There are 2 timelines in the story.

1st timeline: In this timeline (ITT), the FL transmigrates to the world without the System. Her body ITT is mentally ret*rded, her father a useless piece of sh*t and she has a brother also pos. Now without the knowledge of the Og body, the FL who cannot communicate and thus does not return to her house and is later adopted by a widow who is killed by the pos brother which leads to the FL killing the brother. The FL goes on to become a bandit queen and subdues all bandits and turns them into her army and fights for the world. Sometime later she meets the ML and starts liking him over time, but cuz she's extremely arrogant and does not like to explain herself, she lets the ML misunderstand that she only treats him as a plaything. ML is very affected by this and is later framed by others (cuz they fear that he's plotting to takeover the throne) using his birthdate and develops suicidal tendencies and the FL puts him under constant surveillance to protect him. This leads to him retreating for good from the court. They have 2 children a girl and a boy. The FL sends the boy to be raised by the ML cuz she is worried that a male emperor would reduce all her hard work of female empowerment to dust. Later the son is goaded by aristocratic families to rebel and the FL pretends to be dead in order to catch all the rebels together but when the ML learns of this, he in front of FL, commits su*cide claiming that the son is not the prince. The rebellion is put down but FL's health deteriorates and she dies a few years later.

(Here in an extra we see that the FL actually returns to the Federation after her death where she tells her superior that her life was filled with regrets to which the chief asks if she is given chance to do it again without her memories will she do it and the FL agrees.)

2nd Timeline (present timeline) : This timeline changes cuz of the system. It brings the Zhongzhao queen to seduce ppl with air of destiny to get energy. As a side effect, the FL's mom also transmigrates. After the dad falls in love with mom he changes the ways of his future self (later reveled that a part of the system took over his body long ago but he really loved mom so he secretly plots to destroy the system). The queen kills the mom and her 2 boys. FL transmigrates with system, as a side effect ML is also reborn. The ML is not willing to meet FL in this life cuz of last life's trauma but eventually admits that she is the best candidate for ruling the world and returns to her side. This time cuz of changes in both of them, FL and ML are able to live well.

The romance isn't prominent, and some may feel that she doesn't even like him, but that's actually bullshit. The FL absolutely adores him.

The ML in present timeline doesn't believe that she actually loves him and it takes FL around 10 to 15 years to convince him otherwise. She shows favor to him a lot & her other subordinates have to tell to take it down a notch cuz she's always abt to make others suspicious of their relationship. (LOL!!!)

my personal fav, , she gets jealous of her previous self because ML keeps talking abt her and later lambasts her as incompetent for failing to protect him and promises that she'll do better (ROFL!!) ;)

so he may have liked her in the previous timeline but he doesn't like her in this one. in 1st life he was very hated and only FL protected him. but now he isn't and their original interactions in this life were when he believed her to be male. So no romance for them this time.