Love
At the crux, the narrative is a love story of two individuals who have to fight to defend their love and union. Both Alex and Henry are public figures since they are part of the first family and the royal family respectively. Their queer identities make it difficult for them to disclose their relationship and sexuality to the public. Henry is more hesitant about their relationship because of the global consequences that it can prompt. Their love story becomes sort of Shakespearian as they have to take a giant leap in order to save their love. Furthermore, the narrative charts their journey from being archenemies to star-crossed lovers hence love is the main theme.
Identity versus Reputation
As public figures, the characters have to constantly reconcile their personal identities and their public images or reputation. The novel also showcases how their public images are curated to fit into a certain narrative for political reasons. In the same way the media is chasing scandals they also manipulate it to portray what is expected of them. While Alex can easily come out and be himself, Henry has a much harder time living his authentic self. Familial duties expected from the prince by the royal family hinder Henry from coming out and making his sexuality open. Their political legacy is at stake if they choose to pursue their identities which is a huge gamble as it is not only about them. Nonetheless, the future is bright since they try to build a more tolerant society that is accepting of every community.
Political Arena
The idea of the novel was conceived during the political race that brought to question the reliability of our leaders. Therefore, the author incorporates political figures who embody the ideals that many felt were not being represented. The politics in the narrative demonstrate some of the same social issues but through a slightly different lens. President Ellen, Alex’s mother, is preparing for reelection and working to ensure her campaign is not smeared or undermined. In order to avoid public scrutiny, the first family has to carefully maneuver the political scene. The media feeding frenzies highlight the focus on non-political issues rather than the social problems that hound the masses.
