I keep thinking of the csa victim Anastacius reading, and how Aeternitas manipulating him to seduce Penelope, adds a sexual dimension to their relationship. Anastacius' seduction of Penelope would then be a case of a victim turning into a perpetrator who replicates his own abuse on an innocent. It had been speculated that Anastacius had seduced Penelope around the time of Claude's debutante. Supposing Penelope was around Claude's age, it means Anastacius was seducing a late teenager at best and a 14 year old girl at worst. Athanasia's narration suggests that Penelope was aware that Anastacius had been conducting experiments on their child and agreed to it, through taken into account her position, her age and that Anastacius seemingly did not disclose the risks to her, namely that there was a high chance that she would die, the consent appears to be an illusion.
One of the few panels of young Penelope we have depicts her resting on a divan with gifts piling up behind her, sweets served at a table and a servant on her side opening a jewelry case. I think we can be certain that the gifts Penelope received were send from Anastacius, the crown prince, possibly already crowned Emperor, since he could afford to send her such expensive luxuries unlike Claude, his bastard brother, who received little money and could expect no support from the Empress or his mother's commoner family in courting a noble lady the proper way. When an adult starts making expensive gifts to a teenage girl with the purpose of entering a sexual relationship with her, us modern day folks would normally call that behaviour grooming. That said man is also the elder brother of her boyfriend and future brother-in-law almost adds an undercurrent of incest. Like many noble girls her age, Penelope might have been promised to Claude since birth and had grown up alongside him, which means Anastacius might have already been like a family to her. Anastacius had been preyed on and groomed by his own relative when he was a child and once he is an adult he is making advances at his future-sister in law, who must have been a teenager around the time she was unfortunate enough to have caught his eye.
The "seduction" follows a similar pattern. An older relative, alternatively someone who is almost like a family to the victim, takes an unhealthy interest in a child, a teenager. In both cases a vast status difference between the pursued and the pursuer can be noted. To Anastacius Aeternitas is celebrated as the most powerful Obelian Emperor in history books and likely an idol he looked up to, and to Penelope Anastacius was the crown prince and a teenage heartthrob. It must have felt like they were special when they were chosen by them out of all the people to become their intimate partners. A wedge is thrown between victim and their little brother-like figure (Claude). Anastacius grows jealous of Claude's magical talent and becomes paranoid that Claude is conspiring against him, wheras Penelope thinks her engagement to a bastard is shackling her and keeping her from finding happiness. Anastacius, who is born with little mana and was looked down upon by his own father for being a weak magician, mistakenly believes Anastacius can give him what he lacked since birth. Likewise Penelope, who was born a woman, recognizes an affair with the crown prince as the only opportunity to improve her own standing and reach a higher position. There is the aspect of initiation. The older one introduces the younger one to forbidden dark knowledge and together they break a taboo. Both relationships end in the same teenage pregnancy that kills the victim - metaphorically - literally- and brings the victim back but wrong (novel Jennette as a clone of Penelope corrupted by black magic, manhwa Anastacius a reanimated corpse which houses his and his abuser's soul).
There is another similarity they share. Back in the days people had been speculating that Anastacius had used black magic to brainwash Penelope into loving him which would explain her change in appeareance and personality. This thought is not that far-fetched considering Anastacius attempted to break Jennette's spirit with a curse when she showed a preference for Claude. Now, if we stripped away the magic from the story and read it as a tale of incest and grooming, then Anastacius' mood swings, violent outbursts, suicidal ideation, substance abuse and sex with a minor would be glaring signs of csa trauma. Similarly Penelope's shift in personality from a good girl wearing high collared, long-sleeved pastel dresses to a hedonistic femme fatale who dresses and acts sexually provocant and hits other girls her age at the slightest provocation, who makes out with her adult lover publically, shamelessly, not caring who catches her in flagrante delicto and convinces herself she wants to bear his child so young, can be read as a victim as well.
Aeternitas and Anastacius were working as a unit to include a third into their abusive relationship and this time Anastacius got to play the "seducer" as the older, wiser, more powerful lover. It does remind me a little of how sometimes abusers will use their victim as a tool to get access to another younger victim and how the victim will emulate and replicate what they have experienced. Aeternitas crawled into Anastacius' mind, and Anastacius alters the body of a teenage girl, experimenting on their baby inside her womb. Anastacius violates Penelope, like he was violated. He leaves a monster inside her body that will grow inside her and ultimately kill her, a parasite like Aeternitas who inhabits his body and will cast him away once he is used up.
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