it's a tragedy and I added the tag to reflect it. She dies at the end because the king is bent on killing her after he'd destroyed her family.

Her three brothers are fugitives because of a secret. Which I'm just going to say now, is that the current emperor is a fake. Fake in what form? I don't know and don't care.

I only grasped that the real emperor is dead and this bastard took over his identity. He forced the ML to accept his sister as the main wife while pushing MC to become a concubine. Then on the day of the wedding, someone came in and splashed some acid (or its equivalent) on the ML's face and he fell unconscious.

During that time, Princess went to MC's courtyard and basically mocked her. MC knew then that the king was never going to let her survive. She then just says aloud the secret (but I'm not sure if she always knew or found out coz again, was just pissed. Plus before this incident she went to look for her brothers and they coldly cut off ties with her—to protect her—not that she knew it. And fat lot of good it did her in the end).

Princess then orders the entire courtyard and its people burnt to ashes, counts the bodies and is all happy. ML wakes up to hear the news. Princess pretty much says MC was the one who tried to hurt him with the acid and then burnt herself to death. ML doesn't believe it and nearly strangled her to death before leaving to investigate. Princess is still complacent believing that his anger was just on the surface.

A few days later he's found out the truth and he comes back like an avenging angel and slaughters the people around her. He didn't kill her but I don't remember why nor do I care. She's killed by someone else, a guy who was the ML imposter. And clearly this death is pinned on the ML and family.

The story ends with the ML and his entire family being executed and the emperor ordering for MC's three brothers to be found and killed at all costs because heck no is he giving any of this up since the view up here on the Dragon throne is SO beautiful. The story literally ends with, (paraphrasing a bit) 'it's such a pity that these two great families (MC and ML's), who've been lauded for so many years, finally came to such an end'. THE END.

I nearly exploded, imploded, combusted, rained fire upon the earth etc.

sigh.... it's just so... unsatisfying... you're left feeling cheated, helpless, with nowhere for the anger to go at the end. You can't even feel sad but rather a... why did I read this? What kind of torture is this? And then you realise that so many stories really end like this. Unfair. Cut short. The good guys don't always win.

I kept hoping and hoping and hoping up till the 2nd last chapter that the situation would turn around. That someone—anyone—would salvage the situation. I'd didn't care who at that point. That tells you how long and how much I held out hope.

Nope.

I'm just scarred at this point.