Hello, thanks for your support!
1) I think the normal mode is quite balanced. When the full game is out, we will adjust the numbers so it's not too punishing, but require a bit of thinking. Basically, besides obvious wrong choices story-wise, the ressources is here to make the player think twice about their decision. Like, I would say the main challenge is you can't please everyone in normal mode, because for example, if you say yes to everyone asking you to give money, you won't have money anymore. It's more this kind of strategic thinking about priority I want to induce in normal mode, not like hardcore management.
2) For now, it's not planned, but I might add it as small goals for the release. As I said, I think the normal mode won't be really difficult, so if I do that, it would more be to have an harder mode for player who really like challenge.
3) Yes indeed it will be in the full game. Basically, you will be able to check your diplomacy level with all the neighbor countries, and to perform special actions like sending gifts, trying to spy someone, sending assassin's to kill an annoying person etc.
4) The people you spend time with, is just a way for you to discover the characters! You will have a clear choice for your romannce later (so even if you spend all your free time with Asha, you can still enter Theodore romance for example. Or you can spend a bit of time with each character to decide who you will romance etc.) Each non-romanced character have a bad ending but they are actually really hard to get. That said, spending a bit of time of Asha if you don't romance her, is a very good way to make sure you don't get her bad ending, it doesn't matter for Alexander or Theodore.
I wish I had more time to develop the friendship of the non romanced character, but the story is already so long so I mostly focus on your romance past the point you choose it, but there is some moment where you can still see they like you even if you are not in romance with them.
Don't hesitate if you have more questions!
I wish you a lovely day <3
Ayael