Episode 2:
At first, when prince's POV was being shown, I had understanding, that he actually did want to propose to Anastasia, after all, because of how confusing the presentation was. But it was not the case after all. Which still means that the title is misleading.
I do like how they approach the abuse here. Indeed, it's difficult to recover from such this type of it, when your parents (people you trust by default from the moment you recognize them) constantly tell you a lie, potentially beating it into you. I am a bit confused that Anastasia did not deter that in any way, though, since it looked like they had normal relationship. But I digress: when you lived so long with a lie like that, it will be a very long process of accepting that it was a lie.
The pattern of "oh, this is a dream" is a known "protection" mechanism, too. It is harmful in reality, but it's our psyche trying to maintain the status quo. I relied on it in one of my stories, too, although there it had more severe consequences, and was meant to cause further mental trauma. This anime is definitely not about that, there are already signs of people gently pushing Marie towards reality and reclaiming her confidence in the future.
New maids, though... Something in their expressions was worrying. As if there are not there to serve.
