참아주세요, 대공 [Cham-ajuseyo, Daegong]

Finding Camellia (Novel) #1-3

by Jin Soye, Pudica (Illustrator), 진소예

키에런 소후작의 모조품.
베일 후작 부인의 실패작.
루버의 부랑아.

그 모든 것이 그녀. 아니, 그를 칭하는 말이었다.
적어도 클로드 델 이하르를 만나기 전까지는.

클로드는 잠든 카닐리언을 고요하게 응시했다. 머리카락과 같은 금색 속눈썹이 하얀 얼굴에 연한 그림자를 만든다.
제아무리 야외 활동을 싫어한다 해도, 지나치게 하얗고 가늘다. 목엔 변성기의 상징도 도드라지지 않았으며, 무엇보다 사내들의 땀 냄새와는 질적으로 다른 향기가 났다.
후작저 곳곳에 피어난 라벤더 향일까? 아니면 강가에 흐드러지게 핀 양귀비의 향기일까.

향을 더 음미하듯 고개 숙인 그의 코끝에 닿은 보드라운 뺨. 카닐리언이 내뱉은 가는 숨결이 그의 관자놀이를 간질인다. 덩달아 맥박이 빠르게 뛰어대기 시작했다.
클로드는 무엇에 홀린 것처럼 더욱 상체를 숙였다. 더 음미하고 싶다. 아니, 정확히는 맛보고 싶었다. 이 피부에 혀를 대면 어떤 맛이 날지, 소름 끼칠 만큼 궁금했다.

‘정말 미쳤나 보군…. 아니면, 미쳐가고 있든지.’

자조하듯 탄식한 클로드는 혼란스러운 마음으로 상체를 숙여 커프스를 주웠다. 섬세하게 커팅된 에메랄드의 반짝임이 카닐리언의 눈동자 색을 떠올리게 했다.

그 사이 반대편으로 홱 기울어졌던 카닐리언의 고개가 아래로 푹 숙어진다. 상체를 숙인 채 커프스를 움켜쥔 클로드는 고개를 틀어 카닐리언을 올려다보았다.
손바닥과 등, 두피에서부터 시작된 열에 진땀이 흘렀다. 꿀이라도 발라놓은 듯 매끄러운 리언의 입술에 사로잡혔다.

더위 때문일 것이다. 차 안을 가득 채운 더운 공기가 자신을 미치게 만든 것이 분명했다.
그렇지 않다면, 결단코…. 사내에게 키스하고 싶다는 생각 따윈 하지 않았을 테니까.

Genres: Romance, Manhwa, Novels, Fantasy, Light Novel

ebook

First published October 12, 2020

Reviews

[Danya ★⁠♫ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If i see any more mention of ian sergio i am going too vomit

[Charina (ᜆᜒᜌᜇ̢̇ᜈ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me: maybe I should start on my homework, or start reading Children of Dune.
Also me: reading the last 50 chapters of Finding Camellia.

I initially read this webnovel because I thought the premise was interesting, and Claude as her love interest made for very interesting interactions. There are some 😬😬😬😬 stuff that the Manta webcomic fixes (thankfully), and while Claude was kinda alright at first, I sometimes find his sexual appetite exhausting. It’s not as bad as Casteel/Poppy (if you know, you know), but holy damn does it happen pretty often that you become numb to it.

I get that possessiveness is this thing that is marketed as romantic in these types of stories, but I find that Claude’s brand of possessiveness gets in the way of Camellia’s growth as a person. She grows a lot throughout the book, and for every kilometre that she does, Claude budges an inch. He knows that his possessiveness is a problem, but the book does The Bare Minimum to address that. Someone like Camellia should be allowed the chance to shine on her own, to make new friends; to not only socialise in the immediate circles of Claude, Kierran, Ian, and the nunnery.

[Jessica Dart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I honestly thoroughly enjoyed this series. I first started reading this when it was on Manta and now has recently made its way to being printed in a physical copy. Rereading this honestly was very nostalgic. It’s a good combination of romance suspense and don’t forget the noble dramaaaa. (The urge to want to beat the living crap out of some of the noble snobs was real) Sometimes I can get intimidated when series have a heavy emphasis on how kingdoms and nobilities work. But after reading the series and seeing how ranking works and seeing how Camilla was affected due to ranking through the family’s name/status, hence why she had to present herself as a male for most of her life, was very enlightening. I think the ending definitely flopped a little and wasn’t as grand as the storyline was making it out to be. But overall, a really fun read

[cbelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ever Korean web novel and let me say, Korean writers, know how to WRITE!! The drama and romance are so original (I mean I've never heard of a plot like this, I could be wrong about its originality). I first picked this novel up when Manta started translating the story on their app; when I first read this story it was through the manwha and I wanted more!!

Camellia and Claude's love story was amazing I loved the slow burn and how Claude was struggling with his feelings when Camellia was still Camellius. I love how genuine their love for each other is and the smut is also 😏 A one of a kind love story 😌🫶

Claude is so insatiable and so in love when it comes to Camellia. He's a perfect boyfriend and such a smart and strong duke. And I loved how supportive he was of Camellia. Camellia is also a wonderful character because she grew. At first, she felt sorry for Kieran because of what she believed her mother did to him. But when it was revealed she started fighting for her freedom and what she truly dreamt of. And Claude supported her with what she wanted!! There wasn't that much competition; as a love triangle because you can see that Camellia only wanted Claude, so I didn't really worry about Ian.

I felt sorry for Kieran and how Camellia is still not okay with him. I mean it's explainable because of what his family did to her, especially his mother. His mother deserved all of the bad things that happened to her and more!! But yeah I was hoping that Camellia treated Kieran as her brother in the end, but I understood why not.

But Camellia and Claude 😍😌🫶 I love them and their love story.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been my favorite book of 2022. There is so much steamy romance here. I find the storyline to be really well-planned and it didn’t seem like the author dragged it out too long. I also read the Webtoon so it was a lot of fun finding the references! Highly recommend if you’re into historical romance books like me.

[Sarah Mente · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started on the webcomic but the story was so good I couldn't wait to finish it. So I grabbed the book and the whole story is so lovely.

[C B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story and HAD to see how it ended in the novel. Kinda wish Manta would release multiple episodes per week so I wouldn't have to wait and see how they portrayed each chapter, but that's just me being impatient. You'll be hooked once you start for sure.

A couple of conclusions I made: Lady Bale deserves all the bad that happens to her. Claude is loveable in that he adores Camellia and will do just about anything for her. I felt bad for Ian because clearly Camellia doesn't like him. I wished Kieran stood up for Camellia more. It almost seemed like Camellia kept rejecting Claude's affection (the reason why, I don't know) but eventually just gives in, and I kept thinking "Camellia, stop resisting him!!"

Such a good story that takes you on a ride of emotions.

[Claudia Payan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story! I've read things similar to this but I didn't need to wait long to care about Camellia. I really enjoyed that she is an independent protagonist and that she is still such a sweetheart despite every cruel thing that's happening around her. The love interest was easy to care for as well but more or less follows a very regular and predictable life/storyline. I was surprised to find a little bit of explicit content. Nothing super crazy but I still wasn't expecting it. Finally, I will say that I was happy that there were no throwaway characters. All in all, I would definitely read this again!

[Rupalim ( earlier Monotropism) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh
I kept reading coz the art is pretty

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to give this a solid 3.5/5
I did read the English translation of the novel through the Manta comics app, which has the US licensing tho the webtoon adaptation. And it was long. It's 128 chapters and took me like four days of near constant reading to get through. Most fantasy romances of the caliber would be easy 1-2 day reads for me, but not Finding Camellia.
I think it also has sort of serial publication curse. It maintains a steady 6/10 level of intrigue, pretty much never getting really exciting or feeling like it reaches a climax (unlike camellia lol). It just sort of gallops along holding your attention until the happily ever after. This happens 90% of the the time with things published chapter-by-chapter, and it isn't a bad thing, but it doesn't make for a great binge-reading experience.

[Jas · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off okay, predictable, but good. Then the writing tanks midway through and it's just smut, which I normally LOVE, but because the characters didn't get the development I thought they needed, the romance aspect fell short. It felt like Camellia was never given any agency so it kind of reads like a creepy stalker story where the stalker gets what they want....however I did read till the end so take this as you will.

[Julie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little too heavy on the Twilightiness, especially towards the end. I would have been happy to wrap up the story with Carhem's birth and Jessica's adoption and Ian finding some purpose/paramour/life outside of Camellia. The epilogue chapters starting with Carhem's 1st birthday were super blah.

[Eliza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the completed English translation on Manta off/on over the past year along with the webtoon. Definitely contains all the tropes present in K-light novels, but still a decent light read overall.

[Caroline O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best love story ever. (The smut didn’t hurt either)

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment I started it and to the moment it finished it, I have loved this story with all my heart. I’m sad to see it end but it ended with grace and a good amount of closure. I look forward to seeing the rest of it adapted into a comic. I’m sure they’ll cut out a lot of the spicy scenes but ah well. I’m excited to see what becomes of it.

[Meera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course I read a random Korean webnovel instead of tackling the messy TBR stack in my bedroom. Found it strangely enjoyable though?

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good web novel! Really fun period style romance. I was hooked from the beginning.

[Hannah Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this novel exceeded my expectations. I started off with the Manta Comic and wanted to read the novel and I’m thankful I did.
The story plot is so unique. The build up for the romance slowly unfolding between Claude and Camellia was slow burned to perfection. The spicy parts were not over done or done so many times that it got boring.
I will say Claude did a few things that by todays standards are absolutely not ok. Which the Comic fixed. But put that aside and you have a lovely romance novel. I got slightly emotional at the end cause it was over and it was a sweet ending.

Now if you haven’t read the book, don’t read this any further as I am going to say a few specifics in the story that I thought could have gone better.
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I wanted a little bit more thrill in the aspect of a challenge between Ian and Claude. Or even perhaps Ian and Camellia. The ending for poor sweet Ian just breaks my heart. I REALLY thought the author was going to make Ian turn out to be a bad guy. There was the part where he locked Camilla in his palace when Claude was buried underground. I thought for sure that was gonna be a sticky situation and that Ian was gonna screw her and Claude over. But no. That didn’t happen. That was a little lack luster for me. I wanted a little more issues than there were.
Also this is a given but Claude bein a creep without consent is obviously something I’d change. But in a way I find his aggression kinda hot but the part where he kisses a sleeping Camillius enough to cut her lip.. that.. is too much and definitely sexual harassment. I like how the MANTA comic changed that to being “an accident” when the car went over a bump.

I also would have liked to see more of Camillias personality. I feel like I didn’t really understand her as person as much as I understood the other characters.
I also would have liked to see Claude show more of an interest in who she is as a person instead of just lusting after her the whole time. It felt like he was constantly battling his lustful thoughts but didn’t really KNOW camellia. That was my perception at least.

All of that aside it was a wonderful book. I hope to find another romance book similar to this one in the aspect of the writing style! If you have any suggestions please comment!

I’m currently reading Under The Oak tree and this book doesn’t even hold a candle to Finding Camellia 😔😭

[Megan Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gender bender scripts are not usually my cup of tea. However, this one addressed my usual glaring complaints with gusto. There was a good reason for her to dress as a boy--outside of Lia's control--forcing her to maintain something that is impractical, dangerous, and unhealthy. She was kept away from most people and those that saw her were not really fooled by the costuming especially as she aged. Although negativity about homosexuality was voiced in the narrative, it was not the only opinion of the characters. There are lasting ramifications for the deceit and complicated reactions to the reveal. Meanwhile the plot is still built on genre tropes and forced meladrama (as expected of fans). Overall it was intriguing and I was enjoying the read up until the literal car crash scene. After that, it became a more difficult slog to continue to read. Firstly the event was odd (out of place) and sucked the wind out of her great reveal at the Marchioness's party. Lia becomes disabled, passive, and defeated at this point which was no worse than the other abuses she had faced until this point. The duke becomes obsessed with her body, but the person he allegedly fell in love with withers and almost disappears. The slow down in pace gave me too much time to think about all the other problems. Lia doesn't get the vengence of living well and she is also denied any real justice. No redemption comes for the characters. No satisfaction in the conclusion I guess. Rosaria could have just talked to her about how writing letters to her mom might send them both to the executioner block but instead steals them for years, gives them to her husband to be so that they can be found and start a fight, which is mysteriously forgiven days later. The plans for peace between nations and younger generations making changes which is setup... just kind of fizzles to bloodshed. Genre enthusiasts will probably overlook these annoying subplots but I was disappointed.

[Rasha Siwonest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow ended up reading all of the 50s chapters in a day, and I can't wait for more. I started reading because the art is glorious, but the story got interesting. Some are saying Claud is possessive, I don't see that at all; on the contrary, he seems to be the only level-headed man in the group along with Camellia's big brother. Anyways, I find Ian to be creepy. It is not clear whether his intentions are malicious towards Camellia or not, he is not being persistent about the whole he fancies her thing he has going, but he gets on my nerves, and I don't like to have him around. What is interesting is Camellia herself, the growth of the character and her will to be strong when she has to are admired. Nonetheless, he is naieve, and Claud is the only person who cares about her well being (Of course Pipi is great, but given her position, she can't do much). And Claud's "intended" is annoying. She is the kind of girl who has everything and is very smart, yet she is trying to get a man to like her when she doesn't have to. I wish she would appreciate herself more and not get herself in trouble and unfavourable position while she is trying to get Claud's attention. It would be refreshing to see a character who would stop perusing another since it is clear they are not interested. All in all, this is really good, I wish I waited until it was complete to read because I'm not very good at waiting when it is such a good story (I could be biased, but the art is just amazing!)

[Sarah Heafield · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had started reading the manga of this when I noticed that there was a novel version. Super excited, I started reading and honestly found it a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, I read till the end still, I just wasn't very satisfied with the characters or the ending. Firstly, the ending is not really an ending at all. There is toomuch emphasis on setting up for a second book, meaning character arcs felt unfinished. I like a book to have a beginning middle and end, whether it is part of a larger story or not. Secondly, this has the typical modern day issues of thinking that a possessive, controlling man and an easily manipulated and controlled girl is romantic and makes for a perfectly health relationship-this is not actually the case. Camellia was far too forgiving in my opinion and didn't seem to particularly grow any sort of back bone till almost two thirds of the way through the book. She was also incredibly naive, despite the fact that she grew up in the slums and her mum worked in a brothel. Her constant reliance on others and inability to stand up for herself really went against the feminist stance that book premise is trying to alood to. The lack of consent displayed in the more intimate moments of the book also add to the bad messaging of the story. I would really worry for teenagers, who are more easily influenced, reading this and basing their own relationships on it.

[Lieu Tep · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story. I had the opportunity to enjoy both the no Al and the graphic version. Camellia had a tough childhood. Dragged away from her mother to live with her father, stepmother and brother, she had to hide herself and become a boy. To live peacefully in their home, she hid herself but she had the opportunity to get an education. She ended up building a friendship with Claude, her brother friends. As they grew older, Claude had started questioning his love preferences. He notice that he had feeling for Camellia. She received help from Claude, friends and love one to help her find herself and her mother.

[Pau PG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo que más llamó mi atención del libro fue la temática de la chica que se disfraza de hombre y cómo se involucra en problemas debido a que debe ocultar su naturaleza. El gran problema para mí con este libro tiene que ver con la narrativa, ya que todo ocurre muy rápido. Los problemas se resuelven con demasiada ligereza, en mi opinión. La historia avanza a un ritmo que puede tener atrapada la atención de los lectores por mucho tiempo, sin embargo para mí fue un punto débil, todo se resulta demasiado conveniente para los personajes y me deja la impresión de poca profundidad en la trama.

[Kenielya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an average cliche historical fantasy. Nothing special. It’s basically just yaoi for the first half of the book with the ml crazily obsessed with the fl just cause she put some damn snow on his hands several years ago been obsessed with her ever since. This man jerks off to what he thinks is a pretty boy everyday in his head and kissed her while she’s unconscious. And feels weight lifted from his indenial gay heart when he finally finds out it’s a chick. He feels his creepiness is justified. 🤦‍♀️

[Tania J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading the comic on Manta, and I just needed to know how the story would end, so naturally, I read the novel. I absolutely loved this story! A girl disguised as a boy is my all-time favorite trope, and the tension and drama were superb. Ian Sergio got the short end of the stick, and that's the only thing I didn't like. I want to see his romance story, and I'd purchase it in a heartbeat if it were released.

[Taylor Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ - This book is hands down one of my favourite web novels. I read the comic and decided I needed more just like it. When I found the novel, I read it in a day - I did not want to put it down. At this point I’ve read it 3 times. It has everything I love: slow burn, aristocracy, hidden identity with a splash of denial and deception. The story is beautiful and descriptive with some great original ideas. Will I read it a 4th time? Probably. I highly recommend it!

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun read! There were so many moments that Claude just made me swoon! If only there was really a man like Claude! It was an easy and quick read. The characters had depth and you really get to know them. The only thing that I would say was a little lacking was the world building, but it was not terrible at all. Anyway it was a good read. I really really enjoyed this e-novel!

[Skyler Eleonora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read this one due to the comic version and I really like Camilla and her journey and while the male leads were at first very nice, I don't like the possessiveness that the male leads got over the female lead is too much and it hinders her.

The author has a very nice writing style and I can't complain about that.

[Deidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story... Thou Claude has alot to work on. Insatiable for sure... and way overbearing, but that didn't ruin the love he had for Lia. My heart kinda broke for Ian.. But thats just me.

Def would recommend and read again.

[Des'Ree Clayburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this story! It’s been a while since a romance got its teeth in my so deep! Only took me so long to read because I had to wait for payday! Absolutely loved it and I hope the author creates more in the future!

Thank you so much for this beautiful story!