User blog comment:LordLuminous/Fairy Tail 491: Mother and Child Review/@comment-96.83.80.245-20160628114716/@comment-5894890-20160628164856

While I'm not dismissing that idea yet. I don't think Zeref would do something so pity just to make Irene part of his group, that just doesn't seem like his character. The possibility that she joined him under being accepted/ being lonely could be one, but Zeref using tricks doesn't seem normal to me. I do like the idea of betrayal thrown in somewhere there though.