Lots of Korean web comics and web fiction are successfully making the jump from the Internet to traditional media nowadays. One of these is The Remarried Empress. Read on for the review of Volume 3 of the manhwa. (For other reviews of this series, click here.)
The Review
Volume 2 ended with Rashta stirring up gossip about a prominent noblewoman to deflect rumors about her own past. Not surprisingly, those efforts nearly backfire on the former slave, but she’s saved when it’s discovered that she’s pregnant.
Succession is generally a huge deal in royal circles so I had been wondering why the topic of an heir hadn’t popped up yet. Especially since Navier never mentions children or pressure to produce a child. With Rashta’s baby on the way, the Emperor and Empress talk frankly (argue) about the matter, and we learn that despite years of trying, Navier’s never gotten pregnant. With Navier ostensibly unable to conceive, the Emperor broaches the idea of making Rashta’s child his heir, which only further sours his relationship with his wife.
In short, if you didn’t think the Emperor was awful and inconsiderate before, Volume 3 should get you there. Especially with his jealous double standard concerning Navier’s love life.
Speaking of her love life, that proceeds to get more complicated thanks to Grand Duke Kaufman. To be honest, the straight-laced ambassador from Luipt does not seem at all like the type to meddle in a foreign sovereign’s personal affairs with a love potion. And he REALLY does not seem to be the type to prove the efficacy of said potion by consuming it himself. However, the delightful payoff of this less-than-believable chain of events is the lovelorn visuals of the otherwise serious Duke. (I’ll admit I have a weakness for that type of character so I found those illustrations delicious.) And there is an even greater payoff when Heinrey, the Grand Duke, and the Emperor all get into a jealous stew over Navier in the palace garden.
Navier’s such an unappreciated character that it’s nice to see so many guys brawling over her for once, even if it’s for absolutely the wrong reason.
However, the jealous fighting dissipates when the Grand Duke and Heinrey leave the Eastern Empire shortly thereafter – the Grand Duke to seek an antidote to the love potion and Heinrey to rush to his dying brother’s bedside.
Volume 3 wraps up on a somber note with pressure increasing on Navier to accept Rashta’s baby as a legitimate member of the Imperial family and with the crown of the Western Kingdom going to Heinrey after his brother’s passing. This puts Navier’s conditions for divorce in the opening of Volume 1 into a whole new perspective. After all, remarriage to a prince of another country would be shocking enough, but remarriage to a foreign king is outrageous! I’m looking forward to seeing how the dutiful Empress gets to that point and what happens afterward.
In Summary
The Emperor’s mistress has caused all sorts of headaches for Empress Navier, but now the former slave outdoes herself: Rashta’s pregnant. With a baby on the way, the palace drama continues with the line of succession at stake. And to spice up the story a little more, Navier gets an additional handsome admirer, although the way he falls for her is a bit far-fetched. The creators deliver yet another engaging and gorgeously illustrated volume of The Remarried Empress.
First published at the Fandom Post.
Keeping It In Canon ...mostly 