It's not real. It's a fantasy. Fiction. It's based on an original webnovel that is already completed. There is no changing it. So complaining about Matthias raping Layla is not gonna change the plot line. He is going to do it more in the next chapters. So if you don't understand the concept of a dub-con romance, don't read it. There's going to be more rape ahead. Don't read it and discourage the artist. Read something girly like shoujo. This is a proper dub-con bully erotica.
I find Matthias to be a more interesting character than Layla. He had to grow up before he was ready because his father died. He became a duke at 12. He spent his childhood following order and discipline. He has never rebelled against his family expectations. But when he lays eyes on 18 yrs old Layla, something snaps. His resolve to lead a spotless upright life of an aristocrat shatters. And Layla becomes his one rebellion. Beneath his perfectly cold & composed facade Matthias is a wildfire. An inferno that will burn himself out and burn everything he touches. Wanting her is his own choice, not something that his family forced on him or the dukedom expects from him. Matthias the perfect Duke is a emotionless robot following traditions and family expectations. But Matthias the hunter, who stalks Layla and chases her through his forest, who burns with jealousy for her and who yarns for her touch, is a man who feels finally alive. He can't understand why Layla rejects him & tries to run away, when he subconsciously knows she secretly wants him. And she does want him.
He tried to commit suicide by starving and drugging himself. He eventually breaks off his engagement and goes to a warzone to find Layla; who disappeared while pregnant to punish him. They reunite during an air raid. And finally confess their true feelings for each other. It's a happy ending.
Anyone who thinks Matthias is a rapist, should read the novel first. Layla wants Matthias. She sees him as a man. And she sees Kyle as just a friend. When Kyle proposes to elope with her, she flat out rejected him saying she wants to marry someone whom she sees as a man. She has always lusted after Matthias from the first time she met him. Remember she describes his voice as soft as the feathers of a bird? Yes, completely smitten. But she can't accept her own desires for a man who kills her precious birds. So, she also hates him for being cruel and beautiful at the same time. I would argue that Layla falls in love with Matthias at first sight. Matthias on the other hand falls when he sees Layla after he comes back from the military. Love and hate, lust and resentment and shame for having these kinds of feelings for a Duke who is way above her station, all these feelings exists simultaneously in Layla. And that's the beauty of a dub-con erotica. If you don't like it, don't read it. Don't condemn the author or the characters just because you lack the depth to understand them.