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harleybeaumont · 2 years ago

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Never Have I Ever

Chapter 11 - Demons From the Past - Part 2

Book- TRR

Series- Never Have I Ever

Pairings- Bertrand x MC

Chapter Synopsis- Bertrand relives his past through nightmares.

Chapter Warnings- language, physical and emotional abuse, child abuse, violence, death

Rating - Mature

Word Count- 3,000

A/N- This chapter is pretty heavy as we get a glimpse into Bertrand and Maxwell's past family trauma. Please see warnings above.

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..He turned on the TV in an attempt to drown out his intrusive thoughts regarding a certain woman who was sleeping a mere two doors away, and eventually drifted off into a restless sleep…

Chapter 11 - Demons From the Past - Part 2

Bertrand cowered on the floor of his playroom, looking up into the disdainful eyes of his father. The crystal squid statue in the foyer was in hundreds of pieces, and his father would ensure he’d never see the light of day again. The older man shook his head at his son, “What did I tell you boys about playing your infantile games in the house?! You’re nine years old now, Bertrand! Grow up!”

Bertrand apologized but his father yelled over him. “Enough! Where is Maxwell? I know he had a hand in this as well!” Bertrand didn’t dare to reveal his younger brother’s hiding place. As soon as Max had accidentally knocked down the statue, Bertrand sent him into the greenhouse to hide.

“He didn’t have anything to do with this.. it was all me. I’m sorry father, it was an accident.”

Barthelemy grabbed Bertrand’s arm and jerked him up roughly. “You are going to learn, son. All accidents come with a price.”

Bertrand was transported three years into the future, to the night after his mother died. With his arms wrapped around a sobbing Maxwell, he tried to keep a stiff upper lip. He needed to be strong despite the gaping hole in his heart. He had to be there for his brother, because now they had no one else.

Berthelemy staggered into the boy's bedroom, holding a nearly empty tumbler of scotch. “Quit your blubbering, it won’t bring her back,” he slurred as he glared at Maxwell.

Bertrand immediately stood and walked past his father and out of the bedroom. There was only one way to stop Barthelemy when he started his drunken rants.

“You need to suck it up, Maxwell.. You’re a Beaumont for God's sake! I swear, I don’t know how I ended up with the world's biggest pussies for sons. Although I suppose your mother is to blame for that. It's a good thing she's-”

Crash!

Barthelemy whirled around and saw a shattered bottle of scotch at his feet, amber liquid and glass covering the surrounding tile. Bertrand’s heart hammered in his chest as his father’s ire turned to him. Rage filled the older man’s eyes and Bertrand ran, knowing he would be close behind.

“You son of a bitch, get back here!” Barthelemy yelled, running as fast as he could in his inebriated state. Once Bertrand had gotten far enough away from Maxwell’s bedroom, he stopped and faced his father. There was no use running, and there was nowhere he could hide. Barthelemy cocked his fist and all Bertrand could do was close his eyes tightly, thankful that it was him instead of Maxwell.

Four years later, sixteen year old Bertrand sat behind the wheel of his father’s Aston Martin, massaging his sore neck. The driver behind him swore she had put on her brakes, but the enormous dent in his bumper suggested otherwise. Bertrand only hoped that his father would be more forgiving if he found out about the accident in front of the police. Barthelemy pulled up to the scene in his black Rolls-Royce ten minutes later. “Oh, my son.. Are you alright?” he asked with what sounded like genuine concern.

“Yes, sir.” Bertrand nodded and Barthelemy spoke politely to the police officers before returning to his son’s side.

“Get your ass in the car,” he muttered under his breath and Bertrand obeyed immediately. Once the scene had been cleared and his father’s wrecked car was towed away, Barthelemy slid into the driver's seat. “I let you take my car, and you decided to go joyriding.”

Bertrand shook his head, “No sir, I just wanted to get some extra practice! The driver behind me ran into me, it wasn’t my fault!”

Berthelemy slammed his palm against the dash and Bertrand jumped, “A real man takes responsibility for his actions!”

Bertrand looked down, not daring to say another word. The engine roared to life and Barthelemy took off like a shot. “Were you racing some other punk when you crashed my two hundred and fifty thousand pound car?”

“No sir! I wouldn’t-”

His father cut him off with a forced laugh, “You think you’re an adult, is that it? You can do whatever you want? Well, go ahead and take the wheel, son.”

“What?!”

Bertrand watched in horror as his father let go of the steering wheel while the car continued down the road at an alarming speed. “Go on then.. Take the wheel, Bertrand. Show me how it’s done.”

Bertrand looked between his father and the road as the car began to drift toward the shoulder. “What are you doing?! I swear I didn’t mean to wreck the car!”

Barthelemy casually put his arms behind his head and pushed the gas pedal down harder. “Come on, Bertrand. I said, show me how it’s done.”

The car shook as it drifted onto the shoulder, gravel spraying wildly behind it. They were running out of straight road, and fast. Bertrand’s heart was hammering in his chest. Was his father really about to let them crash and die to teach him a lesson? A turn was fast approaching and Bertrand grabbed the steering wheel, preparing to save their lives.

Barthelemy slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop, fishtailing slightly as it did so. “You arrogant motherfucker!” Barthelemy yelled at his teenage son. “Thought you’d just take over my car, didn't you?!” He threw the car in park and rushed around to the passenger door, yanking it open and pulling Bertrand out. He tossed his son to the ground and landed a sharp kick against his ribs. “You can walk home since you're such a big man now!”

Bertrand coughed and held his aching side, calling out after his father who was making his way back to the driver side. “Please.. It’s almost dark out. I don’t even know where we are!”

Once Barthelemy was back inside, he locked the car doors and cracked the window slightly. “Guess we’ll see how long it takes you to figure it out.”

Bertrand lunged for the passenger door, but as soon as his fingers grasped the handle, his father sped away, leaving his son laying on the ground in a cloud of dust.

The image melted away, revealing one of Bertrand’s worst memories ever.. years later at his college graduation. His father and Maxwell sat three rows back, smiling at him while he received his diploma on stage and gave a speech. He had graduated at the top of his class and been named valedictorian. Initially Bertrand wasn't even sure if he would be able to attend college, since there was no way he could leave Maxwell alone with his father while he wasn’t there to protect him. Thankfully it hadn't been too difficult to convince Barthelemy to send Maxwell away to year round boarding school. And Bertrand’s college graduation coincided with Maxwell’s high school graduation, so everything worked out. After the ceremony, Bertrand went searching for his brother, who had slipped away with a friend.

A minute later, he noticed Maxwell’s friend running full steam out of a hallway. Bertrand headed in that direction and heard the unmistakable sound of his father ranting.

“Smoking pot at your brother’s graduation?! Are you fucking insane?! Do you know how many important people are here?!” Barthelemy berated Maxwell from a room at the end of the hall. “God, it’s no wonder your grades were so piss poor! You know you wouldn’t even have made it through high school if I hadn’t paid them off!”

Bertrand hurried toward the scene before his father could do any more harm to his younger brother.

He was too late. Bertrand heard the telltale smack of his father’s hand connecting with Maxwell’s cheek.

“Dad, I’m sorry! It was just one time!” Max cried, before another slap rang out.

“Don’t lie to me, boy!” Another slap.

Bertrand broke out in a run and found them in a janitor's supply closet. His father was dragging Maxwell toward the door by his shirt collar.

“Father, please,” Bertrand tried to reason with him. “He made a mistake. He’s just a kid!”

“This is none of your business, Bertrand. Get the hell out of here!” Barthelemy shoved Bertrand backwards and he landed on the linoleum floor in the hallway. Barthelemy slammed the supply room door shut with himself and Maxwell inside, locking it with a click.

Bertrand banged on the heavy wooden door, pleading with his father to stop the assault. He threw his shoulder into it several times in an attempt to break it down to no avail.

“You are going to learn not to disgrace our name again!” His father yelled at Maxwell, and a loud crash immediately followed.

“Stop!” Bertrand cried out, watching through the narrow window with tear filled eyes. “Stop, god dammit!” The door wouldn’t budge no matter how many times he threw his body into it. He pounded on the door in frustration, helpless tears streaming down his cheeks. “I'm sorry, Maxwell.. I’m so sorry.”

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t protect him.

The image before him swirled and transformed and suddenly, instead of Maxwell cowering on the floor, it was Riley. His father struck her across the cheek and she screamed.

“No!” Bertrand called out, his heart pounding as he threw his entire body into the wooden door, desperately trying to get to her. Yet his father continued, no matter how much he screamed and begged him to stop. With no other options, Bertrand decided to run for help, but found his feet were suddenly impossibly heavy, and his legs frozen in place. There was nothing he could do.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t protect her.

He swiped away his tears and suddenly it wasn’t his father in the room with Riley- it was Tariq. Bertrand watched in horror as Tariq pulled Riley to him, kissing her forcefully while she squirmed, trying to get away. Bertrand yelled and pounded on the door until his knuckles bled. “Let go of her!”

Tariq turned back toward Bertrand with a smirk before returning his attention to Riley’s now naked body.

“I'm so sorry Riley!” Bertrand yelled through his sobs, watching her struggle. She needed help. She needed him.

And he couldn’t protect her.

Bertrand gasped as he was thrust back into wakefulness. He was drenched in sweat, his heart was pounding, his chest hurt, his stomach was in knots, and tears dampened his cheeks.. Yet his body was surrounded by the most amazing warmth and feeling of security. Once he got his barings, he realized that he was in Riley’s room, laying in her bed with his head in her lap. She was rubbing her hand across his back soothingly, whispering something comforting that he couldn’t make out.

He sat up quickly and saw Maxwell was asleep in a chair across from the bed. The faint orange glow of sunrise shone through a crack in the curtain, slightly illuminating the dark room. Panic began to set in when he realized what must have happened. “How did I get in here?” he asked hesitantly.

“Hey, hey..” Riley whispered, taking hold of his arm and pulling him back down beside her on the bed. “It’s ok, Bert, don’t worry about it.” She wrapped her arms tightly around him and pulled him close to her body again. “I’ve got you. You’re ok.”

Despite the embarrassment at what Riley had possibly witnessed, he was so relieved that she was safe. The fresh memory of his horrible nightmares came rushing back to him and he returned her embrace, letting himself be held and comforted.

She whispered, “I’ve got you.” The feeling of her fingernails gliding across his back and the steady sound of her heartbeat as he lay his head against her chest, instantly set him at peace. She kissed the top of his head, and used the sleeve of her hoodie to dry his face.

“Riley?” He asked, breathing in her comforting scent while she continued to caress his back soothingly.

“Yes?” Her hand stilled briefly and she leaned forward to look down at him.

“Did.. Did Maxwell tell you about.. this?”

She sighed and hugged him tightly against her body. “Ya.. a little.”

Three hours prior..

An insistent knocking at her bedroom door woke Riley with a start. 3:00 am. Throwing open the door in panic, she found Bertrand standing in the darkened hallway outside of her bedroom, swaying slightly. “Bertrand!? Are you ok?”

He just stood there trembling with his arms wrapped around himself.

“Bert?”

Suddenly he choked out a sob and reached out to hold her tightly. “Oh!” Riley gasped in surprise.

His body shook as he sobbed against her. “I’m so sorry, Riley.. I’m so sorry,” he mumbled over and over, and although she was baffled, she immediately returned his embrace.

Riley was speechless as she helped him make his way over to her bed. She turned on a lamp and his eyes fluttered shut but when he opened them again, it was as if he was looking straight through her. Realization washed over her and she helped him sit beside her.

“Oh, Bert.”

He rested his head against her shoulder and she wrapped one arm around him, using her other hand to dial Max.

“Damn it.” Max frowned as he entered her room, taking in the sight before him. “I should have known this would happen.”

“He’s sleepwalking, right?” Riley whispered, her arm still protectively wrapped around Bertrand.

“Ya.”

“I’ve never seen him do this in all the months I’ve been here.. Why did you say you should have known it would happen?”

Maxwell sighed sadly, “It’s kind of a long story.”

“Tell me.. please?” Riley asked.

Bertrand had settled into what appeared to be a restful sleep, and Max helped him lay down on Riley’s bed. He put a comforting hand on his older brother's shoulder while he spoke quietly. “So.. growing up, our dad was always a real dick. Like a really, really shitty person. Bertrand spent his life trying to protect me from him.. Which means he got the brunt of dads wrath most of the time.”

“Oh God.” Riley’s eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth, “Did he.. I mean.. hit you both?”

“Emotional and physical abuse were his forte but he was also a textbook narcissist. He never shied away from telling and showing us how disappointed he was in us. Seems fucked up to say, but I’m thankful dad’s in a coma. The only thing better would have been if he actually died. Me and Bert have seen some of the best therapists around and it’s helped a lot, but.. he fucked Bertrand up really bad. It’s taken him years to stop having nightmares every night. Now it just happens when he gets really stressed out, which is almost always right before the court comes for the Bash.”

Riley’s heart ached for both of them, but especially for the grown man who always prided himself on being the stoic leader of House Beaumont, whose body was once again starting to shake from quiet sobs.

“I don’t know what to say.. I’m so sorry.”

She placed her hand over Maxwell’s, which was still resting on Bertrand’s back. “Thanks,” Max replied with a sad smile.

“Does he remember this when he wakes up in the morning?”

“He does, mostly.” Maxwell nodded. “Although he never wants to talk about it. He usually sleepwalks to my room in tears, and apologizes over and over because he feels like he didn’t protect me enough. It’s also the only time he ever says he loves me. I blame dad for that too.” Max rolled his eyes, “Affection is a sign of weakness according to dear old dad.” He shook his head sadly, “So anyway, when this happens I just put Bertrand in the bed with me and hug him so he knows he’s ok and I’m ok, and he's not alone.”

Riley’s eyes welled up with tears, and she tried to discreetly wipe them away. “Max.. why do you think he came to my room tonight instead of yours?”

“Why do you think?” Max patted her hand sadly, and Riley swallowed down the lump in her throat as more tears fell from her eyes. "You can go sleep in my room tonight, Ri. I’ll take care of him.”

“No,” she swallowed hard while she looked at Bertrand curled up in her bed. “I want to stay with him.”

“Are you sure?”

Riley nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Ok,” Max dropped into a chair across the room, “but I’ll stay too, in case he gets really upset again.”

Riley lay on the pillows next to Bertrand and wrapped her arms around him. “I’ve got you, baby,” she whispered and rubbed his back soothingly until his breathing became rhythmic and calm. After about thirty minutes Maxwell drifted off to sleep but Riley remained awake, occasionally murmuring words of comfort.

Present..

Bertrand cringed in humiliation, knowing that Riley had to witness him in such a pathetic state. It was bad enough when he woke up in Maxwell's room after he had these nightmares, curled up against him like a helpless child. Riley would probably never talk to him again after this.

“I am so sorry. I’ve inconvenienced you terribly,” Bertrand apologized, and sat up. “I.. I need to go.”

“Wait,” She took his arm to keep him from leaving. “You didn’t inconvenience me. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.” That was the last thing he wanted to do. What he really wanted to do was fall into a hole forever.

“Are you sure? Talking can help sometimes, and I’m worried about you.”

“No, I’m fine,” his reply was more harsh than he intended. “Sorry, but I’d really rather just forget this ever happened.”

“You know you don’t always have to shoulder everything alone.”

Bertrand closed his eyes for a moment. “Yes. I do.”

#never have i ever #bertrand beaumont #bertrand x mc #bertrand x riley #bertley #maxwell beaumont #the royal romance #the royal romance fanfic #trr fanfic #trr #cfwc fics of the week

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lilyoffandoms · 1 year ago

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TRR Drabble (Drake Walker x Ava Flores)

Thank you for joining us this month @petiteboheme and for your super sweet messages and kind words these last few weeks! They have meant the world to me 💕 You make me want to love TRR with your fics.

Warnings & A/N: Hope this is in keeping with your babies. I got the idea from how much your Ava’s family reminds me of my own. This idea also comes from something that happened between my Grams and partner when they first met.

[I attempted to write a bit in a language I’m not strong in, so please forgive my Spanish. It is not my first language and I didn’t start learning it until like college (self taught) despite it being my mum’s first language.]

“We’re here,” Ava shouted over the din as she ushered Drake into the foyer.

His hands fiddled with the wine bottle he held, passing it back and forth between them like it weighed a ton.

He was nervous.

And if the clenched jaw didn’t give it away, his bouncing from foot to foot definitely did.

“Take a breath,” she whispered against the kiss she placed on his cheek.

“We’re in the kitchen,” a shout came from deeper into the house.

“Sounds like a lot of people,” Drake said as he stood frozen in place.

“It sounds quiet, actually,” Ava giggled and grabbing his free hand, pulled him with her into the kitchen.

“Mija!” came her mother’s joyous cry as she was quickly wrapped in a hug which turned into a line of hugs and kisses and various greetings as she was passed a crossed the room.

When the hugs and greetings and noise died down slightly, every eye in the room turned towards Drake.

Ava giggled from across the room. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. In fact, she had seen him looked more comfortable in Cordonia at fancy balls than he did in this moment.

She pushed her way through the crowd to stand beside him.

“Everyone, this is Drake. Drake, everyone,” she made the introductions.

There was a moment of silence before the room erupted again into hugs, kisses, and greetings and names introduced that he was sure to not remember.

When he came to a stop having met everyone, the flow turned back to the food spread across the counters, the island, the kitchen table and spilling out onto the dining room table.

Ava found herself sitting at the dining room table with some aunts and cousins. Drake watched from a spot along the island as they wrapped something in what looked like banana leaves.

“Pasteles en hoja. They are one of Ava’s favorite. And while her great-grandmother would be rolling in her grave to see them made now, it’s not often our baby girl comes home,” Celia said beside Drake as she peeled more plantains.

“Debes ayudar si vas a comer,” an older women interrupted with a smile at him from across the counter.

“Um, what? I’m sorry I-“ he asked bewildered as he turned his attention to the woman who’s name and relation he couldn’t remember.

Ava’s mother laughed beside him and patted his hand.

“Dolores. She is Ava’s abuelita,” she whispered to him before leaning back and speaking up. “She said you must help if you plan to enjoy eating with us.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” he looked at the wine still in his hands and then to the food spread out on the island. “This is for you,” he held the bottle of red wine out to Dolores. “Ava tells me you enjoy making vino caliente when the family gets together.”

The woman’s eyes lit up as she took the expensive bottle and glanced at it with a smile.

“¿El buen vino?” she laughed. “Nunca buen vino para el vino caliente, ni para viejas hermosas, tonto corazón de melón.”

She laughed and gave him a quick kiss before patting his cheek.

“Um?” he looked bewildered at the people around him now laughing.

“She only uses the cheapest wine,” someone said to him. “And I do mean the cheapest,” and to make their point they made a sour face.

Dolores opened the bottle Drake had given her and poured herself a glass before producing another bottle from the lower cabinet.

“Solo este vino. Las cosas buenas que bebo,” she raised her glass toward Drake and took a large gulp of wine before gesturing for him to come help her chop some ginger root.

“I think she must really like you,” a cousin said beside him with a clap on his back. “She doesn’t let anyone help make her vino.”

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All Choices Tag: @storyofmychoices @peonierose @aallotarenunelma @inlocusmads

#choices trr #drake walker x mc #my drabble #i like to live dangerously and so do not edit please forgive any mistakes #choiceswriterappreciation2023 #week 4

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lorirwritesfanfic · 1 year ago

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Tag game

Thank you so much for tagging me @lizzybeth1986 😘

Currently Reading: The Age Of Empire by Eric Hobsbawm. History is my current obsession. Choiceswise, I think it was Crimes of Passion 1 or Queen B 2... It was a while ago... I don't know for sure which one was the last one.

Favourite Colour: Purple

Last Song:

Last Movie: A documentary about the events that led to a coup d'etat attempt in Venezuela during 2002 called Chavéz: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Like I said before, History is my current obsession.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury: Sweet. I like savoury and spicy too (despite my little tolerance to spicy food 😅), but sugar is my addiction.

Currently Working On: Does daydreaming about it qualify as "working on"? Real life has been so time consuming lately that it took me four days to finish watching my last movie watched 😅 I do have many ideas for Hayden Young Appreciation Week, some half written WIPs for my Bloodbound series, Desire & Decorum AUs, TRR series and one shots, TWC one shots and a very messy sketch of a certain Choices character I miss dearly, but I don't know when I'll post them. (The sketch might never be posted though 🫣)

Tagging: @havenroyals @lilyoffandoms @princess-geek @andthatisnotfake and anyone who feels like doing this.

#tag game #Spotify

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sciralta · 2 years ago

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Sometimes I theorize that a big motive for PB pointlessly genderlocking certain books is because they're too coward to make sexy revealing outfits for m!MCs. Like, forgive me if I sound like I'm reachng here, but I think it's pretty damn telling that of all the books where MC can wear lingerie/sexy underwear, only 3 of them are GOC while there are about 10+ that are GL.

Then again, I'm not sure I can trust PB to actually make good-looking underwear for m!MCs (or m!LIs for that matter). Look at the shit that AME m!MC, TPA m!MC, m!Sam, OH m!MC, m!Reagan, and the male TRR LIs got for "sexy underwear"– and, heck, even the default underwears that most m!MCs and m!LIs get– and tell me PB isn't just lazy as all fuck when designing for male/masc characters.

I mean… it’s a very funny tinfoil hat theory that’s obviously not the reason but it’s real fun to act like it could be.

My thing is: I genuinely do not know whether the reason the male fashion—in particular the sexy fashion—is lame as is because PB are lazy and just phone it in, or because they genuinely just have bad taste and don’t know what’s sexy. I mean, it’s probably both, but the fact that we haven’t seen a single speedo or sexy jockstrap outfit just proves to me that we have people who have no idea what they’re doing in charge of this.

What I’m saying is that they need to hire a gay to oversee the men’s clothing, stat, and if there already is a gay overseeing than they need to hire one who’s actually cool with taste. Like, Jesus Christ, get the opinion of someone who’s been to a leather bar or seen gogo boys at least once in their life. We can’t keep living like this.

#hashie if you’re reading this you know exactly what this reminds me of lol #anyway on a similar note still can’t believe PB put my boy rafael in those god awful board shorts and not in a pair of hot speedos #AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN IF ANYONE IN PRODUCTION HAD TASTE #ask me

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dragonknightofsummerset · 11 months ago

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An excellent essay, once again. Took me a bit longer than I'd like to sit down and write out my response but here it is: I think 1 of the first instances I saw (from people I followed) where Penelope was actually called out amongst fandom, was when someone mentioned how they chose the option to never forgive Penelope in trr2?(not sure if it was 2 or 3 tbh) but then in trh there was the whole "auntie peppie" thing which really annoyed them, and it annoyed me as well, because I think by the time trh rolled out I had replayed through the trr trilogy several times & it bothered me how there was no consequences for Penelope to face, it's the MC who is punished for deciding they don't want to be friendly to the woman who put them in a dangerous situation. I also remember when fandom tried saying Kiara was mean to Penelope and isn't there an option in trr2 to call Kiara out for how she talks to Penelope? But she clarifies that she is looking out for her? Either way, Kiara and the Therons were done dirty all in order to prop up and coddle Penelope, which is so frustrating when you see how Kiara was treated by the writers and the fandom.

Where you mention how Penelope is the titled one, and Kiara the "smart one", it reminds me of how Hana is described by her beauty whereas the male li's get to be described as diplomatic and other things that have nothing to do with their appearance and moreso their character. (I'm certain it's mentioned in one of your essays about Hana). & seeing as how you mentioned how fandom treated Sloane, despite her having anxiety as well, vs how coddled Penelope was, reminds me also how fandom treated Lily for cracking jokes during serious moments while defending Maxwell for doing the same.

Which brings me to Maxwell, I was okay with his character in trr1 & actually found a fandom theory about him interesting, where there was a chance he was the one plotting against the MC/Liam but with trr2 that theory disappeared. However, I did not like that they turned him into the comedy relief character, because even though some of what he says/does in trr1 can be described as silly, that wasn't his entire personality. Liam calls him perceptive in book 2, but you can see a little bit of that in book 1 in regards to when he points you to Kiara and Penelope when there is a chance to win their favor. I also didn't like how fandom forgot/tried to erase that Maxwell was incompetent in trr1 in regards to getting the MC prepared for all the events, he gets so much credit for getting MC through the social season when it was Hana (& Liam) who did most of the work in preparing or taking care of the MC.

Maxwell and Penelope: When You Like Your Side Character So Much, You Gift Her a Shiny New LI

Series - TRR's Alternative LIs: The Romances that Didn't Happen

Previous - Liam and Olivia: When You Prefer the Side Character to the Main

A/N: There won't be a lot of exploration on Maxwell x Penelope, as there is very little the pair gets in canon. I will be largely looking at their individual characterizations and the changes and retcons made there. There will be a lot of exploration on Penelope x Ezekiel.

CW: Mentions of Penelope's actions as part of Constantine's nefarious plot against the MC in TRR1 & 2, mentions of Penelope's social anxiety.

(Screenshots from the Skylia YouTube Channel, Drake playthrough)

Compared to the other three alternative romances, Maxwell x Penelope turned out to be a bit of a one-chapter wonder. It was extremely short-lived, and the only indication that it had ever happened was one conversation between Penelope and the MC in TRR2 Ch 6, after which there is no reference to it, ever again.

In my mind there are two major factors behind this pairing being left behind, which I will get into later in this essay. However, what I find even more interesting is what the narrative and the writing team did with Penelope after they set aside that subplot. What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that?

But before we can get into that, we need to look (separately) at how Maxwell and Penelope were written in TRR1, and how it culminated in the characterizations they got by TRR2.

The Evolution of (White) Side Characters

One thing that fascinates me about TRR1 is the trajectory of some of the characters, when you observe them on rereads. We often go into those rereads with a strong impression of their character type (or stereotype), before we learn to our surprise that the initial writing doesn't always match the image we carried in our heads.

In the case of some side characters, we may find traces and hints of a totally different characterization, before the team zeroed in on a trope or characteristic that may have hit the right chord with the audience. When done right, this could result in a more rounded character. But in the wrong hands, the writer may keep falling back to that one trope that made the character click, and turn them into caricatures instead.

Maxwell and Penelope are representative of different tiers of side characters, at least in TRR1 - which means that what we may expect in terms of treatment will vary as well. Even before TRR2, Maxwell was more LI-tier adjacent; until he got his LI-upgrade in TRR2, he was a frequent presence in the story and the MC's life, enough that his fans started a "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign. Penelope (along with Kiara) was a far less important character with infrequent appearances.

So of course their trajectories wouldn't be the same. It's interesting, nonetheless, to see how the writing changed over the course of the series, what parallels or complementary traits made the team consider Penelope as an alternative for Maxwell by TRR2, and why they ultimately let go of the pair after one chapter.

As we go through these stories, I think I'd like my readers to keep one thing in mind throughout - Penelope is an anomaly as a character. There are very specific things she is given that at least one other character in the same position doesn't get. Why?

I might not be able to give the answer in this specific essay, but I do think it's a question we need to keep asking ourselves as we go through her story.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR1

A truly interesting thing about Maxwell was that he was initially not even conceptualized as a prominent character in the books! In their promotional interview for TRR2, Kara mentioned this about the creation of his character:

Excerpt from The Royal Romance: Book 2 interview.

Maxwell was initially conceptualized as a fun foil for Bertrand, the MC's tentative guide for the social season - who the writers considered too stiff and boring to stand alone as a character. Owing to his proximity to both Liam (close friend) and the MC (sponsor), it made sense that Maxwell was a part of the group scenes from the jump.

Going by the interviews, clearly Maxwell's 'fun nature' was his main USP for the writers. TRR1 does try to balance this aspect of his personality with scenes where he shows perceptiveness (such as pointing out opportunities to ally with Kiara or Penelope), but as time goes on he is viewed more and more as the 'funny guy' of the group. He also has a side-story connected with his older brother, who isn't very impressed with his work during the social season (tbh, for good reason!). This side story allows us to view him with sympathy and perhaps overlook all his failures as a sponsor (and there are many examples of this throughout TRR1. Most of the opportunities to connect with the main LIs emerge from all the times Maxwell failed to adequately guide her - teaching her the Cordonian Waltz, explaining the significance of the Regatta Race, finding the right tents, telling the MC to get swimwear for a beach party!).

Of course, because TRR2 (where the Beaumonts are her staunch allies from the jump, even before the LIs return and pledge their support shortly after) and the "Make Maxwell an LI" campaign created such a strong impression on the fandom, people remember him most as the "person who was always there for the MC".

Though he doesn't become an LI in TRR1, we do get our first ever hint of the possibility midway through the book:

(Screenshots from the HIMEME YouTube Channel)

Most of the people I know joined the TRR fandom either in the middle of Book 1, or after Books 2 or 3 - therefore, much of what I'm about to say next is down to conjecture. It is possible that either some stans did pop up in the initial chapters, resulting in the hint in Ch 8, OR that the writers tentatively teased this pairing with the dialogue at the Lythikos Ball, and were gratified enough by the response to continue teasing it. By TRR1 Chs 10 and 11, there was already plenty fanfic on Maxwell x MC. The writers were clearly encouraged enough by the response to toss a few more hints (the MC asking Maxwell about taking his shirt off at the beach, the implications of the MC telling Maxwell she is falling for someone else). Before the fandom knew it, Maxwell had already become the beneficiary of two diamond scenes focused on him in TRR1 (a flashback scene that introduced Savannah, and having fun sliding down banisters in the finale).

Penelope's trajectory in Book 1 didn't experience as meteoric a rise in popularity, but there were changes made throughout the series until she did become somewhat popular. Her trajectory could be categorised in three parts:

1. A minor noble who was very poised and proper (snobbish, if you weren't fitting in well enough)

2. Adorable ditz

3. The lady with social anxiety (TRR2)

From their entrance in TRR1 Ch 3, both Penelope and Kiara were written as extremely minor characters compared to the three frontrunners (and one female LI) of the social season. They accept early on that they don't have much of a chance in the competition, and are the first contenders (barring Hana) that the MC can get on her side. They represent the opinions and mindsets of the royal court.

Because of this, Penelope and Kiara initially appeared almost indistinguishable from each other. The only thing that seems to set them apart is perhaps the introduction Olivia gives at the Masquerade, pointing to Penelope's lineage and Kiara's linguistic skills and diplomatic pedigree. She was the titled one, Kiara was the "smart" one.

(Penelope's scenes from my failplay, in order:

1 & 2: Ch 3, while speaking about Olivia's connection to the Prince, and if you ask her and Kiara why they allow Olivia to call them 'harpies'

3 & 4: Ch 4, Penelope's response to the MC saying, "Penelope, hands off my man"

5 & 6: Ch 6, if you don't fall in line behind the Queen and bump against her instead

7: Ch 6, when Olivia is shocked that Liam chose the MC

8: Ch 8, reaction to Olivia kissing Liam)

Penelope's early scenes in TRR1 didn't showcase the traits she is now so well-known for. She wasn't the "adorable ditz" until the Applewood chapters; in fact her scenes in the first half often showed her as poised and very proper. At the Masquerade she calmly points out to the MC that there is no reason to be offended, when Olivia bluntly declares that no one else has a chance with Liam. She expects decorum from the MC when she cuts in during her dance with Liam, and even comments on the inappropriateness of some of Olivia's behaviours and cautions her when she gets a chance. If your MC makes mistakes in public in certain scenes, Penelope doesn't hesitate to laugh at her.

Her allyship scene in Ch 10 hinges on the MC's ability to convince Penelope of the advantages of supporting her, and rescuing the lady from a crab bite. She is extremely rude in certain options, and ends their conversation with the sentence "I'm not nice" if she isn't convinced the MC is worth supporting. In fact, she is allowed to call the MC a commoner wench in a certain dialogue option!

(Screenshots from my failplay. The top half shows a response to one of the MC's dialogues (she is merely sad if you choose the second one). The second is the end of the conversation when the MC asks for her support)

In a failplay especially, she can be very, very mean-spirited, which is truly ironic given her later characterization as someone who is herself uncomfortable in court and makes more than her fair share of silly mistakes. Fortunately for most of the players, the more "positive" version of the scene sounds a bit more like she's scared and uncomfortable and not equipped to handle the rigors of court. Which makes the "adorable ditz" direction that PB takes, post Regatta, a bit more believable.

Once Penelope is no longer a contender, both she and Kiara recede to the background. You don't see much of her in Applewood and Ramsford, but the little you do see primes us to view her as "sweet and silly" with a bit of a poodle obsession. Two very good examples of this is the "cheating scene" at the pie competition (TRR1 Ch12) and the aftermath of the Beaumont Bash (Ch 16). At the pie competition, Olivia and the MC can team up to distract Penelope so they trick the rival team into adding salt in their pie instead of sugar, by getting her to talk more about her poodle obsession. At the end of the Beaumont Bash, she is shown exchanging drunken chatter with a horse. The book also makes her preoccupation with poodles way more obvious, where before it was brought up only once at the Masquerade Ball.

Discrepancies between portrayals in the first book vs the latter ones is par the course for TRR. Every character has those in some way or form. Maxwell's story in TRR1 and 2 at least could make sense with enough headcanons to fill in the gaps (for why he was inefficient in his support of the MC, for why his relationship with Drake was so fraught) and his characterization is a little bit more consistent. But Penelope's, on closer observation, is a complete mess and her story doesn't make any sense when put together.

Maxwell and Penelope - TRR2

Compared to the other three pairings, Maxwell x Penelope doesn't go beyond a single chapter.

(Screenshots from Skylia's YouTube channel)

This solitary hint pops up in TRR2 Ch 6, right after the Big Clue about Penelope's social anxiety. We're given the usual options one gets for alternative LIs - a "matchmaking" one, a gently discouraging one and an insulting one, the last two of which could be read as jealousy from the MC's end. In fact, the MC's third dialogue option in this scene is so mean spirited that Hana is required to soften the blow!

There's something interesting about the matchmaking response for this scene, and I think it says plenty about the writers and the lasting impression of these characters they wanted us to have.

"You're both a bit silly...but in a way that works." It's a reading of Maxwell and Penelope that leans very strongly into their potential as comic relief, that views the two characters as alike. Both "cute", both "silly", both there to give the characters (and readers) the occasional laugh.

Is this completely accurate to their characterizations in TRR1? Probably not. But it's clearly what the writers imagined would work well for those characters.

Interestingly, TRR2 is also where the team seems to experiment more with these two characters, and finds the characterizations they think would land with the audience. Maxwell's changes are related more to the belated buildup the narrative was giving him to be an LI, and most of Penelope's was related to her role in the plot against the MC. Maxwell is given more heroic traits (eg. the Savannah storyline and his involvement in the investigation) to beef up his story a bit, and plenty of hints are scattered specifically to tease a romantic route with the MC for more than half the book. The narrative also leans far more into his position as comic relief than TRR1 does, making it his most identifiable trait.

There are tiny nods to his "perceptiveness" (Liam mentions it twice in TRR2), but he does a lot of things that you wouldn't see a TRR1 Maxwell do, like tossing a bruschetta at a foreign dignitary or playing with food to get the forgiveness of his friend (btw the Drake Maxwell friendship reads very differently from the first book; they're remarkably chilly in their vibes towards each other initially. Of course, one could headcanon what caused a rift, but that's still us doing the work instead of the writers!!).

Because so much time has to be spent bringing Maxwell's romantic route up to speed with the rest, the progress of the relationship is different from the other three and his romantic scenes cost less (until TRR3 Ch 10, his first 30 diamond scene). Much of this is par for the course for an LI who has entered the game late. In addition, the narrative also tries in TRR2 and 3 to balance his role as the MC's sponsor with his new role as LI, and it doesn't always land (eg. his excitement for Liam's proposal to the MC two chapters after becoming an LI, or his weirdly impersonal reaction in the TRR3 Ch 11 Armory diamond scene in his playthrough, in response to Madeleine mocking Liam for the MC favouring Maxwell). In part this is a result of laziness from PB's end, and in part it's because navigating Maxwell's new role itself may have been a tricky business.

Penelope's TRR2 trajectory, in contrast, is the textbook definition for "throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks". Hints of her involvement in the plot don't even show up until Ch 6, just one chapter prior to the reveal. The reasoning given for Penelope's actions in TRR1 - social anxiety - also directly contradicts what is shown of her during the timeline when she was supposed to have been involved in the plot. TRR1 Ch 14 and the Coronation at the finale shows her acting calm, collected and enjoying herself. A lot of Penelope's actions in TRR1 and 2 - esp at the Coronation and in Fydelia - cast an extremely poor light on her when you take into account that she knew the MC was innocent, and that she'd played a part in framing her. From the way the reveal of her condition was done, and the way we're expected to brush her wrongdoing aside immediately, it's clear that Penelope's "social anxiety" was more about tossing in a last-minute Hail Mary to excuse her actions, rather than any real interest in exploring the subject.

Given the sloppy execution of this reveal, it is entirely possible that Madeleine could have been the "lady" in initial drafts (the strongest evidence of this is TRR2 Ch 1's "constitutional clause", which is never referenced again once Madeleine is no longer a suspect), and they made a switch in the nth hour.

It is also possible that writers in the team liked Penelope enough that they wanted readers to still like her after she'd betrayed their MCs. She hasn't been referenced or mentioned in any team interviews, but the writing speaks for itself. No matter what she's done, the narrative insists the MC center her, sympathize with her, and coddle her. I will speak more at length on how in the TRR3 section.

Why did Maxwell x Penelope Not Take Off?

(The first three screenshots are from the Abhirio YouTube Channel, and the rest are from the Radiance Guardians YouTube Channel)

Unlike in the case of the other pairings, not a lot was said in the fandom about this pair either way, even among Maxwell stans. You did have the occasional "hands off my man!" post from a Maxwell shipper, but not to a great extent. At this point many of them were still unsure whether a Maxwell route would be finalized, and even kept Liam as a standby in case all that teasing from the team came to nothing.

Again, most of the theories for why this pairing had just one scene are mere conjecture, since there isn't much evidence overall. But looking at the placement of this scene and what happens before and after it, I can think of two possible reasons why it was nipped in the bud:

1. Maxwell being a late-in-the-game LI could have made balancing an actual romance route and interactions with an alternative love interest tricky in the long run. As it is, his writing was subject to gaffes and mistakes in TRR3 even without this added storyline. It's possible they decided to just ensure that they got Maxwell to the point where he could have his own 30-diamond love scene (which happened in TRR3 Ch 9 btw (half a book after Drake and Hana got their first 30-diamond scenes), and not focus on anything else.

2. This teaser scene came up in Ch 6. Ch 7 is when Penelope is revealed to have tricked Tariq into coming to the MC's room, and paid the photographer to take intimate photos of her. Now to be fair, the narrative does insist she be sympathized with rather than judged. But I do think a subplot like that would automatically make her an unpopular candidate for any LI, much less one who hasn't even been clearly established as an LI yet! Having Maxwell fall for a woman who did the MC dirty wouldn't reflect very well on him, social anxiety or no. In fact, in Ch 8, Maxwell's reaction to the news is the strongest - he calls Penelope "a few dogs short of a pack", "downright diabolical" and even suspects she was lying about having poodles.

3. It is just as likely that Maxwell x Penelope was never a serious consideration for the writers in the first place. Possibly, Penelope's scene here was simply another hint in a rising pile that teased a Maxwell romance route. Players often do get an added pleasure from watching their MCs mouth a catty dialogue or two to a romantic rival, so this scene may have been more for the benefit of a Maxwell stan who wanted to "fight for her man" rather than an actual possibility if he wasn't getting picked.

Whatever their reasons, Maxwell and Penelope's chances as a couple ended pretty much in the same chapter that it began. It didn't create much of an impact, and no one really seemed to notice this pairing, or the lack of it. It basically started and finished with a whimper.

TRR3 and Beyond - Penelope and Ezekiel (ft. A Flanderized Maxwell)

Penelope is an anomaly among the side characters (and even among certain mains!) in both series'. She is the only person seriously involved in the plot against the MC, who needs massive coddling to even answer our questions about her betrayal (if not, Hana has to take over for you). She is the only lady-of-the-court who can refuse to attend your wedding. She is the only lady-of-the-court who can choose to travel with the entourage to another duchy, despite not being part of the Unity Tour. She is the only one among the three former ladies-in-waiting who can openly complain about Madeleine's bullying, and expect protection against her from the group. Until TRH2, Penelope was the only side character for whom massive divergences in the narrative would be made as well, to accommodate her comfort and mental health (More on that in this essay).

She is also the only alternative LI to be "rewarded" with a brand new character, crafted specially for her.

Until TRR3 Ch 7, the fandom didn't even know Kiara had an older brother. Even though the person we know best in Castelserraillan is Kiara, we actually spend less than a minute with her, and far more time with Ezekiel Theron. There is an entire diamond scene that's about pampering and complimenting him, making him comfortable around us, getting him to open to us - even though his sister was the one injured at Homecoming Ball. And of course, the entire reason for Penelope to even be present at Kiara's estate is so that she and Zeke can be paired up by default! Even at the Food and Art Festival, Kiara's only real default dialogue apart from winning over her mother (or not), is about moving Penelope and Ezekiel's romance along.

Both Penelope and Ezekiel join the Unity Tour only by option, so the narrative puts in a great deal of effort to get the romance going (by having Penelope only stop at Kiara's estate by default) and allowing the two to still have a fledgling courtship going on if they weren't together at the Unity Tour (Penelope still gets to meet people who inspire her into dog fashion and she and Zeke still show their interest in each other, propelling the parents to discuss their match).

The only thing we know about Ezekiel, and pretty much the only thing that really matters, is that he loves animals. In a court that views Penelope's love for dogs as an oddity, Ezekiel is a character tailormade to romance her. He rarely features in scenes that don't show her (the only exception is the menagerie scene in Ch 14), he rarely has dialogue outside of his scenes with her, he doesn't even have a personality beyond what would best suit Penelope. This character exists only to romance Penelope, which is depressing esp when you consider that she is a white woman, and he is a black man - and she is clearly the only one who even matters in this relationship!

There wasn't any real reason to give Penelope a partner. "Penzekiel" doesn't really do much for the story in general, and not a lot would change if you dropped them. But the narrative deems it essential to give her a "reward", which is ironic considering what she put the MC through and how much we had to coddle her for her to even consider cooperating, either in the investigation or during the Unity Tour. Presumably this "reward" is for her "niceness" and "sweetness", which only works because the narrative completely erases her misdeeds in the social season after TRR2. She never has to remember what she did, nor does anyone in the core group remind her.

With regards to Maxwell, by TRR3 he is a full-fledged LI who gets a wedding with his MC, in certain playthroughs. Much of his playthrough focuses on trying to catch up with the other 3 LIs - you can sleep with them if they're your fiancé/ée, but you have to wait until Ch 10 to sleep with Maxwell. The narrative mentions him taking up "responsibilities" for House Beaumont in lieu of Bertrand, but without any real scenes that show us what he is doing, nor any tangible results (we will not talk about Maxwell's book here!).

He doesn't have any alternative romances. In fact even his romantic playthrough is kinda bare - his only individual scene is the Armoury scene which isn't even about him, and there were glitches that were very noticable particularly in his and Hana's playthroughs. There are no references at all to the alternative romance Maxwell was given in TRR2; it's almost as if that option had never existed.

Penelope being a romantic option for Maxwell doesn't stop the two from having friendly exchanges in TRR3 though. Maxwell was not only allowed - but expected - to treat Penelope with sympathy and respect.

(First set of screenshots is mine, the second is from Skylia's YouTube Channel)

Not only Maxwell, even Drake - who hates most nobles - is shown being extremely protective of Penelope in both TRR3 (promising Penelope to protect her against Madeleine) and TRH3 (showing anger at Guy's blackmail of Penelope and her family). The narrative is very clear that we are expected to make Penelope feel safe, even if she has never made us feel anything but unsafe.

This relationship - and the level of coddling that Penelope has always received from TRR2 onwards - continues into TRH, where she and her beau Ezekiel are shown together, there are occasional updates on their relationship when either one appears in a chapter, and where they eventually marry and start a family. An interesting pattern begins to emerge once we get into TRH.

(Screenshots from Skylia and HIMEME's YouTube Channel)

As the only courtly lady in a relationship in TRH, Penelope gets a nicer, cleaner, more luxurious and more drama-free parallel to the MC's romantic journey. Like the MC, she finds a suitor who falls for her and wants to be with her. Like the LI, he eventually stages a grand proposal for her (TRH2 Ch 18), after they have spent a significant amount of time together. Like the MC, she has a widely publicized wedding (though tbh Penelope's was better customised to her tastes, and as the MC we put even more work into her wedding than we ever did our own!! (we were both her bridesmaid and her officiant, our daughter is the flower girl, we give her the perfect bachelorette, we rescue her from her asshole ex-husband, we help her select lingerie!!!)). And when the MC announces her second pregnancy, Penelope announces to us her first. Penelope's storyline has all the romantic trappings that the MC had with her LI, but without the tension, the conspiracies, the attacks and kidnappings, or the constant fear that someone is out to get her and her family.

Penelope is basically treated like MC-lite. Quite the upgrade for a mere side character who actually did us dirty at one point.

Does Maxwell - her potential LI for all of one chapter - suffer as a result of this upgrade? Apart from the Flanderization, I would say no, he actually didn't.

He doesn't get the lavish Drake treatment, true, but he is centered in the issues that bother him. The MC, by default, has always been expected to defend him to Bertrand from TRR1 onwards, and often argues that Maxwell tried as hard as he could to help her, even when he didn't. Her sympathy towards him whenever Bertrand justifiably berates him for his negligence is by default too. And while he improves in TRR2 and (somewhat) 3, in TRH3 the entire group is thrown into this position again. Even though Maxwell exaggerates events in his friends' lives to an insulting degree in his book and the subsequent movie adaptation, the group often brushes their discomfort aside and supports him instead. And even though his lies in said book about Bertrand (TRH2 Ch 11) indirectly cause the latter to give up his lands to their father (resulting in Bartie Sr's attempt to usurp the throne), the MC spends all of the next book comforting him, involving him in her investigations, and patting his hand sympathetically while he moans about the father who killed the former queen of the country, all while ignoring the son of the woman Bartie Sr. killed, and raging against the elder brother who is secretly supporting them (even after the reveal, the group judges Bertrand heavily and even suspects him of being part of Via Imperii in TRF). Very little is said - either by Maxwell himself or by anyone else - about his role in facilitating this awful takeover.

All in all, Maxwell may have not gotten an alternative LI at the end of the day, and his overall LI path was pretty messy - but there was some thought and consideration put into his writing. The focus on Penelope and her new romance never actually harmed Maxwell.

Fandom

As I've mentioned before, Maxwell wasn't an LI in the beginning, but rose to LI status in Book 2. While the writers did make claims once in their TRF finale livestream that they had planned to make him an LI all along, I find that a bit hard to believe. From the way the hints were dropped it's way more possible that this was a development that came up once enough people in the fandom found him attractive enough to be LI material.

As the Make Maxwell an LI campaign grew in popularity, the fandom often held a rosy view of him, calling him "the only valid white guy", celebrating his queerness (as they should! It was hinted that he was pansexual in TRR2 Ch 18), showered him with sympathy and called Bertrand names for berating him. None of the nitpicking that certain other LIs would get for not supporting her properly, ever touched Maxwell. Nor did the fandom - who did criticize him quite a bit for his trashy book, and protested his Flanderization - ever view him with anything besides sympathy when he struggled to believe his father was evil, after he'd encouraged his brother to make said father the head of Beaumont House. This was the same fandom that didn't hesitate to find the most nonsensical excuses to trash Liam.

The Maxwell-Penelope scene was a fun way for some Maxwell stans to allow their MCs to act a bit possessive of him, and they were very critical of Penelope's betrayal later. But the overall response to Penelope's storyline was overwhelmingly positive. Many related to what she said about suffering from social anxiety, and especially to the lines about her emotional support poodles (ironically in another book, Sloane Washington got scant sympathy or respect despite clear indicators that she suffered from social anxiety too), and were quick to forgive.

(I must confess I was among this portion of the fandom too, but with the belief that she would address it more strongly herself in TRR3)

Fandom didn't mind buying into the canon myths that Penelope was a "sweet, naive" girl, and part of this is understandable because not many got to see what she was like in the failplay. So it was easier to presume that she would still take a little responsibility and wholeheartedly regret her actions, without seeing the failplay scenes where she is shown expecting to be treated like royalty by the woman she screwed over. Penelope and Ezekiel were viewed by most as a cute pair, with some (justifiably) liking this interracial match initially. Many readers who were fond of Penelope even criticized Kiara for being "mean" to her or "joining in Madeleine's bullying of her", when Kiara's behaviour was clearly more protective than harmful.

There was a slight rise in a general negative attitude towards Penelope in TRH3, when she could prioritise her wedding over the looming terror of the MC's child being taken away from her, and only speak up when the MC encouraged her at the altar. But very often people who made these criticisms clubbed her and Kiara together, as if they were a single unit...as if their actions and choices throughout the series were the same. As if Kiara got the same concessions and pampering that Penelope did. In reality, the choices the two women made - and the narrative treatment the two women got - couldn't be any more different.

Individually, Maxwell's and Penelope's stories show us what happens when the writers of a story lean too much towards fandom adulation, and allow it to dictate the way their stories will go. In both cases PB found a beat that the readers liked and stuck with it, never expanding beyond that one trait and causing the two to be caricatures of themselves. In Penelope's case especially, once her anxiety story resonated, the narrative used that to encourage readers to pamper her ad nauseum, and justified her lack of genuine care for anyone but herself through constant reminders of her mental health condition.

I will repeat the question I'd asked at the beginning of this essay - What did TRR3 give her in lieu of this alternative romance, and why, and what does it tell us about the narrative that she alone got that? That's a question I hope you'll keep asking in the next two essays.

Next: Hana and Madeleine

#trr #alternative li's #long post #sorry to any maxwell stans but he really started annoying me by trr3 & trh/f did not help #i know you dont want to discuss his book but i just have to say that i hate that it's a thing in the series #i might be forgetting to mention something and i'm sorry if not everything makes sense #i was jumping back and forth from typing this and looking at the notes i made while reading this lol

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annaroselyn · 2 years ago

Note

How long have you been played RC btw? And did you left Choices fandom or...? Oh my, I'm sorry if I am beeing too curious right now. Forgive me. I just realized old Choices players often play RC right now. Well, I'm one of them now too 👀

I started playing RC in November of 2019. I remember because I was looking for something to do while on a Thanksgiving trip with my family. I read the first two seasons of Queen in 30 days, a book I love but never recommend but it is very odd. I started playing Choices in early 2018, with TRR of course. I still read Choices but the books I like have been few and far between lately. I am not currently reading any new books at the moment. I am excited for the CoP, TCH and Blades sequels.

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txemrn · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 1,309 times in 2022

382 posts created (29%)

927 posts reblogged (71%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@ao719

@kat-tia801

@sfb123

@socalwriterbee

@moodmusicmonday

I tagged 1,063 of my posts in 2022

Only 19% of my posts had no tags

#reblog - 415 posts

#the royal romance - 359 posts

#hey queue - 313 posts

#open heart - 220 posts

#choices fanfic - 195 posts

#liam rys - 186 posts

#ethan ramsey - 185 posts

#you asked - 178 posts

#choices trr - 173 posts

#tathan - 150 posts

Longest Tag: 122 characters

#i have a vague idea of what is going on in tna right now but in my perfect universe these two are together and flourishing

My Top Posts in 2022:

Happy Belated Birthday, @charlotteg234 !

We love you so, so much, and we hope your day was just as incredible as you are!

💜, @kat-tia801 & @txemrn

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77 notes - Posted May 27, 2022

Boughs & Mockingbirds

Part 8

Need to catch up? B&MB Masterlist

Book: The Royal Heir

Sunmary: King Liam Rys painfully recounts the final week leading up to the birth of the royal heir during Riley’s hospital stay-- in ICU.

☆☆☆ Canon deviation of the end of TRH book 1/beginning of TRH book 2)

Warning: language; fairly angsty; some NSFW material

⛔ TW for Sensitive Readers⛔ heavy discussions and depictions of medical emergencies during childbirth, including some descriptions of newborns that may be dark and unsettling; some main characters will face life-threatening situations while others experience PTSD and heavy grief; please use discretion

Pairings: King Liam Rys x Queen Riley Brooks-Rys; Maxwell Beaumont x Hana Lee

Word count: ~6100

Series Song Inspirations: “I’ll Never Be Ready “ by Veridia 🖤 “Soon You’ll Get Better” by Taylor Swift 🖤 “Head Above Water” by Avril Lavigne

A/N: To my readers that follow this series: thank you for your kind words and encouragement to get this chapter out! This story took quite a break between chapters, but it's back (we're still not at the Last Apple Ball, but it's coming). Also, a HUGE thank you to all of my sweet readers and brainstormers (@ao719 @charlotteg234 @kat-tia801)! This was a group effort, and I can't thank y'all enough for your wisdom! Also, this chapter wasn't truly beta'd, so please forgive my errors. Also, the characters, the plot, and some dialogue belong to Pixelberry.

~🖤~

Present Day

Liam carefully opens his irritated eyes. Holding his aching head, he peers through his fingers, taking in the disarray of his wife’s hospital room. Empty syringes and medicine vials litter the floor. Furniture is tossed chaotically against the wall. Bags of fluid and blood that were once feeding into Riley’s veins now hang desolate in the air on metal poles. In the darkness, it looks like a post-apocalyptic scene from a horror movie.

But, for Liam: wasn’t it?

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83 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

It's that time again!

Hey, sweet friends!

Firstly, if you are being tagged, that means that at some point, you enjoyed something that I've written and asked for a tag. And for that, I want to thank you so much for the support! 💜

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90 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

Pour Two Glasses

Chapter 2: "... the fear that I can't control this."

Need to catch up? Click Here!

Book: The Royal Romance (post series)

Word Count: 5385 (+/-)

Series Synopsis: In the midst of a violent political war, Queen Riley Rys’s life is dismantled overnight, forcing her to flee Cordonia to live in hiding as a commoner with a loyal, best friend

Series Song Inspo: “Pour Two Glasses” by the Movielife

Chapter Song Inspo: "A Place to Start" by Mike Shinoda

Series Warnings: angst; profanity; major character death; grief and mental health discussion; discussion of violence & war; alcohol use; NSFW material

AN: It's back! It's back! And this girl could not be any more excited! I love this story, and I hope you will join me in this adventure as Riley learns to live and love again after tragedy. HUGE Thanks to everyone that helped over the past year to help bring this story to life! To my beautiful writing sister-in-crime @kat-tia801: thank you for all of your encouragement in keeping me focused and for pre-reading! These characters and some plot points belong to our friend at Pixelberry.

AN2: Block quotes are not working for me. When there is a change of scenery, it will be indicated by a separation with (----------); if the scenery deals with a change in time, it will be labeled as such at the top of the scene (ex "present", "past", etc). If it is a flashback, that entire section will be italicized. I hope this helps.

~🖤~

Present

It has been almost two days since King Liam's aircraft was savagely shot down off the coast of Tunisia, approximately two-hundred twenty kilometers southwest of Malta. Rescue efforts were made by both Tunisian and Italian officials, Cordonia joining them the next morning, but gravely, only remnants remained of the plane. The hope for peace appointed by the UNM now lays desolate, set adrift in the darkness of the sea.

Two days.

A mere forty-eight hours is literally all that stands between Drake Walker and seeing his childhood friend alive.

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96 notes - Posted May 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Stay

Prologue: a Shadow in the Dark

Pairing (current): Liam Rys x MC (Riley Brooks); Drake Walker x f!OC (Jodi); Leo Rys x Madeleine Amaranth; Constantine x Eleanor

Word Count: ~5250

Summary: With her family facing deportation back to Auvernal, fun-spirited Reid Ambrose quits college to support her family. But as fate would have it, she accepts a temporary job as a caregiver for the royal family, an experience that will challenge her, break her, and devastate her world in the most exciting of ways.

Series Warning: ⛔ Please Be Advised: 18+ Only ⛔This series will contain mature material, including foul language, NSFW 🍋, discussion/depictions of war, violence, gun violence, assassination attempts; medical situations, including major character injuries; ethical dilemmas including euthanasia & bodily autonomy; mental health, including depression, PTSD, suicide

Series Music Inspo: "Awake" by Secondhand Serenade

Chapter Music Inspo: "Nothing Makes Sense Anymore" by Mike Shinoda

AN: I know, I know. I have no business starting a new series, but the inspiration was there, so I hope y'all don't mind. In the meantime, thank you so, so much for sticking with me as a writer. Majority of these characters and some plots belong to our friends at Pixelberry. Special thanks for my sweet friends that read over a few excerpts. This was never fully pre-read or beta'd, so chances are, there will be mistakes. Please forgive me! Also, you will recognize some items from canon; other items may be completely contradictory to canon. Just got with it, and enjoy the story. 😊

~🖤~

A harmonious chorus of early morning robins resound across the sleepy Cordonian countryside. The brilliance of the new-day sun remains hidden under the horizon; however, the sky splashes with vibrant hues of violet and indigo in anticipation of its grand arrival.

The fresh scent of the springtime gardenias wafts gently with the cool breeze into the bedroom suite. With the tickle of pollen on his nose, Liam quickly stirs from his deep slumber, absentmindedly scratching his face. He then allows his entire body to grow rigid, stretching out the tightened muscles of his physique, his feet falling off the edge of the bed: one of the sacrifices he makes staying over at her place.

Blinking his eyes awake, they carefully adjust to the various shapes of the darkened room, his favorite laying mere inches away from his own exposed figure. And he smiles. The slope of her bare hips, her perfectly tossed lavender-scented waves, even the melodic hum of her tiny snore: Liam is completely helpless, completely captivated with his girlfriend Riley Brooks.

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115 notes - Posted March 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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msjr0119 · 5 years ago

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Forgive me

Part 9

A mini series, includes suicide and abuse.

Based on true events but using TRR characters who are owned by Pixelberry.

@annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @beardedoafdonutwagon @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @lauradowning29

A shorter chapter compared to others...

******

Anton paced up and down, wondering what excuse he could use for being in Cordonia. He had to think tactfully- a way to brainwash Riley into thinking he was infact Justin. Frustrated that she rejected him back in New York two years ago, he had every intention of making her the rightful Queen in Cordonia alongside of him. Falling instantly in love with her after unexpectedly meeting her, he became obsessive- stalking her. That was until she became pregnant with Cordonia’s heir- a spanner in the works. Luckily Leo didn’t have a clue about his true identity when they met.

*****

Riley was grateful for her friends helping her out with Lucas, so she could see to Liam. Walking into the room, the nurses were removing the gauze from Liam’s eyes and inspecting them.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes.” Placing a kiss on his lips, she noticed at how much he had improved.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better now I can see you. I’ve missed your beautiful face. Where’s Lucas?”

“Max and Drake were arguing over who was the best uncle. In the end they both took him out. I’ll have to rescue him from them soon. Have they said when you’ll be discharged?”

“Well technically I’m the best uncle as I’m blood. Remind them that next time. No not yet.”

“That is true. Take this time to rest, not worrying about what is going off. Kiara is fine. She’s shaken up. But is grateful for you saving her life.”

“I’d do it for anyone in my court. As much as I was missing you two I’m just glad you weren’t there- I don’t know what id do without you both.” Holding his hand, she didn’t know what her future held- sure he said yesterday that he wanted to make her his princess but she believed it wasn’t true words.

“Neither myself or Lucas are leaving you. You’re our family. I better go and rescue tweedle Dee and tweedle dumb. I love you Liam.”

“I love you too Riley.”

*****

Riley arrived at the palace, she avoided walking by the ballroom. Even though she wasn’t present at the time of the attack- she had images in her mind of what happened. Walking to the courtyard, she saw Lucas between the two men. They were still arguing about who the best uncle was.

“Can’t believe you two. And technically Liam is the best uncle- argument over. Those were his words not mine.” Picking Lucas up, he held her tightly- feeling like a rubbish Mom abandoning him, she wanted to spend the rest of the day just the two of them.

“How’s Liam? King Constantine is wanting to see you by the way. He needs to introduce you to someone.”

“He’s looking better- they removed the gauze and patches. Oh. Do you know where he will be?”

“Most likely his study. We will go and visit Liam now then. By the way, how can he be uncle and father at the same time Riley?” Maxwell winked as he left with Drake, the fact that he stated was true. Most people would think it was an odd relationship to have- keeping it in the family.

******

Arriving at the study she hoped he wouldn’t keep her long. Knocking on the door, she was nervous- they hadn’t exactly had the perfect relationship.

“Riley, Lucas. I’m thrilled that you are both back.” Eying him suspiciously, she didn’t understand his new sincere attitude since Leo’s passing.

“Your majesty.” She curtsied, even with the struggle of holding a one year old.

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet. Ever since the attack, I need you both to be safe. Bastien has organised a personal guard, Mara who you will meet within a few days. But there is also someone else, due to Leo’s passing and you have caught the presses attention and they have been asking constant questions. I’ve hired a personal public relation officer, if we need him for any reason. Riley, this is Justin.”

“Hello again, Riley.”

“J-Justin?” The colour drained from her face. The man who became obsessed with her, showing no interest in him at all- she rejected all his efforts to take her on a date. Using the marriage card.

“Do you two already know each other?” Constantine asked, not thinking anything bad of it.

“Yes, we met in New York a couple of years ago.”

Riley stay calm but get out now! You’re not safe.

“If that is all, I’ll leave you alone your Majesty, Justin.” Justin grabbed her wrist as she turned around to leave, attempting to keep calm even though she was beginning to panic about Justin’s motives.

“I’m so sorry to hear about Leo. It is such a great loss. When I met him on those few occasions, he was a gentleman.”

“Yes he was. We all love him. I really should get going.” Exiting the room, Justin followed her.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Can you leave me alone please.”

“You lost one prince, have you moved on with Liam? Why did you reject me? I would have given you everything.”

“Because I wasn’t interested Justin. I was Leo’s wife whether or not it was fake.”

“Is it because I’m not a prince?”

“Justin please let me go. I’m not interested.”

“If anything happens to Liam, I’ll still be here Riley.” Riley nodded, trying to stay calm. Needing Leo to elaborate on what he meant by her not being safe. Justin walked away smirking.

******

Drake and Maxwell entered Liam’s room, smirking at him.

“You did all this to get a rest Li?”

“Of course I did Drake. Your jokes get better everyday.” The friends all laughed together.

“So, what’s going on with you and Riley?” Maxwell asked intrigued for some positive court gossip.

“I love her. She says she loves me. I know what I want but I’m not sure if she will want it?”

“What do you mean? Her moving here?”

“Yes. And....” Liam blushed, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

“And?” They both said in unison, looking at the love struck prince.

“And I think... no I know... I want to marry her. Make us a family, I know Lucas will never be mine but I’ll protect them both and love them both for the rest of my life.”

“Beaumont, pay up now.” Liam looked bewildered at the pair- Maxwell exchanging money whilst shaking his head.

“Drake had a bet that you’d make her our future Queen.”

“She hasn’t said yes. I haven’t even asked her. It’s probably too soon.”

“She will say, yes. If not, I’ll not have any whiskey for a year.”

“Now that id like to witness.” Liam laughed, knowing full well that he would never go cold turkey. The friends sat and talked for a while, mainly talking about Riley. Wondering what type of future Queen she would be. Both men were truly happy for Liam, neither had seen him so smitten before. Both hoping that they could live happily together with no more drama.

*****

Hiding in Liam’s quarters, Riley felt nervous- paranoid that her stalker had somehow crept back into her life.

“Leo, why are we in danger. Please. I need you know to show me a sign or speak to me again.” A cold breeze went past her. Closing her eyes, she didn’t want to open them.

Ri, Justin isn’t who he says he is. The day I died- it wasn’t suicide. They forced me to write the letter... they wouldn’t allow me to ring you to say goodbye. They drugged me. Careful to not mark my body- they planned everything. They left me- I struggled, hoping I’d be able to escape the noose. Justin planned the attack. He’s trying to kill all the royal family to take over the throne. Take a leaf out of Olivia Nevrakis’s book- carry a dagger at all times. You can outsmart him, together. Inform Liam, Maxwell and Drake. Together you can all kill him if you act careful. Don’t put yourself or Lucas in any danger. Please forgive me for not being able to stop any of this.

#theroyalromance #choices trr #riley brooks #drakewalker #maxwell beaumont #liam rhys #leo rhys #trr forgive me

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deb-1106 · 1 year ago

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@petiteboheme My OTP do almost NOTHING that follows canon. 😂 After book 2 of TRR, Canon got very annoying, and I used it more as a timeline than anything else. In my stories, Liam presents Drake and Ava the Valtoria duchy as a wedding gift. It's not given to Ava, because I found that totally weird and cringy. Bestowing it upon his closest friend and his new bride (who rejected his advances at every turn) as a gesture of goodwill and forgiveness makes much more sense to me. As for TRH...I don't even follow that as a timeline. 😏 After the honeymoon on Liam's private island ...that story is dead to me. 😂

MC Madness

Okay, so I know that I’ve missed every deadline. 🙈 But the thing is…I started all of them!!! LOL I just have terrible follow-through.

So I combined weeks 2 and 3 (party prep and party time) into one mood board to try and get back on track. I apologize profusely to @choicesmcmadness for completely flouting the rules, but here we are. 😋

I’m tagging my current tag list. ❤

@ao719 @burnsoslow @sincerelyella @charlotteg234 @thirsty-flygirl @mskaneko @choiceswreckedme @walkerismychoice @txemrn @twinkleallnight @imashybish @blackcatkita @katedrakeohd @boneandfur @sfb123 @queenrileyrose @foreverethereal123 @kingliam2019 @nestledonthaveone @bebepac @petiteboheme @princess-geek @indiana-jr @nikkis1983 @yukinagato2012 @tessa-liam @marshmallowsandfire @twinkleallnight @tinkie1973 @mom2000aggie @walkerdrakewalker @alyshak92 @emkay512 @karahalloway

RSVP

Who will be coming?

Duchess Ava Matheson Walker

Where are they coming from?

Ava is my MC from The Royal Romance series (and the Royal Heir, although I’d rather forget that travesty.🤮)

Are they going to be bringing a date to the party?

Ava will be accompanied by her husband Drake Walker, The Duke of Valtoria.

Keep reading

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destroy-the-cannon · 3 years ago

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Brief TRR Thought Dump

Ok. So I know by now we’ve all seen the royal finale announcement, coming out THIS JULY, but can we talk about it for a sec???

I cannot be the only one having mixed feelings on this. Because yes, the royal heir has been kind of a hot mess. So much so that I never even finished the first book!! (having my mc be pregnant was just too weird for me) And I’m sure we can all agree that the time is definitely here for the series to end. But do y’all remember that first book? The one that came out YEARS ago? Can we take a second to think about that?

That series was the second one I ever read on choices. It’s what started this blog, it’s how I discovered the fandom. Those characters, their relationships and interactions, meant so much to me. Even if I dropped off them for awhile, going back through my old posts and reblogs reminds me how much I still love them, and what a source of comfort those books were to me. And I know we’re all kind of celebrating the end, because it really is about time, but can we also take a second to mourn?? It’s really all over. And I’m going to miss it. Olivia. Maxwell. Hana. THE BLOODY CORGI(S). These books were a choices staple. A constant, for so long. And it’s actually coming to an end.

#forgive me if this incoherent #it's late and I'm tired and sad #gonna go replay b1 now #and then... I'm gonna try and finish try b1 #will revise this later when I can make it make sense #but I hope the general message comes across #I hope I'm not the only one feeling this way #trr #the royal heir #the royal romance #Riley brooks #drake walker #maxwell beaumont #hana lee #olivia nevrakis #liam rhys #Liam rys #the royal finale

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cordonian-literature · 4 years ago

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Forever Mine

chapter two

❦ summary — The time for Princess Riley to step into her role as queen fast approaches and finding the future king is Cordonia’s top priority. Commander Liam is aware of that, and has plans to make sure the princess ends up with someone suitable.

➺ chapter warnings: none

❦ catch up here!

➺ word count: (+/-) 1640

*all characters belong to Pixelberry, except those unique to my story*

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Liam constantly glances at the pink box throughout the night, and it is the first thing he looks at the next morning — his neck stiff from the odd angle he had slept in.

Once he’s rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, the Commander sighs at the pile of unfinished reports. After getting up and taking a look at the time, he knows that he’ll have to skip the Derby. The tight grip he has on his pen makes his knuckles white.

On the other side of his door, a servant stands ready to give him coffee. The young man hesitates to knock, and his hands shake while he pours the Commander his drink. Noticing the intense look in Liam’s eyes as he stares down at his papers, the servant rushes to finish pouring the coffee and walk out of the room, convinced that the worst thing that could happen to him was that man’s gaze falling upon him.

No kind comment from the princess would change the palace staff’s opinion of the Commander; everyone knew that he was a man one must only have limited contact with.

…

As the limo begins to slow, anticipation and dread creep into Riley’s stomach. She moves her hand over her skirt to straighten any wrinkles and prayed the paparazzi won’t have anything negative to say about what she’s wearing or how she looks.

Olivia had told her that she looked modest and respectable, and Riley could only hope that everyone else will think so, too.

Keeping her knees together, Riley swings out of the vehicle, plastering a practiced smile on her face. She tries to continue towards the tents, but reporters block her path. This was the part Riley hated most. She struggled not to squint at the camera flashes aimed directly at her eyes. She didn’t know the answer to any of the questions the reporters were asking her.

The anxiety suffocates her. A whimper escapes her lips, but is drowned out by the noise around her. Olivia notices and gives Riley’s hand a gentle squeeze as security makes them back off.

While passing through the crowd, Riley keeps her eyes peeled for her father. If Constantine wasn’t here, then that means that Liam most likely wasn’t either. Disappointment floods through her; Riley had wanted to continue her conversation with the Commander from last night. Not only that, he knows how to easily douse her anxiety: something she desperately needs now.

But she doesn’t have a chance to think much about him: Leo and Drake step in front of Princess Riley, asking why she’s late.

“The race is about to start any second,” Leo states, gently grabbing Riley’s arm.

“Then what are you two doing out here?” she asks playfully. Pulling her brother and Drake into the tent.

“Actually,” Drake slides out of her grasp. “I’ll find you guys when it’s time for the picnic.”

The three of them stop in their tracks. Olivia scoffs. “Where are you going?”

“Gonna go wait in the stands,” Drake lies.

“For who?” Leo questions. “You always watch the races with us.”

“Yeah, but—”

“No but’s!” the princess cries. Riley practically pushes Drake into the tent, ignoring his protests.

A shot rings out, signaling the start of the races. The distant thunder of horses running vibrates throughout the air. Leaving her friends near the entrance of their tent, Riley makes her way towards the railing to catch a glimpse of the animals as they pass by.

Drake watches her childish excitement, slightly amused at the way she frowns when her favorite horse slows down and Olivia’s speeds up. Riley yells supportive phrases to the horse, which it can’t hear or comprehend. Leo keeps an eye on his friend, about to ask Drake why he didn’t want to watch the races with them, and notices the way Drake’s features soften while looking at the princess.

Leo doesn’t break Drake out of his trance, and instead watches as the man walks up to Riley and laughs when Olivia complains about her horse slowing down again. The more Riley laughed, the wider Drake’s smile became.

Noticing this sends an itch onto the back of Leo’s neck, but it’s not as bothersome as the one from the night before. Seeing Drake lean close to Riley as she laughs at her friends wasn’t as irritating as watching Liam do the same thing.

A feeling of pity rushes through Leo: he understood his friend’s feelings. He supported them, too. Drake’s side was one of the few places where Leo trusted his sister to be safe.

But in a few months, Riley would have to choose the man she was going to marry, and none of the options were Drake. As much as Leo wants to help his friend, he internally curses at the idiot for keeping his feelings hidden for so long.

"Because anyone could see that she’s been losing the last few races,” Drake says to Olivia, breaking Leo away from his thoughts.

“So the years Estella spent with a flawless record mean nothing?” Olivia throws back, talking about the horse. “Of course you would be the one to think you know everything about horses.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Drake questions as Riley links her arms with his and Olivia’s and leads them out of the tent while they argue. “All I’m saying is that the horse lost. They need to stop letting her race.”

“As long as she keeps fighting, she hasn’t lost.”

“How does that—” Drake tries to start, but Riley ushers them into the limo and stops her friends from continuing their banter.

...

The gentle wind of the afternoon and the light song of birds on the path towards the picnic almost made Liam forget about the two soldiers following close behind. They were asking for an increased number of troops to be sent out. Liam was too distracted thinking about his darling to come up with the right number, so he told the two that he would give them answers when he returns to the palace.

They salute and walk away. Once Liam nears the main party, he takes a moment to survey the guests and analyze what they were doing. When something bumps into his left side, he doesn’t even notice until a delicate voice rings out, “My apologies!”

Before Liam even turns his head, he notices that the apologetic person has grabbed some guests’ attention, who turn away and snicker when they see the fallen person. Liam moves to aid the woman.

He reaches his hand out to her and assists her in standing up. The woman’s long dark hair and small figure vibrate through Liam’s memory, and he realizes that he stands in front of the infamous Hana Lee. He hadn’t heard much about her reputation, but he knew just enough from the guests’ giggles as they stared at her.

“No worries, Lady Lee,” Liam says to her, bringing her soft hand up to brush against his lips. He feels her hand twitch slightly, perhaps in nervousness, but when Liam lifts his head to meet her eyes, Hana’s expression yields nothing.

Liam tries to continue the conversation. “I hope you enjoyed the Derby.”

“It was lovely,” Hana manages in a shaky voice, eyes darting towards a group of laughing ladies.

Liam leans closer to her. “Try your best to ignore it. Letting them get under your skin is letting them win. Show them that you’re unfazed by it.”

When Liam leans back, Hana’s eyes are wide, but her shoulders are a bit straighter. Unfortunately they tense up once more when another woman’s voice calls her name.

“There you are, dear!” she says, putting her hand on Hana’s shoulder. Lorelai Lee, Liam realizes. In a low voice, one that Liam knows he’s not meant to hear, Lorelai continues, “I told you not to walk off alone, there was a gentleman waiting to be introduced to you... Did you introduce yourself to the Commander?” She turns back to Liam and exchanges a respectful greeting, allowing him to kiss her hand.

In the middle of the conversation, Duke Landon approaches Liam.

“Ladies.” He nods his head.

“Duke Landon.” Lorelai repeats the action, then turns to Liam, a wide but stiff smile on her face. “We won’t keep you occupied any longer, Commander. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“Likewise,” Liam returns, giving Hana Lee a smirk as she turns away with her mother, allowing him to catch a slight blush that appears on her face.

How... easy, Liam thinks to himself, toning out Landon’s ideas for the upcoming meeting with the king. Respectfully he allows the Duke to finish talking before walking on, keeping his eyes peeled for the princess.

Exchanging nods with members of the nobility were tiring. He held everyone’s respect, but not many people held his.

Finally, Leo’s blond head and deep laugh come into Liam’s view. The prince watches his sister play croquet with Lord Maxwell. Liam makes his way to the side of the picnic sight, where tables filled with pastries wait to be eaten.

He pretends to examine the sweets, but as he brings some bread to his mouth, he watches as one of the balls Maxwell hits goes flying into a bush. Liam watches as the princess and Maxwell lean close to each other and laugh.

After containing her laughter as best she can, Riley lifts her head to look around if anyone saw Maxwell’s mistake. Thankfully, she only comes into contact with Liam’s soft gaze. She waves at him, and he walks over.

And while they talk, neither of them notice as Leo’s expression turns sour. When Liam says he must leave early, neither of them notice how Leo’s face relaxes — but Leo watches both their eyes express an intimate sadness, one that Maxwell jokingly shares.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

please let me know if you would like to be added/removed from the tags :)

@twinkleallnight @gkittylove99 @sweatyrysconnoisseur @kingliam2019 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @queenrileyrose @royalromancer @princess-geek @mom2000aggie @hopefulmoonobject @zoehanji

#forgive me for updating so late and for this being so short but i promise i'll try to update more often from here on out #trr fanfic #trr au fanfic #evil liam #liam x mc #drake x mc #choices fanfiction #the royal romance fanfic #trr leo #trr liam #trr drake

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