
we better get the nastiest, dirtiest, most hardcore, backbreaking, skin biting, sweat inducing, craziest, hottest, steamiest smut scene known to man for the amount of back and forth they are doing since the both of them are dumb-dumbs who dont understand the level of simp-ery the other is partaking in

I don't get the Empress.
I genuinely don't understand the greedy mindset.
It's not like she's doing it for her family because her dad died and she couldn't give a fuck, and obviously doesn't care about her brother. You can argue she "cares" about her son, but it's mostly her caring about his position as the first prince. Like - what is her endgame even?
To make her kid into a dumb little puppet so she would technically be Emperor behind the scene? Why can't she just scheme and kill the actual Emperor then cause she holds all the influence on nobles. It just doesn't make sense to me.

I think it's because the first prince isn't a crown prince yet.
So if she killed the emperor, there's gonna be battle for throne. And the first prince will lost. Big time.
Especially when the second prince has east and lombardi as a supporter, and her territory is doing bad right now.
But, in the end, I think what she wants is just for herself. Not for her family or for her son. But she realizes that her son is uncontrollable. If she make a wrong move, her son would use his authority to restrict her power.

That's impossible for her to take power over the throne after killing the emperor she needs to be declared the regent but that is the decision the council takes ultimately. So she needs to be elected by the council member. But her opponent the lombardi have the most influence over the council so she would never be able to take the throne by this method. Even the emperor himself doesn't have full control over Lombardi eliminating him and she'll be inviting her own downfall in the hands of lombardi. Because (spoilers) if the emperor has not chosen an heir and died then lombardi holds the power over maintaining the kingdom up until the throne is taken by a rightful heir. So the easiest method for her to take the throne is to have the complete power over the emperor (because that's the only power existing over lombardi (as decided by the first emperor) and the rest of the realm) and if she wants that she need to make her puppet son the emperor. I hope that helps explain stuff. What she's doing rn is making money so when the time comes she can buy the members of the council and have her son become the king.

As someone who never saw their mom growing up because she was a teacher for other kids, I totally get where the son is coming from.
He was neglected, back seated, and even after her death has to now take over the very thing that basically killed his childhood. I'd be bitter too.
I don't think taking it out on orphans trying to find their way in the world is right though and I hope he doesn't do anything else but budget cuts. He doesn't seem like that bad of a guy so far. Just salty and stressed.

Petition for FL to set the whole ass mansion on fire and run away. Poor thing is trapped with a cesspool of subhuman characters except for her maid and the guard assigned to her (so far).
I do like that this has dark undertones, but I'm scared of angst lol.
I also wonder if she is some lost noblelady that capsized at sea and then forgot her memories.
Kick him in the balls and stab him in the kidney. GOD SOMEONE GET RID OF THIS GUY SO WE CAN MOVE ON FROM THE TRASH
I bet he's gonna be a fat cockroach and scamper off for 50+ chapters before they finally behead him or something T_T