📖 Rose in Chains: Chapter 9 Deep Dive
📢 Azuki note:
📣 A quick note before we wander in: These chapter deep dives are based on my own reading experience, interpretations, and the questions that came up for me along the way. They may not reflect the author’s intended meaning, but they capture how the story unfolded through my eyes..
⚠️ Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers for Book 1 and references to the fanfiction Auction.
⚠️ Reader discretion advisory: It also touches on themes of auctioning and human trafficking, so reader discretion is advised.
🧭 Previously on...
In the present timeline, Briony and the surviving Eversuns have been captured by Bomard and are awaiting their fate following their failed prison break.
After narrowly escaping forced sterilisation thanks to the quiet intervention of sympathetic Bomardi medics, Briony offers the Eversun women a small but powerful symbol of hope—the grapes—reminding them that they are not alone in their suffering.
Chapter 9 offers a poignant shift in tone as we are taken back to state dinner after their first shared education year with the Bomardi delegation—a flashback that quietly reminds us that not everyone in Bomard is the enemy.
🌹 Core Moments
💚 Toven Chooses Briony
When I first read this chapter, I saw it purely as Briony's Yule Ball moment. She's wearing a beautiful green Bomardi-style dress, all eyes are suddenly on her, and one of the most powerful heirs in Bomard publicly claims her first dance.
At face value, the chapter is about Briony having a glow up moment but it’s about Toven publicly choosing Briony for the very first time.
The interesting thing is that there are multiple interpretations for this one scene.
Briony believes Toven is teasing her or trying to make Larissa jealous. The guests (including the king) see political implications and possible courtship. The other heirs appear to see her as suddenly eligible and desirable. Yet, as readers, we're given something none of the characters have—we get to see all the little moments leading up to that choice.
I’ve tried reading this through a romantic lens and a political lens and I realised that almost everything Toven does can be interpreted in two ways: what he actually wants and what he allows everyone else to believe.
💕 The Receiving Line
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Briony’s interactions with the different guests.
Larissa openly enjoys making Briony curtsy to her. Sammy compliments how smashing Briony looks in her dress and remarks that she will one day be sold off to a Bomardi boy in the name of peace and unity. Briony reflects sadly that she wouldn’t be able to marry for love and then she turns around and finds herself face-to-chest with Toven Hearst.
The first thing he says is: "My, my. Your first dance taken already? You don't waste any time, do you?"
He then assumes that Didion is also interested in dancing. But he casually dismisses it, reminding her that anyone on the Bomard’s succession line could supersede their request.
At first, this conversation feels like harmless teasing. Looking back, however, it almost feels as though Toven is testing the waters.
Who does Briony intend to dance with?
Does she have anyone in mind?
Would she object if someone on the succession line claimed her dance?
Briony, of course, misses all of the implications and simply replies that she has no intention of dancing at all.
The positioning of the receiving line is also interesting. Logically, it makes sense. His parents would naturally speak to the King and heir while Toven greets the princess.
Yet with how it was written, it seemed that Toven hurried to stand in front of her when he made his remark as his parents were just making their way before the King and Rory.
When she curtsies to him, his eyes remain fixed on her, biting his lips while he suppresses a smile.
And of course, she's wearing the green dress.
👗💚 The Green Dress
We are told that the green dress carries political symbolism. The King chooses a Bomardi-style gown as a gesture of respect and hospitality towards their guests, embracing Bomardi culture for the evening and welcoming them into Evermore.
However, we already know that the dress means something entirely different to Toven.
In Chapter 4, he was absentmindedly tracing the fabric of this very dress while looking for Briony. Even after seven years, he still remembers it. It clearly left quite an impression on him, so I was very excited to finally see its appearance in this chapter.
It must have been a beautiful dress. Sammy tells Briony that she looks smashing, the Bomardi heirs comment on how lovely she is, and Liam remarks that she is making quite a splash at the state dinner.
Perhaps it's simply because Briony is glowing up. Perhaps it's because she's wearing Bomardi fashion rather than the loose, flowing styles of Evermore. Or perhaps this is the first time both nations are seeing the Princess of Evermore presented in an entirely different light.
Whatever the reason, Toven notices.
And because this is Toven we're talking about, I can't help but laugh at Briony's suspicion that her itchy dress may somehow be magically connected to the infamous cold draft incident from chapter 5. She immediately wonders whether someone has enchanted it and instinctively thinks back to Toven's favourite pastime of making her miserable with magic.
The timing is admittedly suspicious. She becomes itchy before seeing him in the receiving line and again just before they dance. The fact that Briony herself makes this connection feels like the author's way of nudging readers to join the dots. I’m not ruling it out.
💃The First Dance
After greeting all the guests, Didion shyly asks Briony for the first dance.
From everything we've seen so far, Briony doesn't appear to have any romantic feelings for Didion, despite everyone (including herself) thinking that they would make a good match. He is the safe option – kind, familiar and well-liked by those around her.
Interestingly, despite earlier telling Toven that she had no intention of dancing at all, she gently tells Didion that she has already promised the first dance to Sammy and offers him her second dance instead. Perhaps she simply didn't want to embarrass him by admitting she wasn't planning to dance that evening. Or perhaps she didn't want to risk changing the dynamic of their friendship.
The interaction with her Evermore friends feels light-hearted and familiar. Sammy teases her endlessly and, in all honesty, I don't believe he would have gone through with taking her first dance given its significance. I can easily imagine him teasing Didion a little longer before stepping aside. He knows how Didion feels and I don't think he would intentionally hurt him.
Everything feels comfortable and familiar.
And then Toven arrives.
Briony is silently praying that he isn't about to do what she thinks he's about to do.
"Your first dance, as we discussed."
Everyone immediately goes quiet. Katrina even gasps when Toven leans in close, touches Briony's cheek, and whispers in her ear.
I love that this moment isn't romantic in the conventional sense. Toven doesn't confess his feelings or dramatically sweep her onto the dance floor. Instead, he hides behind etiquette, succession laws, teasing and politics.
He gives himself every socially acceptable excuse imaginable for asking her to dance.
He's exercising his privilege as one of the successors.
He's simply paying respect to the finest thing in the room.
He's teasing Briony.
He's making a political statement.
He's honouring Bomardi customs.
Every excuse works perfectly.
The only thing he never says is the simplest explanation of all:
Because I wanted to dance with Briony.
🏆"The Finest Thing in the Room"
This line became one of my favourites after analysing the chapter more deeply.
After Sammy questions if he is serious, Toven simply answer:
"Of course, I'm accustomed to having the finest thing in the room."
I think this line perfectly encapsulates Toven as a character because it operates on multiple levels simultaneously.
To Briony, he's simply being arrogant and teasing as usual.
To everyone else in the ballroom, it sounds exactly like something the richest heir in Bomard would say. He appreciates beautiful and expensive things. Of course he would choose the Princess of Evermore.
To us as readers, however, he's admitting that he thinks Briony is the finest thing in the room.
At the same time, this response protects him.
If anyone questions his intentions, politics and personality become his shield. He never has to openly admit that he likes her because his explanation is perfectly reasonable within the context of who he is.
It's clever. It's believable. And it's very Toven.
🌍 Their Own Little World
Throughout the chapter there is endless teasing between them. They have developed their own language of witty remarks and flirtatious banter.
He jokes about formal courtship requests and continues calling her "Your Grace". Briony bats her eyelashes at him and jokingly informs him that she is aiming for him politically.
They even discuss Evermore and Bomard. They challenge one another's assumptions about their respective cultures and magic systems. For perhaps the first time, it feels like they are genuinely trying to understand each other's perspectives rather than simply teasing one another.
One thing that stood out to me during this reread is just how observant Toven is when it comes to Briony and those around her.
He notices Rory and Cordelia's feelings for one another long before Briony does and casually remarks that they've been making moon eyes at each other all year. This immediately made me wonder whether Briony is simply oblivious to romantic cues or whether Toven spends far more time observing her and her social circle than we realise.
Another interaction that particularly stood out to me happens during their dance when Toven leans closer and asks: "You really don't know what I'm thinking now?"
Briony's response is immediate: "I never know what you're thinking."
For me, this line perfectly captures their relationship at this point in the story.
Toven continually offers her pieces of the truth.
Briony continually dismisses them as teasing, political manoeuvring or attempts to make Larissa jealous.
Even when he openly compliments her dress.
Even when he chooses her first dance.
Even when he spends the entire evening focused on her.
She still cannot decipher his intentions.
Meanwhile, Toven appears thoroughly entertained by her confusion. His eyes sparkle. He laughs. He keeps pushing.
The more she fails to understand him, the more amused he seems to become.
And whenever they're together, they seem to slip into their own little world. They become so engrossed in their conversation that Liam physically tapping Briony on the shoulder startles her.
For a brief moment, the state dinner disappears entirely.
They're simply Toven and Briony dancing together.
👀 What Everyone Else Saw
What I find most fascinating about this chapter is that everyone witnesses the exact same scene and walks away with a completely different interpretation.
The reader sees romance.
Briony sees teasing and political games.
The King sees a possible courtship.
The ballroom sees political significance.
Didion sees a rival.
The other successors see a challenge.
Mallow sees the Princess of Evermore attracting the attention of the most eligible Bomardi heirs.
Even before Briony accepts the dance, people are already watching them.
Toven himself points it out: "Don't look now, but everyone's watching."
Ironically, I think all of that attention may have compelled Toven to act when he did. He has already heard Sammy teasing Briony about the first dance and knows that Didion intends to ask her. Later, the Bomardi heirs comment on how lovely she looks and how much of a splash she is making at the state dinner.
If Toven wanted that dance, waiting was no longer an option.
At its heart, however, I don't think this scene is political at all.
Toven wants to dance with Briony.
Everyone else wants to know why.
And Toven is perfectly happy allowing everyone to invent political explanations because those explanations allow him to do exactly what he wanted in the first place.
✨ Things I Noticed
🍽️ The State Dinner
I found it interesting how much effort Evermore puts into welcoming Bomardi. The castle is decorated with Bomardi tapestries and traditions, and the royal family greets their guests with respect and ceremony.
Mallow sees this as strange and even submissive, but Evermore views it as hospitality. It was another reminder that the two countries often interpret the same actions in completely different ways.
👨🍼 Briony and Her Father
This chapter contains several moments where Briony's father reprimands her.
Whether it is tugging at her dress, questioning why Mallow was invited, or joking that she would rather throw herself off a tower than dance with Finn, her father consistently reminds her of her role and responsibilities.
I don't read these moments as cruelty. Instead, they highlight the complicated balance between fatherhood and kingship. His corrections feel less like personal criticism and more like attempts to ensure that Briony behaves as a princess should in front of important guests.
Even so, Briony clearly feels the weight of disappointing him.
💐 The Successors
Toven's decision to ask Briony for the first dance creates a ripple effect throughout the evening.
What I found particularly interesting is that none of this would have happened if Toven hadn't made the first move. Until that moment, everyone had largely kept to their own circles – Evermore with Evermore and Bomard with Bomard. By publicly choosing Briony for the first dance, Toven unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) opened the floodgates for everyone else to follow.
Suddenly, Briony finds herself attracting the attention of several members of Bomard's line of succession.
As Liam is sixth in line, Toven has no choice but to defer to him (although not before shooting him a glare). Liam claims the next dance and, despite barely speaking to Briony throughout it, is immediately curious about what she and Toven had been discussing. From the various interactions we've seen so far, I get the impression that Liam has a rivalry with Toven and simply jumped at the opportunity to take Briony from him.
Cannon follows shortly afterwards. I don't believe he has any romantic feelings for Briony either, but he is noticeably handsy and seems far more interested in the prestige of being associated with her. He comments that it is an honour to be wanted by the third in line and even offers to escort her to class. Like Liam, he appears to enjoy the rivalry that comes with competing against Toven.
Even earlier in the receiving line, Finn had winked at Briony and asked her to save him a dance, showing that the attention wasn't limited to the dance floor alone.
What initially felt like a romantic moment between Toven and Briony became much more interesting when viewed through a political lens. Every dance carries implications, whether Briony realises it or not. By asking Briony for the first dance, Toven didn't just choose her publicly – he also signalled to everyone else in the room that the Princess of Evermore was very much in play.
🤴 Rory and Cordelia
Another highlight of this chapter was Briony discovering that Rory and Cordelia have feelings for one another.
Her reaction is one of pure shock. It genuinely never occurred to her that her brother and her best friend could be romantically interested in each other.
What makes the scene even funnier is that while Briony is staring at Rory and Cordelia wondering what is happening, Rory is simultaneously staring at Briony and Toven wondering exactly the same thing.
The irony of this moment isn't lost on me. Briony spends the entire chapter failing to understand what is happening between herself and Toven while simultaneously failing to recognise what has been unfolding between Rory and Cordelia all year.
It made me wonder whether Briony simply isn't very good at recognising romantic feelings and attraction, whether they belong to herself or to the people around her. Looking back on the chapter, she dismisses almost every compliment she's given, assumes political motivations behind Toven's actions, and is completely blindsided by Rory and Cordelia's feelings for one another.
Perhaps Briony isn't oblivious to romance entirely—she's simply not looking for it.
🌙 Still Wandering...
Why does the phrase "one bloodline, one king" affect Toven so strongly?
How much of the room interpreted the dance as courtship?
What did Toven's parents think of the situation?
Did Rory begin to suspect something between Briony and Toven during this chapter?
At this stage, does Briony actually have feelings for Toven, or is she simply becoming emotionally attached without realising it?
How differently would the evening have unfolded if Toven had never stepped forward?
How differently would the evening have unfolded if Toven got to dance with Briony for the whole night?
🌿 How This Chapter Lands
This chapter started as one of my favourite romantic chapters in the series, maybe Briony didn’t like all the attention but I love this for her - her Yule ball moment.
but revisiting it revealed how much more was happening beneath the surface.
The dance scene isn't just about attraction. It's about reputation, politics, succession, perception, diplomacy, and choice. Every character seems to walk away from the evening with a different interpretation of what happened.
What I enjoyed most was seeing Briony and Toven move beyond simple teasing and begin to understand each other as people. Their conversation felt like two individuals trying to bridge a divide that has existed long before either of them was born.
This really cements my thoughts of Toven that he is really layered and you can’t really take what he says at face value. You have to really read it from multiple perspectives. No wonder Briony is so confused.
The more I think about this chapter, the more it feels like a turning point—not because anyone openly confesses their feelings, but because the foundations for something much bigger are quietly being laid.
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