beta
The story makes sense with the backstory. The fucked up royal family who treated chang geon like a rabid dog which turned him into an obsessive and violent adult. The love and care shown by Sam gave him the motivation to become better and strive to be a king. The story makes sense.
It also makes sense that not everything would be hunky dory, fluffy and cute with such a story and such treatment of the characters, which readers dont seem to understand. You don't have to root for one or the other, you dont have to take sides, you dont have to necessarily expect a happy ending. Just enjoy the story and writing for what it is without projecting your shortsighted, immature opinions on it by willy nilly judging these characters without grounding them in their lived reality. That's what stories are for. To give you a window into someone else's reality, someone else's life. It doesn't have to follow your superficial logic or expectations. As long as it's well written and well understood and researched, nuanced and well balanced, appreciate the story and characters for what they are.