Why is King Liam so damn Kinky?
Based on this post from @i-choose-liam referencing Book 3, Chapter 6 (Spa scene after Applewood Manor torching)
also tagging @thatoclady just in case, lol
TL;DR version – Why does Liam screw MC harder in the sauna room when he realizes their friends can hear them? Because he can. Liam’s got an exhibitionist streak in him and he likes to show off his skills around the people he trusts to remind himself that he’s still human beneath the Crown. He sometimes uses (outdoors) sex as a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of being King. Also, he gets a thrill out of pleasing his partner.
Scene in Question: After holding a press conference following the orchard torching at Applewood Manor and playing a game of soccer with some children, MC and the gang return to the day spa to decompress. While there, Liam and MC sneak off to the sauna to enjoy some one-on-one time. Not one to gloss over a missed opportunity, Liam tells MC that he feels “silly how dumb in love” he is with her, and MC reciprocates his sentiment, leading to sexy time in the sauna while their friends are in the other room. Liam’s the first to make a sound, and soon enough the voices of their friends can be heard on the other side of the door. This urges Liam to pick up the pace, giving you as the MC the option to keep quiet, moan, or make Liam moan; if either of you make noise, Maxwell teases you from the door to get a room.
My Thoughts: It’s well established that our Kinky King has a thing for the outdoors – prominently making use of outdoor scenarios to hook up with MC, versus the privacy of a bedroom. His preference for using risqué locations (hedge maze, Forbidden Falls, on a boat in Shanghai, in a friggin opera box, a balcony in Fydelia, a movie theater, and even a tent while camping with their friends, among other places) isn’t merely for the thrill of knowing someone might hear/catch him in the act; nor is it for the connection he has to being outdoors. Liam’s exhibitionist behavior could actually stem from a warped coping mechanism to deal with the stress and anxiety of his role as a royal.
Liam has spent his entire life living under scrutiny – from his parents, the court, and the general public. He knows that whatever he says or does can affect those around him, and any moves he makes as ruler must be for the greater good of his country above all else. The weight of that sitting on his shoulders already chips away at him as he struggles to make himself a good ruler while also remaining grounded to the people he cares for. Being watched and judged this way creates a rebellious streak in him that manifests in his libidinous nature with MC.
Being raised as a royal has conditioned Liam to keep the “public” Liam separate and closed off from “real” Liam. In public, he’s a devoted, caring, and stoic leader that Cordonia expects and needs him to be. In private, he’s still a devoted and caring man, but he also shows his playful side and his insatiable love for his partner. Sex is something where he can be simultaneously vulnerable and controlling, allowing himself to let his guard down to be intimate with MC, while also controlling the situation, without necessarily controlling MC. Having sex with MC – especially outdoors – gives him the bit of freedom that he craves and needs in his life.
Liam’s life is rife with power struggles. In regards to having sex where he might get caught, it reflects his human side competing with his public image. He is a king, but he is also man, head over heels in love with the love of his life. He is the type of person that always has a contingency plan, whether it’s something he learned as part of his royal training or just a part of who he is as a person. The irony is that he rarely has a contingency plan when having sex outdoors – either someone hears/sees you, or they don’t. The uncertainty is what makes it thrilling for him.
In regards to using sex as a coping mechanism, Liam often turns to MC for heated romantic encounters around events that are stressful and/or give him anxiety. The night of his Coronation – a night where he formally steps up as King, and essentially chooses his queen-to-be – he gives in and says he’s tired of waiting, even though he intends to literally choose MC before the court and propose to her before the end of the night. Their first time together is within the hedge maze. When he meets with her on the balcony in Fydelia, his stress and anxiety are at an all-time high because he fears for her safety, her reputation, and he’s trapped in a farce of a relationship with Madeleine to buy time for MC to clear her name. Following the attack in the palace, Liam has sex with MC in the safe house as a means of reaffirming not only their love for one another, but to feel alive again.
The same can be said for the spa scene after the orchards are burned – Liam’s pride for Cordonia’s apples and all that they represent, and the deeply personal ties he has to the manor, adds on more stress and anxiety. He questions his leadership abilities and his ability to keep a clear, level head to find the group responsible. In an ideal world he’d hunt down the enemy groups and arrest them all to remove the problem, but that could incite more groups to form, or have his people live in fear of him. Instead, he opts to indulge in some risqué sex with MC to forget about his troubles for a few hours.
Why does he screw MC harder when he realizes their friends can hear them? Because he can. Having an audience turns him on; he knows he’s a good lover and enjoys proving it in (semi) private. Deep down, Liam is a man with wants and needs of his own, and with MC’s help, he’s reminded that he can still be himself while being the leader of a nation.
