Herace bans Persephone from entering the capital, the excuse that he gives to everyone is that he he doesn't like anyone who hurt Eleanor. Persephone is at the gates but she's not being let in and given several excuses why she can't enter. She's stuck there for a whole weeek. Persephone rented the most expensive mansion in the capital and invited several nobles to a party. But since she can't get in, she has to cancel everything. And the house she's renting is so so so expensive (that even the richest nobles hesitate to rent it) that she's losing so much money everyday. At this point, her staff is so pissed at her bc she's not paying for their lodging or food. Eventually Eleanor visits her in a beautiful dress and marvelous carriage but she acts aloof. She's pretending that they're still besties despite the betrayal between their houses and that she forgives her. But Rleanor slyly reveals (in front of a crowd) how Osborne betrayed Snow. So people are whispering abt Penelope and how kind Eleanor is despite the betrayal. Afterwards, Eleanor visits the ex fiancé and does the whole damsel in distress act. She's like "I like you but my Persephone loves you and I don't wanna hurt her". Ex is mad at Persephone and confronts her and essentially "dumps" her. And girlie is SO MAD at Eleanor and wants revenge.

While on the pilgrimage thing, they get attacked. MC becomes crippled, I forget if both of her legs or just one got really damaged. She was essentially dying. But she managed to survive, although she could no longer walk properly. Because of this, the MC gets married off to the ML (the half-sister's fiancé). Also it's implied/mentioned that the MC's mom was responsible for the attack. She used her own daughter to hide this since no one would ever think that she orchestrated the attack which left her daughter the most injured.

The Empress isn't ML's biological mother. His actual mother was the Empress's maid/best friend. Apparently the Empress is infertile so she and her friend came up with a plan for bff (the maid) to sleep with the Emperor. Then the Empress took her child and raised him as her own. Also, turns out that the Empress loved the ML when he was younger. She treated him like her own son and was very loving. But I think she got like brainwashed. She remembers all of this right before she dies and she's regretful