monarch

Catherine Howard walked to the broken log in the center of the room. It was an ordinary piece of wood with a neck-shaped groove dug out in the middle. The color around the groove for the neck was a bit dull, apparently soaked For blood's sake.A smile appeared on her face, she pushed aside the hem of the skirt with her hands, and slowly knelt down. She lowered her head and put her neck in the groove.

"Okay." She heard herself say softly, after a night of practice, she was finally satisfied with her posture.She raised her head and looked out the window. The first ray of morning light had emerged from the horizon. She stretched out her hand and gently stroked the dark place on the broken log. Whose blood is this?Maybe Mr Cromwell?He died so badly, I'm afraid he shed a lot of blood... He was so gentle.She couldn't help but regret that the king refused her request to ask French executioners to send her on the road. In France, they would use long swords to cut off the heads of ladies. Couldn't wait to get rid of her, refused the request just because it would take days to get the Frenchman, didn't he know how beautiful it all would be?People will talk about this scene for years to come.But he has always been like this, Catherine curled her lips in disdain, he doesn't know what beauty is, and he hangs a beautiful head like Culpepper on the Tower of London, and she will be used by a bland British man No wonder the ax beheaded.She stroked her slender neck, what a waste, she thought.

The queen stood up and walked towards the window. There was a burst of noise outside. She looked out the window curiously, and found that on the tower hill outside, a group of workers were building a guillotine for execution.They built the brackets with wood, and then laid planks on top of them to form a platform for execution.In a few hours these logs would be soaked with the blood that poured down, the blood of a queen!What a lucky wood.

The queen seemed to suddenly remember something, she walked quickly to the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror, and sure enough, after not sleeping all night, the blue and black under her eyes became more serious.She walked to the bed, lay down, and closed her eyes. Although it hadn't been a few hours, sleep was better than no sleep. Today was a big day.She tried her best to let herself go, but the scenes in her mind were like a revolving lantern, the drawing room of Lambeth Palace, the ball in Whitehall, the stench of the wound on the king's leg, the beautiful eyes of Culpepper... She felt her own The throbbing pain in her temples, it's over, let this be over, she thought desperately.

……

The Tower of London has never been so lively as it is today, and countless London citizens crowded the surroundings of the castle.Numerous prominent prisoners have been executed here, but this is the first time a queen has died on the guillotine.Although Catherine was a noble prisoner, her execution would not be open to the public, but this still couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the people, even if they could only squeeze outside the castle and listen to the occasional rumors from inside.Is there any show more captivating than watching people who used to be high up fall from the clouds?

Inside the Tower of London, some lucky people are surrounding the guillotine on Tower Hill.These people were all nobles in the court, so they were given the privilege of watching the execution.They whispered to each other, some were nervous, some were elated, some were a little depressed, but all came with expectations, and all wanted to witness this historic moment.

The sun rose higher and higher, and so did the mood of the crowd.The Duke of Suffolk and the Earl of Hertford were in high spirits, chatting and laughing happily as if they were at a garden party, and for them it was more of a celebration.Now that the Duke of Norfolk has suffered a great loss, his power is not as good as before, and now the court is completely dominated by their two factions.Most of the few members of the Duke of Norfolk are like eggplants beaten by frost, and their good days will come to an end today.

"Earl, I really didn't expect you to come." A son of the Duke of Suffolk walked up to a tall young man, "How does it feel to see the power of my family melt like a spring ice floe?" He shouted Laughing, several of his followers beside him also echoed and laughed.

Before the young man could speak, another nobleman beside him had already turned his head and glared at the provocateur, "Henry Gray, shut your mouth, or I will keep it from opening forever."

"The lackey sprang out before the master spoke," said Henry Gray to his squire, with another burst of laughter.

The nobleman was furious. He stretched out his hand and was about to draw his sword to teach these boys who didn't know the heights of heaven and earth, when suddenly a slender white hand gently pressed his right hand that was already holding the hilt of the sword, "Enough."

The tall young man turned around, his face was pale, and there was a melancholy look in his bright eyes.Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, the heir to the Duke of Norfolk, was a famous poet in his time. The appreciation of the king and the crown prince, whom epic loves so much, although the Howard family is declining, the family of the Earl of Surrey has not faded. "Your Excellency the Marquess of Dorset." He bowed to the young man across from him, "It's better not to have a conflict in this occasion."

Henry Gray, Marquess of Dorset, is 24 years old now, but he has been married to Francis, the daughter of the Duke of Suffolk for eight years. The son of the Duke of Suffolk and the prince's playmate, Henry Brandon, died not long ago. As the husband of the Duke's eldest daughter, he has already regarded himself as the future heir of the Duke of Suffolk, and regards the Earl of Surrey as his future opponent. "Your Excellency, the Earl, is here to see off his cousin for the last time?" He asked maliciously.

"Exactly." Earl Surrey's expression remained unchanged.

"Why didn't your father, the Duke of Norfolk, come? Ah, I understand." The Marquess of Dorset made an exaggerated expression, "Although Catherine Howard is a relative of your family, she is also a traitor to England. Presumably the Duke is trying to avoid suspicion."

The Earl of Surrey gave him a cold look, "My father, His Excellency the Duke, has something important to do, otherwise he will definitely come today."

"Really?" The Marquess of Dorset laughed out loud. Everyone knew that the Duke of Norfolk was disowned by his relatives for the sake of power.

"I heard that your daughter, Jane Gray, is three years old this year?" The Earl of Surrey changed the subject, "If she is accused of treason one day, you will come to see her off for the last time, right? Relatives are relatives, right? "Although the Earl of Surrey still looked like a modest gentleman, his voice was like a poisonous snake spit out a letter.

"You..." The face of the Marquis of Dorset was flushed red, and he was about to draw his sword.

"Do you want to do it here?" The Earl of Surrey laughed, but his smile was so cold that the Marquess of Dorset on the opposite side couldn't help but pause, "You should think about your father-in-law, the Duke of Suffolk. He curled his lips, "The Duke won't be happy that his son-in-law embarrasses him on such an occasion, will he... After all, a young man can't be his heir."

The face of the Marquess of Dorset was already twitching, but he still didn't draw his sword in the end.He snorted, "We've got a long way to go, Count." He turned and left with his followers.

The Earl of Surrey smiled slightly, turned around, and turned his gaze to the guillotine in the center of Tower Hill again, returning to the state of silence before, as if everything just now had never happened.

The sound of the horn interrupted the whispers of the audience, and they all turned their eyes to the gate of the Green Tower. Finally, the gate slowly opened, and the figure of Catherine Howard emerged from the dark corridor. With a hood full of pearls and a handful of forget-me-nots in hand, she looks more like she's going to a wedding.The crowd was silent, and their eyes followed Catherine towards the center of the tower hill.

From a window in a cell on Tower Green, Mrs. Rochford watched.Her hair has turned gray, her skirt is full of dirt, and her body stinks from not taking a shower.She scratched at the lice on her back, and the nasty bugs were driving her mad, but a madman can't be well-dressed, can he?There is a price to pay for living.She smiled slightly, Catherine was going to die, the case was going to be settled, she might be locked up in the Tower to die, but she was still alive.

Catherine Howard had already stepped onto the guillotine, and Mrs. Rocheford saw a priest stepping forward, who seemed to offer her dying prayers, but Catherine shook her head, as if refusing.Catherine took a few steps forward, he raised his head, and faced the audience below, the sunlight wrapped her up from behind her, making it impossible to look directly at her face.

"Your Excellencies and ladies," Catherine said, "I await my death here by the King's order. I thank Your Majesty for your kindness, and I repent of the crimes I committed against him." She glanced around at the crowd below. , They all pricked up their ears and listened quietly, a smile appeared on her face.

"I die today as queen," she said, in a voice that sounded like it came from the clouds, "but I would rather travel as Thomas Culpepper's wife."

The crowd below gasped in horror. They looked at her in horror, all of them dumbfounded, as if they were looking at the head of the snake demon Medusa.She nodded in satisfaction, pushed aside the hem of her skirt, knelt down slowly, and gently placed her head on the broken log, it was fine, exactly as expected.She showed a bright smile at the executioner, "Please do it, sir, this is my first time."

There was a blush on the copper-colored face of the executioner, and he crossed himself on his chest. "God bless you, madam. Please stretch out your hands and signal to me when you are ready."

Catherine quietly looked at the patterns on the wooden planks on the ground. What would it look like if the planks were soaked in her blood?She closed her eyes and gently stretched her hands to the sides.

She heard the wind blowing in her ears from the axe.

Mrs. Rocheford on the Green Tower uttered a scream. Catherine's blood had flowed all over the wooden platform. She left the window in horror and huddled on the dirty straw in the corner, clutching a handkerchief unconsciously with both hands. The veil was almost torn to pieces.

There was a noise outside, what's going on?Mrs. Rocheford was overjoyed, did she come to release her?Yes, it must be so, she is just a magistrate, what else can she do except obey the queen's orders?It's all Catherine's fault, she's immoral, she's been seduced by the devil, she's done, yes, it's all over.She was leaving the court forever, going back to her country estate, perhaps to the Continent?After all, she can't be a madman in England all her life.But no matter what, she must take a shower first when she goes out, she really can't bear this disgusting feeling...

The door of the cell was opened, and several guards came in and said something to her, but Mrs Rocheford could only see their mouths moving, but she couldn't understand a word they said, she just smiled, "It's over, it's over!" She let out a burst of hysterical laughter, and she was finally going out.

Several guards looked at each other, stepped forward, and carried her to the door. They all covered their noses with one hand. The disgusting smell was really suffocating.They carried her through the deep corridor. The end of the corridor was filled with dazzling sunlight, and Mrs. Rocheford was stabbed so hard that she couldn't keep her eyes open.When she finally opened her eyes, she found that she was outside the tower, bathed in sunshine and fresh air, and she was overjoyed, "It's over, it's over!" she shouted.

Mrs. Rocheford thought they were going to take her to the gate, but that was not the case. She glanced around and saw countless people watching her. She raised her head and found that she was getting closer and closer to the guillotine. close.

They're taking her to Tower Hill!

Mrs. Rocheford struggled violently, "No, you can't do this!" She yelled hysterically, "I'm crazy, I'm crazy, you can't kill me!" She thought the guards would be horrified to find that they committed crimes They made a big mistake, but there were only mocking smiles on their faces, and the crowd burst into laughter.Mrs. Rocheford was at a loss. She struggled hard, but found herself getting closer and closer to the guillotine.

There were seven steps to the guillotine, and Mrs. Rocheford's feet didn't touch any of them. In fact, she was carried up by several guards.She was pinned to the stump, her hands and feet thrashing about in despair.

The executioner came forward with his axe, and Mrs. Rocheford raised her head and looked at him with pleading eyes, but suddenly saw on the head of the executioner, her husband George Powell who was sent to the guillotine by her informer. Lin's shadow was floating there, and the late Viscount Rocheford showed his smile that fascinated countless women and even men, "Now it's your turn, Jane." Madam Rocheford screamed in horror, "No, not me! I'm sorry, George, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kill you!"

The executioner scratched his head in confusion, did he look so scary?He glanced at the captain of the guard with a questioning look, the other nodded, and he raised the ax in his hand.

Mrs. Rocheford was still struggling frantically, "No, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I shouldn't frame you, I just want to survive...he told me that I can only survive..."

The executioner swung the axe.

Immediately, everything was silent.

Act II The Lion and the Bagpipes