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Manga Review | Amaregulus: Soldier & Soother by Aion Kiu

Title: Amaregulus: Soldier & Soother

Author(s): Aion Kiu

Artist(s): Aion Kiu

Anton was once one of the most powerful and skilled warriors in the kingdom's army. However, after an injury, Anton could not continue fighting within the military. Thankfully, as a praised warrior, Anton is put into a coveted and high-ranking position: Soother. Soothers are retired warriors who, thanks to their immense stamina and unquenchable libido, train their bodies to help sexually satisfy and train the nobility and royalty in the bedroom. It's an honorable role that Anton happily accepts, and after intense training, Anton is finally ready for his first partner. Anton doesn't expect to be posted to the 4th prince, Julius, who just had his coming-of-age ceremony.

Anton's task is to teach Julius about sex and take his virginity, something Anton considers an immense honor. Julius also seems ready and willing, but when Anton tries to do his job, Julius refuses to let him. Julius believes Anton still wants to be a warrior and is determined to get Julius back on the field. He has no intention of using Anton as a Soother, leaving Anton at a loss. While he appreciates how much Julius cares about him, he longs to fulfill his role. Is Julius just not attracted to him? Or is there something deeper that Anton isn't even aware of?

Title: Cheeky Habits of My Rabbits

Author(s): Donggobi, Mum

Artist(s): Gongil

Haru is Habibi's pet rabbit. They found each other when they needed each other the most and have been dedicated to one another ever since. However, Habibi doesn't know that she didn't rescue just any rabbit. Haru is actually a member of the rabbit tribe, a tribe of humans that can shift their forms between human and rabbit. Haru is not a pet rabbit, but he loves Habibi like family. So, he spends his days making sure she gets up and ready for work, and then, when she's away, he cleans the house and cooks her meals. When she comes home in the evenings tired and usually drunk, he makes sure she gets to bed, and the whole routine starts over again the next day. It's a lot of work, but Haru does it willingly because he loves Habibi.

Unfortunately, Haru spends most of his time alone in Habibi's house. Feeling bad for Haru, Habibi decides to get a female rabbit to be Haru's bride. Once again, she doesn't realize that the rabbit she gets is another member of the rabbit tribe. She also fails to notice that the rabbit is not a female. It is actually none other than a prince of the rabbit tribe, Neungso. He has been sent out of the Rabbit Kingdom on a quest alongside his brother to determine who will take the Rabbit Kingdom's throne. The quest is simple: Neungso has to find the fabled Moon Rabbit, a god born on Earth, to provide longevity and fertility to the rabbit kingdom.

Haru, the suspected Moon Rabbit, is not at all what Neungso expected, and, as a half-breed (a half-human half-were-rabbit), Neungso feels he was sent to Haru because they knew Haru wasn't the Moon Rabbit. First off, Haru is male, and though the Moon Rabbit can give birth regardless of gender, Neungso can't imagine they would actually be a man. Next, Haru is far too silly (yet perceptive) to be the Moon Rabbit. Not to mention, he's cute… Well, even if he isn't the Moon Rabbit, Neungso can still find him cute, right?

Title: Heat of the Moment

Author(s): Yensha

Artist(s): Shin Yuri

Yeo-heun is a goblin. He's a half-goblin, a creature that lives beyond the average human lifespan, can carry a pregnancy regardless of gender, and is known to seduce and trick humans. They're feared and hated, so when Yeo-heun was small, his mother scrounged every penny she had to have a seal cast on him. Unfortunately, as a poor, single mother, she couldn't afford a complete seal, and though it sealed away the goblin part of Yeo-heun, it, unfortunately, sealed away his voice and parts of his memories, too. And, despite her best efforts, his identity as a half-goblin is still clearly visible. It can be seen by the color of his eyes: one gold and one violet. And by the color of his hair, streaked with gold. As a result, he and his mother have lived as outcasts on the outskirts of their village, avoiding everyone who wishes to bully and harm Yeo-heun.

All of that changes, however, when the new, young emperor, Ju Hee-yeon, is on the hunt for a goblin. Hee-yeon has been sickly, chronically so, to the point it is impeding his ability to lead. It's all due to his bloodline, which carries the blood of dragons. It has manifested in Hee-yeon with fevers and painful scales along his back. It's said that only by lying with a goblin that he will be healed. So, Hee-yeon sends out a small group of soldiers who successfully hunt down Yeo-heun and bring him back to the palace, leaving his sickly mother alone. The two lie together, and, as expected, Hee-yeon's fever and pain subsides.

But beyond the newfound freedom Hee-yeon has gained thanks to Yeo-heun, Hee-yeon finds himself entranced by the half-goblin. He wants to know more about this beauty and is determined to find a way to remove Yeo-heun's seal. All the while, however, Yeo-heun longs to see his mother again. But when Hee-yeon sends out a party to find his bedmate's mother, there's no sign of her anywhere. Just what secrets lie in Yeo-heun's locked memory? And how will Hee-yeon keep the wily goblin by his side?

Title: Limited Run

Author(s): Eeej

Artist(s): Eeej

Yeon-oh is not just a struggling actor. As the eldest son in his family, he is compelled to try and pay off his father's neverending gambling debt, constantly compounded and recurring thanks to loan sharks who willingly lend him money. They know his father can't pay it off, but they also know Yeon-oh will do what he can to pay it off, including providing them sexual favors. His life is a neverending rat race, and he sees no end to it until he gets invited to speak to the CEO of the conglomerate Haekang. There's no doubt what a CEO wants with a struggling actor. It's a sponsorship, which equates to a celebrity being showered with gifts and opportunities in exchange for, often, sexual and physical favors. Yeon-oh initially wants to refuse, but after being pressured by his father, he decides to go.

The CEO, Jaehyuk, decides to make the offer. But Jaehyuk tells Yeon-oh what he expects. He doesn't want just simple physical pleasure, though that would be part of it. He wants Yeon-oh to use his acting skills to pretend to be his boyfriend in public. As it turns out, Jaehyuk is determined to rebel against his grandfather and tear down the upper echelon of Haekang's public image. The ultimate goal is to ruin his grandfather, though for what reason Yeon-oh doesn't know. The two start off rocky, with Yeon-oh struggling to put on a front in public, but over time, it grows easier, and as lucrative work starts coming in, Yeon-oh's life takes a positive turn. Neither Jaehyuk nor Yeon-oh realizes that there is a growing target on Yeon-oh's back, not just from Jaehyuk's family but all of the people watching Yeon-oh.

Meanwhile, Yeon-oh is beginning to struggle not with acting or being Jaehyuk's bedmate. He's struggling with his own feelings. What started as an act is slowly beginning to feel like reality. While he knows Jaehyuk has no intention of being with him for real, Yeon-oh can't help feeling hopeful that Jaehyuk cares about him as a real lover somewhere deep inside.

Title: Master's Pet

Author(s): Shroomi

Artist(s): Shroomi

Marquess Joseph Howard has been trying to grow out of his gambling and cheating father's shadow. Unfortunately, that becomes immensely more difficult when his younger half-brother, his father's love child, is brought to his home. The mother of the child requests compensation for raising the child, named Collin, as was promised by Joseph's father before his death. Still compelled to escape his father's past promises and debts, Joseph agrees to pay off the woman, who then leaves young Collin behind for Joseph to raise. Joseph isn't interested in his half-brother, but unlike Joseph, who looks nothing like the long history of Howard Marquess before him, Collin is a spitting image of his deceased father. Joseph is immensely jealous and feels Collin is just a physical representation of his inadequacy as the new marquess.

But Joseph is determined to better the Howard name, so he reluctantly takes in his half-brother. Joseph prepares the young man for his noble education but finds that he is traumatized and wild. In order to make things a bit easier, Joseph brings in another servant, an enslaved man named Ein. He intends for Ein to get close to Collin and help him integrate into his new life within the Howard household. But Ein has a painful past, one that still haunts him and that he openly fears. Joseph is willing to help Ein escape his past forever, but at a cost. During the day, Ein serves and teaches Collin, but Ein acts as Joseph's bedmate at night.

Ein wants to serve in hopes of one day finally breaking free from his past, but when young Collin falls for him, an intense love triangle threatens to tear everything apart. Ein is willing to give his body to his masters. But will he end up giving over his heart, too?

Title: The Flower of Alosha

Author(s): Jang Ryang / Jangryang

Kay is living his best simple life as the vice captain in Lablen. He's a bit of a womanizer, enjoying the company of women, though never more than one at a time. This does come at a price, earning him the ire of his captain, who often longs for the very women that Kay ends up with. It is an annoying but small problem in his life, so Kay is relatively happy at the end of the day. But Kay's simple world is rocked when none other than the Grand Duke, Zigryl Rhyner, arrives in this small, cold region of the empire unannounced.

Zigryl is well-known for his chaotic and cruel nature, and though he isn't the emperor, his brother, the emperor, who has been ill for some time, has no successors. So, he has all the power of the emperor without the shackles of the crown. What is a man with such power and freedom doing in this snow-covered rural region of the empire? As it turns out, Zigryl, alongside his attendant Schumann, isn't here for Lablen but for the subregion of Edor, which is well-known for being dangerous and near-impossible to reach thanks to the surrounding Forest of the Dead. They are after something called the Alosha's Flower, and they need a guide to get there.

Unfortunately for Kay, as soon as Zigryl lays eyes upon him, the Grand Duke wants Kay and only Kay for the journey ahead. Kay, unable to deny the wants of someone with such power, has no choice but to acquiesce. Kay anticipates this mission will only take a few days, and then he'll be able to return and live his everyday life back in Lablen. But what Kay doesn't realize until it's far too late is that Zigryl wants Kay as a guide and a bedmate, and once he gets a taste of him, he has no intention of letting Kay go.

Title: The Boy Who Stole From the Fairy Lake

Author(s): Sudong

Artist(s): Sudong

Hyosin is a runaway — an adult runaway, but a runaway nonetheless. He hails from a noble family, but he just doesn't fit in, so when he gets the chance to buy his way onto a boat and escape, he does just that. Unfortunately, due to his privileged upbringing, Hyosin has a tough time surviving out in the wilds of this foreign place. But luck shines upon him when he happens upon some clothes waving in the wind on a tree branch. Needing some new clothes, Hyosin wastes no time to snatch them up.

But just when he's thanking the gods for this stroke of luck, he finds a pool of water where a beautiful naked man is bathing. The man's name is San, and he isn't alone. His seven aunts, fairies, are also bathing in the pool, and as it turns out, a thief has been stealing their jewelry while they're in the bath. San is immediately suspicious of Hyosin, his appearance being far too convenient as things are being stolen. Hyosin is quick to claim his innocence but also quick to beg for help from San. San lives nearby, and having spent far longer out in the cold than he would like, Hyosin wants nothing more than to stay with San for a while.

San is hesitant, untrusting of most humans as a half-fairy himself. However, after some gentle pressure from his aunts and pitiful pleading from Hyosin, San agrees to let Hyosin (who introduces himself as Chung) stay with him. Things start off rocky between the pair, but over time, they find that opposites do, in fact, attract. But Hyosin is still a runaway, and his brother is right on his heels. As Hyosin knows, his brother will stop at nothing to get Hyosin back — dead or alive.

Title: A Dominating Prince and His Naughty Habits

Author(s): Owal

Artist(s): Owal

Kadri was once an abandoned child in the Gulf state where he lives but was adopted by Grandma Jedda. Grandma Jedda raised Kadri as her own, teaching him all of her recipes and cooking techniques, and as a result, he started helping her run her restaurant. Now, he spends his evenings making his famous biryani while commanding the kitchen, living life to the fullest. However, his idyllic life goes a little off course when a wealthy man and relative to the king named Fati comes by. Fati wants to buy the restaurant so he can redevelop the area.

While it would mean plenty of money for Grandma Jedda and Kadri, they aren't willing to give up their precious restaurant. Since money doesn't seem to be enough to sway Kadri, Fati recommends another method of negotiation: sex. Kadri, a virgin, is stunned but is willing to do anything to keep his grandmother's restaurant open. So, he meets the wealthy Fati and intends to take him up on his offer. But when Kadri tries to take the lead, Fati laughs in his face.

Fati had no intention of being the bottom.

But for a sweet virgin like Kadri, the great Fati makes an exception.

Title: A Painter Behind the Curtain

Author(s): MUNAMU

Artist(s): MUNAMU

Ian is a prolific artist, but no one knows it. His artwork is sold for high prices, prized in exhibitions, and hanging on the walls of some of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom. Yet, Ian lives in squalor, starved and frail. He is a prolific artist, but he doesn't even know it. Ian has had a talent for art since childhood but was forbidden from pursuing his passion due to his family's low standing and poverty. Unfortunately, his work is noticed by a noble, the head of the Bardi family, a family of prolific artists. Bardi wants Ian and is willing to pay a premium for the child.

Unable to decline his offer, Ian's family sells him off to the Bardi family; all the while, Ian is being lured with promises of being able to paint to his heart's content. Ian sees this as a dream come true until the reality of his situation comes crashing down on top of him. Ian has been enslaved. He's kept in a closet where he is broken and beaten, trained relentlessly in the techniques of painting until he can do so without any reference. Once he's completed a painting, the second son of the Bardi family, without any talent for the arts, signs his name to the piece, passing it off as one of his own.

Ian can't even dream of anything beyond this torturous horror he's trapped in, the only comfort being that he can still paint. That is until a mysterious and eager merchant named Raymond comes by, requesting a portrait from the Bardi family. Raymond's coin is all the Bardi family cares about, but once Raymond sees Ian, Ian is all Raymond seems to care about.

Title: The Man in the Mirror

Author(s): Eight Hisamatsu

Artist(s): Yukibayashi

Sal is the next head of the Senba clan. The family is well-known for their talents in Ikebana, the art of flower arrangement. Every year, the Senba clan takes part in a competition where they display their art and always come out with high praise. It's Sal's turn to participate, and his victory will mark his official takeover as head of the Senba clan. While Sal loves flowers and enjoys arranging them, the pressure from his father is almost too much to bear, and his arrangements are suffering as a result.

While in his workroom, he is stressed out and puts his hand against a floor-length mirror in the room. To his surprise, the mirror's surface gives way beneath his touch, and when he completely passes through, he finds himself in an entirely new place. It's full of beautiful, and in some cases tropical, flowers, but the most beautiful thing by far is the man standing among the blooms. He is the prince of the country Sal finds himself in, and before he can learn who the prince is, he is told of a cultural custom: if they share each other's names, they will be officially engaged.

Sal and Prince Shaal come up with nicknames for each other and go back and forth to each other's countries through the mirror. Shaal gives Sal the thing he was missing for his work: inspiration. More than that, Prince Shaal stirs something else in Sal. Could this be love?

Royal x Peasant / Noble x Peasant / Royal x Subject / Noble x Subject

Manhwa Review | Cheeky Habits of My Rabbits by Donggobi

Manhwa Review | Limited Run by Eeej

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