La princesse rebelle

Her defiance drives much of the story, but I'm curious whether this was inspired by historical figures or purely fictional ideas. How did the author decide to make her such a strong-willed character?

The chemistry between characters felt intense from the start, which made me wonder if that was a deliberate choice to match the story's adventurous tone or if it evolved during writing.

The story takes place in a richly imagined kingdom; I wonder how much the author drew from real French history or folklore to create this backdrop.