This is exactly what I thought when I realized "Turd" was mind fuckng people all around. She was living in a delusion of her own making, one that she can't possibly change because the forceful logic she applied to everyone who opposed her wasn't even her goal or even her main purpose. She arrived to a conclusion, a flawed one, but no one could correct her nor refute her only sway her and because of this she grow up to be a child, a spoiled brat, that couldn't get away of her own fallacies. The only saving grace is that books and read materials, although not infallible, gave her enough knowledge to go by even if it left her unprepared to mundane social interactions. She was left with no social filter nor acceptance of a different opinions, it was obvious that her mental breakdown was correlated to this. Even so I glad the author didn't unnecessarily delay the ending, although I would have appreciated a side story.
I had to take a break while reading ch 43, the translations truly don't do this justice. I find myself re-writing all of it in my head at times lmao
Now, you see, this is an interesting case. I came across this story a little while ago, while I was looking for another piece of work that would become part of a mass of inoffensive sludge, that will soon vanish under my radar and entertain me only for a moment. I thought this one wouldn't do the trick, so I kept ignoring it, until yesterday evening, when I finally thought to myself: Doesn't that title actually sound a lot like the trope I dig lately? So I clicked on it and I was surprised about how I missed such a gem for so long. I even went onto another side and created an account, just so I could comment on it and read up to the latest chapter, chapter 127, which wasn't available on Mangago. And since I can't make a normal Topic-Comment here anymore, I will just dump all of my latest thoughts into my official review. So let's not waste any more time and dive right into it.
The story kicks off with a prologue, where we are already told the basic premise of the story. The FL, who seems to have more names than Kiefer Sutherland throughout translations (let's just call her Ass, because she was raised as the butt of every joke), is born into a highly ranked noble family, Cloix (or maybe Croix? Cross?), settled in the Robinia Empire. Or maybe Roberyll. Or Roberia. Whatever. She was raised strictly, working her ass off, staying useful, while her younger sibling was treated like an angel before the lord. As if she was the fucking second coming of christ or something, really. So one day something happened, during their happy schooldays, Ass slapped her sister, Lilier... or Lillian, or Lilliel - let's call her Turd for this assessment - in front of a lot of others, since then she was known as the titular »Evil Lady« (roll credits). So now Ass is coming of age, she's engaged to some randy, basically incapable of smiling earnestly and just doing everything she's supposedly obligated to do, while Turd is constantly nagging her ass, trying to flaunt her alleged moral highground in front of her, while doing nothing specific to earn her current status:
Her ideas seem idiotic, her conviction is flawed, her childishness makes one sick and despite all this, she is still loved. Isn't she simply a character you would love to hate?
But the more you get to know them both and the people around them, something starts smelling fishy. Still, one never knows, so you just have to take it for granted - maybe she ain't actually that bad? Maybe Turd's simply too young to realize that some things don't simply go the way you want, just because you say so? Like hosting a charity event, but hosting an art exhibition first, because the one who's actually hosting the exhibition is one of the biggest sponsors of the charity event. So Ass gives it her all to help with the exhibition, postponing the charity, so the old Lady, thankful and kind, would donate a shit ton of money, so they would be able to provide more provisions than ever before. Ass also helped her family's business while doing so and did all the work related to their private finances and house management.
Turd, on other side of the toilet seat, wouldn't understand any of this shit, she simply thinks (if she thinks at all): »Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Art Exhibitions aren't as important as charity events!!! You greedy, evil monster!11!!1« - and of course, everybody else follows Turd in her opinion.
At last, a marriage proposal arrives at their home, send from another Kingdom, the Amaryllis Kingdom. Or Amaris. Or whatever (I have literally never seen a Webtoon OR Manga, where different Translators where THIS incapable of coming to the same conclusion for names of characters and places). It's a guy known as »The Monster of the North«. Of course, the very simple, down to earth Turd, who would never indulge in any kind of luxury, while wearing a tailored, beautiful knight attire with a giant gemstone attached to her collar, would never marry out of obligation for family and kingdom, whom she claims to do everything for, but only out of love. Additionally, the grand duke is known as a Monster, for whatever reason, and the palace there is also bleak and ugly, so she would never want to live there - but of course, it's all about the virtues!
They do try to make Turd go, but she threatens to kill herself if they force her, so no can do, I guess. They gave in to her temper tantrum, but luckily, right that moment, the fiancé of Ass decided to annull their engagement, so they were able to send her instead. Congratulations!
When she arrives in the north, though, everyone seems to be very nice, the palace is beautiful and the duke is a cute ass chucklefuck, who gets along with Ass right off the bat. So, all's well that end's well, huh? Well, not directly.
You see, the grand duke of Ama-whatever is actually important to the King, because his family has been taking care of an old magic problem that only his bloodline can solve. They need to use their Winterbreak Magic to go into the woods every winter and fight »Winter«, in order to save the world from being covered in ice and snow. But there's bad people who wish for just that to happen - an old family called "Aarundy", as opposed to the ML's Ducal family, the Winternet's. Or Winternights. Winterne? Well, anyway. They were supposedly beaten, but it seems they have returned and now they are up to no good.
Ass and her new hubby, Ryan, live the life of newlyweds, fighting to the death with their enemies here and there, making new friends and having fun, while now and then, we get to see what's happening in her old home. After she went to the north, people suddenly started to see Turd for what she is - not all at once, but gradually, steadily and pretty fast at that. Now, in current chapters, it is finally revealed how this whole shit even came to happen - we also get to know Ass' treatment in her childhood, a lot more than before. She was only used, only seen when she did her sister's bidding, was never acknowledged and they did things to her mental state, that could never be amended, even if they really tried - and even if they aren't actually at fault, since they were all manipulated by magic, without anyone knowing, including the perpetrator.
That's the perfect cue to get to the main point of this review. As the plot in and on itself is sitting pretty between stories like »The Duchess' 50 Tea Recipes«, »Lady Chef Royale« or »I Became the Ugly Lady« and a lot of others, there's still one thing that makes me especially interested in the upcoming chapters of this particular example of a well-known and well-used trope. It is the psychological aspect of Turd's character and thus, the emotional pay off this seems to be working towards.
Of course, I can't tell what's going to happen and what the author is going to do with the setup they created, but I can only hope for the best. This is such a good story that way.
Let me explain my thoughts a little: On one hand, Turd is the only one in her bubble that isn't manipulated by anything, aside from the fact that she was raised the way she was. That means, whatever bullshit she's spouting, she actually fucking means every single word. She never saw what she did to her sister, when she, for example, gave away all of the jewelry her grandma left to her, except for one necklace, which she didn't know existed when she took the jewelry box from Ass' room without her consent. She really thought, in her warped mined, that what she did was in Ass' favour. That makes her the Turd she cleary is, since she's so incapable of self reflecting, it's like she's a fucking black hole, from which no coherent thought can escape.
Yet, on the other hand, she was unable to learn how the world functions and why it works the way it does, which is why she never understood her sister's motivations and thoughts. Since our main was the only one who wasn't manipulated by her, she was also the only person close to Turd that didn't do her bidding or tended to her every whim. Turd never got the chance to see her own faults, because everyone around her made it seem as if whatever she did was the epitome of perfection - without her knowing that it wasn't because they genuinely believed she was great, but just because they couldn't defy her. If the people around her will ever be fully healed of all of this, she will not only be shocked by mere followers leaving her, as Ass anticipated - no, she will have to re-assess her whole fucking existence.
Like, when I went into this, I thought: »What the fuck-a-duck is this?! Are you differently abled, you blonde womble? And why are all the other people simply standing there and cheer her one, like a bunch of bobbleheads?!« Seriously, none of her words and actions made sense in the long run and she was only led to believe it made sense, because so many people reassured her trough their actions. She's also part of a family with a lot of influence, so their social circle is quite high up there, which means she manipulated people from the cream of the crop in person, who in turn manipulated others through their standing in society. So, in that way, she could easily maintain a tight grasp on the flow of society within her empire for years.
But that doesn't work out for a lot of people in reality and as soon as the manipulation even lessens just a tiny bit, people will realize how stupid their decisions were and revert back right away, maybe even feeling stressed out about themselves and Turd in the process, for acting like this in the first place. If Turd then doesn't have the power of Aarundy anymore, she will have to wake up to reality, actually work and put in some effort to be of any worth to the people she supposedly worked for. The character we have seen until now will not be able to cope with that kind of life.
They unintentionally raised a monster, and the moment everyone realizes that, her whole life will come down like a house of cards. And, since that's how people usually are, especially nobles with a high pride, that don't really care about others when they have no real connection to them, they will probably see Turd as the one at fault. Even without knowing about the manipulation. I mean, it already started. They start talking ugly behind her back, as more time passes and only those who were close to her and for a long time at that, would still be influenced enough to not see all the mistakes she makes as she tries to step in for the work her sister formerly did (and she only does work that's seen by others, like charity events hosted by her family and shit). I don't know if I anticipate this moment because I'm interested in what the author does with the setup they created or because I want to have a good laugh once in a while.
Well, the long in short: It's a great story, with a great psychological undertone for at least one character. I hope it won't let me down when it comes down to that part. We'll see.