[YAP WARNING.]
I think most people misunderstand Ranon’s love as manipulation and/or obsession because of his love’s inherent nature. Now some reasons I’ve seen that people use for the claim of Ranon not loving her is:
Ranon appears “nonchalant” and it’s very expressive with his love.
His dislike for his own children.
He was only after her power and is manipulative.
He has “obsession” rather than “love.”
For the first one, I agree that he doesn’t seem so expressively happy and loving around Ayna in terms of like reaction and facial expressions (Could just be me). However I think in everything else, he expresses his care for her. He punishes those who insult her and pays close attention to her, even noticing signs that she was pregnant before Ayna did herself.
I don’t think Ranon is good at “showing” love, but is good at acting his love out.
For the second one, I think this is a dumb claim because there are many people who love their partner but not their children. A parent can love their partner but hate their child, loving their partner and hating the child aren’t mutually exclusive. Not everyone wants a child in their life or is ready for one, and I think Ranon fits both. He was not ready for one, and didn’t want one, and I think he knows this too.
That’s why I think it was a mistake for Ayna to keep having children, because she should’ve known that it made Ranon worried and that he didn’t want one. It’s also clear that he’s got a bit of screws loose and that he is in some way abnormal. In the end, a child is the responsibility and choice of BOTH parents, Ranon went along with it because it made Ayna happy.
For the third one, I think this can be debunked since he took a whole year before making his first wish, and that wish was “marrying her”, not anything grand or greedy. I think Ranon is manipulative, but that he truly did love Ayna. You can say all his actions are meant to make her stay, but if his goal was really her powers, he wouldn’t really need her once he got his three wishes nor want to keep her by his side.
For the last one, I think “obsessive love” is a thing, and that both obsession and love can coexist. I think this is exactly what encapsulates Ranon’s love. Ranon cared about Ayna and only her. Usually obsession is something that pays no regard to the other’s feelings, but Ranon did have regard for her feelings. He tried to love his children, he tried to make her happy.
People say his choice to go against Ayna’s wishes and sacrifice the children proves it was obsession rather than “love” but in reality you can’t blame him for making that choice. He found out his wife would die from his children and that is their “Destiny”. Ranon only loved her, and even if he didn’t, in that situation there is no real “right” decision because it’s messed up in the first place.
There are many people who will put their partner’s safety over their partner’s wishes. Now the scale varies and also what the wishes they’re going against are. Charteris wanted to keep Rosentine away despite her wishes for her own safety. Similarly, Ranon wanted to keep Ayna safe even though she wanted her children to live. It is very hard to go along with what your partner wants when you know it will endanger them, which is why I think you can’t use his choice as proof of “obsession” only.
In short, I believe Ranon loved Ayna, but his loved is inherently flawed and that’s what led to their terrible end.