Honestlyyy, the characterization is a LOT more nuanced than you'd think. I ended up really liking Lily and their dad (the mom not as much).
And yes, you read that right. LILY, the one who stole Marie's blessing, and THEIR DAD, the one who got pissed off that he wasn't going to be the father of a saintess. I ended up liking them MORE than the mom.
I LOVE me some complex character arcs.
> I exclude harems from my search results
> I pick a random manga to read
> Second page of the first chapter: talks about getting a harem
> I stop reading the manga
This might actually be peak like yeah the premise itself isn't anything new but the characterization is REALLY good.
Honestly, the Roam family isn't irredeemable.
BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING, I DIDN'T SAY THAT THEY SHOULD BE FORGIVEN. I'M JUST SAYING THEY'RE NOT PURE EVIL.
Lilia was churning out "prophesies" (read: novel spoilers) that were all coming true and predicted that Annelie would bring the downfall of their family.
Between the terminally ill daughter who was "prophesied" to bring the family to ruin, and the "prophet" who was ready to fill in her shoes, it was obvious which choice was the "correct" one.
The family has shown regret, snippet below.
---
"The prophecy said that Annelie would bring ruin to our family. But that hasn't happened."
"Because we put her on the execution block first."
Duke Roam's lips trembled.
If they had all been deceived by a false prophecy... The thought alone was terrifying.
"Before she could destroy the house of Roam... we killed her first. And now there's no way to verify that prophecy."
---
The family seems to think that Annelie would be safer with them than with the temple or the palace (MAYBE true) and that Annelie would understand their decision if they explained themselves.
Right now their mindset is "no use regretting or lamenting (they're still kinda doing this btw), just look ahead make the best decision for the future"
Some of these interactions read to me as lowkey sexist lol
First is barring Milly from being the heir because she's a woman (which I partially understand because she wouldn't be able to protect the territory if she gets pregnant which is the duty of the lord)
Second is the mom barring Milly from using the magic sword because "her face could get scarred" like the territory is literally full of people who can fight like who fucking cares if she gets scarred!!! If her face getting scarred somehow "ruins" her then the people who think that are stupid!!! (I get that this could also just be the mom not wanting her daughter to get seriously injured but why bring up her face specifically???)
It just feels like the story is trying to be progressive while also catering to conservatives which is not cute
This one was completed YEARS ago
https://www.mangago.me/read-manga/the_pet_of_the_villainess/
(Spoilers to follow, read if u wanna check the relationship between the protag and villainess)
Yes, the endgame romance for the protag is het.
HOWEVER, I remember it being heavily implied (if not outright stated) that the villainess ong would have romantically pursued the protagonist had the circumstances allowed for it. That's pr much why I've had this story specifically on the brain for a while.
No, I would NOT call this doomed yuri. I feel that term implies that both participants love each other ROMANTICALLY but their love could never come to fruition. It's pr much an unrequited romance at most.
Yes I think they would have been a cute couple, they have a lot of lovely moments together, but pls istg do NOT read this story just wanting to see the yuri and then complain that the protag and villainess don't get together. If you're only here for yuri, look elsewhere.
A big part of the story is MOVING THE FUCK ON AND ACCEPTING THAT EVEN IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE WITH ALL YOUR HEART, THEIR HAPPINESS CAN LIE ELSEWHERE. THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU LOVE SOMEONE DOES NOT MEAN THEY'RE OBLIGATED TO BE WITH YOU FOREVER.
No, the villainess does NOT end up with a man by the end of the story. In fact, I'm pr sure she stays single even after the epilogue.
Bruh the fact that Iruma and Ameri have the same origin here broooooooo I'm gonna fucking lose it ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ
I feel like I'm going crazy like that's old man yaoi right I'm not the only one who saw the domesticity between those two
