#TRH recap

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 14 - The Announcement

Alternate Title: DOT DOT DOT (I got nothin right now)

Word Count: +6000 you know me. I can’t shut up.

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version –  press statements and pregnancy portraits and lets-rush-the-next-couple-of-months-because-we-were-stupid-and-wasted-too-much-time-in-Texas-but-now-we’re-in-a-hole-and-can’t-get-out (it’s time for fix it fanfic where we write about all those little pregnancy moments since there’s probably 3 or 4 chapters left before MC pops this kid out). PS Eleanor was pregnant with a second child!

Things that will be covered in this post:

Alliance responses aimed at the kingdoms that keep pushing for the stupid baby matchmaking subplot

Liam should take one of those Ancestry DNA tests…umm…for reasons 👀

Eleanor and Jackson and the shitstorm of conspiracy theories that popped up as a result (yo – Liam and Drake aren’t related)

How does Madeleine know so much about Eleanor’s pregnancy/nausea remedies and why is she looking out for MC more than usual?

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake/Hana playthroughs from BizzysChoices and Abhirio on YouTube, respectively.

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

-3 Frik, Frack, and Crapeleine all want to share the baby news. NO THANK YOU. -1 MC, just because Liam/your friends tell you to celebrate the news, doesn’t mean you can’t still be upset -1 not-Wayne reporter is an idiot +1 CBC Don at least knows about pregnancy timelines *side eye to PB* -1 Being a WEEK pregnant…oh MC, you’re an idiot too +1 At least we can throw a little shade at Crapeleine for setting this whole stupid thing up before we confirmed anything with a doctor +1 [Liam] and his protective embraces and being super happy 0 Marriage alliances are ridiculous, oh Cordonia with its importance of the social season – at least social season has consenting adults for your matchmaking ceremony -3 WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE APPOINTED HEIR WILL HOLD A STRONGER CLAIM TO THE THRONE THAN YOUR BIOLOGICAL CHILD, LIAM??? SOMEONE NEEDS TO REWRITE THIS LAW! 0 Taking bets that whatever Penelope designs for the baby, the baby WILL end up looking like a poodle +1 [Liam] smiling and hugging Regina; he still cares for his stepmother, after all; she’s warm enough to MC to offer help in any way should they need it 0 GET AWAY, Barto. Go away with the reporters and set up your exclusive interview away from us +1 Pregnancy photoshoot +1 [Liam] not breaking eye contact as he strips in the boutique for MC +1 [Hana] flirting with MC as they change; touches up her makeup and they flirt about lipstick kisses +1 Ana de Luca’s set up in the throne room to take the photo +1 [Liam] throne pose is too stiff; Liam offers MC a hand as they step down and exude warmth and love and wants to show the world HE’S IN LOVE and this union and baby aren’t obligations to him – they are his FOREVER. 0 [Liam] Ana says the heir will be in good hands +1 [Drake] is okay with dressing up if it means MC smiles; they take the sign with them when the shoot ends, lol 0 [Hana] keeps sidelining herself and MC reminds her they’re in this together +1 [Drake/Hana] Ana says the heir will be welcomed with a lot of love/in a loving home +1 LI kneels and kisses The Belly when they’re alone in the throne room -1 We have to deal with a pregnancy montage because they’re running out of chapters +1 [Liam] Drake running off to get ice cream is actually really sweet and I love the Mallow Man for that -1 [Drake Hana Maxwell] Why does Liam only mention the chicken soup thing if you’re not married to him? Queen Trina wants that recipe to feel better, yo! TELL YOUR WIFE. +1 Hana makes a baby playlist and records a few tracks herself but not if she’s your wife +1 Maxwell offers to be MC’s vicarious life, lol doing all the things for MC that she can’t do while pregnant 0 Crapeleine offers a Cordonian Ruby – to help with nausea, which actually works, and she’s trying to be nicer to MC right now. It’s weird. +1 Olivia is (permanently? While we’re in Cordonia? And from now on???) our personal security while MC goes to a doctor’s appointment 0 WHO IS THIS RAY DUDE AND WHY IS HE DRESSED EXACTLY LIKE OLIVIA??? +1 Olivia gives us a dagger to keep in MC’s purse. I’m reminded of @dcbbw​ ‘s Riley and her penchant for straight razors, lol 0 Liam accompanies the doctor’s appointment even though uh… yeah okay, he’s invested in MC’s baby but this feels odd +1 Dr. Ramirez drops another remedy for morning sickness/nausea – Queen Eleanor used to drink apple tea…BUT HOW WOULD SHE KNOW THAT 0 [Liam] because LIAM SURE AS HELL DIDN’T KNOW RAMIREZ WAS HIS MOTHER’S DOCTOR and Eleanor said she had an easy pregnancy (perhaps only with Liam but not her secret second baby) +1 [Drake Hana Maxwell] Olivia joins Liam and asks if she needs to stab anyone. Never change, Olivia! +1 bb Liv and bb Drake playing knights and dragons together while they wait for Liam to finish his “lessons” and Drake-gon is cute as Dom’s dragon form from TC&TF +1 Liv tries to kick dead Drake-gon or hop on his back if she’s tamed him with food, lol +1 bb Liam is empathetic even as a tot, worried about Eleanor feeling ill 0 Jackson interrupts to talk to Eleanor while Constantine isn’t around in an effort to keep her and her family safe (from Constantine or with Constantine??) 0 Eleanor drops the Hyperemesis Gravidarium clue, noting “it’s nothing” but IT SO IS SOMETHING 0 Liv’s hit with a panic attack when she sees Eleanor hug Liam; is this why she doesn’t like hugging people? Because it’s too painful to think about hugs from her mother that she’ll never get? +1 Liam can tell she’s more upset than she lets on and deflects +1 MC, Olivia, Liam, (and LI if it’s not Liam) come to the conclusion that Eleanor was pregnant with a second child… 0 …so some portion of what’s left of this book or part of book 2 will be spent on trying to figure out who knew she was pregnant, how exactly she died, and what happened to her baby +1 HELLO BABY +1 LIs call the baby LITTLE ONE AND I CANNOT +2 [Liam] FINALLY CRIES SOME HAPPY TEARS -1 not-Wayne shows up, pretending to be an orderly, to get a photo of the sonogram +1 LI goes full protective parent mode, lunging for not-Wayne and chases after him

T O T A L 17 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 10 points for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

DRESS FOR THE PRESS: Press conference is still on, much to our dismay. Frik and Frack (Kiara and Penelope) revert to their ‘yes ma’am’ roles, agreeing with Madeleine that news of MC’s pregnancy should be shared right away, even though it’s been less than 24 hours since MC figured it out and not one single medical professional has examined MC to make sure things are all well and good. We’re hit with the option to share the news / hope the world is ready for the baby / HOPE TO HAVE KEPT THE NEWS QUIET A LITTLE LONGER – and I’m not even bothering to go over the first two options.

Yes, MC’s taken on a very public role. Yes, she’s in a position of power, where all her actions are now scrutinized by the people in her duchy/kingdom, where details of her life will become part of public consumption even faster than the whole sordid ordeal with Tariq. But she is still a PERSON, not some creature that just happens to be carrying a royal heir. At least MC can show concern with the last response, reminding everyone that it’s early in the pregnancy (she’s not even sure how far along she is, thanks to the ridiculous answer in a bit) and literally anything could go wrong.

LI Liam tries to comfort his queen, reminding her of the exact public lifestyle she’s now got to get used to as a price of being a royal, but assures her that he’ll help her get through it. With option 3 in Drake’s route, Maxwell asks MC if it’s a little early to start worrying even though they all have her back, and they should focus on celebrating the news, and MC switches gears, somehow forgetting her concerns.

Consolation prize is MC gets to choose where to deliver the news – options being the ballroom (where all bad things happen), on the palace grounds in the fresh air, or the royal gardens. With the grounds/gardens option, Madeleine hopes the weather will cooperate and—when has it ever been uncooperative, Maddy? It’s Always Sunny In Cordonia!

MC gets to choose how to make an entrance as well – dancing to vocals / mega regal / with our friends – regal entrance spares no detail of pomp and circumstance, making use of a royal motorcade; with your friends leads to Maxwell being worried about stealing the spotlight, but MC says she wants to celebrate with her friends by her side. First diamond option of the chapter is a clothing buy-in – I wasn’t a fan of the red chiffon dress (and Trina would prefer to reuse outfits whenever possible, plus I really liked that teal dress from the rehearsal dinner) but I’m sure it earned points with your LI. MC also gets the option to add a tiara.

LI Liam changes into his formal tux before the plane lands, while the other LIs change (Drake in his grey suit, Hana in her black dress). Depending on where you chose to deliver the press conference, there’s a bit where Madeleine leads everyone to the location. Shady New Reporter aka OH Wayne thinks MC is already supposed to be sporting some kind of baby bump even though WE’VE ONLY BEEN GONE A WEEK and friggin Donnie Brine is the logical one in this scene, telling not-Wayne that he needs to review pregnancy timelines if he’s going to continue covering Babywatch.

I picked Liam, in the gardens, with our friends (Clue! lol) so MC took LI Liam’s hand and gestured to their friends to follow them to the front of the crowd, and MC squeezes Liam’s hand before addressing the press and citizens. MC then has to choose between announcing LI and I are expecting an heir / I BE PREGNANT – both responses earn ecstatic cheers from the crowd, where Samir (Them) and Donnie (CBC) high-five each other, and Ana de Luca wipes away a tear without smudging her eyeliner. If you buy the dress, Ana approves of the outfit before asking how far along MC is, she responds with a week and—BABY GIRL, A WEEK? A WEEK?!? NO. Even CBC Donnie is all “uhh, that’s really early to be sharing with us…”

MC can respond with we wanted to tell the people as soon as we knew / I KNOW but Maddy lacks social skills and shouldn’t be given access to technology I would’ve preferred to wait / there’s too much stigma about miscarriages. You know which response I chose; if I can be petty at Maddy in front of others, I WILL. Homeslice just shrugged at MC in response, before she tells the press that due to speculation and Cordonia scoping out MC’s uterus anyway, the secret wouldn’t have lasted long. LI Liam puts a protective arm around MC and adds that they have the best doctors that couldn’t properly diagnose ol’ Barto for the better part of a decade looking out for MC and their baby. Liam is happier than he ever thought he’d be, excited at the thought of getting to meet their child. With the first answer, MC says they can’t predict the future, but they can keep the people informed, knowing how important the baby is to the kingdom (and Drake adds the bit about the doctors). Drake thought he’d be nervous with the news, but he can’t wait to show their kid the world. Hana’s excited and proud to be on this journey with her wife.

Ana segues to the next topic – baby betrothals and alliances based on outdated matchmaking rather than ACTUAL politics and economics. When asked what MC/LI hopes to gain from said bizarre alliance, MC can choose from strength / understanding / Cordonia first. With strength, MC reminds everyone of Cordonia’s recent run of bad luck, and *if* a treaty gets signed, the other party needs to be willing to help defend Cordonia; with understanding, MC first reminds everyone that there’s no place like Cordonia, and she’d only consider signing an agreement with someone who respects and appreciates Cordonia as well. With the “Cordonia first” response, MC’s sprite switches to angry/determined face and she says (Cordonia) won’t give anything up without getting something in return.

The alliance response poses interesting angles to the other kingdoms - obviously the strength response caters to Auvernal and its army; the understanding response caters towards Monterisso to seek an even playing field, since we don’t know much about the kingdom or it’s shady ass queen, Amalas. Cordonia first response is both defensive and offensive - MC implies they won’t back down and an alliance will need to benefit both countries equally.

If you’re not married to Liam, Samir poses an additional question to the King, regarding the status of MC x LI’s heir if and when Liam marries and has a child of his own. While Liam doesn’t anticipate that happening anytime soon – this is less “Liam giving up on the idea of love and he’s pining after MC” and more “the man has had a YEAR falling in love, faking an engagement, suitor scandal, becoming king, losing his father, getting rejected by the woman he loves and having to watch her marry someone else and THEN saving their collective asses from assassins and taking down an attempted coup” so let the man put his dating life on hold for a hot minute – he reminds everyone that appointing an heir is very serious business. Here’s the part that gets wonky for me – Cordonian law states the appointed heir would still hold rank over Liam’s future biological child. I BEG YOUR PARDON, YOUR MAJESTY WUT.

I can see why such a law would have been written – if, for some reason, a reigning king and his queen weren’t able to have children of their own, they would need to appoint someone as heir to the throne to keep someone like Anton from trying to steal it outright, or another kingdom to swoop in and take over the land without a ruler. It makes me wonder how much Rys blood is now in Liam’s bloodline – if, somewhere between Kenna’s line and Constantine… they had to break the bloodline due to a similar situation. What if Liam isn’t as royal as he thinks he is???

So. There’s that to chew on. Liam ends the press conference so MC can recover from traveling and the crowd slowly disperses. Duke Landon congratulates the couple, and Penelope offers to design something for the baby, while Kiara says she’ll try to keep Pen from using too many dog themes. Godfrey offers his respects on behalf of Fydelia (but that’s Adelaide’s duchy, not his) but not without adding something negative – taking a dig at Portavira’s “undignified” hypothetical attire. Queen Mother Regina appears to offer her congratulations, and LI Liam smiles and hugs her (non-Liam route and he’s nowhere to be seen); MC can hug her / nod politely – with the hug, Regina’s caught off guard but returns the gesture; nod politely and Regina curtsies. The only insight to royal duties we see is Regina’s been dealing with paperwork and charities. She tells MC and LI Liam that they need only ask for any kind of help from her, should they need it. Non-Liam route, she asks the couple to call her Regina rather than Your Majesty, and offers her help whenever they need it.

aaaaaaand then Barto appears. Like Kramer, sliding in out of the woodwork, to make the moment ALL ABOUT HIM. Regina departs, and Barto bows, catching the attention of lingering reporters who ALSO thought he was dead. He waxes poetic of House Beaumont offering congratulations and how he’s ready to take back his position in House Beaumont (BRUH. Bertrand might have some choice words about that if you’re assuming to take the title away from him without a fight). While he works out some sort of deal for a joint interview, Madeleine returns to suggest another tradition – a formal portrait of the couple to commemorate the royal heir announcement.

It’s another diamond option but DAMMIT MY CUTE HUSBAND WANTS A MEMENTO OF THIS DAY HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY NO. Drake says they don’t have photos of just the two of them to celebrate the occasion. Hana would love a more personal version of their announcement.

SAY FROMMAGE: We’re led back to the boutique for another wardrobe change, and LI Liam is all smiles. He pauses and asks MC to help him select what to wear, and there they go, getting flirty. (I find it interesting that Liam x MC get an extended boutique scene where the Liam strips to his skivvies, while Drake/Hana/Maxwell just show the outfit options.) MC decrees all (boutique) disrobing should be slow and sensual; Liam grins and holds eye contact while he strips, and flusters his queen, adding an “as you wish” to her suggestion to get dressed before she sends the photographer away. Liam’s outfit options include the traditional Cordonian outfit (the red and gold attire he wore at the end of TRR Book 3), King Fabian costume in all its red and gold finery, or his standard formal tux. He’s dashing in the first outfit and Prince Charming in the second. In the Fabian costume, he tells MC to forget the regal reasons and that he’s here for her before kissing her so sweetly that MC has stars in her eyes. MC can choose anything to wear in her closet, along with the option of wearing a tiara again. I opted for the matching red and gold dress worn at the end of TRR Book 3 and on the cover art; matchy matchy and official!

LI Drake is okay with formal conventions like photoshoots, as long as they make his wife happy. He knows his denim on denim look isn’t quite the right look, and MC can opt to respond with I’m sorry, I know it sucks / I love it when you dress up / who cares, this is our photo – with the third option, MC reminds him this is their moment and they should wear what they want. His options include the grey suit, the courtly costume, or his standard denim. LI Hana debates between looking sweet and pretty, serious and classy, or keeping it simple – options include her floral costume gala ballgown, her little black dress, or her default pink dress with shoulder cutouts. MC asks Hana to help with her hair and makeup, and Hana adds some mascara and gloss, exclaiming that she’s improved the perfection that is MC.

Ana’s already set up in the throne room, and suggests the king and queen sit in their thrones. LI Liam glances over at MC with a smile, and Ana takes a photo, telling them they look dignified and glamorous. MC’s not as convinced, being so far away from Liam for an official photo, and Liam agrees the pose looks too stiff. He wants the photo to remind the world that Cordonia is warm and welcoming, and while they’re king and queen, he and MC are also in love. He steps down from the dais and helps MC down so they’re standing together. MC adds that the photo should reflect them / inspire the people – with the first option, she wants to see love and warmth to reflect the stability of an heir to the throne, with Liam adding in that he wants Cordonia to know his marriage isn’t just an obligation *cough like it would’ve been had he followed through with a marriage to Madeleine COUGH* but this is, in fact, his forever.

Pardon me while I cry over how abso-friggin-lutely WONDERFUL this man is and how I may never find a man like this in real life. With the second option, MC wants to start off on the right foot with her people, and Liam reiterates the people didn’t fall in love with MC’s stiff and regal side (and neither did he, heh).

MC and LI Liam practically forget about having their picture taken until Ana tells them to look at her, and snaps a photo. She leaves to process the photo calling them an inspirational couple and tells them the heir is in good hands. Liam looks around the throne room, remembering that his parents took a similar portrait when Eleanor was pregnant with him. It gives him a new perspective of the photo, knowing the weight on his parents shoulders to produce an heir – uhh, but LEO was 5 or 6 already, and Crown Prince – but imagines Constantine and Eleanor were filled with joy over the knowledge they’d be bringing in another child into the world. MC says they have a lot to live up to / be thankful for – with the first answer, MC says his parents were the epitome of grace and devotion, and she hopes to embody some of that. Liam tells MC they’ll be bringing their child into a home stronger than the one he knew. With the second answer, they’re both excited and hopeful of the days to come.

And then he kneels before MC to plant a gentle kiss to her belly and I CANNOT. He’s gonna end up doing this every chapter, isn’t he? Isn’t he?? IT’S SO DAMN SWEET.

With LI Drake, Ana is open to ideas for poses, reminding the couple that this is *their* heir, and MC’s mind flashes with all the baby announcements she’s seen from others, but Drake suggests focusing on *them* since they’re already in a fancy room – the throne room – and wearing nice clothes. Drake says he’ll basically do anything for MC and their kid, including fancy things like putting on a suit to look nice in a photo, MC smiles, and…that’s the shot. Ana leaves to print the photo, adding that the heir will be in very loving hands. They chat about the baby being a focal point in everyone’s lives in a matter of months and Drake thinks they’re doing a great job at parenting so far – top notch announcement with just the right combination of warmth and snobbery and—LOOK. Drake stans, I love you, but I want to smack him sometimes with all the snobby, royal, noble snark. You are those people now Drake, bite your tongue and keep the eye rolling to yourself. MC calls him out on his teasing, and they leave…taking the sign with them to hang somewhere in Valtoria, lol.

With LI Hana, Ana suggests they try a few poses before settling on anything, and tells the couple to do what feels natural. They gaze into each other’s eyes and don’t even hear the camera shutter. Ana remarks that based on the way MC and Hana look at each other, the baby looks like it will be raised in a loving home. Hana suggests MC pose alone, since most baby photoshoots include a solo option for the pregnant mother; MC can either say this is our baby / it’s not a good photo without you – second option has MC calling Hana the most beautiful woman in the room. MC says Hana belongs next to her and their baby, and she doesn’t want Hana to think that she belongs on the sidelines. And that’s *their* shot.

What Ana says as she departs is interesting – with Liam x MC, she thinks the heir is in good hands. With Drake, the baby will be in loving hands. With Hana and MC, it more about a loving home environment. As a Liam stan, this irks me – Liam is so clearly head over heels in love with his queen, but all we get is “good”? I know he’s at a disadvantage being the monarch and all, but it’s not like he doesn’t already love Baby Ricebowl. It’s not like he loves MC any less than Drake, Hana, or Maxwell do as LIs  in their respective routes.

AND THEN…: Let me preface this entire section with this image…

You drag our asses to Texas HELL for E I G H T chapters to cover a week of time, and in the span of a few minutes you’re cramming in at least half of MC’s first trimester into a montage?! WHAT IN THE EVER LOVING FUCK.

We’re in Valtoria, because… uh, why? I get that for anyone *not* with Liam, MC’s a duchess, so it makes perfect sense to be at the duchy. But as queen? Then I read @bi-outta-cordonia had an interesting post on the reason behind Liam choosing to stay at Valtoria, rather than at the palace. TL;DR version – Valtoria is a nice duchy with a gorgeous landscape that has learned to operate without the supervision of a duke or duchess (having been without one for quite a while). Its story gets to continue because of MC – new memories can be made, and she can make it her home, in this new country that she also gets to call home.

While the palace, high on a hill in the capital, has been the traditional residence of Cordonia’s kings and queens (Liam being no exception), there are a lot of negative memories tied to it. It was where Liam’s hand was forced to choose someone he didn’t love as his fiancée (Madeleine), moments after making love to the actual woman he loved or at least telling the woman he loved how he felt (MC) and all but telling her that he was going to choose her. The grand ballroom was where the assassins attacked him – where his best friend took a bullet for the woman he loved, and where his father died in his final effort to do something right. It’s a place full of mixed emotions for Liam – no doubt there are happy memories scattered between assassination attempts and attacks, but we all tend to remember negative memories more than the positive ones – and despite the safety measures of the Kings Guard, there’s a chance he feels like the vast space of the palace isn’t safe for his wife and child. So he stays with them in Valtoria. Valtoria is a blank slate – a place where he and MC can make memories together of their new family, where he can hopefully let happier memories take over anything negative that might take place in the future. Looking at it that way, I’m less upset about PB’s lack of customizing LI routes being in Valtoria. I just wish they would’ve added an explanation - would a few extra frames of Liam reasoning with MC have been that difficult to add??

Back to the recap… MC’s dealing with morning sickness that strikes any time of the day, feeling hungry and tired. LI indulges MC’s wishes to basically order room service, and there’s the option of requesting giant turkey legs / gourmet omelette / cheetah cakes / super fancy food – no matter what you choose, LI includes other options. Flash forward a few WEEKS and MC’s tossing her cookies in the bathroom. If you have any dog(s) they help comfort MC and drag towels to her to help clean up. MC can tell LI there’s nothing to worry about / why did you do this to me – with the first option, LI rubs MC’s back and offers to get more towels; with the second option, LI apologizes because, lol, what else can they do, really?

MC’s friends also look out for her – Liam pops up first if you’re not married to him, offering extra staff to look after them or help run the duchy, and even offers a chicken soup recipe Eleanor used to make. In Hana’s route, Drake adds that he remembers the soup, and Liam’s not exaggerating when he said it was good for the soul. Why wouldn’t he remember that IN HIS OWN ROUTE THOUGH. Drake asks how MC’s doing and MC can ask if THE Drake Walker is concerned for MC’s feelings / ask Drake to get her ice cream / ask Drake to distract her. Option 2, Drake ducks out of the solarium and pops back in with a bowl of ice cream, doing what he can to help, and saving his signature snark for after the baby is born. With option 3, she asks Drake to share the story of how he started singing with Liam and the Beaumonts – IT WAS OVER A BET for 200 push-ups. Hana and Maxwell get less screen time/variation in their scenes with MC – Hana’s compiled an extensive playlist of soothing music to play for the baby, including tracks she recorded of herself. You don’t get this scene if she’s your wife, mind you. MC can tell Hana it’s so sweet I could cry / the baby’s going to love it – with the former, Hana hopes they’re at least happy tears. With the latter, puts her hand over her stomach and smiles, and Hana shares that she’s already put together a playlist for the second trimester. Maxwell gets even less interaction (ie, we don’t get to choose a response to his gift) by offering to do things for MC that MC can’t do while pregnant, like eat sushi, drink, or do things like backflip into a pool.

Even Madeleine gets a scene, offering a Cordonian Ruby to MC to help with the nausea and morning sickness. MC can respond with thanks / I’m not falling for your tricks / am I supposed to pull a Sleeping Beauty with this? – with option 1, MC bites into the apple to show her thanks, and the sourness settles her stomach, Madeleine says it’s a Cordonian folk remedy, and she reminds MC to take care of herself. Answer #2 MC reminds Madeleine that the last time they ate apples together it was a trap (Apple festival where MC tried a Ruby for the first time). Madeleine tells MC it’s not a trap, but an old Cordonian folk remedy, and one that Eleanor used to swear by, where the tart apples helped with nausea. MC’s wary of anything offered by Madeleine, but she affirms it’s in her best interest to treat MC well while she’s carrying the future heir of Cordonia. She emphasizes it’s in everyone’s best interest as well.

What’s strikes me is how does Madeleine know that this is a remedy Eleanor used? She’s roughly Liam’s age/a few years older, having been Leo’s fiancée as well. If, judging by the approximate age of the gang as kids, Liam’s about…let’s say, 8 in the flashbacks, Leo would be 14 (even though we haven’t seen him AT ALL despite Leo being the Crown Prince), so Maddy would be somewhere in between – let’s go halvsies and say 11. How would 11-year-old Madeleine know that Eleanor was pregnant? Did Godfrey know and let it slip while talking to Adelaide or Barto, within earshot? Did she find out on her own? Was Eleanor eating the apples because – in addition to being pregnant and dealing with HG – she was slowly being poisoned? Kjsdhfksdjhf

What if it wasn’t HG but the fact that someone was slowly poisoning her, making it SEEM like HG?! That would, of course, have to mean that whomever was poisoning Eleanor would also know that she was pregnant, and I know I’m jumping ahead here – but it seems like it was a very small circle that even had THAT information.

FOCUS, DONNA.

MC takes a late night stroll with LI Liam, where he talks about limited unlimited curfews/free time and kisses MC and The Belly for good measure, and MC’s stomach rumbles – a warning that the not-so-morning sickness is about to strike, and Liam says he’ll get her an apple as a precaution. Drake’s moonlight stroll is about date nights and needing babysitters in the near future before they kiss/he kisses The Belly. Hana’s moonlight stroll focuses on differentiating between taking care of each other every day and spending quality time together, before kissing MC and The Belly.

Fast forward again and MC’s rearranging things in the nursery, and Olivia slips in like a ninja to move a table and congratulate MC in person about the baby news. MC prods Olivia to try and find out what she’s been up to, but Olivia doesn’t budge. MC can respond with friends can’t keep secrets forever / I trust you (so I’ll back off) / Imma just pretend you have a secret boyfriend – with option 1, MC says she won’t give up her search to figure out what Liv’s doing. Option 2 and MC says whatever’s going on, she knows Olivia’s got it handled.

Then a mystery guy pops up outta nowhere, wearing an all-black, leather jacket outfit much like Olivia’s. Olivia says that’s her new chauffeur, Ray, and then we find out Olivia is now our personal security (instead of that nitwit Mara) and she’ll be accompanying MC to her OBGYN appointment. Call her out and tell her (she) cares and she fidgets a bit while trying to hide a smile, threatening to send someone else in her place if MC tries to hug her in front of (Ray) before handing MC a dagger to keep in her purse. Tell her doctor’s offices are the opposite of dangerous and Olivia says you can never be too careful.

HEY BABY HEY BABY HEY: Olivia waits in the lobby of the doctor’s office (Liam accompanies them and waits outside if he’s not your LI), where Dr. Ramirez says MC’s well into the first trimester. MC can respond by mentioning never-ending morning sickness / some good days, some bad / never felt better. The morning sickness response gets a sympathetic face from the doc, but she says it’s a common symptom with no real cure, but as long as it’s been the only symptom, the signs look good. Ramirez offers up drinking apple tea (what about ginger, you apple-loving tartheads?) to help with the nausea, dropping another tidbit – she tells the couple that Eleanor (again) swore by the apple tea to manage her symptoms. You get this bit of info as a precaution that follows the other responses, in case the morning sickness gets really bad. MC and LI exchange baffled looks once the doctor leaves to set up the room for the ultrasound – (texting Liam if you’re not married to him, and he comes back with Olivia, which includes a funny moment where Olivia asks if she needs to stab anyone) evidently Liam was unaware that Ramirez wasn’t listed in the royal medical records as Eleanor’s OBGYN, and Eleanor told Liam she had an easy pregnancy, with almost no nausea at all.

In Liam’s route, Olivia enters the room after knocking, concerned about the lack of waitstaff when she overheard Ramirez mention something about tea. She’s unfamiliar with Ramirez as well, and MC wonders if Eleanor was more forthcoming with her OBGYN than her arguably much younger son at the time. Olivia remembers a discussion between Eleanor and Jackson from years ago, and it’s another flashback diamond scene.

A few months after Liam’s family (sans Leo) went to the Walker Ranch, Olivia and Drake were playing knight and dragon, running around the palace while they waited for Liam to finish his lessons. What lessons, we’ll never know. Just lessons. Olivia chases Drake into the dining room, where she can either fend him off with a dagger (table knife) or food (turkey leg, again) – using the dagger, she stabs Drake-gon in the heart, while he opts to eat the food and be “tamed” by Olivia and she tries to climb on top of him, lol. They decide to look for Liam at this point, finding him with Eleanor in the throne room.

Liam’s concerned for his mother, noticing that she was sick that morning, and Eleanor plays it off like it was nothing. While Olivia and Drake quietly make their way to get closer, Jackson Walker joins Eleanor and Liam, wanting to talk. We see there’s a familiarity between the two, as Jackson addresses her directly as Eleanor, instead of Your Majesty; Eleanor doesn’t wish to talk because it’s cutting into her limited time with Liam. Jackson informs her that Constantine is with his advisors, and he’s not sure when they’ll get another moment alone – so whatever he wants to talk about seems to be something shared only between the two of them (and some eavesdropping kids). Always one to placate, Liam tells his mother he understands that they need to cut their time short, and Eleanor tells Jackson she doesn’t like sneaking around and talking in hallways.

Jackson doesn’t like it either, but it seems to be one of the only ways he can keep “all of (them) safe” despite what’s been said. Whether there’s been talk amongst the nobles about keeping the royal family safe, or gossip within the Kings Guard, we’re not sure – but someone’s saying something and there’s enough buzz for Jackson to show concern. Eleanor tries to play it down, and Jackson asks if that’s coming from her “friend” – who, based on Eleanor’s response, is (Ramirez?) telling her “it” is likely Hyperemesis Gravidarium and it’s nothing to worry about.

YES IT IS, ELEANOR. HG can get bad enough to require hospitalization. It’s not just really bad morning sickness, it’s not being able to get anything down and putting the mother at risk of dehydration, among other things, if she can’t keep food or water down. Duchess Kate suffered from it with each of her pregnancies, even requiring hospitalization; I’ve had friends who had to rush to the ER because even with taking every precaution, some days got really bad.

Jackson mentions being prepared – for what, again, we don’t know – and Drake and Olivia have to hide when he looks up in their direction. Olivia can choose to hide behind the piano, a column, or Drake (in which case you get caught). If you’re not caught, Eleanor reminds Liam to be careful, and he says he always is; she says they’ll soon have so much time together he won’t know what to do with it all, and Liam smiles before Eleanor wraps him into a big, warm hug.

Olivia has a panic attack at the sight of Eleanor hugging Liam, suddenly reminded of the way her own mother used to hug her, and she wraps her arms around herself, trying to get that feeling back. This poor child just lost her parents, and while she is strong and fierce, she’s still a child in need of nurturing. Something I’m sure Eleanor would’ve extended to her, but Constantine likely shut down at every opportunity. Being denied of what seems like such a small thing, at such a young age, after what she’s been through – it shapes a person. It’s no wonder she doesn’t like hugs and resists them as an adult. Drake asks if she’s okay, and she can respond with I’m fine / you’re stupid / IMMA STOMP ON YOUR FOOT – she’s lashing out because she can’t properly process her feelings. The first option gets Drake to reply that it’s okay to be sad sometimes, but she argues back that a Nevrakis doesn’t get sad or show weakness. Liam hears them and asks what’s happened while Eleanor and Jackson leave – I assume to carry on their discussion elsewhere. With the last option and she stomps on his foot, and that’s when Liam finds them.

While Drake tries to explain what happened, Olivia starts to cry, overwhelmed by the situation, and Liam elbows Drake when (Drake) asks if she’s crying. Knowing that Olivia would perceive crying in front of others as a weakness, Liam comes to her defense, telling Drake she’s only pretending to cry to get Drake-gon to lower his guard. Olivia calls Drake-gon a stupid dragon, and he follows suit, for her sake.

Back in the present, MC can respond to the story by saying she thinks it means Liam’s mom was poisoned / Liam’s mom was pregnant / Drake and Olivia were actually friends – with option one… DUH. Liam already told us that and thanks for rubbing it in again. Second option is what we want here – MC mentioning HG again as a sign of pregnancy, which surprises Liam and Olivia. MC poses the question of Eleanor being killed *because* she was pregnant, and Liam’s not sure. He’s not even sure if Constantine knew about the pregnancy or why it needed to be kept secret. Olivia reminds them that they never caught Eleanor’s killer. Liam’s determined to get more answers, and Olivia is willing to do anything she can to help.

MC and Liam head to the examination room for an ultrasound, and soon MC and Liam can see their baby on a small screen. MC can say the baby’s so big / so little / a miracle – big response earns a smile from Liam and a little teasing that MC’s never been one for taking things slow. Little baby has MC comparing the baby to a strawberry, and LI drops an “apple blossom” with a smile. Miracle baby leaves Drake smiling and speechless. They hear the heartbeat and the doctor says MC’s about 10 weeks along before printing out an image. MC can respond by saying the baby looks like me / looks like a tadpole / looks like they’re waving. Tadpole option has LI calling it a *cute* tadpole that has lots of time to grow. With the last option, LI beams a smile at The Belly, waving at the baby, and LI calls them ‘little one’ and LI Liam says it’s so, so good to finally see them / LI Drake says don’t push yourself too hard / LI Hana says they’re happy to see them. Looking at the photo in his hand, LI LIAM FINALLY HAS SOME HAPPY TEARS IN HIS EYES AND THIS IS ALL I WANTED. LI Drake has a huge, bright smile on his face. LI Hana smiles through happy tears and is at a loss for words, tracing her finger over the image, and then tells the baby how much she already loves (it).

Ramirez leaves the room to get pamphlets and other things for the couple to read about, while they marvel at the photo of their baby. There’s a knock and the door and not-Wayne is suddenly there, talking about missing details from MC’s medical file. MC asks if she knows him from somewhere, and it’s a timed response, where any answer flusters not-Wayne while he stalls. Ramirez comes back into the room and MC realizes not-Wayne is the reporter from the press conference (if you go with the press conference option, otherwise LI recalls not-Wayne’s face) and…

MY KING LUNGES AT THE MAN in full Papa Bear mode (I mean, all the LIs lunge for the dude), but not before the reporter snaps a photo of the sonogram and dashes out the door.

NOTES: Most of my commentary was within the recap, but I’ll add this since they posted a summary of chapter 16 – WHAT THE FUCK Y’ALL. Eight. EIGHT chapters around that stupid wedding, and now they’re cramming nine months of story into what feels like 2 or 3 chapters because hacked versions of the game showed MC’s closet with pregnant sprite outfits, so she’s most likely giving birth before Book 1 ends. I’m so pissed. I understand why it happened the way it did (the writers had the standalone one off wedding story and forced that shit into the series to make a deadline/use the writing they’d already worked on rather than scrapping it) but COME ON. It could’ve been edited more than that to make more room for pregnant MC. I keep playing because I’m in love with Liam and all of these characters, but they’re seriously slacking on paying adequate attention to ALL the LIs.

I don’t want copy paste scenes where LI Liam doesn’t talk about politics or diplomacy with his WIFE, or doesn’t share more details about growing up as a child. Why didn’t we get that bit of the scene where he has a chicken soup recipe his mother used? Why wouldn’t he offer that to his WIFE while she feels like crap from morning sickness? Why don’t they ever tell us what childhood Liam’s lessons were like, other than just vaguely referring to them? Why wouldn’t Olivia take part in at least some of those lessons, being a duchess as well? Wouldn’t she need to also know how to govern her people and interact with dignitaries and nobles? Or was Constantine that much of a dick (answer – he probably WAS that much of a dick) to deny educating Olivia, after what her parents tried to do?

While I entertain the theory that Jackson and Eleanor had an affair and she’s possibly carrying Jackson’s child as an idea for an AU, I don’t think that would ever take place in this story. Liam – and Drake – hold their parents in such high regard, and for something like that to happen and for them to find out…it would crush them both. It would make their friendship suffer, and possibly end it. I don’t see PB getting that dramatic with the storyline.

Also, Liam and Drake can’t be brothers, and there’s no way Drake or Liam’s possible half brother or sister could hold claim to the throne if Jackson were the father. Drake came to Cordonia with his parents AFTER he was born, so he is most definitely Bianca and Jackson’s kid. Drake and Liam *could* be linked through the hypothetical half sibling IF you entertain the idea that Eleanor and Jackson had an affair, but it seems OOC for both of them. Jackson loves his family, and while unhappy, Eleanor hasn’t said or done anything to indicate that she would have an affair with or without Constantine’s knowledge. If Eleanor and her second child survived long enough for Eleanor to give birth – wouldn’t Liam and Constantine notice that??? – and the child was Jackson’s, there’s no way that kid could have a claim to the throne because Eleanor and Jackson are both commoners. However, if my crack theory that Liam might not actually be a direct descendant of Kenna holds water, there’s a slew of new theories that could put Cordonia’s leadership in danger.

I *DO* think Eleanor was pregnant with a second child with Constantine, but because of whatever was going on with Auvernal and possibly Barto and Godfrey, she was concerned for Liam and her unborn baby’s safety. THAT would be the reason Jackson would want to talk to her in hallways and corners in secret. I think he was trying to help them get away from Constantine, who likely had suspicions about why Eleanor was pushing for the new deal with Auvernal. From what Liam’s told us in TRR, she died from being poisoned (before she was starting to show) so things aren’t looking good for her right now.

[mcchoices]

TRH Choices Insta-Live Recap 7/15/19

*Sorry if there are typos! I’m typing this live! 

If you haven’t heard - They Royal Heir will be a series

The second book is already in the works

Liam has a last name and we will eventually find out!

We will not meet MC’s parents/family

Probably won’t be backstory either they referred to Riley/MC as a “blank slate”

“The title is the warning label,” - About the baby plot

They said you could just leave off at the end of book 3 and live happily ever after if you didn’t want a baby

They said they didn’t have the resources to give ever LI a different baby route so they had to settle on one overall plot. MC is already a very important Cordonian figure and if you’re not with Liam they didn’t want it to be perceived as Liam taking your baby- you and LI are still raising your child.

“What if the baby doesn’t want to be the heir?” “That may be something you have to face... Hmmmm...”

In their minds Liam respects your choice to marry someone else and that he’s optimistic, open to love and knows he doesn’t have to settle

Maxwell as a dad - Kids were never a “no” for him but a lot has happened and he’s gone from “not sure I’m ready” to “I’m ready” and they say he’s probably the most equipped to do it and he’s more ready than he thinks he is. 

The “fun uncle” line was supposed to be a hint that he was already an uncle.

Drake not raising his kid as a commoner - The kid is already going to be born into the court life and he’s now seeing that he can be more influential through his child in the noble life. His journey through the books has been him gaining more power and voice in the court and that he can still keep his child grounded.

Hana as a mother - Hana “always wanted love” and there is without a question that her and MC are going to be very involved parents. Hana was also very aware of the privilege in her life but it didn’t outweigh her need for non-physical things

“Will we meet/birth baby?” - Stay tuned to find out if we’re going to give birth/meet baby this book (I was hoping they would say!!)

Outfits question - “Cowboy hats” “Excited for outfits for other characters - Coming soon”

“One word or short phrase for the most exciting thing to happen in the book” - “Kind of already happened - Flashbacks” “Ending” “Motorcycle” “Animal attack - Could be a metaphor!”

“Are the dogs gonna have puppies?” - “You’ll have to stay tuned!”

"Will there be opportunities for MC to exercise her duties?” - “Yeah it’ll get into some of that.”

“Will the characters you didn’t choose get to find love?” - “Not in this book.”

You will see your other animals again and characters from RoE

“Why was Olivia not an LI?” - We didn’t see that emotional relationship developing that way. We like her better as a little prickly of “I’m not your friend” and you are “She is my friend!” We thought adding her to your group would be best, but there wasn’t enough time for her to open up to MC as it took years for her to open up to Liam. It would be out of character in the confines we were writing.

Also one of the writers favorite part of the book revolves around Olivia

Originally was going to be a 6 chapter book focused around Bertrand and Savannah’s wedding

“If we had better resources there could have been a better way to go about this book. I hope you can still love it even with some of its faults.”

“Does MC get a fancy new hat?” - “Well you might say a cowboy hat” 

“Will everything be unicorns and rainbows between MC and LI or will there be drama?” - “Hmmmm... There are some things that are going to come up in the course of family stuff with having a baby and everything. Everything is more external drama than internal.”

Won’t answer how many chapters :-( 

“Probably 19” and then they all kinda screamed???

“Will Anton escape from jail?” - “Not that I’m aware of”

“Do we get to find out our LI’s fav music on the road trip?” - “Roadtrip music is very important!” 

“There are some songs from the choices universe that will be playing when they get to America” - Look out Platinum!

There will be more flashbacks 

“What kind of accent does Liam have?” - “A Cordonian accent” “Whatever sounds sexiest.”

“How old are all the characters?” - “When we got there art we requested a range - Everyone is over 21.” “Drake is the oldest (out of Liam, Hana, Max)” “Bertrand is like 5 years older than all”

3 out of the 4 writers would romance Hana

“Parting words” - “Cowboy hats”

[bebepac]

Six Sentence Sunday 07.31.22 / Mood Music Monday

Another week and another show to binge.   This week we’re onto  Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy.  Klaus and Five are most definitely my favorite characters in this series. Work is still... you know,  but enough about that.  I have had some time to sprinkle some love in a few spots so  here we go!

Here’s what I’ve posted:  The Rotten Apple 🍎:  Sincerely, Lady Liberty

Original Post: 07/31/22 at 3:30PM EST. 

Mood Music Monday Submission

Chapter 14 Finale:  The Good Part Series:  The Rotten Apple 🍎 The Book:  TRH & beyond! Pairings:  Elle x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC)  / Liam x Riley Status: Still in the writing process Song Inspiration:  The Good Part by AJR

Elle sat at the small decorated picnic table patiently waiting for Nico to arrive facing the gate, so she could see him the moment he walked through.   She glanced around the area, there was an adorable little spot that was set up for a picnic,  even a swing,  and some games. She didn’t think she would be playing the games with Nico but she remembered he liked to play chess. Elle was horrible at it.  

Elle stood when she saw him walk through the gate, she smiled and waved when his eyes met hers. Nico smiled back at her.  The gate remained open and  Nico reached out his hand.  

Ana walked  through the gate, taking his hand, and they proceeded towards Elle. The smile had faded  from Elle’s face, replaced with a look of shock.

Nico’s heart was racing, Elle’s eyes were fixed on Ana.

“That’s my Mommy?” Ana asked him. Nico paused, kneeling down to Ana.

“Yes, that’s your Mommy. She's beautiful isn't she?”  

Ana nodded.

“She looks like a goddess Papa.”  

Elle was beautiful in her simplicity.  She was wearing a long flowing off the shoulder flower printed dress, and tan colored sandals.  Her hair pinned up on one side by flowers and the rest cascaded over her shoulders and back.  

“I always thought so too. Let's go say hi to her. She's waiting on us for once. Are you ready?”

Ana patted down her hair, and straightened her dress.  

"I'm ready Papa."

They walked over to where Elle was standing.

"Nico…"

"Elle.."

"Don't be mad at him.  It’s my fault.  I didn't obey, because I wanted to see you."

"You really wanted to see me?" Elle asked, her eyes filled with tears.

Ana nodded. "May I hug you Mommy?"

"I would really like that."

Ana  let go of Nico's hand to run up to throw her arms around Elle.

Finally the tears  that filled Elle’s eyes rolled down her cheeks in rivers, as she hugged Ana.

Nico stepped forward to wipe Elle's tears.

"I'm sorry… this is what I really wanted." She whispered to him. Ana’s grip around her tightened.

"Well good thing, your daughter is just as stubborn as you."

Chapter 6:  Unfurled Series:  The Days The Earth Stood Still The Book: TRH Pairings: Riley x Nico (Riley x M!OC) with past pairing Riley x Liam Status:  Still in the writing process.

Note:  I know I haven’t written on this storyline in FOREVER: So here is a recap.  Riley does not choose Liam after her name is cleared from the scandal. She chooses Nico. Liam gets shot  and dies at the Homecoming Ball saving her and the child neither of them knew Riley was carrying at the time.  Riley marries Nico after Liam’s death  and Nico promises her that he will raise Liam’s child as his own. That was not true.  

She quickly packed the boys and herself a bag and security took Riley and the boys' bags out to the SUV.

"Riley don't leave me like this.  Please."

"You did this to us Nico, I'm done. Come on boys."

William took Riley's hand, as Alexander walked behind her.

Once to the palace she took William and Alex to the toy room, and she went to talk to Leo and Olivia.

“I’m not surprised I’m really not surprised.  He’s a real piece of work.  We should imprison him for life. We can do that. ”  Olivia’s face was bright red, evident from the live feed.

 “How could he do this? You’ve been good to him.  I knew he couldn’t be trusted.”

“I’m just floored.  He had a secret life for over five years.  A life his mother knew about, and encouraged, with another child.”  

Leo sitting next to Riley shook his head.  

“I’m so sorry Riley, I hate that i’m in Lythikos right now overseeing this festival.  Maybe you could come up, might help take your mind off things.”

“I’m sorry Liv, I just don’t feel like celebrating.  I just feel like  drowning my sorrows a little bit and loving on my kids and doing some work to take my mind off things.”  

“Leo has to go to Italy to meet with Francesco.  Maybe you could go and assist with that.  I’m sure Leo wouldn’t mind the company, since I have Christopher. You don’t mind do you Leo?”

“Not at all, I was just about to recommend that.  The change of scenery might do you some good, and I love Italy in the fall.”  

“Thank you Leo, you don’t know how much I appreciate this.”  

“We’re family Riley, we look out for each other.  Your bags are still packed, I can have them moved to  Ruby One.  We can leave within the hour.”

[mariesstudycorner]

The Endocrine physiology overview

Part 1

Endocrine glands = Glands that secretes hormones directly into the blood stream= No canal.

Hormones = chemical substances that act on certain cells and guide processes such as: metabolism, growth etc.

The endocrine system in our body has :

Hypothalamus & the pituitary gland

Pineal gland

Thyroid gland

Parathyroid glands

Pancreas

Adreal glands

And the gonads (testes and ovaries)

The hypothalamus:

Nuclei [ supraoptic & paraventricular]

The ceo of the whole system! It senses the information from the body and then reacts by secreting CEO hormones!

The romantic relationship between the hypo and the pituitary:

Between the hypo and the anterior lobe of the pituitary ->

The hypothalamic-hypophyseal portal system (which is a system of blood vessels)

Between the hypo and the posterior lobe of the pituitary ->

The pituitary stalk (which is made by the axons coming from the nuclei in the hypo)

The hypothalamus hormones:

Hormones that affect the cells in the anterior lobe of the pituitary to trigger the secretion of certain hormones :

•- Stimulatory:

TRH = Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone

CRH = corticotropin Releasing Hormone

GNRH = Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone

GHRH= Growth hormone Releasing Hormone.

•- Inhibitory:

GHIH = Growth Hormone Inhibiting Hormone (Somatostatin)

Prolactin Inhibiting Hormone (Dopamine)

Hormones that are secreted by the hypo and stored in the posterior lobe of the pituitary (in Herring bodies) :

ADH (Vasopressin)

Oxytocin

The pituitary gland:

The co-ceo of the endocrine system. Lies in the sella turcica near the hypothalamuc underneath the optic chiasm.

Has two lobes: Anterior and posterior.

The posterior works as a storage for the hypo's two hormones (ADH & oxytocin) that secretes them when needed.

The anterior is made of glandular tissue = is able to produce hormones.

The Pituitary hormones:

ACTH = Adrenocorticotrophic hormone

TSH = Thyroid-stimulating hormone

LH = Luteinising hormone

FSH = Follicle-stimulating hormone.

PRL = Prolactin

GH = Growth hormone

MSH = Melanocyte- stimulating hormone.

Now how do these hormones work?

Now it is a great chance to learn 3 things:

Why the hypothalamus is the ceo?

What is the romantic relationship between it and the pituitary?

And the Endocrine /axes/

So, basically we can recap that like this:

TRH-> TSH-> Thyroid gland -> T4 & T3

CRH-> ACTH-> Adrenal cortex -> Cortisol & androgen

GNRH-> FSH/LH -> Gonads -> sex hormones

GHRH-> GH-> Liver-> IGF-1 / IGF-BP3

Example explained:

TRH stimulates the pituitary to secrete TSH in response to certain conditions and TSH works on certain cells in the thyroid gland (the follicular cells) to activate the producing of T3 & T4 .

What about ADH and oxytocin?

⬇ Blood volume -> ADH -> Distal nephron -> water balance.

Oxytocin = the hormone of motherhood and cuddle!

Motherhood:

- Uterus during delivery = stimulates uterine contractions.

- Breast = During breastfeeding

Cuddle:

Such as social interactions (snuggles~ ) and orgasms!!

The Thyroid Gland:

Butterfly-shaped gland located in the anterior neck just below the laryngeal prominence (adam's apple) . It has left and right lobe wrapping around the trachea and connected in the middle by an isthmus.

Thyroid hormones:

The thyroid gland has many follicles which walls are lined by follicular cells (thyrocytes) that produce:

T4: Triiodothyronine

T3: Thyroxine

Both affect metabolism.

Parafollicular cells (C-cells) produce: Calcitonin

-> calcium and phosphate -> bone metabolism.

Parathyroid glands:

Tiny, round structures found embedded in the posterior surface of the thyroid gland. Most people have 4 parathyroid glands.

Hormones:

PTH = parathyroid hormone -> calcium regulation.

Pineal gland:

Endocrine structure of the diencephalon of the brain . Inferior and posterior to the thalamus. Made of pinealocytes.

Hormones:

Melatonin -> circadian rhythm.

Pancreas:

Located in the abdomen behind the stomach. Has endocrine and a digestive exocrine function.

The endocrine part is called 'Langerhans islets' constitutes about 1-2% of the pancreas volume.

There are five types of cells in these islets:

Beta-> insulin -> ⬇Blood sugar

Alpha -> Glucagon -> ⬆ Blood sugar

PP cells -> pancreatic polypeptide

Delta -> somatostatin -> inhibits the secretion of other pancreatic hormones.

Epsilon -> ghrelin -> 'the hunger hormone'

The Adrenal Glands:

Two small glands located on top of each kidney

Has two parts :

Cortex:

3 Zones:

Zona glomerulosa -> Aldosterone -> ⬆ Blood pressure

Zona Fasciculata -> Cortisol -> Stress & diabetogenic

Zona reticularis -> Androgens.

Medulla:

Epinephrine & norepinephrine -> flight or fight response.

The Gonads:

Ovaries:

Located along the lateral wall of the uterus under the external iliac artery and in front of the internal iliac artery. The region that has the ovaries is called 'the ovarian fossa'

Hormones:

Estrogen : Estradiol, Estrone & Estriol.

Progesterone

Testes :

Oval-shaped organs, contained in the scrotum that hangs outside the body in front of the pelvic region.

Hormones :

Testosterone.

[they-callme-ami]

Aerin this, Poppy That, Noah and Dan this and that---you know who PB missed out on by NOT making them LIs? Analysis, Part 2 (still wlw, I'm giving y'all what you WANT....hopefully)

Alright, Michelle walked so Poppy could also strut. Listen--two blonde Asian (Asian-European for Poppy) women who look similar, have black football ex-boyfriends AND have bitchy-ish attitudes? Michelle was Poppy's blueprint. But unlike Poppy, Michelle became a Bad Bitch on her OWN. A little recap for y'all, she was raised by a single mother who instilled into her to work hard for what she wanted, is at the TOP of her class, and (as said in her folder) will probably get into any medical school she chooses. Even after her so called friends made it seem like she was cheating on Sean and she was dumped, she picked herself back up again and kept going. If anything, her 'bitchy popular girl' personality is to protect herself and focus on her goals. And y'know what? She is an amazing friend too. In Graces ember of Hope she encourages her even when her mother puts her down, she is constantly helping the team when they are hurt---both physically and mentally--and will fight tooth and pedicured nail for her friends. Not to mention, she has great skin-care and makeup tips.

Now, since it has been confirmed that Yvonne and Serafine are the same person-- why the hell was there no cameo in distant shores? In Endless summer, Yvonne seems nothing more than the steryotype French person who is always romantic, sexual, etc. But, she is so much more. She helps raise the teams morale, in her own funky way, and could Jake a run for his money in BDE. When we reunite with her after her centuries of life, she is a telepathic vampire now known as Serafine whom also radiates BDE. One thing is for sure, her heart is full in both lifetimes. She traveled the seas (and time) to try and save her brother, and opened up a nightclub where vampires could be safe and free from The Order. I can't really say much about her, because there isn't much to say. But that's the most charming thing, she is shrowded in mystery and would have had potential to learn more about if ahe was an LI. The only thing constant about her is the joy she slreads to others, in a sarcastic snarky way.

AURORAILOVEYOUDAMMITPBSTOPMAKING BLACKWOMENLOOKBADCHALLENGE2020 YOUCOWARDS---

*ahem* Despite how PB has written her in a terrible light, Aurora is ironically a woman many black readers can identify with. She is framed as strong, independent and rude. But take a step back and ta-da! She's fucking relatable as hell! Most of her life, because she was succesful, people saw her as either a stuck-up snob, a ticket to get to the top, or competition. Black women, ESPECIALLY in fields like this are always put down and underminded. Aurora is really just a girl who is afraid to let people use her again, tries to please her aunt and honestly, seems to have anxiety and social issues. But she continues to push past it all, and even after quitting at Emery, continues to work in the medicine field to help others and cares deeply for her patients. It's a shane after what PB has pulled in the OH series with their POC (really just in every series--) because I identified so much with Aurora and seeing a black woman kicking ass in the medical field while trying her best to get along with her friends is absolutley ADORABLE. I really hope PB makes her an LI when they bring OH2 back, because Aurora is the kind of woman that needs more attention in tv, movies, books, etc. A black woman who is succesful, can be strong, but is still vulnerable and has weaknesses. But friends to back her up and help her.

"If you can breathe, you can stand. If you can stand, you can fight."

(Red IS Olivia's color and I will be typing with it. No arguments.)

You already know what the fuck I'm talkin about. 6 books PB. TRR series, TRR Christmas Special, TRH---you had SIX BOOKS to do the ultimate enemies to lovers slowburn in the history of whatever. We have seen Olivia go from an agressive, cunning, quick-witted, battle-ready, stubborn and headstrong bitch to--oh, lemme check my notes here--an agressive, cunning, quick-witted, battle-ready, stubborn and headstrong bitch(tm) who has not compromised her values, but has opened up. Olivia is the ORIGINAL 'should have been an LI'. This woman has gone from hating MC with a passion for even breathing near Liam, to protecting her and a child that isn't even Olivia's with her LIFE. Olivia not only has opened up more to MC about her past, her family trauma, etc. But is a noble who actually fits the title. She fights with honor to protect her people and those who she loves, inspires courage into her people and even after being rejected by Liam (though not malicious on his part) she never holds that against MC. Olivia trusts our MC with her own life as well, and in the last shitty chapter of TRH2 is the ONLY house that votes against the idea of stripping MC of her baby, because she KNOWS that MC is an amazing parent and knows what it's like to grow up without loving family--if anything, in these books Olivia has proven how much she loves our MC more than anything.

[ladysophiebeckett]

funniest things in that chapter: 

when they charged you to use the baby blanket that was supposedly free in the last book.

the trh book 1 recap that didnt even mention the various weeks we spent at the walker ranch.

[jaggerytreat]

TRH recap

You and your LI have already agreed to your kid being Liam's heir. Done deal. No takesies backsies.

Auvernal, nobility , media and public are going to ask you baby questions. The inquisitive questions start.

So kindly refrain from having a meltdown tomorrow about the same issue. And if you do please don't put it in the maintag.

[lizzybeth1986]

Hope your health is treating you better. I saw that you picked up The Royal Heir for your QTs, and I think that’s what convinced me to pick up the book. I still have a few chapters left for TRR, but hopefully I’ll get them over with soon, LOL. It’s always a treat to read your posts and I’m looking forward to them 😄

Hello there @blue-sappir 😁😁 Thank you so much for the good wishes! I'm doing fairly okay right now.

I'm so glad you like my TRH recaps that much. I have my issues with the series and fears concerning the story but I love and have missed at least three characters in this story, and I've also missed writing essays! I hope my readers enjoy them too.

When I've settled into more of a schedule I'm thinking of probably doing QTs for TRR Book 1 as well. I enjoyed writing them for the first four chapters immensely and I have a lot of thoughts about that book that I want to explore and put out there. Fingers crossed!!

[dcbbw]

my favorite writer!! I am curious on your thoughts on TRH newest chapter

Awwwwwww! Nonny, you flatter me. :) 

I have not played the latest chapter yet; in fact, I have not played/read TRH since the end of Chapter 6 because I was getting a little tired of Texas and everyone named Walker (except Drake). But thanks to weekly recaps posted by the lovely @zaffrenotes ,screenshots, and fandom discussions I have been keeping up!

The chapter appears to cover a lot from Liam (and I guess the other LIs if you did not choose Liam) revealing his fears for MC and the baby, to some intimate bonding to that ending! 

In hindsight, perhaps PB modeled MC after Princess Diana from the beginning: young, attractive, inclusive, and the darling of the press which would explain the intrusive press storyline. It’s a case of one is too many and a thousand is never enough with their need for photos and updates. 

I am not worried about us having a happily ever after, but the angst to get there? I’ll take it! And if I were the lead writer on the TRH books, I would have made the latest chapter the last chapter in the book. 

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 16 - Great Expectations

Alternate Title: Apples Apples Everywhere

Word Count: +/- 5000

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version – convince Auvernal and Monterisso to back AWAY from The Belly while playing some apple-themed shower games. Oh BTW the corgis had THEIR babies while you weren’t looking and Bastien and Mara are relegated to dog watching duty and can’t even manage that; let’s play with daggers and eat baby food and have sweet funny moments with our friends before all hell starts to break loose in the last few chapters, kay? Okay.

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake’s playthrough from BizzysChoices, Hana’s from Abhirio, and Maxwell’s from rash rec.

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

+1 LI matches MC’s reaction to the baby ultimatums +1 [Liam] even-tempered Liam has HAD IT with these baby betrothals; it’s amusing but slightly OOC for him 0 The gang wanted MC to gift something special for MC to wear but…why that peach dress? +1 Making Olivia literally shower MC with confetti +1 MARGUERITE! She asks what we’ve all been asking 0 But Cordonian tradition means we won’t know what we’re having until baby is born -1 Bella moves to touch MC’s belly and NOPE NOPE NOPE NOT COOL +1 LIs pointedly clear their throat and point out one should ASK to touch The Belly first +1 MC can swat Bella’s hand away/politely tell her to back off or else everyone will want to touch The Belly +1 Amalas takes a dig at Auvernal not respecting boundaries and – okay, you’re shady, but that was a good one +1 LEO’S HERE 0 Hana’s surprised to see her parents here 0 WHO WAS KEEPING TRACK OF THE RSVPs?! That would’ve bugged me to no end if I didn’t already know who was attending 0 Apple Gauntlet for mom-to-be’s grace and poise…uhh, okay +1 Marguerite says what we’re all thinking about these quirky Cordonians and their love of apples +1 Throw Breadsy off his game by hinting that you know he didn’t do SQUAT while in the military +1 EiriKhaan loses his tiny, glorious child and I can’t even with this dude +1 Maxwell *thinks* he’s doing it but quickly doesn’t and knocks several people out of the race +1 Olivia (I hate this phrase but here I go using it) YEETS her apple baby across the finish line +1 Lesedi doesn’t care that she’s blocking Liam; Lerato apologizes for MC bumping into her +1 Win the race and impress Auvernal with your…strength? Holding a spoon while you walk? 0 Tiny food makes you feel fancy – why does Drake suddenly like this? 0 Bella reminds me of an awkward person trying to include herself in conversations but she’s always saying the wrong thing +1 Monterisso’s an island, and Amalas likes to “explore” …just how remote are these countries that they’re still trading recipes without using Google? 0 Amalas gets to provide a course during lunch (and Auvernal didn’t?) – but it’s pureed food +1 Leo and his “does Surprise come in red” with his surprised face I can’t—ksjdfhksdjfh +1 Baby likes grape; does not like beets (Dwight Schrute is judging you, baby) +2 CORGI PUPPEHS -1 How did MC NOT NOTICE HER DOG WAS PREGNANT? 0 BASTIEN IS HERE. On puppy duty. Which he somehow can’t do, lol. Maybe Liam needs to hire some new Kings Guards… +1 [Liam] Regina’s parental advice not to give children baklava after midnight – I just see a tiny, husky Liam running around all sugared up from phyllo, nuts, and honey and I love it SO MUCH +1 Play a round of Lythikos darts – get MC’s friends to form a protective circle when they’re ONLY using darts orrr let her be if Olivia pulls daggers from her dress +1 Olivia gets to throw a little shade at Bella with the daggers, using the one Bella used to hit very close to the target +1 Get MC to hit dead center and earn a Mulaney Moment from LI – THAT’S MY WIFE!! – bonus, piss off Bella in the process 0 Auvernal gifted the rattle on the cover… 0 Monterisso gifts an apple blossom from their oldest apple tree (which Cordonia helped plant) +1 Lesedi and Lerato WHAT KINGDOM ARE THEY FROM gift a practical set of glass bottles +1 sweet Marguerite hands over a stack of Euros and I can’t 😂 +1 Olivia’s gift was confiscated because KNIVES (we’re guessing) 0 Diamond option for baby’s mobile; crown and sparkly swords / forest friends / moon and stars; LIs family is gracious even if you don’t spend diamonds +1 [Liam] Leo confirms that Liam had a VERY sparkly mobile +1 [Liam] the woman Regina commissioned to make the mobile also made Liam’s mobile so it’s another tie to his mom HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TURN DOWN ANOTHER LINK TO THAT MAN’S MOMMA I ASK YOU HOW??? +1 [Maxwell] Bertrand having a mobile made of silver grapefruit spoons explains SO MUCH +1 LI steals MC away for a moment in the gardens to just celebrate themselves as a family and gives her a gift +1 THE GIFT IS FREE WUT +1 It’s a sweet baby blanket +1 [Liam] wanted something practical that they could still use and cherish +1 [Hana] made sure it’s flame resistant, hypoallergenic, and a bunch of other things in addition to being super soft +1 MC x LI share an adorably awkward kiss – belly gets in the way – before they return to the party +1 Maxwell needs help with something, Liam refuses to return access to the armory WHY I NEED TO KNOW LIAM WHAT DID MAXWELL DO 0 Maxwell wants his friends at the first stop of his book tour…which is in Lythikos, for some reason 0 OFF WE GO TO THE LAND OF ICE AND SNOW, I guess

T O T A L 33 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 30 points for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

MIRROR MIRROR: This is one of the shortest chapters in a while (350 screenshots, versus 400+ in previous chapters) and it starts off with Kiara dropping the news that Auvernal and Monterisso want a decision on their baby alliance, refusing to leave until they get an answer. MC can respond with they’re about to be disappointed / we need to change their minds / I guess we have a decision to make – whatever MC responds with, LI seems to mirror their reaction (out of solidarity?). First response gives you an angry MC claiming that they don’t get to make demands just because they’re guests, and LI Liam reacts the same way – angry sprite and all, claiming Cordonia shouldn’t be underestimated as an ally. Our normally even tempered, always diplomatic King, now has sympathy rage as he mirrors his wife. LI Drake matches MC’s angry sprite, stating they won’t roll over on a decision just because they brought fancy gifts. Kiara acts as the voice of reason, offering a more diplomatic response. We need to change their minds results in Kiara offering a suggestion, whereas the third option has the LI making Kiara’s suggestion – they can buy more time if they can prove any alliance will be beneficial, with or without marrying off infants. LI reminds MC that “it’s not every day you get to play games and open presents with royalty” – uhhh LI Liam? Pretty sure that’s what ALL YOUR BIRTHDAYS were like, lol.

MC’s ushered off to the boutique to find something adequate to wear to this thing – led by Maxwell, or Hana if Maxwell’s your LI – and…it’s peach and gold. I like the sparkly top and I’m just going to keep telling myself the peach is ROSE GOLD because otherwise I really don’t like the dress. LIs change as well – Liam into his stately tux, Drake in his green shirt/navy blazer, Hana in her silver/white dress, and Maxwell in his black suit.

GREETINGS, GUESTS: The palace gardens have been decorated with flowers, balloons, and more flowers for a sweet baby shower, and Penelope and a reluctant Olivia literally shower MC with confetti. The royal guests are here, first up with Princess Marguerite offering her congratulations, and she asks if MC x LI know if they’re having a boy or girl. We find out it’s Cordonian tradition for the gender to be a surprise until baby is actually born. MC can respond with can’t wait to be surprised / wish I knew already / haven’t given it much thought – with the first response, MC says they’ll find out together soon enough and holds hands with LI; second response LI says they’ll find out soon enough; third response and MC says no matter what, baby will be loved. Eirikhaan, Lesedi, and Lerato all greet MC, and then the bobbleheads appear.

If you opt to buy the gown, Breadford and Bella give MC an approving nod and apparently ONE SOLITARY APPROVAL POINT is all that’s needed to sway their stance on the ultimatum. MC had to work harder to get the PRESS to like her during the damn social season!! So Bella makes the little moment about her for a hot minute, recalling how difficult it was for her to find formalwear while she was pregnant because she was carrying twins, noting how modest MC’s bump is AND THEN SHE—BRUH. RUDE, MUCH? She reaches out to touch MC’s belly.

I cannot. This woman is an idiot, time and time again. I’ve not had the blessing? Pleasure? Experience? Of being pregnant, but being around pregnant friends and relatives, I always ALWAYS ask before going anywhere near a pregnant woman’s belly. That’s still her body, and personal space like that should not be invaded, even if you’re another woman. Even if you’ve also had a baby and want to bond over that. Even if you’re the pregnant woman’s BFF or literal blood sister…NO TOUCHY! Anyway…MC can respond with let it happen / swat Bella’s hand away / ask Bella to respect (MC’S) space – with the first response, Bella says she feels a kick – yeah, that’s our kid telling you to BACK AWAY – and LI pointedly clears their throat so she draws her hand back, reminding her that it’s polite to ASK before touching. Swat her hand away and MC says the same thing, with less civility. Bella seems like the type of expectant mother that would love any and all attention on her, so it makes sense she’d assume MC is the same way, but not all women are like that, Bells. Third option has MC flashing the politest smile she can muster while holding up a hand to stop Bella, warning that she’d have to deal with everyone wanting to touch The Belly if Bella was allowed to.

Amalas appears and the dress earns the swing vote with her as well, if you’re wearing it. Amalas throws some shade at Auvernal’s inability to respect boundaries, which sets Breadford off, but before they can start quarreling, former crown prince LEO IS HERE!! Unpopular opinion, but I love this jackass, and I had a huge smile on my face when he appeared. LI Drake, LI Hana, and LI Maxwell are all surprised to see him – he says he’d never turn down an invite to the Champion of Cordonia’s baby shower. LI Liam is happy to see his brother, with Leo pulling him into a hug while Leo gives MC a brotherly clap on the shoulder (he does this to MC no matter what); with Liam, Regina also appears, informing them that she made Leo promise to attend. Leo says he wouldn’t have missed this, and you get a little extra dialogue – Regina is happy to see MC looking healthy, and hopes Liam’s been taking care of MC and baby, before Lorelai Lee appears (all playthroughs) to offer congratulations.

Hana’s surprised to see her parents, unsure if they’d have time to attend (does no one count RSVPs anymore???); Xinghai said they dropped everything when they heard the happy news and Lorelai knew they wanted to pay their respects to MC. LI Hana’s route has Hana grabbing MC’s hand for support, with Lorelai arranging a flight as soon as they got the invitation, and Xinghai offers to leave early if their presence is less-than-welcome, but Hana and MC are happy to have them there.

LI Drake sees his mother and sister after Leo’s appearance, and Bianca and Savannah swoop in to hug MC. Bianca sets in on making sure Drake’s pulling his weight HAHAHAHA around the house, before Hana’s parents appear. LI Maxwell sees Barthelemy and Bertrand (where’s your WIFE, Bertrand??) AFTER Hana’s parents, with Barto offering a handshake to MC after clapping Maxwell on the shoulder. He greets MC with an overcompliment, already trying too hard to make up for his shortcomings.

APPLE APPLE: Kiara gets everyone’s attention to start a party game, now that all the guests are in attendance. And what kind of shower games do they play in Cordonia, if it doesn’t involve a friggin apple??? The Apple Gauntlet is the ol’ Egg and Spoon race, only with large wooden spoons and apples bEcAuSe CoRdOnIa, lol. It’s meant to symbolize the poise and grace a mother needs to care for her baby. OKAY. SURE. I won’t deny there’s some degree of grace and poise a mother will need to look after her baby once said baby is born and she’s constantly sleep-deprived and has to look put together when well-intentioned friends/family drop by unannounced to check on her, or even when scheduled visits have Mama scrambling to find something clean to wear even though she might not have had a shower in days BUT WHAT DO I KNOW.

GURL YOU HAVE NO IDEA. NO. IDEA.

Eirik wonders if MC’s at a disadvantage, but Leo points out slow and steady is a better approach to this race, so it’s anyone’s game. MC is next to Breadington as Kiara and Madeleine hand out spoons and apples. He wastes no time to ask MC if she knows why they’re at the shower aside from perfunctory congratulations. MC can respond with you’re here for the weird apple-themed games / to rain on my party with politics / to find out if I’ll agree to your terms – the first response earns a laugh from Bready and he appreciates her sense of humor – earning another point from Auvernal. He wants an answer about a betrothal. Party Politics response makes Bready all crusty, snipping at MC that she shouldn’t be in a position of power if she doesn’t like politics, before pushing his agenda. Direct third option earns a point with Auvernal. All responses lead to MC’s reluctant to decide on anything before her child is even born; she hopes no matter what’s in store for her child’s future, Cordonia and Auvernal will find use for each other. Bready tries to pull their strength card, claiming Auvernal to be winners – at what, I have no idea – and he brags about his “legendary physical prowess” during his military time.

If you paid for the extra drinking scene in Auvernal with Isabella, where we learned that Breadford sat behind a desk the ENTIRE TIME HE WAS ACTIVE DUTY – it comes in handy here to throw him off his game. MC hints about his desk job, leaving him flustered just as Penelope starts the race, and…lil bit of chaos ensues as Maxwell bumps into Drake, who bumps into Hana. Olivia straight up LAUNCHES her apple baby across the finish line, disqualifying herself LOL. Lerato apologizes for MC bumping into HER as the race continues, Lesedi gets in Liam’s way, and Breadford’s just up ahead, potentially too distracted to keep his balance (if you psyched him out earlier) – there’s a timed response where MC races ahead but her apple starts to wobble and she can either stop and swoon / steady the spoon / drop the apple – if you steady the spoon MC wins, Breadford wipes sweat from his brow and offers a begrudging smile, earning a point from Auvernal. If you don’t, Bella wins and Breadford comments that they could’ve shared the victory if MC had agreed to an alliance. If you win, Madeleine announces lunch is ready; if you lose, Maxwell offers lunch as the consolation prize.

TINY FOOD AND TINY PAWS: MC’s ever-changing body bumps into the plate of food, but LI is quick to catch it, bringing the ladies into a discussion about bumping into things and labor stories. Bella was relieved to go into labor, while Lorelai describes it as a grueling experience, but a worthwhile one once you get to hold your child in your arms. Bella adds the endorphins and adrenaline are enough to make you forget about the worst parts, and MC’s just thankful she doesn’t have morning sickness so she can enjoy the tiny food. Hana personally taste-tested the options for deliciousness and visual appeal; LI Hana route gave the task to Madeleine, who spent a week with a focus group to test everything for aesthetic and delectability.

Same words, different meaning, and the order of priority is interesting for Hana and Madeleine. Where Hana’s is worded to stress taste over appearance, Madeleine is focused on appearances over flavor. Hana took a hands-on approach, tasting the food herself, whereas Madeleine delegated to a focus group without sampling the food to gauge her own opinion. It reflects how each of them approach challenges in their own lives – Hana goes through the process on her own, while Madeleine employs others and uses a consensus to form her opinion.

Eirik isn’t used to such small portions, and Drake says no one’s stopping him from having seconds. DRAKE. The one who’s constantly complaining about tiny food and small servings at royal functions, now just rolling with it. I’m not sure if this is growth or if he’s just trolling Eirik… meanwhile MC wants tiny food all the time so she can feel fancy, and Amalas brings up delicacies from her country.

We learn Monterisso is an island – is it the island Cordonia helped so many years ago and the one they honor with the symbolic Regatta??? – where ships bring back information, ideas, and new recipes, suggesting allies of Monterisso are welcome to visit anytime. MC can respond with I’m not marrying my baby off for fancy hors d’oeuvres / maybe we can talk trade agreements when I’m not entertaining guests / you didn’t bring any for me to try – second response is the one to use here. First response puts Amalas on the defensive, denying a marriage arrangement, but MC knows that’s what’s implied. Amalas shrugs apologetically to the table and acts like MC is putting words in her mouth, before asking for her course to be served. With the second response, MC hopes they can be allies no matter what arrangements are made between their families, and Amalas breaks into a smile (earning a point with Monterisso) to discuss things later. Third response and Amalas respects MC for not being afraid to ask for what she wants. She claims her favorite dishes are best served fresh, but she’s brought a course for everyone to try.

Monterisso’s course is a gastronomic guessing game – pureed food, artfully arranged on a plate! Leo’s perplexed by red puree, Maxwell seems to like it all, and Baby likes grape but not beets. The last bit on the plate is orange, earthy, sweet, and creamy. It’s either mango (NOPE) / carrot (NIET) / sweet potato (YES) – mango and MC says sweet potatoes are the mangoes of vegetables; carrot and MC defends that at least it’s a root vegetable; sweet potato earns “discerning tastes” from Amalas.

As everyone starts to rise from the table, a pair of corgi puppies appear, and it seems that MC’s been so preoccupied? Busy with (imaginary) duchess/queen duties? That she didn’t even notice the new corgi was PREGNANT with her own pups…even though they were helping fetch towels just a little while ago *eyeroll* And it took SIXTEEN chapters, but Bastien finally makes an appearance with Mara. Apparently he’s only good enough to be on dog watching duty with our personal security? And they can’t even do that, because the puppies evaded them? So it’s another diamond option and I’m not sure why I’m even surprised that we have to PAY for the puppies when we already BOUGHT THEIR PARENTS but whatever I’m a sucker for puppies so here are my diamonds just take them already.

ADVICE AND AMMUNITION: The shower festivities continue, with Regina/Bianca/Lorelai/Barthelemy offering up a book filled with parenting advice from guests. Regina’s advice is to avoid serving baklava to children after midnight and—did she just compare bb Liam to a gremlin?! LOL – So no sugar for the baby once they’re supposed to be down for the night, got it. Bianca’s advice is to sleep when the baby sleeps, and we find out that Drake was the fussy Walker baby. Good in theory, but sleeping when baby sleeps leaves little time for a mom to do much else, because when baby’s awake her attention will be on – you guessed it – the baby. Good thing they’ve got friends and a staff to help out as needed, right? Lorelai’s advice to Hana and MC is to make sure baby has mastered crawling before you let them try to walk and while it’s meant to show how ambitious Hana was as a child, it feels like a backhanded comment on mastering one skill before moving on to something else. Barthelemy’s advice is to keep all House documents  out of reach of even the most peaceful-looking infant, and Maxwell feels called out, haha. Amalas advises MC & LI to know baby’s moods to spot a tantrum before it happens, and Auvernal’s parents seem to think showing weakness is to admit defeat. OKAY THEN.

Madeleine offers to condense the entries for ease of reference, and Olivia tries to get a game of darts going. She’d rather use actual steel instead of darts, and MC can either shoot down the idea / allow it if MC can play - shoot her down and everyone forms a protective circle around MC while darts are thrown. Bella makes it on the board, Olivia barely looks and sinks her dart closer to the center, and Amalas sinks her dart even closer.

Allow it and LI warns MC to be careful, and Olivia pulls daggers from her gown. Bella’s dagger hits the edge of the target, blaming the dagger to be unbalanced. Olivia pulls the dagger out and uses it for her turn, hitting a mark within an inch of the target’s center, proving Bella wrong. Amalas’s dagger hits even closer than Olivia’s, indicating that the Black Widow Queen has some hidden skills with knives. Olivia tells MC to show them what Cordonians are made of – and while there’s plenty of folks who are tired of the Olivia praise, I think it means a lot that Olivia sees MC as a true Cordonian at this point. MC can hit the food / the tree beyond the target / the target – in a timed response. Miss the target and MC claims to have done that on purpose, Amalas still taking the lead. Hit the target and all the LIs channel their inner John Mulaney with a “That’s my wife!” moment.

WHAT’S A PARTY WITHOUT PRESENTS: It looks like Auvernal’s the one who gave us the rattle on the intro screen; the LIs responses fall in line with their characters. Liam thinks it’s a gift befitting an heir, Drake’s surprised and thinks it’s elaborate (aka FANCY), Hana’s (blue sprite) surprised rattles could be this ornate, and Maxwell wishes he’d had one when he was teething. Auvernal – ever one to NOT take a hint – lingers for more of a response until Amalas steps up with her present.

She gives MC & LI an apple blossom from a tree that Cordonia helped her people plant a long time ago. She offers suggestions for what MC can do with it (plant the seeds, wear it, etc.) but hopes the gesture is one that Cordonia will see as a step to being on close terms with Monterisso once more. MC can respond with I don’t need more apples / I’ll put this with all my other apple stuff / I hope our kingdoms can renew that friendship – with the first response MC’s all “apples are our ONE thing” and Amalas crosses her arms over her chest, in a defensive gesture. She argues it’s the thought behind the gift that counts, but MC can take it or leave it; the second response gets a smile from Amalas, knowing MC could never have too many apple-themed things and earns another point with for Monterisso. The friendship response has Amalas telling MC that friendship still has to be earned, and her kingdom (or HER, specifically) doesn’t have too many friends; she plays coy that there *might* be a few spots available, and we earn an approval point from Monterisso.

Eirik uhh…gifts a golden bust of his own head, Lesedi and Lerato gift a set of glass bottles – CAN WE LEARN ABOUT THEIR KINGDOM INSTEAD, PLEASE AND THANK YOU – and Marguerite hands over a stack of Euros because *facepalm* that’s all people ever really want from her. I meannnn….cash is never really going to be a bad gift, since parents-to-be can use it to buy exactly what they want if you opt to go off registry with a gift. Olivia’s gift was confiscated by Kiara because I’m guessing it was some sort of set of knives – A MATCHING SET OF MOMMY AND ME DAGGERS, MAYBE?!

For LI Liam, Regina and Leo hand over a sketchbook (Bianca and Sav for Drake, Hana’s parents for Hana, Barthelemy for Maxwell) of mobile designs. Options include a glittery crown with gold stars and crystal (swords?), a leafy mobile with stuffed animal forest creatures, and stars and moons hang from a delicate frame.

LIAM: Regina commissioned a local craftswoman to work on different designs, noting that Queen Eleanor commissioned her for Liam’s mobile when he was born. Liam says he was too young to remember what his looked like, but Leo remembers – and there were sparkles for *days*. After choosing one, Liam pulls MC, Regina, and Leo in for a hug.

DRAKE: Bianca advises them to use one to keep baby distracted in the crib (so they can do things other than hold baby) and their friends joke about what Drake’s mobile looked like. Maxwell guesses tiny bottles of whiskey – and Drake tells them not to answer. Bianca says the answer will stay between her and a box of baby photos, but the woman who made Drake’s mobile is still in business, so they asked for a few design options. Drake’s nearly lost for words as he thanks his mom and sister, pulling MC in for a side hug and gestures for them to join in.  

HANA: Lorelai acknowledges they haven’t been the supportive parents Hana needed in the past, but they’re making an effort to be supportive of her now, with MC as Hana’s wife, and a baby on the way, in whatever capacity MC and Hana want them to be available. Lorelai had a mobile made when she was pregnant, and asked the same craftswoman to sketch up mobile designs, and Hana’s surprised she had one as an infant. MC likens them to toys – seeing as how Hana was never really given any toys to play with growing up. Hana thanks her parents, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Lorelai rests a hand on MC and Hana’s shoulders.

MAXWELL: Barto argues that every child needs a mobile to excite and entertain them, and Bertrand adds in that he and Maxwell had them as infants – with Maxwell adding that Bertrand’s mobile was made out of silver grapefruit spoons. Maxwell asks everyone to bring it in for a Beaumont bear hug, and MC keeps a protective hand over her belly while she hugs the brothers, and Barto awkwardly pats her shoulder.

STEAL ME AWAY: While Penelope’s handing out party favors, LI whispers to borrow MC, and they disappear into the gardens for privacy. They want to have a moment alone to celebrate MC and their baby, and LI reaches behind one of the hedges to present MC with a gift they’d hidden earlier. LI Drake rhetorically asks how often he gets to attend his own wife’s baby shower; Hana says she took a vow to love and cherish MC, and sometimes that means gifts; Maxwell jokes that MC might change her mind upon opening his gift; Liam knows he didn’t have to, but as MC’s husband, he *wanted* to.

Thankfully the baby blanket is free (!!!) and it’s a lovely blue and gold blanket with white lace trim. Even baby’s excited, because MC feels a little kick. Drake asks if MC’s reaction is good/bad/ehhh; Hana informs MC the blanket is durable, anti-allergenic, flame resistant, machine washable, and ridiculously soft; Maxwell doesn’t need a ‘thank you’ but ‘I don’t hate it’ would make him feel better; Liam offers to have it altered if it’s not up to snuff, but he wanted to turn something that their child (and they) will need into something worth cherishing. Practical AND MEMORABLE I LOVE THIS MAN.

MC can tell LI I love you so, so much / it’s perfect – I love you response and they’re both happy and can’t wait to meet their baby; it’s perfect response earns a sigh of relief from LI because they were adorably nervous about the gift all day OMG WHY ARE THEY SO CUTE. Both responses have LI pulling MC into their arms, laughing when MC’s belly gets in the way, and they share a tender kiss, and LI kisses MC one more time before bending down to kiss The Belly, telling them they love MC and baby and Liam can’t wait to hold both of them in his arms together – reiterating what he said in the spa scene from the previous chapter. Drake tells baby they’re gonna love it on the outside, and they’ve got one amazing mom; Hana says when she thinks she can’t feel any happier, she thinks of holding their baby in her arms; Maxwell says everyone’s waiting to meet baby and life is pretty awesome on the outside.

SO LONG, FAREWELL: The shower is coming to an end, so MC has to do her duty to say goodbye to the guests. If you earned any points impressing Auvernal (wearing the dress, being blunt right before the Appel Gauntlet, winning the Gauntlet) Breadington is impressed MC didn’t cave to the pressure; Bella adds there might be time to come to some other understanding for an alliance, and Auvernal backs down from their ultimatum. Amalas is up next, and if you earned points to impress Monterisso (dress, discussion before Amalas’s pureed guessing game, apple blossom gift) she’s impressed by the “interesting” side of Cordonia she’s seen today, adding that a marriage alliance might not be the only way to help each other – but not without mentioning it would behoove Cordonia to have ties to a kingdom they can trust when the time comes for their child to marry.

MY CHILD WILL ENDURE THE STUPID CORDONIAN SOCIAL SEASON AND IF YOU WANT YOUR KID TO MARRY THEM, THEY’LL HAVE TO COMPETE JUST LIKE OUR CHAOTIC ASS DID THANKYOUVERYMUCH. Or, y’know, Prince Thaddeus will go ahead and choose who he wants to marry in my own AU ficlet THANKYOUVERYMUCHAGAIN.

Our friends are the only ones left hanging about at the end of the chapter, and Maxwell’s proud of MC for making it through the afternoon. MC can either respond with I loved every second of it / I taught those (uptight motherduckers) the meaning of chill – first one gets MC to recount an afternoon of games, presents, and political intrigue; chill response and MC remarks the royals need to relax. LI’s glad MC had a good time with the first response, and glad they managed to stall with the second response.

Maxwell says he could use everyone’s help with something, and SOMEONE PLEASE WRITE A ONE SHOT FOR THE REASON BEHIND Liam says “if it’s about returning your armory access pass, the answer’s still no” I NEED TO KNOW WHY. Maxwell’s ask is about his memoir – MC throws shade at the book at about her that has HIS face on the cover – and how he’s been asked to go on a book tour. First stop? Lythikos.

NOTES: WHY LYTHIKOS??? Why not stay in the capital, where the King is? Why not go to Ramsford, WHERE MAXWELL IS FROM and generate a little tourist income from an influx of people being in his duchy? Why not literally anywhere else other than Lythikos? What’s so important for the book tour to start there?

Aside from that, it feels like swaying Auvernal and Monterisso’s views on their ultimatums was too easy/not set up to be as stressful as it should have been, if they were going to be swayed by MC’s outfit and winning at baby shower games. It was worth it to drop that hint that we know Auvernal’s king is nothing but a paper pusher though – and worthwhile to learn Monterisso is an island kingdom.

The interactions with the LIs families was sweet, even if I’m still wary of Barthelemy’s presence. In the Hana route, it’s nice to see that her parents are trying to be better – to respect her wishes, and be supportive of Hana’s life with her new wife and baby, without (Lorelai) overstepping. It’s strange that they split up BertVannah so they only appeared for their blood sibling’s playthrough, but honestly I’m tired of seeing them after so many chapters in Texas, so I’ll let the oddness slide. This was another light chapter while we gear up to deal with drama unfolding in Lythikos, based on the teaser tag. It feels like MC will more than likely give birth before book 1 ends, whether they’re in Lythikos or closer to the capital, and then something major will happen to leave us on a cliffhanger for several months while they work on Book 2.

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 13 - Spreading the Word

Alternate Title: Happy Day, but DO NOT Spread the Word, ya MORONS

Word Count: +8000 so many literal choices this chapter, with 4 LI love scenes/reactions. Bless you now for reading all this drivel.

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version – There’s too much to discuss! I’m too happy! 90% of this chapter is what we’ve been waiting for! Happy news + espionage + WE GET TO PLAY AS OLIVIA FREAKIN NEVRAKIS + MC pregnant sassypants + WE ARE LEAVING THE MORTHERDUCKING RANCH BYE BYE TEXAS SEE YOU NEVER GOOD DAY TO YOU I SAID GOOD DAY!

*breathes* I’m better.

Things that will be covered in this post: 

How much I love Liam (and Drake, and Hana, and Maxwell)

Why does PB choose some really inappropriate answers for MC/us to pick from

Why Olivia is the BFF we need in life

Why it’s good and bad Liam hasn’t mentioned anything about Olivia “working” for him to dig up dirt on Auvernal

Lack of social etiquette around early pregnancy announcements *Madeleine*

Operation Swan – what does it meeeeeeeaaaaannnn

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me. Also, if you’re wondering why I use caps in the recap it’s because I draft these things in a Word doc I do not trust tumblr to save a draft that I’ll have to keep opening and closing while I write it and formatting is a PITA, scanning the Word doc against a tumblr post to put things in bold at random so...caps for emphasis. And I’m too fed up with looking at these things after days of working on it to retype. 

I sourced Drake/Hana/Maxwell playthroughs from BizzysChoices/Himeme and Abhirio/Universal Studio 77 on YouTube, respectively.

+1 K-Ci and Jojo moment with the baby baby baby baby babyyyyy +1 texting LI to join MC to break the news +1 “surprise” response = all LIs think you want to hook up, lol +1 “emoji keysmash” response = funny results like Liam thinking you’re talking about a baker’s festival, and Hana thinking you’re silly for saving the bread course for last +1 LIs are overjoyed with the news that MC’s pregnant +1 [Liam] kingly freakout over childproofing the entire palace I love his stupid surprised face SO MUCH +1 [Liam] MC putting her hands on either side of his face to get him to chill and focus and he is just SO. HAPPY. he’s going to have his family!!!!! +1 [Drake] silly grinning fool. He’s so happy 0 [Hana] squees with joy before apologizing that her happy is too happy -.- +1 [Maxwell] literally vibrates with joy, shaking his fists before whooping and wanting to shout it from a mountaintop +1 Tell everyone now, or wait until tomorrow – and I love that the fandom was collectively petty enough to hijack the reception to share the news +1 [Liam] wraps a protective arm around MC and asks if he can get her water/juice/the world *heart eyes* +1 [Drake] is still a grinning idiot and THINGS ARE GREAT and he’s drinking sparkling water and SPARKLING WATER IS GREAT and they already know something’s up because he never smiles this much +1 [Maxwell] dropping pregnancy puns that no one understands 0 Guessing games with the OG or full TRR gang is not good. We are collectively dumb, lol +1 30 diamonds to celebrate with our LI. Shut up and take my money, PB +1 LIs lead MC to the bedroom and everyone lingers their gaze on her belly. is cute. I’m soft. +1 [Liam] is so happy that he has no words. He has ALL the words, but none of them do justice to describe the elation he feels. I LUV HIM. He also reassures MC if she’s less than overjoyed +1 [Liam] admires MC like a work of art and looks at her with passion and reverence and kjsdfkjdsh BLESS…with his ‘I need you’s and ‘never’ stopping and ‘I’m at your mercy’ +1 [Liam] asking to touch MC’s belly. YOU SWEET BEAN YOU, YES OF COURSE YOU CAN +3 [Liam] Lullabye. LULLABYE. That his momma sang to him. That he sings to baby Ricebowl. That he will teach MC because it’s better as a duet. I AM CRYING. +1 [Drake] wants to celebrate, offers drinks WHOOPS NO how about an orange? goober. +1 [Drake] offers a massage that Jackson taught him to do for his mom (foreshadowing not being there, Jackson?) when she’d get tense +1 [Drake] torture him a lil and then he knocks everything off a dresser to do eeet, haha +1 [Drake] and MC want to balance royal life with regular life – adding camping trips, movie nights, and chores with whatever royal lessons their kiddo needs +1 [Hana] and MC can tackle anything together, and Hana points out all the good qualities their friends have to help look out for this baby 0 [Hana] packed a pregnancy kit for MC but MC already reminds her not to fuss so much +1 [Maxwell] still wants to shout the news from the rooftop but stops himself because that’s not Good Dad behavior +1 [Maxwell] calls himself Daddy Beaumont when talking to their baby +1 [Maxwell] tells MC he had a Twilight-blue-tint dream where he was at a party and basically searching for her because life now feels incomplete without her in it and I—GAH. +2 [Maxwell] throwing shade at his OWN DAD by promising not to show up days before their kids wedding without warning +1 Chipper *smiles* at Bertrand and offers him a mug of bourbon coffee – hold the coffee – for standing up to Chuck +1 COFFEE RESPONSE. one cup is FINE, Auntie BITCH +1 Hana finds a cute tea set for baby +1 [Hana] can live out her tea party dreams and their kid will have TWO moms who will always accept invitations to play +1 Drake finds a cute horse to gift and calls himself UNCLE DRAKE – I love this marshmallow +1 [Drake] this half Walker baby is gonna love horses just like the one DADDY rides and I—lord, that was cute and hot +1 Maxwell is overwhelmed by the cuteness that is tiny baby clothes, especially socks +1 Liam’s looking at cribs and uhhh of course I’m going to shell out diamonds for something that matches my nursery -1 [Liam] FINALLY A NEGATIVE POINT, lol; why is Queen MC’s crib going to Valtoria? Why wouldn’t that nursery be in the palace if you’re married to Liam? +1 OLIVIA calls…to borrow something from MC’s bedroom in Valtoria +1 Olivia cries happy tears at MC’s pregnancy news -1 WHY WOULD THE ROYAL SCEPTER JUST RANDOMLY BE IN THE BEDROOM -1 WHY WOULD MC NOT BE WEARING HER ENGAGEMENT RING, IT’S ONLY BEEN A FEW MONTHS SINCE SHE GOT MARRIED -1 Why not some OTHER piece of jewelry, or a tiara?? WTF is up with these oddball items? +5 WE GET TO PLAY AS OLIVIA. LOOKIT HER ALL BLACK OUTFIT WITH THE LEATHER JACKET. WE FINALLY GET TO FIND OUT WHAT SHE’S BEEN UP TO +1 Liv finds Auvernal’s king and queen at a poker table in Monte Carlo losing more of their country’s tax dollars +1 Liv defends MC/Liam against Bella and plays a few hands against Breadford, using whatever MC loaned as incentive +1 Call Blaaaaah’s bluff and win the hand and steal their penthouse key +1 Liv finds out Bread and Bell are sleeping in separate bedrooms, they’re not as popular as they let on (rejection letter for another child union, they’re being really weird about that), and Bready is planning something called Operation Swan that may or may not involve invading another country +1 Liv has to sneak out of the penthouse and essentially dives into an upper level pool; get her to pray to her ancestors and there’s an Easter egg to Theodosia Nevrakis who miiiiight be a character in The Royal Masquerade and I AM HERE FOR IT +1 WE ARE FINALLY LEAVING THE RANCH -1 We’re delivering baby news to Penelope, Kiara, and *eyeroll* Madeleine -1 stop playing charades with Penelope! She might love it but this is hell! -1 WE ARE NOT BLOATED YOU GREEN EYED WENCH +1 [Liam]’s already worried he won’t be a father deserving of his child and honey nooo you’re gonna be great! +1 [Drake and Hana] keep offering MC pillows to make the plane ride more comfortable +1 [Maxwell] wants Liam to upgrade the jet to make it safer -1 [Maxwell] but he calls the baby his “seed” and nope nope NOOOOOOPE. Worse than Maddy’s apple puns -1 Mara. Reveals she knew MC was pregnant because Maxwell let it slip. -2 MARA. with the weird comment that Maxwell would never betray MC intentionally. WUT YOU HINTING AT PB?? -5 MADELEINE. Scheduling a press conference about the baby when they land in Cordonia. BITCH can we talk to the doctor first?! TF is your problem? Can we PLEASE fire her for being bad at her job?!

T O T A L 22 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 30 points for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

TEXTING 101: So MC’s ditched Sav, upon realizing the positive test is hers, and wanders around to a quiet clearing away from all the wedding festivities. Time to text your spouse and share the good news! If you have a surprise – all the LIs find you with a flirty smirk on their face. Liam is all (waggly eyebrows) here we are alone together / Drake says MC picked a hell of a time for a “surprise” / Maxwell comes to his lover’s beckon call / Hana’s blushing because MC sent that text – which… for all of them, they think the surprise is code for sexytimes, and while they’re probably not wrong, this is SO not that time, lol.

If you need to talk: Liam asks if MC’s okay, because “we need to talk” usually means something bad. I feel you on that, Liam. Drake says whatever it is, they can fix it, also thinking it’s some sort of bad news. Maxwell apologizes to MC for trying to teach the chickens how to breakdance during the wedding and I…I can’t, haha. If you !!! emoji keysmash: The random string of emojis makes Liam think MC’s referencing the Cordonian Baker’s Festival, which is months away. Hana interprets the emojis as MC wanting to save space for the bread course, when that course is served first (you silly MC, you!).

MC then chooses to tell her LI the news in one of three ways – directly, indirectly, or with a strong hint. Go with I’m pregnant and Liam smiles, sweeps MC into his arms and pulls her close; he tells her he’s the happiest man in the world and it won’t be long before they’ll be holding onto their baby… before going into full panicked dad-to-be mode, worrying about getting a crib and clothes, and adorably panicking again over the throne room and childproofing the entire palace. MC then puts her hands on Liam’s cheeks and he calms down and (my hearrrrrrt that’s just so cute! And it reminds me so much of Jack and Randall Pearson’s breathing exercise in This is Us) he’s already half a dozen steps ahead, wanting to give this baby everything in the world. 

Drake can’t stop smiling when you tell him, and he’s practically speechless upon hearing the news. He pulls MC into a loving embrace before worrying that he’s hugging her too tightly, and fusses over getting her water or food.  

Opt for mentioning just the three of us and Liam’s all o_O before it clicks, and goes into the “I’m the happiest man in the world” before freaking out about babyproofing again. Maxwell’s confused for a moment before it all clicks, and his face lights up in understanding. He practically vibrates with excitement and shouts out “WHOO!” wanting to shout it again from the mountaintops, and holds MC like he’s about to start waltzing with her. Hana also takes a second before she gets it, and responds with an EeEeEeEeE! And hugs MC with jittery excitement and APOLOGIZES for her overwhelming emotion. Joke that it’s time to brush up on diaper changing skills and MC mentions they have nine months to practice. Cue happy Liam/freakout and I will assume similar situations happen with the other LIs, since none of the playthroughs went for this answer.

All paths lead to your LI asking how MC feels. She can either say she’s incredibly happy / so nervous she could throw up / on a nine month roller coaster and can’t get off – with the first option, Liam’s happy MC’s happy, and he promises to do everything he can to make sure MC and their baby have lives full of joy. Drake is a grinning idiot and wants to tell everyone the news. Maxwell is on cloud nine with MC. With the second option, MC thinks the feeling could be attributed to morning sickness, and Liam reassures MC that it’s a myth it only happens in the morning; he tells MC he’ll be with her every step of the way, and together they can do anything. With the third option, MC admits that it’s all very overwhelming; Liam says he’s been prepared to be king, but no one really prepared him on how to be a father, and he doesn’t know what to expect – but they can face any uncertainties together.

LIs want to share the news right away, of course, before considering that keeping it to themselves might be a wiser course of action. DOES NO ONE ON THE WRITING TEAM UNDERSTAND THAT MOST COUPLES WAIT UNTIL A-F-T-E-R THE FIRST TRIMESTER TO SHARE NEWS LIKE THIS?!? Reality aside, MC can choose to tell everyone during the reception or wait until morning…and y’all. I AM THAT QUEEN THAT WILL HIJACK THIS RECEPTION. Waiting would’ve been the better option – keeping mum until oh I dunno… MC goes to the OBGYN back in Cordonia and confirms the pregnancy/the doc can give MC an estimated conception and/or due date – but they don’t want to let us play that way. TACKY IT IS, THEN, PB. Bertrand and Savannah got engaged at our reception, so let’s drop this baby news at theirs, after having saved their asses AGAIN so the whole wedding wasn’t a total disaster. LI says “I’m sure Bertrand and Savannah won’t mind.” – as their Queen, I should think not!

LI Liam wraps a protective arm around MC and—have I mentioned how much I love married Liam? Because I love married Liam.—asks if he can get her anything (sparkling water? Juice? The world?). Maxwell is the first to speak up and notice that they look different and Liam RAISES HIS EYEBROW (hey HennLiam gifs, I see you), letting MC decide how to break the news. LI Drake goes ahead and grabs two glasses of sparkling water and says this is the best reception he’s been to, next to his own with MC. He is SMILING. Max points out Drake’s drinking *gasp* sparkling water but Drake doesn’t care, he’s still smiling bubbly water is GREAT and everyone points out he’s smiling too much, so much that Liam points out he’s never seen Drake this happy in years. LI Maxwell starts dropping the corny hints right away – does someone have a bun in the oven, might we expect one more (cake) – but his attempts are thwarted by Hana and Bertrand’s logic. Make your friends guess and (Drake route) Hana suggests they’re best friends and you love them all unconditionally; Liam guesses Drake and MC want to get a herd of cows and flock of chickens for the duchy; Max thinks they’re going to hold a charity breakdancing competition to help the ranch…and with another hint, Maxwell guesses baby! (Hana route) Drake thinks they found a piece of cake, Liam again with the cows and chickens, and Max with the breakdancing competition.

Grab the mic and tell the entire reception and MC says they have news, handing the mic over to LI Liam, who makes the official announcement, and everyone starts to cheer. Liam holds MC’s hand in his and raises them up in the air – cue Hana spin, Maxwell bear hug, and Drake smiling. LI Maxwell tells everyone to hold onto their hats and bear witness to another bouncin’ baby Beaumont, before doing a flip off the stage.

Neutral!Blake defaults to chef mode, offering to make a celebratory cake or macarons, and Jess interprets his congratulations for them both. We find out Penelope, Kiara, and Maddy ducked out early, and everyone else celebrates the good news. Cue lead-in to diamond scene.

Shout “WE’RE HAVING A BABY!” and the group of friends is stunned into silence before they start cheering. Cue Hana spin, Maxwell bear hug, smiling congrats from Drake, etc. LI eventually pulls MC aside, glad to have shared the news, but suggests ‘retiring’ for the night, hoping to freeze time to steal a moment and cel-e-brate *wink wink nudge nudge* and I’m not even mad they want 30 diamonds. (Drake route) reminds MC they have room all to themselves in the house, and (Hana route) says no one will miss them if they head back to their room

If you say you want to wait until morning, it leads straight into the diamond scene, and MC and LI skip the rest of the reception. If you skip the diamond scene, you just head to bed, and Liam’s (and all other LIs, I assume) all “sleep! Wonderful! What a great idea!” and you fall asleep with his hand on your belly. [Skip Baby Baby Baby and head to Coffee is A-Ok]

BABY BABY BABY: for LIAM – In the bedroom, Liam pulls MC into a long hug before dropping his gaze to MC’s stomach; there’s discussion of the heir to their kingdom, world headlines for a royal birth…but Liam just wants to focus on the only people in the room. He wants to celebrate the miracle of making a baby, and MC can either say it really is a miracle / it feels weird there’s three of us now. Miracle route has MC gazing down at her stomach and they’re both really happy about the possibility, with Liam being happier than he has words for. The man who ALWAYS has the right words to say, has none. NONE. If MC feels weird, Liam reassures her that it might take a while for reality to sink in. He feels like things are too good to be true but has no words for how happy he feels. He then hints that actions speak louder than words, and MC can ask for a kiss / joke about sushi and champagne; kissing leads to them both smiling as they press their lips together and he calls her irresistible, telling her he’d do anything. The sushi route gets MC to call Liam her extremely handsome husband, because he can’t stop smiling, and Liam kisses her softly. MC can tell him don’t stop with just a kiss / just hold me – again, WHY WOULDN’T YOU GET BUSY, YOU JUST PAID THIRTY DIAMONDS FOR THIS. Continue with the kissing and he undresses MC, admiring her like a work of art and sdjhfsdkjhfsd why are they making every step a choice now? MC can either show off / kiss him harder – show off and she does a slow spin while Liam’s jaw drops, before he crosses the room and MC helps him get undressed. They exchange ‘I love you’s before he carries MC to the bed, and he kisses MC, pausing above her stomach to look up at her with passion and reverence and ksjdhfskdhf I’m dying, friends. Melting into a puddle of so-in-love-with-this-man mush. Kiss him harder and MC pulls him down to her for another kiss and he nips at her lower lip and sjdhfksjhdf yadda yadda he strips and they move to the bed. MC can guide him lower / pull him up – guide him lower and well… he goes lower, lol. He gets MC close before getting to the yadda yadda. Pull him up and tell him you need all of him, and he whispers back “I need you.” Missionary action and MC can tell him don’t stop / my turn to be on top – tell him not to stop and he utters ‘never’ before pulling up one of MC’s legs to shift his hips lower and yeahhhh. Get on top and he repeats the “I’m at your mercy” line before flipping both of them over and YADDA YADDA.

Post sexytimes, MC’s curled up against Liam’s side while he strokes her arm and then he—he asks to touch her belly and I LUV HIM. 

He’s the only one that’s going to be allowed to touch the belly without asking, lol. MC can respond with you know baby’s smaller than a grain of rice / never to early to start bonding – rice route earns cute points that he’s already so attached to their grain, and he says he’ll only get more attached as they move forward. He rests a hand on MC’s stomach and he’s actually nervous to introduce himself and doesn’t know what to say. AGAIN – the man that’s been taught how to talk his way through any situation has run out of words. My heart eyes are falling out of my face and I haven’t even gotten to the cutest part!!

MC can suggest he sing a lullabye / ask (the baby) to be a good tenant / tell (the baby) how much they already love them – Lullabye route means Liam mentions his mother taught him one that she used to sing to him, and his brow furrows as he tries to remember the words. Then he starts to sing in a strong, quiet TENOR and guys – all the bones in my body are gone and I’m on the floor, deadt.

Sleep, little love, sleep easy // While the stars dance high above // Dream, little love, dream easy // Till the warmth of the morning comes

He says it’s better when sung as a duet, and they can practice together to sing it to their baby. I CAN’T. I want the chapter to end here it’s too damn sweet. Tenant route gets him to put both hands on MC’s belly and asks baby Ricebowl to keep the kicking and discomfort to a minimum and says “once you’ve seen (MC’s) smile…all you’ll want is to make her happy too” before leaning down to kiss her stomach. STAHP BEING SO CUTE MAN. He says he can feel it – it being fatherhood. He crawls closer to MC and wraps his arms around her as MC tells him she thinks he’s going to be the best dad in the world; he can only hope she’s right, but he knows MC will be a wonderful mother, and they fall asleep in one another’s arms.

For DRAKE – he shuts the door with a triumphant grin and offers to celebrate with a drink, before realizing MC can’t drink alcohol, and offers water or juice or… oranges as an alternative. He’s willing to get or do anything, so MC can choose from massage / make a non-alcoholic drink / make a magic elixir to ensure an easy pregnancy – massage option has him rubbing MC’s shoulders and sharing that Jackson taught him and Sav how to give a good shoulder rub for when Bianca would inevitably need one. Drake apologizes for his early vigilance, hoping to be protective enough for whatever level of protection or anything else MC wants him to be. MC can respond by telling Drake she’s not made of glass / sweet on his protective nature – his newly-protective view of things is fine as long as it doesn’t change things in the bedroom, and he starts in with the smoochin. MC can tell Drake he’s holding back / his kisses are perfect – go with the first option and his kisses become heated, and then MC can choose to get nekkid or cuddle and jsdfkdsh again, you paid good money, cuddling is for AFTER. MC pushes his suspenders off, and they’re in a hurry to get undressed, where Drake can watch MC undress / help MC undress – making him watch is sweet torture, and he presses MC against a wall, and then MC can enjoy it / tease him back – teasing leads to touching before finally moving to the bed, but MC can choose bed / dresser. On top of the dresser, MC wraps her legs around Drake’s waist while he knocks everything to the floor (Bruh, your momma’s gonna be pissed, lol) but he doesn’t care, and y’all rattle the dresser with your movements until YADDA YADDA fade to black. Post sexytimes with Drake and he’s got his hand on MC’s stomach, promising to do anything for their child, and he’s glad it all happened before returning to Cordonia so they can (sort of) keep the news to themselves (even if the inner circle knows). MC hopes they can give their kid some semblance of a normal childhood / their kid appreciates the perks of royal life / the pregnancy goes smoothly – with the normal childhood response, MC hopes they can balance Liam’s/the Council’s lessons with camping trips, movie nights, and chores; with the perk option, MC reflects that while she nor Drake had an easy time at court, maybe things will be different for their kid since they’ll be a fixture from a much earlier age. Drake at least mentions the access to better education options, support and security, and an opportunity to help make a difference within the monarchy. All Drake really wants is for the baby to know that they love it/them.

For HANA – she hugs MC so tight that her body trembles, and her thoughts are on what the doctor said (these things would take time) and the stress from the Council, but she’s giddy with happiness that they’re having a baby. After sharing smiles and tears, MC asks if Hana’s still worried, and after a moment to collect her thoughts, she tells MC she’s not (worried). While she *was* scared to confront her parents and figure out her place in the world, the idea of starting a family outweighs all those concerns. MC can respond with I feel the same way / at least one of us is confident and with the first response she reminds Hana they can tackle anything together. Hana adds that the baby already has unconditional support from their friends – Liam as the compassionate mentor, Drake can keep them grounded, Max will be a reprieve when royal duties are too much to handle. Hana and MC start to kiss, and MC can either suggest waltzing / hoping for more than kisses – with the second option, MC undresses Hana, then has Hana undress her, and Hana teases her with light touches/kisses. MC then points to her stomach for more, and Hana hums as she swirls her tongue while MC loses her train of thought. Then YADDA YADDA… afterwards, Hana’s studying MC’s features and tells her she looks like she glowing; if MC flirts back and tells Hana she’s also glowing, Hana calls MC a smooth talker, and hopes their baby isn’t as charming because Hana will give in to baby’s every whim. There’s a little back and forth about setting up rules and debating over the size of the baby (Hana says it’s the size of a poppy seed) and Hana already has a pregnancy kit prepared – ginger, rooibos, and other tea to help with morning sickness, along with vitamins. MC can respond with needing a time machine to skip the pregnancy part / a dozen cronuts / Hana to stop adorably fussing over her – with the last option, she reminds Hana to just enjoy the moment. They exchange I love yous and Hana strokes MC’s stomach, calling the baby ‘little one’ before fade to black/they go to bed.

For MAXWELL – he spins MC around and he’s still vibrating with joy, and he still wants to shout the news from the rooftop, and goes to the window, but stops himself from heading up to the roof. He’s now considering Good Dad points, and attempting to rewire his brain to factor in MC and his safety, now that they’re really going to be parents. MC can tell him that Good Dad Max will take getting used to / is kinda hot – with the second answer, he says he’s already got dad jokes ready. MC suggests shouting from the window / tweet the news / dance it out – Dancing it out gets Max to wrap MC in a bear hug before they slowly start to sway, and he spins and dips MC. Then he sits on the bed and plants a long, tender kiss on MC’s belly, and begins to talk to their child, referring to himself as Daddy Beaumont and I CANNOT. This is too cute! MC can tell Max to keep kissin or just cuddle – kissing option leads MC to point to her chest or across her waist. Waist option earns kisses from one hip to the other before he undresses MC, and MC can tell him to keep everything on or catch up – catching up and they both undress him, before he tells MC to turn around, and they move towards the wall as Maxwell touches her. There’s a rustling of his boxers coming off, and MC can let it continue or turn to see him – continuing, he starts to rock his hips while his hands work on MC and YADDA YADDA fade to black. Post nookie, MC’s cheek is resting on top of his head while his hand is on her belly, and he reflects on being married with a baby on the way, in disbelief that this is his life (in a good way). He tells MC he had a dream during the bachelor party where he was partying, but felt like something was missing; and the dream had a grey filter – like the weird blue tint in Twilight skjdfhksdjhf – and tells MC he doesn’t think he’d enjoy parties as much without MC around or at least having her to come home to. He promises not to show up days before their child’s wedding without calling first and—THE SHADE, haha. He also promises to learn whatever he needs to to raise their kid, and learn from his mistakes; in turn, MC promises not to take out her frustrations on Max, make him laugh, and always save the first AND last dance for him. They share one more kiss before settling in for the night, and MC nods off feeling Maxwell’s lips on her forehead.

COFFEE IS A-OK / LET’S SHOP: The next morning MC and LI head down to brunch with their friends, where Bertrand announces their arrival and Sav teases him for being so formal. Chippy *smiles* and hands Bertrand a mug of something, impressed with the way he handled Chuck’s outburst at the wedding. Her show of appreciation/thanks is to spike Bertrand’s coffee with a helluva lot of bourbon.    

If you opted to wait until morning to tell everyone the news, the LI interaction is used here (e.g. Liam asking if he can get MC water/juice/the world, Drake can’t stop smiling, etc.) and MC’s choices are making their friends guess / LI, you tell them / shout it out. As far as I can tell, the second option is basically the steal the mic option at the reception, but with less shouting.

Chippy offers MC a glass of OJ, since bourbon and caffeine are off-limits for the mom-to-be. MC can either thank Leona / speak in third person and drink coffee if she damn well pleases – OJ route has MC talking about the importance of vitamins; sassafrass coffee response has Chippy arching a brow and Hana defending MC’s choice with info that a cup of coffee a day is perfectly safe for pregnant women. Bianca says they should commemorate the news in a special way, Maxwell suggests gifts (why wait for a baby shower, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiight?!), and Sav says the general store – the GEN-ER-AL store has cute things. I’m not knocking the quality of the goods, but everyone’s become the overexuberant mom-who’s-been-waiting-to-be-a-grandma and I just….okay fine, let’s go shopping at ye olde general store, where MC may or may not have stolen the Walker’s saddle back a mere 24 hours ago.

The friends all find gifts that adequately represent a facet of themselves. Hana’s enamored by a toy tea set, recalling her childhood days of tea parties and now she’ll have someone to play with. Not only will the tea set fuel MC’s child’s creativity and imagination, but like it did in Hana’s case, they’ll learn about etiquette and the art of pleasant conversation over (possibly real) biscuits. With Hana as your LI, she adds that while her tea parties were ill-attended, their child will have two mothers to share high tea with.

Drake has found a very Drake-esque gift of a rocking horse with a wooly mane; something made in ‘Murica that combines his own love of horses and then he—he calls himself ‘Uncle Drake’ and my HEART HAS EXPLODED FROM SWEETNESS. If Drake’s your LI, his convo changes to ‘this baby has Walker blood, so riding is in the DNA, how bout a souvenir of a horse just like the one DADDY rides’ and uuuuuugh I’m still soft for the mallow. He called himself Daddy.

Maxwell calls MC to the back of the store and—

HOLD UP. Look at the artwork for the general store. Tucked away in a corner shelf, there’s a bunch of MICHIGAN pillows. In the heart of Texas Country. *cough if that’s not another hint to Henney being Liam I don’t know what is cough*

Maxwell’s taken aback by the cuteness of baby socks – I totally get it Max. When I found out I was going to be an aunt, I started looking online at all sorts of ridiculously cute onesies and socks and – there’s a word in Tagalog, gigil (sounds similar to giggle but...not), and the best translation is feeling completely aggro over something so overwhelmingly cute that you literally just shake. AGGRESSIVE CUTENESS OVERLOAD. LI Maxwell – HUH. No extra lines from his bit in the general store like Drake and Hana. Maxwell marvels over baby clothes and the fact that there will be a tiny human wearing them in just under a year, while MC joins Liam, who’s looking at cribs.

Liam wants to get a crib for the nursery, so who are we to deny him, right? First up is a wooden crib with intricate animal carvings, or a posh crib with ornate inlays, brushed gold finish, and tufted cushioning. Upgrading the crib from the neutral gray one is a diamond option, of course, and it depends on the style of nursery you chose back in Chapter 3 when you were in Valtoria or if you choose to spend diamonds on the nursery at all. I am whipped for this baby and my king so HERE YA GO – I bought the Rustic/Woodland crib because that’s the nursery theme I bought as well. This ricebaby might be royal, but Trina’s raising this kid as humble as possible – time for imagination and daydreaming in between etiquette and diplomacy lessons, kiddo. If Liam’s not your LI, MC and LI join him to look at the cribs, and Liam suggests getting one, and he offers to have it sent to Valtoria.

The part that confuses me, playing as Liam’s wife – and I realize it’s a coding issue within the storyline – is that the crib gets sent to the nursery…in Valtoria. Being queen, wouldn’t the official nursery be in the palace, where the King and Queen reside? Like…it shouldn’t be that difficult to change the coding to reflect that if Liam’s the LI compared to everyone else being in Valtoria. It makes no sense in my playthrough here. So yeah… Maxwell breaks a trampoline, so it’s time to pay for goods and leave the store. If Maxwell’s your LI, Hana breaks some of the teacups to signal that it’s time to leave the store. BUT FIRST…

SHE’S OUR FRIEND AND SHE’S CRAZY: MC gets a call from a private number, and it’s Olivia!!! Liv gets after MC for not blocking numbers, and MC can respond with where’d you go? / not surprised by your insult / how TF do you have my number when I don’t have yours? – Olivia rebuffs the first response because she doesn’t have time to get into it. Second response gets a flat “correct” before moving on in the conversation to borrow something. Third response and Olivia’s back with her biting wit, informing MC that she’ll get (Liv’s) number when she has need for it. MC can then tell Olivia she’s furniture shopping / pregnant and – why would you lead with furniture shopping if you’ve already told half of Texas you’re pregnant? Pregnant answer stuns Olivia into happy silence and tears and – SHE LOVES US, Y’ALL! WE ARE HER FRIEND EVEN IF SHE WON’T ADMIT IT!! – She presses on to the point of her call, requiring a favor from MC. Somehow, Olivia’s gotten into MC’s duchy and into the master bedroom, and she needs to borrow something valuable, right away.

MC can tell Olivia she can borrow the Cordonian Royal Scepter / MC’s engagement ring / $200 shoes – what, you’re telling me MC doesn’t somehow own a pair of Manolos at this point? I mean, even Carrie Bradshaw was dropping rent money for the latest pair. Maybe something she found on sale or in a thrift shop, even. Also, why wouldn’t MC be WEARING her engagement ring?!? It hasn’t even been six months and she’s not wearing it? Like…NO?! That thing would be superglued to my finger if I were her. Also WHY WOULD A PIECE OF THE ROYAL JEWELS BE IN A DUCHY BEDROOM??? Liam freaked out when Maxwell “borrowed” a royal crown for the scavenger hunt (TRR Book 3, Chapter 16) – and there were multiple crowns to choose from. BETTING THERE’S ONLY ONE ROYAL SCEPTER so why in the HELL is it all the way in friggin Valtoria instead of locked away in some royal vault with the rest of the priceless jewels and artifacts?! It’s bizarre if MC’s queen and it really doesn’t make sense to have if MC’s *just* a duchess.

So. Yeah. Okay. Tell Liv she can borrow the scepter and she’s surprised to be trusted with something so valuable, and promises not to let MC down. Loan her the ring and she promises not to let anything happen to it because she knows how much the ring means to MC and King Liam; loan her shoes and she gets pissed but says she’ll make it work. After getting the okay to borrow something, Olivia gets all cryptic and thanks MC for everything, just in case *shudder, thanks for ruining that phrase for all eternity, ANTON* she’s not heard from again, and ends the call.

LET’S BE LIV: Diamond scene to play as Olivia to see what all the subterfuge is about! Olivia’s wearing all black like a badass biker chick in a leather jacket and I LOVE IT. She’s in Monte Carlo and whaddya know, Bread and Bells are at a poker table spending what’s left of their country’s money to try and make more but failing. Liv can play coy and call the meeting a coincidence, or be direct and greet the pair. Honestly, when has Olivia *not* said what was on her mind? Play coy and he calls her out on her weak spy skills; be direct and Bread’s all “cool, you found us, guess King Liam didn’t want to do his own dirty work so he sent his dog instead.” EXCUSE YOU SIR BREADLEGS I KNOW YOU DIDN’T JUST INSULT A NEVRAKIS.

Liv says she’s here of her own volition, oh and (in much nicer terms) she can totally kick Breadford’s ass if necessary. Bella chimes in with some biting words of her own, accusing MC of poor judgement by keeping Liv in her inner circle after the whole ‘secret marriage alliance by an idiot that thought he could take down Liam’ incident. Liv can respond with you look like you know all about poor judgement / at least MC *has* an inner circle / are duels legal in Monte Carlo – poor judgement response makes Bella mad, and Liv says (Bella’s) first mistake was crossing a Nevrakis, followed by insulting MC, and she can’t wait to see what her last mistake will be. With the inner circle response, Liv says it looks like they couldn’t lure anyone in to be Bella’s confidant, and Bella’s all ‘how dare!’ – oh but SHE DOES DARE, DEAR. Bells tries to recover by saying most nobles don’t meet her standards and they’re too weak or silly, but in a different situation, Liv *could* be her friend.

HA. HA HA HA HA HA. To which Liv replies “hard pass” and I wholeheartedly agree. Duel response and she says she’d mop the floor with ol’ queenie – to which Bella replies that SHE ALSO DOESN’T FIGHT HER OWN BATTLES. Liv calls her out on hiding behind hired swords, and I gotta say – I really really really REALLY want there to be some kind of Mr. and Mrs. Smith style showdown between Bready, Bella, and Liam and MC so they can kick their Auvernalian asses into next week, because any ruler should know how to defend themselves.

Olivia hands over some money to get dealt into the game, but Bready wants something of interest to let her play (at their empty friggin table). This is where Olivia presents whatever MC allowed her to borrow from Valtoria – the shoes are the most realistic option, but the more important the item, the more interest Bread has in letting Olivia play. The scepter earns an immediate welcome to the table, the ring spikes Bread’s interest and the shoes aren’t very impressive, but Liv argues that no one else is coming to the table. She plays a few hands to get a feel for Bread to figure out if he has any tells – he fidgets with his cards when he has a crap hand, but grins with THE hand, and raises $10k. Liv’s got a low pair but she’s not one to back down and they have their back and forth shit talking, before Liv opts to tell him you hate losing more than you love winning / you don’t want to lose to a girl / we both know you’re bluffing. The first response ends with Bread folding his hand, and Liv notices he’s low on money. He says there’s always more *that he can probably take from the treasury without his kingdom knowing* and instructs one of his guards to get more money from the penthouse. Really Breadington? THE PENTHOUSE. When y’all broke AF? Gawd where’s the nosy CBC press when you want them around?! If Auvernal knew their rulers were living it up in a Monte Carlo penthouse spending their tax dollars, they’d be up in arms for a very different reason.

Losing to a girl response just makes him cockier, and he calls the hand, with his pair of fives beating Olivia’s pair of twos, so she loses whatever MC loaned. He at least admires Olivia’s willingness to go all in on a shite hand. He tosses whatever he wins into a briefcase, handing it to one of his guards to store in the penthouse. Call him on his bluff and he folds, motioning to his guard to get more money from the penthouse.

So Liv finds out where they’re staying, now she just needs to steal a key – she can do so with an awkward hug to Bella, or pretend to be a total lightweight (as if! Lythikos wine will knock you on your ass and she’s practically immune to its effects) and ‘spill’ a glass of champagne close enough to get to Bella’s purse to steal the key.

If you lost whatever MC loaned Olivia, she retrieves it upon entering the penthouse suite before she inspects the first bedroom, where most of Bella’s things are, but no sign of Bread’s stuff. Those two seem to have more than just a few marital troubles if they’re sleeping in separate rooms, not that that surprises anyone. The second bedroom contains maps and papers, looking more like Bread’s box (lol); the papers include a letter from another kingdom who’s rejected a marriage alliance. Liv notices a large map over the room’s tv screen; she doesn’t recognize the land, but there are red marks on it that look like troop formations, and one corner reads ‘Operation: Swan”…but someone returns to the suite before she can investigate further. Being in the Penthouse, we’re stuck with a timed response for escape: pray to ancestors for wings / scale down the side of the building / fall out the window – Praying gives you a tiny hint/link to The Royal Masquerade because she calls upon Diavolos, Zenobia, and THEODOSIA for a miracle, jumping out the window before landing in the pool. Scale the building and Liv does her best to shimmy along the stonework until she spots an upper level outdoor pool, and leaps down and into the shadows, undetected by the guards. Fall out the window and Liv’s all “this is how I die” before she dives into the pool but gets out before the guards notice her.

HOMEWARD BOUND: Switching back to MC, we are finally, finally leaving the ranch, but not without saying goodbye to Bianca and Chippy. Chippy leads in that she’s not one to get mushy, and LI thinks she’s about to, but she cuts LI off there (like a biiiiiiitch that she is). Bianca thanks them for everything and hopes they’ll keep in touch, and LI informs MC that Penelope, Kiara, and Madeleine will be joining them on the jet, quickly covering for Olivia’s absence (Liam says she had pressing matters to attend to/ LIs tell MC that Liam said Liv had a ‘prior engagement’). MC wants to share the news with the others by writing it on a cake / playing charades / corgi mail – and kjhdfskfh whyyyy. Why must we make another stop to buy cakes (which will say the same thing as the corgi letters)? Why must we play charades with Penny, who CANNOT play charades to save her life? Why can’t WE KEEP IT TO OURSELVES UNTIL THE BABY DOC SAYS YOU’RE GOOD TO GO. Charades…doesn’t go well. Maddy keeps suggesting “bloated” (ugh, you cow, we’re not bloated!) while Penelope turns into Joey Tribbiani, shouting out possible answers.

Corgi mail it is – the dogs frolic to Penny and Kiki (because they have CLASS, Maddy) with envelopes in their mouths, containing the message ‘coming soon…the royal heir’ heyooo I see what they did there. I guess this was the lead-in to the official official The Royal Heir story, hmm? Madeleine (probably rolled her eyes at the dramatic reveal but) offers congratulations and says she’s genuinely happy for MC (to provide an heir to the throne). There’s talk of an official baby shower and something called the Last Apple Ball lord I will force myself into early labor to get out of dealing with one more goddamn ball where bad things happen.

With Liam, there’s a moment of quiet between all the celebrating, and he assures MC that the pilot will make every effort to avoid turbulence; he wants to use as many perks his position provides to share with MC and the baby to make the pregnancy as easy as possible. He hopes to be a father deserving of this child, regrettably thinking about the lack of warmth he had with MurderKing Connie. This is a man whose highlight of the day was getting a wink from Connie in the throne room as he hid behind curtains. Liam will be LEAPS warmer with his own child – the fact that he’s already as attached to the tiny bean in MC’s uterus confirms that. He wants this child as more than a safety net to the Crown – he wants a FAMILY.

LI Drake offers to get MC more or less pillows, and Maxwell bops Drake in the face with said pillow. MC tells Drake to relax. LI Hana gives MC a pillow for her neck and another for her back and three backup pillows, and MC’s curious about all the cushions. Hana’s realizing how much attention and care required of raising a child, and MC reminds her to chill. LI Maxwell wonders if the plane is safe and gets a determined look in his face, thinking he should ask Liam for a top of the line jet with full safety features and stroller accessibility. MC tells him to relax and then he utters what is quite possibly the worst reference to the baby, by calling it their “seed”… NO MAXWELL, just…no.

MC comforts LI and can say they’re going to be fine because of their support network / their ability to handle anything together – their friends are already over the moon about the baby news, and together MC and LI have overcome more than any ordinary couple.

A while later, Mara approaches MC to offer congratulations, tipping her off that she knew MC was pregnant before she stepped on the plane. MC asks if it was because she’s got that baby mama glow / she’s been creepin’ on MC / Maxwell tipped her off – the glow response makes Mara respond with a subtle ‘you’re sweaty from the humidity’ and the spy response has her admitting her watchful eye is only as much as is required during the flight. The Maxwell response leaves the most direct Easter egg. All responses lead to Mara saying it was Maxwell that gave it away unintentionally, because she noticed him looking at corgi onesies, BUT… the line that sat with me is she says “he would never betray you…intentionally.” It makes me think that something’s going to happen either before the end of Book 1 or into Book 2 or 3 where Maxwell will play a part in MC’s downfall for something. Most likely linked to Beaumont Sr. being back in Cordonia, and pulling on Maxwell’s marionette strings under the guise of being a better parent. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.

I also do not like the fact that massive pain in my ass Madeleine has taken it upon herself to schedule a MOTHERFUCKING PRESS STATEMENT AS SOON AS THEY FUCKING LAND THE FUCKING PLANE to make a baby announcement. Can I strangle her? Pretty please?! JFC, we haven’t even seen the royal OBGYN to make sure everything’s ok and to get an estimate on the due date and you want us to tell the nation we’re pregnant? FUCK OFF. FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF. This is absurd writing and I--- (many angry, ugly faces at the computer) no. Even Duchess Kate and Duchess Megan kept their pregnancies to themselves; Kate only disclosed her pregnancy because of her Hyperemesis Gravidarium that led to her being hospitalized early on. Something like that – with ANY pregnancy – should be treated with sensitivity because ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN in those first three months. Fuck. I mean, anything could happen AFTER that, even leading up to losing the baby within the last trimester, but those first couple of months everything really is up in the air. The gall Madeleine has right now. The fucking audacity to schedule something like that. It’s one thing to tell friends within the court, but COME ON. Use your brain Maddy. That’s that lump three feet above your ass!

Additional Thoughts: The biggest thing I want to get into is Olivia’s angle right now. So she’s been conspiring with Liam to conduct espionage on Auvernal (maybe even Monterisso, but we haven’t seen that) which is what’s kept her in “Lythikos” all this time and dropping in and out of the time in Texas. That’s fine. She’s proved herself to be unlike her parents when it comes to working with the Crown, and she wants to help Liam with whatever he intends to do with the country. She might not be his wife, but she can sure as hell be an ally in his plans. It took 3.5 books, but she’s close enough to MC to cry happy tears upon the news of MC’s pregnancy, after wanting to kill her when they first met in TRR.

My issue is – once again, what seems to be lazy coding for Liam routes vs. non-Liam routes – that if MC is married to Liam, he hasn’t divulged any of this information to MC about recruiting Olivia to spy on these other countries for intel.

Now, I understand that as King, Liam would have to keep certain plans and goings-on separate from Duchess MC; there’s little reason for him to share information like this to a member of his court, no matter how close MC may be to his inner circle of friends.

But it makes less sense if MC is Queen. He might be keeping this information from his wife because he doesn’t want to cause any unnecessary stress on her while they’re trying to conceive. Fine, that’s…excusable. The entire roadtrip to Texas was supposed to help MC relax and get away from the stresses of Cordonian life and the press breathing down her neck about the baby. Maybe he’s waiting for hard evidence to worry about Auvernal or any of the other countries before sharing the information with MC to get her opinion on how to handle things (do not be like MurderKing and make decisions without consulting your queen. Do NOT. Liam.). I want to remain hopeful that he’s not omitting this information on purpose (i.e. keeping MC from learning how to rule alongside him) and operating on a need-to-know basis. Given how loose lips are within the court, it’s not that farfetched to keep plans close to his chest – especially with all the other courtly drama we had to deal with in TRR.

OPERATION SWAN – Breadington’s plans look like he plans to or may already be moving troops into a land that Olivia doesn’t recognize, which leads me to think he’s trying to invade Monterisso, since there seems to be little information about the country and Amalas herself. There’s also a lot to be said for using a swan as the symbol/name of whatever he’s planning. Swans are typically viewed as the epitome of grace, with their long necks and the slow way they swim through the water; there’s also a lot of masterful ability behind swans. Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda; in Roman mythology, swans were sacred to Venus, the goddess of love. Swans also represent motherhood, devotion, and partnership, as they can mate with one partner for life.

Could this be some sort of matchmaker coup? Is Auvernal about to literally fight/invade a country to ensure that at least one of their twins marries into another country (with more resources than they have) to ensure a strong future? How is Auvernal even able to fund their military if they’re broke and looking at places like Cordonia to get more money? Also, why is this fool traveling with plans like this outside of his kingdom?? Why, if you’ve got documents like that where anyone could come across them, would you not leave a guard outside the penthouse or IN the penthouse to keep watch while you waste what little funds your country has at a friggin poker table in Monte Carlo?? WHAT ARE YOU DOIN, STUPID BREADMAN.

Based on the diamond scene during the bachelor party, we know Liam’s studied war tactics, and while he might not have served in the Cordonian military, we know his self-defense training is on point. Even as far back as TRR Book 1, if you chose to surprise him in the derby tent, he pins MC as a reflex to his training. When the assassins attacked at the costume ball, he was ready for the hand-to-hand combat. When Anton kidnapped MC and Olivia, he made the plans to go in undetected and (seemingly) unarmed to fight Anton himself. He might not have fought in any battles/wars (yetttttt…) but he’s been studying for years. While he would rather do anything to keep the peace, Liam is calculating and methodical, ready to put all that knowledge into practice, if need be.

Essay Tag List: @ao719 @aworldoffandoms @burnsoslow @dcbbw @feisty-mary @gibbles82 @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @lolablackwrites @queenmiranda-01 @riseandshinelittleblossom @saivilo @thecordoniandiaries @the-everlasting-dream @the-soot-sprite @walkerismychoice @katedrakeohd @blackcatkita @custaroonie

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 12 - To Love and To Cherish

Alternate Title: Bless Your Heart, You’re Married, LET’S GO BACK TO CORDONIA ALREADY

Word Count: 5900+

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version – Bertrand restores the Walker family honor or something, there’s a whodunit pregnant pee stick mystery to solve, Chuck’s a chump for objecting to the wedding but ol’ Bertrand gives him the what for. We still can’t get through the whole wedding without shelling out more money/diamonds for good memories but I GOT SUCKERED because LIAM LOOKS ADORABLE and HEYOOOO we’re about to make him (your LI) the happiest person in the world! Also, what/where is Olivia’s gift that she mentioned at the bachelorette party???

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake/Hana playthroughs from BizzysChoices and Abhirio/Universal Studio 77 on YouTube, respectively. Maxwell input came from @storiesofsass (thank you!)

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

-1 Bertrand’s MIA and Sav thinks he got cold feet -1 Chippy gets all Yosemite Sam on us with the no-good, low-down, yellow-bellied nonsense but +1 Bianca saw him rush off to the general store, talking about honor/family name +1 SMACK BERTRAND UPSIDE THE HEAD for being a damn fool and worrying his bride to be (or scare him, your call) +1 Okay, so he’s trying to get the Walker’s saddle back as a gesture to Sav +1 Fight for friendship, honor love, or become a Cordonian thief to get the saddle back +1 Bertrand’s reasons for getting the saddle back (it’s important to Sav so it’s important to me/family is important/doing this for Sav would prove to Bianca that he values Sav) are sweet. Now go get dressed, Bertrand 0 Wedding party’s dressed and DAMMIT I DON’T WANT TO SPEND DIAMONDS BUT LIAM LOOKS SO CUTE 0 Liam gets new clothes; Trina recycles her lacy pink dress 0 Madeleine thinks she’s running this show and ushers everyone downstairs; MC feels nauseous +1 time to pee on a stick! -1 WHY IS THERE ANOTHER PEE STICK IN A DRAWER. Also why is canon MC a fucking idiot? Your test is the one with wet pee on it, dumbass -1 Maddy’s clutch is too small to hold more than one test, MC forgets her LI bought a bunch of tests at the beginning of this longest week in the country EVER that are stashed in their luggage RIGHT NEXT DOOR so now we’re spending half the chapter “investigating” who else at this thing might be pregnant 0 Single girl Kiara’s too busy trying to rule the world to sleep with someone and accidentally get pregnant, thankyouverymuch +1 Sav’s on a horse; Bianca’s thankful to Bertrand for getting the saddle back -1 (THAT’S BEEN AT THE GENERAL STORE THIS WHOLE GODDAMN TIME THAT BIANCA COULD’VE GOTTEN BACK) -1 Barto needs to shut TF up about House Beaumont. Time and a place sir – this is not either of those things +1 Get Maddy to shut him up and she puts him in place; I like that she says she’s “nobody’s little anything” -1 OH OF COURSE CHUCK WOULD OBJECT – who didn’t see that coming the second he showed up to help Blake and Jess set up at the beginning of the week? +1 for fight! fight! fight! response and Olivia chiming in +1 Bertrand’s verbal punch is more impressive than his ACTUAL punch option -1 but he’s so overwhelmed that he blanks on his vows, so MC has to step in +1 sweet brotherly moment as Maxwell hands Bertrand the ring; Beaumont bros for life  +1 bouquet toss; MC tries to milk more info from the ladies to see who’s got a bun in their oven +1 if Olivia flat out refuses to catch it, lol +1 if Penelope catches it and you find out Kiara’s nicknamed Madeleine… +2 THE ANGRY POODLE. In Fraaaaanch, lol +1 we finally get a moment to talk to our LI! +1 [Liam] is happy to help MC any way he can with whatever’s on her plate +1 [Drake] is willing to ask really odd questions if MC needs the information…for reasons -1 Barto makes a toast (it’s the only toast that night) but it focuses on…himself. and House Beaumont. and how if it hadn’t been for him, Bertrand wouldn’t be the way he is now (yay?) so…you’re welcome? To House Beaumont? 0 Bartie rushes for the cake and faceplants into it. I feel ya, kid. +1 [Maxwell] will hold down his own nephew so MC can scrape cake off him. I love you Maxwell 0 reception SNAFU; Bertrand thinks it’s bees, lol but there’s no music thanks to blown speakers 0 *SIGH* Diamond option to save the day and hire a band and honestly PB knows what it’s doing by showing me Liam instead of Sav or Bertrand because I will do anything to get another scene with my pixel husband. FML. +1 happy dancing time! +1 Get Olivia to loosen up and have fun dancing solo-ish +1 MC shows off her moves; pulls a Dirty Dancing leap to LI +1 Nod back to TRR with MC’s response to a slow song with their LI +1 [Liam] MC and Liam sneak off a ways and smooch; Liam’s reminded of their wedding day and how MC means everything to him +1 [Liam]…followed by more smoochin! +1 [Drake] MC teases him for dancing well and being a fancy man; Drake – take it back, no I’m not! +1 [Hana] and MC get a little audience while they slow dance and MC says the world takes notice when Hana dances +1 [Maxwell] is happy being married to MC and loves sharing special moments like this together +1 Sav’s thankful MC did so much to try and keep things from going completely haywire today +1 MC can be subtle or blurt out the test she found in the bathroom; Sav’s not pregnant so that means… +5 IT’S ABOUT FRIGGIN TIME 0 NOW GET US OFF THE RANCH

T O T A L 22 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 24 point for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

RUNAWAY GROOM: So it’s the morning of the wedding and Bertrand’s MIA; all he took with him are his car keys and shoes. Sav’s quick to think that he suddenly got cold feet, and MC’s stomach rolls – anxiety? Stress? We all know but right now we don’t know – and MC and Hana try to reassure Sav that Bertrand wouldn’t run out on her (the way she did to him oh I’m sorry am I still being petty about her ghosting him when she was pregnant? I totally am). MC can either tell Sav that he’s coming back because his tux is still here (Sav argues that he wouldn’t need a tux if he’s not showing up) or his wallet’s still here (which means he’s driving without an international(?) license but let’s overlook that – he’d eventually need his wallet for something and need to come back for it).

Leona and Bianca get back to the house after their morning chores, wondering why everyone’s standing around, and Chippy goes from 0 to 100 over Bertrand skipping out, which helps NO ONE – while Bianca reassures her daughter that she saw Bertrand before he left, rushing off as he mentioned things like “honor” and “duty” and “upholding the family name” – which is totally Bertrand.

MC goes off to the general store to track him down so Sav can start getting ready, only to find him talking down to a clerk to get the owner. And we’re given a wonderful opportunity to smack our honorary brother upside the head or scare him. You KNOW what I chose, hahaha – smack him and he freaks out until he sees MC was the one to hit him – but he deserved it for scaring his bride to be! Scare him and he clutches at his heart, and MC gets after him.

At least he told Bianca where he was going, and before MC can get an answer as to what he’s doing in a general store instead of getting dressed, a mustachioed man strolls up to talk about a saddle – the saddle – that Bertrand is trying to get back from said mustachioed man, Cassidy West, owner of the shop. MC can either whine pleeeeeeeeeeeease, use the romantic angle/this man needs the saddle to marry the love of his life, or commandeer the saddle in the name of Cordonia. If you beg, MC uses the friendship angle, telling Cassidy she’ll do anything to help her friend in need; he’s moved by the display of true friendship, and gives the saddle back. If you play up the romantic gesture angle, Bertrand explains the importance of the family heirloom and how he wants to give (Sav) that experience. Cassidy thinks about his own wedding and gives it back as a wedding gift. If you commandeer the saddle, MC tells Cassidy to take it up with the Cordonian embassy, and she takes it and runs away. Back at the ranch with the saddle in hand, Bertrand explains that he’ll do whatever he can to make her happy; he also knows Bianca tolerates him because he’s Sav’s chosen partner in life, and today is about more than just him and Sav. It’s about family (Walkers and Beaumonts, including MC) – and his hope was that by obtaining the saddle, they would see his gesture as a symbol of just how much he cares about Sav and family as a whole, valuing whatever family deems important. I’m just glad we didn’t have to pay for him to get the saddle back. MC responds with I’m glad I helped / don’t worry Sav more by being late – with the first option, Bertrand thanks MC; with the second option, he agrees and runs off to get dressed.

COUNTRY COUTURE: MC heads upstairs to get ready too, and either Hana or Maxwell greets her (Hana for every playthrough except Hana as LI; Maxwell in place of Hana). Hana/Maxwell’s already dressed, and MC can either say she loves it / what about me – go with loving the outfit and Hana says she wants to look her best as a bridesmaid. In the Hana playthrough, Maxwell says he’s best man and wants to look his best – he doesn’t mention this in the Drake or Liam playthroughs since Hana’s the one commenting in those scenarios, but *some* confirmation that Maxwell’s best man in another scene would’ve been nice. Go with the second option and Hana gushes about the MoH dress and the dress is fine – it’s pretty, pink, and honestly pretty cute, but I’d rather spend diamonds on scenes than clothes (oh this will bite me in the ass in a minute). LI Hana tells MC she looks like a goddess of spring in the dress, and it’s a callback to Hana’s costume from TRR where she was dressed as Spring in a floral ballgown. You earn soulmate points if you buy the dress, and your LI smiles at you with admiration. AND THEN PB DOES US DIRTY by tempting us with a wardrobe upgrade for the LIs.

This is where Hana as LI shows off her bridesmaid dress (instead of already being dressed for the male LI playthroughs); the guys are all in grey dress pants, white button downs, and tan suspenders. Maxwell wears a bowtie while Drake and Liam wear ties with tie clips and I—sdjfskdjhfs Asian!Liam looks like friggin (FC Daniel Henney) Agent Zero from the Wolverine movie with the damn shoulder holsters and I CANNOT. I turned it down initially, but my weak ass bought the outfit during the second replay and I don’t regret it. He looks so cute. They all look SO CUTE.

If you buy the outfit for your LI, MC tells Liam he looks dashing in suspenders and he tells MC the trip has taught him a lot about casual attire. Sweet Bean, you’re still dressed up. You’re wearing a tie, lol. For Drake, MC comments that she almost wishes he’d worn this for their wedding; Drake agrees that any outfit without a fancy jacket works for him. For Hana, MC tells her she looks like a literal dream, and Hana insists the dress come back to Cordonia with her. If you don’t buy the outfit, Liam’s in his standard white shirt/black blazer/blue cravat outfit, Hana’s in her pink floral dress, Maxwell’s in his black shirt, and Drake… Drake is in his “country” tuxedo of his standard denim on denim outfit.

Really? For his own sister’s wedding?? You couldn’t dress him in the grey suit from TRR or the blue suit/pink tie combo from TRR Book 3?!? That is some BULL. SHIT.

If you don’t buy the MoH dress, you’re in the pepto bismol pink cocktail dress, but you can pick something else from the closet – I went with the Indomitable Love/pink lace dress because it’s actually one of my favorites and it fits the color scheme. Madeleine comes in to hustle everyone to take their places, and gets after MC for dragging her feet when another wave of nausea hits.

IT IS TIME: MC and Madeleine put two and two together, and Maddy pulls a pregnancy test from her clutch. MC ducks into the bathroom and then they have to wait for the results. MC can test Madeleine’s patience by telling her two minutes would pass by faster if she had privacy / (MC will) lose it if she has to wait another second – either way, Madeleine chucks the test in a drawer so MC can’t stare at the test strip until her phone timer goes off.

MC pulls the test out and it’s negative, but before slamming the drawer shut, she sees another test in the drawer – and it’s positive. And then our idiot MC is all WHAAAAAA “which one is mine?” – umm, the fresh one. The one wet with pee. Trina is not this dumb. MC wants to take another test but Maddy only had the one in her tiny purse; Maxwell pops in to fetch them since the procession is about to begin, and you see a few stragglers in the house on their way out to the lawn for the ceremony.

Penelope talks about making outfits for her dogs, and Madeleine and MC have a tiny freakout over how they’re going to determine who took the other test. Instead of, I dunno… Madeleine ducking out to go get another one. Or waiting until the reception to go.get.another.one. Or maybe sneaking upstairs WHERE THEY JUST WERE to get one of the many pregnancy tests MC’s LI bought and stashed away in their luggage FOR THIS EXACT REASON.  

Maddy says she’ll help any way she can to pull info from the other ladies in attendance to see if they took a pregnancy test and this is honestly so stupid why can’t you just go get one of the extra ones upstairs and—sjkdfksdjhfksdjh FINE.

WEDDING I DO’S AND DON’TS: MC makes her way down the aisle where the rest of the wedding party is waiting, sans the bride. Everyone takes their places, but just before the ceremony starts, MC asks Kiara if she left anything personal in the upstairs bathroom / is she seeing anyone special / flat out asks if she’s pregnant – Option 1 surprises Kiara because she would’ve skipped the bathroom line to fix her makeup; with Option 2 she says she’s too busy to date between all the travel, politics, and attending court, and romance isn’t everything to her; with Option 3 she’s surprised/defensive, wondering why MC would ask because she barely has time to date, and asks why MC is asking.

Everyone’s attention turns to Sav, who approaches on horseback. Bianca’s elated to see Sav riding the saddle. The saddle that was in town, at the general store. That SHE could have retrieved the ENTIRE WEEK leading up to the wedding. Sav mentions that Bertrand got it back because he knew how much it meant to their family, and Bianca mouths a ‘thank you’ to Bertrand at the altar.

Barto starts praising the great House Beaumont for the wondrous efforts in obtaining the precious artifact back to the Walkers yadda yadda SHUT UP BRUH, NOW IS NOT THE TIME. Hana warns MC that Barto needs to be shushed before he draws even more attention away from Sav, and MC can either get Madeleine or Penelope to distract/quiet him. Let’s go with Penny first, shall we?

Penny thinks you’re playing charades; when MC tries to repeat the order – Go. Stop. Barto. – she responds with the ol’ Konami Code, lol (up down up down left right) but somehow her poodles – her POODLES – understand what MC’s trying to do, and they’re able to distract him and keep him quiet long enough for Sav to finish making her way down the aisle.

If Madeleine is chosen to quiet Barto, she takes the hint right away. At first he’s annoyed by the interruption, until she drops her title, and he calls her ‘Godfrey’s little girl’ to which she replies, “I am no one’s little anything” and promptly pulls rank as Communications Director to communicate to him to SHUT UP. Which he does.

Liam calls everyone’s attention to begin the ceremony, and uuuuugh we all knew this was going to happen when Sav’s ex appeared as the extra help for Blake and Jess, right? Liam asks if anyone objects to the union, and Chuck pipes up. THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T LET AN EX WORK YOUR WEDDING, SAVVY. I don’t care how long ago the relationship ended, or how amicable the breakup might’ve been, DON’T RISK IT. MC can respond with it was a rhetorical question / fight! fight! fight! and I—lol a chaos/fail play part of me loved the fight response. Liam reminds MC that she just said that out loud, and Olivia adds another round of chanting, always ready for a fight.

Chuck says he won’t let (Bertrand) do this, but it initially reads as letting Savannah marry the fancy man. He punches Bertrand in the jaw, and while Sav and Bartie cry out, MC can tell Bertrand to rise above with his eloquence / punch him back. If Bertrand stoops to Chuck’s level to fight back, he admits that he doesn’t like to resort to violence, but seeing as how Chuck just insulted him threefold, he knocks Chuck to the ground with one swift punch – surprising even Drake. Go with the verbal lashing as we all know is Bertrand’s forte and you get a primo scene where Chuck is S H R E D D E D by Duke Sweatervest in all his glory.

Chuckie’s hoisted up and out by Blake and Jess, and the ceremony resumes. Liam jumps right in to prompt the couple with vows, but overwhelmed by what just transpired, Bertrand blanks. MC to the rescue again (why can’t we just stand there and look pretty?) – you can either help Bertrand out with vows about marrying (Sav) being the greatest happiness he could hope for / MC is the best / (Bertrand would) vanquish a thousand Chucks for (Sav). Option 1 is the most romantic, where Bertrand tells her that he wasted too much time wondering if he was worthy of happiness rather than appreciating the blessings already laid out before him – ie Sav and Bartie Jr. – and he’ll share that joy with her for as long as he lives. Option 2 gets Bertrand to call MC his guardian angel, getting him to believe in himself and realize that he deserves happiness in his life, and he owes MC everything, because Sav is everything to him. Sweet, if not a little odd, haha. With Option 3, Bertrand vows not to let anyone keep him from Sav – either from his own self-doubt, or people like Chuck (*cough* CHIPPY *cough*) that think he’s not right for her.

Sav says her vows.

Liam asks for the rings, which Hana and Maxwell hand over, and Bertrand thanks Maxwell for being there for him. Speedy wedding version and they say their ‘I do’s and kiss!

PARTY TIME: We thankfully skip to the bouquet toss – I guess before that they did the Cordonian Apple Ceremony bit? – and Madeleine reminds MC that they’re still trying to cross potential preggos off the list of ladies in attendance. Can I just note that CHIPPY’S IN HER RANCH CLOTHES. At her niece’s wedding. I guess technically it’s not awful since Bianca stayed in her default outfit for Drake’s wedding in TRR, but STILL. Chippy complains that MC’s already married when she joins the other ladies for the bouquet toss, and MC just replies with “I just really like flowers, (CHIPPY)!”

Sav tosses the bouquet and it’s a timed choice – let it go to Penelope, Olivia, catch it yourself, or let the timer run out. If Penelope catches it, Madeleine hints at her pairing with Zeke and any indication of speeding up what they’ve got going on, and Penelope says she’s in no rush. When Maddy prods with the next nine months being a factor to get married, Penelope drops the second best secret in the chapter – Kiara has given a nickname to Maddy…

If Olivia “catches” the bouquet, it falls to her feet after MC bounces it her way. Having already been married, Olivia’s also in no rush to head down the aisle, and shuts down Maddy’s prying by threatening to punch her in the face. God I love Olivia. If MC catches it, she ruins the plan to ask the other ladies about the pregnancy test; if you fail to choose, Kiara snags it – while she tells Penelope that there’s no one that’s caught her eye, she can at least appreciate a good flower arrangement.

MC finally gets a moment to sit down for the dinner next to her LI, admitting that she’s had a lot on her plate for someone else’s wedding day. LI asks if they can help in any way, and MC can either say she’s got it covered / depends on how comfortable you are asking invasive personal questions / I need to tell you something but it’s complicated – with the first response, MC appreciates the support. With the second option, LI Liam says he’s not sure what she means, but he’s happy to help any way he can; LI Drake says he’d go so far as to ask Maxwell what kind of underwear he’s wearing, if MC ever needed to know that; LI Hana wants to know how personal the questions are on a scale of “favorite summer teas to most embarrassing faux pas.” With the third response, LI Liam’s face in neutral but he says he’ll do everything in his power to help; LI Hana is surprised and asks MC to tell her everything.

They’re interrupted by whatever Barto decides is an appropriate wedding toast; it is NOT. I can’t believe I’m about to make this comparison, but Barto’s speech sounds like something Drumpf would say. (Basically a Cordonian version of Drumpf saying things like “America’s the best, we’re number 1, much greatness, America yes, other countries no”) He’s all “House Beaumont this and Cordonia that and me me me whoops I burdened my son, but he came out of it okay so I guess I did a good job then, praise me for making him the man he is today, hooray HOUSE BEAUMONT.” Yes, he dropped Sav and Bartie Jr.’s name in there, but just barely. They all toast him anyway – at least, Max and Sav do – and we move on to cake.

Bartie faceplants into the cake, driven by the enticing promise of a sugarhigh. LI Liam’s sad about the cake; MC can either say the day’s more about the love between Bertrand and Sav / I’ll scrape cake off a toddler – with the first response, he’s neutral and agrees; with the second option he smiles and says the cake “did look delicious” (considering they probably didn’t get to sample the cake from the rehearsal dinner). LI Drake responds to the toddler option with “if you can catch him” and LI Maxwell says he’ll hold down his own nephew for MC, lol. LI Hana replies to the first response with “well said” and “I only hope our baby will be as full of life as Bartie is” to the second response.

Bertrand apologizes for Bartie ruining the cake moment, but Sav’s too happy to care. Madeleine returns to tell MC she’s not pregnant because she overhead Sav talking about a (pregnancy) test, before awkwardly patting MC’s arm and tells MC she’s sorry it wasn’t better news. MC can reply with it’s not worth much / better than nothing / …Thanks but nothing changes with the story based on what you choose, and MC rejoins her LI with Bertrand and Sav.

MC and LI Liam are glad to be there for them both, as are LI Hana and MC. LI Drake (and LI Maxwell probably) get a little more personalized conversation – LI Drake says Bertrand and Sav are practically glowing and his nephew’s covered in cake, and he’s seriously happy for them both. Jess drops a wee bomb that the speakers are blown, so there’s not going to be any music at the reception. Maxwell suddenly appears no matter who your LI is, claiming this to be a catastrophe if a Beaumont can’t celebrate being married without revelry; MC offers to look for a last-minute, local band looking for work. Sav doesn’t think there’s enough time, and drops the fact that they’re over budget – tsk tsk, Sav, let Trina show you the ways of budgeting for big events next time – and it’s a diamond option to save the reception. I KNOW I said I wasn’t gonna drop a dime on this friggin wedding but PB’s playing us like a fiddle by sticking our LI front and center, tempting us with extra scenes where we get to dance with them and—there go 16 more diamonds. FML.

A band starts setting up, and everyone praises MC for working her magic – LIs have quickly learned not to underestimate what she’s capable of, and Olivia chimes in to say things find a way of happening. Maxwell kicks things off by grabbing MC’s and Bertrand’s hands to head to the dance floor, and everyone starts dancing. Bertrand and Sav are overjoyed, and MC can respond by saying consider this my wedding gift to you / show me your best dance moves / worship me like the hero I am. With the first option, Sav says she’ll always remember and hugs MC; Bertrand is always surprised by what MC can do, and offers his hand for a handshake, but MC pulls him in for a hug. With the second option, Sav calls MC their wedding guardian angel and pulls Bertrand to the dance floor; at first his movements are awkward as all eyes are on them, but he relaxes and leads Sav around the dance floor, ending with a dramatic lift and dip. With the third option, the Beaumont Brothers share a look and scoop her up onto their shoulders, and everyone starts chanting MC’s name, much to Madeleine’s displeasure.

Another song starts up, and Hana twirls around as she dances; Drake and Liam bob and sway to the music, and Maxwell’s breakdancing/adding flips and flourishes to his dance moves. It’s another callback to the group of friends dancing at MC’s reception, where Hana does pirouettes(?) with ease, Drake and Liam just stand there, too “cool” to let loose, and Maxwell challenges Drake to a dance off. Here, MC says she wants to see some dance moves from Merlin & Morgana / Baby Bartie / Olivia – with the dogs, you see Penelope and Zeke as they get the dogs to dance (they’ve been training the dogs); Sav leads Bartie to the dance floor and Bertrand joins them, calling him Little Man and I—my heart. It’s a sweet moment. But my personal favorite is getting Olivia to dance – egged on by Drake’s comment that she doesn’t know how to have fun, she’s taken to the middle of the dance floor by Hana, who twirls Olivia. MC, Hana, and Maxwell get her to “woo” out loud, and she begins to loosen up and *gasp* have fun without looking like she’s in a dance battle!

The band asks for any requests – regal, fun, or country – and the music changes depending on your selection. Now the group wants to see MC’s dance moves, so we get a timed response to choose high-flying flip / LI needs to catch me / freeze up and fall; with the first selection, MC crouches down before leaping into the air to spin and kick, surprising everyone. The second option sounds like the Dirty Dancing move where Baby runs and leaps into Johnny’s arms, and the LI catches MC and lifts her into the air; she says she knew (LI) would catch her, and LI says “anytime” with a smile. If you freeze up, MC stumbles but many hands reach out to catch her, including Liam, Olivia, and Sav. Sav muses “What kind of friends would we be if we let you get hurt?” and Bertrand says he’d never let a member of his House come to harm.

COUPLING OFF: The band plays a slow song and couples partner up. We get another sweet little scene with our LIs that nod back to moments from TRR – LI Liam asks MC to dance, and she can either respond with always / I’m ready to do a lot more than just dance – with the first choice, Liam takes MC’s hand and spins her in a slow circle before pulling her close to him. He kisses her sweetly after she says she loves dancing with him, telling her he’ll take any chance to hold her in his arms. The second response is what MC said to Liam on more than one occasion (as long as he’s your LI) in TRR, notably in the very first chapter of Book 1 when Liam asks MC to dance (flash forward), and again in Book 1, Chapter 18 (To Be A Princess) and at the end of Book 3 during the celebratory ball after everyone’s been named a Guardian of the Realm. LI Liam’s quick to remember, with MC recalling she wasn’t always able to act on it – she then pulls LI Liam to a secluded corner and kisses him as he wraps his arms around MC. Here’s where either answer reminds Liam of their own wedding, and how it was the happiest day of his life (JUST YOU WAIT, MY KING) even with their brushes with death from Anton’s goons. Another soulmate point when Liam tells MC that she means everything to him, and he trails kisses down her neck and shoulder until uuuuugh lady cockblock from the bride, lol.

LI Drake’s response options to dance are I’d love to dance / I’d rather grab a drink instead – The drinking option nods back to MC and Drake always managing to sneak off from whatever function they were attending to share a drink together and get to know one another better (wine cellar at Lythikos, outdoor bar before Liam makes his selection in Book 1). With the first option, MC teases that she might’ve married a fancy man, and Drake begs her to never say that again. While he might’ve learned a few new tricks to get him by at court, he’s still the same (grumpy marshmallow) that MC fell for. MC continues teasing him and he tells her if he ever gets too big for his britches, she should dump him in the wilderness for a week, or until he comes to his senses. In Drake’s playthrough we learn that Sav learned not to complain about things at a young age (WHY DIDN’T YOU LEARN THAT LESSON TOO, DRAKE?!), and while she would’ve been okay without music at the reception, MC’s gesture of hiring a band means a lot to Sav, and Drake by extension. MC replies that they’re all family now, and it comes full circle that family watches each other’s back.

For the dance with LI Hana, the responses are follow my lead / only if my beautiful wife leads – with the second option, Hana’s happy to lead, and they gain an audience. I don’t think there’s an option where they sneak away to talk before Sav approaches them. With LI Maxwell, he kisses MC and says (MC) always makes him happy, especially during special times like this.

Sav and MC walk away from the crowd to a quieter spot on the lawn and she hugs MC, thanking her for all the help to make sure the day went off without a (massive) hitch. MC can either take the subtle route about the pregnancy test or outright ask Sav if she’s pregnant – subtle method Sav’s a little confused when MC mentions a baby, thinking she’s talking about Bartie. Then Sav admits she took the pregnancy test, but it was negative. No holds barred version? Sav admits the negative test is hers and asks MC not to tell Bertrand because he’ll fuss, even though there’s nothing to fuss over because he’d go into a panic over the mere idea of a second child (when he’s just getting used to having one). WELL WHO’S FAULT IS THAT, HONORARY SIL?! MC *FINALLY* puts it together that if Sav’s test was the negative one, Madeleine was wrong and—

WE. ARE. PREGNANT.

NOTES: Not much to add to the recap this week, other than the stupidity of why it was necessary to go poking around the other ladies to find out if anyone else was pregnant. It’s obviously still pretty early in the first trimester if MC’s experiencing morning sickness, so (personally) I’d pull my Queen card and order Madeleine to go into town and buy another damn test so they don’t have to stir up gossip by asking “are you pregnant” to everyone else. I get that this was a way to rule it out in terms of the plot, but I don’t like it.

I’m wary of Bertrand and Maxwell’s father when they get back to Cordonia, because I know he’s going to buddy up with Godfrey all over again, possibly try to strong arm his way onto the council (or heavily influence Maxwell when it comes time to making decisions). Given what Barto and Godfrey were discussing in the Beaumont flashback, I get an icky feeling. We’ll have to wait and see. 

I DO like the little touches they added to remind us of lines/scenes from TRR – that dancing responses, the way the group responds to dancing together, etc. They’re nice reminders of the series we all fell in love with, without being too saccharine. And I’ll admit, the small moments where we see Sav, Bertrand, and Bartie as a family make me hate this entire front half of Book 1 a little less. I think a lot of it could’ve been cut/worked around to make more room for an MC/LI-centric storyline, but that’s neither here nor there. This is the book we got, and we’ve been playing it. I just hope we can hurry up and head back to Cordonia so Liam can do some actual kinging and MC can 1) do some duchessing/queening 2) break the news about being pregnant in the best way possible.

OH. YO. Are we stuck on the ranch for another chapter? Because Olivia mentioned that her gift - whatever this gift is that would include knives - would get there in time for the wedding AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN IT. 

Tag List: @ao719 @aworldoffandoms @burnsoslow @dcbbw @feisty-mary @gibbles82 @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @lolablackwrites @queenmiranda-01 @riseandshinelittleblossom @saivilo @thecordoniandiaries @the-everlasting-dream @the-soot-sprite @walkerismychoice @katedrakeohd @blackcatkita @custaroonie

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 15 - Apple in the Oven

Alternate Title: Slow down, I’m getting motion sickness from speeding through this pregnancy

Word Count: +/- 6000 I dunno I’m too tired to properly check at this time

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Recap/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version we’re pregnant. pregnant things happen. There’s spicy times in a spa room. Renovating the duchy costs cheaper than a dress and I’m not sure why that doesn’t surprise me. Cronut run calls back to TRR Book 1 and now MC’s so pregnant it’s time for the baby shower.

Things that will be covered in this post:

I’m sick but it’s hitting me how I’ve really got to play these chapters 2-3 times for the responses because even with my replays and watching SIX different YT playthroughs I didn’t get all the reactions because everyone films the same response!

The guys calling themselves “Daddy” is endearing and sexy AF

TRR group chapters make me happy

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake’s playthrough from BizzysChoices, Hana’s from Universal Studio 77/Abhirio, and Maxwell’s from rash rec.

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

-1 not-Wayne runs off and we gotta chase him +1 [Liam] using KING VOICE “halt in the name of the crown”... Commanding those around him to stop not-Wayne. +1 [Liam] grabbing not-Wayne BY THE COLLAR hnnnnng +1 *if Olivia takes the lead* Olivia leaping over the balcony to sweep not-Wayne’s leg – THAT’S MY FRIEND AND I LOVE HER +1 [Maxwell] slides down the bannister and tackles not-Wayne +1 [Drake] slams not-Wayne against a wall hiiiiiiii #DrakeRage -1 someone is snitching on MC’s whereabouts and we want to know who +1 STAB THE CAMERA and shock Olivia, heh +1 LI’s planned a spa/massage for MC after the doctor’s appointment +1 [Liam] MC calls him Mr. Perfect (I will link any instance to Henney whenever possible) +1 [Liam] has been getting lessons to become a masseuse JUST FOR MC uuuugh I love him +1 [Liam] with his “these are the finest hills and valleys in all of Cordonia” STAHP YOU’RE ALREADY GETTING LUCKY MAN OK BUT DON’T STOP THOUGH I LOVE IT +1 [Liam] alluding to Drake being the first on the list to babysit and deal with diaper duty +2 [Liam] telling MC nothing’s kept him from her and a tiny baby won’t either; he can hold them both in his arms at the same time HELL YES YOU CAN MY KING +1 [Drake] is becoming more and more submissive to MC…kinda weird but attractive at the same time? +1 [Drake] is a happy man with MC and can’t wait to be a father +1 [Maxwell] has taken a six-hour course on massage and chakra alignment +1 [Maxwell] sings to MC – awwww! +1 [Hana] is already a trained masseuse +1 [Hana] attention is finally lavished on her in a diamond scene -5 Fast fucking forward through 2/3 of the pregnancy here with montage scenes +1 Maxwell does prenatal yoga with MC. He’s the best brother ever. +1 MC x LI feel the baby kick while they’re dancing +1 Drake made a “rocking horse” for the baby with random bits of wood and bless his heart I love him for trying -1 Liam’s not talking about finding out that his mother was pregnant with another baby/has no leads to find answers to his questions +1 boy red panda (Pabu) wants up and Liam calls him a big baby and carries him and my heart is gonna burst outta my chest why TF do I love this imaginary man so much he’s so adorable someone please tell me to shut up +1 Liam offers to upgrade the dutchy with a gazebo and flower garden for MC’s child to enjoy -1 TOO MANY TIME JUMPS ALREADY 0 LIs are having stress dreams during MC’s pregnancy -1 sorry Hana, I don’t think Oswald is on the list of baby names for the future heir 0 MC’s morning sickness has gone away so lets give her gestational diabetes and eat alllll the desserts at once mmkay? +1 CRONUT RUN -1 WHY IS MC DROPPING OUT OF WINDOWS? WHY DIDN’T HER LI TRY TO STOP HER OR AT LEAST HELP HER? +1 Cronut scene is cute even if they recycled some of the dialogue +1 everyone talks to The Belly +1 Maxwell asks Baby to kick in response; eventually Baby does +1 Liam has serious talk with Baby but also mentions abdicating is still an option if Baby *really* doesn’t want to be heir later on +1 [Liam] calls himself DADDY and will look at Baby as his child first, heir to the throne second +1 [Drake] calls himself Daddy and can’t wait to take Baby camping and teach his kid to appreciate nature +1 THAT BEAR RESPONSE THOUGH 😂 -1 Baby shower already? Yeah, we blinked at this pregnancy is straight up DONE. -3 Shady rulers with their shady baby betrothals are already threatening to ruin the shower by arguing over said stupid “alliance” via marriage

T O T A L 8 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 8 points for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

PARENT MODE ACTIVATED: Not-Wayne has snapped a photo of the sonogram, and MC, LI, and Olivia are chasing after him. You get the option to choose who takes the lead – MC, Olivia, or your LI. If Olivia takes the lead, she leaps over the side of the balcony, popping up to her feet and sweeps his leg (SWEEP THE LEG, JOHNNY!) to knock him down. But let’s see what happens when the LIs take the lead, shall we? Drake is “on it” darting after the guy, grabs him by the back of the shirt and slams him against a wall. Hana – well I’m not sure what she does since both Hana videos I watched picked Olivia. Maxwell says not-Wayne “will feel the kraken’s justice” before sliding down the bannister and tackling the dude. And then there’s my man, Liam – he tells MC “(not-Wayne) won’t get away” and employs his king voice, telling the dude to halt in the name of the crown, telling everyone he passes that not-Wayne has committed a crime against their king and queen and – everyone heeds the order of their king! A pair of hospital workers grab hold of the journalist, releasing him to Liam who GRABS HIM BY THE COLLAR and I—if MC weren’t already pregnant, she’d be shoving Liam into the nearest supply closet to thank him, okaaaay?

MC deletes the photos while Olivia starts interrogating the dude. First he says he just wanted a photo to sell to the tabloids – meaning he’s not with the press, or he’s lying. MC points out they were photographed multiple times on the road trip to Texas Hell that no one was supposed to know about, and LI points out it���s more than just a coincidence, wanting to know who’s responsible. Not-Wayne says he “can’t” before chalking it up to dumb luck, only HE hasn’t been following him the whole time (only in Cordonia) so someone is definitely employing more than one member of the press to trail after MC.

MC gets the option to stab his camera / press charges / offer to provide a picture on their terms – with the first option, MC uses the dagger Olivia gave her and shatters the lens – taking Olivia by surprise – and threatens to personally kick not-Wayne’s ass if she sees him again. Press charges and MC and LI talk about the amount of pressure they’re under, and how he’s ruined a private moment for their family; Olivia informs him security will watch him until the police arrive. Offer to provide a picture on their terms and MC tosses the camera back to him, telling him she doesn’t mind being in the spotlight, and a simple request would’ve worked and THEN THEY SMILE FOR THE SUMBITCH ‘fore they couldn’t help themselves (hello Ouiser Boudreaux) and he snaps their photo.

Back at the duchy, LI’s planned a little surprise after the appointment for a very sensual massage aaaand it’s a diamond scene – possibly one of the last ones we’ll get for sexy times before this baby is born, so let’s gooooo. Odd to note that everyone but Drake was wearing a towel to tempt us to spend the diamonds. Even the way each LI entices MC to say yes to the massage is different – Liam wants to pamper his wife and offers time and privacy; Drake rubs MC’s shoulders and offers to massage MC’s tension away; Hana wants to do more for MC and offers to pamper her the rest of the day; Maxwell says the events from the ultrasound are the curse to fame and offers to massage MC from head to toe for “us” time.

MASSAGE WITH A HAPPY ENDING: One of the rooms in the duchy’s been transformed into a spa (umm, can this be a permanent change? Please and thank you). With Drake, MC wants to be carried to the bed so he scoops her up to do just that; MC’s surprised Liam set up so much – and he’s already disrobed so he’s just wearing a towel – who scoops her up into his arms and talks about a deluxe treatment; MC and Hana change into towels together and MC whimpers at the sight of the massage beds, starfishing onto one of them; MC and Maxwell change into towels and Maxwell’s already doing finger stretches to reduce MC to a puddle on the floor.

LIAM: has set up aromatherapy (with safe-for-pregnant-ladies essential oils) and MC can choose to say this is now part of (Liam’s) husbandly duties / I can’t believe you did all this – the first response makes Liam’s eyes sparkle with mischief; with the second option MC calls him Mr. Perfect – which @i-choose-liam kindly pointed out to me while I was still screenshotting my first round, and we fangirled over the fact that, as Asian!Liam, this references our beloved Henney FC to his movie Seducing Mr. Perfect – and Liam will *always* be Mr. Perfect as long as he’s married to MC.  After either response, he confesses that he’s been sneaking away once a week to learn from a professional masseuse, “for the woman who has given me everything” and kisses MC…before suggesting she get completely undressed so as not to stain the towels with the massage oils, lol. They flirt and he admits he’ll steal a glance at her while she lights candles and incense and—baby bean, that’s a LOT of fragrance going on, haha. Essential oils in the air, warm candles, AND incense? MC can flirt and strip slowly / strip fast and help Liam – option 1 leaves MC in her lingerie (uh why? You know you’re getting a massage which usually means nekkid except for a towel but okay) as Liam admires her, “a vision that (I) can’t believe (I’m) about to touch” and MC waits while Liam spreads oil into his palms before approaching her with a knowing smile, asking MC where she wants him to start – upper body / lower body. Upper body starts with a back massage until he starts feeling up his wife, lol – not deviating, mind you, just being THOROUGH – and MC still can’t believe he took lessons. Liam says he wanted to, knowing it’d be a skill he could use again and again, and they kiss, leading MC to ask to make love / cuddle hardcore – I don’t think cuddling is how babies are made, lol. Make love and okay why is Liam ALSO wearing boxers under the towel?? Whatever, he’s only in ‘em for a second before MC tugs them down, and he’s all about building anticipation – DID PB JUST ALLUDE TO THE FACT THAT HE’S GOT A RAGING BONER LOL – before rolling on top of MC, undresses her, and says

GOOD GOD MAN. MC can tell him to roam them slowly / NAO – slow option and Liam says he’ll roam until they tremble and sdkjfhdskfjh and his mouth. HIS MOUTH. All over MC’s legs, belly, etc. without *quite* getting there until she’s ready to explode at the anticipation before he finally devours her. MC can then tell him to get on top / get under her – on top he sets a swift rhythm; under MC she pins his wrists as she moves with deep strokes until FADE TO BLACK. Post sexytime MC calls Liam a piano virtuoso, hitting all the right notes, but he likens it to a concert where HEH multiple instruments were played. He threads his fingers between MC’s and brings her hand to his lips for a kiss, and they talk about how moments like this will become less frequent once the baby is born, aiming to treasure what we get / make our own time – Liam says he’s never stopped treasuring moments with MC with the first response. Then he goes on to say that while he might have his hands full with a screaming baby, he can still wrap an arm around her (because my MC is smol like me, mmmkay?). With the second response he teases that they can set up candles and stuff while the baby naps because he’s a romantic at heart, and if all he can do is steal a kiss while MC’s rocking the baby to sleep or they put Drake on babysitting duty so they can have a night out, he’ll find a way to woo MC. Both responses lead to Liam telling MC that nothing has been able to keep him from her – assassins, foreign kings or queens, royal plots, bullets in the air, or threats to the crown – and a baby will be nothing compared to all they’ve already had to endure. And then he says he can easily hold them both at the same time and I—GODDAMMIT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH – and then he carries MC off to bed.

DRAKE: Offers up that the evening is all about MC and he wants her to have things exactly the way she wants them, unless she wants him to take over – cue first choice for Drake to give orders / take orders. Option 1 (thanks @saivilo !) has MC ask where Drake learned how to give such good massages; he learned how from his physical therapist (!!!) that he saw after he got shot. Option 2 and he admits he’s not familiar with taking orders (really dude? I recall some diamond scenes where you’re a few seconds shy of addressing MC with a “yes Mistress, no Mistress” but okay you’re not used to taking orders…) and disrobes MC, and MC can tell him to get undressed / rub her feet – he shoots playful glances at MC while he undresses if you go with the first option, and then MC gets onto one of the massage beds. He works on her back and shoulders, and by the time he works his way down to MC’s calves, she’s turned into a pile of goo – but not before he kisses her tenderly. MC gets the make love / hardcore cuddle option here, and with the first option they tangle into the mattress, where MC can tell Drake she wants him to watch her / his mouth on her – with the second option he trails kisses down her torso and—OKAY, homeboy is tugging her undies off with his teeth again! I like this move, haha, so that’s in his wheelhouse. MC asks if he’s an animal and he says he’s “proud (he’s) not drooling all over (her)” I had to step away from the computer because I was laughing too hard! So he’s doing his thang between MC’s legs until she snaps from pleasure, and MC has to choose if she wants him on top / under her – under her, Drake’s wrists also get pinned and yadda yadda fade to black. Post Drake times, MC and Drake pillow talk how they never saw their lives being what they are now, and Drake goes into the “I never thought you’d choose me, love me, pick me” – it’s the anti-Meredith Grey/McDreamy moment. MC either responds with now you have me whenever you want / of course I chose you, you’re amazing – with the first choice, he admits that he’s a happy man all the time now. They’re both happy to spend time together as husband and wife, and Drake feels like his whole life has been leading up to being a father, and MC drifts off to sleep, vaguely aware of being carried off to bed.

HANA: Hana’s already got training as a masseuse, and she pulls two bottles of oil from a wooden box in a dresser – one pink, one the color of white wine; elderberry and rose, or sage and sandalwood. MC must choose! Whichever one you choose, Hana spreads the oil on her hands before MC tugs the towel off, and Hana helps remove MC’s lingerie…with her oiled hands…when she didn’t want to stain the towel… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ okay then. Hana can either go with Shiatsu (alert massage) or Swedish (deep tissue, more relaxing) – Swedish involves long, deep strokes. Hana straddles MC and starts working her magic, admitting she once put her instructor to sleep. MC manages to stay awake, and at the end of the massage she tells Hana she really needed that / will repay her – with the 2nd option, she offers to be Hana’s personal genie, and Hana jokes that she’d like the sunset to last longer. MC says she’ll talk to her manager, and they kiss, leading to we should both be naked / let’s cuddle – option 1 leads to kissing and then flipping Hana on her back, and MC’s sex drive is through the roof, apparently. MC can go with hard and fast / slow and tender – going hard and fast leads to frantic kissing and MC finally(?) lavishes attention on Hana before pulling her hair / kissing her fingertips – and kisses Hana’s neck hard as she winds a hand through her hair, tugging firmly but gently. Hana’s into it and returns the affection by going down on MC. Post Hana-love, she’s all “you’re amazing, I’m amazing, but together it’s crazy what our bodies can do” before MC says little feet will interrupt them soon / can’t wait  - with the second option, Hana says they’ll need to install locks to keep innocent eyes from witnessing what they just did (why don’t the doors already have locks? Did you learn nothing from the whole ordeal in Applewood? LOCKS ON DOORS, PEOPLE). MC teases her a bit and they talk about all the moments they’ll soon have with their kid – bedhead, food splatters, climbing into bed with them and tiny kid voice – and MC nods back to the assassination attempts and paparazzi hijinks will have been worth it in the end. They share I love you’s and uhhh Hana’s Superwoman because she ALSO carries MC off to bed.

MAXWELL: MC’s in a mood, getting snippy at Max for his comment that they can’t mandate the size of the doctor’s office, and he suggests MC get comfy on one of the massage beds because he’s taken a massage course that included some kind of chakra kit. MC can say she needs work on her actual body / on her chakra system – body response has MC slipping out of her towel while Maxwell stops flexing his fingers when he sees MC in her undies. MC insists he start with her feet, and Maxwell opts to use coconut oil to start massaging the soreness away. They both relax and laugh as he works his skills on her, offering musical accompaniment via sounds of the sea / improv serenade – serenade option gets him to croon a sweet song to MC, where she half expected him to start beatboxing. He continues the massage up MC’s body, and she says she’ll make it up to him / this needs to enter rotation – option 1 and MC says he deserves to be repaid for his efforts, but he says it’s not necessary because MC’s the one carrying the baby. They kiss, leading up to the lovin / cuddlin – lovin earns fuller kisses before he MC pulls the towel away and he’s in his squid undies, removing them with a quickness before he resumes kissing MC’s body, and he ALSO removes her undies with his teeth, calling MC *his* queen. MC tells him she wants her mouth on him / his mouth on her – going with the first option he’s rendered speechless as MC does her thang before he stops her and they switch it up, where MC tells him to get behind her / under her. Option 1 and Maxwell grips MC’s hips, setting a natural but frenetic rhythm and yadda yadda fade to black. Post Maxwell, they also go with the little feet convo and the locks, and Maxwell goes on to add it won’t be long before they hear “toots thundering down the hall, and pre-school, and their first car” before MC stops him for moving too fast. Maxwell plants a kiss on MC’s belly and says he’ll be there for them both, always, before exchanging I love yous…and he carries MC off to bed.

FLASH FORWARD, HELLO BELLY: So we jump WAY forward to MC being fully pregnant, belly out and everything. LI tells MC that she looks more beautiful every day and MC can respond with thank you / really? – MC isn’t tired of hearing that she’s beautiful, so LI says they’ll keep saying it; really answer leads to MC admitting that she doesn’t feel like herself because of all the changes her body’s going through, but all LI can see is perfection. MC notes she’s getting used to a new wardrobe, which segues into LI pointing out that they’ve got a present (which should be free but ISN’T, as per usual). LI Liam had the royal seamstress design something; LI Drake reminds MC that Cordonia has a royal seamstress; LI Hana asked the royal seamstress to design an ensemble; LI Maxwell is all “someone say wardrobe?!” – and they present MC with a gleaming white garment box. Liam asked for a dress befitting a queen and mother, Drake asked for something special, Hana asks MC to try it on, and Maxwell asked the seamstress to design something for his “beautiful, radiant, magnificent wife!”

The dress….dammit, it’s cute. The default pink dress is also cute, but FML I like the blue, and the flowers. Liam says MC looks stunning and she’ll be the envy of the world, Drake wants MC to feel as beautiful as he thinks she is in that moment, Hana calls MC radiant, and Maxwell…well the YT user went with the default, but if MC’s happy, Maxwell’s happy.

Several days later and MC’s doing some prenatal yoga with Maxwell, and MC can ask where he learned it / tell him he never ceases to amaze her / doesn’t even wanna know – with the first option, Maxwell tells MC he started researching as soon as he found out she was pregnant, out of solidarity. With the third option, he prefers to keep his air of mystery.

Time jump #3 to a ballroom, where MC is dancing with LI, and they feel the baby kick. Liam appreciates MC’s energy to attend royal functions, thinking it’s a burden in her condition, but MC’s happy to be slow dancing with him. Drake (back to his denim on denim) apologizes for dragging MC to another stuff ball when he wishes they could be relaxing on their own somewhere. Hana’s impressed MC has energy to attend royal functions, and Maxwell also apologizes for dragging MC to a royal function rather than binging something on TV.

Time jump #4 back to the nursery in Valtoria, where Drake’s finished making…something…for the baby. Guys, I love Drake. You know this. I also love that they had him make something with his own two hands for the baby no matter who MC is married to, because I love handmade things/make handmade things/support anyone who takes the time to learn a craft/skill and share that with others. And yes, canon Drake knows how to build barns, but I was DYYYYYING when they said he basically Frankensteined odd bits of wood together (why couldn’t he shape the wood from one source? It’s not like there’s a shortage of trees where they are!) to create a footstool / rocking horse / abstract art – opt for rocking horse and he’s all “duh, what else would it be?!” but if you pick abstract art you get sad!Drake telling you it’s a rocking horse (but so beautiful that it looks like art! Truly!). He gives it a push, but the horse rocks diagonally in a jerky movement, and he says it might need some adjustments before it’s ready to be a rocking horse. MC loves it either way.

Jump #5 and MC and Liam are strolling the grounds of the duchy (all routes) and asks if MC should be walking so much. They’re walking with the red pandas (if you bought them) and he offers to walk with the pandas if MC ever changes her mind, but she turns the tables on him. Liam’s said nothing in the months that have passed about what happened at the first doctor’s appointment regarding his own mother’s second pregnancy. While it’s been on his mind and he has plenty of questions, he doesn’t have many angles on where to look for answers (*cough* ASK BASTIEN, DUDE *cough*), but he IS determined to find out the truth about Eleanor’s death. He brushes off discussing any more about the past, preferring to look at the future, and calls out to the pandas. Girl panda walks alongside MC, while Boy panda rears up on his hind legs and stretches his front paws up at Liam and then—GUYS I’M GONNA LOSE IT THIS WAS SO CUTE. MC reminds Liam that Boy panda likes to be carried, Liam calls Boy panda a big baby and SCOOPS HIM UP. I now have to write something with a scene where my OTP Liam and Trina are with their brood of boys and one of em holds up his arms at Liam, asking to be carried. My heart will burst!!!

Yeah so Liam gestures out at the duchy grounds near the lake, asking whether MC wants to renovate the land to add a garden and gazebo. For 16 diamonds – IT’S CHEAPER THAN THE DRESS WE JUST BOUGHT AND WE’LL GET TO USE IT THROUGH THE REST OF THE S E R I E S – you bet your ass I bought it.

Jump #6 has several more WEEKS passing when the duchy renovations are completed. LI Liam puts a loving hand on MC’s belly and kisses her cheek (he does nothing if you’re not married to him). He tells MC he hired only the best (workers) since the duchy will be in MC’s family (our family if he’s your husband) for generations. Hana invites MC to smell the roses, Maxwell’s in the gazebo, planning to teach the baby how to tap dance because of the acoustics, and Uncle Drake is ready to teach baby how to do things like skip rocks across the water.

Jump #7 and MC’s in bed, not sleeping. She wakes LI out of their sleep because she can’t feel the baby doing it’s nightly gymnastics routine and… why is she fully dressed? Why is LI Liam in his regular suit, Drake’s in his denim, Hana’s in her dress, and Maxwell’s in his black Gucci shirt??? Either way, they’re all having stress dreams.

Soooo… Drake had a dream that he was being smushed by a giant marshmallow (Stay Puft? Is that you?), Hana dreamt they were having a tea party with their baby but was denied lemon curd, Maxwell was having a recurring dream involving a shrimp buffet… and then there’s Liam. Liam’s had a recurring dream from his childhood where he and Leo are eating baklava, but then Liam turns into the baklava and fights off Leo trying to eat his arm. That is A LOT to unpack, no matter who you’re married to.

MC’s concerned she hasn’t felt the baby kick (10 every 2 hours or so) and LI’s all “when’s the last time baby kicked” and MC’s all “I dOn’T kNoW i WaS AsLeEp” so then she can stay calm / talk to baby / PANIC – staying calm means MC takes a few deep breaths and waits patiently for baby to kick. Talk to baby and LI Maxwell starts beatboxing; LI Hana calls the baby sweetheart, asking to feel their little feet; LI Liam calls the baby little darling and adds “please let us know you’re there.” Panic with LI Drake and MC screams, with Drake suggesting that probably woke the baby. All paths lead to LI rubbing MC’s shoulders for a bit, and baby kicks when LI puts their hands on The Belly.

Jump #8 (good lord I’m getting dizzy, or maybe that’s the dextromethorphan in my system wheeee) to a few MORE days later, where MC’s gathered with the Royal Council for a press conference at the new lakeside gazebo, where the press swerves questions to the Council to All Things Baby, linking the renovations to MC’s possible nesting phase, and they start badgering with more pregnancy questions – reading to the baby, pregnancy cravings, morning sickness, etc. Notice that not-Wayne is no longer present, now that he either got a photo of MC x LI at the doctor’s office, or his camera got smashed. Guess whoever’s been snitching on MC needs to hire someone new to do the spying… MC can respond with fans deserve to know everything / NUNYA BIDNESS – indulge the press and provide answers (Goodnight Moon, pickles and cronuts, tbh MC tossed her cookies before the press conference) and they appreciate her candidness, calling her down to earth, before Drake tells them to chase after a pop star. None of your business response (I vaguely remember seeing this somewhere) results in press calling her a mama bear and respecting her decision for privacy (I think). 

Jump #9 and MC and Hana are going over baby names – Hana’s got Oswald, Valentina, and MC’s own name on her list. The intro dialogue is just a bit different with LI Hana – she confesses that she’s started making a list, whereas friend!Hana asks if MC’s open to suggestions. MC can ask Hana to explain those choices – Oswald earns a “think about potentially cute nicknames” response. Valentina nods back to a warrior who fought for a powerful Cordonian queen, and when MC says the name’s too close to St. Valentine, Hana suggests VAL as a nickname (hello ties to TC&TF). Naming the baby after MC makes MC wonder if that’s not too narcissistic, but Hana reminds her that plenty of royals name children after themselves. No matter which name you ask about, MC tells Hana she’ll add it to the potential list without promising anything. LI Hana gets an extra line about cross-referencing MC’s pick against some kind of spreadsheet.

Jump #10 GEEZ SLOW DOWN ALREADY and MC wakes up in bed, jolting their partner awake – and they’re all relatively cool about being woken up at random. MC’s morning sickness has finally subsided, and she can ask for a victory high-five / kiss / dance – and they’re happy to celebrate, one way or another. So now we’re finally in the PALACE, enjoying a buffet of decadent desserts, and everyone’s happy to reap the benefits of MC’s sweet tooth now that she can give in to cravings without the threat of being sick afterwards. The only thing missing is a cronut and—I have no idea what happened but it seems like version didn’t transfer all the shit I bought in the TRR books because Hana says they never went on a cronut run in TRR Book 1 Chapter 6 when I KNOW they did because I wasn’t about to turn down an opportunity to hang out with Liam – and find out that he nearly fell into the rose bushes, or that Maxwell stuffed a cronut into his mouth like a damn chipmunk, but HERE I AM, CRONUT-LESS. If you bought the scene way back when, Hana notes that MC’s feeling nostalgic; Drake suggests they sneak out for MC, and Liam agrees.

And then PB basically uses the same scene over again – MC meets up with Liam, Drake, Hana, and Maxwell later that night, only this time it’s MC that snuck out the window, defending that it was kind of like exercise and only a short drop from the window OKAY MC WHAT THE HELL YOU’RE PREGNANT STOP DOING THINGS LIKE FALLING OUT WINDOWS WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. They head to a pastry shop near the beach and there’s a short discussion about breaking rules – Maxwell likes to break them, Hana feels guilty if she does, and MC can say rules are for suckers / stand between us and chaos / can’t keep me from my cronuts – Sucker option gets an enthusiastic response from Maxwell and House Beaumont; second option and Drake is all “good thing the rule maker is here, right Liam?” and Liam decrees the outing to be approved; third option and MC’s determined to get her cronut on, scaring Maxwell (and Drake says MC’s been like this the whole time; WATCH IT, DRAKE).

At the pastry shop, Maxwell’s all sHaKy LeTtErS for the cronuts and MC sits next to LI while Maxwell and Hana get cronuts for everyone. LI Liam puts his arm around MC and she smiles at him; LI Drake gets dialogue – MC asks if he can make room, Drake says “for my family? Always”; Hana just rubs MC’s belly; Maxwell just puts a cronut in front of MC. They’re all happy to be making memories together, with baby for the first time, and this….THIS…is why I keep playing. I love this stupid group of pixels, in all their snark and sweetness. They count to three to eat together, but Maxwell being Maxwell, stuffs that cronut into his mouth, and eventually MC tells them how much she appreciates them being there for her.

Hana mentions baby has ears at this point, and MC can say that’s cute or creepy – I’ll just go with the cute option since that’s what I went with and I’m losing steam and can’t watch all 6 videos to see what they all picked – so MC wants baby to recognize everyone’s voices, and now we get a cute scene where they all talk to The Belly! Hana’s excited to meet Baby, calls MC Mama MC, and (Baby) is already loved by so many people. LI Hana adds that Baby’s already in her heart even though she’s not the one carrying them, and she’s doing her best to look after MC so they can take care of each other. LI Maxwell asks Baby how they liked their first cronut because he’s going to be in charge of introducing Baby to alllll the desserts. ALL OF THEM. LI and Friend!Maxwell asks Baby to kick once if the cronut was good, or kick twice if Baby wants chocolate. LI Maxwell knows that as his kid, desserts will be an important issue and whispers to The Belly again, calling their friends non-believers and to tell Daddy what cronuts are liked. MC can wait to give it a chance, or tease Maxwell – I’m not teasing my brother here, y’all. They wait a bit, and then there’s a tiny kick, followed by two more – so obviously Baby liked the cronut but wants more, heh.

LI Liam gets serious and leans in to talk to The Belly, planting a gentle kiss above MC’s bellybutton and then—I’m about to start crying again I love this sweet bean of a king.

First, he calls himself DADDY. I’m not into the whole Daddy kink, but that right there? HI 😏 He knows his child will face many of the challenges he’s had to deal with, and regardless of the privilege and responsibility that comes with being a royal, Liam hopes that Baby will always remember that Liam will always see Baby as his child first. As heir, he hopes his child will see the crown as a good thing, as a means to make a difference in the world, but he’s already willing to accept abdication if his child doesn’t want to (eventually) take hold of that power and responsibility. The dialogue doesn’t change toooo much if he’s not your LI. He acknowledges that he’s placed a huge responsibility on Baby’s tiny shoulders, but he hopes the crown and governing Cordonia will be seen as a good thing, and notes again that if Baby doesn’t want that on their shoulders, they can abdicate just as Leo did.

Whether it’s his bio baby or not, the kid isn’t even born yet and he’s open to the possibility that this child may not want what’s been laid out for them. That speaks so much more about Liam’s character than anything else, especially compared to his fears of being a just ruler, and following in Constantine’s footsteps. I doubt that Constantine would ever have let the thought that one (or both) of his sons would go through with abdicating; while Constantine knew Leo wouldn’t be suited to rule, I’m sure it disappointed him greatly when Leo dropped that bomb. If Liam had followed suit, in some sort of “if I don’t get to marry for love you won’t have a king” ultimatum, I’m sure there would’ve been hell to pay.

So I know everyone – EVERYONE – gave Liam crap at the beginning of this book for wanting to appoint MC’s baby heir (if you aren’t married to him) – but this shows that it’s weighing on him as MC’s due date approaches. Yes, Cordonia needs an heir. Yes, it’s a huge ask to his friends and to a baby that might not even want to step up. Yes, he hopes that the child will grow into the impossibly large shoes he’s set out for them to fill, but he’s keeping an open mind, even if it creates trouble for the crown down the road. Would he have to appoint a backup heir if Appointed Heir #1 abdicates? Will the country be a target if/when this kid decides to abdicate, leaving the kingdom without a ruler? These are all things that have likely crossed his mind already, and just mentioning the option of a way out indicates he’s ready to deal with the fallout of this extremely odd setup.

*Back to the scene* MC asks Drake if there’s anything he wants to say, and he rests a hand on The Belly, referring to himself as Uncle Drake again (Daddy for LI Drake), and how he can’t wait to take the kid camping and hiking and fishing, in addition to building fires and catching fish. LI Drake wants to teach the baby about all the things he loves, showing baby the good things in the world, and protect them from anything bad. MC can choose from you know it’ll be a few years before that / I can totally see you hiking with a baby carrier / nothing near bears – with the first response, Drake says he can wait and they can start small with trips to the palace gardens. The bears response is the funniest one, where the guys all agree “nope, bears? Never!” thanks to the bear scene from the bachelor party. Drake drops “never again” which makes MC and Hana suspicious, because the guys are weird whenever bears come up in discussion, lol and Liam cuts off the discussion by mentioning they should head back to the palace. They decide to make the cronut run an annual tradition before shooing MC back to the palace to rest.

Jump #11 and now we’re so far into the (end of the second? Beginning of the third) trimester that it’s time for a baby shower WUT. Hana’s been in charge of getting the shower ready and she’s been focused on making the day perfect for MC…with LI as a side thought. LI Hana had to give up control to let the other ladies plan the shower and MC reminds her to try and relax and enjoy the day, since it’s for both of them. They talk about how surreal the whole thing is, but neither of them can wait to meet their baby. Non-Hana routes, the guys are mentioned as afterthoughts – Hana’s ready to celebrate MC being a mom “and to celebrate you too, Liam/Drake/Maxwell.” The guys all respond with neutral thank yous.

And then Kiara appears with good news and bad news -  good news is guests are arriving and there are some lavish gifts for the shower. Bad news? Breadford, Bella, and Amalas have decided to use this gathering to argue about the baby betrothal because they’re all tantrum-throwing five year olds and can’t get through a function like mature, rational adults (and save the quarreling for the end of the event). Honestly? As one of the guests of honor and queen, Trina would tell Monterisso and Auvernal to kindly fuck off with their ultimatums and have them escorted off the premises. If they can’t shut up about this baby wedding nonsense for an afternoon where parents-to-be are supposed to be celebrated, they can suck it.

No other notes this week - it’s 3:30 in the morning, my night time cold meds are kickin in so I’m hoping I’ll sleep in late. Bonus to working from home, I guess. 

Tagging: @ao719 @argylemnwrites @aworldoffandoms @beardedoafdonutwagon @blackcatkita @burnsoslow @custaroonie @dcbbw @gibbles82 @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @katedrakeohd @lolablackwrites @queenmiranda-01 @riseandshinelittleblossom @saivilo @storiesofsass @texaskitten30 @thecordoniandiaries @the-everlasting-dream @the-soot-sprite

[zaffrenotes]

Thoughts on The Royal Heir, Chapter 11 - The Prodigal Father

Alternate Title: Pies Make Peace, but Cakes Cause Chaos

Word Count: 7800+ not counting the points section JFC what’s wrong with me I’m so wordy

Points are arbitrary and happen at random. Essay/personal thoughts after the point review of the chapter. TL;DR version – Bartie Sr. is back, stealing the spotlight when he can, and utter chaos ensues between the Walkers and the Beaumonts. It feels like we’re never leaving the ranch. Midnight moonlight hookup leads to happy times with your LI and if I haven’t said it already I LOVE LIAM good god he’s just so wonderful and adorable and I want to keep him in my pocket.

I’m putting a cut here to minimize the length of this post if you don’t want to read this, and feel free to add #ZaffEssays and #ZaffDigsDeep to your filtered tags so you don’t see this or future posts from me.

I sourced Drake/Hana playthroughs from BizzysChoices and Abhirio on YouTube, respectively.

Normal text = Liam route | Italics = Drake/Hana/Maxwell route | Bold = applies to any LI/story as a whole

-1 Heeeere’s Daddy…Beaumont. +1 Bartie Sr. thinks Bertrand’s been telling everyone he’s dead -1 How does Drake (and Liam, especially) not know that the Beaumont’s dad was in a coma all this time?! 0 For a dude who’s been in a coma the last decade or so, he recognizes Hana – whomst he’s NEVER.MET. +1 Even as Queen, MC should freak out over this man standing before her -1 Secret rehab just so he could show up the day before the wedding. Mmmkay then. -1 Barto’s ready to take over the house again, just as Bertrand’s evening things out. YUP. -1 Sounds like Barto’s the one that let the house fall to ruin while searching for a miracle cure of whatever illness he had that was so bad he had to be put on life support for years but he still doesn’t understand what was wrong with him WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE CORDONIAN DOCTORS THAT THEY CAN’T DIAGNOSE PATIENTS SOMEONE CALL ETHAN RAMSEY, STAT +1 But he wants to make amends and…start over? +1 TRR frands rally for Maxwell as he tries not to freak out over his dad being back +1 Liam elbowing Drake about the singing thing, lol -2 Excuse YOU Blake but this is not the wedding everyone will buzz about (that was MC’s wedding kthnxbai) +1 A wedding is a huge party, with cake –Jess / I’d ship Maxwell with Party Twin if she wasn’t already with Blake, lol -1 WHY is Hana a bridesmaid and not Kiara??? -1 WHERE IS BARTIE JUNIOR?! (he doesn’t appear AT ALL in the chapter) -1 Jess has already forgotten from a week ago that Sav wanted to ride in on a horse for the ceremony with a special saddle and everything -1 Bianca has somehow not told Sav until NOW that they sold the saddle a while back -1 Barto jumps in, offering to walk Sav down the aisle when um…a member of the WALKER family should give the bride away to you Beaumonts. You ass. +1 Beaumont flashback scene! I guess Bertrand really was more of a rebel when he wasn’t Duke +1 Kraken fingers as part of a secret Beaumont Brother handshake. That is all. +1 Bertrand spares Maxwell of lectures when he can and we find out Barto might’ve had money troubles long before spending money on miracle cures for his oddly unnamed illness 0 Godfrey and Barto are friends, possibly scheming against the Crown and unhappy with Queen Eleanor’s efforts to stop something from happening -1 Fat-shaming Maxwell is straight up RUDE with the “wide suits” comment. DAD. +1 more confirmation that Maxwell secretly wants to be a Disney princess (he befriended squirrels when he ran into a hedge maze, covered in fudge) +1 Bertrand and Hana’s short heart-to-heart about difficult relationships with their parents -1 Chippy I STG if you don’t stop bitching about “freeloading” this and that I will do more than throw cake at you -1 Barto wants to act as our honorary dad too? PASS. HARD PASS. +1 Liam’s unimpressed by the offer as well 0 Quiche is great for all, except for Barto; Chippy…SHUT.UP. -1 and he insults Chuck, who I don’t really care about, but that’s just RUDE, bruh +1 Liam offers to pay the Beaumont’s half of the wedding costs because Chippy won’t shut up about money, but Bianca doesn’t want it +1 Accidental food fight! +1 Brother against brother! Polenta and salad and bruschetta reinforcements! +1 Hana DOES WHAT SHE WANTS, okay Max? +1 Liam likes this, lol. Let that man throw bread at people more often +1 Bertrand stands up to his dad, sets the evening back into order, and puts his foot down on serving quiche +1 [Liam] calls MC a glowing, twilight goddess at the moonlit pond. +1 [Liam] HE WILL BEND THE KNEE, y’all (I love him so much) +1 [Drake] calls MC 1) a work of art and 2) a mythical siren. Daaaaaamn, Walker, nice! +1 [Liam] MC calls Liam out for sneaking her off to secluded water spots all the time, it’s cute +1 [Liam] nearly rips MC’s clothes off or treats her with reverent grace. I love this man. +1 [Hana] turns the scene into a sweet fairytale that they can tell their future child one day, of their moms being madly in love with one another -1 WHERE IS BARTIE JUNIOR -1 Bertrand’s MIA the morning of the wedding. Whee.

T O T A L 4 points for this chapter with Liam as your spouse 1 point for this chapter with Drake/Hana/Maxwell as your spouse

DAD?!: So. Bartie Senior is alive, having recovered from some number of years of being in a (medically induced) coma…and kept his recovery a secret. Umm….how about NO? Drake says what we’re all thinking – “Your dad’s alive?” and “…the way you always talked about him. In the past tense. And he was never here.” – because despite Drakes’s attempts at telling us he’s not really friends with the Beaumonts, he’s friends with the Beaumonts. Wouldn’t he, being a friend, know about Bartie’s condition? At least as first? Wouldn’t Liam, as friggin KING, know about Bartie Sr.’s condition?? Wouldn’t Constantine at least have given Liam a head’s up during the brief time between Liam’s coronation and Connie’s demise about House Beaumont’s status??

ALSO. If OG Bartie’s been in a coma, how does he know who Hana and MC are? (Yes, I get that if he’s taken months to recover, he would’ve started reading Cordonian news outlets and caught up with all he missed out on, but STILL) So he welcomes MC to House Beaumont, and MC can choose to hug him, shake his hand, or freak out over him being not dead. Hug him and he’s surprised at MC’s strength; a handshake gets a smile; Freak out and he’s amused that his return would get such a theatrical response.

Maxwell tells the group that his dad was sick for a long time, with little to no hope of recovery, so having him there in Texas is nothing short of a miracle. MC can respond by asking about his recovery or whether he should’ve called first. Ask about recovery – OG Bartie tells the group he spent months in rehab to recover in secret so he could surprise everyone just before Bertrand’s wedding. Ask if he should’ve called first – he says he didn’t want to ruin the surprise to see the looks on everyone’s faces (thereby making the moment ALL ABOUT HIM).

Firstly…NO. Cognitive function after YEARS (FIF-FUCKING-TEEN OF THEM, as we find out in the next scene) of being in a coma would take such a toll on a person, let alone dealing with things like muscle atrophy and speech therapy. Secondly, what kind of a dick move is that to keep your recovery a secret, just to show up to Bertrand’s wedding? What about the disservice to Maxwell stans, whose wedding was just over a month (maybe two months) ago??? Thirdly, even IF OG Bartie wanted it to be a surprise and didn’t want Bertrand and Maxwell to be notified of the change in his condition, the hospital would HAVE to notify the next of kin because they would’ve had to wean him off life support, which would change the charges on whatever ongoing hospital bill the Beaumonts would’ve been paying all this time. That at least explains part of their financial problems – keeping someone on life support for any extended amount of time is expensive.

At this point, even Bertrand wishes he’d known when OG Bartie woke up probably to avoid his father from stealing the spotlight from what’s supposed to be an important moment for Bertrand and Savannah’s lives which is low key exactly what he’s doing. OG Bartie says he’s ready to lend a hand with duchy things to ease the burden from Bertrand and Maxwell, and MC can either tell him Bertrand’s been managing just fine, or that he could use a break. Bertrand’s managed just fine earns MC a thank you from Bertrand, and he and OG Bartie start talking about why he took over (MONEY); a break would be good so Bertrand can focus on his family results in Bertrand agreeing, but he brings up why he took over in the first place.

OG Bartie tells the group that he spent a significant amount of money on snake oil type “miracle cures” for whatever mystery illness ailed him, but he wants to make amends to his sons now that he’s apparently all healed. Maxwell’s quick to say he didn’t let them down; OG Bartie tells Bertrand to take some time and think over his offer while they focus on the upcoming nuptials. At least Sav’s excited to have a father-like figure in her life now, and OG Bartie offers to do whatever he can to be there for her, and they invite him to attend the rehearsal dinner.

NERVOUS MAX/REHEARSAL CEREMONY: Everyone departs to change and get ready for the wedding rehearsal, and Maxwell’s all flustered as he tries to finish getting ready. Everyone notices how on edge he is, and he explains that he’s nervous having his dad back in the picture – because he’s always been the (loveable) screw-up, but now he has no idea what to say to his father or make him proud. MC can opt to tell Maxwell to tell his dad one of three things – I missed you, just to let him know they can work through re-establishing a relationship; I love you Dad causes Maxwell to have a mini-freakout over whether he loves his dad, and MC reminds him it’s been years since they’ve spoken and to just take things one step at a time; Catch up with 15 years of Pictagram is the lighthearted answer, where Maxwell swivels his anxiety of getting to know his dad again to ‘oh my god do I need to teach my dad how to use a smartphone?!’ and Hana reminds him to focus.

Maxwell wants to be able to show his family – Bertrand, Sav, and now his dad – that he can keep it together for a night. MC and Hana tell him he’s not alone and they’ll help him get through the night, and Liam offers up his support, even if Maxwell needs his friends to cause some kind of distraction. Even Drake is willing to help, though he doesn’t want a distraction to involve singing – to which Liam elbows him, haha.

Time for everyone to dress up! Liam’s in his white shirt/blue cravat and black suit, Drake’s wearing his green shirt/blue blazer combo, and Hana’s in her little black dress. MC can opt to wear her standard LBD, or the diamond option blue dress with floral hemline. I’m a sucker for a blue dress so I bought it. If you buy it, your LI smiles as you twirl for effect.

WEDDING SNAFU: Everyone gathers to a clearing behind the house, where things are set up for the ceremony, and Jess and Blake welcome everyone. Blake has the audacity to say this wedding – THIS wedding – is gonna be the one they talk about across the US and Cordonia. EXCUSE YOU, KATRINA’S A QUEEN and our wedding was the bomb. Not only did she marry the King, she fought off assassins – TWICE – ON THEIR WEDDING DAY. How TF are you gonna top that?!

Jess thanks Liam for his recommendation to use their services to Bertrand and Sav and…personally for me this is weird, because I’ve played ROE and that means Jess is related to Liam (and Katrina) via my ROE MC marrying Leo. So they’re family. I know it’s just one of those things, because PB would have to work in a way to make that work if you did/didn’t marry Leo, but I just think it’s odd.

Jess and Maxwell see eye to eye on weddings – it’s a big party, but with cake at the end, haha. MC asks Jess when do we eat (Answer: as soon as you get through this rehearsal) or how’d you and Blake meet (Answer: opposites attract on a Mediterranean cruise *hint hint LEO*) but Blake tries to keep things professional and on schedule, so everyone gets into place.

Sav thanks MC for being her MoH and Hana… Hana… for being a bridesmaid…when at least one of those roles ought to go to Kiara, who knew Sav before MC or Hana arrived at court and taught this bish FRENCH so she could hide out in an expensive ass city to give birth in secret. There’s talk of how Sav wants to make her entrance, which – Jess. You asked her this a week ago when y’all arrived to start setting up. She wants Drake’s dream wedding but never got to ride a horse down the aisle and use some special saddle that Bianca used when she married Jackson.

Except this is when Bianca tells her they sold it. Not a week ago when the wedding planners showed up. Not a month ago when Sav and Bianca would’ve started discussing wedding plans during MC’s reception where Bertrand proposed to her because she’s a whiny ass and was about to up and leave him AGAIN without a word and it would’ve been a good time to bring up things like “oh hey mom, remember that saddle you rode on when you married dad? I wanna use that. Where is it?’ and I ju—UGH. NEXT.

OG Bartie volunteers to walk Sav down the aisle in lieu of the horse thing, which is a nice offer and all but… shouldn’t a member of her family WHO IS STANDING RIGHT THERE give the bride away to your eldest son, Barto?? Call me crazy, but maybe, just maaaaybe Bianca would like the honor of the symbolism behind letting go of her only daughter; if not her, then Drake – being her brother, and the only male representative of the Walker family. It’s archaic and old-fashioned but so what. I’m sure there’s a small part of him that would’ve been honored to do that for his sister. But Barto made the situation about himself – again – even when Sav tried to politely turn down his offer.

Bianca tries to hide her disappointment and keep her opinion to herself for the sake of keeping the peace between her soon-to-be in-laws (being the bigger person in the situation, which, okay, credit to her for that) but she regrets selling the saddle. I can understand why she would’ve sold it, but at the same time, uh, WHY. If it’s something that was used for some kind of family tradition – Leona hints that their family doesn’t have a lot of grand traditions, but using the wedding saddle was one of them – why not figure out some other way to hold onto it FOR YOUR ONLY DAUGHTER. I discussed this with @ooo-barff-ooo (who came up with a great lil Drake and Joanna AU around the Walker Ranch) and others. They could have rented the saddle out to brides who wanted their own country wedding. They could have RENTED OUT THE RANCH AS A WEDDING VENUE as a side business to the actual ranching business. The property was good enough for Bianca and Jackson to use to get married, why not share that picturesque location with other couples?!?

While the group kills some time so Blake and Jess can set up for the rehearsal dinner, MC talks to Maxwell and Bertrand. If things went well, Maxwell’s in agreement, but Bertrand’s concerned about too many last-minute changes to the wedding he and Sav have been planning, and how their father has a tendency to steal the spotlight.

BEAUMONT BOYS: In a diamond scene, we get another flashback to the young Brothers Beaumont and the way they viewed certain aspects of growing up when their father was still well enough to be in charge of the duchy. Liam and Drake persuade Bertrand to tell MC and Hana about the motorcycle that Maxwell gifted to him in the previous chapter. Maxwell’s in absolute awe of the newly-purchased bike, as is Bertrand. Maxwell can suggest Bertrand do wheelies down the grand staircase – to which Bertrand replies (paraphrasing here) ‘nay, down the railing!!’ – off the roof (into a pool that doesn’t yet exist) – in which case Bertrand says they should slow down – or race through fireworks like a stuntman, to which Bertrand agrees.

Maxwell climbs onto the bike behind his brother, and the engine revs to life. If they ride through the kitchen, Bertrand navigates through the servants corridors and says “careful is for cowards!” when one of the staff tells him to be careful; Maxwell grabs two cookies as they pass through, and they toast the cookies when Bertrand pulls to a stop on the veranda. Suggest going over the pond using Maxwell’s skate ramp and Bertrand hesitates for a moment, fearing what would happen if he doesn’t stick the landing. Then he assures Maxwell that they will absolutely ride over the pond, but he should deny everything in the event that their Evil Knievel stunt goes south. Take a spin around the house and Bertrand speeds around the property.

MC interjects the story and comments on Bertrand’s rebelliousness, causing him to uncomfortably adjust his tie, and he says those were less trying times; comment on having an actual childhood, and Bertrand says in between lectures and lessons, they still managed to find time for some mischief. MC notes their father wasn’t mentioned in the story, and Maxwell’s reasoning is their dad was great because (he wasn’t around to stop them from) they could do whatever they wanted, whereas Bertrand explains that their father seemed to care less about what the brothers did after Lady Beaumont passed. The only time they saw their father was when he pointed out when they were doing something wrong.

Returning to the flashback, Maxwell recalls their father craning his neck to look at them from his study window, and calls them both inside. Bertrand tries to spare Maxwell from another lecture and tells him to watch the motorcycle, and he (Bertrand) goes inside to speak with their father. From Maxwell’s point of view, the exchange between Bertrand and their father went fine, and Bertrand asks what Maxwell planned while he was gone. Maxwell’s been thinking about biker jackets with krakens and tigers on them, and Bertrand says he’ll get them matching helmets. They start to do their secret brotherly handshake, and I couldn’t NOT pick whatever “kraken fingers” are from the options – which means Maxwell holds his hands up to his face and wiggles his fingers like squid tentacles while Bertrand salutes him. Aiming high or low for a high-five type of handshake yields in a high-low slap/handshake/salute or circle slap/hip-check/chest bump, respectively.

A brief switch to Bertrand’s POV in the flashback reveals what happened in the Beaumont study. Godfrey’s visiting with OG Bartie, and Bertrand overhears Godfrey talking about Constantine almost signing some kind of paper, but Eleanor got him to reconsider. OG Bartie tells Godfrey he’s not trying hard enough to sway Connie’s opinion – to which Godfrey replies “I’m not in his bedroom every night!” – referring to Eleanor. Bertrand makes his presence known, and OG Bartie goes into the “why aren’t you doing things to improve House Beaumont’s name instead of goofing off” spiel. Bertrand pulls the mom card and says exercise is important, so he was just enjoying some time out of the house with his brother; their father comments to Maxwell’s wide suits that he used to wear (referring to when he was overweight). Godfrey chimes in and surprisingly defends Maxwell, calling him an adorable boy; he has vivid memories from one of Liam’s birthday parties where Maxwell managed to get covered head-to-toe in fudge and ran off into the hedge maze, where palace squirrels made friends with him before the Kings Guard found him.

Maxwell. Covered in fudge. Befriending his squirrel army. I love this guy so much, why is he so damn adorable?! Anyway, OG Bertie lays into Bertrand about upholding the family name yadda yadda honor the house blah blah blah. Before he departs, Bertrand brings up a matter over an overdue bill, and this likely gets under Barto’s skin, dismissing the accounting issue while he’s got company (Godfrey) present. Bertrand attempts to stand up to his father and either says it’s important house business (Barto says ‘important’ is up to him to decide and it’s not talk of a bill) or swears it’ll only take a moment (OG Bartie says they can discuss it later that night).

Back to Present Day, and MC can either respond with Barthelemy really let you have it or Barthelemy and Godfrey were friends? – with the first option, Maxwell starts to see just how harsh their dad was, and how much Bertrand protected Max from the receiving end of that harshness so Max could have more of a “normal” childhood – just like any big brother would do for their sibling. With the second response, we learn that Godfrey would visit Ramsford often, and stay in the study for hours at a time with their father. As long as Maxwell and Bertrand weren’t too much of a nuisance (of the “be seen and not heard” variety) things were okay. While Bertrand sides with upholding the image and honor of the House Beaumont name like their father, OG Bartie wasn’t the best at setting an example in terms of responsibility – like most parents of his generation, he expected more from his children than he was willing to do on his own. He wasn’t a perfect parent, but Maxwell and Bertrand were expected to be perfect children.

Maxwell tries to defend their father, claiming that Old Dad vs. New, post-coma Dad are different, and he just wants them to be happy together. Bertrand’s skepticism is hard to break though; he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, because (I might be projecting here) the shoe has ALWAYS eventually dropped. It’s something only an older/elder sibling witnesses, and keeps to themselves instead of telling their younger sibling. Hana offers some comforting words to Bertrand regarding difficult relationships with parents, and at least the Beaumont Boys had each other to lean on when things got rough. Bertrand offers his support to Hana, should she ever need it, and tries to look at the situation with optimistic eyes – but Hana warns that not all bridges can be mended.

ESCAR-NO: The group heads into town for the rehearsal dinner, which is a pop-up restaurant Blake’s set up for the occasion. Almost everyone’s excited to be there, except for… Aunt Chippy. Whining that none of the existing places to eat in town are good enough for “these nobles.” Bianca tries to get her sister to shut up and chill, but all Chippy can think about is money this and money that, especially with the arrival of an “unexpected, free-loading guest” aka the FATHER OF THE GROOM, you BITCH. She complains about Barto trying to talk Sav into upgrading the reception chairs, and Bianca says Sav can hold her own. Also, pot? Kettle. Look at your niece and nephew – one ran off to an expensive city with no plan on income and depended on secret Beaumont money to keep her afloat for at least a year; the other lived in the palace for years upon years as “Liam’s Best Friend” for a job title.

MC, her LI, and the rest of the group sit across from Barto, and there’s an awkward moment as Maxwell chats with his dad. If you paid for the blue dress, you get Barto’s approval – but he credits Maxwell with dressing MC (EXCUSE YOU, SIR. I PACKED THIS DRESS.). MC goes along with it, and Jess starts serving an appetizer of bruschetta.

Barto tells MC that he considers her a member of House Beaumont more than Duchess of Valtoria/Queen, and extends himself as a father to her as a result. MC can respond with one of three options. Neutral that’s kind of you prods Barto to praise her efforts at court to raise House Beaumont’s status, to which your LI responds with an equally neutral “how generous” reaction. With Liam as my husband, I can see him internally thinking “you just want to call my WIFE your family because she helped your House reputation.” If you tell him he’s being pretty forward for someone (I) met six hours ago and MC hardly knows him, your LI says it’s been a long time since anyone at court has known him (and can vouch for him). Barto’s jaw twitches, and he tries to save face by stating the obvious – honorary membership of the House and his role as leader again, now that he’s conscious. A cheery Great! House Beaumont forever! translates to blind acceptance, which is what he seems to want, making an example of MC to his sons about House pride.

To put everyone’s minds at ease, OG Bartie says they can ask him questions to put their minds at ease, noticing that Maxwell is only ever this quiet when he has too many questions on his mind. Panicked by the idea of having only one question to start things off, Maxwell looks to MC for help. If you ask where Bertrand got his love of cutlery from, you learn it’s all part of Things The Firstborn of a House Should Know 101; ask about his favorite memory about Maxwell as a child and he tells a story about the time Maxwell skipped his lessons (again) and found Maxwell in the bedroom, looking in on Lady Beaumont. She was under the weather, so he’d brought her flowers and some of his toys to cheer her up; while his father had to talk to him about not neglecting his lessons, that was when he realized Max wasn’t indifferent to his responsibilities – and began to see there were some things he cared about more. It’s a sweet anecdote, and shows the side of Maxwell that we all know – that boy can wear his heart on his sleeve once you figure out his tell. If you ask to know more about (Barthelemy’s) illness, he tries to gloss over it as impolite dinner conversation, and divulges that it nearly took everything from him (financially perhaps as well as physically?) and his rehabilitation was a long road.

We’re given another family motto – in addition to the Beaumont’s “The depths remember!” – that he repeated to himself during his recovery; “The seas may be rough, but a true Beaumont can weather any storm.” It’s an interesting motto because not only does it make another nod to the Beaumonts being sea-faring people, but it could hold weight in this series the way Olivia’s house motto carried on through TRR.

Jess and Blake serve up the main course to the group as a preview for the wedding reception TOMORROW (I HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH THIS LATER IN THE CHAPTER) – and almost everyone’s excited to dig into the quiche they’re served. Barto frowns and pokes at the food, and Chippy pulls a Drake and quips at him for the fAnCy food not being fAnCy enough. (gawd I see where Drake gets it from) Barto thinks the dish is fine for being quiche, but too casual for dinner fare at a wedding. Poor Blake says he was going for a rustic theme, which – would totally fit for having a wedding/reception on a ranch for a bride and groom that have likely already consulted with him over the menu. BERTRAND is the groom – you know that man would weigh each decision carefully, taking into consideration what Sav would want/be comfortable with in addition to how each of their choices would be received by anyone from Cordonia’s court as a guest at their wedding. He probably had stress dreams about the silverware and what china to use, and whether whatever decorations they use would be up to par for House Beaumont standards. BACK OFF, BARTO.

Trying to make sure everyone’s happy, Blake suggests changing the dish to something with escargot. This makes Barto happy, but Sav’s not excited – she’s never even had escargot, and she already likes the quiche. How about you don’t change the menu at the last minute, dude? The poor bride will be lucky to get a few mouthfuls of dinner while they float around to tables to say hello to everyone, let the poor woman have her eggs! My god, you’re making my sympathize for Sav and I DON’T LIKE HER.

And then Jess and Blake bring in the cake, with Chuck in tow carrying dessert plates. The cake? Cinnamon sponge with cream cheese frosting and blackberry compote filling. As they prep to cut and serve the cake, Barto gets all o_O and calls Chuck a giant, questioning his attire for the evening. He’s wearing his Big Sky Country outfit (black cowboy hat, black collared shirt with silver/white embellishment) as he usually does for his scenes in this book. I guess it’s too jarring for Barto. Chippy adds her unwarranted opinion (all day, every day, I just want to shout “Nobody asked you, PATRICE!”) and says Barto should pay his share of the wedding if he keeps insisting on making last minute changes to the menu/décor/dress.

Liam tries to offer to pay on behalf of the Beaumonts (knowing their financial situation is still rocky), but Bianca says they don’t need the Crown’s assistance and she’s never asked for anything from Cordonia. WHY THE HELL NOT, BINCS? Your husband died in the line of duty – that’s just like a military soldier being killed in action, or a police officer/firefighter dying while he was doing his job. The very LEAST that could be done is assisting a family when someone literally put their life on the line. BUT WHATEVS. She doesn’t want the help, she wants to do it on her own, that’s fine.

Barto says House Beaumont’s funds are “complicated” right now…honestly, when aren’t they complicated? Between the way he seems to have spent the family money in an effort to cure himself, and Bertrand having to sell off things and work around finances to cover his hospital bills in addition to keeping up (minimal) appearances at court, this family needs lessons in fiscal responsibility.

Things are tense. Some guests are unhappy. It’s all around awkward, but Chuck tries to keep doing his job and offers cake to ol’ Barto, who tries to wave it away. In the process, he strikes the plate and sends the cake flying, landing directly on Aunt Chippy. She perceives this as a declaration of war, and…

Barto gets quiched, courtesy of Chippy. Maxwell rushes to protect his dad, demanding polenta from Bertrand, who doesn’t want to get involved in the food fight. LoL Maxwell argues that if Bertrand’s not with him, he’s against him, and dumps salad on his older brother. Bertrand shoves up his sleeves (fml you stop that right now, Bertrand) and lobs polenta at Maxwell with astonishing accuracy. (LI) swipes wayward cake away before being hit, asking MC who they’re supposed to be fighting, and MC can either protect her LI or go on the offensive attack (you hit Barto and Bianca with whatever food you can grab at).

MUST.PROTECC.KING.AT.ALL.COSTS.

MC tugs (LI) behind a chair as bruschetta flies past. Drake warns his aunt that he’s on her side, and she demands he “cake” Barto. Maxwell’s not sure why the bruschetta keeps appearing, lol – Chuck is somehow still serving food for ammunition, and Hana’s getting into it by throwing slices of cake. If Hana’s your LI, she comments that they’ve been under a lot of pressure and the food fight is a way to release some of the tension. Liam uses a silver tray as a shield against flying cake and uses his free hand to pelt people with bread rolls and--- my sweet king, chucking bread rolls 😂I love him. He finds it cathartic and suggests making it some sort of annual tradition in Cordonia, haha. If Liam’s your LI, he tells MC that throwing the bread/the food fight is a way to release some of the pressure they’ve been under lately.

MC and LI duck behind a banquet table, followed by Bertrand and Sav, who notes the food fight has gotten out of control. LI asks if they should do something to put it to a stop, and MC tells Bertrand to either let everyone know how (he) feels, embrace the chaos, or remember this is only the rehearsal. If you go with the first option, MC says there’s no use trying to be polite at this point; embracing the chaos/reminding them that this is only the rehearsal leads to Bertrand saying “…that’s a thought” and Sav is kind of glad this is all going down now to let off steam.

All points lead to Bertrand agreeing that holding back is no way to live, and he moves to stand, but his father calls for attention first. Barto says they need to establish order again, and he’ll be the one to do it, if necessary, but Bertrand stands on a chair while holding a quiche, and clears his throat. He stands up to his father, defending the choices he and Sav have made for THEIR wedding, putting his foot down on serving quiche. Barto thinks the stress has gotten to Bertrand and tries to get Max to outvote him, but Maxwell backs his brother (AS HE SHOULD!) and says Bertrand knows what he wants. Even though things go a bit haywire, Bertrand can hold it together and make things happen.

Once the food fight is over, you can do the responsible thing and stay to help clean up, or try to run off. If you stay to clean, Blake’s distraught over his cake (I understand your pain, bruh) and everyone works together to get the space back in order. Jess thanks everyone for helping out and says (she and Blake) will see everyone on the big day. IE TOMORROW, RIGHT JESS?! If you run off, Sav says the cleaning duties are included in the deposit, but MC and the others make a run for it anyway, lol.

MOONLIGHT MAKEOUT: Back at the house, MC’s with LI, going over the night. If you’re with Hana, this happens after another round of at-home fertilization. Liam/Drake/Maxwell/Hana then chat about the evening, and somehow the food fight was a good thing for everyone. LI asks MC what else is on her/our mind, and MC can respond with one of 3 thoughts. Thinking about the people of Cordonia, MC wonders if they’ve been away too long and what the people must think of them. [Liam] tells MC the people are likely fine, understanding the need for an heir and what that entails – and then he puts his palm on MC’s belly and I—sdjfksdjhfs. He reiterates how they want to grow their family and I am so SOFT for this man. The YT playthroughs I watched went with the last option, so I’m making an educated guess the discussion was mostly the same with the other LIs.

Thinking about having this baby already, MC worries how long the process will take, if it even happens for them at all, or if something goes wrong. In Liam’s case, he puts his hand on her shoulder and assures her they’ve taken every precaution and have the best doctors available, along with a great support system; not to mention he’ll be there every step of the way.

Thinking about being alone with LI leads to LI surprising MC with a late night swim at a hot spring in the woods. All the LIs use the same line – moonlight, nature, and nothing else/a romantic midnight getaway is just what they need. Say yes to the diamond scene and your LI gets a mischievous grin on their face, and you head into the woods until you find a secluded spring, lit up by moonlight and fireflies.

SWEET EVANGELINE: I’ll break down the diamond scene by LI. First up (with the most detail on the choices) – Liam. MC can respond to the secluded spot by saying it’s beautiful, or she likes any activity where Liam has to take off his shirt, lol. Option A leads her to ask Liam how he found the spot, and he says he’s unwilling to reveal all his secrets (DRAKE. DRAKE PROBABLY TOLD HIM) or else he’d never be able to surprise MC. Option B leads Liam to joke that the lack of clothing might have been a determining factor. Either response leads to MC pulling Liam close by gripping his shirt collar, and undressing him while gazing into each other’s eyes. Before he gets into the water, he carefully undresses MC and places her clothes at the bank of the pond, and steps back to admire her. And then he calls her a GLOWING TWILIGHT GODDESS, FIT FOR WORSHIP. Oh, and he’ll get down on his knees to worship her if she just says the word.

W O R D 

That man. That man, with all the power in his being, is so willing to bend for his Queen, and only then. God I love him. He takes MC’s hand and they head into the water together. MC calls him out on his penchant for sneaking her away to secluded water features – the Forgotten Falls after the Regatta, the Blue Grotto in Italy, and even the lake in Shanghai for a late night boat ride. Liam hopes they can return to the Blue Grotto so he can go diving for another pearl to match the one he’d hidden there for his perfect partner (what happened to that pearl in the first place?!). MC says so much has changed since then, but things are ironically the same, because they either have to steal moments away together or Liam has an eye for romantic escapes.

Liam tells MC that they’ll always be in the spotlight as public figures, so time alone isn’t a luxury they’ll always get. At least for tonight they can just be husband and wife, and Liam can do things like wrapping his arms around MC and kissing her until they’re both breathless. If you tell him he’s got the eye for romantic spots, he’s glad to hear he hasn’t lost his touch, and MC makes a joke that she’d suspect some sort of invasion of the body snatchers if he DID lose his touch. Liam flirts back with “what if *I* wanted to be the body snatcher?” and grabs MC, pulling her in for that breathless kiss again.

MC can either pull Liam in or splash him. Splash him and he splashes you back, and he pins her arms? I think? He’s willing to accept a truce on the condition of a kiss, and I—WHY IS HE SO CUTE? Pull him in for a kiss and MC slides her hands up his back until their bodies are close together and they make out until MC sighs and Liam’s fingers cling to her hips, before telling her that he’s been thinking about this moment with her all day. Both options lead to Liam putting two fingers under MC’s chin (swoon) and kissing her tenderly on the forehead (double swoon) before kissing her on the lips (HALP).

You can either just kiss, or do the deed and – WHY WOULDN’T YOU DO IT WITH HIM YOU PAID GOOD MONEY FOR THIS. Okay, so let’s go with just kissing first – it’s sweet, and you kiss over and over, and he calls you “my queen” again, and you float/let him carry you in the water, feeling safe in his arms. Go all the way and he wastes no time gripping the back of MC’s thighs to hold her in the water, while she locks her ankles around his waist. You’re still wearing too many clothes, so if you tell Liam you don’t have all night, he all but rips off MC’s lingerie and he kisses MC with nearly wild abandon and he says he needs to feel MC close to him. If you tell him you want him to enjoy the process, he takes his time undressing MC with slow, tender kisses and reverent gazes. With rapt attention, he calls MC beautiful as she discards her underwear before him, and she helps him out of his boxers. Both options lead to Liam asking where MC wants him – on the shore or in the water. On the shore he carries MC out of the water into the soft grass by the edge of the water and…yeah. He tugs at MC’s lower lip with his teeth and she grabs fistfuls of grass until sjdhfskdhjf. Stay in the water and he picks MC up again, their movements causing the water around them to ripple. He calls her his queen again and digs his fingers into her waist, breath ragged as he picks up the tempo until you both give in.

Laying on the shore afterwards, Liam confesses how easy it is to forget all his cares while MC’s in his arms. One thing on his mind is how complicated families become, seeing the tension and strife within the Walkers, the Beaumonts, and his own family, and how to relate to their own child as time goes on. MC can either tell him that the food fight like the one they witnessed might not be peak family bonding, but it was hilarious – and even though the night was full of tension, hopefully they can look back on the evening in a year or so and laugh about it. MC wants them to be able to instill the idea that no matter what life drives between them, they won’t be apart for long. If MC opts to say food fights and shouting are her domestic nightmare, she wants them to promise that they won’t keep problems buried so deep that their friends or future children would want to throw food at them. Liam agrees, stipulating that any adult food fights will “only take place under predetermined, consensual rules of engagement.” I think he really just wants to pelt some people with more bread rolls, lol. MC reluctantly pulls apart from Liam and they gather up their clothes, eventually heading back to the ranch so they can sleep in a real bed.

SO. With Drake – at the pond, we find out the water is phosphorescent (algae? All I hear is Tamatoa from Moana talking about bioluminescent “AL-ghee,” lol) and he gets undressed without any prompting from MC. MC undresses slowly, and he says that what he’s looking at (MC) belongs in a museum, because if MC’s “not art, then I don’t know what is.” They wade into the water, and he tells MC the spot they’re in is actually called Make-Out Point; he didn’t understand what that meant when he was younger (when some older boys told him about the spot) and curiosity got the best of him. MC can see why a teenage girl would swoon, and Drake jokes about HIS MC swooning. MC then pretends to swoon in the water and he catches her with ease. He catches MC with a fiery kiss as his arms wrap around her, and she tugs on his hair – which is apparently HIS kink, since he lets out a low groan in response. MC dips her head back and with her hair wet from the totally not radioactive water, Drake pauses to admire her in the moonlight and compares her to a mythical siren wuuuuuut.

They roll with the siren roleplay and MC can tell him to answer her siren call and have his way with her or kiss her; going with Option A, MC tugs at Drake’s hair again and Drake starts in with the foreplay, wanting nothing more than to watch MC writhe at his touch. You then have the option to tell him to be rough or gentle; Drake bites MC’s lower lip as his hips start rocking in the water, and his breath becomes ragged as he increases the tempo, until you both burst.

MC and Drake are on the shore, and she’s laying her head on his chest, and there’s the option of telling Drake she can’t wait to have a bundle of joy cuddled between them, or she’s enjoying the quality time with him before they become parents. MC teases Drake about the inevitability of dad jokes becoming his thing, and they make their way back to the ranch to go to bed.

HANA…the scene with Hana holds the most innocence, so to speak. They arrive at the pond and the scene is described as “a symphony of nocturnal creatures fills the air around the pond” versus focusing on the temperature of the air with Liam, and it being a secluded moonlit spring with Drake. Hana’s already smiling at MC and says this is already the best part of her day. MC undresses first, pausing to let Hana admire her (at Hana’s request), before Hana undresses and MC stares at her, lol. MC and Hana help each other out of their remaining clothes and get into the water, and Hana wanted to give MC some time to relax since they’ve been under pressure and wanted to see how MC was feeling. MC tells her do to the same, and Hana remarks that “secrets mark the death of marriage.”

Hana gives MC a massage, noting that it was exhilarating – if not tiring – to participate in the food fight earlier. MC can return the favor and give Hana a massage or let her keep going; Hana appreciates the gesture and they start to kiss, before MC lifts Hana up into her arms with the help of the water. There’s a lot of heated kissing and touching, and Hana does the ol’ tease you till you’re close then slow down routine, until MC’s ready to explode.

Afterwards, floating around in the pond, Hana confesses that she’s always wanted to sneak into the woods with someone she loves, like something out of a fairytale or swimming in a sea of stars. Hana wished for storybooks where a princess could find love and happiness on her own, with the freedom to embrace her life, and hopes to tell their future child about tales like this. Tales of their mothers going off on secret adventures and stealing kisses in magical forests, madly in love with each other.

RUNAWAY GROOM: AND THEN. WHAT’S UP WITH THIS “A FEW DAYS LATER” BULLSHIT. Wedding rehearsals take place the NIGHT BEFORE the wedding. That’s a pretty common practice, since you’re ironing out all the little details about the ceremony to take care of small issues or timing things. Blake even said it earlier at the dinner – they’re getting a peek at the dinner, which is planned for THE NEXT EVENING, so…what the hell, yo? What’s this “days later” nonsense??

It’s the day of the wedding – WHENEVER THAT IS, because I don’t know at this point – and Sav’s all panicked because Bertrand is MIA. End scene.

I’ve been distracted AF this week, with a lack of regular sleep and my absolute fangirl freakout yesterday over my favorite Liam FC being cast in a new series. (Hint – It’s Henney. He’s going to be in a “tv” adaptation of The Wheel of Time as al’Lan Mandragoran via Amazon. “Lan” is an uncrowned KING/protector/warrior tasked with guarding a female magician as she completes some kind of quest. It’s HUGE. Aragorn level huge – because this (14?) book series is up there with Lord of the Rings and I’ve been missing it for yearrrrrsssss so guess who’s about to fall into a completely new obsession as a result of Henney being cast? YUP. IS ME. Anyway, I digress.)

So Daddy Beaumont is back, eh? I can’t say I’m super excited for the Beaumonts, because it feels like they sort of accepted the fact that he just wasn’t going to be around anymore. Bertrand’s nearly coming into his own as head of the family – although, Bertrand my man, the stress of managing the house hasn’t done you any favors whatsoever, based on that flashback. Maxwell’s starting to coming into his own, with a little help from the gang. It just feels rather suspect that Daddy Beaumont’s appearing NOW. Right before Bertrand and Sav’s wedding (also WTF, he couldn’t recuperate in time for Maxwell’s wedding, if MC was marrying him?) and with everything still sort of up in the air in regards to the Royal Council and getting Cordonia back into a good place.

We’re getting bits and pieces about what might be going on with Constantine and Eleanor before her untimely demise – now with Barto and Godfrey plotting something that Eleanor’s fighting against. Bertrand’s right – their dad really has a way of making moments all about him, with walking Sav down the aisle, and scoffing at wedding details. I don’t like Chippy and her constant griping towards the nobles and frequent nagging about money – it’s a wedding, woman, what the hell did you expect? For it to cost nothing?! But I can see how Barto’s comments could easily piss anyone off, especially a bride on the eve of her wedding.

Which brings me to the subject of TIME once again in PB-land. Blake says the wedding’s the next day, but at the end of the chapter, a “few” days have passed before it’s the morning of the wedding where Bertrand’s gone missing. WHAT. THE. FUCK. Make up your minds, PB! Is it a day or more than 2 days? Like… a simple proofread should’ve caught that! *I* caught that just playing through the chapter for the first time!

I loved the food fight for the absolute chaos that it was, and the interaction of the TRR gang, even amongst themselves. It’s one of the best things about the series that keeps me from not playing. The image of Maxwell dumping a bowl of salad on his brother for wanting to be Switzerland, and then Bertrand with his freakish accuracy at lobbing polenta had me laughing until my ribs hurt. I get it – sometimes the families you marry into aren’t what you expected. At all. You’re going to have these underlying tensions, but you might as well pull a Festivus and air out your grievances, to avoid future food fights when it comes to holidays and birthdays.

Each of the LIs (sorry Maxwell stans – anyone playing his route wanna start giving me recaps?) go through the diamond scene at the pond with accurate representation of their core character traits. Liam’s romantic and passionate, his thoughts constantly on family expectations and how he hopes to raise his child(ren) differently than the way he was raised. Drake’s all sexy and smoldery, and we’re seeing his guard go down in regards to what he’s into (being more submissive, the hair pulling, etc.) as he relaxes into being married. His focus is on enjoying the time together with MC before they inevitably become parents – driving home his whole “appreciate the moments in between” idea from TRR Book 1. Hana’s sweet and steamy, but most of the attention is still on MC and making MC feel good/relaxed/happy. She envisions their life as something from a modern fairy tale – one she wishes she could’ve read about as a kid, and wants to focus on showing their future child that love doesn’t have boundaries.

[zaffrenotes]

my mood after today's TRH chapter...

after speaking to Brumford (yes I know his name is actually Bradshaw)

and Amalas

and my general mood towards everyone

but then my husband comes through for me...

😏 there's my very-much-in-character King, in need of sneaking off in the middle of a royal function...

[zaffrenotes]

The Royal Heir Essays

Masterlist for chapter recaps and essays of The Royal Heir. (Basically me yelling and fact-checking as the story continues; follow along at your own risk, lol) 

Each recap is broken down with a random point system which I choose at will to see how the story plays out with Liam as the LI (my preference) versus Drake/Maxwell/Hana. Point breakdown is followed by the essay portion. 

Feel free to leave a comment on this post or individual chapter recaps to be added or removed from the tag list.

BOOK 1

CHAPTER 1 // CHAPTER 2 // CHAPTER 3 // CHAPTER 4 // CHAPTER 5 // CHAPTER 6 // CHAPTER 7 // CHAPTER 8 // CHAPTER 9 // CHAPTER 10 // CHAPTER 11 // CHAPTER 12 // CHAPTER 13 // CHAPTER 14 // CHAPTER 15 // CHAPTER 16 // CHAPTER 17 // CHAPTER 18