MC has no friends! He is so alone. All he has is servants and ML and even ML is barely with him and his servants betray him XD. He’s timid, yes, but he is too timid. MC barely does anything of note until the ending. His personality becomes so bland as the story progresses.

Sometimes he gives you the impression that he can’t think because he doesn’t think through anything!!! For a man who wants to stay alive he always runs straight towards danger and is constantly being rescued by the ML. He doesn’t think any deeper about the novel or the spirit stone on his own accord. MC has to be reminded about it.

He is so boring. He leaves MC alone all the time and for the whole entirety of the novel, his defining feature is that he’s about to die. I can’t even remember if MC and ML had any sweet scenes.

For example, MC was ready to leave the palace, but when he couldn't, he suddenly found himself madly in love with ML. I attributed this to dependency and ML's situation (ahem, extra spoiler alert...

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ML was dying, and MC couldn't bear to see the once-strong ML suddenly giving up everything and saying goodbye). (Or maybe I just missed something.) But it's still a fact that romance was never forced.

except for that mysterious force that controlled MC a few times, starting when he first met his bio dad and was told to marry ML, which I had to use my rich imagination to believe (somewhat) the stone was truly controlling him so he would marry ML, and stay by his side as an after effect of his future wish to.... (better not spoil what that is)

I was super happy to see ML excited to see his son every day after court. It felt amazing! After all, I don't like when MLs compete with their children for "mom's" attention. However, in the very next chapter, ML is suddenly dissatisfied with his son and only wants to be with MC, acting like a jealous vinegar jar.

Now, I know I said I don't like that type of ML, but that doesn't mean it's inherently annoying. I already know what they're like, after all. Buuuuut it becomes extra annoying when the author raises my expectations so high with fluffy scenes of ML doting on his son, only to then show ML not paying him any attention anymore and always angry with him whenever MC is looking at him.

Yeah, ML still spoils him by getting him anything he wants, and maybe he's just frustrated. But as a ruler, as an emperor, you don't bully your subjects just because you had a quarrel with your wife. Acting like a child in front of MC? Fine. Acting like that while doing your job? Not fine.

ML: *looking vicious and intimidating*

MC: *averts eyes*

ML: look over here

MC: *looks but then closes eye so he doesn't have to look*

ML: if you don't want to use your eyes I'll just gouge it for you.

MC: 👀

Cannon fodder lady: your royal highness! I g-greet his royal highness!

ML: (unclear but could be talking to MC) come over here

CF lady: (understandably thinks he's calling her) *gets up and wants to walk over*

Eunuch: PREPOSTEROUS!

CF lady: *shudders and drops on her knees again*

ML: use your knee to walk.

CF lady: I am very blessed! [insert many praises and rainbow farts here] if I could see your wondrous grace up close then I'd be able to die happily!

ML: then perish. *snaps her neck in one hand*

Many people want to get close and kill ML. Also ML had no reason to be at that place other than to help MC.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Another time:

ML: come closer.

MC: *scoots over on knees*

ML: I'm telling you to walk over.

MC: *gets up and walks on two legs*

- - - - -

ML: thinks all if not most gifted food has poison

also ML: eats MC's mysterious food X without being prompted, without prior poison testing, without hesitation

he asked MC for something of MC's in exchange for other people's lives. MC being a poor sod had nothing to his name. Then MC remembered the cake he made, the only thing he had that's presentable to bigwigs. Which makes me think ML did all that just to get a taste of the cake tbh.

- - - - -

ML: no one bother me or I will explode

ML: who told you to shout at him?

ML has an old "enemy" who looks very similar to MC. Now idk if this person really was his enemy or ML just resents him for leaving. He allegedly promised ML he'll never leave, he has knife wounds on stomach and leg. MC looks exactly like him, except the wounds. So I briefly thought maybe there's some hidden past here because before our MC even came, the original body also lived on until the tyrant emperor died. I thought there's amnesia plot, childhood sweetheart, or it was their previous lives...

and then. turns out ML has this healing ability by using his blood, which I assumed healed his own leg (but not his face because it's outer appearance). So it might even be this life.

I don't think ML is the type of guy who'd keep a substitute around. If they're not the same person: If he loved that old "enemy", then he'd kill off MC. If he hated old enemy, then he must like MC or at least enjoy teasing him from the interactions I've seen.

THEORY: I'm inclined to think it's the past life, as in the MC and ML had lived this life before and that's why there's a remnant of control. Maybe MC was controlled till his death back then and can only break through in this life. And he got the knife wounds in a future plot and died after tyrant emperor was killed.

sooo I was right, "enemy" was MC, from the future. I guess ML also had no idea how MC never aged or why he didn't remember him. His soul/spirit travelled back in time and met child ML. ML falls in love, ofc, but MC gotta go back to his time. They're cute, just that in the middle there's so little that happens! And I hate that the author used their godly power to restrict MC's movements (author did this in another one of their book, it makes MC seem trapped and also makes the story not about him but ML. Because he resigns himself to the restriction.)

the beginning was so promising, but the middle part is so boring and drawn out. Nothing else happens and the shift between not-love to love is abrupt, even though there were many chapters that can be used for progression.

right from the beginning there's a power imbalance because MC is very scared of ML (and he is right to be), while ML knows everything and still choose to tease him about his life and death.

the dubcon is because ML's blood acts like aphrodisiac, but he also didn't know his blood can make people crave him. ML never really does anything bad towards MC, it's very similar to author's prev work, adopting the villain: where ML is cruel but never to MC, in fact he is only soft to MC.

MC makes cake, MC fights but fails and become pawn of fate for most of the novel, ML kinda tries his best, never intending to harm MC but the plot ends up getting to MC anyway!

Also the fact ML has been in love with MC since he was a kid stabs me right in the heart, hook line and sinker. ML was a pretty cute kid...

MC is under the influence of something & not completely all there & they start having s*x. They don't finish because MC's head clears up & he kicks the ml

the ml's past, the mother, the poison, it's getting cured, the reason for the strange powers

a blip, the pregnancy plays some role in the plot but the child is a literal afterthought

I was so angry when he thought of the MC as a substitute but things arent clear yet

MC: I can't be empress. I'm a concubine and a man.

Maid: Rules are dead, people are alive. The emperor can make the harem for 1 person, he can make you empress.

MC: Tell me so I can stop worrying

ML: Good.

(dissappears to go kill others, turns a blind eye to MC kidnapping to find enemy hideout)

MC is a coward and gets scared easily. It makes sense knowing he's from a 21st century modern man who never saw actual killings in his life. But the way he kept going "I shouldn't mess/talk bad/provoke the book protagonists because after all they have the protagonist halo" is annoying.

Also, even after uncovering so many hidden truths, backgrounds, people not mentioned in the book, he kept mentioning the book over and over.

MC doesn't insist or wonder why the plot isn't according to book plot, but he kept thinking about "book plot, protagonist, villain" as if this whole thing, this world he lives in where he could actually DIE is still just a book he read.

E.g: ML mocked book ML. MC went, "forget it, just let him say it. A villain who doesn't speak ill of the protagonist is not a good villain." Even after living with ML for so long and knowing despite his crazy temper and killing, there's more to him doing that than just because he's a "villain."

It's as if he's thinking all this people are still just mere characters in a book despite already living the life of one of the characters and got to know so many of these characters.

The fact that ML who is short tempered has yet to kill him might just be due to the real protagonist halo smh

Disappointed?

Like how he feel safe at certain moments. And happy with him at some point.

But then after they did the real REAL interc**rse, the disappoinment MC feel when he's not allowed to have kids because the situation not right yet.

MC know what ML mean. We all reader also understood very well.

That's why this 'not get to have babies' was only the first level of disappointment.

MC already have deeper feeling toward ML at that point, and vice versa, but maybe we can't call it 'Love' yet.

And then another moment where ML chose to go back but didn't bring MC. The denial of longing and feelings of 'he probably would forget about me' was another disappoinment.

Next the land deed and the feelings of why this happen.