Responses
Yes you are the only one.
Whereas I find it odd that you'd call a kid a groomer simply because he has a romantic fixation on a younger kid and then apply real-world crimes into a historical fantasy BL about a ruler who is madly in-love with one of his subjects and does what he can to legally marry him while never forcing himself on him.
I wouldn't say that the Emperor is a pedophile, but he most certainly groomed Asha. While grooming is mostly associated with adult-minor dynamics, it can still occur peer-to-peer when a power imbalance is in play. Just because we stan the characters doesn’t mean we should condone this behavior. Fictional or not, what Kiel is doing to Asha goes beyond acceptable moral standards. He is more possessive than protective, as he wants to own Asha—this was evident in the chapters showing their childhood (he literally kidnapped him).
Yes, it’s somewhat romantic how he wants to create a law just so they can get married, but we have to acknowledge that what the Emperor is doing is toxic, manipulative, and extremely coercive to some degree. Not to say that other characters aren’t toxic (ex. Alicia), but this is just my TED Talk. Of course, no one has to agree with me.
However, I really hope this isn’t the type of story where Asha lets all of this slide in the name of romance once he finds out. Truthfully, I feel like the story would unfold better if he confronted the emperor once finding everything out. Plus, I feel as though Asha needs time to assess his feelings without outer influences before he decides if he wants to be with the Emperor or not. That way we can know if he truly loves him despite everything he's done. Overall, while I enjoy the story, I can’t support the ML’s actions because doing so would be unethical.