To answer some people’s questions, yes, Sabelian has a phobia towards women. His previous wife was a lot older than him and she r@ped him while he was sick in bed when he was 15 (i think Miriam was 26?). No one ever acknowledged his trauma, including his own mother who allowed the r@pe to happen bc she wanted an heir from Sabelian. Miriam was just as selfish and she stayed with Sabelian for power rather than love.
The reason why Sabelian treats Blanche so coldly is because, well, A) I think he’s just an awkward father lol. I don’t think he really understands fatherly affection since his dad died when he was young and B) since Sabelian was often frail and sick as a child, he’s scared that Blanche will also grow up weak-spirited. Because Blanche cries easily and is very empathetic, he’s worried about her position as the sole successor to the throne, but he later realizes that those aren’t bad traits and she can still be assertive when it comes to things she cares about (ie. Abigail).
After he rejects the dance with Abigail, it picks up pace and their relationship starts progressing a lot faster. In the manhwa, Sabelian is already showing slight interest in Abigail, but soon they’ll start becoming more...intimate(?) lol. I can’t provide any links to the novel since I bought it off amazon, but I hope this helps! ><
To answer some people’s questions, yes, Sabelian has a phobia towards women. His previous wife was a lot older than him and she r@ped him while he was sick in bed when he was 15 (i think Miriam was 26?). No one ever acknowledged his trauma, including his own mother who allowed the r@pe to happen bc she wanted an heir from Sabelian. Miriam was just as selfish and she stayed with Sabelian for power rather than love.
The reason why Sabelian treats Blanche so coldly is because, well, A) I think he’s just an awkward father lol. I don’t think he really understands fatherly affection since his dad died when he was young and B) since Sabelian was often frail and sick as a child, he’s scared that Blanche will also grow up weak-spirited. Because Blanche cries easily and is very empathetic, he’s worried about her position as the sole successor to the throne, but he later realizes that those aren’t bad traits and she can still be assertive when it comes to things she cares about (ie. Abigail).
After he rejects the dance with Abigail, it picks up pace and their relationship starts progressing a lot faster. In the manhwa, Sabelian is already showing slight interest in Abigail, but soon they’ll start becoming more...intimate(?) lol. I can’t provide any links to the novel since I bought it off amazon, but I hope this helps! ><