Manhwa Review: The Count’s Secret Maid

Title: The Count’s Secret Maid

By: Baekjua, MIDNIGHT STUDIO

Available on: TappyToon

Status: Ongoing

Age Rating: 15+ (In my opinion)

Rating: 4.2/5

Rated 4.2 out of 5

Genre

Synopsis

For Paula, not a single day passed by without a reminder of her ugliness. But it was her hideous face that spared her from being sold to a brothel or dying tragically like her sisters. So when Paula’s father sells her off to work at an esteemed nobleman’s mansion, she realizes that peasant girls are a disposable resource. However, she finds the young Count Belunita tucked away in an annex, shamefully hidden from the curious eyes of the public. And as Paula struggles to appeal to her tyrannical master’s whims, she must also embrace her role as his secret maid.

Source – Tappytoon

First Impression Review

The Count’s Secret Maid is a unique manhwa set in the historical European setting. Paula has come from a life of surviving hardships and poverty from a broken family with an abusive father, growing up poor and being mocked by her sister and peers for being ugly which made her insecure about her looks. However, it also saved her from being sold off for a far worse life like one of her sisters who tragically passed away.

Paula is sold by her father to a butler to become a secret maid for a blind Count who is hidden away in the annex of his mansion. He has a prickly personality due to being traumatized after many assassination attempts after becoming blind. He is like a scared cat throwing things at Paula making it difficult for her to do her job. Paula has nowhere else to go and does her best to complete her tasks and the Count ends up warming up to her to the point where he becomes clingy and slowly overcomes his trauma.

I love how they both support each other to overcome their weaknesses. Paula supports Vincent to heal from his trauma and become more confident in navigating life being blind. Once they become closer Vincent wants to know more about her and he comforts her with encouraging words making her see that she is allowed to life despite her tragic past where she had to watch her younger siblings die from poverty and circumstances.

It’s a heart-warming slow-burn romance with great character development and murder mystery. Also, revolves around friendship. I love how Vincent’s three childhood friends also embrace and are impacted by Paula in a positive way and she finds happiness and cherishes these moments with them which is very endearing.

Paula

Paula is a kind hearted soul. She had to watch her younger siblings die in poverty which makes her think if life is worth living with happiness. By meeting Vincent and helping him become the confident Count he once was, she finds her own happiness being with him and his friends.

Vincent Belunita

Our male lead, Vincent Belunita, became the Count of his estate at a young age after his parents passed away. He became blind after an incident at a party and is very traumatised unable to cope with being blind until Paula comes along as his secret maid to support him regain his confidence again.

He appears cold, scared and prickly at first but as he gets better we see him as a charming, charismatic Count who is calm and also a great friend towards his childhood friends. He is ever so clingy with Paula and also admires her character finding her beautiful despite not being able to see her.

Art Style

The art style in The Count’s Secret Maid is nice, it has a good balance of darker colour palettes for the murder mystery content with sharp eyes to portray the villains and other motifs to depict evil which is well done to portray the darkness.

In contrast, the bright soft colours are used well to portray the happier times and the character designs are lovely too.

Is it worth a read?

Absolutely! This is a very unique, slow-burn romance manhwa with such great character development and friendship tied into it that it’s so refreshing and tragic at the same time. I can’t wait for the murder mystery element to unravel further and see how Paula is involved to support the justice element of the story. As well as seeing Paula and Vincent’s romance develop.

Overall, I’d give this webtoon a 4.2 out of 5 and would happily recommend it!

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