PUT ASIDE ALL YOUR EXPECTATIONS: this is not a romance story really. This is a self discovery story in the context of a romance. If you read it as a romance at all, you'll be sorely disappointed. This is a great story with excellent plot points, but you really have to not read the character plot like a romance. SPOILERS AHEAD
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First of all, in this story, Riftan is often actually the primary antagonist if you read this like a self discovery story. The setting is a highly/super patriarchal society where Riftan basically considers Maxi something akin to an idol to be worshiped or a wife that he owns somewhat simultaneously. He often is against her growth.
Maxi starts out with a very narrow view of the world having been sheltered in the Duke's house, and has extremely low self esteem. Each plot point in the story of the Seven Kingdoms helps introduce Maxi to new experiences and opportunities where she is constantly Fighting her station. Turmoil in the seven kingdoms drives the story, but the story is really how such a low girl rises.
There are a few major Arcs:
1. Maxi getting to Anatol/in Anatol
2. Maxi following the Remdragon Knights all the way to Eth Lene Castle and the Battle of Eth Lene
3. Maxi standing trial against her Father
4. Maxi at the Magic Tower and having the opportunity to go home sooner
5. Surveying the Pamela Plateau
6. Invading the Monster City
7. 2nd Campaign to Lexos Mountains
8. Very quick happily ever after arc
Basically Arcs 1-3 (which we're not even done with here in the webtoon) are World Building and Maxi learning the full extent of what she can do in the world. Then Arcs 4-6 start with her sorta resetting her life by going to the Mage tower for 3 years (a time skip betwen arc 3 and 4). From there, Each Arc she is in a different situation with Riftan where he opposes her participation in war/battle/whatever but sorta less and less (but definitely feels like the same fight each time which is annoying)
By Arc 7, he is okay with her joining battle and somewhere in Arc 6 or 7 he actually tells her that he wishes he told her sooner that he is PROUD OF HER. Where this is actually the climax of the whole story, because the whole story has basically been: Maxi finding out who she is, then convincing Riftan to accept that's who she is and still love her despite it. It starts out with her not wanting him to find out that she's really a useless abused daughter to her WANTING him to acknowledge she is ACTUALLY a talented mage and be willing to love, accept, and support who she really is. Its as much of her learning who she really is as it is Maxi convincing Riftan to love her real self.
People were disappointed that they didn't get to see them have kids, but I'm like, totally okay not seeing kids because that was kinda not the point at all. Maxi is more than a wife/woman/mother, she is a respected mage. Maxi get's her recognition from Riftan, someone she admires most in the world not just because she loves him. Riftan finally gets to swear his geis to her, and actually finds that he does love her and is proud of her. MOREOVER the ending scene is so perfect how it closes the loop on the folk lore of Rosem Wigrew. The tale has Wigrew ascending to heaven on a white dragon while his lover, a nymph, waves goodbye to him and waits for his return in an Oak Tree. The story ends with Maxi (constantly symbolized as being like a nymph) and Riftan (hailed as wendon's reincarnation of Wigrew) TOGETHER under an Oak Tree which is perfect.
This story is really so good, and worth reading even if you've read my spoilers because the actual PLOT of weird shit happening in the kingdom is fairly interesting too!
First of all, duke needed to out his hair back up more often. Second of all, what a slow ascent at the beginning just for a super fast roller coaster down, everything got addressed so quickly! I wanted the brother to be with the duke’s sister or kei! I liked all the plot points, and I liked the story, but I actually do kinda wish they had sped up the beginning and slowed down some of the end !
First of all kudos to the author for excellent pacing, though I’m a bit confused when the red friend will have a descendent introduced. But man I put this down like chapter 4 and just got back now and could bing to chapter 54
Idk if it was yaoi or straight, maybe straight, but it was a world where people lived with yokai and the last couple, or maybe the only couple, the guy was an oni. I just remember it was an interesting premise, but I can’t remember what it was. I think there were like two other human/yokai couples
So I think this is fair. A similar event of finding a long lost royal family was in the novel but involved introducing a ton of random new characters in the after story for it to happen, so I think I’m okay with them focusing on characters they already had to do the same plot point ¯_(ツ)_/¯
So I just reread, and basically the big issue is that 3rd princess Betty is hoarding mana stones to ultimately raise their price and then profit later. Eve has brought up info from her previous life to contradict Betty’s plan of forcing homunculi to mine their main mine harder, and was granted imperial permission to execute the plan. Chapter 59 being a later chapter definitely is important and I hope someone can fix it, but eve’s plan is based on her knowledge that the tail of the dragon whose corpse formed the main mine was separated in its subjugation, so she is likely visiting the main mine to secretly improve the lowest homunculis lives, while having the count and green hair person look for the where the tail area is.
Also, side note, eve knows form her teacher who retained memories too that Michael loved her in the previous life, and Michael was only given the hint that if he wants his memories, he has to awaken as the king. He wants to get his memories because he misunderstands that someone performed the regression ceremony and could have their memories and stand in eve”s way to the throne.
The fake leta girl is killing me like, go away you clearly don’t understand the situation as much as the people from his family and estate. At least everyone agrees she’s a total quack now
Leo is actually applying their talk and communicating better. Love the call back and honesty. Love this couple
The transitions between arcs/quests are nonexistent. First he’s part of some competition, but then he’s off to the holy empire, then the elves, and this or that dungeon randomly. Like, he never seems to finish any of the arcs before he just disappears, and so we the reads don’t get any info on how things were resolved…
The duke and duchess are being redeemed, cliff will be punished and redeemed, the author will be actually punished directly and potentially replaced back with the real Lize? I guess this is also an okay alternate fairytale ending but it’s not as good as Killeon and Edith just being satisfied with each other in the novel. I guess the novel DID make Edith too forgiving, but she’s not really driving her own revenge here either ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I kinda want Tina to just kill everyone. Isis is clearly being manipulated. I’ve lost confidence in her compared to Ben. I just want Astina to kill everyone and then just peace out and live her life for herself. She’s been dealing with so much bullshit. Like terroid said he doesn’t love her so fine, just leave