monarch

The carriage without any emblems drove out of the city gate of Portsmouth at dusk. Behind the carriage were only four guards dressed in black and thick fur cloaks. An ordinary merchant or aristocrat is on a short trip.

Robert held Edward in his arms, feeling the slight tremor of the other's body every time he breathed.The faint scent of cornflowers wafted from the king's body, which was very noticeable in the small compartment.

Looking out from the car window, the sea on the right reflects the golden halo of the setting sun. As night falls, the strong sea breeze during the day gradually stops. When there is no wind, the sea looks like It's like a golden copper mirror, reflecting the sky above that has turned into a charming pink.

"I wish you'd tell me where we're going," murmured Robert.

"A place that is not unfamiliar to you." The king yawned, "Don't force me to say it, or we will lose a lot of fun."

Robert went through the places he was familiar with in his mind, combined with the direction they were traveling, and soon he ruled out many options.And what finally remained in his mind was a black stone building, hidden under the umbrella-like canopy of tall chestnut trees, and the black stone walls were covered with green creepers, almost covering its original color. .

"Aren't we going to my manor?" Robert gently grabbed the king's hand, and pressed the back of His Majesty's hand with his fingers.

The king turned his head and rolled his eyes, "You are really boring."

"Because I'm always right?" Robert kissed the top of the king's head, and the sweet smell of rosewater came from the black hair, "I didn't mean to destroy the mystery you want to create... If you don't mind If so, I can pretend I don’t know.”

The king still put his head on Robert's shoulders, "It's okay to let you know, we're going there."

"There's nothing there anymore, it's just an empty stone shell." Robert's voice was a little sad, "I think most of the rooms there have not been used for a long time...since Ms. Jane Gray passed away, there It's been completely ruined."

"I have had it repaired a little," said the King, "at least one of the houses will be habitable when we arrive."

"But I don't understand. What are we going there for?" Robert grabbed a strand of the King's hair and wrapped it around his fingertips.

"Aren't you good at guessing?" The king snorted coldly, "You can guess again."

"No need, I will know when we arrive." Robert smiled and pressed his face against the king's slender and fair neck, rubbing the skin there with his stubble, "If you don't want to let Now that I know, then I don't care about it."

He gently blew the hot air from his mouth on the skin of the king's neck, causing him to tremble.

"Your beard is like sandpaper." The king pressed his forehead against the opponent, trying to break free from Robert's arms, but Robert was like an octopus, wrapping Edward tighter and tighter.

Robert turned the king over like an omelet, pressed the king on the seat cushion of the carriage, and kissed the other's lips so hard that Edward even felt the other's lips trembling slightly.

The king pushed Robert back hard, but there was such a disparity in strength between the two sides that he could only push Robert back a few inches with all his strength.

"Stop making trouble, we're still in the carriage!" Edward warned in a low voice.

"By the time we got to that manor, it was already midnight." Robert couldn't hide the smile on his face, and later he didn't hide it anymore, "We have nothing to do for such a long time ...the cart doesn't even have a deck of cards to pass the time!"

He drew down the curtains on the window and kissed the king's lips again. This time, Edward finally stopped struggling. The kiss was so long and tender that it tasted like cake decorations. The cream was average.

As if a certain switch had been flipped, Robert pressed the king tightly against the velvet cushion of the seat without warning. Edward's face was buried in the soft cushion, and the tiny fluff on the cushion made his face A little itchy, but soon all he had was pain.

Robert is like a black bear trapped in a cage. In the small compartment, his movements are more clumsy than ever before.Fortunately, the friction between the wheels of the carriage and the paving stones was so loud that the guards outside the carriage couldn't hear what was going on in the carriage.

When it was finally over, the wagon had traveled several miles.In the middle of the carriage, two disheveled people lay panting on their seats, hugging each other tightly, using their own body heat to drive away the still bitter cold air in spring.

The king opened the curtains a small gap, and wiped the veil-like mist that condensed on the glass with his fingertips. Outside the car window, the cold night had fallen, and the trees on both sides of the road The shadow stared at the passenger with teeth and claws, like a ghost wandering in the wilderness.

"Why do you always lead me to do stupid things involuntarily when we are together?" The king watched the carriage drive into a forest, and he sighed while straightening his crumpled collar in one breath.

"You simply admit it," said Robert, "and you like it in your heart, otherwise you only need to pull down the window and call for help, and your guards will stop the carriage and drive me out of the house." It was dragged out of the carriage."

"Maybe I'll do that one day... let you move to the dungeon in the Tower of London for the night." The king bit Robert's wrist hard, and that hand was narrowly messing with the collar he had just adjusted.

"The air in this carriage is so dull." Edward rearranged his collar. He stretched out his hand and opened the car window a small crack. The clear and cold air at night, mixed with the aroma of trees and the smell of pine resin, poured in at once. In the compartment.

"Spain should be in full bloom now." The king looked at the dark woods outside the window. The carriage passing through the woods was like a ship sailing in the boundless sea. The tender leaves trembled on the branches with the wind, like waves on the sea beating each other with the wind.

"But I prefer to go back to the cold Britain, because here is my sun." Robert kissed Edward's neck lightly again.

"I have never left Britain, and I have never gone to sea." The king's voice was a little melancholy, "I want to read the things written in the books, and see with my own eyes what is the difference between what is described in words and the reality. different."

"I want to see the carnival in Venice, watching the doge throwing the golden ring into the lagoon in the colorful flower boats, and wishing the marriage of Venice and the sea; I want to see Constantine The towering walls of Dinburgh, to measure for myself how long the shadow the sun casts on the ground at dusk; looks, are their speeches as subtle and instructive as their thoughts?"

Edward pursed his lips and shook his head in disappointment, "However, this is just an illusion... I am the king, the captain cannot leave his post, and the king must never leave his throne."

"It's not impossible." Robert said, "When we wipe out all the enemies, and when you can arrange domestic government affairs without any changes, we will let people build an unprecedented luxury yacht , even more splendid than the great ship that Cleopatra visited Rome. We built the ship out of fine painted wood and decorated it with silk, pearls and diamonds."

"Once that ship is built, we'll take her and visit wherever you want. We can go to the Carnival in Venice and make the Doge's flower boat look like a fisherman's wreck next to your yacht. Let us tell these Venetians, sampan, that they may be the mistresses of the sea, and we are the masters of the sea. Whoever you want to see, we invite him to our boat, and drink him with good wine Drunk, see if his tongue will tie up then!"

The king laughed loudly, "If you look like this, I'm afraid no one will want to be a guest soon."

"That suits me." Robert tied the king's hands again, "I just don't want others to disturb us."

The carriage was moving forward at an astonishing speed. The road was well paved, and the carriage with springs was driving on it. The slight bumps felt by the passengers were more like the gentle swinging of the cradle. When they were all exhausted, such a swing was very They soon fell asleep.

When the carriage drove into the dark gate of Dudley Manor, the two of them woke up almost at the same time - the road suddenly became potholed, so the bumps of the carriage became a lot more violent.

Robert looked at the black shadow of the ancestral house in front of him with complicated emotions. This stone fortress has experienced four dynasties and more than a dozen kings since its foundation was laid in the thirteenth century. The previous owner had already been buried nine feet below, but this monument made of stones seemed to have a will of its own, continuing to exist in its own way, until weathering turned these solid stones into gravel. up to one day.

The fountain at the door was closed, and the water in the pool had just thawed, and there were still some dirty pieces of ice floating on it.

The carriage stopped in front of the moss-covered stone stairs, and immediately a man with a torch, like a groundhog, came out of a hole somewhere, he opened the door graciously, and illuminated His Majesty with a torch Bright.

When the king got out of the car here for the first time, Robert Dudley carried him out of the car, but now, Edward stepped lightly, and his feet landed on the somewhat uneven stone ground.

Robert got out of the car after the king. He raised his head and looked at the stone railings, stone statues and stone walls here.

"I have almost forgotten what it looks like here, but now that I am here again, everything looks so familiar." He murmured.

From the top of the chestnut tree came the crows and owls, and they were always the first uninvited guests to show up when spring came. Protesting the arrival of the carriage disturbed the tranquility of the night.

Robert and the king entered the gate together, and only a few candles were lit in the huge hall to illuminate the marble staircase leading to the second floor for the guests.All the doors on the first floor were tightly closed, with big iron locks hanging on them, obviously they hadn't been used for a long time.The statues and portraits in the hall were also covered with white silk to prevent dust and moisture from corroding their surfaces and detracting from their value.

"I only had some rooms cleaned up first." When they climbed the stairs, the king turned his head and said to Robert, "The rest of the rooms are not needed for the time being, after all, I don't think we will be here in a few years. Something important is going on here."

"I think so, I can't think of anyone to invite here." Robert nodded in agreement.

They ascended the second floor, and entered a high-vaulted dining room, which was part of the suite, and had a door leading to the room in which the king had lived when he visited.

The dinner for two has been set. On the exquisite silver plate are two servings of grouse wings that seem to be flapping, and on the blue and white porcelain soup plate produced in the Ming Dynasty, there is still steaming consommé soup.In the middle of the table was a Japanese porcelain plate, which contained a variety of fragrant and fragrant fruits. The greenhouse of this manor was not open, so these fruits were delivered by horses from Hampton Court Palace during the day.

Robert quickly finished his soup and drank two more glasses of Bordeaux wine. He felt his body warm. He looked at the opposite king, and Edward's pale face turned rosy.

After dinner, the servants served the two masters the chocolate drink that had just been prepared in the kitchen. This mellow and charming drink also came from a distant overseas country, and was highly sought after by the upper class as soon as it entered Europe.The Catholic Church, which always sings against the public's preferences, has labeled cocoa drinks as "the devil's drink" because Arabs, like Western Europeans, also have an unusual enthusiasm for the fruit of the cocoa tree.But in the British Isle, a place beyond the reach of the pope, everyone from the dignitaries to the common people can drink this gift from the New World at a price they are satisfied with.

Robert took a sip of the hot chocolate, "I think it's time for you to tell me what your plan is."

The king finished the drink in the cup and put the cup back on the table, "I plan to tell you tomorrow morning." He yawned, "Now we should go to bed, I promise you, you will not tell me Prepare to be surprised and disappointed."

The two changed into pajamas and were led into the bedroom by a servant holding a candlestick.

The furnishings of this bedroom are the same as when the two of them stayed here more than ten years ago, even the patterns on the sheets and curtains are exactly the same as before.

"This bed is much smaller than I remember." When they were all lying on the bed, Edward said, he stretched his elbow slightly, and it touched Robert's waist.

The servant didn't seem to notice that the two were on the same bed. He bowed in the direction of the bed, and then left the room together with the candlestick, leaving Robert and Edward in the darkness.

Robert's hand reached into the king's pajamas again, but Edward firmly pushed it away.

"We are going to bed," said the king. "Tomorrow we have great things to do, and this time I am serious."

He turned away, closed his eyes, and purred loudly on purpose.

Robert sighed, and had no choice but to take his hand back. He thought it would be difficult for him to fall asleep, but to his surprise, not long after he closed his eyes, he immediately fell into the arms of Dream God .