Thoughts on Prince Liam’s Reaction (The Royal Romance, Book 1 Finale)
It seems like a lot of people were upset by Prince Liam’s reaction in the finale. I’m a Prince Liam stan through and through and this didn’t bother me at all. What bothered me more was that his duty as the next king forced him to choose Madeleine.
Yes, I am making a distinction between (1) Prince Liam’s reaction to the scandal; and (2) Prince Liam being forced to choose Madeleine. They are related but they are not the same thing, and it’s important to know the difference.
There are three parts to the way the Prince reacts when the scandal breaks. I’ll go through each and try to underscore why I feel they are justified and very much in character.
1. As soon as Prince Liam sees the pictures, he looks for MC. I think this is the highlight of how he reacts to the scandal, because unlike others (e.g. other suitors, whose support we thought we had), he doesn’t immediately jump into conclusions. Prince Liam’s knee-jerk reaction – and I argue, his most important reaction, since this is his initial, unthinking response – is that he wants to find MC. He is arguably more shocked than anyone else in the room in that moment, but the first thing that comes to his mind is neither blame nor judgement; he just wants to see her.
2. When the Queen tells Prince Liam that MC must have withdrawn, he counters that he has to speak with MC. At this point, he looks angry. We see the Queen pull him aside.
I can only make a guess at this point, but she probably reminds him about his “princely duties” and compels him to choose his bride. It doesn’t actually matter what she says, because we know how seriously Prince Liam takes his responsibility to Cordonia and its people. As long as it’s for the good of the kingdom, we know Prince Liam will do it as long as it’s within his power.
Will you fault him for this? Remember, this is the conclusion of the social season and he is not only expected to choose a bride; existing rules in Cordonia require him to. If you recall what the Prince mentions a few chapters back, running the small kingdom is no easy feat. Scandals at court, among other things, can plunge its economy into a slump. Consequently, this can adversely affect its people.
If anything, I think Leo’s presence in this chapter is also meant to be a reminder that no, Cordonia cannot afford to face another scandal at this time, not when the last one happened only very recently.
We have been told, again and again: Social season is not for Prince Liam to find the love of his life. It’s for him to find someone who will rule Cordonia together with him.
3. The King announces that the Prince must make his choice. There is a pause, and here Prince Liam looks furious – until finally he calls Madeleine.
You can argue that the Prince could have said no; he’s a prince and he’s going to be the future king. But here’s the thing: being a prince doesn’t give him absolute power, and neither does being the future king. There is a reason why a Council exists, and that is for checks and balances. For those who are not familiar, this kind of setup is in place to make sure that whoever is sovereign cannot abuse his or her power. Again, the rules dictate that Prince Liam is going to have to choose his bride when the social season concludes; he cannot say no, regardless of his feelings about the matter.
What do you think would have happened had he refused? Well, if we’re just going to consider him and MC, both the best and the worst case scenario end up with them being able to talk that evening, him finding out the truth, and everything being sorted out… eventually. Certainly not in one evening, whether we’re being optimistic or pessimistic about it.
Now here’s a more interesting question, since we’re involved with a prince: What happens to the people beyond him and MC? More specifically, what happens at court and the people of Cordonia?
The obvious answer is that the Council will not be happy, since Prince Liam calling for a “pause” flat out defies existing rules and tradition. If the Council has members who put great importance on tradition, this can be seen as an act of disrespect, and they cannot be expected to support the Prince in his choice at all. On the other hand, if Prince Liam’s family has enemies who want to end their reign, it can be used as a justification to seize the throne from Prince Liam and keep him from being king at all. The timing cannot be more perfect, because King Constantine has already announced his abdication prior (during the Regatta).
Let’s look at what will happen to the people of Cordonia from an economic perspective. Let’s consider one scenario, where investors considering putting up their business in Cordonia hear about Prince Liam bending the rules to suit his purpose and defying the advice of the Council. His actions will precede him moving forward. Tabloids can probably spin it as romantic, but business circles will consider it reckless, unwise, and not befitting of a future king at all. “If he’s already acting so whimsically before he is even king,” they will ask, “what keeps him from doing so after he is crowned one?” One of the basics of doing business is that your expectations of what will happen in the future will influence your decision today. If businessmen expect Prince Liam to continue this behavior when he becomes king, they will most likely move their business somewhere else. Not only will Cordonia’s reputation suffer, it will also lose employment opportunities and tax revenues, which would have otherwise helped its citizens and its economy.
Considering the what-if scenarios listed above, do you really think Prince Liam had any other viable move at all?
Before I conclude this, I have one more thing to say: It is a gross disservice to Prince Liam’s character to call him “a pushover”. Really? Have we been reading the same book? It pisses me off that anyone can possibly think of him this way, and I will absolutely not stand for it. He is many things – reserved, thoughtful, perhaps even overly cautious and selfless to a fault – but these are the things that make him a good man and a great future king. He has been preparing to rule Cordonia all his life, and he knows exactly what is at stake. He knows that what his heart desires has no value whatsoever when it comes to the decisions that he must make as a member of the royal family. This awareness, together with his genuine concern for his kingdom and his people, are what guides his actions and the way he conducts himself.
If you don’t realize that… well that’s very disappointing.
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