sadslime's manga / #Arranged marriage(16)

Substitute in an arranged marriage to a rapist asshole

Chiharu is a writer who recently returned to his childhood home in the countryside to take a break. When he gets there, he runs into a strange, white-haired young man at the bus stop who seems ignorant of daily life and says he's waiting for his wife, who he hasn't met. Though Chiharu leaves that guy there, later when he's about to get attacked by a wild boar the white-haired stranger appears again and reveals he's the dragon god from hte local legend and Chiharu's grandma agreed to make Chiharu his bride! No trigger warnings.

Momoki and Chikage are told they have to marry to keep calamity from striking the village, despite the fact that they're both boys. Momoki thinks it's only a ceremonial marriage, but when they're told to consummate the marriage, he quickly declares it impossible. Their parents insist on them living together until they do their duty, beginning their cohabitating life as newly weds who don't even know or like each other. But it turns out that Chikage has grown on Momoki, and for his part, Chikage liked Momoki from the start more than he let on. Sweet and silly boys, and I really liked Momoki's friend. No trigger warnings.

When Tsukiko's older sister suddenly runs away to elope, she agrees to take her sister's place in a marriage with officer Naotsugu, whom Tsukiko has secretly admired since she was young. While Naotsugu is not taken in by the ruse that Tsukiko is supposedly her sister, he agrees to let her stay and play the role of his fake wife until she bears his child, at which point he will divorce her, since he believes she was forced into this marriage. But as the two get closer both emotionally and physically, they find it harder to let go. The characters aren't particularly compelling and the misunderstandings have been done before, but it's fine for what it is. No trigger warnings.

Ilya is an omega brought to the desert country of Hanu as a bride for their king Khalid. Though he sees himself as little more than a prisoner, the people of this country believe omegas are messengers of the gods and revere him. Meanwhile, his new husband is still a child, but as the two get to know each other better, Ilya begins to look forward to protecting this country together, until Khalid is suddenly killed and his position is usurped by his older brother. Ilya is forced to go on the run, but he decides to stay in Hanu and protect its people as best he can, just as he promised Khalid. The years pass, and a rebel organization continues to fight against the new king, but when Ilya finally runs into the rebel leader, he finds a familiar face. I like the pacing of this story a lot. It's one in which the time skip feels useful and not forced. Trigger warnings: attempted rape, attempted murder, wartime violence.

Ranko is an ordinary girl from a fallen noble family working at a high end cafe and occasionally getting hit on by a stoic but younger regular until one day her parents inform her that her grandfather made a deal as a young man to marry her off to a high ranking family. She meets her perspective husband, Yoichiro, and finds out he's the young man from the cafe, and unlike her, he's surprisingly gung-ho about this idea. The story covers the two of them getting to know each other as well as a cousin of Yoichiro's love story. Trigger warning: cheating.

Byletta is the daughter of a knight family who seems too aggressive for marriage, until Arnald, a knight away at war, suddenly asks for her as his bride. She's sent to live with his family in the meantime and duels his alcoholic father to get him on her side, then befriends his sister and starts a business with her uncle. But a few years later, Arnald is coming back and she has no desire to be tied down as his wife, so she sends him a letter asking for a divorce. Arnald returns, and thinking that she's seduced all the men in her life, decides to punish her by offering a bet in which if he gets her pregnant in one month, they'll remain married, but if not, she can go. So now their month of marriage begins. Arnald is an idiot, a slut shamer, and a total asshole. Byletta is a strong FL, which makes it all the more infuriating to see her forced into the romance plot with him. Trigger warnings: domestic violence, dubcon, attempted rape.

Akihiro(omega) and Reiya(alpha) are fiances that were set up by their parents, but despite some initial discomfort at their relationship, the two have since fallen totally in love. This is a very sweet and fluffy omegaverse story that simply shows a young couple that really loves each other and wants to have sex despite the obstacle of still being in high school. A refreshing take on omegaverse with no rape or heartbreak. No trigger warnings.

When Lamudan's sister, Lala, falls in love and runs away, abandoning her arranged marriage to the rich and powerful Uruji, Lamudan takes her place, intending to attack Uruji and run away. But really Uruji wanted Lamudan all along, and he's never going to let him escape now. The relationship is pretty toxic. I was disappointed that when Lala finally came back, the twins didn't unite more against their jerk husbands, so I didn't quite finish it. Trigger warnings: lying/manipulation, rape, sex trafficking.

In a world where all children inherit powers by the age of 8, Fumi is an adopted child whose powers never manifested, marking her as a "cursed child." Her adoptive family abuses her until the wealthy and powerful Togo with the power of clairvoyance comes to request her as his wife. Though he seems kind at first, he quickly turns cold, but Fumi would rather stay with him than her nasty family, and he may have his good points. Not impressed with the lack of communication, but otherwise seems solid. Trigger warning: abuse