;)

So, I noticed that on Goodreads, there are several 1–2 star reviews bombing the story (as they should) for the graphic depiction of sexual assault in the first few chapters of the manhwa and 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 the novel. Despite the obvious rape scene, I've also noticed that several fans of both the novel and the manhwa have vehemently denied that the scene was non-consensual or if it was, then it was non-consensual for both Maxi and Riftan. So, for the sake of accuracy and integrity, I did my own digging. From Reddit discussions to actually reading the novel, including chapters of Riftan's POV side story, I can confirm that, despite what many believe, Riftan 100% rapes Maxi. Full stop, so let's quit pretending he doesn’t just to preserve his image.

This isn’t going to be a review of the story itself, but rather my take on why the ML, the author, and the fandom deserve criticism.

Firstly, before officially confirming it, I figured as much that the main defense many fans use to justify Riftan's assault—claiming it was "non-consensual for both parties"—is that Riftan was forced into marrying Maxi by the Duke—Maxi's father—after Riftan’s stepfather was kidnapped on the Duke's orders.

Here’s the main issue that readers intentionally overlook:

Riftan was only forced into 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦—𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚. At least, not the way many fans claim; while he had no say in the overall arrangement, he absolutely had the agency and responsibility to stop the moment Maxi expressed discomfort—𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨. And yet, despite this, he didn’t. Not once. He becomes belligerent and forceful, and when he finishes, he leaves her traumatized, though not before leaving her, without word, for 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨.

Hell, right before the assault, he even asks Maxi if she wants him to leave the room. This makes it apparent that he didn’t see sex as a strict marriage requirement, considering he was seemingly fine if Maxi refused. With that in mind, he could have compromised at any point, even if he didn't openly communicate, since this was still early in their relationship. At the very least, he could have just claimed they’d “fulfilled their marital duties”—faked it by using his own blood (as it's been done in other historical romance manhwas)—both out of respect for Maxi and her body as well as a "fuck you" to the Duke. Honestly, had he done this, he could’ve been a much more compelling and layered ML: cold, detached, and aloof on the outside, but prioritizing his wife’s comfort over his own. Instead, we get the tired, problematic ML that’s become synonymous in many Korean novels and manhwas—a lust-driven, emotionally inept, borderline abusive cave hobo (commonly one who has tanned skin) who can’t keep his hands off his wife because he "LOvEs hER SO MucH UwU!!!"

Something worth mentioning: upon his return, he's visibly upset with Maxi simply because he expected her to be happy to see him after being gone for several years. So, he rapes her and leaves her without explanation for three years, and yet, somehow, he thinks 𝙝𝙚 deserves to be upset with 𝙈𝙖𝙭𝙞?

Also, before anyone says otherwise, yes, as I mentioned earlier, I am aware that the Duke had essentially threatened to harm Riftan's stepfather if he did not comply with the marriage. Here's the thing, though: after Maxi's discomfort becomes apparent—her explicitly 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 with Riftan through tears, mind you—at no point does Riftan attempt to stop. Instead, he continues his assault, and he becomes more aggressive, even verbally hostile at one point. His sympathizers argue that because consummation was expected, Riftan had no choice but to comply. But that’s not really accurate. Consummation only requires sex to happen, but it does not require it to happen in 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 exact way, and certainly not while Maxi is crying and begging him to fucking stop. At no point during the scene is Riftan forced to continue having sex once it begins. Simply put, Riftan might have been a pressured groom, but he was NOT a coerced sexual participant.

Now, for the sake of the argument, suppose that sex was 100% a requirement imposed by the Duke himself. This absolutely does NOT excuse Riftan’s appalling behavior. If he was aware of Maxi’s visible discomfort, then he could have simply approached her gradually, guided with trust and care, checking in with Maxi, exploring her boundaries rather than outright ignoring them. He could have focused on easing her discomfort instead of escalating it. "He was a virgin." Okay, sure, but let's stop with these weak-ass excuses. He was inexperienced, not fucking stupid. The narrative makes it clear that Riftan was painfully aware of Maxi’s discomfort. Even if sex was 'required,' he could've approached it safely and consensually, instead of forcing her while she was crying and writhing in pain. His failure to do so was not an accident—it was entirely his choice, and that choice is the heart of why the scene qualifies as sexual assault.

So that’s it. After hearing this excuse repeated endlessly online by his sympathizers, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 is why the rape night is allegedly “non-consensual for both”? What a fucking weak justification. It reeks of the fandom desperately trying to salvage Riftan’s character simply because they personally like him. How appalling. This wasn’t a well-written or compelling scene, as some fans claim. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

A word of advice for those who've ardently urged me to read Riftan's POV story to "understand him better," if the author needs a fucking side story from the male lead's perspective to justify an assault scene’s impact on both characters, then the original narrative has already failed—what could have been compelling drama instead reads as gratuitous, harmful writing.