The ML and FL, their relationship and the overall tone definitely put this manhwa into the upper tier. But then, a few dark spots obscure much of the good spots...
Anyway to start from the beginning... The FL here rocks. She's a wonderfully nuanced, flawed but genius character in her own way, a born and bred lady, very rational by nature, quite orderly and low-key. Her way of thinking, her actions, her clothes, her inner circle of people she can trust... It was all a lovely treat that you could enjoy lightly. If there were a manhwa that showed the empress' slice of life, I would savor it gladly. She's such an enchanting character! The ML is a pretty well developed char too. You can see just how tight, controlled and unnatural he is, but just how dedicated, diligent and hard working, how being a good emperor is a paramount concert with him. And his back story, his difficult childhood.... Perhaps a bit over the top, but still believable. Their terribly complex relationship, raging from hate, love, indifference, to pity is also even frighteningly real. On such few occasions have I seen such realistic depictions of just how massively convoluted emotions can be, how a person can be both a saint and a sinner at the same time, how

And then we get to what I consider a weak spot here... Rosamund. While in everyday life I can assume such a person could exist, she could have made a much more intriguing character if they had given her more psychological profile and nuance. She ends up a talent-less, crude harpy who can never hold a candle to the gracious, elegant empress. And yet there is so much potential. Rosadmund is a desperate, deluded, but injured individual. If the only made her a bit more cunning, if they explained just how she became so over the top... I couldn't understand her one whit in so many instances. If they wanted to show that the Emperor was her literal slave, they didn't quite make it - the manhwa shows him as besotted but never that devoted to her. I don't think they did this quite they way they should have. This ruined so much of the manhwa potential for me.

Also, I would have preffered if Rosamond wasn't the big bad of the manhwa. Since you have two such incredible characers, show us what they can do! Show us how they kick butt together! If given a proper adversary, a political mastermind working against them, I should think they would have become invincible in their shared efforts. Yes, imagine if the story ditched Rosamond around chapter 40, and then a more capable enemy appears? Someone from a political arena? Perhaps the prince of a neighboring country? A greedy nobleman? Someone even more devious?

Imagine just how juicy and thrilling all of this would have been! Giving Rosamond, a half crazed and not particularly smart lunatic, the main antagonist mantle just feels so hollow. And thus this minor gem never gets a chance to shine as if should. The art goes from bad to pretty nice, and the interiors and fashion are very impressive.

Overall, I liked this one for the ML and FL, but still think they could have made is to much better. But still, it's good as it is and warrants a reading.

I didn't expect this to be so serious. There's basically no humor. It's all drama. I thought the female lead was pretty brutal. She lies to get her way and she doesn't feel any remorse for her actions. It was somewhat unsettling simply because I couldn't relate to her character.

This was probably the least romantic story of this genre that I've ever read. It's obviously categorized as a romance, but the execution was...unique.

Anyway, I did finish it. So it gets points for that. I've been dropping webtoons left and right lately, but I stuck with this one to the end. I think that says something.

... Last updated on February 28th, 2022, 8:44pm

I was really engaged with this drama. The art was fine although anyone with red hair just looked the same to me. Some great twists and the emperor, while a pushover, has some neat characterisation later.

I hate this ending. The emperor just uses guilt and pity tactics to manipulate his wife and it's played off as romantic but it grossed me out how blatantly twisted he was acting to get her to stay.

I'm seeing a lot of bad reviews here but don't be discouraged. I have to admit, the art isn't appealing. It was hard to look at first BUT the plot plus backstory of why the people are like this, really makes up for it that you will get hooked.
The art improved by the 2nd season a lot.
This story is one of the best I've read so far and you can see the character development not just the FL and ML but also the supporting characters. It's a typical scenario of Emperor having a mistress and Mistress vs Empress war but the difference here is that the emperor already has this mistress even before getting married and this is known to the masses. It tackles not just the backstory of the ML but also the villain, so yes this is one of those that has a meaty plot.
IMO, the abandoned empress should have learned from this one on how character development should be

The story made my blood boil by each passing chapter ,even though both the protagonist and the antagonist are portrayed realistically ,the emperor is trash ,he is the worst ,in the first how can such a man be an emperor ,his action ,speach everything made me rage ,a word of advise drop it there is way better out there

but it must be disappointing to be paired up with an artist that has no sense of proportions... it's not even a matter of style.

at first, i resented the ml but after the revelation of his past my resentment switched to a mix of pity and hatred. i already finished reading the novel and as expected there's a few changes that they made in the manhwa adaptation so i suggest that yall read the novel too, lucio's redemption arc there is really satisfying and also especially the mistress' end for both og world and 2nd life. tbh i doubt that it will be portrayed well in the manhwa but we'll see.

... Last updated on April 3rd, 2021, 8:16pm

The art is heavily stylized in a way everyone looks depressed or like they drowned in a lake or something. The art DOES change, getting smoother and making characters more beautified as you continue with the story. I was able to get used to it so it didn't bother me too much.

The biggest CON I have is flashback transitioning, there is almost none, the story throws you into a flashback sometimes without even giving you a heads up which can be a bit confusing if you don't catch the transition yourself at first.

The story is driven by the constant drama between the Empress seeking to maintain her power when the emperor is NOT backing her, and how the mistress seeks to take the crown from the empress.

The ML & FL feel realistic to how they are being brought together as I often say human emotions are not always so cut dry love or hate you. I think The idea of a I hate you for what you have done but feel for your suffering without actually being IN love with you is a nice stab at at how complex human emotions can be. Of course the story isn't trying to dive to deep into the exploration of these sorts of emotions, but I do appreciate seeing a FL call out a ML for being a poor husband instead of just instantly falling in love with him b.c author said so. Its nice to see her NOT cave to her pity even 63 chapters in and stick to her convictions about not hoping for his love.

The story makes no sense. From the very first chapter I couldn't understand what was happening to who and whether it was a dream or reality or a mixture of both. Extremely frustrating.

actually i just want the empress find another man but well yeah-