Interesting world building: an expanding dark plains, elemental spirits, an FL whose mother is from the dark plains, an empire’s unclear founding myth, a book of prophecy (?), amnesia that seems to have behind it. However…
It’s such a murky relationship you can’t really cheer at its development.
One is dedicated to revenge, who wants to see them [the FL] fall so dependently on him, so he can lock her in a dark room, begging him to come back. Someone who can’t tell the difference between obsession, vengeance and love. Who is kind and caring to get her to love him, celebrates in being one step closer to revenge yet wakes in cold sweat at the idea of his plan actually coming into fruition.
And the other determined to go along with his revenge — to play the part of a tamer stripped of their everything and lost. Who genuinely falls for him, even knowing he’ll hurt her the moment she lets her guard down.
And yet, it seems to do its best to let them have a lighthearted romance with more comedic panels and flowery, pink-tinted scenes as the story progresses (at ch72 now. Looking more than other romcom manhwas). I genuinely can’t tell now what tone this story is trying to strike because it keeps flip flopping in tone in a way that’s extremely confusing.
Ch 73 and it seems most of that emotional conflict is gone. The ML realises he doesn’t want revenge and the FL has confessed her feelings. With comedic and lighthearted scenes and the ML telling her how important she is to him.
——— MAIN CHARACTERS ———
🪽🍷 Ilyana Glayne (FL)
- calm,
- appears kind while calculating in background
- daughter of a marquis.
- good reputation in society.
- character had power of dream manipulation
- from a clan of dream walkers from dark plains
- …but knows nothing of her heritage
- “I will play my part in his play of revenge”
⚔️🕷️ Magnus Di Claude (ML)
- because a ‘beast’ at 20.
- dependant due to drugs + Ilyana’s powers
- slowly gains his memory back
- power of the spirit of darkness
- revenge
- “I will make her love me then I’ll leave. Make her experience the hell I went through”
🥀⚔️ Perto
- captain of the storm knights (mainly spirit knight)
- despises FL’s ‘kind’
🩺 Cheyrl (female lead in novel)
- brash, transparent, good natured, reliable
- becomes head of medical decision
- has little brother, Casio
- confidant to Margnus. His voice of reason
Raphael (kid)
- commoner. Adopted by Count
- weapon making prodigy
——— ASPECTS / TROPES ———
- possessed the villainess in a novel
- Novel was open ended. World is still a mystery
- Why did Ilyana become a villainess?
- Her body remembers
- Ilyana had let the beast escape on purpose?
- A book of prophecy
- A mysterious empire founding myth
- A dark and murky kind of romance
- Spirits representing the elements
- Us against the world
- What are the Dark Plains? Why is it expanding?
📖Events of Novel
- Beast escapes from chains. Finds love
- Beast becomes human
- becomes emperor, partner becomes empress
- He finds villainess, sends her to fate worse than death
CONTENT WARNINGS
Toxic relationship (explicit and continuing), drugging, psychological abuse, drug addiction, domestic violence, forced starvation as punishment, confinement, PTSD, blood, murder, obsession
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