Laetitia has learned that Lord Aroo the wolf is actually King Glenreed. With such a big secret out in the open, will the two of them grow closer than before?
I’m sure most of you are familiar enough with this genre to know the answer is technically yes, but a villainess’ denseness is an impressive shield even as a new character takes a not-so-subtle special interest in her.
I’m sure a lot of readers are invested in the relationship between the king and the placeholder queen, and there are signs Laetitia is attracted to Glenreed and cares about him. So even in a slow romance like this, it’s not excruciatingly slow. Glenreed hasn’t realized the depth of his feelings yet either, but romance fans will thrive on his demonstrations of jealousy and descriptions of his emotions.
Those really come out due to Ernest, a prince of another country who comes by for a visit. Ernest is a Pegasus Knight, and while the trip is aimed at improving relations between the nations, that’s a bit difficult between tension over Laetitia and incidents between citizens of Wolfvarte and other Pegasus Knights.
That being said, I couldn’t help but wish the visit had felt as high-stakes as it was supposed to be. My biggest complaint of volume 4 is that readers keep getting left behind. Laetitia is talented. I know it, you know it, King Glenreed knows it, and even new character Prince Ernest quickly knows it. But Laetitia is so ahead of things that it’s like she’s the leader of a museum tour, and readers only arrive at an exhibit as she’s moved on to the next.
I’ve mentioned before the story can be a little cramped, but this volume features several notable developments like the debut of Ernest, who is likely to be a key character moving forward. Several episodes here felt like they should have been lengthier arcs. In a basic, fairly spoiler-free example, Laetitia debuts an incredible dessert at a ball. The novel only summarizes afterword that she had a difficult time making it. I would have liked to see her attempts, to follow her thoughts as she decided on what to make. I don’t mind fast forwarding through some events, like throwing a party for Gardener Cats, but I don’t like how the novel doesn’t tend to live “in the moment” with Laetitia. This is something I think Glenreed’s sections do better.
As for animals, volume 4 mostly limits the new ones to the pegasi, and compared to other creatures in this series, they didn’t seem that unique. However, the novel extensively mentions the growing number of Gardener Cats near and around the mansion, and man, I would have loved a matching illustration. Who cares about hot guys here when there is an army of crop-lovin’, two legs-walkin’ kitty cats?? Especially when they have a “matchmaking” session to find their perfect person! And descriptions of them gardening and their crop of choice…be still, my heart. Honestly, this is not much of a volume if you want a variety of creatures, but if you’ve fallen in love with Berry and Gardener Cats as a whole, they completely steal the show here.
Otherwise, while readers should not skip this volume since it involves big developments and sets up some key plotlines, I feel Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends: The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace‘s fourth volume is the weakest one so far.