크리스탈 아가씨는 남자다

by 전어나

크리스탈 로터리,
로터리 가문의 막내딸이자 몸이 약해서 별채 밖으로 나오지 않는 연약한 아가씨.
그의 정체는 남자다.

가문에서 살려 두는 건 여자뿐, 남자는 시체가 되거나 후계자가 되거나 둘 중 하나뿐이다.
빽도 힘도 없는 크리스탈의 유일한 목표는 로터리 가문을 떠나서 평범하게 살아가는 것.

살아남기 위해서 딸로 자랐다. 죽은 사람처럼 숨죽이고 지냈다.
드디어 떠나려 했는데, 결혼을 하란다?

궁지에 몰린 크리스탈은 로터리와 정치적으로 대립하는 펜트린 대공에게 청혼서를 넣는다.
당연히 거절할 줄 알았는데 허혼서가 돌아왔다. 크리스탈은 펜트린 대공성으로 도망친다.

냉정한 북부의 주인, 잔인한 남자, 얼음장 같은 마음을 가진 사람.
크리스탈은 소문만 무성한 일리안 펜트린을 만난다.
그리고 결혼했다. 어쩌다 보니?

*

“그리 긴장할 필요 없어요. 난 그대에게 아무 짓도 하지 않을 테니까요.”

부부로서 맞이한 첫날밤, 크리스탈은 합방을 하지 않겠다는 말을 들었다.
이게 무슨 소릴까. 넌 파혼당할 거라고 돌려 말하는 건가?
숨결이 닿을 거리에서 일리안이 속삭인다.

“레이디에겐 죄송하지만…… 제가 고자라서요.”

세상에서 가장 다정한 목소리로 일리안 펜트린이 말했다.

Genres: Manhwa

657 pages, ebook

Published June 3, 2022

Reviews

[itselv]

What I enjoyed the most is the subtlety that this genre painstakingly lacks. Things take time here, but at the same time aren't dragged out for hundreds of chapters.

I also appreciated the way trauma shapes the characters here, especially Illian. While some scenes are played out as a joke, you can clearly see how the her actions are due to her struggles with fear of abandonment and her complex relationship with her father.
And here, Crystal—a character who's naive and gullible—has these traits justified well by his upbringing. They remained consistent all the way through and weren't used as a [too much of a] cheap plot device or a stereotype.

The politics were believable and well done enough to move the main story and the relationships. The fact that they were on the back-burner wasn't used here as an excuse to either forget about it or do it badly.

The side characters were cute. Some definitely followed known tropes, but weren't watered-down enough to be frustrating.
(One trope I find distasteful that I realized is used in many manhwas is the aide who's overworked and underappreciated. I DNFed another manhwa for overplaying this joke. But it isn't exploited too much here. I was quick to notice it because I read them back to back.)

I wished Illian realized how much the side characters loved her and wanted to be with her for her. I understand why she didn't have the same love for them as she did with Crystal—as said above, fear of losing them and thinking they're only by her side for reasons other than love.
Yet I wished the author showed us more of Illian and her found family (aside from Crystal). And that it had some sort of conclusion surrounding her trauma. But none of that hindered my experience that much.
Still, I enjoyed Crystal and Illian's dynamic. Very adorable. Yet again, wished for more trauma-bonding lol.

The art was beautiful and the attention to detail regarding Crystal's growth and the little body-language panels didn't go unnoticed! Though, I disliked when the 3D models weren't edited to fit the art style. But that's me being nitpicky.

[Zanjabeel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars