ya ya, pls give some ending spoilers and maybe how does the ML fall in love cause he seems like a hard cookie to crack... Not much point in discussing whose fault is this and that, since basically the story goes like this : FL is raised up poor and gullible (parents' bad - miscommunication) --> FL gets power --> FL seeks revenge (on whom, society? At this point go throw some tantrums on your parents or calm down. She was mature and just took advantage of her position to grow stronger, which makes her a solid FL. Her ex-boyfriend seems like such an insignificant person in this story- dude I'm appalled at the man-child, surely he was added for the extra dose of cliche drama.) Well other than that, the part I'm interested in is ML's healing from his trauma with FL at his side, FL already got her character development in that 3 year long time skip. The actual plot seems some classic royal bullshit with a lot of supernatural sprinkle element added there, cliche power-hungry noble, blah blah blah. I'm a pacifist by nature people, I seek a romantic story filled with passion, so feed me my intellectual korean-speaking siblings.
Spoiler: How Cecio fell in love In the memories Cecio erased, after he instinctively saved Terryll from falling down the stairs, they began to talk more often though it was mostly Terryll doing the talking. Cecio also saw how Terryll experienced the same things that he did perpetrated by the servants in the marquis’s home. At first he felt like they experienced the same things so there was a sense of comradeship. However, when she spoke about her mother, he realized that they’re not really the same because he was abandoned and didn’t really have attachment to anything. Nevertheless, he slowly started to fall for Terryll even though he knew he shouldn’t because of Jemon. He didn’t want the complication besides also his plans. At one point, Terryll confessed to him that she intends to break up with Jemom. In spite of himself, Cecio still wanted to see her even if it meant that she was still with Jemon. He knew if she broke up with Jemon, he’d no longer be able to see her. Yet, he’s also greedy and jealous. He doesn’t like these feelings but he can’t help feeling them. He also thinks his heart is twisted because of how he grew up after being abandoned by those he trusted and then, of course, the many things he had to quietly endure in the marquis’s home. The night Terryll confessed she’ll break up with Jemon because she’s tired of his ill-treatment, Cecio confessed to her that he loved her. However, he immediately used the power of his words to order her to forget what he said and to forget Jemon’s scandal. Then he used his words on himself to forget his feelings for Terryll. He does this because he felt that he would get greedier so he erased his own first love. When Terryll regains her memory later, she reveals the incident to Cecio and then he experiences a rebound and faints. That rebound returned all his memories of confessing to Terryll. Fortunately, when this occurred, they already liked each other though neither of them knew of the other’s feelings.
I have some more time right now so I’ll add the spoiler below. Last week’s chapter showed them kiss on the balcony at the ball. They actually kiss twice before they confront their feelings later when Terryll remembered he confessed to her years ago and then erased her memory. Spoiler: Timeline After the kiss, separately they think about the kiss and feel that it was a bad idea because it’s stirring their feelings for each other and their engagement is temporary. Fortunately there isn’t much angst on their need to achieve their goal as soon as possible to get away from each other. The story immediately goes into visiting Wallet which is the marquis territory outside the capital. In Wallet, their purpose is to get the approval of the elders so that Cecio can become the marquis instead of Jemon. This is also the place where the assassination attempt, previously spoiled, occurred. The marquis’s younger, incompetent brother is the acting lord of the territory and he follows the marquis’s order to kill Terryll. Needless to say it all failed spectacularly and Terryll ends up getting another competent sibling of the marquis on her side and that sibling imprisoned the incompetent brother. Terryll and Cecio does a lot of good deeds in the territory to raise Cecio’s reputation. The marquis neglects the territory a lot and the commoners are poor and needy. Cecio also heals a lot of them and then creates a large scale healing near the end of their visit. He does this to win the support of the daughter of the most powerful and formidable elder. Of course some of the elders still object because Cecio is not blood related but in the end, Terryll and Cecio won the favor of the elders. Marquis finally goes down to the territory because everything he planned failed. Terryll uses the occasion of his visit to expose his bad deeds to the knights. Apparently, the knight whom she saved from the manticore, whose wife the marquis held hostage, killed other knights who disobeyed the marquis. Terryll used this testimony to point out to the other knights that the marquis has been killing them all along if they didn’t do as he asked. Many knights abandon him after they hear the rescued knight’s story because they also had comrades who mysteriously disappeared without telling their families. Marquis goes on a rage speaking badly of the commoner knights and this persuades other commoner knights to quit his service. Terryll assures them that she will get Count Erhardt to take them in. Terryll beat the marquis and he soon runs away back to the capital with a much smaller company of knights. Rumors soon spread in the capital about what happened unbeknownst to ML and FL. In Wallet, on the last night, Terryll and Cecio share their second kiss on the rooftop of the castle. Terryll brings the knights to Count Erhardt and ask her to take them in for now. This is the same person whose grandson Cecio healed. The count somehow figured out that Terryll’s engagement to Cecio is temporary although Terryll refuse to confirm it since she’s the kind of person to think this is nobody else’s business. (Very realistic in my opinion) The count has an adamant goal to set up her grandson with Terryll. She claims her grandson is in love with Terryll. Thus begins the grandson’s very inappropriate attempts to court Terryll. The guy even sends flowers to Terryll when she’s at a tea party at pink hair girl’s house. This of course pisses off Terryll because the other ladies at the tea party of course finds this gossip material. In addition, she thinks it’s very inappropriate because she’s currently Cecio’s fiancée. Fortunately, pink hair girl, Loptina (Jemon’s fiancée) adeptly handles the situation to squash any rumors. Terryll after orders that the flowers be sent back. That was the second bouquet because he sent one the day before or a few days before. At first Terryll accepted the first time at her house because she thought it was just a “thank you” gift but the moment feelings are assigned to them, she’s turned off. The first bouquet also came when she’s with Cecio. Meanwhile, while Terryll is at the tea party, loverboy goes to her house to thank Cecio for healing him. Then he inappropriately asks Cecio if it’s true that his engagement with Terryll will end soon. Cecio is caught off guard by this tactless question. Cecio tells the guy that he won’t answer that. Terryll comes home annoyed because Loptina had invited Jemon to the tea party so that Terryll can get closure. Terryll has wanted to see Jemon’s face just once after he’s now rejected as successor. The two had a hurtful talk which once again demonstrated to Terryll that no what matter the guy said, he didn’t truly love her. He even begs her to just punish him and then restore the successor title. She fully comprehends that he never truly loved her no matter how much he said he did and he certainly didn’t love her enough to stand up to his mother. She reminded him how he stood by and watch her get humiliated by everyone including his own servants. So, after this kind of confrontation, Terryll comes home in a bad mood but then thinks of Cecio. She wants to see him. Only, she finds him with an unwelcomed visitor. The count’s grandson. She upbraids him about sending her flowers at somebody else’s house plus, she doesn’t want him to send her flowers because she has a fiancé. The guy apologizes and is anxious not to get thrown out. Therefore, he acts like it’s just a friendly bouquet and nothing else. This throws off Terryll and she thinks maybe she misunderstood his “romantic” intention. Cecio is, of course, not fooled. The guy then asks Terryll to teach him the sword since she’s a master. She agrees to do it. Later that night, Cecio asks for him to be her first student. She eventually agrees and during their class, Cecio confesses to Terryll about his history. She learns that he was born from his mother’s word. She learns how they threw him away, how he ended up at the marquis, how he wanted revenge on the emperor, how the emperor died without his revenge, and how he must take the throne still because of the sacrifices others have already made towards that goal. Terryll admires him for sticking to his path even if he no longer wants to go down that path but has to because of the promise he made to those who serve him. Yet, she wonders how will it be if she really continued to stay by his side. She thinks maybe it’s good that they’re supposed to break up. She reminds Cecio that she’s supposed to defend the emperor in the case of a rebellion. Still, she kind of tells him that she wouldn’t stand in his way. Terryll begins teaching the count guy and sometimes she would see Cecio watching and she waves to him. One day after she sees him, she goes to the room but doesn’t find him. She sees the painting that he made of her fighting the assassins in Wallet. She wonders why he draws her so beautifully and bright unlike the gloomy surrounding of the painting. Her knight joins her and sees the painting. The knight then tells Terryll that she should confess to Cecio since she likes him. Terryll is surprised by the abruptly raised topic. The knight realized she liked Cecio since back in Wallet. Terryll tells the knight that it isn’t possible because Cecio has other goals (emperor) and she has to return to the north. Cecio is in his bedroom thinking about the guy. He orders his servant in the mirror to investigate the count’s grandson. He finds himself odd because he has a goal he cannot give up because of his men yet he’s getting upset because of the guy loitering around Terryll. He realizes that this is inevitable because Terryll will return to the north and she will one day find someone who can live in the north with her. Terryll dreams and finds the rest of her memory. She confronts Cecio who has a rebound when she talk about the memory. The side effects are impactful enough for Cecio to experience several spells. I think he’s sick over a few days and Terryll is very worried about him. When she visits him one morning, and he woke up without informing anyone, she even nearly cries but hold back. She asks him if he’s dizzy, if he’s nauseous, if he’s in pain, etc. However, there’s the inconvenient subject that they now both remember that he confessed to her years ago. Terryll thinks it happened years ago so his feelings might be different now. However, Cecio hugs her and won’t let her go. He confesses he likes her. Terryll eventually escapes and can’t believes he says he likes her. She goes to Loptina for advice. Loptina basically tells her to give it a try.
I have to put this here before I forget the details. As to the context, Duke Tanitar finally killed the emperor. He claims that the sword work involved is the David’s swordsmanship. Therefore, the Davids are all imprisoned in the imperial palace except Cecio. That’s because immediately after Cecio’s succession ceremony, the imperial knights burst in and declared the Davids are under arrest. They try to tell Terryll that she must come with them too because she was the last person who supposedly met with the puppet emperor. Terryll tells them she isn’t going with them unless they have irrefutable evidence. They tried to detain her but of course they can’t beat her swordsmanship. She therefore escapes with her man, of course, and heads to the north. So, the summary below is Cecio’s answer to Terryll, why he cannot abandon the Davids who are now accused of treason. It’s because of the marchioness. After Terryll hears it, she’s speechless. She can’t say anything but hug Cecio. Spoiler: Cecio and Marchioness tragedy Cecio’s parents abandoned him at the marquis when he was just four years old. The mother told him if he doesn’t talk for the next four years, she will come back for him. The marquis also cut his tendons so the child was stuck in his room all the time. He also couldn’t talk because of the promise he made to his mother so even when he was hungry, he couldn’t call for anyone. He also continuously despaired over the possibility that he’ll never be able to walk again. Keep in mind this child is only four years old and is all on his own. Just like this, he wasted away living alone in the room and growing gaunt. However, he endured it because his mother promised that she would come back for him once he obeyed the things she told him. The marquis then married Jemon’s mother. The mother was treated just as bad as Cecio by the marquis and the servants. The marquis only married her to give birth to a successor. The new marchioness eventually visited Cecio one day. The child uses his notebook to ask her what does she want. The child is wary of her and doesn’t want her to visit him. However, the marchioness kept visiting him every day and eventually a small child like that began to warm up to her. She really treated Cecio kindly and the two actually became like mother and son. The marchioness would take him outside in her garden and Cecio’s solitary world began to change. This continued even when the marchioness became pregnant. The marchioness told Cecio that he’ll get a new sibling and she hugs him. Anyway, Jemon was born and Cecio was a big brother to him and nothing in the relationship between Cecio and the marchioness changed. She still treated him warmly like her own son and Jemon looked up to Cecio like a big brother. However, when Cecio was near 10 years old, the marchioness expression became weird. Cecio began to feel anxious as he saw the changes. Eventually, Cecio used his power to find out what’s happening with the marchioness. He sees that her family began to pressure her to get rid of Cecio because he threatens Jemon’s position. They tell her that Cecio might be the marquis’s illegitimate child and not the child of a relative. Cecio also sees that the marquis verbally abuses the marchioness for taking care of Cecio like a son. So, the child understands that outside of what he knew, everyone on every side is ridiculing, pressuring and brainwashing the marchioness. However, there’s nothing that the child could do. He even wishes he didn’t look into what was going on. Finally, one day, Cecio was sitting and reading by an open window. The marchioness passes in the hall and sees him. Next thing, she pushes Cecio through the window on impulse but then reaches out her arms to him after she realizes what she’s done. She jumps out the window and catches Cecio in her arms and they fall into a tree. Cecio isn’t hurt but the marchioness is injured. Yet, she’s crying and apologizing to Cecio. Later that night, Cecio wakes up. He feels that things will change now. He wants to see the marchioness one last time and wonders if he should heal his legs to go see her in the middle of the night. However, someone knocks on his door. He won’t talk so he tries to signal for the person to enter and in doing so falls out of the bed. He can’t walk and won’t talk so the marchioness comes in and finds that he fell out of the bed. The marchioness rushes in full of concern and the child stretch out his arms to her. The marchioness understands the child is pleading with her not to go and her eyes open wide and tears start to fall. Cecio is saddened by her tears. The marchioness carefully hugs Cecio and the child feels relieved by her warmth. The marchioness repeatedly says she’s sorry to the child. Cecio understands that the marchioness came to say goodbye. The marchioness tells him not to forgive her. The child is terrified and wants to persuade her not to go but Cecio soon sees plainly on her face that the marchioness is abandoning him. He can tell because the marchioness’s face looks very similar to Monarch who abandoned him to the marquis. The only difference is Monarch blamed Cecio then abandoned him and the marchioness blamed herself. The marchioness says she shouldn’t have come to David and she shouldn’t have gotten close to Cecio unless she could take responsibility for it. The marchioness moans as though her chest is being torn apart. Cecio guesses what she was going to say next but stopped. He thinks she was going to say that it would have been better not to love him. Unable to bear hearing her say it, the child opens his mouth and says, “Don’t say it!” It was an urgent and desperate plea as Cecio shakes his head and cling to her arms. The narration says the sound of constantly nailing the child’s heart stopped. Meanwhile, the marchioness is shocked that the child spoke. Cecio wants to say don’t deny it, don’t abandon me, don’t give up. However, rather than that, he realizes if the results will be the same anyway, it was better to abandon her first. In that way despair won’t strike him down again. Cecio lifts his tear-stained face and tells the marchioness to forget him. Her astonished face turns blank. Cecio tells her to forget everything they’ve shared from the beginning. Cecio says please don’t ruin his memory. He wants to keep the memory of the five years they shared as mother and son untainted. The marchioness collapses after Cecio’s word ends. The child cries a lot and thinks that he’s alone again. In his loneliness, he hugs the unconscious body of the marchioness as he cries. He wonders why did this happen. Is it because he’s royalty? Is it because he has this power? Is it because he was born? Reflecting on the life he’s lived so far, the question touches the most fundamental part. He didn’t want to be born. It wasn’t his fault that he was born into the world. It was someone else who made a child that wasn’t originally born. There’s a separate person who made a child and threw the child into hell. It’s all because of Anobis. Once the marchioness came and began caring for Cecio like a mother, he had forgotten the resentment he felt towards his birth mother, Monarch. After five years, his mother still hadn’t kept her word to come pick him up. Now he wasn’t disappointed with that but the hatred he felt now needed a destination. If he didn’t blame someone, the pain of his situation was just too much. He couldn’t forgive his parents. He wants to return the same pain to them who abandoned him to live a happy life. For the first time, the child who fell from heaven began to plot revenge. Cecio covers the marchioness with a blanket and watches over her until the sun rises. That was the last time to love his second mother. The moment the sun rises, Cecio looks at his ankles and decides that he will walk again now that there’s no one left to lean on. Spoiler: Terryll and Jemon before the succession ceremony Jemon once again ask Terryll to stop now. This is probably like minutes before the succession ceremony. Neither of them have a clue yet that Duke Tanitar already killed the emperor and sent imperial knights to the Davids estate because he framed them. Anyway, Terryll tells Jemon it’s too late for that. Jemon claims he needs to be the successor for his mother. His mother is ridiculed everywhere she goes and even at home. Only he can protect his mother as even her family treats her terribly. He complains a lot but Terryll tells him that if she didn’t make Cecio the successor, she would have destroyed Davids instead. Jemon is speechless. Terryll feels some pity for Jemon for the first time after hearing his story about why he protects his mother but she said it’s too late now. Furthermore, she asks Jemon what would have become of Cecio if he became successor. Jemon cannot honestly answer but the two understands that he would have driven Cecio out or killed him. Terryll then feels even more justified that she helped Cecio claim the title. After that conversation, the succession ceremony takes place. The stupid marquis states that now that Cecio is successor, he must come back to their estate to live. Terryll naturally comprehends that the marquis wants to get Cecio back in his house to find a way to kill him. She doesn’t have to worry about it though because the imperial knights burst into the place to arrest them all. If Duke Tanitar has his way, he will definitely destroy the Davids so the marquis is a dead man anyway. It’s kind of something that Terryll and Cecio were thinking that they need to get rid of him anyway. Spoiler: Cecio’s shameless birth mother I completely forgot this part. At a ball, I guess because it’s known widely that Cecio healed a lot of people in Wallet, his birth mother shows up and tries to demand that he come heal “his father” whom Duke Tanitar poisoned. Cecio tells her to go to the high priest because he won’t do it. When he refuses, she tries to threaten him that he’ll lose his power if he doesn’t heal his so called father. Cecio doesn’t budge. He thinks god knew his plotted revenge against them all these years and never took his power. He walks off then turns to tell Monarch why doesn’t she throw away her husband just like she threw him away because it was a bother.
Now I kinda of understand the mother's paranoia and I sympathize with her but I will never forgive Monarch. As I already said, even if he killed her I won't call it extreme.
Spoiler: Volume 3 events, part 1 Terryll runs away to Loptina’s house. She gets advice from Loptina after deciding how much to tell her. They talk about whether Cecio is trying to use Rihan as well. Terryll decides that even if it’s the case, she has already invested a lot of Rihan’s money in Cecio anyway. Like, she spent a lot of money on the food she gave out in Wallet. Loptina tells her in their case, she has to be prepared to be used just like she used Cecio for her revenge. After discussing this, Terryll understands that she shouldn’t worry about any ulterior motives on Cecio’s part because she already unstintingly gave him a lot so it doesn’t make sense to worry now. Plus, now she knows for a fact that Cecio liked her years ago when she was just Terryll Winterglass. She excitedly hugs Loptina for helping her clear her worries. The ladies are informed that Cecio came to pick up Terryll. Both ladies are surprised and in the carriage, Cecio tells Terryll that he came to pick her up because she avoids him at home. Cecio brings up the subject about his drawings of her. In the past, she had asked him why he drew her. He deviates and explains to her that his words have power but he must mean it from the heart. To demonstrate, he says he wish there are flowers and the carriage is filled with flowers. He says it a second time and there’s a single, otherworldly, lily flower. He says it a third time and all the other flowers disappeared. That’s because his feelings created different results. He connects this to when he erased her memory and his feelings. The problem is, his feelings weren’t completely erased because in some small part of his heart, he didn’t want to forget. So he always knew that he liked her to a lesser degree. He loved her but only thought she was his first love. Cecio also apologizes to Terryll for erasing her reasons to breakup with Jemon just because he wanted to see her for longer. Terryll already guessed that much but hearing him admit it is something else. Cecio asks if she’s going to punish him. She says his right arm is hers. He suggests his left arm is better because he’s left handed. Terryll tells him that she’s just being realistic. Cecio asks what must be do for her to forgive him. He switches to her side of the carriage. Terryll wants to hit him but thinks his face is too pretty. Instead, she says if he hadn’t erased her memory she would’ve kicked Jemon but maybe that would have stirred up her maternal uncle to kick her and her mother out of his house. Terryll thinks she doesn’t say harsh words against Cecio’s actions because she already likes him so she changes the tiresome subject. She asks him why did he draw her. Cecio seems to think it’s because of how abruptly he erased his feelings. Terryll reminds him that he’s the one who said he didn’t want to be friends with her. Cecio says he didn’t want to be like that with the girl he likes. He adds that he felt empty so he needed something to focus on and ended up drawing her. Terryll asks why not something else. Cecio says he didn’t mean to draw her but found his whole mind focused on her. He admits to feeling very embarrassed when she saw his sketchbook. Terryll soon wonders why is she comforting Cecio when she’s the one that suffered the most from him erasing her memory. Cecio asks her if she feels compassion or sympathy for him because it’s weird that the conversation seems more like her comforting him instead of the other way around. Terryll never likes when he deprecates himself probably because she used to live that way. Cecio asks her for a hug and she complies. She wonders when did she become a fool but being trapped in her arms conveyed a sense of stability. Cecio tells her that he wants her to love him. Terryll tells him to stop saying that. She remembers that she hasn’t properly confessed to him. Terryll tells Cecio that they should talk about the future. They talk about his path to being the emperor and her path to becoming the king of the north. He asks Terryll for time to figure things out especially since he has faithful followers that he just can’t abandon. They also seem to understand that neither of them want to break the engagement. Cecio also asks Terryll what must he do to win her heart while being a good person. Terryll needs time to think about them. They soon arrive home only for Terryll to be greeted by the count’s grandson who also just arrived in his carriage. Terryll tells him today isn’t a day to practice sword so why is he here. The count says he’s there to give her something. Terryll says she hope it’s not flowers and unknowingly her face looks sick and tired of flowers yet she’s holding Cecio’s otherworldly flowers in her hand. The count assumes a cheerful expression and asks to hang out with her and belatedly adds with Cecio too. Terryll has to take care of another matter so the two men are left together in the drawing room. The count asks Cecio about the flower Terryll was holding in her hand. He’s never seen a flower like that before. (That’s because it doesn’t exist in the world) He asks Cecio if he gave it to Terryll. Cecio writes in his notebook that he doesn’t know why the count is asking about that. The count says he doesn’t like to beat around the bush so he asks Cecio if he likes Terryll. Cecio writes that he doesn’t understand why he’s asking that question. Additionally, he writes if the count forgot he’s engaged to Terryll. Cecio writes that if the count has Terryll in mind he should give up. The count says he knows it’s embarrassing to have somebody else’s fiancée in mind. Cecio writes that it’s surprising that he knows. The count asks if the two of them didn’t decide to breakup anyway. He adds that’s what his grandmother said. Cecio is annoyed by the way he’s always falling back on his grandmother. Exasperated, he writes that he has no intention of breaking up his engagement. The count says it was a deal that would end with him receiving the marquis position. Annoyed, Cecio writes that he’s not even a party to their matters and if his grandmother told him that too. The count turns red barely holding back his anger. He tells Cecio that his grandmother informed him but the little duke confirmed it. The count states that he doesn’t think the little duke would have changed her mind in such a short time and asks if they really discussed not ending the engagement. Cecio doesn’t write anything and the count asks him if he doesn’t want to let go of little duke because of Rihan. Finally, Cecio opens his mouth to talk and tells the count that he’s completely mistaken. The count is stunned when he hears Cecio’s voice. He tells the count that he doesn’t want Terryll to be a Rihan so he has no reason to hang on to her because she’s a Rihan. That’s because his power doesn’t work on Terryll. Therefore, the count cannot accuse him of using Rihan. Cecio then turn the question back on the count. Why does he like Terryll? It can’t be because she healed him because she didn’t. Then, it must be her looks. This seems to be the answer because the count grows embarrassed. The count asks if that’s not sufficient reason. Cecio says he’s just like Jemon David then. The count rebuts that no matter where his feelings began, it’s not for Cecio to interfere. Cecio suggests that since he only cares about looks, there are many women out there with good looks. The count answers that Cecio shouldn’t insult his heart. Cecio tells the count that he doesn’t have a chance. Terryll soon enters the room. She completely forgot the count was there until he talks about the gifts he brought with him for her birthday. He names all the gifts and Terryll finds this problematic. In the first place, she doesn’t like any of the gifts even though they’re from luxurious high end shops. They’re just not her taste. Secondly, the count says that he wanted to eat with her on her birthday to celebrate and he’s sorry he can’t since she’s going to the imperial ball. This assures Terryll that the count is definitely taking a romantic interest in her. Therefore, she tells him sorry but she cannot accept his gifts. The count is surprised. Terryll asks him, in a cold voice, what does he think of her and her fiancé. Terryll tells him that giving a gift isn’t a problem itself but giving a gift with self-interest is another story. The count stutters. Terryll tells him that these things are not her taste either and it seems he doesn’t know her well. The count was going to say something but she tells him to go back home now. The count leaves hurt by Terryll’s bluntness but she thinks it was necessary. She also thinks he was the one who first did rude things. She turns to Cecio and asks him what did he try to hide because his notebook is soaked. She soon finds out that Cecio opened his mouth on impulse because he was irritated by the count. Cecio tells her it’s because the count kept talking about them breaking up. Terryll asks if the count knew Cecio healed his body and yet he was so rude to his savior. Cecio says the count must have felt that love comes before grace. Terryll thinks that she in Cecio’s place would have been angry too. She asks him if he really offered the count to erase his feelings. Cecio admits not seriously but he would have only done it with her consent since he knows it’s unethical. Terryll tells him that she didn’t see him angry when the count was there. Cecio takes her hand and puts it on his chest and asks her not to make him jealous. Cecio asks her if her rejection of the count’s gifts mean that she rejects his heart. Terryll admits the count isn’t her cup of tea. (Her taste or type) Cecio is obviously pleased by this admission. He even laughs pleasantly. Terryll likes to see the change in his mood. She resolves that she has to confess to him soon. The two talk more until Terryll’s escort guard informs her that word has officially been released that Jemon is no longer considered a successor. Now all they have to do is wait for Cecio to be called. On Terryll’s birthday, the couple goes to the ball because of the emperor’s special invitation, which, by the way, Duke Tanitar is aware of. The first person to approach them is Count Enhardt. The princess Rosaline soon joins them with an excuse that she wants to talk to Cecio about his divine power because she’s fascinated by it. Secretly, I think she’s working with Cecio. Anyway, contrary to Terryll’s expectation, Cecio winks at her and goes to talk with the princess. Count Enhardt remarks that now the intruder is gone, she wants to talk with Terryll about her grandson who’s heart broken. Terryll is honestly annoyed. She refuses until the Count pleads with her that for this last time, she will return the favor except if Terryll’s rebels against the emperor. Terryll reluctantly agrees thinking that she may have use for the count in the future. Moreover, the count is lowering herself to beg for this favor. As soon as Terryll agrees, the grandson is immediately standing before her with red eyes. She immediately draws the line by calling him by his title. He gets sad but asks her for a dance. Terryll is bothered because the gossips at the ball already heard that the guy was going in and out of her place because of the sword training but she doesn’t want these kinds of rumors about her. Meanwhile, Cecio and the princess are discussing their plans. The princess is engaged to Tanitar’s son however, it’s clear that she and Cecio are colluding. The princess Rosaline reports that Tanitar is making a move. She thinks he intends to deal with the puppet aka her father, the emperor. Rosaline doesn’t seem to have any affection for her father even though he’s her biological father. Cecio also cannot look into Tanitar’s mansion because the mana surrounding his house has been strengthened. Cecio tells the princess that he’ll be in touch. Cecio turns around just in time to see the young count holding Terryll’s hand to go dance. He stiffens and starts to get anxious. He doesn’t understand why he feels that way when she already said the guy wasn’t her cup of tea. Still, he remembers that he also used to feel anxious years ago when he saw Terryll with Jemon. He realizes that this is the first time that his feelings are like this. He’s a person who’s very used to giving up countless times. He’s been that way since childhood but now he’s greedy. He thinks maybe he’s broken because he’s endured many things for so long. Still, even though he feels like this, he couldn’t do anything because in the end, he made a deal with Terryll and couldn’t ask for more. Cecio is upset with the count and in a heated moment, wishes he hadn’t saved his life. He’s indignant that the count dares to want Terryll. He wishes the count would die and immediately covers his mouth when he realizes what he just said. Cool air flows down his spine when he realizes the gravity of his words. He’s relieved when he sees that the count is still alive. But then he wonders why his words didn’t work. He doesn’t think the count possesses tremendous mana like Rihan. He anxiously goes outside in the gardens, stands behind a big tree and tests his power again. No matter what he says, nothing works. Cecio goes through a crisis in his head that clearly reveals that he doesn’t think he has value to anyone without his power. Fortunately for him, after he begins to despair, the sky obeys him and starts to rain. He’s very relieved as the water drips from his face. Terryll dances with the count and asks him about what he wants to tell her. The count starts to talk about Cecio. Terryll asks him if he’s talking bad of the person who saved his life. This shuts the count up. The count asks Terryll if it was a lie that she and Cecio was going to end their engagement. Terryll says that she changed her mind. The count asks if she likes Cecio. Terryll asks him if he thinks she has a duty to answer his question. He doesn’t answer and she says she’ll be on her way now. She stops in the middle of the dance. The count tries to reach out but she avoids it. She reiterates that she’s not interested in cake, flowers, clothes and jewels. The count says he will get the things she likes right next time. Terryll plainly tells him that he doesn’t know anything about her so why did he like her. Terryll thinks his eyes look exactly the same as when she asked Jemon why he likes her. Terryll tells him that she doesn’t like people who only looks at appearance. She also sort of derides him about pursuing someone who has a fiancé and being suspicious of the person who saved his life (he actually wasn’t expected to live long ever since he was a child). Terryll honestly doubts that the count feels grateful to Cecio who healed him to the point that now he can look forward to living a long healthy life. The count says why did the one who save him had to be her fiancé and why did she have to be engaged. He said he’s been living with death for decades and when she said she would save him, he gained strength from her. He says he didn’t want to experience this immoral feeling either. Terryll cooly tells him that now he should fold. The count laughs bitterly. He says they’ve met many times but she’s still cold to him and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to get closer. The count asks Terryll why did she call him by his name, why did she teach him the sword and why did she accept him. (All things he insisted she do) Terryll tells him that he must have misunderstood her or she misunderstood him. In the end, to cut things off coldly, she apologizes and tells him that she’ll compensate him. Terryll goes outside to find Cecio. She had seen him leave earlier and she’d noticed something was wrong. When she goes outside it starts to rain so she gets soaked. She finds Cecio standing in the rain behind a tree. The image of him reminds her of that time he just sat looking at the manticore that could devour him. She hesitates and then calls out to him. Cecio asks her if he can hug her. Cecio hugs her and asks her what if he loses his power. Terryll asks him what is his power to him. Cecio says it’s the reason why he was born and it’s his essence. He thinks that’s the only useful thing he has. Terryll thinks he’s deprecating himself again and frowns. Cecio then asks Terryll to kiss him or allow him to kiss her. He says he wants to be comforted. Terryll accepts his kiss because she realizes he looks anxious about her rejecting him. As they kiss, Terryll experiences a sensation throughout her body and loses strength. She accepts an even deeper kiss. They kiss for a long time until she slowly comes back to her senses only to see Cecio’s eyes filled with unresolved thirst. Cecio asks Terryll why did she dance with the count even though she said he was not her taste. Terryll says dancing with someone doesn’t mean the person is her taste. Cecio asks if he’s her type. He reminds her that she hasn’t answered his confession. Cecio asks if she’ll abandon him. He kisses her again. After that kiss, he tells her that he’s tired of being abandoned now. He hugs Terryll. She realizes the rain stopped falling so she tells him to let her go. He says he doesn’t want to. They bicker back and forth then she teases him until he turns red. Terryll tells him she didn’t refuse him. She tells him she has a lot of worries. He said he will be emperor but she doesn’t want to be empress because of the pressure of the role. She also thinks that’s a stuffy life. However, it doesn’t mean she wants him to abandon everything and move to the north. Therefore, she tells Cecio to find a way for them to be together. The couple is interrupted by the emperor’s servant who has been looking for Terryll for a long time. Terryll leaves with him for an audience with the emperor so Cecio returns to the hall. Before he enters, someone calls out to him. It’s the woman who abandoned him after speaking him into existence through her words. She begs Cecio to come heal her husband because the duke of Tanitar poisoned him and he’s at death’s door. Cecio absolutely refuses. The woman then threatens him that he will lose his power if he doesn’t use it to save his “father”. She basically tries to coerce him without any regard for their terrible actions of throwing him away. The woman says it was inconvenient to keep him at the time so he should understand her and the man she claims is his father. Cecio rejects her to the end then tells her why doesn’t she throw the man away since he has her living anxiously just like she threw him away. Terryll meets with the puppet emperor who begs her to protect and save his life from Tanitar. Terryll can’t do anything about his situation unless Tanitar rebels. The man complains that Tanitar has murdered all his servants and he’s basically living in fear for his life. Terryll advises him to get the head of security, Count Enhardt to protect him. After Terryll’s audience with the emperor, she orders her head knight to leave several people to observe when the emperor is murdered. This time, they need to gain concrete evidence of Tanitar’s murder of the emperor. She’s pretty sure that Tanitar wants the throne for himself whether through setting up the princess as the next emperor since she’s engaged to his son or whether he takes the throne himself. After the above events, Cecio’s succession occurs on that very night/dawn. When he and Terryll return from the ball, the Davids people come to fetch them for the succession ceremony. That means the emperor was murdered that night. Tanitar knew the emperor especially invited Terryll to the ball so this is probably another reason why he accused Terryll of being the last to see the emperor.
Wow, thank you so so so much for sharing all of these spoilers. I, and I'm pretty sure the others reading, genuinely appreciate it so much! Can't imagine the effort and time you spend to share this with us, but seriously thank you so much.
I read the mahwa until chapter 41. These two have amazing chemistry. I'm really loving the dynamic between Terryl and Cesio. Thanks for all the spoilers. I can't wait to see how the plot from the novel will be incorporated in the manhwa. I honestly don't think the ML is yandere or anything. He just seems clever and intelligent. He is playful and I think he enjoys teasing Terryl and getting a reaction out of her. I am glad that Terryl and Cesio had interaction in the past. I am sure he was the blond tall guy who visited Terry's home 3 years ago. Cesio even erased his own memories to forget about her. I can't imagine how helpless Cesio must have been 3 years ago. He saw the girl he liked being mistreated but he couldn't do much. I assume he was waiting for something to happen. For his supporters to grow. Cesio had an extremely oppressive and abusive situation. I read in the spoilers that Cesio thought he and Terryl were in similar situations but they also had a bug difference. Terryl's mother was with her. But Cesio was betrayed the MOST by his biological parents. I don't know how to feel about JemJem's mother. Apparently she was affectionate towards Cesio for 4-5 years but she was corrupted by people to ignore Cesio to save JemJem's position. And Cesio erased/manipulated her memories too. Honestly the plot is extremely complicated. I am also angry that Cesio was robbed off the opportunity to get his revenge. Monarch's sister the previous emperor just died....She was the one of the reasons behind Cesio's misery. Yet her ending was anti climactic and unsatisfactory. About Duke Rashed (Terryl's father) I don't know what to feel about him. He is not bad but he doesn't seem that interesting either. He is focused towards his wife and I get that but he also could have had more interactions with his daughter too. I think the manhwa didn't show much of their interactions. There was something lacking in the portrayal. Even Terryl had amazing chemistry and interactions with her knight Viscountess Andora. We can see how proud she is of Terryl and how much she loves and respects her. It is possible to show bonding and chemistry in just few panels.. I feel that the authors and artists didn't put much effort in this aspect. This manhwa is a bit different from others that's why I grew attached to it. I especially love Terryl's character design. She is gorgeous
Spoiler: Terryll and her father Their story is far from over. In fact, I’m still reading the epilogue and it’s all about Cecio adjusting to the north and the people there look down on him. So, there’s more about Terryll and her father. In fact, Terryll was forced to kill a number of assassins while they were unconscious because it was necessary that they don’t wake up and expose her plot to Tanitar. When Terryll communicated to the north via a device that the mission is accomplished, the count in the north understood that she was acting odd because it’s the first time she’s ever killed anyone. The count prepared the portal from the north and to Terryll’s shock, it’s her father who comes through the portal first. She tried to act like she’s fine and her father told her that the first time he killed someone it was difficult. He tried to act strong and ended up having nightmares. It was his dad that helped him to overcome the trauma. He hugs Terryll and she breaks down crying. Afterwards, she jokes to her father if his dad hugged him too and he said no way. lol Then he tells Terryll that her crazy fiancé is turning the capital upside down. And yes, the marchioness’s story with Cecio is complicated. Cecio still cares for her very much. He sees to it that she survives to the end. He got her to divorce her husband and that was good because the Davids is no longer a name allowed in the empire. They were stripped and became commoners.
After becoming a commoner, what does the marchioness currently think of Cecio, does she hate him? and does she ever regain her memory of her time spent with Cecio as a kid?
Spoiler: Cecio and Marchioness Roughly, when the Davids were locked up in the imperial palace by Tanitar for treason fabricated by Tanitar, the marchioness wasn’t kept in the dungeon. Instead she was kept in an abandoned palace. During that time, Terryll visited her first to make the proposition that she live and divorce the marquis. She tries to open the marchioness’s eyes to the truth that dying with a husband that treated her terribly is useless. Before Terryll leaves her, the marchioness says she’ll think about her proposal. Keep in mind that the marchioness is mentally strained and heavily oppressed by the demands of her family and her husband so it’s difficult for her to think independently. Nevertheless, during her visit, Terryll notices that the marchioness did come back to her senses and even remembers Cecio. Terryll seems to think it’s because she’s isolated away from pressures. The problem is, the marchioness seems to think it’s okay to die because she’s tired. The next time, Terryll brings Cecio. Terryll didn’t tell Cecio that the marchioness had regained her senses the last time she visited. However, they find the marchioness like she’s having a mental breakdown. Cecio comes in with Terryll and her mind eventually clears up. Cecio talks to the marchioness and she remarks that his voice has changed to an adult and he’s grown up. Cecio tries to persuade her to divorce the marquis so that she can live and separate herself from the treason charge. She cries and says he shouldn’t forgive her. Since they’re running out of time, Cecio tells her to live since that’s the way she can repay him. He tells her he will protect her if she’s afraid to bring accusations and divorce against her husband. Both Terryll and Cecio convince the marchioness to accuse the marquis of treason and they produce a fake letter of treasonous correspondence that the marchioness will allege she found. Of course, our couple know Tanitar killed the emperor so they know he’ll know they’re lying but everyone is pretending and carrying a charade at this point. As long as they fabricate their story and present it publicly before emperor Rosaline, Tanitar can’t do a thing especially since he’s the one who brought up the treasonous charge against the Davids anyway. When the marquis is brought before the emperor and Tanitar to have the trial, as usual, the marquis yells, threatens and accuses the marchioness. Cecio and Terryll move in front of the marchioness to hide her since she’s afraid of her husband. She does get her divorce though. It’s after Tanitar was brought down that the Davids were stripped of their title and made commoners. However, that only applies to Jemon, the marchioness and Cecio. The other Davids, like the marquis’s brother and anyone close to them that participated in treasonous plans, were executed. That’s because after Tanitar was brought down, the imperial investigators found real proof in Tanitar’s house that the marquis was conspiring with Tanitar. Cecio didn’t become a commoner because he made a deal with Monarch. To saved her bitter and terrible husband, Cecio demanded she sign a magic contract that will make her the next emperor and that he will inherit the title of the dukedom as their adopted son. He only does this as a temporary measure so that he’s not a commoner who marries Terryll. He doesn’t intend to keep the surname of Monarch and her husband. He tells Terryll that he will take her surname in the future. So, he intends to become Cecio Rihan. After Cecio is officially adopted after being stripped of the Davids name, he sees off the marchioness. I believe Terryll provided a house for the marchioness to stay. Marchioness tells Cecio that she’d like to see him again in the future. After she leaves, Cecio watches her carriage until it’s out of sight. So, yeah, Cecio and the marchioness still have an affection for each other.
Thank you for summarizing the story so well. Thanks to your explanation I could understand what will happen in the manhwa or at least what might happen IF the story follows the novel. I really appreciate your summaries
Spoiler: Timeline of events, part 2 The couple engage in flirting and skinship on the way home from the ball. They talk about Monarch’s visit to Cecio which kind of makes cautious since she knows the story about Cecio’s childhood, the Magic contract and who his birth mother is. Cecio openly uses this visit to gain sympathy from Terryll and Terryll has no problem accepting this at all and hugs him. In the carriage, Cecio also wishes Terryll happy birthday and gives her his gift. It’s a long distance communication device. Terryll is stunned by it because it’s a very expensive and rare device. Cecio tells her he used words to create it because only the imperial family in the capital would maybe have something like this. Terryll really appreciates the gift. She also has a birthday gift for Cecio because the next day is his birthday. She has to give it to him when they get home. Her birthday is the last day of the year and Cecio’s birthday is the first day of the year. The two arrive at the mansion to find a servant from the Davids. They’re looking for Cecio because they intend to hold the succession ceremony overnight. Terryll and Cecio go to the location of the ceremony. Cecio has to go to prepare so Terryll waits in a sitting room. This is when Jemon comes in and beg her to stop now. He talks about doing everything for his mother’s sake. This is when Terryll feels a little sympathy for him because she kind of understands his situation of protecting his mother when everyone, including her husband and family, treats her terribly. Terryll asks Jemon if he had become successor, what would he do about Cecio. The guy doesn’t answer and Terryll understands he means he would throw Cecio out or kill him. This makes Terryll adamant in the belief that she did the right thing in making Cecio the successor. Plus, she tells Jemon if she hadn’t chosen Cecio, she would have destroyed the Davids. At the palace, puppet emperor is cornered by Tanitar and is killed cold-heartedly. Tanitar then declares to his cohorts that the emperor was killed by the Davids swordsmanship and Terryll was the last to meet with the emperor. The whole thing is a charade and I think this book should be called “The Great Pretenders” because from here on out, everybody will be carrying on a charade. lol Meanwhile, the succession ceremony is simply held. After Cecio is chosen, the marquis stipulates that Cecio must return to the mansion to live. Terryll thinks to herself that the man is so obvious. She fully believes he’s trying to get Cecio in his house so that he can find a way to kill him. Bad luck for him though because in comes imperial guards sent by Tanitar to falsely accuse the Davids of murdering the emperor. Marquis finds the charge absurd and protests as such. Imperial guards tell Terryll that she needs to come with them since she’s the last known person to have met with the emperor but Terryll rejects their order with the wise response that they need to bring her evidence before she complies with them. They try to stop her but Terryll’s swordsmanship is stronger than theirs. She does some damage, grabs Cecio and leaves the estate with her Rihan escorts. Terryll, Cecio and company arrive in the north. During the time they spend there, Terryll learns from her father that Tanitar took the princess and made her a puppet emperor. Originally Terryll wanted to communicate with the princess but her father’s information from their intelligence network crushes that plan. Terryll even learns that Tanitar keeps the princess subdued by poisoning her. On Cecio’s end, he speaks to the guy in the mirror and he pretty much informs Cecio that their contact with the princess is cut off. After Cecio is done speaking to his follower, he reflects on how he met the princess. I think he was 17 years old at the time. The princess’s father tried to marry her off to an an undesirable and despicable noble for his own benefit. I can’t remember if Cecio kills her first fiancé, second fiancé or both. Anyway, this all started after one day a hooded Cecio appears on her balcony and proposes that he would help her by killing off her fiancé(s). He speaks the word and the man dies (either accident or heart attack). The princess’s enmity towards her father is probably solidified here because after the first fiancé dies, her father immediately engages her to another undesirable. This is why she prefers not to be forced to marry and instead live independently with her own wealth. She’s not the least bit interested in the throne. Anyway, after Cecio proves what he’s capable of, the princess joined hands with him. Of her own volition, she got engaged to Tanitar’s son with no intention to marry him. The problem is, she’s now trapped and poisoned and Tanitar intends to use her and it’s even better for him that she’s engaged to his son. Tanitar wants the throne for himself though. Terryll comes to Cecio’s room to ask him if he contacted the princess since he has the power to do it. Cecio says he doesn’t and to try any further comes with a price. Intelligence says that the Davids were all arrested in the palace dungeons. This is when Terryll talks about abandoning the Davids because it’s a charge of treason. Cecio refuses. He explains why and Terryll learns about the history between Cecio and the marchioness. I spoiled that previously. One of the guild members that Terryll worked with in Wallet arrives in the north. The David’s territory is Wallet so a message was sent to Terryll and Cecio regarding Wallet where Cecio performed all those miracles to gain the right to succeed the title. Since they’re under Davids, the imperial guards are there. A scheme is proposed that the adjacent territory wage a war against Wallet to bring Wallet under the jurisdiction of the adjacent territory owner. Territorial wars are allowed but they’re infrequent because the emperor discouraged it. However, there’s no law against it. Therefore, Cecio and Terryll’s escort knight will go directly to Wallet to wage war on behalf of the adjacent lord. Meanwhile, Terryll will go to the imperial palace to announce that the adjacent lord won the territorial war against wallet and asks the emperor’s approval to allow Wallet to come under that jurisdiction. Terryll walks in to see the princess seated on the emperor’s throne with Tanitar near her like a puppet master. The princess is immobile due to the poison. Only her eyes show her feelings. Despite Tanitar’s presence, Terryll talks directly to the princess while ignoring Tanitar’s efforts to interfere. Tanitar says the emperor can’t approve the territorial war and Terryll shuts him up by informing him that he doesn’t know the agreement between Rihan and the former emperor (not the one who died). Tanitar can’t really object anymore even though, in truth, Terryll is fabricating the condition in the agreement between Rihan and the past emperor. However, nobody can refute her because the agreement was between predecessors. Terryll says she takes it that the emperor approves of Wallet coming under the adjacent territory. The name will even change from Davids. Tanitar tries to get Terryll to see Jemon who is locked up in the dungeon. He’s somehow under the impression that Terryll still have feelings for Jemon. Consequently, Tanitar has already prepared Jemon to pass a curse on to Terryll. Tanitar and his black magicians spent decades working on this curse especially for Terryll’s father and now her. Tanitar basically threaten Jemon while also assuring him that he will restore his title. If Jemon doesn’t pass on the curse within a certain timeframe, he will die and the curse return to the black magician. Nevertheless, Terryll has no interest in Jemon so rather than following the guard to the dungeon to see Jemon, she goes instead to see the marchioness who is held in an abandoned palace. This is when Terryll proposes that she live and not die for treason like her husband. The marchioness also came back to her senses. There is also a small part that I hadn’t mentioned previously. Supposedly the marchioness was mean to Terryll to discourage her from marrying up and suffering the same fate as her. One of the reasons why her husband treated her so poorly is because of her low noble status. Remember the marquis’s first fiancée broke the engagement after he brought in Cecio. Terryll goes to Wallet after visiting the palace. There, the David sibling who she promised authority is glad to see her. Terryll tells her that she knows she might be disappointed with the surname change but she still intends to make her a Lord like she promised. After everything there is settled, Cecio and Terryll go to the palace to sneakily visit the marchioness to convince her to divorce her husband. They’re eventually able to successfully persuade the marchioness and they come before the emperor and the puppet master to proceed with the divorce. The marquis tries to intimidate the marchioness but Cecio and Terryll block her from the view of her husband. She’s able to get successfully divorced. Tanitar takes this opportunity to arrest Terryll. I can’t remember what the charges are but both him and Terryll know that they’re fake charges. Terryll doesn’t resist because she already had a plan with her father because they heard that Tanitar is trying to curse them. She looks at Cecio and conveys she’s fine. On Loptina’s side, Tanitar sent his son to get an answer from her father about whether he will join hands with him. Loptina was feeling her father and brother out through this dangerous time after the assassination of the emperor. Sure enough, she realizes those two idiots were going to join hands with Tanitar. On the day Tanitar’s son arrives, Loptina barges into room where her father is meeting the man and arrests the guy. She get the knights to bound Tanitar’s son who’s knocked out with magic. Her father is stunned. He can’t believe the voice, appearance and strength of his daughter. He also feels betrayed because of the pretense Loptina has been putting on all along. It’s like he doesn’t know his own daughter. lol Loptina basically puts the stop on all of her brother and father’s plans and keeps watch over them. To throw Tanitar off, she had someone prepared who’s the same build and characteristics of Tanitar son. She gets the double to leave their estate and head off somewhere. In this way, Tanitar will think that his son left and disappeared on his own. To be continued