he's actually quite pitiful. In his first life, he was a prince who started a rebellion and personally killed the MC. They were quite in love back then, but he wanted the throne. If he let the princess live, she would not be able to love him, or stay married to him. She would've lived a life of humiliation, so he killed her himself.

But he truly did regret it. Every night he would dream of her and cry, he even had a dream about the "powerful minister" novel where he killed her. He made a deal with the taoist priest, that he would be able to meet her in the next three lifetimes; but she would not love him. If she does, then she will die.

and after the three lifetimes are over, the girl will reincarnate without memories of her past while the male lead will suffer for eternity with the memories of them being in love and him killing her in three lives. He would reincarnate as well, but he will never meet her again

but because of MC's previous life tragedy, she cursed that she will not fall in love with the ML in the next life

We later found out that the relationship between both ML and FL are deeper than we thought. (Go and read the novel first before reading the next few sentences). He killed her in another life because he wanted the throne which her family has. They both had an arrange marriage with one another. The FL loves the ML and works hard to get along with him. Their marriage years were great but then the rebellion happened and he f*cking massacred everyone in her family. Throughout it all, she trusted him and didn't even doubt a thing. She trusted him so much that she revealed about the secret passageway that only the royal blood knew. And what did she got from all of this trust? Nothing. She died by an arrow shot by him. He got the throne but lost his true love which he realized too late. I don't give a f*ck about him really. Make him sad and agony all you want but he deserves it. She even went as far as cursing him that she die the moment she fell in love with him. Which is fair. I mean, would you want to be with somone who once betrayed your trust and killed your whole family? I wouldn't. From the very beginning, he manipulate the situation to make this innocent and naive princess to fall in love with him just so he can get the f*cking throne.

She stayed mostly because it was convinient and for her children. I mean, duirng that period, having a husband that is devoted and loyal to you is already a great thing. Not to mention, the fact that she doesn't have to worry about food, clothes, warmth, shelter and money. He has everything that she would ever need. And, to her, that's a win. It's a simple life although once in a while your partner wouldn't let you go out as much and easily get jealous if you talk with another man. She was indifferent about the whole thing. No feelings towards him whatsoever. Hell, even their eldest kid knows that he shouldn't follow his parent's love story because it's just that wrong.

I totally get why she stayed. But, she shouldn't have made it easy for him. Sure, he grieved and stuff but it didn't felt like he actually repented to me. Because if he did then he would take a second to think the fact that to be together in the next life he would have to kill her again. The thing that sets the whole thing off is that fact that he killed her and now he's basically saying he would wanna do it all over again but with a different setting? That's f*cked up. He kills her, he regrets, and repeat.

She was wondering around trying to be a good wife. But the novel hadn’t been detailed so she wasn’t sure who she had been sleeping around with behind her husbands back.

Major spoiler: I would have loved the book had it ended tragically. I loved the tragedy that was the “end” of her first life. I love how her husband fell in love with her. It was incredibly sad that she did her best to try to avoid getting mu*dered but hadn’t realized she was a goner from the beginning. And the fact the one who caused her demise was trying so hard to undo it. That would have been a memorable ending... instead of what we got.

This is before I read the spoiler about their 1st lives together as a politically married couple that ended up in an absolute bloodbath or the fact that her 'cheating' had to do with her purposefully enraging the ML. But she still was a 1st class b'atcch to her son from the get go, I get it, you don't want to love the child that harmed your body who's also the child of your 3 life (past/present/future) time nemesis. But she did physically ab*se him, instead of just pretend like she didn't have a son. Which in comparison isn't better but hey, better than abusing him till he's scarred and crippled. Crippling him by accidentally pushing him off the stairs can count as a mistake but the TODDLER had multiple wounds on him, done in by her.

The 3 life time grudge plot is one hell of a kill joy. MC made it so that she will never fall in love with the ML and the ML will chase and entrap her forever. It's a never ending tragic mess with a one sided happy ending.

So can you really say the ML loves her? He sure does in the classic yandere style.

Is it romance? Nay, I say. It's a good novel but I wouldn't call it a good romance novel fo sho.