I completely agree with everything that you said. Like I honestly thinks that he has some ulterior motive beside the reason of loving her. His first appearance personality at the ball is completely different than how he behaves after having a one night stand with her. And those letters with the corny pick up lines is just totally over the top.
His change of expression came so out of nowhere, it was a little scary. He turns from “Batman villain”
into “puppy dog love you lots” right after they had sex. It’s messed up.
I also noticed that during his over the top cringe lines, he doesn’t look at her. He hugs her from behind and you can’t see his face. Maybe that’s a sign by the artist that there is something off about him. Like if he looked at her while saying it, he wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face.
What creeps me out is that empty smile he looks at MC with whenever he answers her questions about something concerning his personal life.
This “romance” between them is just sailing too smoothly to be real.
I get the feeling that Merrick and his (brother?) Kyle are competing over who can snare her first.
And the only reason he keeps a low profile about his relationship with MC is to get a head start over Kyle.
If she would end up pregnant I could imagine Merrick’s facade slowly crumbling and shoving his “triumph” right in Kyle’s face.
I like MC but she’s naive as hell. She is satisfied with his vague answers and Insta personality change, and even though she calls him out on certain things, or has thoughts about him lying to her, she rents her residence out to him. Love is blind huh?!
I don’t know but I’m getting a “scheming villain” vibe from Merrick.
Seems like his interest was partly peaked by MC snubbing him and because she made her sister dance with him, while he thought she was talking about herself. Which doesn’t mean he’s a villain or anything.
I think part of my impression comes from his looks. Slanted eyes, evil grin and those eyebrows are just villainous lol.
But still, I don’t think this is the main reason for him to chase after her and might have something to do with her being the owner of the Winchester estate. What heightens this suspicion is that in a later chapter prince Kyle was reminiscing about how his grandmother was right about MC being the perfect match. And if Merrick is his brother, that means he approached her for the same reason, and not because he’s really smitten with her.
Anyways, his first suspicious actions imo were where he seduced MC masterfully, just for him to claim later that he was a virgin. That’s obviously a lie, but can still be excused with “love at first sight”webtoon logic and the “I lied to make you feel sorry for me and not abandon me” trope.
But even then he manipulates Mc and makes himself look like some victim. Blushing and all sad eyed, which is a huge juxtaposition from the night of the ball where he was all suave and confident. Virginity doesn’t seem to be much of a deal in their world for some reason because MC is completely relaxed about having a casual sexual encounter. Her being scared of becoming pregnant is not even a concern to her. Merrick just casually brings up how he’s “tied” to prevent pregnancy, even though Mc never asked about it. (And that’s weird as hell already).
I wonder if that is a lie to make her relax and give into him so he can impregnate her in order to “win” over prince Kyle or something.
Whenever MC asks him something personal it looks like he’s lying. Like when he claimed he’s single. Or when he said he will stay if she wants him to, but that turns out to be a lie. Something I don’t think he could have helped but I think this might be a sign to let us know he has secrets and might only be stringing Mc along? In all that time he couldn’t even write one letter? I think he also lied about what he does for a living, or at least downplayed it. Which I understand if this is some kind of “ In truth I’m a prince” trope.
But the first promise he made to her he already broke. He told some random noble girl that he and MC are in a relationship after MC told him to keep their liaison quiet.
He wants to know details about her property and when called out he deflects by saying he aims for her heart. And I think that’s the truth. But not really because he loves her but for other yet unknown reasons. I could be wrong but I don’t trust that Merrick’s only secret is that he’s some prince from the empire.
He is mightily invested in saving the Winchester residence from ruin, which is a little weird to me. Why would he push for this so hard for a woman he simply has an affair with? He’s not even really courting her. He says he will marry her but that his relationship with his family is complicated. Then why try to pull her in his sex web from the get go if it’s not certain that he could actually marry her?
During his return the phrases he uses to win her back are just too cringe and over the top, and don’t really fit his actions. “Apple of his eye”, “her existence is what he needs to live”, “he yearned for her greatly”. Why do I not believe that?
And now over the fight with her mother, she invited a wolf into her house.
I might be wrong but I don’t trust this dude. (〜￣△￣)〜