In a kingdom where male rulers take multiple consorts and concubines, the firstborn daughter of the Emperor rises to power after being scorned by the man she loved, following a battle for the throne against her scheming younger brother. Shortly after being crowned, the people expect Latrasil to take a single consort. But she surprises them by instating a Royal Harem of five men, something no female ruler has done before.
Lastrasil invites five men from different walks of life to be her consorts—Ranamun, son of Duke Atraxil, her biggest supporter for the crown; Prince Klein of Karisen, younger brother of her ex-lover; Guesta Rhodes, son of the Chancellor whose family seeks to regain power lost in their neutrality in Latrasil’s war against her brother; Tasir Anghes, heir to a trading company, who seeks to legemitize their name with a direct connection to the royal family; and Carlein, known as the King of Mercenaries.
Now, to secure her reign, Latrasil must hunt down the man who assassinated her father, while keeping her new consorts in line. Drama, romance, danger and intrigue swirls in the harem of Emperor Latrasil. How her visions and ambitions will end is anyone’s guess.
Men of the Harem is an ongoing Webtoon comic first published on February 5, 2021. It is available for free on Webtoon here
This comic involves these tropes:
- Altar Diplomacy: Played With throughout the story.
- Duke La Daga promises to help Hyacinth secure his throne. In return, though, he must make Duke La Daga’s daughter, Aini, his legal wife and Empress, meaning Hyacinth must break his own promise of marriage to Latil.
- A common practice of diplomacy between empires is sending women to the palaces of other emperors to be consorts and concubines in the Royal Harems there.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: After defeating her half-brother Thula, Latil secures the throne for herself and has a huge coronation with a hundred guests. She is given a fancy golden crown to wear as she stands in her white suit and fur-lined velvet cape, and everyone falls to their knees and declares, “All hail Emperor Latrasil!”
- Cain and Abel: A male-female example, downplayed. While Thula is the one rebelling to steal the throne from his sister, who is simply trying to hang onto her title and honor her mother, whom was ignored in favor of Thula’s mother, Latil, too, is shown to be vicious, ruthless, and vindictive if need be.
- Heir Club for Men: Subverted. After Raeun abdicates as heir, Latil’s father names her his successor over her half-brother Thula.
- Mother Makes You King: Attempted by Thula’s mother, Anacktcha, who tried to put her own son on the throne over Latil, but ultimately failed.
- Mr. Fanservice: All of the new male consorts are this. Each of them is gorgeous and sexy in their own different way. It’s like an Otome Game in comic book form.
- Nobility Marries Money: Tasir Anghes’s family owns a huge trading company in the Empire. He applies to be a consort so his family can legitimize their name with a direct connection to the royal bloodline.
- Royal Harem: All male Emperors of Tarium have had a harem of consorts and concubines in addition to his legal empress. When Latil ascends the throne, she decides to break tradition and have a harem of her own, unlike previous female rulers who have only had one Royal Consort.
- She Is the King: Latil is named Emperor of Tarium.
- Shirtless Scene: Many of the harem men have these moments.
- Top Wife: The ultimate goal of all five men in the harem. Ranamun and Klein especially expect to be named Latil’s Royal Consort, and plan to boot the other out of the harem once they’re crowned.
- Wicked Stepmother: Anacktha, one of Latil’s father’s favorite consorts, who bullied Latil as a child, favoring Thula over her, and trying to put Thula on the throne after Latil was named heir over him.
- Woman Scorned: Latil was madly in love with Prince Hyacinth of Kairsen, who promised to marry her and make her his Empress as soon as he regained control of his empire. Years later, however, Hyacinth instead marries Aini Tour La Daga, to gain her father’s support for his throne. Hyacinth tries to convince Latil to wait five years for to cement his hold on the throne, after which time he’ll divorce Aini and marry Latil, but Latil rejects him. When she acsends the throne, she demands he send men from his court to become part of her Royal Harem, no doubt to hurt him.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: Played With. Latil and her older brother Raeun are the two children of the Emperor by his legal wife and Empress, while Thula is his son by a consort, Anacktha. Typically, if the Empress’s son cannot succeed his father, the throne is supposed to go to the Empress’s daughter, but more often than not, she is passed over for a consort’s son. Thula is too much of an idealist to rule effectively, at least according to Latil. When her brother Raeun renounces his rights as heir, their father names Latil the new heir over Thula. What follows is a war between brother and sister for the crown.
