How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 has the political intrigue and drama that leaves you fretting alongside our heroine. Here, readers catch a relationship at its end. While there may be potential for a reconciliation, hopefully that is something far down the line. There is too much cool spunk in Astelle to relegate her back to a fawning partner. Plus, she’s a mother, and that takes priority. How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 has a heroine who can save herself, handing deserved critical hits to an emperor, giving peak clapback energy.
Lee Yeonseon wrote the original story, adapted by 26 with art provided by Ssal. It follows Astelle, a woman in a royal world who was empress for a day. The morning after her marriage to the emperor, Kazien, whom she lived her life for, he asks for a divorce. If that’s not enough, since she agrees to the divorce, her father disowns her, and she winds up poor and, as the title gives away, pregnant. Six years later, the situation changes, and she finds herself back in front of the emperor while trying to conceal their child from him.
How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 Gives a Heroine That’s Not a Pushover
A lot of stories, especially in the josei and shojo genres, depict more submissive women and girls. They would allow people to mistreat them with no repercussions. So, it’s always refreshing to see characters outside that. Astelle has a soft heart, but she has a limit for what she will accept.
Seeing how she handled the maids making fun of her shows her strength, while how she caught Lady Marian shows her deductive reasoning. It’s like a blend of Apothecary Diaries—because of her skill in medicinal herbs to conceal her son, Theore’s identity—and Villains Are Destined to Die—because she refuses to back down. She’s the epitome of “don’t come for me unless I send for you,” and she is more than willing to finish what others start, making How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 a page-turner.
Secret Needs to Last, and Kazien Must Suffer
Given the title of the series, the mystery should last for a while. Granted, the cliffhanger in How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 leaves a worry that Emperor Kazien realized Astelle’s secret that her nephew is actually their son. Hopefully that is not the case because this secret needs to simmer longer to make the overall dish that is this series delectable. Keeping it gives that “will they, won’t they” tension that makes stories gripping and ensures readers keep coming back for what happens next.
Having someone by your side for ten years only to dump them the day after your wedding is inexcusable, no matter the rationale. Plus, he felt so certain of his actions, presenting them in a callous way that paints a character both needy and inconsiderate. Too often, in these hetero tales of romance, the testosterone-laden man does something unforgivable, but then the woman shows her “womanly” ability to forgive.
Hopefully, How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 does not head in that direction. Kazien seems emotionally manipulative, and there’s no indication that he’s matured. After all, he had the nerve to tell Astelle that she never loved him after they were married a day, had sex, asked her for a divorce, and said he never wanted to marry her. How to Hide the Emperor’s Child 1 is an exceptional start to an intriguing story with a central character that’s caring, resilient, and smart, and I cannot wait for the next issue.
