This might not be the story for me. The art is beautiful, the characters are mostly interesting, the whole concept is great, but I can't see how this could possibly end in a way that'd be satisfying to me.
There is literally not a single positive thing she'd get out of a relationship with Cesare. She can get money by doing the job, that she signed up for in the first place. Whatever status she gets out of Cesare will drop, once she becomes "the woman that sleeps with her brother". He is cruel to her(*). They have nothing in common at all.
By making the second and third lead (knight and wannabe fiance) all normal and kind people, it makes the ever approaching romance feel like sending my beloved protagonist to the gallows.
(*) A cruel ML doesn't automatically mean, that there's no chance for a good romance. But he is cruel to her when she fails and when she succeeds. He is cruel to her when he's attracted to her and cruel to her when he despises her. Importantly, she isn't fighting back anymore. There is no romantic tension between them, as she fears for her life around him. He abused her into compliance and is upset she's compliant. He's an interesting and pretty realistic character, but I literally can't imagine a way they'd get together, that wouldn't make me rip my hair out.
This might not be the story for me. The art is beautiful, the characters are mostly interesting, the whole concept is great, but I can't see how this could possibly end in a way that'd be satisfying to me.
There is literally not a single positive thing she'd get out of a relationship with Cesare. She can get money by doing the job, that she signed up for in the first place. Whatever status she gets out of Cesare will drop, once she becomes "the woman that sleeps with her brother". He is cruel to her(*).
They have nothing in common at all.
By making the second and third lead (knight and wannabe fiance) all normal and kind people, it makes the ever approaching romance feel like sending my beloved protagonist to the gallows.
(*) A cruel ML doesn't automatically mean, that there's no chance for a good romance. But he is cruel to her when she fails and when she succeeds. He is cruel to her when he's attracted to her and cruel to her when he despises her. Importantly, she isn't fighting back anymore. There is no romantic tension between them, as she fears for her life around him. He abused her into compliance and is upset she's compliant. He's an interesting and pretty realistic character, but I literally can't imagine a way they'd get together, that wouldn't make me rip my hair out.