Thank you so much for this because this excerpt shows exactly how Cesare's core never changed, his need for possession and control is the same, and his current obsession with Ariadne did not deter his filthy nature from exerting itself when the opportunity was presented.
Yes he was drunk, but his line of thought is honestly not surprising.
I love u sm for thissss. Btw i have a question
I read a spoiler that she doesnt get with caeser in the end
But like
When does this happen when r they gonna break up and when is the prince gonna come back?
Please say soon
You don’t have to wait long. Her father ships her off to the convent in like two to three chapters or so. LOL
Alphonso won’t be back until after three years have passed. There will be a time skip very soon.
DAMNNN okayyyy
The comment section should fear me when Alphonso is back because I'm a huge Alphonso fan even if he's blond istg I've been taking in all the crumbs of his mentions and face for now but he needs to come back for my sanity
The blonde part is a joke btw
Let’s hope the manhwa team does Alphonso justice in their portrayal because right now so many Webtoon readers are blaming Ariadne for everything that Cesare has done so far because they cut out stuff about Cesare’s actions that somehow make them believe he is just a victim. Then they go all over social media to complain how boring Alphonso is.
I had to read one single bit from chapter 469 (?) when Cesare entered Ariadne's study to find Raphael there and her reaction was telling enough on how the manhwa probably didn't portray her actions and personality well from the novel. She's much sassier there lmao. Also the art from the web novel is SO GOOD? ALPHONSO LOOKS SO GOOD????? ughhbdhdnxi anyway yea I actually had essay comments here before about Ariadne and how they're misinterpreting things in her actions and not empathizing, and about Alphonso, so i 100% agree
Just shows more how he's scum and yet people still like him
Nahhh no way people like him why. What for.
Even when it seemed like he changed i was wary
Because he's hot that's the only reason and the say he's better than Alfonso like how even... just like the other toxic manhwas where the fl ends up with the abuser they only care whether he looks good or not.. there's a lot of comments on here defending him and saying he should've been the ML even though he's a cheater??
I think it's less bec he's hot and more because he was very proactive and outspoken about his interest. He IS charming as hell, it's part of his character design as a playboy, and he has been chasing Ariadne with adamance and unrelenting obsession. He was acting cute, he was doing everything he can to win her favor, and the way he thought of her in new timeline was that of reverence. It was bound to make some readers lean towards him, it literally made Ariadne waver too. She was confused, unsure, and even if her heart now belongs to Alphonso, having Cesare do everything she once in a different life had yearned to receive from him so badly that the hope of it kept her going, still felt cathartic. I do blame the manhwa for not properly highlighting the small details of his character and how his core values and beliefs and behavior never really changed, he just essentially is running after yet another thing he can't have, just like how he ran towards the throne in a previous life with obsession enough to massacre for it. Ariadne is now his throne.
But what does all that matter in the end? Even if it's a new life it doesn't change that he cheated on her... twice, betrayed her and he let her die?? I honestly thought he'd somehow become a new person in the new life because of how he was portrayed for so long but in the end he's still the same person he was in the previous life. Looked to me like he only chased after Ariadne because she rejected his advances unlike the other women throwing themselves at him... the scene when she kinda took care of him because he was sick (or something i forgot) it seemed like maybe he would become a different person but it wasn’t so in the end right? My point is that, knowing all he did and how he made Ari suffer they still want them to end up together even though she's traumatized by him? Charming or not, some people still like to pretend like he isn't a bad person and truthfully he would be hated if he wasn’t attractive. Not like Ari really deserves Alfonso anyway considering what she did to him in the previous life and she knows that. Alfonso was also protective of her too and he would've been more outspoken of his feelings if he didn't have those restraints on him. He didn’t really hide the fact that he liked her too. If not for everything that was happening in the kingdom and Ari pushing him to fulfill his duties as a prince, I'm sure he would've chosen to drop everything for her.(I haven't read up to the latest chapters yet so only going off of where I stopped at)
I see a lot of comments on Webtoon that suggest they like and sympathize with him because he supposedly never experienced love. According to them, his parents never showed him love. I guess they think it’s up to Ari to teach him love. I don’t know why that’s the case because Ari’s home circumstances were much worse than his. Yet Ari is expected to teach him what love is.
A lot of them also blame Ari for lashing out at him because of the past life since the past is the past. Usually manhwa readers sympathize with PTSD but not in Ari’s case. Rather, they sympathize with Cesare and has no patience nor understanding for her PTSD. So right now, some of the more transparent ones claim that if Cesare ‘turn bad’ it’s because of Ari.
That's honestly such a narrow-minded and shallow pov, and dare I say, a bit stupid.
Going by this narrative, Ari showed Cesare love in the first timeline, and even way more than she's showing him now. She was completely devoted to him, ready to lay the world at his feet, and even killed for him when he asked. He had the unconditional love and devotion, but he was still a selfish egotistical piece of shit who regarded her love as one of many. Why not? Every other woman wants o lay herself at his feet, she's no different. I don't think even cheating with Isabella in first timeline was out of affection either, he did it because he can. Because Isabella is another woman who wants him, and it inflated his ego to have both sisters want him.
What made Cesare desperate for her attention now isn't his lack of love, for many woman who are sincere in their affection for him could've offered him that and more, it's that Ari did not live him at all. She doesn't care, and even loathes him, and his ingrained desire for attention and to obtain what's Alphonso's that made him annoyed and hungry for that attention and love from her. Why is she different than all other women? Actually, even his reason for ignoring Isabella and shutting her off isn't faithfulness and guilt, it's that she now is what Ari was to him in first timeline, another someone desperate for his attention.
What Isabella is doing is literally almost the same brand as what Cesare is doing, and people just can't see it because we're seeing things from Ari's lens and why she loathes Isabella without any redemption, she's confused about Cesare, and thus people are too.
ITA. When they lament and mourn that he doesn’t understand love in this timeline and no one ever loved him, I asked what about the hundreds of women he was involved with through amorous liaisons because I’m sure even 10% of them loved him and would do anything for him. But it’s truly something to see Webtoon paid chapters littered with numerous comments of the sort that purport he’s unloved and suggest Ari is at fault for not readily loving him and for lashing out at him.
They are also quick to point out that Cesare should not be held responsible for the past life since he has not done those things to Ari in this current life. They think Cesare loves her now because she isn’t a doormat anymore and respects herself, which is an admirable version of herself. Let’s just say they have an excuse for every rebuttal so in their minds Cesare is never held accountable for anything.
Right now the Webtoon comments a rampant with accusations that Isabella raped Cesare. No one thinks she seduced him. Instead they all concur he was sexually assaulted. In effect, both Ari and Isabella are complicit in the events of this recent arc.
While I heavily think being drunk makes you unable to properly consent and this was the case with Cesare, I do think he would've made the same choice without the alcohol, given the letters of Alphonso being read still. He would've succumbed to Isabella because he's angry and spiteful, and he would've adopted the mentality of "I've kept myself chaste for a while to make her like me and finally love me, but she is still in love with that man I hate, so why must I deny myself pleasures then?"
The guilt he feels now is more of guilt that this incident might stand in his way of getting Ari to fall for him, not because he actually think he's done wrong.
Ahhhhh people with limited reading comprehension make this harder good thing this alr has a novel because when its og stories, the direction the author takes this sometimes get affected by people's demands :/
If anyone is interested to see how manhwa ep177 unfolded in the novel, here is free novel ch258 on Naver. Google Translate does a good enough job:
https://m.novel.naver.com/webnovel/detail?novelId=934373&volumeNo=258#nafullscreen
Novel excerpt of the part they get busy:
Isabella was kissing Cesare. Her bright red lips parted slightly, and she was the first to invade Cesare's mouth.
In fact, it was objectively a clumsy attempt at a kiss. Among the women Cesare had met, there were some who deserved to be left behind as a textbook on kissing, complete with illustrations of each step. By comparison, Isabella's attempt was pathetic.
But the beautiful girl was doing her best to kiss him, and he thought it was quite cute.
Isabella whispered again, “Take me."
Her lips sank into mine. This time, the kiss was more aggressive than before. But I couldn't help feeling awkward.
.... I have to show you what a real kiss is.
Cesare grabbed the wrist of the woman in front of him and threw her down on the sofa. The woman let out a "Gah," an exclamation that was unclear whether it was a scream or something else.
It didn't matter. Cesare pressed his weight against her and kissed her deeply. Even the woman who had been squirming beneath him soon stopped resisting and yielded to the kiss. She seemed to feel his kiss with her entire body.
Ah, this is the feeling. This omnipotence.
When Cesare felt that the woman leaning against the sofa had completely melted, he picked her up in both arms and led her to his bed right behind him
The woman was lighter than he'd expected, and her clothing was equally light. It was still cold, but the partlet was nothing more than a thin layer of fabric, as thin as a dragonfly's wing. Even Corpiquet's hand slid open with a snap. She had been dressed with utmost care, but Cesare didn't have the presence of mind to judge it.
He frantically searched through the clothes, searching for the woman inside. A warm, smooth, soft body.
It was Cesare's drug.