The Archvillain's Daughter-In-Law

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This comedic fantasy manhwa follows a woman reincarnated as a sickly bride who matches wits with her archvillain father-in-law.

Story: 7/10
The concept is fun and executed well initially. The MC has realistic motivations and goals. Events flow smoothly but the plot lacks major hooks so far.

Art: 8/10
The bright, cute art style suits the lighthearted tone. Character designs are distinct and expressive. Backgrounds are sometimes sparse.

Characters: 8/10
The resourceful MC is likable and relatable. The doting ML brings humor as a child duke. Their rapport is adorable so far.
...
Enjoyment: 8/10
This put a smile on my face with its mix of fluff and witty exchanges. A relaxing read despite some minor flaws. I'm invested enough to continue.

With a charming MC and solid comedy, this is a good pick me up manhwa. Fans of fluff and spunky heroines will find enjoyment here.

These kinds of "reincarnating/transmigrating into a novel/game as a child character and I'm doomed if I don't change the original plot" stories usually have a critical flaw, and that is whenever the "original story" has changed for whatever reason the main character would still be in denial that the story has changed enough despite OBVIOUS signs that whatever it is they're worried about will not happen. The story changing is not the issue, the issue is either the main character is worried for nothing OR it is made too obvious to the readers that their worries are unwarranted.
Now why did I opened my review with ... this? Because I am happy to tell you that [The Archvillain's Daughter-In-Law/I Became the Daughter-in-Law of the Villain Because I'm Terminally Ill], for the most part, doesn't have this issue.

What stands out to me about this series compared to others of it's ilk, is the fact that even after 2 seasons in, I still have no idea whether the title character "villain" will stop his plans or not despite all the changes the heroine has made; the "original story" is no more, but even then this man have good reasons to stay on course (I can't explain without spoiling, but I assure you it makes sense). Thereby all her worrying and entertaining antics are warranted, because for all she and we the readers know, she is not in the clear just yet.

There's plenty of other things to enjoy from this manhwa:
- The female lead is refreshingly not your typical goody two-shoes, nor is she a vengeance fueled villainess, nor was she abused in her previous life, nor is she unapologetically malicious and evil (okay maybe a teeny tiny bit of the last one); Laria is charmingly balanced, she helps or manipulate people when it's to her benefit yet at the same time to others' benefit, she smartly drew a line early in her futile attempt to prevent raising a flag with the male lead, and her shenanigans often results in comedic outcomes.
- The art is really cute. I'm spoiling a bit but there's a touching scene after a timeskip that mirrors an event early in the story, and I'm a sucker for those kinds of panel.
- The comedy is a tad hit or miss, but if it's a hit for you then generally it will be entertaining.
- The story itself is pretty compelling, especially the duke's motives and backstory. Unfortunately if you're looking for the typical doting father archetype usually found within these sort of manhwa, you won't really get one here.
Little duke and his wife's relationship are endearing and mostly heartwarming, you can't help but to root for this poor boy who knew nothing about what's going on between his father and Laria.

This is a good and enjoyable series, especially for fans of the kind of stories I mentioned in the beginning, would recommend.

Plot
FMC, who reincarnated from korean, is terminally ill and lost her parents in an accident. The duke takes her in as daughter-in-law and plans to marry his son (ML) to princess (OGFL), when FMC dies in a few years. FMC, with her novel knowledge, decides to cure herself and gather funds to eventually runaway from the duke.

Review

The good things:
1. FMC is cunning and fun to watch. She manages to fool everyone around her and knows how to use her innocent face. She has a strong personality, who has a clear goal in mind and executes plans to achieve it.
2. Lots of comedy. I ... love FMC's paintings and OGML's misunderstandings.
3. Simple story, good pacing, great art and fun cast of characters. Great Aunt Livia, princess (lovely character design btw) and OGML are hilarious characters. I think the story is ending very soon (around 110 chapters in total), so you can binge it.

The bad things:
1. I hate the tragic stories for the main cast. The story gaslights you into feeling sorry for them. ML and his father characters have nothing going for them besides their trauma and being simps for their wives.
2. Characters trying to hide problems because they don't want others to "worry", which leads to misunderstandings.
3. The main romance track is a little uncomfortable due to FMC trying to be a mother figure to MC in the early parts of the story.

Overall
This is not a masterpiece by any stretch. There's plenty of plot holes (and conveniences) with forced misunderstandings and most characters are walking tropes. But FMC and OGML's characters along with the comedy carried the series for me. If you don't like them, there is not much else that this series can offer you.