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Aria's life is turned upside down when Crown Prince Julius, the brilliant yet unbearable royal she has vowed to protect as Captain of his Guard, declares her as his future bride. Stunned, Aria challenges him, and Julius presents her with an escape clause: if she can best him in any competition before the wedding in six months, he will cancel the engagement. Given Julius's extraordinary talents, victory will be incredibly difficult. Can Aria outsmart the gifted prince and regain control of her destiny?
(From Line Webtoon)
Original Webtoon: LINE Manga, eBookJapan
Official Translations: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Korean: Naver Webtoon, Naver Series
So far the dynamic between the FL and ML reminds me intensely of Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
That might sound like a positive for those who remember it fondly, and yeah back when it was coming out I remember being addicted to it, but I'm no longer a teenager, and I just don't find the dynamic of "no matter how hyper-competent the FL is, the ML is always one step ahead of her, better than her at everything and one-upping her at every opportunity, making her look weak and damsel-y" to be cute anymore, it really grinds my gears.
The ML is in a position of power and authority above the FL, and he gleefully uses it to sexually harass her and force her into a relationship with him against her will.
I really, truly wanted to like this because for once we get an outwardly emotionally expressive and playful rofan ML instead of the usual boring cold duke or tyrant prince/emperor with barely a hint of personality to his name, but while some might not be bothered by it because of the comedic and light tone, for me it just reminds me too much of actual workplace harassment, and the constant one-upping feels very disempowering, it gives me the ick in a major way.