Why is it toxic? Apart from the neglect and indifference, he would calmly accept Lizzena's return (Ex lover) with fanfare by attending her welcome banquet and the surprise illegitimate child she brought along without suspicion but would boil with jealousy looking at MC dancing with someone else while he's dancing with his ex....

He wanted to make the illegitimate child the empress's adopted child without thinking that would make her feel, nor ask about her opinion, just plainly lays this plan of his on the table like she should be thankful towards him for giving her a child she couldn't have (she was told she couldn't have children after that one miscarriage).

This prompted her to bring up a divorce, which he rejected with rage saying they didn't marry for love anyway and just say she's jealous and doesn't want to adopt the child. GJ GJ

The divorce finalizes after some struggles and MC gets away for a while, but ML was looking for her the entire time, being rude and antagonistic towards his father-in-law, the duke that helped him gain the throne. So, ML finds out about their child (she became pregnant shortly before Lizzena's return) and thinks it's someone else's. He didn't even harbour such suspicions towards a ex lover who was the concubine of a king in another country and returned after 6 years with a child in her arms (at least not in the beginning). It was also this unguarded position of ML that allowed Lizzena to carry out all sorts of acts under his eyelid, whether it was to pretend that the ex lovers still had a flame for each other or the value and love ML tried to put into Edmund (Lizzena's child) or direct attacks of assassinations.

All of that just screamed plot convenience to me, because if Lizzena never returned, with child or not, he'd never realize MC's importance to him and MC wouldn't also realize that she should've drawn a line sooner between themselves. ML is an absolute lost case if it was one of the typical villainess reincarnation/transmigration novels and Lizzena wouldn't go full ham on cannon foddering, trying to tear people apart just to bring them closer together.

The miracle child as well is just a tool for her to bring herself to accept her son's father again because she's doing it for her son's happiness. Surprise surprise, she accepts his regrets in the end.... *sigh*

Lizzena's involvement in this novel is suspicious. ML loved her like the moon and stars just to realize his feelings for her were like a deflated balloon. Compared to how much he was bragging about her and their feelings in front of MC before Lizzena was sent away as a concubine, you couldn't really imagine him to have this luke warm feeling towards Lizzena. It was really like as if someone turned on the wrong switch in him that decided this plot should go down a certain way (more like he got yanked towards the other direction on a leash since he's so damn BETA).

ML, along with drawing a line between MC at their wedding, also declared that he will not have another woman besides her. But the reason for it was thanks to his mother's miserable end, not because MC deserves to be treated right or anything. It genuinely felt like he was exploiting her feelings for him.

As for MC, the only blame I can let her carry is her absolute terrible taste in men. I can't complain about her being a more silent party in their marriage as before mentioned it was a loveless one, declared by ML himself. So she can't really cry about not receiving attention, love or care a spouse/lover should.

We have a three lead chars victim of situations. I can't hate the old lover at the moment coz her love was taken away from her, being exiled and everything.

The ML became passive and cold bec of that, the MC stayed with him the whole time and they married.

MC is selfconcious and pessimistic, she is happy that she married ML though there's no love from him. She know this from the start, the ML promised her to be his only woman but he cannot promise love which she accepted hoping the love will develop in the future.

Her delusions and low confidence made her think of possibilities that ML will never love her ever. She was happy that she became pregnant at first that maybe this time, ML will look at her but unfortunately she miscarried. That again made a gap with their already distant relationship.

But again, she became pregnant with hope again that maybe this time ML will love her but before she can even tell her good news, it was shattered by the news that the old lover is coming back.

All this time (yup since c.1-c.5 she is always a downer) she is always on edge and that broke her self esteem more. She think she is a villain that made the perfect couple broke up. She married ML and wanted to be happy herself. She was disturbed by herself that she become possessive of ML though only in her mind.

The big shock was the old lover brought a child claiming it was ML child but really I think the former crown prince, ML's brother is the father of that boy.

She always felt guilty bec she knows ML doesn't belong to her, she knows herself that she took advantage of the situation and married the ML. That's why she has no confidence at all, her conscience hitting more after the old lover came back, knowing she is just an extra in thier life.

And even if he is the father (hopefully not!), it's not cheating bec. They are lovers at that time and MC is just a friend, and she never confessed to ML. I even think, she never showed she loved the ML which became another misunderstanding.

We are finally gonna see the start of "happening" in the synosis above ? And I can't wait for it.

This chap, we see a glimpse of MLs POV, he is also a bit of dumbo but I like how he took responsibility of the child though he himself doubt it's his child w/c later confirmed but I'm sure there will be a massive bomb in the future. Maybe it's the First Prince son after all (Finger's cross!! Please let it be not his son! ?)

Don't blame ML about his indifference yet, from his POV. It clearly shows that MC is not expressing her love well so I think ML also thought MC is just like a companion.

What surprised me is how maturely this drama is handled, outside of Raymond's outburst to lock Ellie in her chambers for a day. But he's only human; I'm willing to overlook the fact that he handled Ellie's request for divorce poorly, poor lad probably didn't understand the feelings himself. Lize did what she and her son could do survive, but doesn't harbor any ill feelings towards Ellie. Ellie herself wishes Lize for happiness with Raymond and divorces him. Raymond realizes the futility in keeping her against her will after talk with Ellie's father, and lets her go. As it's a divorce between an emperor and an empress, it wouldn't do to remain in the country, so she decides to quietly move to another country, pregnant with emperor's child unbeknownst to him.

"I won't accept his regrets, but his guilt (...) " *proceeds to her being moved by it - someone please explain to me how regret and guilt doesn't usually come together and how author traded th it for that

And then in the end, he's dieing by poison that he took trying to save their son, and then MCs basically forgotten by now magic powers finally come online by being the - what a coincidence!! - only way to get an antidote!! Yet, he refuses to tell her because he has to die a s*upid death to atone (???), and she goes "I won't accept your regrets! You've got to live and live with me" or smth like that.

You know. It doesn't even need to be from someone I like, if a stranger - much less the father of my child, feelings or no feelings - frigging dies right in front of me cause they didn't ask me to do something real simple for me, then really, I'd be the one regretting such an idiotic and vain death.

like ffs, it's much more of a bother to have someone dying on me cause I didn't bother to get up to get them water or something.

I think Raymond's love for lisa in the past was just puppy love or infatuation. He then realized he loved Ellie truly. What he felt for her was true love but he never realized it until she left. People in real life are also like that. They do not realize the value of something until it is lost from them. I think that's a valuable lesson I got from this Novel.

was a caring father till the end to Carlisle, also the couple got to have a lot of SnuSnu moments in the Epilogue WHICH I L.O.V.E

I see the misunderstandings tag so I'm waiting for the big reveal that ML isn't an insensitive jerk because as of now he kind of IS one. I can assume that part of it comes from FL's insecurity and unwillingness to ask him direct questions because of fear. But that somehow annoys me... Again?! Like Rhiannon... I wish that they dudn't with the "crazy, misunderstanding, deluded conclusion-jumper" trope

(Chapter 7) It seems that ML realizes after the fact (when he is inconsiderate) to some extent that he didn't consider how she is doing and understands she may be hurt but so what? He's not doing much about it. He reasons that she would never get mad and thinks he can just console/convince her like a child despite the situation being his fault. If he can't give her everything then he should have the decency to let her go! From how I see it he must've had at least a pretty frequent irresponsible bodily relationship with Liz for him to think it is feasible that the son is his. Don't treat FL like an obligation...

The former lover Liz is kind of a jerk too. I get the child deserves to meet its father and the father has a right to know but... Is it necessary to hurt and humiliate the man's legal wife in public like that? Yeah ML reasons that she did it because she was desperate but I don't buy that. She KNOWS ML is a kind understanding man so why would she assume he wouldn't unless she did this. I keep getting a suspicion that the author will pull a "Gotcha! Not his kid suckazzz!" so we won't hate ML.

I do feel bad for Liz's son though.

I read this on a site that starts with watt and ends with pad, with the tag of koreannovel, for those who are looking for a complete tl

And damn you authors for not giving us a proper story were couples break a toxic relationship and it stays like that. Stop using kids to force couples back together