Loved the beginning. A heartwarming yet heartbreaking story of four kids. Fighting, reconciling, drifting apart and finding each other again. (Like stated in other reviews, it just goes down hill) Becomes more of a light-hearted, reverse-harem story later (for majority of story, unfortunately)
Romance between Harley and Eugene is just very cliche. FL is flustered and blushes as the ML confidently flirts, chuckling at her embarrassed exclamation. And what is with the ML constantly patting the FL on the head like you would do to a child?!!
Also, yes, the main couple were raised as brother and sister…In fact the reason the FL was taken in was because she looked so similar to the ML’s dead sister…sooo…
Seriously 😑 Why couldn’t they just make it a romance between Harley and Johannes (or literally anyone outside the family) instead? So we wouldn’t get this brother-sister romantic relationship thing
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🪙🪻Harley Ernst (FL)
- taken in my Ernst family (dukedom) when their daughter Alina died. Not officially part of family
- resembled the daughter
- adoptive parents died early. Left with their sons
- becomes know for her beauty and elegance
- cliche: blushing, flustered, kind, doe-eyed FL (more so later)
- doesn’t remember her birth family (covered near end story)
- Little impactful internal conflict after ~season 1
- Always saved by ML (season 2 + after)
☕️ Eugene Ernst (ML)
- eldest son of Ernst family
- sensible, can be dismissive, confident
- closed off, obsessive, dark
- bears a lot of responsibility for his family
- still mean to FL (early on in story)
- morally grey
- killed all threats(entire families)/potential threats
- OP. Invincible
🪁 Cavell Ernst
- 2nd son of Ernst family
- prankster, brash, naive
- just wanted to play with FL
- genius swordsman
❄️🎐 Erich
- 3rd son of Ernst family
- snobbish, upright, prankster, temperamental
- childish acts in anger then regret
- was twins with Alina (daughter that passed)
- sleepwalks
🧵Johannes Bastille
- FL’s betrothed in future (arranged)
- considerate, respectful (in future)
- timid, blushing,
- stern when protecting others
🖌️ Louise Bastille
- bright, chaotic energy
- younger sister of Johannes
- close friend of FL
⚔️ Sir Bishop / Ethan Schumacher
- stoic, principled, quiet
- secret past
- bodyguard of FL. Assigned by Eugene
- illegitimate child treated like a slave
- met Eugene. Agreed to help wipe out Schumacher family
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ASPECTS / TROPES
- FL was an orphan
- FL tormented by adoptive brothers
- Went back in time
- Misunderstandings had ruined relationships
- Bickering as a form of affection
- Brothers hated FL, feeling she was replacing their dead sister
- Doting father on daughter. Physically punished his sons
- Complicated family dynamics
- Mother mentally ill. Kept believing Alina was still there (‘delusions’ went away when Harley arrived). Even afterwards, she kept giving FL a narcotic candy that was used to help her sick deceased daughter.
- Characters that can admit when they’re wrong
- Heartbreaking. Parents killed in assassination attempt of imperial prince
- Us (three kids) against the world
- A jealous villainess
- All side characters get their love stories
The end storyline, trying to tie in Harley’s birth family just doesn’t work timeline wise. Harley lived in a noble house (House Charlotte) but her parents were killed and house set on fire by Lenold, who framed the family for the attack on the Ernst duke and duchess. But Harley was taken in by the duke and duchess before they died in an accident. That accident only happened afterwards. Even accounting for the fact that in the first timeline, they died around a year earlier, it still doesn’t make sense.
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CONTENT WARNINGS
Death, domestic violence (father disciplines his sons phsycially), drugging, child abuse, parental death, grief, corporal punishment, drugging, kidnapping, emotional manipulation