Chapters 1-30: Navier is a punching bag, the ML arrives. Everyone hopes that Sovieshu dies a dog's death, what an a**hole.

Chapter 30: Rashta's old s*ave owner blackmails her and she begins to participate in politics with a friend (?) advising.

Chapter 45 (ish) : Rashta becomes pregnant. It's made clear to her that the child will not be a part of the royal family, and she starts getting desperate. An attempt is made on her baby's life and people start really investigating her background.

Chapter 65 (ish) : Sovieshu figures out Rashta's secret and who tried to have the baby killed, and comes up with a very (very) s*upid plan to legitimize it that involves divorcing his current wife, raising Rashta to become empress until she gives birth, and then marrying Navier again. Everyone hopes that Sovieshu dies a dog's death, what an a**hole.

Navier learns of the part of Sovieshu's plan where she's being divorced, triggering the actions that eventually lead to the scene in chapter 1, which I believe actually happens around chapter 80-something or so.

Surprisingly, I find myself really sympathizing with Rashta the more I learn about her. She's not a shallow white lotus villainness who does malicious things for petty reasons, but instead a character who behaves like what her background has molded her into. Habits that served her well as a s*ave don't do her much good as a concubine (aside from evoking pity). She doesn't mind using her body and beauty, which she probably learnt as a s*ave, but she has dreams of being loved and is starving for affection and attention. She's incredibly protective over her children and only really trusts herself with them. It's still unknown if she's hiding more malicious intents, but so far she seems to be more or less what she says she is.

Soviet is actually not all that blind, he knows everything about Rasta being a s*ave and a bit*h and is just covering it up because he needs the baby, which leads to his downfall because he wanted a successor more than his wife (but tbh it was a tough decision because there is no one else to succeed the throne). He keeps complaining that Navier is infertile (I'm guessing it's not true I think the marquis asking repeatedly "how are you sure (she's infertile) " is a foreshadowing, but he is convinced that he/she/both are infertile because they ate abortion cookies when they were kids (which Navier almost ate everything)) but like maybe they just haven't been doing it enough? Seriously he hasn't touched her once except that time on her birthday (which didn't follow thru because Navier got disgusted and he was sick), and he didn't even wonder or care about Rasta being a non virg*n (does he even know the difference)... and Navier wouldn't be that shy seeing a naked man's body when she sleeps together with Soviet but she's like a virg*n lady (or Heinley is just too hot). But yeah things wouldn't have escalated so far if Soviet and Navier were just honest with each other, the whole point of the divorce is to make the baby a legitimate heir, also because he feels threatened because Naviers brother used abortion pills so he thinks Navier and her family will hurt the baby. Soviet actually planned out a lot, he wanted to reinstate Navier to empress after a year, he never planned on letting her go, he kept all the dirty shady evidence against Rasta to divorce her after a year but he didn't tell Navier anything and didn't know how deep her relationship with Heinley was. It's Soviet's loss in thinking he can keep her as an abandoned empress. Navier thinks that Soviet is head over heels in love with Rasta and is doing everything (false charges against her brother) to divorce her, so she gets panicked and asks for Heinley's help. But sadly Navier doesn't love Heinley yet, she just kinda asked for his help as a friend (which hurts because he is whipped). At this point, it's still possible for Soviet to win her back and remarry her (since she admits to loving Soviet, but hasn't told anyone yet, and yes Soviet loves her and doesn't actually love Rasta)... but ofc I am rooting for the bird king... though Heinley has more chances with Navier in his bird form tbh XD archduke is also a tremendous cutie pie who needs a girl XD

But in this case a bird hahaha

, and the divorce is not happening yet, which is frustrating, to say the least. The divorce is not even the only slow build issue that we have here, since the Main Female Character hasn't fallen in love with the ML.

escaped s*avery, whose baby was thought to be dead, and who wanted to better her situation and escape by trying to be the emperors lover. (I don't say it is right what she did, I am just saying that being a s*ave and wanting to better yourself, makes her not as evil)

Her excuse for holding everything in, and not doing anything is that, since she is the empress she should stay quiet, because an emperess' only cuality is being poius, quiet and a doormat. In her mind since she is the empress she should let the concubine be regaled higher than her, so that people could magically think better or her for doing that. At the end the male character, who is the emperor of another kingdom, feels like he has to help her, with the situation since she is such good person and empress, so good that she never gets angry (guess it worked for him)

other emperors, and the embassador from another country, all of whomare powerful people in itself, the best of the best.

The brother of the empress knows that it is allowed and normal to have concubines, yet he gets pissed off with the emperor for having one. Alright familial love, but then he plans (and goes through with poisoning Rashta) to have the baby aborted, he cuts off the ears of another character, and tortures that other character, but it is seen as right because he is angry on his sisters behalf. In fact, the other characters know, and they applaud because he is doing it on MC'S behalf. I don't understand this. The hero smears the name of the woman he loves (who doesn't like him that way), and acts like he is against her and on Rashta's side, so that when she is "free" she can divorce, and therefore marry him in the future?

The female villain is supposed to be hated because she's a former s*ave rising above her station? It's not as if she isn't manipulative, but the warped moral compass and double standards that permeate the poor writing make it hard to care for anyone. Why should I decry Sovieshu and Rashta when the protagonist isn't any different? In fact, one of the villain characters in the story is a s*ave owner and the only reason he is considered a villain is not because he owns s*aves (that would make him a hero in the MC's eyes), but because he chooses to help a former s*ave.