I think I've made a terrible love interest - how do I make her likeable?

I'm having some issues with my story right now and I'm hoping you all can help me brainstorm. I'm currently on my fourth or fifth draft (not sure which because I keep starting over before I finish and I've lost count), and every time I work through a draft I notice more and more things that need to change. This is the first time I've sat down, read through a draft, and thought, "Oh no, I should cut this character out entirely!"<br><br>But I want my reader to be happy when my two characters are reunited (this story is a retelling), so in an effort to make this character more likable, I am turning to you. How can I make her more likable? How can I keep her from looking like a villain and instead make her a good partner for my male character?<br><br>Here is the scene that convinced me there was a major problem: <br><br>I am reading through drafts from the perspective of different characters - in this case, the character that is the problem, the love interest. Right now she's very flat and without much voice, but I got to a scene she shared with the protagonist in a few chapters and I was surprised at how hard it was for me to get behind her in the conversation. For the first time, I read through it from her perspective and I thought, "No wonder he thinks you're a jerk!" <br><br>Part of the problem I've identified is that she is super nice to everyone else and cold to him, and I'm not giving her enough of a motivation to be that way. She appears to be a jerk for no reason, which is why I need your help. What can I give her as a motivation to make her actions seem justified from her perspective? <br><br>Context: <br><br>1. The protagonist spends 6 years at war during which time his city is destroyed and he is captured and tortured, so he comes back with PTSD and a lot of emotional trauma.<br>2. This city he was once the crown prince of is now being ruled by a powerful neighbor. The powerful neighbor is sending over a woman (the love interest) to be the prince's proposed bride, and in the process she's being groomed by the powerful neighbor to be a spy for them. Essentially, she is being taught how to manipulate people, even those she cares for. <br>3. The powerful neighbor has demanded that she marry the prince in order to solidify their alliance, but the prince is not interested in marrying her and has found a way to oppose the marriage (I'm changing names in this retelling, but it's a retelling of Cinderella so you can imagine who the prince is in the story). <br>4. The prince is aware that the powerful neighbor is trying to manipulate him and get him to do what they want, so he is being intentionally cold to the proposed bride because he is trying to protect himself from being manipulated. <br>5. The proposed bride is very young and naive and is completely aware that she is being used as a tool, but her family is in danger and if she doesn't do what the powerful neighbor is asking her to do, her family will be punished. Thus she is trying to do the right thing, she's just going about it the wrong way.<br><br>This is a problem because the prince is interpreting her coldness as a flaw. It's making him dislike her. At the end of the story, I want him to be head over heels in love with her, but right now I don't know how I'm going to get him to that point. <br><br>So I need your thoughts. If you were the prince, how would you interpret a woman who is being nice to everyone else but not to you? What flaws would you see in the woman who is being cold to you? And how could I make her more likable as both the prince and the reader work through the flaws she is displaying? <br><br>I'm having a hard time seeing this character, and I think I need to do some major work to make her a likable character. Where do I even start?