I think that the plot's center isn't the main character, Reina, but her son, El. It feels strange, since it's her point of view, and her life is the focus, but the story seems to revolve around him. He is her goal, her most important treasure, so she focuses on him. He also is at the forefront of a lot of things; being in danger during the past, present, and future parts of his life (desired by enemy country, cursed, gets sick often, gets kidnapped, etc.) And that only breaks when an alternative future is directed by the combined efforts of his parents. Reina mostly pursues things for him, whereas Edhart mostly tries to pursue redemption and repentance.
While Reina is mostly the one whose point of view we're seeing; she seemed to only use her life story as a background, to make El the focus. This is even more apparent when looking through Edhart's point of view, where it seems to be even more of a blur. I understand that it's meant to be in passing, but the present him only ever directs his interests and focus on his wife and child in the current timeline, for good reason (as he did them wrong in the past) but because of this it puts him further in the background.
Perhaps because of this, I easily teared up whenever the 3 of them have their exchanges. I cried when Reina met her young son at a space when she sas in a coma, I cried when I saw how heartbroken El was over Reina's death and the hidden truth, I cried when Reina has decided for herself that she wants to separate from Edhart, and their heartbreak, and I felt like crying when I saw the current El finally reconcile with his parents and grow up happy and beloved, as he should've been all that time.
So while it felt a bit unusual for me to see this type of storytelling, (a bit like Charlotte's Web, wherein even if Wilbur is the main character, it directs to Charlotte and what she means to him), and even if it was tiring to constantly see these grown alligators (high priest, the ex-fiance, concubine, other prince) prey on the young and innocent El, as hostage/potential power source etc., I was quite captivated by the story, and the end did satisfy. I guess I just felt a little sad that little El seemed to have been robbed of his childhood so fast, (with the overlaying of his memories and powers upon the breaking of the seal, causing him to mature fast) but at least both versions of El have managed to find love and happiness in the current timeline.
I think that the plot's center isn't the main character, Reina, but her son, El. It feels strange, since it's her point of view, and her life is the focus, but the story seems to revolve around him. He is her goal, her most important treasure, so she focuses on him. He also is at the forefront of a lot of things; being in danger during the past, present, and future parts of his life (desired by enemy country, cursed, gets sick often, gets kidnapped, etc.) And that only breaks when an alternative future is directed by the combined efforts of his parents. Reina mostly pursues things for him, whereas Edhart mostly tries to pursue redemption and repentance.
While Reina is mostly the one whose point of view we're seeing; she seemed to only use her life story as a background, to make El the focus. This is even more apparent when looking through Edhart's point of view, where it seems to be even more of a blur. I understand that it's meant to be in passing, but the present him only ever directs his interests and focus on his wife and child in the current timeline, for good reason (as he did them wrong in the past) but because of this it puts him further in the background.
Perhaps because of this, I easily teared up whenever the 3 of them have their exchanges. I cried when Reina met her young son at a space when she sas in a coma, I cried when I saw how heartbroken El was over Reina's death and the hidden truth, I cried when Reina has decided for herself that she wants to separate from Edhart, and their heartbreak, and I felt like crying when I saw the current El finally reconcile with his parents and grow up happy and beloved, as he should've been all that time.
So while it felt a bit unusual for me to see this type of storytelling, (a bit like Charlotte's Web, wherein even if Wilbur is the main character, it directs to Charlotte and what she means to him), and even if it was tiring to constantly see these grown alligators (high priest, the ex-fiance, concubine, other prince) prey on the young and innocent El, as hostage/potential power source etc., I was quite captivated by the story, and the end did satisfy. I guess I just felt a little sad that little El seemed to have been robbed of his childhood so fast, (with the overlaying of his memories and powers upon the breaking of the seal, causing him to mature fast) but at least both versions of El have managed to find love and happiness in the current timeline.