The Knight and Her Emperor

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I saw one of the reviews about if you like romance this isn’t for you or something like that, and I have to disagree.
This is actually one if not the best romance I’ve read, this story is really underrated. Is not because something is slow burn that it means that is not romantic.
It’s actually one of the most romantic that I’ve read. I won’t be saying a lot because I don’t want to spoil it, or take out the fun. But if I can resume the story in a few words. It’s a story of not just one but of a lot of strong women ... who find their strength in their own ways, is also about friendship (a lot of comedy as well), and a good and well built romance, that doesn’t start off out of nowhere, it actually take it’s time to built, and it feels natural as it makes sense (it’s not like those unrealistic love at first sign) they actually take time to get to know each other, so much that they’re so loyal to each other and their love is so strong that just being able to be next to each other is enough for them. I loved seeing how each character developed and how they realized their feelings (not only about how they felt towards each other but also about life). 10/10 would recommend to everyone, I’ll definitely read again 🥹💙

If you're looking for a romance this is not the story for you, even though is tagged and sold as one the actual romance is almost till the end (this is more a warning that a spoiler so i wouldn't mark it as one) BUT this is great history about the hardships the protagonist and all the women in the story have to overcome and suffer merely for their gender, How a lifestyle is imposed and the limitations that come with that.
even though the history touches politics and war i believe its beauty is in the intrinsic feminist undertone it has.
If you read it expecting ... romance, you will be disappointed, but I really believe it deserves an opportunity to be read as just a story and be ready to accept it message.

Story:
The story is pretty decent. It's basically just about Paulina helping the emperor deal with stuff as his loyal knight. The storyline isn't anything special and there isn't anything too memorable, but it's a pretty enjoyable read.

The outstanding part is the way the author portrays sexism. We follow Paulina through her way to prove everyone that she, a woman, can do things just as well as any other male knight. No "female character casts the men that made fun or her a look and the men are overwhelmed by her presence" bullshit. Paulina has to deal with sexism over and over again, and though she ... might change the opinions of many, some remain unchanged. Many might accept Paulina's achievements, but that doesn't mean that everyone suddenly become feminists. The author didn't write this whole gender conflict from a modern standpoint but from an ancient one. Even Paulina herself can't see the sexism besides her own experiences, though that'll slowly change.
So thumbs up to how the author made the sexism in the ancient setting believable.

Characters:
Alright here comes the part where this story excels at. Paulina, A GODDAMN KNIGHT WHO'S STRONG, HAS MUSCLES AND SHORT HAIR. MUSCLES. MUUUUUSCLES. No "long shiny hair, waist as thin as an A4 paper but stronger than anyone uwu" bullshit. She looks the way her character should look like. Also, she isn't "insanely beautiful". She doesn't suddenly look like a heavenly maiden when she wears a dress but looks 10x worse. And I love that.
I also love Paulina's personality. Her personality is a perfectly realistic and believable reflection of how her surroundings have shaped her. She finds it unfair how she's treated as less because she's a woman, but doesn't lash out because of that like other FL since she knows that'll get her nowhere. Though she has to fight for equal treatment, she doesn't see a need to fight for the rights of all women (in the beginning at least), and that aligns with her background and the setting. I can only say that she's a character with a depth well thought out by the author.

Too bad the emperor is drawn too pretty. This is clearly a "reverse the norms" move. It'd be better if they just broke all norms instead of reversing them. Also, his behaviour after he fell for Paulina is too much. However, I do admit that you can see it as a comedic element which is why it can be excused (I think that'll depend on one's preferences). Also, overall he does his job as an emperor should, and his love for Paulina doesn't distract him from his duties, nor does he distract Paulina from hers.

Art:
Not very good, but not bad. Just ok.