Ambrosia's manga / #Painter(1)

list - masterlist, favorite, unique, hidden gem, 9.5+ 70+ I still love this so much, it has a great writing and a story like reading a classic romance novel. Historical with some politcal/revenge plot intertwined slightly between the growing love between two characters. A ruthless and selfish man who puts on a smile but will use people to further his goal for revenge without a second thought, and a talented prodigy of a painter who has been abused and learned not to want too much happiness otherwise his suffering will become unbearable. They chance upon each other and while initially Raymond is only really interested in using Ian to further his own goals, and they are drawn to each other from the beginning and find comfort and solace in each others embrace. Ian is the long suffering character type that somehow still manages to be kind and find beauty in the world, but while sweet and generally timid he's not afraid to make his own decisions and is not so naive as to not understand his own situation. He's not optimistically happy go lucky either, he has his trauma that he carries with him, but is learning to grow and heal. His journey to find love and happiness is quite beautiful and well deserved after all he's been through. Raymond has always been gentle with Ian and treated him with affection, but his selfishness in initially using Ian for his own goals and then later insisting on keeping Ian by his side despite his upcoming marriage are what hurt Ian the most. His character growth was also commendable, his chasing arc was satisfying and he's not just given a tragic backstory but actually shows his moments of weakness and desperation so that you can truly tell how much he cares for Ian. He's also always treated Ian with affection even when he was only planning to use him. They are so sweet to each other and you can truly feel their love and passion. I'm so glad they found their happiness, it's every bit deserved for them both. One of those stories that stays with you, I get sucked right back in on my re-read as well.