I Will Disappear, Grand Duke Chapter 50 Discussion

I'm usually not against yandere male leads, and I've seen my fair share of obsessive, possessive, morally grey characters in novels. But there is a certain limit as to how much I can stand, and this ML (Fernan) definitely goes over the line. I understand his inner turmoils, Spoiler

being forced into an arranged marriage with a daughter of the Marquis he despises, yet catching feels here and there. I'm sure it must be hard on him as he's unable to fully reciprocate his feelings without feeling like he's colluding with the enemy or wtv

[collapse] but that doesn't excuse him for his actions.

He's born as the Grand Duke, and he should have had the proper education of an aristocrat as a child, but the way he acts like a five-year old leads me to believe his education failed him. He refuses to listen to his wife's pleas and lacks the emotional intelligence a grown man should have, but instead goes around giving his wife the silent treatment at every hour for the slightest of things. Things doesn't get better when he realises his feelings because he has the audacity to say stuff like you have to stay with me for the rest of my life and suffer through the pain that I feel (sth. along those lines) when the FL (Julia) rightfully requests a divorce after experiencing a turbulent marriage, caused by no other than himself.

Spoiler

There's a part where he forcefully kisses the FL to the point where she starts tearing up, and that's just one of the many atrocities he's committed.

[collapse]I absolutely have no idea why people are defending this man for his actions, just because of what? His appearance? Or is it because some people have this warped sense of love in which they think he was "forced" to act like this to his wife? I understand that his experience on the battlefield probably contributed, to some extent, his attitude towards his loved ones, but that doesn't completely lift the blame off his shoulders. He should be held accountable for his actions, and his trauma from being a soldier should be used not just as a reason for his cold, icy demeanour. I truly wished this book went a bit more in depth as to how that trauma affects day-to-day life and not just the stereotypical, "oh! the war has made me broken, therefore I shall treat everyone I meet like tr*sh!"

An additional point is that just because Fernan doesn't h!t the FL, doesn't mean it's not ab*se. No one should be treated like Julia has been, and I have no interest in reading an additional 50 chapters to see how the author redeems this man because he doesn't deserve it. It doesn't matter how hard he tries, the damage has been done. In real life, these sort of people are literally scum and do not deserve anything.

I know there are a handful of readers who scorned Julia for being clingy towards Fernan in the beginning, and to be fair, the author doesn't really do a good job of portraying the reasons for her affections. She gets her hopes up at the slightest bit of kindness shown by the ML and her love for him seems to persevere even through continuous silent treatment and ab*se. I feel like it can be reasoned with her lack of familial love as a child, and so she seeks it through her stone of a husband when she grows up. Spoiler

It doesn't help when the ML is seen as a "saviour" through Julia's eyes back in the beginning of her marriage, because he had stayed by her side during a ball once as a child.

[collapse] Yeah, it is pretty frustrating to see misunderstandings pile up and see her continuously get hurt because the ML refuses to properly communicate and Julia is subsequently left to form conclusions by herself.

I apologise for this being a really long review but I had a lot of pent up emotions from reading this, because I just couldn't make sense of why the ML was being shown in such an apologetic, forgiving manner. I would recommend this book if you could look past the questionable elements, especially if you're a fan of the trope "wronged husband chases after wife". The storyline goes exactly like how you would expect it, 2d characters that either love or hate the FL, a second ML who only serves as a plot tool, amnesia, demon attacks... If you're really into that sort of dynamic, you'll enjoy the book. Otherwise, I would not recommend.