monarch

It's Christmas again.

Lady Mary Tudor sat in the carriage, wearing a beaver cloak and holding a stove in her hand.She looked out the window, but a thick layer of mist formed on the glass.She took off the glove and wiped it lightly. It was pitch black outside.

This year's Christmas celebration was uncharacteristically held at Hampton Court Palace, which is said to be because the palace is more popular with the queen.Lady Mary hadn't been at court since the king's remarriage, yet she had to be present at the Christmas festivities.A stepmother younger than herself... Ms. Mary's mood dropped to freezing point just like the temperature outside.

The carriage drove into the gate of Hampton Court Palace, the courtyard was brightly lit, and small lights were hung on the branches, twinkling in the cold wind.Ms. Mary got off the carriage, looked around, and found that there were many young and unfamiliar faces among the arriving guests. They laughed and jumped off the horse or got off the carriage, and flocked to the gate of the palace like a swarm of buzzing bees. It seemed to the lady that such behavior was quite frivolous.She recalled the news that Sir Eustace, the Spanish ambassador, told her before: the queen had carried out some "modernization" reforms in the court, and this was one of her achievements.Ms. Mary sneered, lifted her skirt, and walked towards the gate of a palace.

As soon as Ms. Mary entered the hall, she was stopped by a young woman. She stepped forward and curtseyed: "Merry Christmas, Ms. Mary."

Ms. Mary looked at the woman opposite. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a gorgeous appearance, wearing a gorgeous skirt and a hood decorated with pearls.She was covered in jewels and looked like a Christmas tree under the lights.Lady Mary had always disliked women who reminded her unreasonably of her father's women.However, if you don't slap a smiling person with your hand, there is really no reason to speak ill of the person who came to say hello to you.

"Hello, miss, did we know each other before?" Ms. Mary still looked very serious, but she didn't show any disgust.

The "Christmas Tree" laughed again: "I am the queen's maid, Vera Oberon. Her Majesty invites you to her room before the dinner."

Lady Mary was very surprised, she thought that the queen was also very embarrassed to have an older step-daughter.This is just right, they can pretend that there is no other party, and everyone avoids embarrassment.Now she actually took the initiative to invite... Ms. Mary was a little disgusted. "Is there any urgent matter, Your Majesty? The dinner party is about to begin." Ms. Mary's voice became much colder.

Miss Vera laughed again: "Oh, ma'am, I'm just the queen's maid, I obey the queen's orders, and I don't ask why, everyone in this palace is like this, I think you are the same, no Is it?" She looked up, looking at Ms. Mary defiantly.

Ms. Mary really didn't bother to look at her again: "Then let's go." She said, throwing Miss Vera away and walking towards the end of the corridor, as if she was some garbage stuck to the floor.

……

Queen Catherine was preparing her dress for tonight. She chose a golden gown with a fox fur shawl on it.The maids stood in front of her holding jewel boxes. These exquisite wooden boxes were all opened, and the diamonds and precious stones inside were softly reflected in the candlelight.

"No, this one won't do." Miss Catherine put a ruby ​​necklace back in the case. "I brought this one to the masquerade before. Do you have any new ones?" She looked at Mrs. Rocheford impatiently. Doesn't this old woman understand that she is the queen? Bring your own jewelry that you used before?Others will laugh their ass off.

Mrs. Rocheford is really suffering. This little queen is really the most difficult to serve among the five queens she has served.No matter how exquisite jewelry and clothing she wears once, she puts them on the shelf. Now more than 200 dresses have been accumulated in the wardrobe of the queen's bedroom, and the warehouse where she puts jewelry looks like a treasure cave in a fairy tale. A wicked dragon crouched at the door and watched it.In the past, the king was willing to meet almost all her requirements, but now... According to the Duke of Norfolk, the king is already dissatisfied with the queen's huge expenses, but she still spends like this.But the queen was the queen, and Mrs. Rocheford never dared to say what she thought. "Your Majesty, it's Christmas now, and all the jewelry suppliers of the court have closed their business." She persuaded politely.

"You should have expected this a long time ago, didn't you?" Catherine's style has improved since she became queen, "You are my female officer, and you should worry about these things. You should have ordered for me a long time ago." .”

order?Do you know how much money is left in your coffers? "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it was my fault." She took out a rose brooch made of diamonds and rubies from the jewelry box, "This is the first gift from Your Majesty, take this, after all, it is Your first Christmas dinner as queen."

Catherine still looked reluctant, but Mrs. Rochford's words seemed to convince her. "Okay, then I'll listen to you." She waved her hand and signaled the maid beside her to put the brooch on for her.

The roll call officer at the door suddenly said: "Ms. Mary Tudor is here!" Catherine stood up excitedly from the sofa, "Ah, she is finally here." She was afraid that Ms. Mary would ignore her invitation, That would be embarrassing, it seems that the queen is a queen after all, she thought proudly.

Mrs. Rocheford looked very shocked, "What is she here for?" None of this makes sense. Before, Ms. Mary avoided Queen Catherine like a plague broke out in the palace, but now she came to visit on her own initiative.She looked at the queen in surprise, "What happened, Your Majesty?" She had an ominous premonition.

"I invited her here, what's the matter?" Queen Catherine looked at Mrs. Rocheford strangely, "Is there something wrong?"

"Why did you invite her?" Mrs. Rocheford felt that her mind was stuck. Isn't this self-defeating?Ms. Mary's temperament, even the king doesn't necessarily give face.

"Is there anything weird about me meeting my own daughter as a stepmother?" Catherine asked.She is the queen, and Lady Mary is the king's daughter, so she is Lady Mary's mother, isn't it logical?She was a good queen, and naturally a good mother, and Lady Rocheford was simply inexplicable.

Lady Mary had just entered the room with a look on her face that looked on the verge of a fit.She just happened to hear the queen's words when she came in.her daughter?This little girl regards herself as her daughter?Lady Mary's mother is a Spanish princess. This little girl is just a low-class niece of the Duke of Norfolk. She climbed into the king's bed by flattering her. How dare she compare her with her own mother?Queen Catherine... This was once the title of Lady Mary's mother, but now it belongs to this little girl, and she accepts it with peace of mind, and has to play the role of stepmother.Lady Mary walked to the center of the room, and the coldness in her body made Mrs. Rochford shiver too. "Your Majesty." She curtseyed, but she didn't look respectful.

"Ah, dear Mary." Catherine didn't seem to notice the awkward atmosphere in the room. "It's very pleasant." She took Ms. Mary's hand, and Ms. Mary instinctively wanted to take it away, but she resisted her urge. "I wish you all the best on your way here?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, thank you for your concern." Ms. Mary said coldly.

Catherine seemed to finally understand that the other party didn't seem very happy, but she still said to herself: "I'm so glad to receive you here. I have made some changes here. I don't know if you like it? I follow your mother's instructions. The decoration was renovated, you see, our name is Catherine, isn't it, two Catherine queens?" Madam Mary's face has turned green. "I hope we can get on well. We haven't had a good conversation yet. I have invited Edward and Elizabeth to tea, but you have been in Heusden and have never been to the court..."

"I am here at the invitation of the king." Madam Mary interrupted her. "The dinner party is about to begin. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." She saluted without even looking at the queen, and went out of the room.

Queen Catherine stared blankly at Ms. Mary's back as she disappeared outside the door. Her eyes were wide open, as if she didn't understand what happened.Mrs. Rocheford looked at her worriedly. She must have been pissed off.

"What happened to her?" The queen turned her head and looked at Mrs. Rocheford suspiciously. "What happened?"

Mrs. Rocheford found that she had made a mistake in her judgment. It turned out that she really didn't understand what happened.

……

Everything seems to be the same as last year, Edward thought.Most of the faces that came to say hello were the same ones from back then, some were no longer there, and some new ones joined.The decoration in the hall was more ornate than last year, and golden ribbons hung from the ceiling.Besides, time seemed to be frozen, as if everything that happened in this year was just a dream.

There was a commotion outside, is the king coming?However, it is not yet time.Edward looked towards the door of the room, and there was already a crowd of people, they were whispering to each other, each with a look of surprise on their faces.

"His Royal Highness Princess Anne, the king's sister!" The roll call officer's voice was like a stone thrown into a lake, and everyone in the hall looked at the door curiously. This was the first time the former queen had appeared in public after her divorce. Appear.

When the former queen entered the room, everyone looked at her in amazement.The queen was all changed, her dress changed into the latest style, her hair changed, and the new French hood suited her very well.However, what is more obvious is the change in the queen's temperament. She no longer has the fear and shrinking in the court before, and the relaxed life in the past six months has made her whole body radiate with brilliance.Many people are thinking that if she was like this when she came to the court a year ago, everything would be completely different.

The former queen gracefully dragged her skirt and walked up to the prince, curtseying: "Hello, Your Highness."

The prince saluted back: "Hello, madam." He was also very happy to see Anne's state, perhaps this was the best result for her.

"Your Majesty the King and Queen are here!" In the blink of an eye, the attention of the crowd was drawn to the door again.

Henry VIII and Queen Catherine walked into the room arm in arm, and the king had that unfathomable look on his face, which made it hard to guess what His Majesty was thinking.The queen seemed to be in high spirits. Although no formal coronation ceremony had been held, the queen still wore the crown, which was a bit heavy for her.But ten years earlier, the first Queen Catherine had walked beside the king with this crown, and the Spanish pomegranates embroidered on her dress had lit up the hall like balls of flame.Then came Anne Boleyn, who, with her French fashion, made the court look like Arthur's Camelot; and behind her came Jane Seymour, who wore the crown in her traditional On England's head...they've all had the king's mad love, and when their luck turns to icy ruthlessness.But now, this teenage girl has also embarked on this road, and many people are thinking, what will be her fate?

The dinner was uneventful, and when the ball started, the queen ran onto the dance floor like a horse that had run loose.The king looked at her back and felt the wound on his leg start to ache again.He smiled self-deprecatingly, now he couldn't even dance.He looked at his little wife, who was dancing with his squire Culpepper, what were they talking about?It looked really happy, and suddenly there was a trace of jealousy in the king's heart.

"Your Majesty." A familiar voice interrupted the king's meditation.He turned his head, but he didn't recognize the person opposite him for a moment.After more than ten seconds, he finally realized, "Annie?" He asked in astonishment.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Anne said with a smile, "I wish you a Merry Christmas."

The king stared at her blankly, as if seeing her for the first time, "It seems that you have had a good time." He was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to speak.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, you have given me a very generous allowance." The queen smiled, "Aren't you going to dance?"

"No, that's an activity for young people." The king smiled wryly. He looked at Catherine, who was smiling sweetly on the dance floor, and Anne beside him, and suddenly felt a trace of regret in his heart.

"I don't like dancing either." Anne said, "If Your Majesty has nothing else to do, let's play a game of chess, shall we?"

The king looked at the woman on the opposite side, he hadn't spoken for a long time, and just when Anne was about to speak again, the king finally spoke: "Okay." He said, he turned his head and looked at Catherine Howard again, she was still dancing , did not pay attention to the king's movements at all.

……

"Is there any news from the Queen recently?" asked the Duke of Norfolk.He stood with Lady Rocheford in the shadow of a pillar, so that the others could not notice them unless they looked carefully.

"There is nothing worthy of your concern." Madam Rocheford said with a low eyebrow, "Although the queen is a bit arrogant, she is still under our control."

The Duke nodded noncommittally, raised his arm, and pointed to someone standing behind the Queen, "Who is that gentleman?"

Mrs. Rocheford followed his fingers, "Ah, it's the Queen's newly appointed secretary, Mr. Francis Direham." She turned her head, but was shocked to see a fleeting look on the Duke's face. A look of astonishment.

"Your Excellency?" She was a little frightened, but is there anything wrong with Mr. Direham?It suddenly occurred to her that Mr. Direham seemed to be the one who the queen ran back to the room when she heard his name. Could there be any hidden secrets in it?

"How did he get to the Queen's side?" The Duke's voice sounded extremely cold, Madam Rocheford did not dare to neglect, and quickly told everything she knew.

"Obviously, he threatened the queen." The Duke snorted coldly

"Does Catherine have something in his hands?" asked Lady Rochford.

"She promised him marriage."

Mrs. Rocheford was taken aback, "Then...doesn't it mean..." The marriage between the king and Catherine is illegal, but she might not dare to say this if she had the guts to say it. "Then shall we..." She looked at Francis Direham, who was having a good conversation with the queen's maid, Miss Vera.

"If he keeps his own place, he will not use it for the time being." The Duke of Norfolk said, it is not a big deal to deal with a squire, the problem is that he is likely to have a backup.He looked at the throne, the king was no longer there, and on the dance floor, Catherine was still dancing foursome excitedly.The Duke of Norfolk looked at the Queen. He had never believed in fate, but now he couldn't help but have a frightening thought in his mind—the Queen's luck might have come to an end.

He turned around and walked towards the door, ignoring Mrs. Rocheford who was restless behind him.