People who say this story is bland and there is nothing going on in it only read rose colored webtoons and “actions speak louder than words” stories. I love this dynamic; I honestly didn’t see the curse stemming into Atalenta’s lineage. Astina gave up on life once from seeing her people get slaughtered, then twice to live as a sex slave to Theodore’s brother. Once she finally got her revenge; there was no meaning left to live because her people, loved ones, and culture was wiped off the face of the world. All because the imperial family needed a common ‘evil’ to gain authority and hold power. Only to have Theodore become the sole meaning of her life; the blinding sun in her internal darkness just as she did for Terriod. But seeing Terriod’s side; his family’s resignation to their ‘cursed’ fate; his own resignation to living as a beast when the first appearances of the curse happened and then his desperation for Astina as the one true savior of his miserable fate. Then both of them realizing the true reasons of his curse; Astina’s realization that she could have saved Theodore if only she held on to him, loved him, kissed him. The weight of his death and their stupidity stabbing her in the heart when she finally began to live and love again. She knows that she can no longer hid her ‘past life’ from Terriod, and so he too realizes why she was so open to try in this relationship. Terriod is betrayed, by his savior and lover, the main reason for the relationship between them revealed. Astina pushes away further because she knows she could have saved Theodore and her love for him resurfaces even more and now she can no longer differentiate if she really loved Terriod or if his looks and similarities with Theodore were the real reason. She knows that she is at fault, for trying to build a new relationship for the wrong reason and tainting Terriod in a love like obsession. Both wanting to reconcile, to try and find a new way to start again but both also afraid that it will only deepen their wounds and hurt each other more.
People who say this story is bland and there is nothing going on in it only read rose colored webtoons and “actions speak louder than words” stories. I love this dynamic; I honestly didn’t see the curse stemming into Atalenta’s lineage. Astina gave up on life once from seeing her people get slaughtered, then twice to live as a sex slave to Theodore’s brother. Once she finally got her revenge; there was no meaning left to live because her people, loved ones, and culture was wiped off the face of the world. All because the imperial family needed a common ‘evil’ to gain authority and hold power. Only to have Theodore become the sole meaning of her life; the blinding sun in her internal darkness just as she did for Terriod. But seeing Terriod’s side; his family’s resignation to their ‘cursed’ fate; his own resignation to living as a beast when the first appearances of the curse happened and then his desperation for Astina as the one true savior of his miserable fate. Then both of them realizing the true reasons of his curse; Astina’s realization that she could have saved Theodore if only she held on to him, loved him, kissed him. The weight of his death and their stupidity stabbing her in the heart when she finally began to live and love again. She knows that she can no longer hid her ‘past life’ from Terriod, and so he too realizes why she was so open to try in this relationship. Terriod is betrayed, by his savior and lover, the main reason for the relationship between them revealed. Astina pushes away further because she knows she could have saved Theodore and her love for him resurfaces even more and now she can no longer differentiate if she really loved Terriod or if his looks and similarities with Theodore were the real reason. She knows that she is at fault, for trying to build a new relationship for the wrong reason and tainting Terriod in a love like obsession. Both wanting to reconcile, to try and find a new way to start again but both also afraid that it will only deepen their wounds and hurt each other more.