I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 78 Marie Mancini's Pursuit

  The attendants shouted to announce the arrival of the king, and everyone in the room got up and curtseyed. Louis glanced over and found that almost all of them were women.

There were about three round tables in this spacious room, but all of them were almost seated around the table where the Queen Mother was, like the petals of a sunflower around the seed tray. Louis walked over and kissed the Queen Mother's hand, Anjou Duke Philip immediately gave him the position closest to the Queen Mother, and then starting from the king's younger brother, everyone moved out of their original positions in order - the king took a look, and Mrs. Christina Alexandra was present, with the first. One night was different. According to her current status, she was ranked beside the Queen Mother Mary and Princess Henrietta of England, while the Duchess of Montpensier was fortunate enough to sit on the left hand side of the Queen Mother, and Marie Mancini was Standing behind the Queen Mother, standing in line with the other female officials, seeing the King, she couldn't help thinking that they hadn't played together for weeks, and winked at the King.

The Queen Mother may have seen it, but she didn't say anything, just turned her head away, while the Duchess of Montpensier was slightly unhappy, although her previous reckless behavior completely lost her possibility of becoming the Queen of France, but she looked at her. She was still displeased that another woman of humble origin had so indulged the king: "Miss Mancini," she said, "bring me a tokaj."

According to the etiquette and status, this kind of thing should not be done by the queen mother's maid. The Duchess of Montpensier is so bold, but it is only because with her rich financial resources, she not only was able to return to the court, but also got the king once again. The queen mother's favor, the king's value - Marie Mancini's mind was all on the king, and she did it without even thinking - if Mary refused, or shouted angrily, the queen mother and the king would also do it When they were ready to mediate, Mary's reaction surprised them, which made them laugh and cry. As soon as the king stretched out his hand, he took the tokaj wine from Mary, "Thank you, Mary." He said affectionately.

If the king was pouring wine, it was very appropriate for Mary's identity, and no one would underestimate her. The Queen Mother asked another maid to pour wine for her and the others. They shouted in unison and toasted the king's health. , this matter was so quietly covered up.

Princess Henrietta is now twelve years old. According to the age of the princesses, this age is enough to be a wife or even a mother, but poor she can only be an exiled princess in Paris. Her brother Charles II also Struggling in the Low Countries, the hope of resettlement is dwindling day by day. The French ministers see them very badly, and many of them suggest that they should be handed over to the traitor Cromwell. If it wasn't for Louis' insistence, They might really be expelled from Paris, and then, she doesn't know where to go... Compared to Charles II, their value is lower, so low that it is difficult for anyone to protect them, and for this reason, She was full of gratitude to Louis XIV.

When she was a child, her mother and brother tried every means to make her the wife of Louis XIV, but neither the Queen Mother nor the Bishop of Mazarin would agree, Henrietta admitted that at that time, She did try her best to get close to Louis according to her mother's instructions. After all, she came from a prominent background. If Louis fell in love with her, then the queen mother and the bishop might also consider their marriage - but until now, she also knew that this hope was too slim. , so her brother wrote that she could consider marrying Philip, Duke of Anjou, because as far as the Duke of Gaston was concerned, his only son had died a few years ago, and he had only one illegitimate son, and he could not inherit the title of Duke and territory, then the duke's territory and title will inevitably be transferred to Philip, Duke of Anjou. In addition to the property that the duke got from his mother, the net worth of the king's younger brother Philip is already extremely large.

No one had asked her if she wanted to, no one had considered her—what she had fought so hard for had now become almost a joke, and it was impossible to say that the Duke of Anjou knew nothing about it, Henrietta still clearly remembers how Philippe pushed her to the ground fiercely, just because she was sitting in the position closest to the king - she was not qualified for this, in the French court, the Duchess of Montpensier Even though Henrietta knew that even her elder brother would have to salute in front of Louis, she couldn't help but feel uneasy, and at the same time carried an unwilling fear.

She doesn't even dare to be alone with Philip, Duke of Anjou. Although the ladies of the court say that he is gentle and lovely like a lady, Henrietta can see it - although the bishop and the queen dowager deliberately avoid fighting in the same room Cultivate him in the direction of femininity, but with the protection of Louis, the heart of this prince is still as cold and hard as steel, all the softness and tenderness are only on the skin, not the inside. ,

Ironically, she may not even get the engagement now, because since the Duchess of Montpensier returned to the court, the Queen Mother and the bishop had deliberately matched him with the Duchess of Montpensier. The duke of Gaston's territory and title, and even his daughter's assets, wanted to get it for the duke of Anjou, and the king acquiesced. He respected the duchess of Montpensier very much. He was willing to let Miss Marie Mancini be humiliated, but he didn’t want to make the Duchess of Montpensier feel unhappy, so in the subsequent game, he amiably made a table game with the Duchess of Montpensier. Allies, the two worked together to beat the bishop and queen mother at the card table, emptying their wallets.

The Duchess won about five hundred livres, and it was nothing to her. At the end of the last game, she grabbed Luigi and threw it to the crowd. In the golden rain, her laughter was as loud as Thunder.

For the Duchess of Montpensier, it was a great evening, and the king ordered Bontang to send a purse to the Princess Henrietta, which contained a hundred louis, because he found , at the poker table today, Princess Henrietta was very nervous. Every time the card was bad, she seemed to faint. Because Charles II could not be reset, the Queen Mother Mary had to return to her enemies. Cromwell begged for a portion of her husband's inheritance and income to be passed on to her, but the letters and messengers were all in vain, and the princess must have been quite embarrassed.

And just when the king was concentrating on this matter with Bontang, a room on the promenade suddenly opened the door, and then a soft arm pulled the king in, which shocked the king's attendants. As he was about to shout, Bontang stopped him, "That's Mademoiselle Mancini," he said, and the attendant smiled knowingly.

   "Marie!?"

   "It's me! Your Majesty! It's me!"

The king was very aware of Mary's feelings for him, and to be precise, he also used this feeling despicably. From the beginning, Mary only stepped into the court as the niece of the bishop of Mazarin, not in the world. The witch, but what the king needs is a witch, or someone who has an understanding of the inner world. Before Vesalius failed to appear, all he could capture was Mary, who later became the queen mother's maid. He also needs to use her to get the Queen Mother's movements, he indulges Mary's love for him, although he knows it will never be fruitful.

   "I love you, Louie!"

  Louis held her hand. Mary's hand is very small and her fingers are very thin. Louis, who takes martial arts lessons every day and pays great attention to his own development, can easily hold them all in one hand.

   "What about you, do you love me? Louis?"

  “…”

   "Louis?"

   "Marie," Louis said in the dark, "you know, both the bishop and the queen mother are planning my marriage."

   "Louis!"

   "You know, right," said Louis, "you are the maid by the Queen Mother's side."

   "Louis, please..."

   "I can't love you, Mary."

   "But I love you, Louis, can't you love me a little? Just a little."

   "Do you know the consequences of this? You will lose your reputation, and you will not be able to get a satisfactory marriage, because others will only see you as my lover."

   "I don't care, Louis, as long as you love me."

   "Think about it, Mary, your father, your family, they only want you to be the legal wife of a noble, not the king's lover, the so-called royal lady."

   "Let them all go to hell! Louie..."

  Louis held Mary down—she did have magical hands: "Don't do anything you and I regret, Mary, go back to your room, no one will know we were together."

   "Louis!"

   "Go, don't be a disobedient child."

   "I'll convince you."

   "It is not me you are trying to persuade," said the king.

  ——

The king had to let Marie Mancini go first. Everyone knew that Marie adored him. If they walked together at the same time, rumors would come out. Marie left, stamping angrily along the way, "I Take a rest here," said the king, and went back to his room, closing the door.

This room was also tortured - the bed curtains and curtains were pulled away, the bright moonlight poured into the room from the window, there was no furniture in the room but a bed frame, and the king sat on the bed frame and looked at the glass The shadows from the window flowed into the room, then stood up on the dusty floor—Prince Vandrake Theoderic bowed to the king: "Have you found me? Your Majesty."

   "Well, it's quite clear." The king said - a group of little bats lying on the glass.

   "I'm here for the promise I made earlier," said Prince Theoderic.

   (end of this chapter)