beta
Okay, so far from the plot, I have SO much to say about this mess—and for the readers too.
First: There’s absolutely no emotional bond or connection to the characters. I get that there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the people around her, which makes them untrustworthy. But still—she has no friends? Not even a single opportunity to build a relationship with someone who genuinely cared for her? Like the female priest she studied with for two years—what was that? Just a side character? She had so much personality!
Second: The bonds she does form are with people who hurt her. The ML is understandably vengeful, sure—but that still doesn’t give him the right to force himself on her. And the others? They enable the ML's actions. The (actual main/ pink hair) female character was right—he should’ve punished her in a more sensible way, like through the court or something. Yet she ends up closer to the ones who harmed her—the ML, her dad (who has abuse allegations), and even the knight who nearly killed her.
Third: The ML does have a right to be mad. That’s something most readers don’t get. He was drugged for three years, possibly an SA victim, and psychologically manipulated. Yes, I said earlier that he forces her, and that’s from her perspective— she’s not exactly his abuser. What’s wrong is how she CHOOSES to “befriend” them. From HIS point of view, his anger is valid. Both of them are victims of the old Ilyana. And although the whole thing with her parents and the kidnapping is still unresolved, we shouldn’t just dismiss HIS trauma.
Fourth: The misunderstandings in this manhwa? Insane. Like, supernatural-level bad. Trying to understand both of their perspectives is exhausting. The abuse, her desperate need to escape, and then all the romance stuff just mashed together into one giant, frustrating mess of miscommunication.
Lastly: The romance? Straight-up Stockholm Syndrome.