ahhh I really like the way this is going. he will slowly heal and learn to love again. I know some people dont want him to be ml but just because she will be his second love doesnt mean he would love her any less, it’s probably going to be even more.
Personally I see his love for the consort as more admiration and gratitude than simply romantic, she was a big part of the positive changes in his life so he owed a lot to her, and now his feelings are mixed with a lot of guilt feeling responsible for not being able to keep her safe so it’s obvious how he hasnt been able to move on.
with sorang teaching him and helping him grasp his own feelings he’s starting to feel normal bit by bit, like that focus earlier on how he always ate alone and the loneliness of his life as king and how food tasted good to him when there was someone else to share with. just these simple things she’s helping him through
and eventually when his heart heals and he falls for sorang he will definitely fall hard. at the same time it doesnt diminish the feelings for the consort, because they were real and genuine but that doesnt mean sorang will be second place in his heart? he would have simply found someone who he ends up cherishing more than the consort, someone who becomes the most important to him so I love the way everyone’s relationships are being portrayed so far!