this story is an absolute masterpiece though, this is just me being dumb hehe
also another thing, why did yeon’s physique change throughout the story it was so consistent until it wasn’t. i loved her build and then it disappeared
THAT WAS SOMETHING I NOTICED TOO AND KEPT LOOKING BACK AT PREVIOUS CHAPTERS FOR. she is like barely 2/3 of the body she had at the beginning and it breaks me
exactly, like right after her gender was somewhat revealed to the 1st prince, or at least when he started questioning it, her physique started changing even though it was SUPER consistent in the beginning. i was like ayeee finally a story that KEEPS their strong female characters looking how they’re supposed to, and idk if it was to symbolize yeon becoming more comfortable and expressing herself but WHY DID IT UPSET ME SO MUCH??? LIKE KEEP IT HOW IT WAS ITS NOT LIKE SHE STOPPED TRAINING LIKE SHE WAS STILL ACTIVELY COMPETING FOR THE THRONE SO WHY DID IT CHANGE????
I think if anything, I wish that there was some explanation or addressing of her body changing? The only time it seemed she had issue with her body was in relation to height and her breasts, but somehow, she was not concerned with anything else?? As a reader, I was trying to find my own explanations as well, but it really does not make any sense to me why she would begin to let her body change while still in the PRIME of competition when being emperor has been her number one goal FROM THE START. Yes, she began to accept and embrace emotions, but should that change her body??? The only reasonable explanation I thought of was because the trials were taking tolls on her body and she was often in situations where she was not getting nutrients, which is why it then lead to her body changing. But even then, I'm sure her hundred years of rigorous training should've had similar results done to her body, but she still had a very STRONG body. The two biggest things I noticed in regard to her body was her back (wingspan) and her legs. Like her back completely shrinked, when before I, as a reader, was QUESTIONING that she was actually a woman at the very start of the chapter purely because of how much her body resembled that of a man. Secondly, THE LAST PANEL WHERE WE SEE HER SLIM LEGS? I know she is empress so there is no need to hide or keep up a physique that resembles a man, but HER LEGS LOOK LIKE SHE SKIPPED LEG DAY ALL HER LIFE AND ONLY DOES 30 12 3 cardio routine.... I truly loved the manhwa, but the indiscrepancies made me love it a littttle bit less..
also like, honestly I partially agree with the love story comments. I feel like with Biseol, their relationship was displayed always as master and servant, emperor and attendant, which is why it would pose hard to ever cross that boundary. They definitely became more intimate, yet would never really cross boundaries relating to anything sexual aside from kissing like she does with the first prince. I do think it was important that Biseol and her's relationship was so aired out and displayed openly for the beginning half because we can really only imagine how many centuries they stayed side by side, but I feel like that only cements how their never ending relationship could not develop INTO something like her relationship with the first prince... I personally never really thought they'd be end game, though I would not have been upset if Biseol and her were. And I do think Biseol got closure about him never being Yeon's lover because after literally dying for her and being revived by her he knew that Yeon LOVED him desperately. And I do think there were times in the flashbacks where it showed how Biseol could not reach out in the way the first prince reached out to Yeon. For example when they were climbing toward Master Nakorah (forgive me for misspelling that, I am so bad with names), and Yeon was caring for him and using her power to warm Biseol up, but he could not reach out toward her and give her any kind of embrace or encouragement. While Biseol remains a pillar in Yeon's life, it would be hard for him to be something like a lover.
In regard to the first prince, I thought it was interesting how much he seemingly loved her at first, but then it just started to make sense? As readers, we see two men who would do ANYTHING for Yeon, literally lay their lives down for her. While both are out of love, I could argue that because the dynamics between both men are so inherently different, there are different sentiments in their actions. Like tbh, as I write this comment, I actually grow to like the story a lot more because I am thinking so much about the first prince's own development toward becoming the ML as well. I think it makes sense how the first prince is not really mentioned in the beginning because this story revolves around Yeon, and Yeon simply does not care for the first prince. But also, the first prince did not have a good sense of self in the beginning. He still had so many questions left for himself, his position, and what he wanted. His father, though watching him from above, was never allowed to be fatherly. He also never got closure from his mother's death for CENTURIES. So I do think it makes sense that his character who did not know himself, could not know what he wanted with Yeon, until he got answers for his past. I hope this makes sense and I am sooo happy to discuss more!
omg i feel like i’m having a conversation with myself rn LIKE ARE YOU IN MY HEAD I WAS THINKING THE SAMEEEE THING, especially with her broad shoulders! there’s really no good explanation we were given. like you said, she’d had centuries worth of training to maintain her form so for it to suddenly go away really makes no sense. especially because, whether we want to admit it or not, her appearance IS important since she’s trying to keep her gender a secret and towards the end, it didn’t really feel like it was a priority to continue to hide it (for the artist and maybe even the author), even though i feel like her secret was probably even more important as she was getting closer to getting the throne. i kind of think it’s just an issue with the artist themself and inconsistencies on their end too, but i don’t think we’ll ever get an answer sadly
okay LISTEN PLS, i beg. before anything, i want to say that I’m very happy with who the ml ended up being. *eye twitching*, HOWEVER…
SPOILERS AHEAD
I feel like it wasn’t executed well in my humble opinion. while we do get some sort of understanding of the first prince’s feelings from time to time in the beginning of the story, it felt like the first good HALF of the story was mainly focused on her and biseol, very intensely too, so it really made me feel like there was a higher chance he would be the ml. (even though I do understand that it was mainly biseol’s POVs we were getting) it wasn’t until the incident where mc got drugged, when biseol & the first prince started fighting & yeon had to break them up, also yeon getting mad at biseol for suspecting hamil of poisoning her tea, (also when biseol almost died), that they got distant with each other and only THEN did it seem like biseol dropped off the face of the earth and the story seemed to focus more on her and the first prince. I know a part of it could be because he’s now different from how he was before, since he had human blood and kind of became closer to his demon side rather than human, so thus lost some of the strong emotions he had before, but I feel like that was just some quick excuse to drop him as a love interest and focus more on the main couple. idk how else to explain it but I just feel like I was lead on FOR SO UNBELIEVABLY LONG, to think he was the ml only for him to not be. i feel like my poor baby was just thrown off to the side and became a side character in one chapter after so much of the story had passed with him being one of the main narrators for the majority of it. I’m getting Jacob from twilight vibes and I’m NOT LIKING IT
what I wish could have been done instead was focus more on who the actual ml was, in other words, shine more significance on hers and ml’s storyline THE WAY they executed it for her and biseol’s. I feel like he got wayyy more screen time (if you will) with yeon (not because he’s by her side all the time so he’s naturally there and getting a lot of screen time bc she’s the main character but i mean in a romantic way) than the actual ml did which is what lead me to thinking, damn maybe biseol really is the male lead. maybe that’s what the author wanted, cool, but I feel like that’s poor writing in my opinion. anyway, I digress, after all the story isn’t strictly meant to be about romance but about yeon fighting to be the next emperor, which was wonderfully written. this is just a little complaining on my part because i’m coping with biseol not being the male lead, but I’m also extremely happy with it being the first prince. it’s just bittersweet because we obviously know how intensely he feels things so for him to see THE ONE PERSON HE CARES ABOUT LITERALLY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, be with someone else, it hurts ma heart you know? he’s like my child, i balled when i thought he died. but i know he just wants what’s best for yeon so if she’s happy, he’s happy. also im on ch 113 so idk how things are gonna end just yet but i wanted to get this out and I could no longer read because IT WAS BUGGING ME.
I LOVE YOU MY BABY BISEOL </3