English Dub Review: Requiem of the Rose King “I’m Afraid I’m Going to Lose the Answers I’ve Gotten and…Everything Else.”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Edward, now king, enlists Richard to guard the secret of his affair with Elizabeth Woodville. Alone in the woods, Richard has an unexpected encounter that raises unsettling questions.

Our Take:
This episode continues where the previous one left off, with Edward having secret meetings with his lover Elizabeth. But, of course, he remains oblivious of Elizabeth’s true intentions. Meanwhile, Richard re-encounters Henry, and they have to stay in a villa together thanks to an unexpected rainstorm.
Much of the episode focuses mainly on Richard and Henry, who ran off from Lancaster to find him. This forces Queen Margaret to send Prince Edward of Lancaster to find Henry. As the story progresses, we see Richard and Henry feeling closer than ever, which could mean they may become more than just two friends hanging out in a villa.
This episode was quite a surprise for me for that reason alone. Aside from its animation, the story delivers plenty of development between Richard and Henry, mainly the former. It showcases the complexity of Richard’s inner emotions as he questions his sexuality towards Henry, who seems to love Richard more than his wife. That’s one way to piss off Margaret even more.
Considering that the main character is intersex, it’s a bold attempt in the animation department that paid off quite nicely, let alone an anime adaptation of a manga inspired by Shakespeare. As for the moments involving King Edward and Elizabeth, there isn’t much to say other than that they’re getting hitched, which upsets Edward’s subjects and Richard. I think if the show spent at least one more episode with Edward and Elizabeth, it would’ve made the surprise ending enticing.
Overall, the fourth episode of Requiem of the Rose King delivered enough development in the main characters to keep the show on course. More importantly, it did wonders in exploring the two types of love, one of which has Edward blindly in love with the secretive Elizabeth. It would be interesting to see how the wedding will impact everyone in York in the next chapter of Richard’s journey. My guess is that it’ll not turn out well.