Spoiler The Abandoned Empress

Why do you think she would be strangled or locked away in a hidden house? I didn't get the impression from Allen that he would do anything to harm Tia to that extent. What happens in the novels that would lead you to have that impression?

 

Because that's exactly what he tries to do later on? Like according to the spoilers so far (and what's been foreshadowed for a while in the Manwha) his obsession with Tia is unhealthy. Like, EXTREMELY unhealthy. To the very point where he considers having her father killed for getting in the way at one point. And she's the ONLY person Allen treats that way. From what we see of his maids and literally almost every other character he can be a nasty piece of work if he tries.

And again, the 2nd timeline Ruve is fundamentally a different person. THAT along with him developing into a kinder person and eventually realizing he was being cold to Tia for no reason and then learning to reach out to people was one of the major deciding factors for Tia. They pretty much hammer that in when Jieun (the isekai'd girl from the first timeline now in the second) straight up gives up her revenge on Ruve because she wouldn't find it satisfying against someone so different from the Ruve she new.

That's the important part: he gets absolutely nowhere while he's still cold with her. He can't even speak to her, let alone hold up a conversation without her avoiding him or trying to get away. It's not until when he accidentally triggers her PTSD and discovers her letters revealing thes first timeline does he realize just how bad it truly was. And then after that? He gives her space, doesn't approach her for a long time and also gives her the means to anull their engagement.

I know I might come across as rude here but please please actually read through the story instead of judging by the ending spoilers without the important context and events that come before them. People absolutely review bombed this story when the Ruve spoiler came out before the story reached his development which was only 1/4 of the whole thing.

 

Thank you. Like 1 million times.
I guess s/he missed my point in my wall of text and my highlights but a lot of them do. Another reason I stopped responding. I'm torn between losing my hair or smh at my table.

The Great @Eodez has spoiled everything and she might have missed it. Im going to be a little more generous and hold myself back.

I would have preferred if some people who ship would actually consider the MC's choice but maybe I'm just wishing for a miracle.

PS You're not being rude. People should actually read like the story because there are a ton of development and details to make sense.

 

Spoiler: Allen's POV

Well, it's unfortunately plain written in Allen's POV in the novel. Those above were the author's words, not mine.
On the day Allen offers Tia a ribbon, she lets him tie her hair up for her. And Allen wants to choke her to death with the ribbon. This was portrayed very VERY discreetly in chapter 94 in the manhwa but when you read about it you feel like throwing up really. This is extremely graphic.
Then on the day he confesses, Tia rejects him, and he then leads her into a creepy part of the town to kidnap her and take her to a home he has been building for many years for her, hidden from everyone. And he plans to lock her up inside it forever, and have her removed from the face of the earth so that she would only see him and talk to him alone for the rest of her life.
You really feel dirty reading these chapters in the novel and I'm not looking forward to dive into it again. It shocked everyone on our discord sever. And we were glad and reassured when Allen disappeared from the novel soon after.

If you're an Allen's fan, I advise you to NEVER read the novel or the detailed spoilers. We've lost absolutely ALL our Allen's shippers after his POV was revealed on our channel.

@LockedPuppet I LOVE your answer. @ATrueStory is right : Thank you!

 

@Eodez. I have burning questions.
1. Do you know exactly the powerbase of Duke Jenna's faction?
2. Do Ruve and his father get any relationship beyond king and heir?
3. Did Keiran intentionally agree to bethored Tia knowing who Ruve's father is? And knowing their past?
4. Ruve was formally adopted, right?
5 .Is there a faction that represents the Empress? Is there an Empress, as in the wife of Ruve's father, at all?
4. I'm surprised that the Emperor' sister/Carsein's mother is cool about Ruve's position given her children have rights to inherit the throne. Is she plotting? I hope not.
5. Other than reviving Tia, is there an reason why Vita is necessary?

....and I'm not interested in beating the dead horse that is shipping. I'm done with it. I'm moving on with the political stuff becuase it more worthwhile to know than shipping stuff.

 

So a bit of analysis here. First Timeline Ruve is truly a pitiful person, not only did his actions hurt a ton of people and alienate himself from those who were once loyal to him, but in the end, even if he was being manipulated a lot of what happened was still pretty much his own fault for not reaching out to people.
And that's kind of what we see with Aristia: he wants her to reach out to him, to be open in showing her affections so he has confirmation that his feelings are reciprocated, yet at the same time he refuses to do the same for her. How could a person possibly show love to someone who's always cold to them? To someone who seemingly goes out of their way to make them feel helpless? I'm pretty sure first timeline Tia felt that way- that she's trapped in a terrible situation she doesn't want to be in, that her fiance hates her, the people around her take her for granted, and the only reason why she can move forward with her duties is because her father is counting on her.
The irony is, she had ALREADY tried taking the first step, yet even as they were engaged in their younger years the Prince was always cold and unfeeling towards her. She reached out, but no one reached back.

And the real kicker in all of this? When 1st timeline Ruve dies he's at least comforted by the fact that he'll be with Aristia in death, but he doesn't get even THAT- as we all know she's in the second timeline, well beyond the scope of his reach even in death, he died truly and utterly all alone.

 

okay. I'll bite. A little part of me really wanna rage at two fathers: Emperor and Keiran. Sure, Kerian turned a new leaf in the current timeline but he was pretty much the distant father in the original timeline. Even Tia didnt remember anything positive in their relationship in the current timeline. Its a far cry for a man to ignore a daughter spawned from the complete circus he has to participate just to be with her mother.

And the Emperor. Your usual 'duty before fanily shit'. Your usually 'get a kid and dont be a parent' who fits the title of sperm donor. Sure, he gave Ruve more than the basic necesities as a kid but he also created the situation where both his biological son and idealized daughter met their own dooms. Currently, I don't see an improvement, not that I am expecting anything anyway.

 

Do we know who Carsein married or is it never revealed

 

How does first ruve discover that Tia loves him?

 

What interesting questions @ATrueStory !

1. Do you know exactly the powerbase of Duke Jenna's faction?

Ok so, the Castina Empire has an Emperor but seems to be organised a bit like the English parliamentary monarchy. There is a parliament of some sort where nobles vote. Nobles seem to hold a great deal of power as they are the ones who judge their peers but also have a say in the choosing of the Empress and who the Prince is going to marry.
Among those nobles, there are two factions. One is conservative and submitted to the Emperor, it's the Imperial faction. Keirean of Monique, Arkint of Ras and Ruth of Verita are all from this faction. The other, led by Duke Jenna, are in favour of a stronger power for the nobles, it's the aristocracy faction. They're quite powerful. And agressive, as they are the opposition.
What readers needs to absolutely understand is that Emperor Mirkan, and later Emperor Ruvelis, are under a constant struggle for power with those nobles. As such royals are like trapped in the palace and they have to be very cunning to be able to push their own agenda foward. They are always negotiating with the nobles and cannot do whatever they want at all.
This is very obvious with what we see in the manhwa right now with the Princesses that are pushed on Ruve by Duke Jenna to fill in the position of Queen. Earlier, nobles already tried to have Ruve marry when he was very young in order to bypass Tia. Ruve cannot show any weakness and must sometimes even show that he can be cruel, like his father.
As the novel unfolds, we discover how powerful and scheming the nobles truly are. They are the ones who voted Tia's execution in the first timeline, when Ruve apparently wished for a lighter punishment. They're also the ones who can fight Ruve over the choice of his Empress. Ruve can only win time until Tia is willing to marry him due to Jieun being inadequate. But he doesn't have the power to refuse a candidate pushed forward by the nobles and the temple.
The temple is a third power that Emperor Mirkan hated. He had very bad relationship with them.
So, yes, it's a bit similar to the English monarchy system, but with an Emperor, and a stronger royal power. With the flags and the guillotine, and some names as "La Monique" we could have thought it was inspired by French Monarchy. But French kings were absolute until the Revolution. They had much more power over their nobles than Mirkan or Ruve do.

I hope this answer your question.

2. Do Ruve and his father get any relationship beyond king and heir?

Not really. Mirkan will die just as in first timeline without showing his son he loves him. It's only Tia who will comfort Ruve and tell him about how proud of him Mirkan was, and how much he loved him. This will appease Ruve greatly. But I don't think Mirkan ever was the father Ruve needed. Ruve is a very sensitive, caring and introverted person. And he definitely needed to be encouraged and cuddled. Ruve craves authentic interactions, and someone who can see him for a person. Ruve wasn't born a Prince. He was kind of sold by his mother to the King. So he doesn't really identify with his title, especially since he feels partly illegitimate for this position due to his commoner's blood. Ruve feels he's first a person, and secondly a Prince and later an Emperor. And this shows a lot from the moment he marries Tia. From the start Ruve breaks the rules imposed on their couple. Because to him they are first Tia and Ruve, not the Emperor and the Empress. From the start he refused be bound by protocole in his relationship with his loved one. This shows how foward thinking (and very modern) Ruve is in his conception of individual freedom and marriage (he only wants to marry for love, not for political reasons, and want his wife to be his equal and his partner, not his inferior and his broodmare).

3. Did Keiran intentionally agree to bethored Tia knowing who Ruve's father is? And knowing their past?

Yes. Keirean know all about Mirkan when he agrees to the betrothal. But I'm not sure he had much room to refuse, as both Mirkan and the Temple wanted the union, and Keirean was bound by his oath to execute Mirkan's orders. Also, Tia was the only daughter born in the imperial faction that could match Ruve in age and rank. So that was also what his faction wanted. In his defense, he's a military man, not very involved in politics. And he might have naively thought Tia would be protected from Duke Jenna if she was the Empress.

4. Ruve was formally adopted, right?

Yes he was formally adopted and his title is not at stake. There is no other prince to dispute his crown anyway. But the nobles don't seem to know he has commoner's blood. They probably think he's the son of a noble lady.

5 .Is there a faction that represents the Empress? Is there an Empress, as in the wife of Ruve's father, at all?

No Empress in sight. She most likely died before Ruve was adopted ? I don't remember Ruve mentionning the Mother Empress.

6. I'm surprised that the Emperor' sister/Carsein's mother is cool about Ruve's position given her children have rights to inherit the throne. Is she plotting? I hope not.

Nah, Erina de Ras is cool. She is loyal to the Emperor and to her faction. No plots. The Ras family is really a cool and loyal family. In fact, Erina is mentionned in the novel for going against Jieun, even before Jieun joins Duke Jenna. After her arrival Jieun is put in a palace managed by Erina and acts there like she is the mistress, which enrages Erina. And they both go against each other. Ruve has to go and play the referee. Ruve talks about it to Tia just before hugging her the very first time, obviously declaring his feelings for her to the readers, shortly after Jieun came to their world.

7. Other than reviving Tia, is there an reason why Vita is necessary?

I'm not sure how to answer this question. ^^ It's thanks to Vita (and Jieun) that Duke Jenna is finally caught and the Empire can thrive. Although the method to catch him is questionnable, with this first necessary timeline to shape Jieun to do her duty, we can't deny that it worked, lol.
If you wish to know if Vita appears again after Tia's being saved, then the answer is no. Vita doesn't interfere anymore with their lives in the novel (maybe he/she does in the short stories, I don't know yet).

@mocha34345 I haven't read volume 6 yet, but someone who read it told me Carsein's wife remained unknown. Unfortunately.​

 

Thanks a bunch for this. Cleared a lot of things for me. *throws virtual cupcakes*
Anyway, so much for my fanfic fantasy of Ruve somewhat running away. I don't why but I like him to run away from his father.
For some of the questions, I am trying to reaffirm if there are still present factions to appear. I know that some international royalty will be seen and I was unsure of Erina de Rass since, well, she never hid the fact that she was a classist, even to a nephew.

For the last question, karzak mentioned fate and I associated that with Vita, It made me wonder how much influence did Vita still has over the current timeline. Sure, Vita also helped Jiuen back into the scene and it eventually, kicked Duke Jenna into the curb. I hope that man suffered. If there was an empress and she has a faction, it will be a circus.

Anyway, if I could throw macaroons at you, I will find a way!

 

As I translate/summarise earlier chapters, Mirkan is somehow growing on me tbh. I understand he's tried to do his best with Ruve, thinking Ruve needed to toughen up in order not to be eaten up by the aristocrats (and he might have been right, because there are like a pack of wolves). Indeed in second lifetime, without the poison and the bad influence from Duke Jenna, Ruve grew into a really fair, cunning and strong ruler who inspire both fear and respect to nobles. I also came to understand that Mirkan only wanted to protect Tia from Duke Jenna by pushing her into the position of Empress (this appears in chapter 96 of the manhwa when Mirkan explains to Keirean why he offers a tiara to Tia - in the novel, Mirkan specifically mentions Jeremiah's death and Duke Jenna and something about not repeating past mistakes and protecting whom had to be protected). He also wanted his son to be strongly supported by Tia and Keirean after he left. He thought Tia was like Jeremiah and would bring joy and happiness to his son, just as Jeremiah brought joy and happiness to him and Keirean. In second timeline, Mirkan is the first one to notice Ruve loves Tia, and he tries his best to support his son in every way (even clumsy ones). I find him very touching when he says he's haunted by Ruve's sad expression when he saw Tia and Carsein together. I guess it triggers bad memories for him too, when the woman he loved chose one of his knights instead of him. Then to help his son, Mirkan sends Tia on an impossible errand so that she misses the ceremony. What I find amusing about this, is how Mirkan absolutely doesn't want his name to be associated with this bad deed and use Arkint's name instead (Arkint is so funny, lol). We can see how much Mirkan doesn't want Tia to be disappointed in him, and I find that rather touching in a way. Mirkan feels really down whenever Tia is afraid or warry of him. He's completely infatuated with Tia, as if she was his own cute little girl. And... well, I find him touching.

Omg... I don't even want to imagine! It was complicated and nasty enough

 

I just remembered something. You said that

Spoiler: 1st timeline Ruve's POV

Ruve really wanted Tia's and his child to be the next emperor because he truly believed she was the only one who could raise the future emperor. He knew Jieun was unfit to be the mother of the crown prince.

But we all know in the 1st timeline, Ruve said to Tia that there's absolutely no way Tia's child could be his heir, the only heir he will acknowledge is Jieun's--and that was one key point that made Tia lost her mind (so she stabbed Ruve afterwards). My question is: did those hurtful words Ruve said to Tia was because of poison, while in his heart he wants to say the thing in the spoiler tag? Is the poison also makes Ruve say the opposite of what he really wants to say?

Thanks again for all of the spoilers @Eodez ! Love you so much!

 

The abondonned empress it remind me of a villainess noble girl type of story because jieun could totally have been the heroine of a shojo manga : schoolar girl choosed by the god as empress to marry the Prince type of isekai that i have seen many time kyou kara maoh , fushigi yugi, make rising of the shield hero etc mc sent in another world as the hero , dear child of the god , priestress is cliché and in jieun pov tia could have been the villainess and we will be all rotten for jieun. As the empress tia can still be a knight or not ?

 

Aawww

Spoiler: 1st Ruve's POV 3

Well, that is a good question. I might be able to answer more accuratly once I've translated the POV, but indeed it seems that when the poison takes over, 1st Ruve gets into a kind of rage that makes him say things he doesn't really mean and do things he regrets after. Now, were this lie intentional or not? That is hard to say. But it was never said in the novel at any moment that 1st Ruve was "watching" himself lie from the outside, like he was dispossessed of himself, you know? So I guess it was an "intentional" lie.

Maybe 1st Ruve lied in order to save his face in front of Tia (because he thought Tia was only using him as a breeder and a pawn). But it's more likely 1st Ruve said those words in a fit of rage. You know, how sometimes you're just too angry and say things you don't think. Last but not least, as the poison deprive him of sleep, Ruve drinks heavily in order to be able to sleep (and it's the wine he drinks on order to sleep that is poisoned). So he's clearly addicted to alcohol too. And we know how people act when under alcohol.

This said, 1st Ruve never knew he was truly hurting Tia with these words. Had he known he was hurting her (and not simply annoying her and getting in the way of her schemes) the end would have been very different for the both of them. 1st Ruve really thought Tia didn't have any feelings for him... or any feelings at all for that matter.

It is also clear that the palace staff is also to blame for 1st Ruve's perception of Tia. They were really malicious in their gossips and reports to 1st Ruve. For example when Tia loses her child, 1st Ruve is deeply hurt too and wants to reach out to Tia. To see if he can somehow create a bond with her, now that she might suffer like he does. He somehow hopes that she developped feelings at the death of their child and he could comfort her and connect with her. But the palace staff report to him that Tia laughed at the news of her miscarriage (while she laughed in despair because she heard that Jieun was pregnant and she was barren - what a bunch of liars), and 1st Ruve is so angry and hurt that he curse Tia for her cruelty and breaks things in his office. So once again, he had regained a bit of his sanity only to lose it again.

@Lovina

Spoiler: Tia becomes a knight

Yes, she can be a knight and the Empress. And she WILL. She will be knighted by Ruve when he's emperor. ^^

Spoiler: Tia swears the Monique oath

Just after her knighting, Tia doesn't step back. She stays where she is and pledges the Monique's oath : the lifetime loyalty of the Monique clan to the emperor. Ruve is shocked, and try to stop her several times. He says to Tia that he won't listen and tries to stop her from speaking. In exchange of her lifetime loyalty, Ruve must grant a wish of Tia in return. And Tia asks to become the heir of her family (which means that Tia renounces any link to the royal family, and won't be able to marry Ruve). Ruve is infuriated. And shouts that he rejects her oath. It cannot be done. It never happened in millenia, so everyone is shocked, especially Tia. But Ruve says that he will NEVER accept her oath and leaves the hall, furious.

So Tia runs over the castle to find Ruve to try to convince him to accept her oath. But she's suddenly dragged behind a pillar by Ruve. He comes closer to her and says "Aristia... I love you..." Tia says "Your majesty..." Ruve repeats "I love you" and he slowly presses his body against hers, Tia gets weak and he kisses her. And girls... That is a HOT French kiss. Ruve also grabs Tia's hairpin, let down Tia's hair and caresses her face amorously. Tia's legs give up and she holds herself on his shoulders and neck. Then he squeezes her but says "Aristia, I'm sorry. I pledged I wouldn't do anything you didn't want to do but I've lost my mind for a while. Forgive me. But Aristia I'm serious about what I've just said to you. I want you as a loving woman, not as a loyal servant. Will you not be by my side? Instead of being the Monique Marquis, can you not be my only companion?" Then he says that he's afraid to lose her because when he steps back a little, she runs away from him. He asks why she rejects him so forcefully. She even uses the most extreme methods to get rid of him and he doesn't understand what he's done to her and why she acts like this. He says "Aristia, I know it's premature. You don't care about me. I will not push you, I will not ask you to come to me, but please just don't run away." Then they hear Keirean coming and Ruve says to Tia "If you swear your oath again, I will shut your mouth like I did a while ago" (with a kiss). Then he goes out to greet Keirean while Tia strokes her lips. (She seemed very much into the kiss and very consenting... Obviously he's a good kisser, she seems completely dazed.)

 

Sorry @shelldon !! Your message only appeared today! :O

Spoiler: How Ruve finds out Tia loves him

He finds out after Tia was stabbed and healed, she goes to his office and hugs him and says she's sorry for not believing he loved her. Then Ruve asks her if this means what he thinks it means (poor man thinks he's hallucinating, lol). And when she agrees he kisses her PASSIONATELY, even draws her on his lap and they are found out in this compromising position. ^^

 

Will you then publish Ruve's Pov when translating? I am interested, because I don't have Discord.

 

Re:Mirkan. With him, I find Tia and Ruve's relationship as more of a brother and sister. Guy clearly wanted to have a kid with Jeremiah but he really can't force her and when Tia arrived, he's like a double of Keiran. Then, you got his bio child who is, of course, trapped to be his kid and like any noble kid, has some very big shoes to feel whether he likes it or not.
This also leads me to another question, if you don't mind....Is there a Keiran POV about Ruve and Tia in the current timeline? I think you already answered his POV for the first one. I just want to know if he still went to a logical route or he might break the Monique oath.

And is Duke Veritas not aware of Allendis' ....tendencies? I know he wants to keep Allendis to be loyal to the faction but his personality will clash over alliances.

Also, why is Duke Jenna 'a Black Rose'? Is he like Danzo in Naruto? He gives the old guy creep vibes...(shudders).

I already said this in the discord but thanks for the Google Docs!

 

@Foxandcat No there will be no publication for obvious copyrights reasons.

 

You're very welcome

To my knowledge (I can have skipped it or not remember it) there is no Keirean's POV

Is Ruth aware of Allen's nature? Partly. He knows him choosing Alexis as his heir will anger Allen. But he tries to not robb his elder child of his birthright. And he warns Allen when the Emperor sends Allen far from Tia, to not wish for what he cannot have (Allen wants to marry Tia to become his father's heir) so Ruth is aware of what Allen is thinking and scheming.

I'm very interested in who took their place (we know Keirean is above Duke Jenna, so he should have replace one of them) and I'll pay attention. I don't know what this "black rose" rank is about.
For those who are lost here, we refer to the traitors Dukes Kaisil, Heidel and Laurel who are mentioned in the manhwa in chapter 97, and to a picture from chapter 81 where we see the nobles from a decade ago ranked.