- #1
Readers who give this story low rating simply came expecting something else, a story more mainstream for the acient rebirth + yandere male lead tropes but this story is very different from those often full of face-slapping and dogblood stories - this story is full of knives that just stab you from all angles.Everything that is wrong with the yandere personality is here - the ML is not psychotic but he sees no problem in the actions he took against the FL. He claims that he loves her but he only loves the manic pixie dream he has of her and purely lusts after the FL. He makes no attempt to really get to know the FL, sending clothes and jewellery he would like to see the FL to dress in only for his pleasure and s*xual satisfaction and calling it affection. His treatment of her - as a s*x toy with no legal status - gave her no leverage or security which directly led to her death and rebirth. He only adjusts his approach after her almost successful attempt at running away but the adjustment is minimal, nothing really changes for the jaded FL.The female lead is NOT s*upid, she is a weak woman born to a concubine who used to be a performer in a brothel. This type of pedigree is damning in a society that barely values women of such origin as potential bargain chips and little else. She has no power, no way to truly change her situation and her standard of living depends on how well she can please her captor.The story premise is dark and very much a tragedy - I'm following the releases from the translation group instead of searching for possible MTL chapters so I do not know the ending but I'm fairly sure that if there will be any happiness, it will be hard-won and with a bitter aftertaste. There is simply too many things that cannot be truly washed away and glossed over to allow for a sugary-sweet happy ending and honestly this is what keeps me reading this story.Not all stories have to have a happy ending and that's alright.
