I mean what should I say? It's exactly the type of story I expected!
Honestly, I didn't wanna read this because I didnt wanna feel feelz, but there were no spoilers so my curiousity drove me to read it. To save future viewers, I will have the spoilers.
Spoiler
And fine, I kinda get ML; it seems like MC's father was a bad emperor, so maybe civil unrest led to coup. However, he was neighbouring country's prince, so idk. Honestly, I would've been down for an extra from his perspective so I can sympathize, and that's only because he killed that General Sun. But it also shows ML knew what that Sun scum did and only later punished him, so clearly he puts himself first anyway.
I genuinely wonder whether or not he loved her, or it was more obsession mixed with guilt. It's definitely a bit of both, but I wonder which was most? I would've been inclined to think it was really only obsession, except that he was happiest seeing the child on the horse as she was.
I just wished she committed su*cide herself, instead of what ended up happening. Like maybe another night after they were all gone, he was drunk and she had the silver hairpin, she thought about killing him since she had no more ties but then thinks of the country and kills herself instead. I bet that next morning would be a day to remember for him. Also, I wish she requested him to kill that Sun scum smh.
Here's the full story, but honestly I think you should just read it. It's pretty short and it's not quite as cutting as other ones (like The Blind Concubine), probably because the pace moves fast enough that it wasn't so slow burn. Warning, after reading spoiler you probably won't read story, but it's not actually that bad.
Spoiler
MC, daughter of the Emperor (who wasn't a great ruler), once helped the prince of the neighboring country when he was running for his life, saving him (against the urges of her family). Years later he returned leading an army and taking over her country. Although he didn't directly kill the family, he basically takes them hostage to get her to behave. He also sends her scholarly (ex-) husband, who gave up his status to marry her, to the battlefield as general (where he dies). In the process of the conquest, her model older sister was r*ped by ML's general Sun scum in front of her husband, and she shares this news right before killing herself in front of MC.
Throughout the story, it's hard to tell if ML actually loved her or was just obsessed. The "I could seek his power and status, but I could not seek his love" is a bit misleading since he always appears to her like he loves her. However, I'm pretty sure it's because she knows that in fact after this period passes she'd be nothing to him, thus his love is really quite worthless.
By the way, everyone says she should just kill herself, but her family was held hostage so she really can't???
The ending has her killed through poison wine, fed by her father & mother as a triple su*cide (although she didn't actually know before drinking).