The Lady and the Beast by Hong-Sul

SYNOPSIS:

Typically, I do not edit the summaries provided by publishing companies or the author themselves; however, this story's blurb had some major spoilers in it so I removed them to prevent that from happening. Here is the edited version:

Following a life of bloodshed and heartbreak, the great Empress Martina is reborn as Astina, the genius daughter of a humble count. But her peaceful world is shattered when bankruptcy forces her father to marry her off to the dangerous Archduke Atalenta. All of high society knows him as "Theriod the Beast" because of a family curse that turned him into a wild monster".

REVIEW:

I stumbled across this series after seeing it in a review on TikTok of all places, and was immediately drawn into the bravery of the main character. She's bold, unapologetic, and says exactly what she means. She's also not very likable, but incredibly passionate and intelligent. This juxtaposition of her character really pulls you into the story as she navigates her new world. The story takes on a lot of similarities between the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. There are some plot holes but I imagine that's due to translation and cultural issues more so then an error on the part of the original publication. After completing 96 chapters of this web comic, which is still coming out weekly, it still keeps you guess what will happen next. Especially with how well craft the romance is with all the action, mystery and uncertainty.

Tiny disclaimer: there are moments of intimacy and violence throughout the story but it is in no way graphic or inappropriate.