machiabeeli

We get plenty of doting mothers and fathers in this genre, to balance out the severe cruelty from abusive and neglectful parents. This manhwa gets both of those in the same character.

The FL, in her pursuit of the throne, forsakes her son's childhood so she can one day install him on the throne as the ruler of their empire. This means pushing him to the limit, forcing him to shed his childhood at an early age, and cutting off pieces of her soul, little by little. Eventually, this drives the pair to madness and she reincarnates in the past holding regret in her heart. 

If you want a strong and powerful FL, this is definitely the manhwa to read. She seeks to rectify her mistake by ensuring her son grows up to be loved and cherished, rather than just another pawn in the game they play. Her cold and calculating nature is refined and she's definitely the image of a snake lying in wait, small yet terrifying to encounter in the grass. Gone are the paltry attempts at playing chess, she moves her pieces and assembles the stage with little to no fear from any of the players, with exception of the emperor.

Right now, I'm not sure who the ML is but regardless, the FL shines without him. I'm actually excited to see how the story will progress because all of the characters are created somewhat realistically. So far the Emperor is the perfect antagonist. He behaves like an actual emperor, by making choices that seem cruel to a person but are actually logical when viewed from the perspective of a ruler. He's the type of character you'd love to hate but you'd understand why he behaves in such a ruthless manner.

My one gripe here is how they handle political situations. I feel like the author doesn't understand the context quite well and glosses over the important elements so it's not explained as clearly as it possibly can be. There were plenty of times where I questioned whether I had low reading comprehension or the story was nonsensical in some parts. I'm not sure but you should definitely tell me if you got the whole thing if you read it yourself.

The art style is beautifully done and I love seeing the kids illustrated as kids. Panels with wholesome moments between the main characters soothed my soul and they're a welcome reprieve from all the calculated moves of the FL. I'm not that smart, I just want a cute family situation.

Reviewed at Chapter 32.