The Flower That Was Bloomed by a Cloud - Ch. 39

[Purplelibraryguy]

The post of bodyguard in this is odd. It's like, he's her bodyguard but he seems to spend relatively little time actually, you know, guarding her body. It seems to be at least partly ceremonial . . . but I mean, all the vibes are that this is a big rich kingdom with badass intrigue, where it would not be a big surprise if someone actually did try to assassinate her. You'd think she'd need an actual bodyguard, heck you'd think every time she stepped out of her bedroom there'd be a couple of guards, a secretary, a messenger, a couple of servants, and a courtier or three, and yet half the time she seems to wander around unattended except maybe by that maid.

 

[Yeonwoo]

Baek Han may be the Captain of the Guard, but he's not going to be on guard duty all the time. It's unreasonable to think he'd be by her side all the time, especially since he'll be busy with other tasks during the day. There's always going to be other men guarding her room and the all posts/gates within the palace in day/night shifts. Only during certain occasions when she leaves the palace will she need special guards accompanying her.

But yes, usually when the queen is out walking, even within the palace, there should be a string of maids and servants trailing her. I guess that's something that isn't portrayed very well in the story.

 

[mukade]

@Purplelibraryguy
That's true, but I think it's mainly because of Dowun's orders. He doesn't allow Baek Han to enter the palace, for example (ch 29).

Also, compare it to when he served the crown prince. There's probably not a single scene with him without Baek Han following like his shadow.

@8roku
What you said makes a lot of sense, and
I'm sure Dowun's dad isn't winning any Father of the Year awards, but compared to Dowun he acts more like a human and less like an emotionless robot.

It's a bit ironic that Dowun's doing all of this for his family's name, but he can't even trust his own brother and father lol Not saying that he's wrong in not trusting them though, I won't be surprised if they become the reason for his downfall.

 

[mimicking]

it's becoming more and more apparent that dowun's feelings towards the queen has shifted, albeit not necessarily towards love/affection. at the very least, dowun feels possessive towards the queen; more than just a tool but less than an equal, maybe?


and for that father, i think his children come second to wealth. if he can help it, he'd love to take care of his children, but we saw how he took that bribe and how the second child was sent off immediately at the beginning of the story. otherwise, the father will tend to take on bribes and focus on accumulating more wealth and influence

 

[rellea]

Like @8roku, I didn't get the vibe that this chapter was trying to portray the father in a good light. All it showed me was that he was willing to go behind his son's back for money. Dogyeol is hella shifty, and I doubt anything good will come of him returning.

Also, maybe it's just me, but I think there were a lot of hints that Dowun cares about Hong Lyon (his brush shaking and him going to look for her when she was late to their meeting as kids, defending her against his bodyguard, immediately going to see her when he heard she almost collapsed, having her mother promoted posthumously, etc.).
Imo he's not actually emotionless, he's just desperately trying to convince himself and everyone else around him that he is. That's why he decided against complimenting her when she smiled brightly at him when they were small; he was open to Dogyeol's suggestion to be kinder to her at first but he backtracked because it was much nicer than he was expecting. And it's why he always gives logical excuses for every kind (or jealous) thing he does for her. I also suspect it might have to do with why he was disproportionately cruel to her at times too (knocking down the rocks she stacked for her mom). Maybe he has some kind of childhood trauma related to trust and affection?

 

[blob]

@rellea I agree with your comment so much. All the characters are written with so much nuance and it makes me really sad how most of the comment section decides to flatten them all.

 

[seley]

@rellea @blob YESSSSS. I wholeheartedly agree.

I also feel like Dowun is pulling a ton behind the scenes in order to survive. If you grew up with a trash father, you're gonna start being manipulative in order to not be used. Emotions can become a liability. For instance, his little brother could have easily been killed for what happened earlier on. Banishment was the least of his worries. I feel like Dowun cares for lyon and his brother, BUT he's not allowing his emotions to cloud his plans to win this political game. It's sad that he lives on constant guard. I just feel like there's so much more to his character.

 

[roxanneayy]

And yet again Dowun makes my heart confused. lol
I really love how well written this is and how multifaceted each character is, Dowun's being the most. I like that we get to see more of his dynamics with his dad and bits about how the little bro and his relationship has been affected by his past decisions.

The theories saying that Dowun may have some trust/affection issues seem very likely. I just wish he'd realize that he can definitely lose her before she stops waiting for him. When she took off her ring to retaliate, that really got to me.

I do want Baek Han for her still but obviously, my confused self is still waiting for Dowun as usual.

 

[snowyang26]

Really hope Dowun is the ML. He's working so hard to keep their plans/nation running and that's only possible when you're cold and ruthless. It feels cruel to punish him for the personality that was required for them to succeed. There's a reason why Hong Lyon became like that too during her tour in the empire. Plus I'm p sure he doesn't even recognize his own feelings that's the core issue here

 

[yaribun]

not me still holding out for some character development from dowun even tho i got mad a few chaps ago HASBAKJDHALFKJE LKENAFL