monarch

Edward was carried out of the quilt while he was half asleep, someone helped him take off his dressing gown, and then changed into his day clothes, and he was fully dressed when he regained consciousness.He looked at himself in the mirror, and brushed his hair lazily. The sun was shining outside the window, which was a rare good weather in winter.

Today is the first official meeting of the king's children and the new queen alone, so the small court of the Prince of Wales is already in full swing early in the morning.Both Lady Bryan and Sir Peggy were in fine attire, and the servants were in new livery, embroidered with bold Tudor roses and with polished brass buttons.The Prince, on the other hand, was dressed in a red gown, with a black sea otter cloak over his head, and a hat with pearls and beautiful feathers on his head.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the guard at the gate notified the queen's chief attendant, the Viscountess Rocheford, that she had come to convey the queen's invitation.Mrs. Rocheford wore a black dress, which was appropriate for a widow in formal black attire, as if she were still mourning her husband's death.Edward wanted to laugh a little, as if everyone in Europe didn't know that it was she who sent her husband to the guillotine.Edward hated this woman quite a lot. Perhaps her husband was indeed not a good husband, but perjury?This is really a bit too much.No wonder a rich widow like her is so shunned, while other widowed ladies who are much worse off than her are far from lacking in suitors.

Lady Rocheford curtseyed and looked up.She was thirty-five at the time, but she still had a certain charm, which is why the French ambassador described her as "a viper with a beautiful face".She had a courtly smile on her face, and none of her emotions showed from behind this perfect mask.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty the Queen invites you to have breakfast with her in the Queen's suite." Although it was an invitation, all the detailed arrangements had already been finalized, and all of this was just a formality. "Please tell Your Majesty that I am very happy to accept her invitation." Edward said lightly.

Mrs. Rocheford saluted respectfully and stepped back out of the room.She has now completely stood on the boat of the Duke of Norfolk, and she is even more ambitious than the Duke of Norfolk.The Duke of Norfolk could accept Catherine as queen and Edward as future king, but she absolutely couldn't imagine the day when Anne Boleyn's son sat on the throne, and everyone knew that nothing good would happen to her.By the time Catherine gives birth to the prince, maybe she can convince the Duke to do something more risky?After all, she is not the Duke's servant, but his ally, and the allies themselves use each other, don't they?She has done so many things for the Duke, and it is the Duke's turn to give her something in return, and a handsome young husband is the first installment of income, and maybe, who knows, I can earn a share in the future The merit of supporting it.She looked back at the Prince of Wales, who was surrounded by a group of attendants. There was never a shortage of royal family members who died in the court, and it was still very early.

The Prince of Wales and his party set off 15 minutes later.The queen's suite was on the other side of the palace, so they had to walk through the entire palace.There were a lot of onlookers along the way, and this breakfast will be the biggest event in the palace today, and it will surely become a topic of discussion on many people's dinner tables today.When he arrived at the Queen's suite, Edward noticed that the guard at the door had embroidered the coat of arms of the Principality of Cleves in addition to Tudor roses.The guard at the door went in to report to the queen, and after a while, a beautiful young maid came out of the room and saluted the prince.

"Your Majesty welcomes you, Your Majesty." There was a hint of coquettishness in her voice, which made Edward a little surprised. The queen actually placed such a maid in her room?Is she not afraid of the king's empathy?After all, Henry has a criminal record.He recalled the queen's list of maids, and after excluding a lot of impossible options, he found that this girl must be his cousin, Catherine Howard.Another man from the Duke of Norfolk, there are too many Howards in this palace.However, now is not the time to think about these things, Edward jumped out of his thoughts, and showed a cute little boy smile to his cousin: "Thank you, Miss Catherine, it is a pleasure to see someone like myself in the court." cousin."

Catherine had a blush on her cheeks. She was a lovely child, like those princes she had heard of in fairy tale books.He looked really like Cousin Anne, the queen's cousin she had seen when she was a little girl, riding on a horse, talking and laughing loudly with her brother.The Paulines, always the center of attention, were like a magnet for everyone's attention.But now they are gone, and she, the little girl on the edge of the stage, finally has the opportunity to step under the spotlight. She came to this palace not just for the two thousand pounds of jewelry and clothes, she also hopes to be noticed by everyone The focus, just like my cousin, is sought after by countless people, it must feel good. "I am also very pleased to meet you, Your Highness." Although it was just a polite remark, Edward felt for some reason that she probably meant it sincerely, and he couldn't help being a little surprised. It is indeed rare for a novice like her who has not yet cultivated to live in a mask.

"Follow me, Your Highness." Catherine led the prince through the queen's living room and into the dining room, where Anne of Cleves was already waiting.Queen Anne was in a good mood today. The king didn't come last night, and she had a rare good night's sleep. She didn't think there was anything weird about it all.She stood up and smiled. "Ah, my dear child, you are welcome! We have been looking forward to your arrival."

"It's an honor to receive your invitation, ma'am." Edward replied politely.He looked around. Lady Mary and Princess Elizabeth had arrived, but the King was not present.Princess Elizabeth was a little reserved, presumably because her first official contact with the queen made her a little nervous.And Ms. Mary has her usual cold expression, full of strangers.This breakfast will undoubtedly be very embarrassing, Edward sighed inwardly.

Queen Anne didn't seem to feel the awkward atmosphere in the room at all, she still said cheerfully: "You must be hungry. Then let's pray, and then eat!" There was no common courtesy in the English court.

Edward, as a man of modern thinking, had no religious zeal; Princess Elizabeth was an orthodox Anglican; Queen Anne was a Lutheran, though converted only a few days ago; and Lady Mary was a devout Catholic, who His prayer made the surrounding German maids a little dumbfounded.The whole pre-dinner prayer was a disaster, more than double the embarrassment.

Annie also seemed to feel a little embarrassed at last, the smile on her face was a little stiff, like a crack in the perfect china.But the embarrassment only lasted a few seconds, and she adjusted after a while: "I ordered the kitchen to prepare the food you like, and I hope we can have a pleasant morning together." Edward found that his favorite smoked food was in front of him. Meat and sausages, while tarts with jam lay in front of Princess Elizabeth.The princess's face suddenly glowed, and it didn't take long for her to laugh at Yanyan with the queen.Edward was also unwilling to offend the queen, so he added a sentence or two at the right time, and the room immediately felt happy.

Lady Mary looked at the muffins on her plate, then looked up at the Queen.She doesn't really hate Anne of Cliffs, although she is a Protestant and has a name that she hates, but Princess Mary can treat the children of her enemies lovingly, what is a woman with the same name?What she disliked was the king's attitude, how he had abandoned his mother so ruthlessly, and when he married Jane Seymour, Lady Mary felt for a moment that he was finally getting back on his feet.Yet the king came again today, as if marriage and religion were nothing but a joke to him.And what was her mother?Her happy childhood family is now torn apart, although she knows it is not the fault of the woman in front of her, but she is sitting here, sitting in the chair her mother used to sit on, all this still makes her feel a little stuck.

Anne on the opposite side is also paying attention to this stepdaughter who is about the same age as herself. She has always hoped to live in harmony with the king's children.She expected an awkward relationship with Ms. Mary, and she had no intention of giving up so early. "Dear Mary, may I call you that?" She asked pleasantly, with a hint of flattery in her voice that she hadn't noticed.

Ms. Mary suddenly felt a sense of sympathy, and her life must have been rough.I heard that her younger brother was a violent maniac, her mother ignored her daughter, her father went crazy and was locked in the attic, and she married alone in England, where no one knew her, and her younger brother didn't even have a dowry. unwilling to pay.The king did not like her, the great nobles of the court were against her for Cromwell's sake, and she stood on the brink of an abyss only she did not realize.She couldn't help softening a little: "Of course, madam."

"Oh! You don't have to be so alien." Anne said excitedly, "We are about the same age, you can call me Anne. I really hope to be friends with you. As you can see, the king is very good to me, but I I don't have many friends here, Lady Rocheford is one, and Catherine, but she is too young, she is still a child. If you don't mind, I look forward to seeing you often, I think we There's a lot to talk about, isn't there?"

Lady Rocheford?friend?Lady Mary couldn't believe her ears that she had a poisonous snake as a friend, he was quite dull.She wanted to remind the new queen opposite, but her rationality blocked her impulse.If the experience of these years has taught her anything, it is probably to be cautious in her words and deeds.After all, they don't have much friendship, do they?She can't afford to take risks for someone who hasn't spoken a few words.

"Thank you, ma'am, I'm also looking forward to seeing you again." Ms. Mary replied politely, but there was a softness in her voice that she didn't notice.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly softened a lot, and the breakfast ended happily.Queen Anne was very relieved. She had imagined many kinds of outcomes before, many of which ended badly. Such a harmonious relationship made her somewhat unexpected. "It's a pleasure to spend a pleasant morning with you. I can't describe the joy in my heart. I hope we can become good friends one day." Annie said sincerely.

"I hope so, ma'am," said Edward.He couldn't help but feel a little regretful, this lady was probably the most suitable queen candidate other than Catherine of Aragon, the first queen, but unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to sit in this seat for long.But how can we know that it is not a blessing if it is a blessing in disguise?Maybe her fate will turn around, after all, King Henry is not a good match.

"By the way, Ms. Mary." Anne seemed to remember something, "One of my cousins, Duke Rupert of Bavaria, wrote to me before, saying that he hoped to visit the court of England. He asked if he could get Your consent?"

Edward was a little surprised. If he remembered correctly, the Duke was a Protestant, and Lady Mary would not like it.He felt a little pity for Anne, and his efforts this morning were probably going to be wasted.

Sure enough, Ms. Mary's face suddenly turned cold, "I agree, madam? I am not the master of the English court, the Duke has his freedom, doesn't he? He can go wherever he wants, if he wants to visit England , you only need to obtain the consent of His Majesty the King, why do you need to ask my opinion?"

Queen Anne was a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry I didn't explain clearly. I mean that Duke Rupert intends to come to England, but his purpose is not simply to visit, but to establish a friendship with you."

"Friendship?" Madam Mary put on a mocking expression. "Your cousin is a Lutheran, isn't he?"

"Yes... indeed..." Anne hesitated a bit. Her younger brother asked the ambassador to ask her many times, hoping that she would facilitate this marriage. England's friendship with the Protestant League added another layer of insurance.She thought about it for a long time, and she didn't make up her mind to say it until today, seeing that the atmosphere was good. It seemed that she was still too impatient, and Annie was a little annoyed. "He's a very handsome man, you'll know it when you see it... Please forgive me if I'm taking the liberty..."

"If Your Majesty is willing to receive Your Excellency the Duke, I don't think I have any objections." Ms. Mary also felt that she seemed to be going too far, and her tone of voice softened a lot.

"Then can I tell him that he can come to England with the hope of meeting you?" Anne looked at Ms. Mary expectantly.

"I'm looking forward to the Duke's visit." Lady Mary replied, but it was just a meeting, and if it would make the poor woman have a job, why would she not do it.

"Danke (thank you)!" Anne said excitedly, "I want you to promise that you will never regret it." She took Mary's hand and showed a bright smile.Ms. Mary seemed a little frightened at first, but unexpectedly, when she realized it, she did not shake off the queen's hand, but also smiled.

She really wasn't fit to be a queen, but she would be a good queen, an interesting paradox suddenly flashed through Edward's mind.His eyes swept over Mrs. Rocheford and Miss Catherine beside the queen. One of them was very respectful, while the other seemed ignorant of the world.Yet there can be no doubt that they were anticipating the Queen's downfall, and were always ready to add a spadeful of earth to the pit into which she had fallen.Good luck to her, Edward thought silently in his heart.