This novel is a story that starts off dark and has a serious ray of sunshine (or potential sunshine) beamed onto it very soon after it starts. A tragic but lovely person was being ab*sed by his own family. His family also uses him to do evil things which he does simply out of love and a need to protect those same horrible people. Soon after the story starts, the pitiful protagonist, who is also an assassin, is ironically, picked up (rescued) by his next target who is instantly taken with him from the start. His next target is the Crown Prince of the Empire the protagonist's family is at war with. They don't yet know or understand that this was much more than a chance encounter, it was a very deep-rooted fate.

The story is beautifully delivered for the first volume and a half (+). It seems both intriguing and like a beautiful love story sans the typical BL toxicity, and I loooved it! However, the story gets wonky at points. Don't misunderstand this story is worthwhile, but I don't suffer from new parent blindness (i.e. Thinking your kids are the most beautiful, cutest, smartest, etc.)

Also, this is a legit R-19, but there's no romantic smut until the second half of Vol 3, and only after the main story ends. I imagine that this sets some readers up for frustration, personally, I didn't care. There, my unbiased, biased review.

he literally went crazy

aside from that dark moment when his sanity was thrown out the window,

especially in his crazy phase where he SA Radan out of jealousy with the idiotic justification of "you'll remember with your body". Here I almost dropped, it made me really uncomfortable, but at least he regains his sanity (a little) and realizes that it was really wrong, so I can somewhat turn a blind eye, but still condemn him for that,

But ngl, I would have preferred Radan had killed Leshak (for treating him horribly while he was crazy) and have him run away with Oz to Amboia.

That way, the Basilisk curse would be over, he could live a normal life, with a new identity, in a far away new place with someone who would take care of him in a healthier way... all perfect for the fresh new start that Radan needed.

But what can you expect from a generic toxic BL? Well, in the end even Radan acknowledged that he would've lived better that way, but he still chose Leshak because he is madly in love with Leshak and he's happy like that, so whatever.

• • The origin of the basilisk curse that was revealed in 1/3 of a single chapter;

• • Laud, who appeared as a major villain in the beginning and was just thrown aside and brought back out of nowhere so as not to say he was forgotten;

• • Radan's great conflict, his dependence on his brother was resolved in the blink of an eye, he turned around and said "oh, I'm not going to kill Leshak or go back to Laud just because", as if this dependence wasn't the whole point of his indecision;

• • The 113-year-old crazy guy who appeared out of nowhere, tried to manipulate Radan by killing his family, and died, in less than 1 chapter (??????) ;

• • The fire spirit who deserved much more attention from the beginning, but only appeared to say the origin of the curse and disappear.
    
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the f*ckin amnesia plot. For god's sake, think of a trope that I DESPISE.

his identity was revealed and the people who were closest to him distanced themselves and treated him badly, it's understandable, but it hurt anyway ;-;

he beats the everliving f*ck outta Radan and r*pes him. Radan wakes the next morning and runs for his life, breaks his ankle doing so, but quickly falls unconscious back into Leshak's arms. The next time he wakes up ita like everythibg that happened with Leshak has been completely forgotten? He even tells Leshak he loves him for the first time iirc so uh... Did NOT like that. I knew going into this novel that there was a r*pe scene between the MC and ML, but I was hoping it really would be more of a "Leshak is completely not in his right mind and didnt know what he was doing" kinda thing. And it was, but also I feel he was sane and conscious enough to still not have had ti commit such an atrocious act.