General

The Flower of Veneration Chapter 1: Story Analysis

The Flower of Veneration is a South Korean Manhwa set in the historical period and follows the Victorian hierarchy. The Flower of Veneration, Chapter 1, exhibits the story of our main character, Cecylia Saryan, who is the sole heir of the very powerful Saryan family.

Throughout the episode, Cecylia is seen torn between her duties as the next rightful heir and Duke of the Saryan family. You can easily read The Flower of Veneration manga on Manhuascan and its other alternatives. 

I have read countless manhwas with the same theme, so trust me, this one definitely looks promising with a good story and strong character building. Read further to know more about the character analysis and the storyline of The Flower of Veneration Chapter 1.

Storyline of The Flower of Veneration Chapter 1

It is set in the historical period when the Kings and Lords were still in power. The story revolves around Cecylia Saryan, who is trapped in the political drama weaved by her own family after the death of her father (a Duke and her only parent). 

Although the first episode is just the introduction, it feels like the silence before a storm, which gradually starts to break as the episode succeeds. There was so much happening on every page of the manhwa that I was compelled to take out my notebook and take notes while reading it.

After analyzing the first chapter to its core, I’ve divided it into 3 parts so that those who have not yet read the chapter can also grasp the gist of it properly. 

Part I: Death of The Duke

The story starts with Cecylia striding down the long and dark corridors of her palace. A look of Melancholy on her face as she makes her way to her father’s chamber. Cecylia burst open the doors and tried her best to conceal her expressions when she saw all the maids, the physician, and the butler crowding around the bed where her father’s body lay lifeless. 

She strode to her father’s side, ignoring the maids who were trying to stop her. Illyad’s face was covered with a cloth, which Cecylia tore in agony, even though everyone held her back from doing so. Tears almost sprang in her eyes when she looked at her father’s closed eyes and sunken face, which were now devoid of life. 

Her heart clenched with pain as the smiling face of her father flashed in front of her eyes. Her father has always been a proud and cold-hearted man who defied the constraints of social norms. 

Cecylia found his ways of life to be cumbersome and even dissatisfying, but for the most time, she was proud of her father. She adored and respected the way her father always built his own path, the one that he felt right and swore by.

One thing that Cecylia knew for sure just by looking at her father’s serene face was that he did not die a natural death. She instantly suspected that it was a curse after talking to the physician. 

But the dam of Cecylia’s emotions broke, and the anger carelessly coated with anguish leaked from her voice as she screamed at the physician for not letting her know of the essential and obvious details. 

Coming back to her senses instantly, Cecylia noticed that the atmosphere of the room was rather strange. Everyone was avoiding her eye contact with grim expressions on their face, almost as if they were certain that Cecylia had something to do with her father’s death. 

Pushing aside her needless thoughts, Cecylia decided to focus on the matter at hand. Suppressing her emotions once again, she decided to order Gianton (their butler) to make arrangements for a midnight funeral. Along with that, she promised herself that she’d find whoever cursed her dad and caused his demise. 

Part II: The Knights 

The second part shows Cecylia’s two loyal knights, Chris and Sophie. What attracted me instantly to this scene is the fact that the two knights have a very interesting relationship with Cecylia. Chris can be seen questioning her and taunting her about her father’s death in a way filled with humor. On the other hand, Sophie calls Cecylia Liege in respect, which means ‘superior’. Both the knights can be seen in a friendly quarrel when Cecylia smiles a bit, remembering the old days and how none of them have changed even a bit. 

Later in the chapter, Cecylia discusses with her knights that everyone in the castle is tense right now and afraid that they might get falsely accused of killing the late Duke. But there’s another layer of gossip and doubts under the veil of the Duke’s suspicious death, and Cecylia knows of it very well. After all, she has always lived in a constant fear of this day. 

The fact that Cecylia is a woman has become the biggest boulder on her way to being the next Duke of the Saryan family. 

Part III: Cecylia Saryan, The Rightful Heir to The Family

The scene changes as Cecylia’s Knights asks her what’s the problem in being a woman when she specifies her concerns. The story is set in a time when discrimination against women was very normal. Not only that, but a female’s blood is even considered inferior to the male’s. And so this coats Cecylia’s concern that her relatives will consider her father’s death as a good opportunity to take over the family. 

Cecylia knew in her heart that this game of cat and dog would never end. Her family would never stop going after what is rightfully her. So she proposed that her father should remarry and produce a rightful heir to the family. But her father reassured her that she was his only heir, and she should take everything that belonged to him. To be honest, this is my favorite scene from the whole first chapter of The Flower of Veneration.

This memory strengthens Cecylia’s decision, and she announces in front of everyone that she is the only rightful heir to the family, and she will be the next Duke. The chapter ends there, showcasing a very beautiful picture of Cecylia. The confidence and strength on her face in the last scene mark the perfect ending and urge the reader to turn the page to chapter 2.

Character Analysis 

Character analysis is simply an exploration or short brief of the traits, personality, and characteristics of the characters of the story. This helps you understand the story better and also the emotions of the characters. So before you move on with the story, let me summarize the characters so far for you. 

Cecylia Saryan 

Cecylia is the only daughter and the heir of the Duke of Saryan family. She is beautiful with gorgeous locks of red hair, which was considered very rare in the historical times

She has shown to be soft-hearted and easygoing with her friends. But she also has to bear a lot of criticism just for being a girl. In the end, we get to see a very powerful side of Cecylia, who announces herself as the sole heir and Duke. 

Illyad Zi Saryan 

Illyad was the Duke of the Saryan house and a heartless man. Illyad has never cared about anyone else’s opinion and has always done what seemed right to him. He has always paved his own path to walk on. 

He had a deep connection to his daughter and didn’t believe in discrimination against women, especially when it came to his own daughter. 

Although the duke is a callous man, he is only cruel to others, when it comes to his immediate family, he is soft and loving. He was so feared among the other family members and council that no one dared to speak in front of him. 

Gianton – The Butler

There is not much information about Gianton, but he has served the family from before Cecylia was born and till now seemed to be loyal to the Duke’s title. 

Chris – The Knight 

From what I interpret in the first chapter, Chris is a free spirit and likes to joke around. He is not afraid to voice his opinions. Chris is also shown to be a bit close to Cecylia as he starts to tease her about her father’s death and how everyone is suspicious of her. This indicates that they might have been together for long. 

Sophie – The Knight

Sophie is a knight in the Saryan family castle and also a good friend of Chris. However, in the world where this story is set, commoners are not given the honor of becoming knights. Sophie is an exception, as she is a wizard who can use magic. So, despite being a girl, she was allowed to hold the title of a Knight. 

Sophie is very soft-spoken and mature. She is careful with her words around Cecylia. She is quite naive, but It’s clearly visible that Sophie can do anything to protect her senior, Cecylia. 

Conclusion 

The storyline of The Flower of Veneration Chapter 1 is not just the introduction of the whole story but a big chunk of it. The highs and lows that we see in this chapter grip the reader’s attention and the strong end makes you want to flip the page, or in my case, hit the ‘next’ button. 

This concludes The Flower of Veneration chapter 1, hope the article was able to help you gather all the information about the story and the characters. Read further chapters and follow Cecylia on her journey as she reclaims her throne as the new Duke of the Saryan family.