I was confused by the main pic too. I never forgot the prince would end up with a blond boy, but I couldn't figure out how Abel fit in. Once I started understanding... I was heart broken. I miss Abel's original body and the King's original eyes.
I get what you mean about the tropes and cliches, but I think the creator is using them well. As far as the Regas thing being muddy, that's the point. The original meaning of everything is lost to time and the corruption of the government. The original Regas was just a companion. As time went on, generations and generations later, they were conditioned to be lovers. Families used this as a way to gain power. The Regas of this story in the time we're reading it is no different than a person born and trained to be a potential concubine for an Emperor. That's why there are so many. They aren't all petite boys with blond hair and green eyes either. Sir Melmont is a Regas too. There are people trained as a Regas of all shapes and sizes. The Duke has a preference so those are the ones selected first. He uses his position so he can have his way with them before they are eventually killed off. He's gross and I hope he doesn't make it to the end of the story.
It's a BL so even if Abel stayed in his original body, they would have still ended up in a relationship. It just would have been awkward and uncomfortable because no one would see Abel really wanting to be in a physical relationship with the prince. It would have felt like Abel forced himself to do it. Their age difference was quite big as the prince was only 8 and Abel in his 20s so people would have objected to that too- the king being 19 now and Abel in his 30s.
But he's reincarnated. And yes. He looks like a kid because he is a kid. I'm guessing he's about 12 yrs old? I'm not that far in the novel so I'm not sure... but yeah. Abel, a guy who was as big and strong as his body, is now stuck in the body of a sickly child. The author is turning that annoying trope on it's head and works. If Abel was any bigger/stronger, the king would have killed him already, so it makes sense. It's also not as big of an age difference. This story is a very slow burn so there shouldn't be any pedo nonsense between them. They'll probably fall in love as Lilaearetrinchloride and the Captain Commander
DUXK ME I forgot I was reading a bl and thought it would be a cute palace family story...I loved his caretaker relationship with the prince and was hoping for a love story with the soldier ༎‿༎
Honestly I'm not a fan of how ever Vegas is supposed to be like some belong bottom Twink for the king. Can they not be friends? Caretakers?
Like....if there are so many of them and it's not really a soulmate thing then what's even the point of them. How do you go from the dragon falling in love with its mate to some nobles fabricating boy toys and slapping the same name on it. I feel like that's a bit muddy.
I also don't like the relationship between the leads cause I already saw him as a big brother figure so I can't revert back the fact they only knew each other for less than a month makes it better but the fact everyone is acting li ts a given the prince will fall in love with the dude is....yikes.
Also I feel so bad for all the queen's forced into abuse and perpetrated into it. The king too but I feel less bad cause he has more power over it clearly.
And then Abel.....why did he have to turn into a Twink. This always happens. Whenever a not stereotypically pretty guy dies in bl he has to come back as some weak pretty boy. It's like authors only like stone cold top/submissive femboy.
And not only does he looks like a femboy he kinda looks like a straight up CHILD?!??? AND THE OTHER BLONDE GUYS TOO.
Like. What's up with that???
Also they set that whole thing up with the duke liking blond green eyed boys so we know there's going to be something there.
It's kinda funny cause I clicked on the story and promptly forgot the cover and then when I saw them I assumed mc was mc and the duke would be ml. Then I saw he slept with the prostitutes and was like hol' up this doesn't seem like a story with a promiscuous deranged ml so I discarded him and then thought you that knight is actually rally handsome the more u look at him and then the mc died.