Dynamic-wise, FL is a born soft, naive, sweet, marshmallow cinnamon roll who has had to be hardass against her nature for a very long time. ML is a gentleman, but very toppy (omg, so toppy), though always respectful. They kind of come across as that one couple you know who says they're really into 'traditional gender roles'. It works for them, they have amazing chemistry, but it's a touch D/s ultra lite.

As the story goes on, it comes to light that the ML is essentially the One True KingTM. In response to this, the FL, whose dedication to her country was a main pillar of her personality, is almost eager and relieved to hand over the responsibilities and her role as ruler to him immediately... because she feels bad their predecessors were mean to him. It feels very anti-feminist that she doesn't fight for her position, or try to at least aim for co-ruler (he is the one who pushes for that), because of something as weak as second-hand guilt. Where is her pride in everything she accomplished? When she does assert herself, it is like she glances over the ML to ensure he's got her back and she has his permission.

It is pretty apparent that she is a born consort, not Queen Regnant, which is hard to accept in our modern Girl Boss world. You can tell she'll thrive as the soft touch consort who charms public opinion and does philanthropic works, acting as counterbalance to the firm hand the ruling ML will use in wiping out the uppity, conniving nobles and making the difficult decisions of reigning. It just chafes and you feel tad disappointed in her because of it.

I see that a lot happening on this site but in this case, talking to you "sai123" and "mustakarhu95", rating poorly the entire novel just because the FL doesn't fit your preferred character archetype or because you read the summary and got mad is asinine.

If you're curious about when the FL comes clean about the pregnancy, it's chapter 58, so YES. We are already passed that part, so if you were worried about having to wait, don't worry. And she was mostly keeping the secret towards the end because she was afraid of hurting him. Not only would she have to tell him that she lied, but also that she lied because she was afraid of him, which is something he has vocalized that he doesn't want. But I have to say, people yelling at her to "be honest" is kinda unfair considering the author was laying hint after hint that the ML wasn't being 100% truthful either in his interactions with her. He never once lied, that's true, but a lie of omission is still a lie. He had good reasons for keeping this truth from her because he knew it would only hurt her and cause her pain, but still. However, in his defense, he really liked her and was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would view being with him as an obligation for the sake of atonement, and he didn't want that. It's so important to him that she wants to be with him. I understand both of their motives and fears, which is really nice.

The FL makes her decisions out of fear; fear of the ML, fear for her nation, fear of her own uselessness and inabilities, etc, etc. She's terrified, and a lot of her decisions will be based in that and sometimes don't make the most sense because of that. Even her initial pregnancy lie feels more like a knee-jerk reaction from her to try and escape rather than something she carefully thought out. If you have anxiety or suffer from timidness, you'll probably be able to see a bit of yourself in her, as I certainly did. As for the ML, he comes into their relationship holding all the power. He has military strength and personal strength over her, so she has no choice but to skirt around him for fear of what he might do to her or her people should he become angered. The author gives the reader assurance that he means her no harm early on, but it's important to remember that the FL doesn't know what we know; so although we know he cares about her and doesn't want to hurt her, all she knows is that he is an unknown individual whose name she isn't even clear on, much less where he came from and what his plans for her are. For all she knows, his kindness and affection could all be a lie to trick her, and the fact that her ex-lover was once kind to her as well drives home that very real potential reality. But even after she found out how much he was hiding from her, she did not blame him, instead trying to understand his perspective and even attempting to act like she didn't know anything because she knew that's what he wanted from her; even coming clean on her own lie in lieu of him telling her his own truth.

Meanwhile, the ML very explicitly hides things from her, including his identity and everything in relation to the past they share. He goes behind her back, trying to manipulate things behind the scenes to stop her from ever finding out. Even after she did find out about it by a third party, his gut thought was 'How can I fix this?' and about what he could've done differently to prevent her from ever finding out. His reasons for doing so are understandable, but continue to perpetuate the FL's confusion on what the best course of action would be. I mentioned this above, but a lie of omission is still a lie and boy, does this this man omit things like crazy. If he feels like the FL doesn't need to know something, then he just won't tell her, although most of that is just out of protection.

Oh boy, but their relationship is so golden and sweet once everything is cleared away. It's so much more profound than anyone is giving it credit for. Once the veil of all the mysteries has been completely removed, the tenderness of their relationship is so good. We're talking; forehead kisses, holding hands, casually sharing a bed, feeding each other, like hello? The ML even lovingly tucked the FL into bed after she passed out from exhaustion from a long day of work. And the best part is that it feels earned. The pain of the beginning lends to those sweet moments having so much more meaning behind them. Like, they had to put work into their relationship, and now they're just reaping the benefits. And the s*xual tension is so well written! I feel the longing and mutual pining so strongly and I just want them to be married already! The casual domesticity of their interactions is an absolute goldmine, too. I'm rambling, but you get the point. They're so hec cute!!!

But at this point in time, she's definitely speaking her mind more because she has a support system now, which is always a helpful thing for nervous people to have. When she told off her shitty ex after he still was trying to cling onto her, I was just like YES! Get 'em. She's getting bolder little by little, which makes sense that it would take time. She's been living as a puppet for so many years, forced to make concessions for the sake of her people, and forced to give up parts of herself for the sake her role for so long. That's why she stayed in a toxic and probably abusive relationship with her ex for so long because she needed his power to protect her people. Obviously she's not going to become fierce within a matter of weeks. They even say explicitly in the story that it's going take her time to get used to her new normal.

Where we are in the story right now, the FL knows exactly who the ML (after nearly dying and kidnapped, took all that to get the truth smh) is and they're very comfortable in their relationship right now (knock on wood, hope it lasts jkfahsdkf) and she's starting to come out of her shell a little bit. I'm also sups glad shes not blaming herself for sh*t that wasn't her fault anymore bc dammit, she was a whole ass child at the time

Basically, she was a puppet monarch, by no fault of her own. Her father had signed a treaty with the leading families that gave them the power to oppose the monarch. The FL's father then passes away early, leaving the FL in charge of the country. However, she has no one on her side; there isn't even a royal faction of the aristocracy. She just never had anyone on her side to help her during tough situations and ended up being forced into a corner where she had to make bad choices in order to keep her people safe. But because of this, the monarchy was basically left even more toothless than it was already. Anyways, due to navigating politics on her own, the FL had grown distrustful and thinks everyone has a hidden agenda. So it makes sense that when the ML came and demanded a proposal with no strings attached, the FL couldn't believe him.

As for the ML, what I like about him is that he is extremely protective of the FL and the tension between him and the FL. He also isn't as saintly as her, nor does he conform to her standards unless given a good reason. As for his motives of why he proposed to the FL and came to her country in the first place, it comes to light later.