People who are saying It’s not Stockholm because they knew each other as kids . , that’s not how it works. Stockholm Syndrome and trauma bonding happen under extreme power imbalance, repeated rape, isolation, and fear and it means he just knew who's going to target. Grace was his prisoner, being tortured and assaulted daily. Childhood feelings don’t magically erase that. Saying she didn't like him during with her captor, is missing the point ,trauma bonding can develop during prolonged captivity and abuse even with prior feelings. Not to mention that Grace was showing the Stockholm symptoms during her rape feeling guilty and feeling bad for her rapist by thinking he's falling in love with her.
Which clerly it's romanticized.
Second, saying she felt guilty and lonely so she let him in, because it's just sex for her are excuses next level. Holy mother of delusional cope ! You really wrote all that just to say yes he raped her for months, but later she was horny and lonely, so it’s fine.
And the worst part? Trying to justify Leon’s grudge as a reason for raping her. Leon never once questioned his father, a disgusting criminal elite who tortured citizens even before his death; he literally threatened to kidnap and torture people for opposing the fascist regime and even sold his own grandfather for siding with the revolutionary, to be tortured for three days before his execution... all for the title.... Grace wasn’t wrong calling them pigs. But somehow Leon’s grudge makes his crimes more understandable? Nope, that's not depth; that’s Leon sympathizer behavior.
At this point you guys are proving you’re bigger Leon fans than Grace fans. You care more about excusing and romanticizing the rapist than actually caring about the female lead who went through hell .Sorry lol but you're not fooling everyone.
Lmao, I am trying to understand how this could NOT BE stockholm syndrome; cause it checks all the boxes
The male twin is going to turn into evil piece of shit ,I can tell the difference between him and his twin sister .
The author is working overtime to excuse and romanticize Leon’s rape.
They keep using lame excuses like “his tragic past” and “brainwashing.” Let’s not forget Leon’s father was a criminal who tortured citizens and sent women to rape camps. Leon followed the exact same path without questioning it. Yet the story tries to give him a redemption arc with almost no real consequences for his crimes.
“Brainwashing” is also misused here. Real brainwashing breaks a person’s ability to think independently. Grace had doubts, internal conflict, and clearly struggled ,which proves she wasn’t fully broken. She was manipulated, betrayed, and ignored red flags. Using guilt, pregnancy, and “she eventually likes the sex” as justification is just lazy writing that tries to turn repeated rape into complicated lovewhich is not.
The worst part is some readers still defend it by saying “she liked it” or “it becomes consensual later.” That’s straight-up romanticizing Stockholm Syndrome.
For context Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response where victims of prolonged abuse or captivity develop positive feelings, emotional bonds, or sympathy toward their abuser as a survival mechanism due to extreme power imbalance, isolation, and fear. Grace’s situation (being held captive, repeatedly raped, tortured, and dependent on Leon for survival) fits the conditions perfectly. Calling it “guilt” or “complicated love” doesn’t change that it’s trauma bonding being sold as romance.Not mention that she ended up with him.
I'm following this manhwa any updates?
I know people might not agreeing with me but I like this manhwa regardless Carcel 's cheating which is not excusable and the Fl being flawed in some way.But I like that Ines the FL even she loved once Oscar her ex husband (the shitty rapist) she's trying to fight him and he got the worst karma .The story brought rape as trauma with consequences not as fetish corn like other shitty stories and I admire that.
The redhead MF is pissing me off .I feel he's obsessed with Vanessa, and he wants her for himself .I have a feeling he's going to hurt her or coerce her to be his. Let's hope River beats his ass before it happens.
Of course the author will try her best to make Grace's father bad ,in order to let her stay with her rapist .Even so leaving with her father might have been the lesser evil, if that meant immediate escape from Leon’s active abuse.why? Leon was a constant, inescapable danger. He controlled, assaulted, and psychologically broke her down. Her father, while a terrible person for what he did to her mother, wasn’t actively harming Grace at that time , he represented past danger, not immediate torture.So from a purely survival and safety perspective (not emotional or moral), it would make sense to take any route out , even one that’s imperfect or unsafe long-term , to stop the ongoing abuse first.
It’s a tragic “pick your poison” situation, but escaping an active abuser always comes first. Healing or confronting family trauma could only happen after she’s safe.
Exactly babe. Both Leon and Grace's father can be terrible. The difference is that Leon was the immediate threat actively hurting and controlling Grace. Escaping an abuser should come first, even if the alternative isn't perfect. My problem is that the story seemed to make every other option worse just to push Grace back to Leon, instead of giving her a real chance at freedom and healing on her own.
Exactly what I'm saying like that author wants her to completely relying on her abuser and try to romanticize their relationship. Like if she cares for the FL and she wants to make her smart she would let Grace use her father at least for her safety.
the ML is pissing me off. Like, bro, why are you tying up both girls. I know he thinks about Ayla political marriage .But if he has feelings toward the FL, why is he's not communicating and stay like a robot with the same bitch face all the time.Like, no wonder why Thalia is always pissed off .Although I just wish she wouldn't act so emotional all the time,it's not the smartest way to deal with shitty people. Most of the people around her are trashy people, even her own mother, who's using her. Poising her own sisteris not okay and it will work against her and would frame her ,and she would give them what they wants. Ayla might not be an innocent girl but she don't deserve to be poison I think it's a bit to far. Crazy to say but I liked the loyal knight more than the Ml .I hope she would wise up and make him her ally or( her lover would be better ) not her enemie.
No fr like I get what others are saying how he’s always been in love with her but he’s a bit too touchy feely with Ayla
The ML has reasons to be cold. I don't remember of it was explained already or if it's further in the plot but the novel makes it clear why he's like he is.
Yes this is what I'm saying because Ayla is also falling in love with him but he doesn't give a shit about her feelings or Thalia ,like he couldn't check on her in the carriage ,Edric does really care for her.
I didn't red the novel, however it's mentioned that because of his military training has made him cold which I understand but he needs to open up.
Real, manhwas always bait us with the perfect 2nd ml and asshole ml
Fr like if someone love another it should be shown from their actions not with nonsense excuses and talks.
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In general Barkas has also been through a lot and has his own fair share of trauma. His own father sent him away at a very young age to training that made him this cold. Ayla's mother helped save him and on her death bed asked him to take an oath to promise to always protect the twins. The more gets revealed, the more we get to see of Barkas' POV and the more we realize that the oath became like a curse to him. One thing that gets revealed much later in the novel is that he physically can't go against the twins. And there's one situation coming up in the manhwa that makes is very clear but it's still gonna hurt like shit to read. But hey, that's how the story is - pure pain and angst ┗( T﹏T )┛