The pacing is weird (flow between scenes is bad, but at least the scenes themselves have a flow) but i still like it. I like Lilian, I like her brother and sister and the sibling relationship, i actually like that they prioritize each other over their father (biological ties mean very little if there is no real relationship). I like that the emperor's tyranny was related to biology and not because he's inherently some messed up dude who "needs a partner to change him". a lack of sleep really does impact mood and reasoning....i mean yeesh the guy hasn't slept in YEARS. He's a bit of a blockhead but he's earnest