Twisted Games

“I loved and hated the shift in equal measure. Loved it because I had more freedom, hated it because I could no longer use my irritation as a shield against whatever was crackling between us.”

Bridget says this once her relationship with Rhys becomes more friendly and open. This quote shows how she has been using their mutual animosity as a shield to avoid delving into her true feelings. This change in their relationship confuses Bridget, as she now has nothing to hide behind when it comes to her feelings for Rhys.

“Maybe I’m tired of living life the way I should and want to live life the way I could.”

Bridget says this to Rhys once she discovers that she is about to become the crown princess of Eldorra. This quote concisely summarizes Bridget’s primary struggle within the novel, for she feels like her life is being dictated for her and resents The Tension Between Love and Duty. As a public figure, Bridget understands that she is not entitled to a private life, but she clings to every ounce of freedom she can get before even more of it is taken from her.

“Complex PTSD. I’d looked it up after he told me he had it. Symptoms included hyper-vigilance, or being constantly on guard for threats. Unlike regular PTSD, which was caused by a singular traumatic event, complex PTSD resulted from long-lasting trauma that continued for months or even years.”

This is Bridget’s explanation of complex PTSD, and this quote shows how she relates it to Rhys’s character. The more she understands his background, the more Bridget understands why he is so alert and overprotective of her. Understanding this part of Rhys brings the characters closer.

“I’d stopped crying, but my heart still ached for him. For us. For everything we could never be because we lived in the world we lived in. But right now, the rest of the world didn’t exist, and tomorrow hadn’t come yet.”

Bridget thinks this just before they return from Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a symbol for the life that Bridget and Rhys could live without the interference of the outside world. During their vacation, they indulge in the illusion of perfect freedom and anonymity. This quote also emphasizes The Tension Between Love and Duty that Bridget and Rhys must grapple with throughout the novel.

“What had Bridget’s reaction been when she found out I was returning? Happy? Angry? Indifferent? She hadn’t refused my request to be reinstated as her bodyguard, which was a good sign, but I also wasn’t sure the palace gave her a choice.”

This quote shows Rhys’s emotions as he comes back to Eldorra to be with Bridget. Although he has little concern for his own emotions, he wonders what Bridget will think of him after weeks of separation. Additionally, this quote shows how Rhys is one of the few people who recognizes the fact that Bridget is often controlled by the palace and denied a say in her own life.

“I was angry. Angry with Nikolai for abdicating and running off to California with Sabrina afterward so they could ‘take some time’ for themselves. Angry at not having control over my life. And most of all, angry at Rhys for turning our reunion into something ugly after we’d been apart for six weeks.”

Bridget’s public persona often requires her to keep her emotions in check, yet here she expresses her feelings openly. She also acknowledges the lack of control she has over her life and recognizes the position that others have put her in: something she has trouble doing throughout the novel.

“Everyone knew the true purpose of the ball, but no one was stupid or untactful enough to voice it out aloud…except for Erhall, who wielded enough power he could get away with insulting the crown princess at her own party.”

This quote comes just after Erhall’s introduction when he asks Bridget about her marital prospects at her birthday ball. The scene portrays him as someone who has little regard for the royal family as fellow humans, emphasizing the paradox that royals have power over everything but their own destinies. This moment also establishes Erhall as a powerful character who has the capacity to rule Bridget’s life, not unlike the palace or the Parliament of Eldorra.

“Perhaps I loved Rhys’s drawing so much not only because he was the artist, but because it immortalized a version of myself I could never be again.”

When Rhys gives Bridget a drawing of her for her birthday, it is significantly the first time he has shown any of his art to anyone. Bridget is honored by this, especially as the drawing reminds her of who she was in Costa Rica before it became public knowledge that she would soon be taking the throne. This also shows how, above all else, Bridget yearns for freedom from the things that confine her: a freedom that she briefly experienced in Costa Rica.

“I hated him. Not because he grew up in a life of privilege, but because he could freely touch Bridget in public. He could take her ice skating, make her laugh, and brush her hair out of her eye, and no one would blink an eye. Meanwhile, all I could do was stand there and watch, because women like Bridget weren’t meant for men like me.”

Rhys thinks this when he sees Bridget with Steffan. Rhys has very little sense of self-worth throughout the majority of the novel, and he often repeats self-deprecating phrases such as this. Though this quote shows his possessive nature, it also emphasizes the fact that Rhys feels intrinsically unworthy to be with Bridget.

“That was one thing that had bugged me so much about being a princess. Yes, the monarchy was symbolic, but I didn’t want to spend my life just smiling for the cameras and giving lifestyle interviews. I wanted something more.”

When Bridget begins her tour of Eldorra, she begins to see the monarchy in a new light. She has always been bothered by the superficial side of her public image, but when she hears the concerns of her people, she wants to be able to help them as their queen. This quote highlights the beginning of a transition between Bridget’s feelings toward her destined public persona.

“Bridget von Ascheberg was mine and mine alone. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t mine to take. I was taking her anyway, and if I could tattoo myself onto her skin, bury myself into her heart, and etch myself onto her soul, I would.”

Rhys’s quote emphasizes his passion and desperation to be with Bridget despite the obstacles preventing him from doing so. Throughout their relationship, Huang uses language related to power, dominance, and submission to underscore the intensity of their feelings and of the power dynamics in their relationship.

“It was risky, dangerous, and out of character for both of us, given how practical we usually were, but we couldn’t have stopped if we wanted to.”

Bridget’s observation continues to emphasize the desperation that haunts her relationship with Rhys. Though both know that their connection might have dire consequences, they “couldn’t have stopped” if they tried. This points to The Tension Between Love and Duty, a conflict that both Bridget and Rhys must reconcile before the end of the novel.

“It’s too bad […] that Rhys is a bodyguard […] If he weren’t a commoner […] I would be all over that.”

This quote from Mikaela summarizes the social aspect of the predicament that besets Bridget and Rhys. Not only is Bridget legally prohibited from marrying someone like Rhys, but their relationship has various social implications as well. Bridget knows that she will face a multifaceted scandal if it becomes known that she is dating her bodyguard.

“I think the reason I’m so scared about being queen is I’m afraid of not living up to my mother’s legacy […] She would’ve made a great queen. Better than me. But I killed her.”

Bridget’s guilt consumes her throughout the novel, and her internal anguish is highlighted in this quote. For the first time, Bridget admits to Rhys that she thinks she is responsible for her mother’s death; this belief is something she has kept secret all her life. More importantly, however, her admission also illuminates the reason for her hesitation at the prospect of becoming queen, for she believes that she does not deserve the job after what her birth did to her mother.

“Possessiveness and anger gripped me—not at her, but at our situation and a world where we were forced to sneak around like criminals. I hated having to hide her, us. I wanted the world to know she was mine and mine alone.”

Rhys’s possessiveness is featured once again in this quote, but his thoughts also highlight the fact that his anger not directed at Bridget; instead, it is caused by their situation. Though Rhys arguably has less to lose than Bridget does by engaging in their illicit relationship, he is still risking his career and reputation. As he has never had such an important relationship, Rhys does not want to treat his connection with Bridget as though it is something to be ashamed of.

“They didn’t care about me, Bridget. They cared about the princess, the crown, and our image.”

This quote highlights Bridget’s main concern with being a public figure. She feels that she is seen not as a person, but as a symbol of the crown, and she must consequently sacrifice everything she truly wants. This is especially hurtful to Bridget when she feels that her family and friends have adopted the same attitude as the general public.

“My mother died giving birth to me. My father died on his way back from buying something I’d asked him to get. My grandfather almost died because I’d refused to give up the one thing that ever made me happy. That was what I got for being selfish, for wanting something for me. Future queens didn’t live for themselves, they lived for their country. That was the price of power.”

Bridget not only feels guilty for her past actions, but she also feels she is not entitled to have anything she wants because of them. At this point in the novel, when she is forced to weigh the various aspects of Private Life as a Public Figure, she realizes that she is only offered the illusion of choice, for she feels compelled to prioritize her duty to continue her family’s legacy.

“I’d never been in love. Never wanted to be in love. Hell, I didn’t even know what love was. It was always something I’d heard about, not experienced, until I met a woman who cracked my ironclad defenses like no one had before.”

This quote reveals just how important Bridget is to Rhys’s character development. Before meeting her, he had never felt love, and Bridget’s love helps him come to terms with many of his issues. Both characters grow as individuals along with their relationship, and this is a common trope in romance novels.

“It was funny how one moment could change your life. One moment, my mother was alive, then she wasn’t. One moment, my squad mates were alive, and the next everything got blown to hell. Literally. One moment, I knew my place in the world, only for it to get turned upside down with the simple unfolding of a paper.”

In this quote, Rhys recounts some of the most significant moments in his life and compares them to the discovery of his father’s identity. This quote highlights just how important this moment is in the course of his life. After his meeting with Erhall, Rhys’s outlook changes completely, and he is able to recognize that he is not to blame for his parents’ actions.

“He would’ve made a wonderful king, but he had to choose between love and country, and he chose love. I think that’s something all of us can relate to. While we, as a royal family, strive to represent the country and serve the citizens of Eldorra the best we can, we are also human. We love, and we grieve.”

This quote comes from Bridget’s press conference about the Royal Marriages Law and shows how she is trying to appeal to the ordinary citizens of Eldorra. As she recounts in the text, Bridget uses the key principles of argumentation— ethos, logos, and pathos—to appeal to the audience’s judgment. In this passage, she leads into pathos, the emotional appeal. By showing how she and her brother are just like any other person with feelings, she manages to win the sympathy of the people of Eldorra and repeal the law.

“Without value, tradition is nothing but an imitation of the past, and the people agree.”

Bridget says this to Erhall when discussing the repeal of the Royal Marriages Law. Much like Erhall’s stance on contemporary issues, this law is antiquated and holds no value in modern society, and Bridget makes it a point to note that the people of Eldorra support this belief. This quote shows a drastic shift in Bridget’s character as she moves beyond following the rules for the sake of tradition and only pursues goals that have value for her people.

“I wasn’t the one who’d been crowned, of course, but we’d waited and planned for so long it was strange to have the ceremony behind us. We’d also had time to get used to the idea of Bridget being queen, and now that she was, it felt right. We always end up where we’re meant to be.”

In this quote from the epilogue, Rhys references an earlier quote that recurs throughout the novel: “We always end up where we’re meant to be.” Bridget tells him this quite early in their relationship, and despite the trials and tribulations they have faced, Rhys finally recognizes that they have found the right balance and are free to honor their love of each other.

“Nikolai had grown up thinking he wanted the throne because he didn’t have a choice not to want it, and now that he was freed from those expectations, he was thriving. Meanwhile, I’d taken up the mantle and grown into the role.”

This quote shows a significant shift in Bridget and Nikolai’s relationship. Whereas she previously resented him for abdicating and leaving her to uphold the family’s legacy, Bridget comes to realize that his choice was the right one for both of them. She also recognizes that both she and Nikolai have grown as people and as leaders because of his abdication.