The Fall 2024 K-Comics Guide

Betrayal of Dignity

What's It About? 

Would you sacrifice your honor to marry a Duke? In order to save her family from ruin, Chloe Verdier must find a groom for her sister, Alice. She soon runs into the handsome but arrogant Duke Thisse who makes a proposal that could save them. When Alice flees with a mysterious man, Chloe must seek out the Duke in the biggest gamble of her life.

Betrayal of Dignity has a story by KIMPA with line art by Spi and coloring by SEMO and Jiyeon. This volume is localized by Manta. Published by Manta.

Is It Worth Reading?

My weakness is Regency romances, and let me tell you, Betrayal of Dignity hits many of the same notes as the classics. Chloe is a strong young woman, determined to do her best for her family despite their lack of wealth and the stigma she faces as a disabled person. Damian is an utter twit of a duke, aware of his wealth, good looks, and power, and pathologically unable to admit that he likes Chloe. But he also is unreasonably annoyed that Chloe hasn't picked up on his middle school-level hints that he's into her, which, in the grand tradition of old-school romance heroes, he uses as an excuse to be even more of a jerk. If you're not into romance fiction (especially of the older variety), I could see you questioning my taste here, but trust me – if you know, you know.

The first fifteen chapters of this story – which comprises half of the first season – are fully aware of the genre they exist within. Both line artists SPI and colorists SEMO and Jiyeon do a beautiful job of setting the scene and infusing the pseudo-European setting with a sensibility so lush that you can practically smell the roses. We can see how the Verdier family put their money towards dressing younger sister Alice (who doesn't have a physical disability) in the latest fashions. Chloe's gowns are all high-waisted until she becomes engaged to Damian, at which point she begins to wear more fashionable, lower-waisted dresses like the rest of the noble ladies. Some of the symbolism comes on a bit strong, like the repeated use of a snake to represent Damian, but on the whole, this is beautiful and makes a genuine attempt to play with the vertical scroll format.

The plot is, it must be said, a bit predictable. We know where this story is headed, and it isn't hard to see Damian and Chloe falling in love later on down the line – honestly, by the laws of Romancelandia, he's already there and upset that she isn't yet, something backed up by the way he baits her repeatedly throughout the chapters. There are some awkward time skips, possibly as a result of adapting the original novel, but I think this is the fastest I've consumed a vertical series. If you like good old-fashioned romance, where the minute she calls him “odious” you know it's love, then don't miss this series.