the Duchess could have, but she's a gentle person who dislikes harming people + she believes that the Duke is really Kalina's father and doesn't want her to grow up without one. she's a very docile character but she would sacrifice anything for her daughter

yes! birth control wasn't commonly used as they generally wanted to have more children. the Duke is smart in a way but cowardly. ultimately, he's pretty afraid of his wife. he acts out to assert his dominance but he also knows when to stop (ex. when kalina is brought up). he does everything behind her back and he only gets away with it because she's too busy to look into it.

hi, thanks for all your comments and for reading! it's always nice to know that people are reading and thinking about my work :) although aldl is also a romance story, the main point will, yes, be revenge, and i was actually inspired by the villainess reverses the hourglass (but i tried to make my story as original as possible and change many aspects of the story). this is my first novel, but i'm glad to see that you're enjoying it! i can also assure you that later chapters will clear some things up, including the issue of her father, etc.

thank you so much for your support!