to a ball, where he will announce their engagement to the dignitaries. Raeliana is on the verge of a breakdown after hearing Noah’s plan to have the engagement within a week. With no power to influence his decision, she decides to get ready for the ball but is stopped by Noah. A magician named Nick Maddox will prepare her for the event. Noah leaves the room, and Maddox proceeds with Raeliana’s makeover. A dolled-up Raeliana meets Noah, and he is overcome by a great silence as they leave for the party.
Episode 3: Ending: Why Is Noah Left Speechless?
Noah leaves after handing over the makeover duties to Nick Maddox. Nick takes his time and, with Raeliana’s cooperation, brings out a completely different version of her, at least in appearance, if not in character. Noah sees this transformed Raeliana and simply leaves for the party without ever divulging clever remarks, as is his habit. This suggests that he didn’t expect Raeliana to look this gorgeous, and her new appearance left him feeling a bit star-struck and left him speechless.
Episode 3: Review
The episode smoothly advances Raeliana’s story as she moves into the Duke’s mansion. The tension in their relationship is brought out very skillfully, and the theme of dominance is also very nicely depicted. The unpredictable nature of Noah keeps the episode fun to watch, while Raeliana doesn’t get much to do except follow his instructions. One can soon expect her act of rebellion to come through in later episodes, which might disrupt her contract with Noah, or Noah can get smitten by her and lose track of his plans regarding the Royal Seal. Both scenarios are engaging, and the episode does a good job of setting the tone for the upcoming ones.