It’s only going to get worse from here. Her father is going to keep beating her when she gets back to their home. She won’t be saved for a while and I believe it’s Ruth who pushes Riftan to go save her. Literally Riftan is ruining her life, more than he’s ever saved it. He let a literally monster take her way, some knight he is… Part of me wishes she’d leave him for Ruth or just leave to live a free life on her own. But that’s not who these stories end, Riftan has to do some “minor” change and she’s run back to him and his abuse. She will never be her own person, even the story only shows her happiness lies with her being a “good wife”, she has been raised to to her whole self worth into that.
The person who downvoted you is definitely a Riftan apologist.
Oh, I have no doubt about that, lol.
The people who purposely downvoted and will downvote your comment are incels and peek me handmaindens
I completely agree with you. My advice to those who are planning on reading this, is stop. In my own opinion, it's not worth to read. Riftan won't grow and maxi — I guess she kinda improved on the mage tower. At this point the story would focus on conflicts(not their rs). Also the ending is not satisfying, its just abt them beating the dragon or sm shi. Just not satisfying, complete waste of time (╬￣皿￣)
The ending was already buttsville for me when I saw how little passion Riftan had for Maxi by the end compared to basically the entirety of the stupid story.
Please, if you have any recommendations for a manhwa or even manga series with a similar setup, similar FL but better ML, I beg you to tell me. I've had enough of this story, but the only reason I can't completely let go of it is because of Maxi and how much I relate to her on a personal level. (Fair warning, do not recommend It Was Just a Contractual Marriage. So far, that story has slow, boring, and the ML is also giving me the ick the more learn about him.
" It doesn't let Maxi react " THIS THIS THIS AND THISSSSSS! They don't let Maxi call out Riftan bull, No forget Maxi NOBODY ever calls out his bull. The story paints his obsession with her like its something romantic. Everyone just sees the way he behaves with her as " Oh yeah its understandable " And I'd argue the reason he didn't want Maxi to learn magic from Ruth is because of her safety. He was just being a jealous prick. Which isn't inherently bad but the way he goes about it is what makes it bad. Rfitan has proven time and time again that he's incapable of putting his dumb horniness and insecurities aside to have a heartfelt conversation with her. Otherwise the novel and this story wouldn't take 100+ chapters. And the 2 people who disliked your comment you know who you are
Also, I know I've talked about this topic ad nauseum because of how much I loathe it, but essentially, [SPOILERS]
What Riftan did to Maxi in Book 2 during the banquet scene was revenge sex. He basically "punished" her for her provocation despite her actions being justified because *he* was the asshole who refused to even speak to her, which left Maxi no other choice but to play dirty.
The more I pick apart Riftan's character and examine him under a microscope, the stronger my loathing of him becomes. What a disgusting, abusive asshole.
Oh......... I say this again and again I'm only reading this story for Maxi
There's no other way for me to say this, but every prominent person in Maxi's life has failed her. Royally.
Her father's a sick son of a bitch who deserves to burn in the deepest pits of hell, her half-sister despises her for reasons that were ouside of Maxi's own control, and her husband is an immature, inconsiderate, and domineering asshole who's completely incapable of compromising and looking past his insecurities for the sake of his wife and her agency.
Don't get me wrong, I get Maxi has her faults. I understand Maxi is an adult. She's her own person with her own opinions and her own choices. Or, rather, she's *supposed* to be. I'm sorry, but how am I meant to hold Maxi partially accountable for what's happened to her when those in her life strip her of any agency she might possess? Time after time, throughout her life, everything's been decided for her, from the way she dresses, even down to how she perceives herself. It doesn't help that even her marriage was arranged for her, not to mention her virginity was basically taken without her consent as well. Calling her “an adult responsible for her choices” feels very hollow and unfair to Maxi. Agency isn’t just about age; it’s about having real, viable options and the safety to choose between them.
Maxi was never given that.
After having dealt with constant abuse, for Maxi to have been a healthy and *functional* adult, she would've needed to have been well-informed of what to expect from her new life as Riftan's wife, have the freedom to act, have her decisions and agency respected, and not be punished into silence, yet throughout the story I've seen the complete opposite of this in her relationship with Riftan.
When he isn't coercing her into bed with him, Riftan constantly reprimands her simply because she dares to speak her mind and act on her own accord. The only reason Maxi gets her way in the end is because someone else intervenes and convinces Riftan to compromise, and even then, he only gives in because of Maxi’s stubbornness—seldom because he actually reaches a mutual understanding with her.
Even when it comes to her own body, whether it's Riftan pushing for sex whenever he's horny for her or when she loses her literal child that *she* didn't even know she had, he's the one who ultimately decides what's best for her. He unilaterally chose to withhold something as devastating as her miscarriage, and forced everyone else to do the same, never ONCE considering how his omission would bring Maxi far greater harm than if she had just been told as soon as she regained consciousness. Instead, he lied in order to protect *himself* from further pain and self-loathing while disregarding Maxi's own anguish. Yes, it would've hurt her deeply, but she would've endured the guilt if Riftan had just been their to support her. But when the fuck has he *ever* openly supported her, let's be honest. He actively discouraged her pursuit to learn magic the moment he found out she was studying under Ruth's guidance. I understand being concerned for her safety, but the way he went about it only brought more uncertainty and turmoil into their relationship, and he *never* outgrows this toxic habit. Yes, I know, a story can include this kind of harm. But when it does, the narrative needs to acknowledge the weight of it. Otherwise, it'll just create a disconnect between the narrative intent and the vibe of the overall story. We don't get that acknowledgement at all. It doesn’t let Maxi fully react. It doesn’t force Riftan to fully answer for his behavior. The plot just moves forward like the emotional damage can be absorbed off-screen.
The only person I can say with certainty that's genuinely supported Maxi is Ruth. He taught her magic without any pushback on his part. In fact, he was more than willing to take her on as his student. Other than that, every significant person in Maxi's life has done nothing but make her feel as if she's needed to live up to their expectations, and yes, that includes Riftan, even if he denies the intent. His idealization, obsession, and overprotectiveness have done Maxi far more harm than good, and she honestly deserves so much more than what she's been cursed to put up with—a toxic family and a toxic husband.