Seat of Mars

Afterword

As stated in the intro, this is alternate history, meaning obviously none of this really happened.
However the majority of the people are real people! So that said, they're all true to character as is shown on page (obviously with comedic/dramatic license).
Everything, from Richard's and Isabela's relationship, to Beaufort's affair, is true. Richard did treat Isabela as the daughter he never had, getting her presents and such. In reality after he died she mourned him for years, refusing to marry the Lancaster(s), and speaking fondly of her time in England. Richard would go and play cards with her and chat with her and her mother Isabeau was quite tough and trained her little girl well, Isabela at age six, to Richard's surprise, already knew some Latin and was ahead in her lessons. Overall she was quite badass, standing up to Henry IV and eventually going home to France.

Richard Courtenay was the only person involved on a library project, he wound up doing most of the work on it, and he was quite young at the time. His father, Philip, was a basically professional con man, who did get thrown in the Tower, Richard did keep forgiving his crimes all that is true.

Bernard Brocas was Richard's loyal best friend and kennel master, in reality he died trying to help Richard get back on the throne. That said, I have no idea if he had romantic relationship with Richard. Historians really think Richard was gay, there was little to no evidence (beyond being neat and wearing nice clothes...which isn't how you tell he was a bloody king), and usually the suspected boyfriend is a man named Robert de Vere, who was married to Richard's cousin. Really there's real favoritism there, Richard doesn't treat him better than say his brothers, or other loyal followers. So my personal thought is, yes Richard could have been gay or bisexual, literally anyone could be, but I'll point out that if he was having a relationship, someone like Bernard is more likely than de Vere, who was by marriage a member of the family and a few years older than Richard.

On nobles being gay: we're not going to know. Specifically with the ladies, who would regularly share rooms anyway (yay ladies, way to hide homosexuality), it wasn't known. Sodomy was a 'sin' but so was taking a mistress. Ergo, if our monarch is bisexual, and not wanting illegitimate kids, and has a healthy enough sex drive, yeah, having a same sex affair makes logical sense. Nothing necessarily overtly romantic, you are never going to marry this person, you have to marry a woman, unless you're Edward II you're not going to live with and have that person help you rule, unless you're Henry V you're not going to have an entire Achillian ritual of having that person die in your arms and being buried with that person (oh yeah that's what he did). Ergo a servant with benefits relationship, if you will, is more likely. We're not going to know if monarch who were known for not taking mistresses (Edward III, Henry V, and Richard II specifically), were gettin sexual or romantic (we're going to assume they had platonic), pleasure from same sex companions who were being paid to live and work with them anyway. Nothing specifically sordid, but it wouldn't be considered betrayal of their spouse (cheating isn't a sin for men) or in Richard's case, he's adopted a child he's not sleeping with her probably ever, at least not till she's well an adult (even then he's probably not going to as it'd be weird then) so if he's having a relationship why not with a man? Again, we have zero clear proof he even was bisexual, he loved his wife very much so we're going with bisexual. The only Middle Ages monarchs we have proper proof of same sex relationships is Edward II, who mostly admitted it and based off of his actions and movements he was having liaisons with men, and had long term partners who are in his room he's behaving romantically towards, however he also had relationships with women so he is bisexual as well. Then Henry V, who had aforementioned Achillian relationship with Richard Courtenay who died in his arms and is buried with him, and Henry V also was noted to have invited another nobleman, Scrope, back to his bedroom on multiple occasions, both of which combined is near proof positive Henry was at least romantically interested in Courtenay, and sexually interested in Scrope, but unlike Edward he'll not have voluntary relationships with women (he marries and has a son but that's political and he has little to do with her). Richard we have none of that, he was married to and loved his wife, he was clean and neat and rather pretty, which doesn't make him bi or gay, he can be though, whatever.