Rye

(⌒▽⌒)of what exactly? Maybe I can help...but the novel does such a great job of showing their complexities that I'd actually rec you check it out.

Anything :3 I just wanna know what happens later on, I'm impatient but I don't wanna read the novel, u get me

OK! SO I'M GIVING YOU MAJOR SPOILERS (SORRY IN ADVANCE FOR THE ESSAY, I'VE TRIED TO COMPRESS IT AS BEST AS I CAN)

First of all, it's not a doomed romance! Ian/Ain and Michele end up together, and their love becomes genuinely mutual. However...the story remains quite dark, so I wouldn't say the disturbing elements disappear.

(SALT MINE ARC): A lot happens! Katya realizes Michele is Ian's weakness and uses him in her attempt to kill Ian (Btw, at this point, Ian is still struggling to acknowledge the depth of his feelings for Michele so his still planning on killing him). She arranges for a hired mercenary to pose as the Shelleg family's gamekeeper, supposedly to help Michele obtain blue salt rock as his “something blue” wedding gift for Ian. Instead, Michele is abducted and the mercenary eventually decides to kill them both. Ian intervenes, and Michele ends up killing the mercenary to protect him. Katya also allows innocent servants to take the blame for her actions, resulting in brutal punishments. Eventually, Ian arranges her marriage to the king's niece in the Fernando Archipelago as part of his revenge plans. Ian's goal is to eradicate the Shelleg name.

(WEDDING/WEDDING NIGHT ARC): As for Ian and Michele, their relationship develops considerably. Ian genuinely loves Michele, but his traumatic past makes it incredibly difficult for him to believe that Michele could truly love and accept him. He repeatedly tests Michele's feelings, pushes him away and dismisses his love as youthful naivety. However, Michele isn't nearly as passive as he might initially appear. He becomes increasingly assertive, challenges Ian's manipulation and refuses to let Ian continue to invalidate his feelings.

Their wedding night is a major turning point. It begins with several rounds of passionate and affectionate intimacy, during which Ian gradually lowers his emotional defences. However, his fears eventually overwhelm him, leading to a disturbing confrontation involving violence and violated boundaries. Despite this, the night also brings an important emotional breakthrough...Ian finally acknowledges how deeply he loves Michele and begins accepting that Michele genuinely loves him in return (Michele claims Ian/Ain as his wife and tells him that if he sees himself as a beast, then he will become the beast's husband). Michele was made for Ian.

IAN'S PAST: We also learn much more about Ian's horrific childhood, including his enslavement and vicious sexual abuse (because Ian has always been handsome, with an attractive and sturdy physique, he was mostly subjected to sexual violence). One particularly heart breaking revelation is that Michele's father was among Ian's abusers when he was a young, something Michele doesn't know (a sad fact considering how much Michele admires his father). The worst part is that the night Michelle was being born, his father was SA'ing Ian. Honestly, this chapter made me cry like a baby...The way Ian learns how to feign enjoyment so as to avoid further violence, even while terribly ill, was absolutely heart breaking.

As for Ian's redemption, I wouldn't call it a conventional redemption arc. He doesn't suddenly become a different person or abandon his darker tendencies. Rather, we gradually witness his emotional walls crumble as he learns to trust and accept Michele's love. And Michele isn't simply there to fix him. He has his own convictions, flaws, and moments of courage. His growth from his very first encounter with Ain to the end is honestly beautiful. Watching him become increasingly assertive, fight for his wife, openly claim Ian as his own, and even willingly descend into that supposedly “dirty” place Ian believes he belongs in, just so they can be together, is incredibly moving (it happens during the wedding night). Michele doesn't demand that Ian become someone else to be worthy of love...instead, he refuses to let Ian face his darkness alone.

I've read it, thank you so much for giving time to write all of this I truly appreciate it

Grazie, comprendo meglio ian e ora lo amo ancora di più.
Michel rimane il mio preferito

Grazie

Yeah it was same for many of us