
No worries. I wouldn't go as far as saying he's insane. He's a functional person which to me is the opposite of insane. But imo he's obsessed to quite an unhealthy degree (and obsessed on having a particular person to boot).
I agree he didn't even understand what was wrong. He only really locked his mothers when they interfered in his plans and not because he understood what sort of life his wife had been living with them.
And ya I agree that even if he tries to do everything right, it doesn't take away all the trauma the FL already experienced. But I don't think he knows that she remembers their past timeline. I think he's relying on everyone having forgotten the past including the FL.
He's def a blind fool. It's pretty tragic. He's fighting for an illusion (his fantasy of what the FL is actually like) and he's going about it the wrong way while being stabbed in the back by the king he had dedicated his lives to.

You are right. He’s the very definition of insane. I can’t wait for an arc that shows everything from James’s perspective. I hate when authors throw an arc in to try and make the audience understand a point of view when, no matter what his knowledge of love is, there simply is NO understanding. I’m reading, I Became the Wife of the Monstrous Crown Prince. The author did this kind of arc for us to sympathize with the villainous. It was a disaster. Just check out the comments. Her actions were so hideous, it was unforgivable on any level. That arc seemed to infuriate the readers.
So, we’ll see if there’s any possible way James can be understood for knowingly allowing her to be abused by the MIL’s, for basically raping her when he came home, giving her a couple of minutes then leaving after she gave birth and ignoring her 99.9% of the time they were married and even when she was dying. I just don’t see it.
I get what you’re saying as well. He may have never understood love. He locked them up, but does he even understand why? I don’t think so. I don’t buy the BS that he’s some innocent bozo with no experience in love. Boo Hoo….cry me a river. He was a leader of men. He had comrades, responsibilities, decisions to make knowing how many of those around him would die. In real life, those experiences alone teach the value of love, friendship, warmth and appreciation for someone who wanted to love you.
Author has a HUGE job to do if they want an ounce of sympathy from me.
Dude, the first husband actually loving her makes me feel a little sad, I think I might drop this, I hate feeling this way (/TДT)/