I LOVE the authors other works but this..??? Am I missing something? This is super non-con? The omega literally does everything in his power to refuse the alpha and the alpha still manages to do stuff to him bc he’s in heat. The romantic feelings aren’t reciprocated at all either. The alpha adores/loves him and the omega doesn’t even want to look at him. I expected some angst from the ”childhood friends presenting opposite of what they expected” trope but this is just… SA? I kept reading another chapter expecting something to happen that would explain the high rating but now I’m just confused. And a little disgusted too.









On what grounds are we basing the p*do claims? From what I see: MC gets appointed as a guard to a young prince (ML). ML doesn’t have anyone who supports him emotionally and MC becomes like a guiding figure who wishes ML could live a carefree life instead of the one he’s doomed to live because of his role as a future leader. MC’s role is to protect ML and his heart is moved by ML’s nature and they form a strong bond. Together they feel like they can live in their own world/bubble away from the heavy responsibilities. All MC wants is to be able to stay by MC’s side. He knows he’ll have to marry and that it will hurt them both, still he tries to come off as supporting to not add to ML’s pain. He’s in no way predatory/grooming.
There is a kissing scene, assumingly from the first time ML drank, where we don’t know how old ML was at the time. ML obviously has feelings for MC, which they both can’t act upon but in the moment MC gives in. ML forgets and it’s never brought up again. Followed by ML has to marry etc. MC faces said reality and copes with (trying to) sleep with others as ML fulfills his duties and takes a wife. Still, he wants to stay by MC’s side. MC is hurt and (after the incident) tells MC to never see him again. ML feels he’s doing it for both their sakes, in his own hurt and to accept reality, while MC wishes ML hadn’t met him because his path would’ve been less painful (the wife part). But MC fail to realize how much pain he’s helped ML deal pain with in other ways by being there (when he was young).
At a second chance, ML wishes for them to be able to be together while MC wishes for ML to live a painfree life (which he assumes is without him but he’s wrong, also what the forgotten promise is about). The process of MC ”falling in love” when ML was a kid is not immediately built on romantic love or anything sexual, it’s him investing his heart which eventually lead to feelings developing and when it does become romantic yearning ML is forced to marry someone else. Just my take. I really don’t see how there is p*dophelia at play. It’s a story filled with angst because fate was written for them in their first life to be doomed, they both probably felt that they would’ve been able to be together if it hadn’t been for their roles and that’s why it hurts. They were forced to give it up. MC wishes ML would’ve cried so he could’ve consoled him because he just wants to help MC bear the burdens he’s doomed to. He can’t cut him off because he loves him, staying by his side (even when he has the opportunity to leave) to the end but out of his view as ordered, so ML does it for him because he believed he was the one who felt the strongest (that MC already let go off what could’ve been) and therefore the most pain. Thus meeting their first fate. MC never confessed or played the ”let’s run off now” because when ML was a kid it was not his role and his feelings did not represent that, the type of love he felt then was to help easen ML’s worries, even when he was older he never felt he had the right to corner ML like that and when ML cut ties he got the ”answer” that it was impossible anyways.
MC lying down beside ML when ML was a kid was not based on romantic love but the idea of that ”how simple it could’ve been if it was just us”. That type of moment where if you could freeze time you could be happy, especially knowing all that was waiting between them was angst and ML’s even more stressed future where MC doubted that what he could offer would still be enough. ”My heart wants you to be happy, and for a future where I am by your side” is not just the equivalent of ”I want to be in a romantic (and sexual) relationship with you”. MC always cared for ML and wanted his happiness, it was when he realized that ML’s feelings were more like romantic love he began wanting that type for life for them, and not just himself or since the moment he met him when he was still a child.
I’ll defend this story because I love it. Unless I’ve missed important details I actually hate the PDF claims and feel that they’re too shallow and media illiterate for such a beautiful story. But I’m also reading this on mangago so I shouldn’t have too high expectations.