Spoiler Duke Ashillean’s Contractual Marriage / The Duke of Ashleyan's Contractual Marriage

Unfortunately i do not have the talent. But man if I could write it be just scenes of groveling and groveling until ML chooses 2nd fl lmao

 

If you don't have talent, use money to hire a ghostwriter. This is what those prominent people do as well when they release their autobiographies.

 

This novel/manhwa is such a gem! I've been yearning for this kind of plot and finally I've found it.
I've been searching for a dominant female lead and submissive male lead but what I've searched so far is so plain and too excessive. I came across to this kind of combination but its in the world of alpha-omega-beta? then some modern setting CEO fl & secretary ml then in a world of Amazon(which is not my taste cuz its still similar to the history trope of dominant male where women are powerless) And I thought I'm satisfied with it until I've found this novel and this is really what I need. The mixture is just right.

The novel somehow lean more to ml pov and I love it so much and I like how he is the one experiencing the regressions than the usual fl trope. I like how I see his different lives of being a playboy, cross dresser, a servant, a scholar before he settle to being a husband(more like househusband). I really don't mind it took those past experiences to form who he is today and I'm glad he finally settle down with fl to grant her blood oath (cuz she was never successful fulfilling it in those 7 lives as the one eye duke is after her and as the queen says, he's not good for her sister) and he finally lived a warm and fulfilling life. I really like his character. He seems omega-ish or has the female lead persona yet a stallion. He may be a regressor but I like how the plot unfold that it doesn't need to always work out(like his investment on people and things) how the future is expected to be yet a better future blooms.

I also like the cool fl. I like how strong she is that she is feared yet actually has a noble heart that gave her sister, the 2 dukes and anyone around her naturally respect her. Its also refreshing how she is is also wary of her husband's stamina she underestimated as he is suppose to be just a scholar (scholar keep on learning =weak physically)
Her personality is actually consistent throughout the story and her approach of caring for him or the time she is trying to convince him when he ran away is not really a substantial change, so more like just an amendment. Fl is not overshadowed by ml's beauty and experiences. She is like an anomaly that naturally adopts but still shine on a prophesized path and writes her own fate.

Overall the couple is wholesome and the plot is just right. The romance is evident from the beginning and I like the fact it didnt get cringy as the story progresses unlike some stories where I have to drop cuz the after confession chapters revised the characters that lead to a fresh plot. Both of them easily decided to break the 3 year marriage life span in the early chaps and do things in their own way to change each other mind (which is a cute misunderstanding)

I also like how the child is written. It may be unfair that her existence is due to the contract and blood oath but its also because of the child that both paths collide and settle down (fl fulfilling the oath she failed in those 7 lives and ml finally lived fruitfully). I find myself naturally accepting the fact she is bound to the monastery for 20 years as much as ml hates but her situation is actually similar to the ml being the Illegitimate tyrant child which is the reason of his downfall in his 7 lives and even the current. Similar in a way that the norm see and treat how their status should be. Then surprise the child is indeed God-sent as she has holy power and suits her fate to live in the monastery.

Wish to read more of this kind. Smart couple. Fl being cool,strong, and collected but not cold-hearted and ml being softie yet still has pride and manliness. Romance with no 3rd party (I don't really consider the one eye duke and lisana 3rd party cuz they were not reciprocated and their personality is not so loveable? Convincing? To consider them 2nd leads and the plot is clear enough that there is a wall). Leaning more to historical and fantasy then modern setting. And the drama is not so heavy. Romance that is all natural and doesn't let the readers wait too long.

It will be awhile I'll find this kind of mixture again...

 

I just discovered this manhwa because of the art and just read chap 1 and 43-44

Could anyone please spoil what's the punishment to the emperor and lisana the violet haired one?

I wanna avoid reading through it all getting riled up from their vileness and end up with manhwa's unsatisfactory action towards them.

Thank you.

 

I am positively torn on this one. I will always support diversity regardless of my personal feelings and level of enjoyment. I wish that this dynamic of regressor ml more powerful fl will become more common in the future, though hopefully they will both enjoy the same intensity of romantic emotions.

 

I'm just here to ask if the story is still going the same way as the novel? cause I remember reading the spoilers and feeling so sad for the ML but so far the manhwa just makes me think they are cute....

 

Are the spoilers about the ML being sad for not being loved the way he wanted true?

It's so sad when one part loves more than the other and knows it it completely ruins all the romance for me, makes me want to cry, I get sad even with happy endings when I see unbalanced relationships like that.

At least he found happiness in the love for his kid, but I also wanted him to experience that romantic love with someone who reciprocated him completely. Not that I want MC to be unhappy, she could also find someone that she loves and who loves her equally, from what I've read she's super cool and independent and has other priorities besides romantic love and starting a family, she doesn't need all the love ML has for her, it may even be a burden someday, ML would always have this sadness that cames from this realization even if he tries to hide, MC might feel bad when she realizes that too, but she can't just change the way she feels, and in the end the two of them would be unhappy.

And I get that the author wrote that he became happy when he put someone else in the first place too(the kid), but that really works? they are still married and in close contact, can he bury the feelings that are too much and intentionally put them on someone else?

This is a bit bitter ending for me

 

I feel so sad about almost all the characters. All of them has someone they love dearly but doesn't give the love back equally. Like FL to her sister (I REALLY REALLY HATE THAT SISTER AND SO WAS FL FOR LETTING THE SISTER DO WHAT SHE WANTS TO HER OR USE HER TO HER OWN SOME SELFISHNESS. ISN'T THAT SPOILING HER ROTTEN TOO MUCH, ARGH!!!) or ML to FL (this is so so so so so heartbreaking. I want him to runaway and not choose to be by FL's side as she doesn't make him his priority , he and her child. I want him to live happily with her child and learn the real and lots of love he deserve.) Or the 2ML to FL. Or the other Duke to the Empress. I just hope the empress also finds the person she will love with all her heart but can't have him. That's the perfect ending for her. But oh well, I didn't finish the novel and just knows some bits of spoiler so maybe that's the reason for my biased opinion about them . But still the story's dynamic is refreshing like dominant FL and fluffy ML.

 

anyone got unofficial links for the novel or the webtoon? newtoki's been down for ages. T^T

 

I just finished chapter 76 of the manhwa. Why is the duke dead? What happened?

 

Right, the fl chose to save her sister even after the ml called for her when he was being kidnapped, the fl can still hear the voice of the ml even during and after the meeting about the rebellion while the ml is still missing, but as per her she did not regret her choice and will choose her sister all over again, this is heartbreaking when someone you love prioritize others aside from you. A similar but different kind of heartache I felt when I read about "The Lady And The Beast", wherein the fl still loves more and can't forget the ancestor of the ml even until the end of the story

Spoiler: Excerpt on Chapter 116 mtl: ML's thought while being captive

The loneliness of having no one by my side.


A loneliness that becomes cold from the fingertips and freezes the heart.


The realization that there is no one anywhere in this world who thinks and loves Louismond as their top priority.

Spoiler: Another excerpt mtl ch 126: ML's heartaching convo with FL

So you’re not leaving? “Are you saying you’ll always be by my side?”


“I will do it whether you allow it or not.”


If you don't allow it, you have no choice but to look forward to your ninth life.


“… … “I wouldn’t be a very good wife, would I?”


“I will be a good husband.”


“So what can I do for you?”


Rubiana asked.


If Louismond said he didn't need anything, he planned to knock him unconscious and send him to the south.


Because love without compensation does not exist. Because someday it will get cold.


“God, please keep the oath I made.”


So when Louismond told her what he wanted, Rubiana was rather relieved.


"vow?"


“Marriage vows.”


Louismond squeezed Rubiana’s hand tightly. The side that didn't want to let go of her hand was, no, the side that was more desperate than her other side.


“You must be faithful and sincere to me. Don't pay attention to other men. So stay with me for the rest of your life. Sacred marriage vows are also vows made to God. So, just as you keep your blood oath, please also keep the oath you made to God for me.”


“Even if you are in danger, I might not be by your side. Would that be okay?”


“I don’t care if you always come second, after protecting the emperor. No, I want that.”

Via. Louis Mund called her sweetly.


“Make me your second. But not the third time. After me, there should be nothing.”


He said that and closed his eyes.


You may be endlessly thirsty next to this person for the rest of your life. I wish this person would love me a little more, and his heart might burn.


But you will never be able to reveal your feelings. Even if my insides are so rotten and festering, I will not show it and will always stay by your side with a smile as if I am satisfied.


How happy I would be. How lonely it must be.


How thirsty am I? How full will it be?


“I want to live like that, next to you.”


If that day comes. Will I regret this confession, this oath? Or, can I still be happy?


It would definitely be the latter, Louismond was confident.


Why did I have to die seven times and live eight times? The moment I thought I might have been abandoned by you in this eighth life, did I want such a terrible death?

I wonder if I dreamed of the ninth time, of the day I would be loved by you again.


As long as you don't forget that the answer to all those questions is you, you won't regret anything.


“Love me, I don’t care if you don’t love me as much as I love you.”


Louismond just hugged Rubiana.


“Louis… … .”


Rubiana hesitated, unable to hug him right away.


Louismond waited for her patiently. After a while, Rubiana carefully wrapped her arms around Louismond's back.


Rubiana exhaled and relaxed her shoulders.


“… … Gladly. “If it’s okay with you.”


“My wife. the person I love. my via. “That’s exactly what I want.”

 

Tysm!!
I feel so bad for ML ngl. Why the heck does Rubiana get to act like a bitch? Like hello??
Is your sister going to kill herself for you as much the ML does?
...
I'm a huge supporter of sisterly-bonds before boys (relationships)... but I hope that the FL grows to unconditionally priortize the ML atleast...
I mean the sister has the other two Knights who are loyal to her... the FL can atleast take care of ML while the other two (Dukes) can help out he Empress?? Like what?

ML deserves the most happiness in the world. He like had to suffer 8x times... now with a heartbreak with Rubina... i would rather skip to his ninth life with him living alone and happy rn.

 

I really like tropes like this, the sunshine ml and the sunshine protector fml. I particularly enjoy this one and 'Beware of the Villainess '. Really breaks the stereotype that is common for regression stories. I hope unique novels like this emerge more often. So far, I'm enjoying the manhwa and novel of this one. Maybe I'll buy the physical book once there is an official translation version of it (⁠´⁠∩⁠｡⁠•⁠ ⁠ᵕ⁠ ⁠•⁠｡⁠∩⁠`⁠)

 

I'm very saddened by the fact that the choice to give the child to the Church hasn't been forgotten and, my God, did the protagonist really think that a father would normally accept that condition of only being able to see the baby when it was of age after creating a deep bond with it??? What an idiot

 

I think that what some readers do not understand is that she isn't just her sister, she is the EMPEROR, and FL is still a soldier, a knight - someone with a duty and an oath to protect the Emperor.

So her, saving the Emperor instead of ML makes sense.

And this is also why her and the Duke will not work. Because just like her, the Duke is also bound with duty. He may let go of his "title" but that doesn't mean he will be able to throw away his honor as a Knight. His duty as a hero. His love for his people. He and FL might get along and be happy for a while but once duty calls - they will sacrifice each other for their duty.

The fact that he didn't confess to FL just because the Emperor didn't want two Dukes to be in relationships - already shows that The Emperor's order will come first before his own feelings.

 

Exactly! Just cause the duke MLs in other novels unconditionally put their lover above everything else doesn't mean that it's the correct thing to do, realistically.

The emperor is a very important person and her life and survival affects the empire' and its people's survival. It should be understood that in a setting like that, there was no equality and an emperor's life is so much fucking more precious than other people's. As a knight, it's simply selfish and a dereliction of duty to put one's lover's security over the emperor. It's also breaking the oath that they made on their honor and faith. Love cannot be an excuse for things like that.

If you want to risk the life of a hundred thousand people for one person whose survival doesn't affect theirs, then you shouldn't be in a position to make that decision. But FL is, so she made the decision that she had to make. Some people don't live for love. They love their lovers but they have other things in life that they have to equally prioritize.

Yeah, ML loves FL a lot, much more than FL loves him. It's sad that his feelings are not reciprocated with equal amount of enthusiasm. But this doesn't make FL a rubbish. She's just doing her duty! And she's been a cold-hearted realist since the beginning! I don't even understand why people expect her to love someone unconditionally. That's just breaking her character setting! The fact that she doesn't turn into a typical northern duke in obsessive love IS what makes this novel interesting!!

And the issue with the child also seems fine to me? I mean, she's not harming her child considering their social norms. Yes, it's sad to sperate the child from it's parents but she feels that since she's fine, ML will be fine too. This is extremely insensitive but I don't think she has ever been very sensitive or empathetic to anybody since the beginning. But her heavy sense on responsibility partly negates this problem. And she solved the issue later, didn't she? Why do people even expect her to be so loving and caring anyways? I never saw any intention of her character developing in that direction since the beginning. Is the ending that shocking?

Also nobody is saying anything about the ML like he's so perfect and doesn't have any flaws. But he's just as flawed as FL? He's not very clever, lets his emotion control his actions, can be quite irrational and idealistic at times. These flaws can be considered big or small depending on the situation, just like FL's. (Like, honestly, the f*ck was he thinking when he ran away with the child?! Even I felt hella pissed, let alone Rubiana...) I felt like they were both flawed and that's why they were together? So that they could balance each other out.

Imo, if FL totally forgot about her oath or put ML above everything unconditionally,then it wouldn't have been a happy ending. That would be a "reason and responsibility went out of the window" ending. Genuinely. As a realist, I think FL's actions were quite reasonable most of the time.

 

i don't know if this is true or not based on what spoilers i read but does the ML really try to run away with the child after he learns what MC plans to do with him? Apparently ML planned to murder-s**cide with his child.

 

Spoiler

I don't clearly remember but I don't think he planned something like that. He ran away with the child for a while but FL found him before he left the city. I think he felt that FL didn't love her child and wanted to seperate him from that child. And that she didn't take his feelings to mind. And because ML never had any good blood relatives, his love for his child was kinda paranoid and obsessive, almost ignoring his own wellbeing. He felt that since FL didn't love her child, it might face something like he did in his childhood. So he wanted to protect the child by keeping it close. So he lost his reasons and tried to run away with it. I vaguely remember that some big thing was going on so FL was very busy and tired and couldn't have a good talk with him. They talked it out and reached a compromise after FL caught ML though.

 

Everyone did you forget????
This novel is supposed to be a role reverse
Y'know the typical cold northern duke, regressing fl, and stuff? So yeah. Y'all are just overthinking. I bet the author just wanted a role reverse so he/she made the mc go to he north and stuff

Spoiler

like the contract marriage, cold northern duke that's secretly hot, and shy fl(ml in this case instead). Anyways, bad rumors can also help to establish authority. And they can also be a plot device like some typical contract marriage ones (I forgot the names tho)

Btw this is sent on my phone with autocorrect so there migbt be some grammar issues