- Status: Ongoing
- Platform: Webtoon
- Chapters: 32+
- Genre: Historical Romance Manhwa
- Creators: LICO ; baekmyo
- Release year: 2025
- tropes: contract marriage, strong FL, tyrant ML
Branded a heartless and cruel sovereign, Emperor Herace of the Tevente Empire has lost three empresses to betrayal and murder. Into his life steps Eleanor Snow, the fearless daughter of House Snow, offering herself as his new empress to protect her family from ruin. In a world of assassins, treachery, and political unrest, their alliance is forged out of necessity but eventually tempered by trust. Together, they will fight to defend the empire… and each other.
Is Dare I Hope worth reading?
It’s still a little early, but from me it’s a definitive yes! The premise isn’t anything new by far: in order to protect her family, Eleanor goes to the tyrant emperor who is rumored to have killed all his wives beforehand and tries to strike a deal by offering to be Empress. Turns out the tyrant emperor isn’t a tyrant at all but a man of the people (yes, I know, nothing new). But don’t drop it just because you know the premise. The execution is great. Trust me. And the female lead is the one that really makes Dare I Hope shine. Everyone knows that she is a warrior but no one knows that she is also a strong mage. It’s satisfying to read.
artstyle
The art is gorgeous and it feels different. It starts with the character design: our FL Eleanor Snow has a scar on her face. And while that may seem minor, it can be a gamechanger for avid readers like me in a sea of perfect faces. The eyes are also drawn in a very unique way.
romance
Only about 30 chapters in and we already have plenty of badump-moments. To be honest, I was expecting the romance to take longer, but I’m not complaining. It feels natural because the FL is the first true ally of the emperor. But unfortunately they both seem to be the “why is my heart beating like this”-type.
characters
The characters in Dare I Hope are very well written. Even the supposed one-dimensional antagonist stepmother surprised me. While she is acting comically bad on paper, there is a scene that shows her panicking and somehow explaining why she is like that. It was done well. Also, the FL has a supportive family (yes please) and the servants are also fun.
protagonists
What I love above all: she is the one that constantly saves the emperor – not the other way around. When he is in a pickle or almost dying, she is there. And she pulls the strings in the palace.
The ML is a classic misunderstood tyrant ML who takes on the burden of protecting the people all by himself while accepting the bad rumors. He is a good guy but doesn’t stand out too much from other MLs you have already read, but he is respectful to his people and has the FLs back. He is also not pushy at all, that is a rare plus too.
Read if you…
- are in the mood for a historical romance without regression or reincarnation
- like a badass female lead that is not only mentally, but physically strong. Her magic is OP and nobody knows about it
- love reading a classic royal romance but with well written characters and a good flow
- like it when the FL is the one who saves the ML, not the other way around
Skip if you…
- want something fresh or a premise that will surprise you
- don’t like when the protagonists are clearly into each other but pretend not to know what’s going on
- can’t cope with the contract marriage trope anymore because they clearly end up together anyway
- want the classic OI artstyle
