Author: 백주아 Year: 2021 Official Novel: 부러진 칼날을 감싼 장미꽃 Nove Updates: A Rose Wrapped Around A Broken Blade Description: ‘If you want to kill me, be honest. I will die.’ As rumoured, the Fourth Prince, who had seemed frail and meek when he was berated during their first meeting, had a rather picky and eccentric personality. “There is only one thing I want. Make a place for me to be by your side.” It was a reunion after 6 years, and a marriage proposal. “If I fulfil your wishes, what will you give me?” “I’ll give you my everything.” A knight who lost her family to an enemy spy, was praised as a war hero. A half prince who inherited the blood of an enemy country, was ignored as a shame of the royal family. The couple’s marriage caused a stir throughout the Kingdom. * * * ‘There is no need for love between you and me.’ Reasonable distance. Moderate affection. A relationship where you know each other but nothing in detail. “Adora, what’s really important is that I’m the only one who should know.” It was like showing a beautifully wrapped surface. The important part was cleverly hidden. It was so pretty and so alluring that anyone could be tempted. The man who reunited after six years was definitely different. *
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I don't know why this novel is rated 3.6 when there are only 3 chapters out, seriously *facepalms* This is another novel I'm looking forward to. The cover art is so pretty and you can say it is drawn keeping every single detail in mind. The ML is not as-usual-and-always strong male lead, and it is quite refreshing. We got to know Adora's backstory in the recent chapters, and looks like the male lead has one too. They had met 6 years back, and this time, the ML is back with a proposal. Again, this author is known for writing amazing stories that revolve around human emotions, and it makes them more beautiful. SPOILER (I might be wrong, but this is what I understood from the comments and reviews) Spoiler: SPOILER Adora has finally stepped down as a knight after winning the war. The reason might not be just because she was done with her revenge. There's more to it. From what I read, she is sick. This will be revealed at a later stage in the story. Lionel on the other hand is portrayed to be a weak male lead character. He is not as strong as Adora, but I believe he has a good brain xD Looks like both of them had feelings for each other 6 years back, and Lionel is back with a proposal (to grab this one and only opportunity). This might be considered as a marriage of convenience, but I might be wrong. Lionel is not a true Glorias. He is considered as a shame to the royal family because his mother was from the neighbouring country, Winter Night. I couldn't know how the Princess of the enemy country got married to the King of Glorias. I believe this will be a great story. If not a perfect story, it will be a beautiful one. P.S I will edit this review once I get to know more about the leads.
Disclaimer: I've only skimmed this story via MTL, so I could be misremembering some details. As a side note, Ridibooks has a R19 version of this series. The Naver version seems to be all ages. Spoiler: Overall story spoilers Adora is a female knight who became renowned as a war hero after beheading the enemy on the battlefield. But now Adora has become terminally ill, and that's why she wants to marry someone who doesn't love her and wouldn't grieve her death. She only wants someone who would take care of the family estate and servants after she's gone. Lionel, who is the fourth prince, unexpectedly proposes marriage to Adora. Adora agrees since she doesn't believe Lionel to have any feelings for her. On the contrary, he always seemed very hostile towards her six years ago when she served as his escort knight. (It was because Lionel had a miserable childhood/life and assumed that the new escort knight Adora was there to spy on him.) However, Lionel eventually fell love with Adora at that time. She made him want to live. When Adora went away to fight in the war, Lionel had the field medic send reports on Adora's welfare. That's how he knew early on that she had been diagnosed with an incurable illness. So he already knew that she was dying when he proposed to her after the war ended. Lionel's proposal was because of his love for her, but Adora assumes it was for political reasons: Lionel's mother came from an enemy nation, so many people considered him to be a potential traitor with questionable loyalties. But if he marries a respected war hero like Adora, Lionel will be allowed a bit more freedom since his wife is expected to act as a watchdog. So Adora assumes that was Lionel's reason for marrying her. She is horrified when her husband reveals that he loves her, because that will only lead to misery when she dies. In the end, Adora nearly succumbs to her illness, but her condition is much improved by a newly discovered medical treatment, though it isn't a definite cure. But for the time being, her life has been extended for a while. Adora says she is afraid to die of her illness, which she never was on the battlefield. Lionel says that if she does die, he will die together with her since he doesn't want to live without her anyway. So the ending shows an uncertain future, but they are determined to support each other through difficult times and always remain together whether in life or death. MTL excerpt: ---- She knew that her extended life was a miracle. However, people's greed increased infinitely, and in Adora's heart, greed eventually developed. She wanted to be with Lionel for a longer time. She didn't want to part with her family members. Like the snow that melted after winter, Adora's life was gradually melting. One day it will wear out and leave no trace. That's what Adora was most afraid of. Adora: "What did you do at a time like this? How did you survive?" Lionel: "Easy. You just have to find someone to die with. If I thought that I had someone to accompany me when I died, it wasn't that scary." Adora: "..." Lionel: "If you die, I will die with you." Adora: "Lionel." Lionel: "Don't worry. I don't mean to do it for you. It's for me. It was said I couldn't live long anyway. Every year my doctor comes to me and says that. 'Prince, this year is a turning point, next year is a turning point, there is a chance that the next year will be very critical. Look out.' The reason I struggled with that thin thread was because I wanted to live with you. But without you in this world, I have no reason to live any longer. So we'll die together. So that you are not afraid alone." ------ To sum up, this is a love story between two very damaged people, and the ending is uncertain and bittersweet. Which is not the kind of ending I usually like, but I still found this story well worth reading. It's an unconventional story with emotionally complex characters. It's especially rare to see a FL who is a war hero while the ML is outwardly more vulnerable. There's also a lot more to the story than FL's illness; there's also lots of assassins and political intrigue, etc.