- #1
Both the MC and the ML have had a traumatic, abusive, childhood. The MC copes by being quiet and submissive, trying to be as invisible as possible. This makes sense based on her low status. The story is primarily from the female lead's POV, but there are times when we get to see what the male lead is thinking and it seems that he has had an equally tragic upbringing. Though his status means that he did not suffer with hunger or cold, and he was not belittled by others, his father was abusive physically and emotionally. He was thrust into a leadership role and battle at the age of ten when his father committed su*cide after killing his mother.
He is overly focused on his duty and responsibility to the duchy, because that is all he knows. He has never had someone to talk with or confide in, and in fact has been warned since a young age that he could be betrayed at anytime. It is harder to understand his POV because of his status, but he was just as ab*sed as our MC and his understanding of human nature and emotions is severely lacking.
[collapse]In conclusion, it is easy to sympathize with the MC, because the story is primarily from her POV, however I feel like the ML is equally sympathetic, its just that the author is only giving us glimpses into his story as we go. And these are things that the MC does not know as well because the ML communicates about as well as a talking rock. Some of the other reviews might be from further along in the story, so my opinion of him might change as more chapters are released. I get the impression for other reviews that the current translation might be splitting chapters so their current chapter might not be as far along as what others have mentioned.