Responses
You have stated everything on point! The ML is exhibiting contradictory and unstable behaviors. Heck, him wanting Judith to rely on him (when she can perfectly defend and resolve the situation herself) is rather unhealthy. Slight yandere trait TBH.
Oh wow. I read the comments before reading this and I was curious about all the negative stuff on the ML and I totally get it. He's quite a let down when paired with the MC, in the first chapters he's giving 2nd or 3rd ML vibes. Lack of presence. And then the whole being infatuated so quickly? With a subordinate / new recruits at that while he himself is on a position of power. And spending all that time worrying about being hated or her not accepting a freaking tiara as a gift? Like what kind of superior gives you a tiara? Like because it'd look so pretty with her short hair... Oh wow. Or even when he injured her and likened her to a « lonely young child »while going "badump badump" ngl i had to reread that part a couple of times.
And then the whole mess with the bitter af older knight. Him as a commander just so unaware of the kind of subordinate he has in his team and how far their depravity goes is a poor look I do appreciate him apologizing for that tho. But then he asked her why she didn't talk to him or Deschamps and right after his conversation with Deschamps showed he expected that Deschamps already knew about it. So like? And Deschamps and his methods of « handling it » to preserve the harmony? Yeah not even going to dwell on it.
And yeah he's all torn up over her not running to him and her being hurt but doesn't seem to be "that" torn up about the other recruits..... And oh him blaming her for fighting back on one hand and then in his head wondering why she endured the beating even tho she's an Aether Master. Like even without all of that he wasn't really top class ML but adding all of that and the lack of chemistry? It's literally him just blushing and thinking about her all the time. And trying to make her reliant on him.... Ughhh she's definitely the type of MC that doesn't need a man to save her and I wished they pushed romance to the side on this one. Like he seemed more upset at the fact that she didn’t run to him than at the fact that she was fighting. Also did the other guy also get a blank check or just her, and its Interesting how he doles out the punishment with a witness and after wants to keep things 1 on 1 like if he wasn’t the ML if he was a guy with the looks or age of that other bitter knight Feon or something it would be scenes used to show a superior showing too much interest in a younger FL recruit and being a creep.
I like her tho, her strength, her obsession with money, how she's trying hard to make amends with her friends. It's just on her journey to change that forcefully inserted ML is just meh....