And another thing, the way slavery is handled in this story is fucking appalling. For a narrative that constantly emphasizes Navier's intelligence, political competence, and moral superiority, why is there barely any meaningful criticism of the slave system she benefits from? She's an EMPRESS. She has the authority and influence to challenge these institutions, yet the story rarely questions her inaction or the society that allows people to be treated as property. Slavery is practically normalized unless it's being used as a plot device to make Rashta look sympathetic or villainous. And the way everyone seems to worship the ground Navier walks on is exhausting. Characters lose their individuality just to praise her, while even Heinrey's development feels underwhelming because so much of his character revolves around being her devoted husband. Sovieshu's preference for Rashta is equally disturbing because he seems to specifically want someone young, submissive, inexperienced, and easily controlled, someone who won't challenge him the way Navier does. There's a deeply uncomfortable power imbalance there, yet the narrative would rather focus on portraying Rashta as a manipulative homewrecker than properly examine his predatory behavior. Honestly, the overall story is frustrating because it introduces so many interesting themes about class, slavery, misogyny, and political power but barely does anything meaningful with them. Instead, it reduces complex social issues into a convenient backdropfor Navier's glorification and Rashta's downfall. It's hard to call something empowering when it refuses to question the very systems that keep other women oppressed.
10 years ago you would have been shredded apart from this community and everything you are saying is completely correct. I would also like to point out that at no point does Navier stop/care about slavery. I’m all for morally grey characters but story never depicts Navier as anything but superior.
This story is just straight-up problematic, classist, and glorifies slavery. Of course, Sovieshu is already a given piece of shit, but can we fucking talk about Navier? Instead of holding YOUR HUSBAND accountable for taking a 17-year-old illiterate girl as his mistress, someone who was clearly groomed, manipulated, and exploited because of her circumstances, you chose to blame and villainize HER. A girl who was practically powerless and was only trying to survive in a world that had treated her like shit. I'm not saying Rashta is incapable of doing wrong or that all her actions should be excused, but can we acknowledge the fucking power imbalance here? Navier is an educated, politically influential empress who has lived her entire life with privilege, while Rashta was a former slave who barely had an education or any real understanding of the world she was thrown into. And the narrative somehow expects us to ridicule Rashta for her lack of manners and education while treating aristocratic etiquette as a measure of intelligence and morality. It's honestly ridiculous how Sovieshu's agency gets pushed aside while Rashta is made out to be the ultimate villain. Why is the teenage girl bearing the brunt of the blame for a grown man's decision to cheat? Navier had every right to be angry and humiliated, but directing all that resentment toward someone who was also a victim of the empire's oppressive system is just another level of hypocrisy. You cannot preach female empowerment while conveniently ignoring classism and the exploitation of disadvantaged women. Navier deserved better than Sovieshu, but Rashta deserved better than the entire fucking world that created her circumstances, too.