This is one of the lines spoken in Lady Devil that I believe explains the story perfectly. The story is horrendous, revolting- and the characters are all terrible. It's what makes it a good story that honestly, I feel so sad for the people who dropped this because of the taboo aspects it covers. Let's address the elephant in the room: yes, this story has some incestuous and misogynistic scenes- but it doesn't mean it's a terrible story. The characters are all morally gray- no one here is truly innocent or absolutely evil.
There was a scene in this manhwa where one of the characters starts hallucinating about cobwebs covering her entire surroundings. Every single person she saw had cobwebs in their necks, and I think that metaphor truly describes the essence of what makes this story brilliant. Every character shown in this manhwa, as terrible or pathetic they may seem, are all victims of the system. Men are pressured to comply with their masculinity but at the same time, they're the ones who still thrive in a patriarchal system, however the cost of sanity. Women, on the other hand, are egregiously limited and only seen as either servants or means for political gain through being a marriage prospect.
It's not your typical historical romance with cookie-cutter characters and a half-assed plot. This is the most accurate historical manhwa I've read thus far. The female main character can not simply "girlboss" because the system does not allow her, and the ML can't just do as he please and save her because he actually has political responsibilities. It's terrible, sinister, and an absolutely enigmatic story that you can't help but continue reading despite the gruesome topics at hand. It actually gives you something to ponder and think about, this is not just another historical romance-fantasy manhwa to use as brain fodder. The characters are complicated and make decisions that will have you smashing your head to the wall- but you will understand, no matter how extreme those decisions were. You will actually understand the psyche of what leads to their development because the story is just so perfectly narrated.
I will admit, it does drag, especially during the flashbacks- but the storytelling and further exploration of the characters are just too good to get impatient by.
My advice to anyone who would like to give this story a try is to see that romance is more of one of the many thematic here rather than a definitive genre. I will say right away that this story does cover incest and child marriage, and it does portray misogynistic and other troubling scenes such as abuse. This isn't really a spoiler, from the very beginning the manhwa will mention this in every trigger warnings for each chapter. I think this story really grew on me despite the portrayal of taboo topics because they neither exploited nor glorified them. Instead, they are portrayed in a harsh but truth-cutting way, one that will make your skin crawl.
I can not and will not impose this story to you. If incest or abuse is a topic that you are not comfortable with, then I suggest that you give this one a skip. If you, however, wants a compelling and substantial story you can gnaw and chew on- Lady Devil is the story to go for. The art style is gorgeous and really amplifies the horror this story covers, and the characters are morally ambiguous and well-written. In summary, I think this story is one of those standing proof that portraying appalling and awfully sickening topics that crosses the lines of standard morals does not mean it is a bad story. You can not simply impose modern morality in a story that has no need for it.
