WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Requiem of the Rose King, Episode 7, “Even if I sin...,” now streaming on Funimation.
In pursuit of a throne that he had no bloodline claim to, Warwick knew that he couldn't rely on anyone but himself. In Requiem of the Rose King, Warwick had contingency plan after contingency plan and was ready to switch sides as soon as he sensed the wind changing. He couldn't throw all of his weight behind one candidate for the throne and as soon as George was deemed a lost cause, he immediately pledged his allegiance to Edward and Henry.
Warwick does not care who he hurts, regardless of whether they're friends or family. He was all too willing to use and throw away his daughters, treating them as mere pawns. As a result, all of the characters in this episode of Requiem of the Rose King feel more or less trapped in situations that they have little to no hope of escaping.
George was tricked by Warwick and manipulated into turning against his brother. He isn't as wily or as clever as Richard, making him the perfect candidate to use as a figurehead. He was fed honeyed lie after lie by Warwick and Isabelle, convincing him that he indeed was the rightful heir to the throne. Then when push came to shove with Warwick asking George if he would be willing to kill his brother Edward and the latter hesitating, Warwick knew that it was time to toss him aside. This leaves George at risk of both losing his throne and the brothers he once treasured.
Unbeknownst to her, Anne had accidentally broken Richard's heart. Although she would love nothing more than to marry Richard, knowing that this is part of her father's political scheme leaves her with no other choice but to refuse. Ironically, this is the only power that she is able to exert but at the expense of her happiness. Unfortunately, her small act of rebellion has only played right into her father's hands as he can now marry her off into a loveless marriage with Edward, thus cementing his ties to the royal throne.
Richard's feelings of entrapment were introduced early on in the anime. His dreams are centered around him feeling like he's being suffocated and this sensation of entrapment gets further exacerbated in this episode. When Warwick launched his rebellion, Richard was forced to dress up as a woman to evade capture. While it was for survival purposes, the thought of disguising himself as a woman disgusted and terrified Richard. He has always identified as a man and always fought to reject the female anatomy of his body. Eventually, he does find some use for the body he detests so much but that 'usefulness' is restrained in the confines of how women are viewed in society: they're property and objects. Women are either there only to satisfy men through their bodies or they're used as leverage for men to gain even more property and power. Women do not have any autonomy or power at all.
In his infatuated pursuit of Richard, Edward unknowingly further trapped Richard in a gender identity that he does not want. It's amusing to watch him try to woo Richard with pastries and clothes but it's harmful, despite Edward's good intentions. He frequently refers to him using she/her pronouns and sees him as a woman. Edward clearly loves Richard but whether or not he loves him as a man or a woman is still ambiguous. And due to his desire to protect Richard, he gets caught up in Warwick's plans and marries Anne.
If given the choice, Henry would have never wanted to be the king. When Henry was deposed, it actually granted him the freedom that he so desired. It stripped all of the duties and responsibilities of a king from him and allowed him to embrace the lifestyle of a shepherd and to fall in love with Richard. But now, because of Warwick, that life is gone. What's left is a throne and a crown that feels more like it's choking him than it is a mark of his status.
