I knew she would be on contraceptives!! It would just not make sense if she wasn't
Thanks for expanding on the novel. I think that additional event of him defending her would have been too much. We already know he defends her and thinks highly of her by now. Now the contraceptive part is interesting because that’d mean she’s cheating. I expect this to either be one of come up as a plot twist.
ohhh. I was wondering to why was the ML not reacting to guy disrespecting his wife and basically calling her a whore. ಠಗಠ It might be seen in the future chapters, hopefully.
Also now you got me curious what the 'bizarre war high class prostitute' arc is. Assuming its was a prostitute invited during the war?
Lastly, just wanna ask if did they actually did have the divorce? Cause I really wanna see where the FL actually get their divorce even for short while. ಠ‿ಠ
I had thought that how she could not conceive a child without contraceptives they they may be did it more than just everyday.(●￣(ｴ)￣●)
the prostitute thing was crazy, they just they kept harping on the fact during the war they had access to high class prostitutes ? I can't remember the exact context past arnald didn't use them, and during a conversation where arnald asks a past subordinate how to get byletta pregnant (real thing he asked in the novel, it was an insane paragraph to read btw), the guy, "weed" mentioned he is grateful arnald treated them well and he had a good time with the prostitutes offered during the war. it was just a topic brought up a lot and it really annoyed me because it just didn't seem necessary or relevant.
speaking of the divorce... spoilers for the light novel!! - technically yes and no ... the ending for the light novel is kinda bonkers so you'll have to try to follow me for this one. basically Emilio Gracce (guy that said let the fox hunt begin) set up arnald to be arrested for some sort of coup leader. he/his goons then kidnap byletta, forge divorce papers + a new marriage to Gracce's friend (said friend betrayed arnald basically) and like took her to some country house where she was to live forever... as Gracce's concubine ... there was some convoluted thing like if arnald went to the country manor to save byletta from Gracce, he'd be incriminated as some sort of coup leader and jailed - anyway it didn't matter because he came and saved her anyway.
following that whole kidnapping was a stupid conversation of byletta wanting a divorce because she loves arnald but she thinks Arnald doesn't love her so she doesn't want to 'hold him down'. she insists on getting a divorce, arnald begs her to stay by his side and he'll give her anything she wants because he loves her, she realises she doesn't need to divorce arnald because she no longer has s reason to (because arnald does love her) but she never actually confesses to him (like ever I swear?).... after that is a time skip they have 2 kids and he's come home from the military....
so like ... i don't like this ending lmao... the manga has pretty substantive pacing changes (i.e. in the light novel, byletta goes to the swagan estate without arnald vs in the manga it's like a bonding moment as they go together) so I'm holding out hope the manga doesn't end as stupidly.
to clarify - they never got "really divorced" because the government I guess figured out the divorce papers and remarriage papers Gracce sent in were forged and she never divorced arnald because she realised she loved him and he confessed - the light novel ends with them having two kids and arnald returning from some sort of military thing. they remain married.
I want ML to at least grovel a little more. It feels like he did nothing to make up for all the terrible things he put her through.
story pacing and stuff sucks way more in the light novel so my bar generally has been low with the manga. I'm glad arnald is a little softer comparatively and they're attempting to get them to show feelings even if it feels kinda meh and rushed. I hope they continue to elaborate on their relationship and smooth things in the manga out because in the light novel it literally goes from can't wait to divorce !! arnald sucks!!! to oh no I love him (weird tangent of her justifying sex that was dub/non-con)? time skip - hahah we are married with 2 kids and it's jarring.
light novel arnald is better though, especially with all the arnald povs. for example right after their first night when he basically sa-ed her, he is pretty clear he's not happy with himself and appalled. in the novel he's clear the only reason he even posed the wager was to see her reaction and he later apologises for being selfish and sticking to the contract.
something I don't think they did well enough is the scene at the party where arnald is on the balcony with dreslan-- if you're confused; "the countess comes on strong" meant she's difficult to deal with. then dreslan goes on about arnald hating women (like Carla who tries to seduce him) and teases him because he assumed byletta was like Carla too. Novel arnald started mentally gushing about how his wife is so cool, calm, collected, smart, and proceeds defending her, saying she's just his wife and he knows his wife, then when Joan (same role as dreslan in the light novel) teases he arnald and accused him of treating byletta as a free prostitute, bro denies the allegations immediately, starts going off about wife supremacy, and gushing about his wife ... felt like this kinda stuff was useful for the manga too..?
in the manga dreslan is saying that having a wife is like having a free prostitute, and that arnald is lucky byletta is so hot and more hot than any prostitute- byletta leaves before hearing arnald telling dreslan off which leads her to think arnald thinks she's a glorified prostitute and arnald barely says anything??? where was the whole section of him going oh my wife is cute interesting strong smart ramble ramble ?? sigh
the sentence tacked on about his face is also an abridged version from the light novel where they talk about how arnald has a nice face but arnald doesn't like how his face looks (because he has delicate features?) he thinks doesn't it because while it's a nice face the only thing it's good for is sucking up to superiors and getting treated like a play thing (by women like Carla) and his subordinates don't actually respect him that much (hence the line in the chapter where he didn't want to talk to his folks and byletta thinking 'i thought you were on good terms with your subordinates).
btw in the light novel byletta is on contraceptives. they haven't been fully faithful to the source material but I don't see why they wouldn't keep that in.
*I wrote this at 4am after no sleep so it's not coherent lmaO