Any time he enters a relationship with a woman, the boundaries are made clear right from the beginning: Have some fun, play around for a bit, and then part ways cleanly. It's even become well known that if a woman decides to enter a relationship with him, they'd be seen as the envy of everyone, but that they couldn't be with him forever. I don't think the ML is at fault for the women he sees catching 'feelings' for him, expecting him to reciprocate, and then getting mad at him when he doesn't, especially when he makes his expectations for the relationship clear right from the start. I feel that way about real life circumstances as well, if a Person A wants a casual fling and Person B agrees to that, Person A is not obligated to reciprocate feelings if Person B ends up catching any.

I'd be more angry with him if he were leading them on, making promises he never intended to keep, but that's clearly not what's happening. I think it was even mentioned that the ML never approaches women first, he just takes whomever comes his way, hence why he's fairly bad at pursuing women himself.

The only thing he does that's deserving of karmic retribution is this bet of his (but that's where the 'Pride' aspect of the title comes into play). The ML is extremely prideful, so when his friends start goading him on with how he could never manage to seduce the woman who hated him enough to slap him, his arrogance forces him to take the bait and the bet.

But despite that fact, what made me love the ML the most was that you can clearly see the good person beneath his snarky, arrogant, and rather flippant self. He treats his sister with affection and love, being protective and caring for her even as he teases her, he respects his mother and his father, he has a friendly but teasing bond with his older brother, and he treats the FL with so much clear affection without even realizing it. He clearly likes her, perhaps even loves her, but doesn't even realize that fact for himself.

I just want to preface this by saying the leads are NOT high schoolers like a prior review has stated. It was made clear very early on that the "Academy" setting is university aged, with the leads being in their early 20s pre time-skip and late 20s post time-skip. Another reviewer pointed out that this story is very similar to Taming of the Shrew, and that's definitely an apt description. The flighty womanizer melts the hearts of the ice queen and himself without even realizing it. Plus baby.

He's brooding but emotional, snarky but caring, and has a lot of sensitivities when it comes to the idea of love. He doesn't seem to believe in it even though he's surrounded by it. His parents are in love, and his siblings are a ton of fun, which left a lot of people confused as to what made him so jaded.

A lot of that stems from trauma left behind by his uncle. His uncle, who is his father's older brother, was once a kind and caring man. He was always smiling, was beloved by the people of the Empire, and was seen by others as being more personable in comparison to his brother, who was more cold and distant. By all accounts, he was a good man..... until he suddenly attempted to mu*der the pregnant Empress, Lexus, and his older brother, Axion. All of them narrowly escaped this attempt at their lives and since then, Lexus has struggled to trust after this unexpected betrayal. Especially after the uncle returns to hound Lexus and his new family.

But honestly, Lexus is a serious breath of fresh air when it comes to MLs. Especially after the time skip. The sarcasm and joking tone that a lot of his dialogue contains never fails to make me laugh, and though he has "as*hole tendencies" you can't help but love him because deep down, you know he's a good person, just a little misguided and out of touch with his own emotions.

However, the situation with her parents has instilled in her a fear of becoming close with others, leaving her confused on how to interact with people and maintain positive relationships. Her mother and father used to be in love but then her father suddenly started having an affair which drove her mother to her death. Now, whenever her father speaks about her mother, it's always with cold and callous words.

Though her relationship with Lexus at the outset ended up falling apart tragically, what I loved was that it was still an incredibly valuable experience for Valentia. For her, who thought she was alright by herself and that she didn't need anyone around her at all, being with Lexus taught her that no man is an island, that humans are social creatures who inherently crave connections. That's why, after the time skip, Valentia is clearly shown trying to socialize and connect with the people around her, being the first to reach out to others in a way her past self never even tried.

And I also just want to say that Lexus is a wonderful father. I get misty eyed just thinking about it. There's this one part in the novel where Lexus is holding Elijah, soothing him while he cries and I nearly screamed, it was such a soft moment. Before Lexus found out that Elijah was his son, he openly said that he loved the boy and wanted him to live safely and happily........ Catch me crying alone in my room at that softness. Lexus really adores Elijah, even before he knew he was his father, which I feel like is something we don't see often in novels. It's always the blood connection that forces feelings into action, but Lexus truly cared about Elijah even before then.

I feel like so many of the MLs I read in novels either feel like "fathers" (authoritative and domineering) or they don't see their child as being a child (et. al every novel where the ML competes with the child for the FL's affection). But Lexus actually feels like a dad. The genuine care and love he shows his son is so beautiful. Not to mention how patient he is with him, allowing Elijah to take his time with things and accept things on his own terms.

One particular critism I saw from the raws that I just wanted to touch on for a second is that "This is a Rofan, why isn't there enough romance in it?"

I will say that the romance in this novel is more subtle than most. The characters are built up so much in a slow-burn way, their romance being much less obvious than most. They hardly ever touch each other, much less kiss and a lot of their more intimate moments are (fade to black).

But the ways the author builds them both up, showing so much care, adoration, and overall love is expert. The romance here isn't the "hold hand, kiss, and snu-snu" type, but rather a deeply philosophical exploration into both their characters, how they interact, and why they work well together. Think Jane Austen levels of romance but with less flowery writing.

I adore the side characters in this novel, especially towards the ladder half of the novel. They're given so much depth to them and are given moments to shine and burn bright on their own without being overshadowed by the lead. While I do agree that the villainess character seems rather 2D to start, even she is given depth and meaning so that, as a reader, you feel like her arc was properly wrapped up before the story moves on.

This story puts a lot of emphasis on brotherhood, both in the form of Elijah/Sephyan as well as the Emperor and his own brother-- relationships that perfectly show the duality of what these familial bonds can look like. I won't talk too much on that because I could honestly write an essay about it but trust me, it's good.

sure, he's gonna suffer, but I still wont like him no matter what. and that tr*shy friend of his who starts the bet. I swear to god, if he doesnt suffer... anyway, as i've said, he makes a bet. and im pretty sure valentia found out about it and its most probably the reason why she left him. but I just wish that the author didnt reunite her with lexus (the ml). just because they have a kid together, doesnt necessarily mean that they have to be together. yes, a child needs a complete family. but sometimes, the said family doesnt need to be blood related to you. yes, im suggesting that valentia moves on and finds a new love. not someone who only approached her just because "she's not like other girls" or someone who made a f*cking bet with his friend on a whim, but someone who genuinely likes her. and I can understand that lexus will come to like her, but it doesnt change the face that he approached her just because of a bet he made with tex (his friend). its not my cup of tea (the him approaching her cuz of a s*upid reason, I mean)

This novel has a lot of tropes. From enemies-to-lovers, to the FL getting pregnant by the ML who she thought doesn't really want kids (but he does, there's just a reason why he can't). So, the FL runs away. And the But of course, everything works out in the end.

Certain misunderstandings you get with these type of stories like who the real father of the baby is clears up in a timely manner. But the only mild criticism I have, which is really more of a quirk if the story are the amount of kidnappings that happen. I think it’s 3 across the story which isn’t much but I just think it’s redundant but not enough to deter from any enjoyment. The reason the FL ends up believing the ML loves her is also kind of dumb but, again, it’s nothing that ruins the story. It’s all just a little funny/ quirky. Overall nice story and I love that the kid isn’t some sort of genius like these stories often make the kids. He’s just a normal child.