dramallamareviews

A ruthless general forces the daughter of a tutor into a marriage with an imperial decree in order to suppress a rebellion, despite her desire to marry her childhood sweetheart. Will he be able to win her love amidst all the turmoil or is her heart forever out of his reach?

Whoa. Just… I did NOT expect all that! 😳

This was a 7/7.5 rating at first but then I saw episode 24 & it shot to a solid 9 for me. That was a phenomenal “turnaround” that I didn’t see coming at all!

While the pacing was great & so much was happening that kept my attention at first (+ the ML🔥) I wasn’t really sold on it due to the whole love triangle plot (which I despise) being such an integral part of the storyline. It kept the FL from recognizing the ML’s greatness. Even though she’s a fun, quirky person she kept frustrating me with all her misconceptions of him. So despite the solid acting, I wasn’t sure I’d continue watching.

Ultimately,I stayed for him 🫠 This ML was cunning & wise; selfless & brave; sickly & so misunderstood. His willingness to be the villain was both admirable & heartbreaking. But it’s the way he loved the FL that really sucked me in. His willingness to let her go at first to be with the SML was honorable. And when others prevent that from happening, he kept protecting & safeguarding her while he continued on the path he set for the greater good. And it’s this very persistence of his, to both her & the country, that ultimately won him her love.

They had some beautifully intense moments, both before & after their love was mutual. There were many scenes that will stay with me for a long time. The Leads’ chemistry was great, proven by the fact they’re able to portray such a deep love w/out any kis$ scenes. Do we love those scenes? Heck yes. But this drama was proof that we don’t NEED them to grasp the depth of the Leads’ bond 🫶🏻

If you like the following things, then I def recommend watching this:
- strong, intelligent Leads
- opposites attract
- well-executed fight scenes
- plot twists galore
- palace politics & infighting
- layers of betrayals & schemes
- inability to trust anyone but Leads
- found family bonds
- great character growth
- beautiful visuals (scenery & people)
- memorable OST
- truly talented cast
- a love that beats all the odds
- happy endings
+ more!

I was truly surprised in the end by how high of a rating I gave this. 🙃

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : None 🙅🏻‍♀️
- Together : ep.4(fake), ep.19(real) 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp: Nope 💍