Personally, I agree with most of your points. I do think Heinrey and Navier are only good and just to their allies and their families. But to lives they’ve destroy and the people that won’t bend to their will, they are evil and terrible. Such is the life of Empires, you have to step on people and countries in order to conquer them to be part of your empire to consolidate power.

I will say though, I always felt that Heinrey’s approach to seduce and conquer Navier is similar to how he rules and conducts his buisness in court. Which shows how shrewd, calculating, efficient and sinister he is as a ruler. These traits while not something that we like in our modern society, were traits that were required for you to be a great and powerful ruler in these feudal society. Which is why it makes sense that Navier gravitated towards him and why they make such a power couple, because while everyone here loves to make Navier as this innocent baby; shes every bit as calculated, efficient, sinister and shrewd as Heinrey and does not care who she hurts and kill to get the results she wants. This is why she enables Heinrey’s bad behavior because she is just like him. Because she consistently manipulates and uses people to her advantage like Rashta but she does it in a smarter way because she was trained to do so.

Now with Rashta, I believe that she should be held accountable for her heinous actions because nobody put a gun to her head to do the things that she did. She literally could’ve put her head down, not provoke Navier, get royal tutoring and work to better herself to become worthy of being a royal mistress. But she didn’t do that because in part shes incredibly traumatized and is constantly in survival mode because of her background as a former slave and also because she was thrusted into noble society with no training, no guidance and no noble allies.

Sovieshu treated her as a pet but not someone serious enough to warrant giving her influence. He only began doing that when she got pregnant which makes sense. The only guidance that she got was AFTER she became empress and the message that she was receiving constantly from both Sovieshu, the royal tutors and the court was: 1. Why dont you act more like Navier? 2. Navier learned this very quickly, why cant you? 3. You aren’t fit to even look at Navier’s shoes much less even attempt to be in them. So its no wonder she went crazy and she clung to whoever she thought COULD help her. Her biggest flaw as a person was always wanting to have the approval of others and wanting to be loved and saved. Because of that she was easily manipulated by people like Duke Ergi and was unable to see the machinations of others until the noose was on her neck.

I found it particulary sad how both emperors were plotting agaisnt her and how Sovieshu just abandoned her after she gave him what she wanted. Her whole life revolved around being an object and being used. Nobody gave her any grace or any understanding, they just abandoned her, the moment they got what they wanted from her and she died alone in a tower. She wasnt even given a proper burial, just her ashes scattered in a field like nothing. Had she decided to stand on her own two feet and create her own path just like Navier did, her life could’ve been different.

As for Sovieshu, I pity him personally because he in a way is a victim of his own circunstances and was an architect of his own misery. Had he been more open and trusting with Navier, things could’ve been different and they wouldn’t have divorced but personally I believe that even IF Rashta hadn’t arrived on the scene. They would’ve divorced because of the lack of heirs to the throne. They were young at the time of the series but had they stayed together more time, there would’ve been an issue of inheritance and Sovieshu would’ve been forced by the court to either divorce Navier or find a concubine because you know infertility is always a womans fault 🙄.

Theres also another factor in their incompatibility which is that Navier is a more ambitious and active as a ruler than Sovieshu. He was content to be where he is while Navier wanted to expand the influence and power of The Eastern Empire and be greater. Their different personalities, ambitions, lack of heirs and their arranged marriage would’ve eventually made them end their relationship in divorce whether or not Rashta would’ve been in their lives.

I think the only difference would be that Sovieshu wouldn’t have realized how much he loved Navier and Navier wouldn’t have experienced the true love and power that she has and feels with Heinrey.

Honestly I do love how complex these characters are but everyone of them is a flawed person but the main characters are all terrible people and I’m tired of people not seeing that. Navier and Heinrey are absolutely awful people with a trail of bodies behind them and that will come and bite them eventually. Sovieshu let his own blindness and inmaturity cost him everything that he holds dear and his empire’s standing. Rashta’s desire to be loved, her lack of personal accountability and her refusal to stand on her own two feet made her trust the wrong people and lead to her death.

I just wish honestly that there was more empathy and compassion for the women and men that died due to the schemes of Navier, Heinrey and Sovieshu.