Hello there! I'm writing my comment as I play the new update, sorry if it gets too long!

!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!

KosArina gets more beautiful as the angst intensifies... 😭

But hey, let me tell you a fun fact: right when I said to myself, “damn, I really hope Kostya got to drink water in the days he was gone”, Yana suddenly started voicing my thoughts out loud omg 🤣

Valeri in this update was superb. He seemed to be very disappointed at Kostya for not reciprocating his appreciation to the same degree of intensity -- not throwing a childish tantrum like one would expect, but like, he was very very " (  ' - '  ) " with a dark expression and this!!! has just made me like him even more. I'm not entirely sure what's being implied, if his feelings are purely platonic or something more, but HE'S GETTING MORE AND MORE INTERESTING.

And when he said “Last time Kostya made a promise, that promise wasn't kept, right?” I GASPEDDDD. I'm loving the direction he's taking. 

> “This seems dumb! And it's even dumber that you wouldn't promise Valeri! But you would promise her.” AHHHHHHHH I LOVED THAT SCENE. And after the most uncanny moment of crippling tension I've seen in weeks, my sweet little guy was suddenly like “ok then, byeee”. UNHINGEDDDDD

If Valeri wasn't already my second/third favorite character NOW HE IS. #PrayingForLavrenty, #PrayingForValeri. And Yana too, she keeps fighting with Valeri for the position of my second favorite.

Btw, when Kostya defended Arina, would it be possible to avoid shaking the message box together with the screen? It shaked so much that my eyes started feeling weird, I had to skip that scene and read it on the History log >w>

Kostya's monologue afterwards was so inteeeense!

AND THAT PART WHERE HE SAID “Sacrificed an innocent life... for nothing.” WHEN TALKING ABOUT ________. My brain summoned a Conspiracy Wall into existence and I started theorizing that ________ being secretly alive would be a solid way to ease Kostya's suffering..... lmao omg 😭 shame on me for not giving up on hope. ________'s villain arc incoming?? Or is ________ being kept at the Vault-- /gunshot

> “Think over the King's actions” that option was so me when I overthink 

VALERI'S SECOND INTERMISSION THO??? IT CAUGHT ME COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE LOL. He keeps getting more complex istg.

And Yana's conversation about her brother was oddly refreshing! I loved to read it, after all the chaos that ensued.

Well, well, the mystery thickens! “D.G.S.”, huh? The last few letters were particularly intriguing. Like Kuzma said, any vestige of respect from its sender flew out the window! I wonder what's that all about :0

+ that one name drop! “Tempter”... I remember the King called his Advisor that, but at that time I didn't suspect the name had any deep meaning. OLESYA IS A LEGEND BTW, IN THIS HOUSE WE STAN OLESYA.

Klavdiya beating the King's ass? Nah...

Olesya doing it? YAS.

> “Oh, look! I-It's... It's me! Well, that doesn't make me uncomfortable at all!” I ADORE HER!!!!

and

and

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help, my two favorite characters after Lavrenty are now poof 😭 someone please pay for my therapy

Great chapter, keep up with the good job! (lowkey crying rivers)