I really want to continue reading it, because the ML and FL are just so great...but the no...

Care to spoil a little?

Where did you read the novel from?

//Spoiler//
It’s been a while, but if I remember this correctly ML basically marries a princess from somewhere else first? ML and FL get drunk one night, sleep together, she gets pregnant and kind of “runs off” not wishing to tarnish his image/status etc. He lets her run away thinking he’s letting her be “free.” Eventually they officially get together but he still has other wives and Pauliana kind of looses her badass kick butt doesn’t take crap from anyone character.

Wow...that's...sad

aw man if it was gonna be like that at least give her another love interest... or maybe not end up with anyone? better than being hung up on a guy that you share with other people. it’s just, idk it makes me feel uncomfortable bc it’s an inherently misogynistic structure (a monarch and his many wives and concubines) and i feel pauliana is represented to defy these rigid expectations as a female knight. or perhaps im thinking too into it. i guess there is a certain realism to it, but it feels.... :( kinda depressing

This is precisely what my feelings are regarding the storyline. It felt rather progressive, with Pauliana being styled differently from what society deems as effeminate and beautiful. She’s very muscular, she’s not all round eyes and soft cheeks but is still viewed as attractive by the ML and Pauliana’s personality and independence speaks volumes for her character. I understand that this is a manhwa set in a time where I assume (because really it’s a fictional story and the author could have taken liberties. It’s a fictional story in a fictional world) males and females were not seen as equals, with very distinct roles to play, and a very clear imbalance in power, but when I started reading I thought that this was supposed to be a cheesier “They live happily ever after and FL isn’t going to be a concubine/second wife etc,” -even if she’s the most loved. The whole thing just contradicts what Pauliana’s character and storyline builds up. Felt like a waste of something that had so much potential.

god, you’ve summed it up perfectly, it’s why i got so into the webtoon because i love how she is not a traditional portrayal of femininity, instead she is characterised by her independence and personality as you said. i was pleasantly surprised when i expected a cinderella moment but instead just got pauliana in a dress. she is unapologetically herself, through and through. though i did wonder what the endgame was gonna be because despite their chemistry i didn’t think it would be politically viable for them to be together. maybe it’d be a case of courtly love? but a role reversal? or maybe they have a bittersweet break up? leave it open? i honestly didn’t think i’d see her as one of the many women that belong to the emperor... it really does feel like wasted potential. i’ll continue reading though because i love the characters so much but i’d be lying if i said i’m not disappointed ...

Oh boy, I absolutely LOVED her “cinderella” moment. It was refreshing, like a breath of fresh air amongst all the storylines where the female lead becomes “desirable” once everyone learns of her hidden beauty. (Forget about how Pauliana looked in the dress, the way she WALKED was AMAZING (°▽°) ) Honestly stories where females have a “cinderella” moment are an affront to female worth. I can enjoy it in moderation, but a great majority of manhwas use that trope. I was really hoping for this story to remain as progressive and empowering as it began.

Time to drop ugh I had high hopes. I HATE how there's always multiple wives and concubines and crap in every single story it's so goddamn gross