WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Requiem of the Rose King Episode 8, “Even Alone, It Wasn't Frightening. Rather... the Loneliness Has Been Kind Ever Since Losing Father,” now streaming on Funimation, as well as discussion of sexual assault.
Believing he was a demon, Richard grew up cynical and suspicious of the entire world. When he meets Henry, however, his notion of who he is gets turned upside down. To Richard, Henry symbolizes the childlike innocence that was stolen from him at a young age. He represents safety and unconditional acceptance -- something Richard sorely yearns for in Requiem of the Rose King. Looking at it through this lens, it seems inevitable that Richard would fall in love with Henry.
Yet even though Richard is slowly opening up to Henry, the latter is closing himself off at the same time. The king has his own personal demons to contend with that may pull the two of them apart. Episode 8 marks the second time they've created their own safe little haven removed from the rest of society, but it's perhaps the first time that Richard has ever seen Henry this vulnerable.
Henry didn't merely save Richard by taking care of him after he was injured; it went beyond that. In his delusional state of mind, Richard dreams of being back in the forest of his nightmares, haunted by the monsters' voices. The monsters taunt him, saying that nobody would mourn him if he were to die. When the branches strangle him, Richard doesn't fight it. In fact, it looks like he's embracing his death.
Becoming the light in Richard's eternal darkness, Henry was the one who metaphorically ripped off those branches and took him out of the forest. He even begged for God to spare Richard and kill him instead. Not once has Richard had someone willing to sacrifice their life for his.
Unfortunately, the moment in Requiem of the Rose King where Richard realized his feelings was the same moment that Henry revealed he could never be in a romantic relationship with anyone. After witnessing his mother's infidelity -- as well as the sexual assault he suffered at his wife's hands -- Henry is afraid. He isn't afraid of women so much as love and lust which, to him, are tied closely together. He can't see love without lust and vice versa.
This is part of the reason why Henry falls in love with him, or at least to the extent he will allow himself to: Richard represents purity. Henry doesn't feel the same kind of love that Richard does for him. Rather, Henry feels a kind of kinship, a friendship borne of platonic love and unshakeable trust. Richard's heart was already broken after hearing how Henry suffered, but it broke even more when he heard Henry's declaration that he would never love anyone.
What's even worse is that Henry has put Richard up on a pedestal and sees an idealized version of him. It's an enormous amount of pressure for anyone to live up to those ideals. How could Richard ever show his true self to him, knowing Henry might hate part of himself while also knowing that no matter what, he won't be able to get through to his heart?
Requiem of the Rose King may never put these two together as there are so many factors that will make it difficult to strike up a romantic relationship. They're destined to be on opposing sides and while Henry might be willing to throw his crown away, it doesn't look like Richard will ever stop until England is back in the House of York's hands. Right now, neither one knows the other's true identity but it's only a matter of time before the truth is revealed. Now that he has fallen in love with Henry, their eventual falling out might destroy Richard.
