about the ML

He was a total dick in the beginning, sorry. The author has progressively softened him, but how he behaved in the start, how he totally didn't see her humanity...that was evident at the start.

He has seen her value NOW.

i just saw your comment because i was actually rereading it since it’s been so long! idk i still don’t feel like he was being a dick. he was harsh, sure. but he didn’t kill her as a princess, and with every encounter he had with her after (where he didn’t know who she was yet) i didn’t get a sense that he was being particularly nasty to her just for the sake of it. i just got the feeling he wasn’t particularly interested in her at all. the only thing i could think of is him threatening to kill her if his horse died, but i guess compared to things i’ve read other MLs do in other stories that just seemed so mild and like a baseless threat.


every interaction the had after that point was pretty neutral in my opinion, with her trying to avoid him, and him being interested in her quirks and stuff. for more than half the story he’s been very respectful not only of her, but of his subordinates and the like, and overall seems like a pretty good person. idk, again this is just my opinion!! i just never particularly found any reason to dislike him ╮(￣▽￣)╭

Yussssssss I agree 100000

Wow. I think y'all have read so many stories where abusive males shit on the female leads (and this one is mild compared to so many where there's crazy behavior) that you let slide a lot of stuff.

So are you saying that because he was a dick at the start of the story there can't be change, or growth from his character??? Hell to be fair I think that the redhead knight was far worse then the ML was, Leo, I believe that was his name, was ready to brand Princess Beatrice and everything...

“let slide a lot of stuff”...my point is he hasn’t really done anything to her. that’s why i don't consider him to have been “a total dick” in the beginning. i already pointed out that he threatened to kill her if his horse died, but aside from that, i truly can’t think of any instance he went out of his way to harass, belittle, disrespect, or hurt her. my point is there’s is not actually “a lot of stuff” he’s done (to her) that would make him a bad person. but, to each their own. i don’t think i’ll comment on this thread after this, we’ve all got our own ideas on this ┑(￣Д ￣)┍

Totally agree with you!

1. Let his men rape women
2. had her sleep with the horse (without meals at times)
3. threatened to klill her if the horse died.


See, you let all that slide as if it's nothing.
Imagine a non-hero guy doing that?

Yo when did the rape thingie happen? How did I miss that (⊙…⊙ )

She got raped!? When did that happen-- did I miss something?Σ( ￣□￣||)

wait a second, where did you read he let his men rape women? or is that something you read his men do and just assumed he knows about it and allows it? because i know the red-headed dude in the beginning was an asshole, but i’m pretty sure they don’t even get along well. second, your second and third points are related to something i already acknowledged which is the horse incident.

nowhere did it ever say she couldn’t have meals, in fact it didn’t show her eating at all during that time because it just wasn’t relevant. just like we haven’t seen her bathe even once yet, but we can still assume she’s been bathing here and there. he didn’t say she couldn’t eat or to limit her meals, so what makes you assume she wasn’t eating just because it wasn’t explicitly shown? (unless you’re reading the novel too which probably has more details written in?)

and again, your points end with the horse incident, which happened quite a while ago already. that happened so many chapters ago, and he hasn’t done anything sus since, which is why i find him to be a decent ML.

I highly doubt he encourages them to rape women! And how do we know that rape was going on??? I mean it wasn't mentioned that it happened, was it?

I don't recall her making a big fuss over sleeping in the stable with Howl. There are times when someone will sleep with a horse that is sick so if something happens they are there when it does. And I don't recall her being starved just because it didn't show her eating every 5 mins doesn't mean she didn't.

And the whole thing about him threatening to kill her if his horse died, yeah it didn't look good, but you have to take in account this horse and he went through a lot together in battles and war so he possibly could have let his emotions get the better of him.

I don't know I think everyone just needs to chill out. If you don't like the story then don't read it and if you do have fun lol.

yeah haha, i didn’t expect this discussion to happen when i commented, but at least every one has been pretty respectful in responding so far (⌒▽⌒)

If you ask me anyone that gets overly bent out of shape over a fictional work then they seriously need to sort out their priorities lol.

People have gotten delighted and bent and inspired and revolted over works of fiction. I've heard this stupid argument time and again, as if the point of fiction is to only be happy and say positive things.

Fiction involved both mind and emotions. But you can go ahead and minimize it. Expected.

The only reason I kept reading was I EXPECTED his arc to be one of more humanization, showing backstory, explaining his behavior. If he was gonna be a dick all the way, I wouldn't have stuck it out.