Rooting for the toxic ML, lol?

What does he do? I don't have time to read the book

Lol, I should make this into a copy-pasta whenever I'm asked to spoil the story.

(Spoilers ahead for those in the comments)





So, by the end of Book 1, Maxi is forced to leave Anatol to train as a mage. This decision is not made out of personal ambition or selfish desire, but rather it's part of a calculated plan that Princess Agnes thought of in order to protect Riftan from the political and legal consequences of his actions.

Major spoiler: After discovering the Duke brutally abusing Maxi, Riftan nearly beats him to death. While this is arguably the only genuinely redeemable action Riftan ever takes on Maxi’s behalf, it places him in danger of punishment. Maxi’s departure is meant to protect him, *not herself.*

As expected, Riftan is upset by this decision and furiously lashes out at both Agnes and Maxi. He refuses to see Maxi off when she agrees to leave and coldly tells her that if she leaves, he would not wait for her, and he'd erase her from his mind—essentially forgetting all about her. He shouts at her, tells her to "get the hell out" of his room—but not before telling her that she isn't leaving for *his* sake, but rather for her own, despite Maxi assuring him multiple times that wasn't the case—and Maxi ends up leaving in tears. Only after she's gone does he collapse emotionally, admitting that he lied, that he would, in fact, wait for her and that he cannot live without her. The narrative frames this breakdown as a moment of realization and supposed emotional growth. Three years later, Maxi returns.

At this point, we're led to expect some form of reckoning or at least an acknowledgment of his earlier cruelty, relief at her safe return, or even a sincere attempt at reconciliation. Instead, Riftan does the opposite. Upon their reunion, he pointedly ignores her. He avoids her, refuses conversation, and withholds any emotional engagement. This behavior is not neutral or passive; it's actively punitive. He spends the early part of Maxi’s return emotionally stonewalling her, forcing her into uncertainty and distress while never explaining himself, as "punishment" for leaving him. This prolonged emotional manipulation culminates in the infamous "banquet scene."

In retaliation, Maxi provokes Riftan by attending the banquet in a deliberately revealing dress and dancing with another man right in front of him. Her actions are immature and reactive, sure, but they are also a direct result of Riftan’s sustained avoidance and refusal to communicate. Rather than addressing the underlying conflict, Riftan responds with violence disguised as passion. He forcibly pulls Maxi away and has sex with her in a guest room. This doesn't occur once, nor in a momentary lapse of control.

He confines her with him for an entire week.

During this time, he repeatedly has rough sex with her despite her physical discomfort, emotional distress, and explicit protests.At one point, Maxi is crying and begging him to stop, yet he ignores her pleas—pretending as if he can't hear her. The scene itself doesn't read as consensual reconciliation but instead—at least from my perspective—as coercion sustained over days. When he finally stops, he smugly asks her, “Isn’t this what you wanted?”—a statement that reframes her earlier attempt to provoke communication as justification for her suffering.

What makes this sequence absolutely disgusting and egregious is that it follows directly after Riftan’s supposed realization at the end of Book 1. There's a noticeable lack of remorse, no offer of an apology for his earlier withdrawal, no accountability for his emotional punishment of Maxi upon her return, and no acknowledgment of the harm he's caused both before her departure as well as after her return. Instead, the story substitutes communication with sexual dominance and expects the reader to interpret this as romantic intimacy rather than borderline sexual abuse.

Far from demonstrating growth, this arc confirms that Riftan’s internal feelings—his guilt, fear, and obsession—never translate into meaningful behavioral change. Maxi bears the emotional consequences alone, and it pains me to witness an otherwise wonderfully written female lead be reduced to a sex object because of the ML's emotional volatility.

If you're expecting a "happy ending," after what was essentially a hellstorm of misunderstandings and miscommunication, then, honestly, it's best if you look elsewhere. At some point, Riftan finally tells Maxi that he's "proud" of her, but along with the lack of accountability or proper apology for his emotional avoidance during the entire first half of Book 2, him telling Maxi he's "proud of her" feels more like a hollow platitude than anything meaningful. Then at the end, he makes a dramatic scene by declaring a "knight's oath" to Maxi, but again, the gesture feels incredibly fruitless because of everything he had done to her but never once apologized for. All in all, I'd say to just drop it. It's *an ending,* but I wouldn't call it a positive or even *good* ending. I think it speaks for itself when Maxi, in her own words, admits she's begun to feel more like a younger sibling than a spouse to Riftan because of his seemingly withered passion for her. So, after the festering disaster of watching them fumble and fail in their relationship, that's the best we get? The FL is left feeling like the little sister to her once obsessively horny husband. What mess this story has been, I swear.

Oh god, I read this for so long hoping than riftan would be better but when u wrote a spoiler like that I'm speechless. I'm dropping this, can't see more of this shit from ml

Do they end up together or not?

this is so disgusting

This is awful wtaf i was holding onto hope that maybe he’d pull his head out of his ass but i think it’s time to drop this. Any chance you can spoil what happens to the sister (Rosetta) and father?

I am...genuinely speechless. So wasted. So pointless. Thank you for saving me more of my precious time. I need to wash my brain from this disappointment.

Damn I’m so disappointed, have been reading this since it’s been released here so I think years!!! But now this!!! I think I’m dropping right now because wtf…what a waste….and it was my only straight webtoon…guess Yaoi will stay number 1 (╯°Д °)╯╧╧

Thank you. I know not every story gets a happy ending. But you giving what Maxi went through and Riftan's digusting way of treating her for the rest of the story? No longer worth reading. Idk if it's just maybe the mindet of the timeline in the story, but jfc. Not an ounce of communication, supposedly between people who care for each other. Damn. Well, onto a new read.

god i really hope they deviate away from this but so far they’ve been following the novel closely. damn my poor maxi

Wow… well that sucks

Ts makes me so tired. The art is beautiful and the story isn't half bad but no ml just has to be fucking terrible
Dropping this ig

Thanks, I'm dropping it. I actually read this webtoon thrice because I liked the story initially so much, but the way riftan is just being an absolute childish ahh bich STILL after all this time, is just irritating. I mean maxi even though she's timid and is not outspoken, is like that cuz of circumstances, but nevertheless she's still empathetic and thinks of riftan from his pov and all, but THAT twat is just consistently being a burly all-body-and-face-but-no-brain prick. Sure he's saved the kingdom but he has the emotional intelligence of a potato. He's not thinking from maxis pov at all, and just takes whatever she does which he dislikes as an offense instead of trying to understand WHY she did it at all. And finding out he's just gonna continue being like that throughout the rest of the story, like an absolute child throwing a tantrum, makes me wanna drop it tbh... (눈‸눈)

So I can't remember too much but I believe the father ends up getting ill, and everyone begins to speculate that he only has very limited time left to live, though I can't recall if he dies in the story. Meanwhile, with Rosetta, she becomes queen, but it's implied that she's in a loveless relationship and eventually ends up giving birth to an heir. She approaches Maxi under the impression that she would assist her in some petty political drama against her father since his ultimate plan was to hand their family legacy over to Rosetta and eventually her son while leaving nothing for Maxi. Maxi ends up refusing Rosetta's suggestions, telling her that everything she needs and wants is in Anatol, and Rosetta becomes furious with Maxi once again, claiming that Maxi is still as cowardly as she's "always been," and I think that's the last we see of her in the story.

What a goddamn mess wow I’m in awe. I knew he was a bitch but this exceeds my expectations??? WTF is this…welp im outta here. Thank you for the heads up bae

Thanks for the spoilers! I can’t believe I had such high hopes for this webtoon…

No prob. I know many Riftan simpies will want to burn me at the stake for these spoilers but fuck it, we ball. Maybe my assessment of his character is fueled by bias, especially because, as an abuse victim, I take his actions and behavior very seriously. However, no one can deny that from a moral standpoint, what he does is absolutely appalling and his lack of accountability and development is the core issue of his character, which is what makes him a terrible ML. If the author's intent was for her readers to like Riftan, then she absolutely failed. And she knew this, too. Otherwise, his POV story wouldn't exist. She essentially tried to contextualize his behavior in the main storyline but failed to include the part where Riftan finally reflects on his abusive tendencies and changes for Maxi's sake. We never get that. Instead, it was always Maxi who had to meet Riftan halfway because apparently Riftan is to emotionally inept to confront his feelings and needs his wife to hold his hand and offer reassurance like he's a vulnerable child. Maxi literally has to play the role of the surrogate mother to satiate Riftan's mommy issues, are you fucking serious?

Anyway, I'm venting again. I'll just stop here, lol.

No what you’re saying is valid! What makes this worse its a clear reflection of what happens for many women in our reality. I’ve seen women like Maxi and men like Riftan, it’s always a terrible fate for the woman. Seeing people in the comments excuse Riftan’s behavior and Maxi doing the all of the heavy emotional labor makes me want to scream. She has been traumatized too but shes still trying to communicate with him and grow into herself. Its not fair, woman shouldn’t have to coddle their GROWN male partners just because he through a rough period once upon a time and now ‘doesn’t known how to properly communicate boohoo’. Am i missing something, WHY SHOULD THAT EXCUSE THIER BEHAVIOR???? I don’t care he’s being evil and men or people like him are evil too, they ,without fail, always end up exploiting and or abusing their partners. His past can never justify abuse, no one’s can. His behavior should never be excused fictional or not idc.
I understand you rabbitmage this hits close to home too, I can’t help but get on my soapbox. I just hate seeing women mistreated in any way :(