I Am Louis XIV

   Chapter 188 Saint Denis (7)

The former Queen of Sweden, Ms. Christina originally wanted to return to her residence in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, but since she revealed her ambitions for the throne, the Queen Mother, who was disgusted with her, signaled that her courtiers robbed her of the throne. She lived in Sweden, and then moved back to Rome, where she lived temporarily in a convent where she waited for her pagan friends (which was one of her crimes, since the Judas, even though they had wealth, had no The qualifications of the important ministers and nobles are equal) to raise money for her, so that she can continue to spend without any scruples.

But before she could wait for her friend, a beautiful lady entered the convent, and when the lady Christina heard that someone wanted to see her, she was surprised, because at this time Pope Alexander VII was not welcome She—except that she publicly announced that she had executed her lover Monardesi privately before, and the peach news about her and Cardinal Azzolino was also ridiculous. At that time, the cardinal could have a lover and a child, But if the lover was a woman of noble status, it would be another scandal. The Pope's dissatisfaction with Christina extended to the public, so that her friends in Rome did not dare to visit her much.

It was Mrs. Milady who came to see Ms. Christina. After so many years, her beauty has not only not faded, but has become more and more gorgeous. When she took off her hood and revealed her neatly combed bun, It was like an Athena wearing a golden helmet descended into the monastery, and the dim courtyard could not help but give birth to a radiance. Sitting by the fountain, there was a lady Christina who fed small fish and pigeons with bread crumbs. She couldn't help but be refreshed. She hated marriage, but longed for love, and this love did not seem to be limited to gender, and it was no wonder that some people said that this queen has both female and male characteristics. She is deformed. monster.

   "Oh," she cried intimately, "isn't this Milady? My dear friend? Are you here for a pilgrimage? Or for prayer, for Mass?" She paused: "Or for me?"

"For you, venerable lady." Madame Milady's voice was still like a plucked violin string, with a slight tremor, echoing endlessly, "I came for you." She glanced at He glanced at the people around him, "Let them go elsewhere, Your Highness, I have something to say to you alone."

"Then sit next to me." Ms. Christina said, she was sitting on an extremely wide chair, but at this time the women's skirts were swelled to the point that they could barely pass through the door, and the two sat together, Even if there are clothes to block, it is a too intimate gesture, but Milady doesn't care about this, she smiled, lifted the skirt, and sat down beside the former queen generously.

"Oh, that's what I love most about you. You're never as shy and frightened as those cute birds." Ms. Christina reached out and took Mrs. Milady's arm. Ms. Christina, although pampered, But she is also over forty years old. She looks younger than mortal women of the same age, but she can't compare with Milady, who is a witch. When their wrists are intertwined, the difference is even more obvious. , "Look at this skin," Ms. Christina said with admiration and admiration: "You are Helen, Magdalene, or Hebe." (All three are beauties in legends and myths)

Mrs. Milady also looked at this lady. To say that this lady, she does not have much disgust, she must say something, just as the king said, as a woman, as a person, what she did did not There are too many places to be blamed, and sometimes, she is even envied by others, and she is not without shining points, but the problem is, she does not have the consciousness that a king must have-those in ordinary people, harmless shortcomings, in A king is fatal, not only fatal, these mistakes can even bring down a country - just before Milady accepted this task, the king said that the best decision Christina made was to give up the throne, and The worst decision to make is to rekindle the desire for the throne.

If it is said, she can use the ten years under the protection of the French king to repent of her past mistakes, change her restless disposition, maintain her reason like a real king, and be generous-minded, or like Charles II, at least Knowing how to be patient, the king will not give her up easily, but unfortunately... Mrs. Milady saw that girl in her twenties, acting recklessly and without any scruples... Some people think that the king is the representative of doing whatever he wants, no, it's a big mistake Especially wrong, as a king, he is more restrained, more cautious, and more painful than mortals. Personal desires must always be placed behind the royal family, the country and the people. This is the lady in front of me who will never be able to do it. of.

Ms. Christina looked again at a wooden box that Mrs. Milady had brought. The wooden box was about two feet square, the size of a set of folded coats. She raised her chin with interest and indicated with her eyes: "What, is this your present for me?"

   "No," said Mrs. Milady, smiling, "this is what His Majesty asked me to pass on to you."

Speaking of His Majesty the King, the smile on Ms. Christina's face disappeared immediately. She once had fantasies about the King, no no no, not about marriage or love, but about a prominent and kind king , but her disappointment was greater than her hope, and although Louis XIV protected her, his thoughts were more rigid and dull than any king or gentleman Christine had ever met, and he reminded Christina of her Her cousin, the future Karl X, just to escape the marriage with Carl X, she resolutely gave up the Swedish throne and left her own palace, her own country and people.

An ominous premonition came over Lady Christina, who, if it was only Milady, could have imagined that he had come only for Christina, but if she was also the king's messenger - the king would never do anything without. Purpose thing: "What's in there?" she asked.

   Mrs. Milady shook her hand, stood up from her side, walked over to open the box, and held it like this, presenting the contents to the former queen.

   It was a nun's costume.

Ms. Christina stared at the black-and-white outfit, with the turban on top, as if trying to smile contemptuously, but the smile had shrunk before it had matured, or, rather, was overwhelmed by uncontrollable panic. She walked away, her eyebrows furrowed in pain, her eyes widened, her thin lips twisted like a man, her breathing went from light to heavy, and finally a dull growl—more like a sob-like sound from deep in her throat burst out.

   She is not a fool, she knows what it means, the king of France is beckoning, no, ordering her to be a nun, which is the best possible end for a man of extreme honor.

She wanted to shout angrily, and she also wanted to pull out the dagger from her waist, pick the humiliation on the ground, and step into the mud, but she couldn't control the panic in her heart, because it meant that the French king had decided to take it back For her patronage, correctly speaking, to take back her patronage to the former Queen of Sweden, she could continue to enjoy the privileges bestowed by the king as a revered abbot until her death.

   until death.

   The voice kept echoing in her mind, and Ms. Christina finally raised her hands and covered her face: "He can't, ma'am, he can't!"

   "Your Highness..."

Ms. Christina suddenly put down her hand, her face flushed, but her eyes became very firm: "I'm going to see him, ma'am, although I don't know why he changed his original mind, I will let His Majesty change his mind! Madam, I am going to see the king!"

   "Your Highness!"

"Madame Milady!" said Ms. Christina in a louder voice, "please help me, I'm leaving Rome at once, I want, yes, give me a horse, I want a horse, not a carriage, and me My maid - let my maid come, I'm going to change into my riding outfit! I'm going all day and night, and His Majesty will change his mind, if only he sees me! Not those despicable little people!"

She grabbed Mrs. Milady's hand. If Mrs. Milady was an ordinary woman, her wrist would be broken by this lady, but as a witch, not only did Mrs. Milady not show the slightest bit of pain , she couldn't even move the box in her hand, she just watched Ms. Christina calmly and sympathetically, watching her go from disbelief, to anger and panic, to near madness - when she found that no matter what she No matter how loud, no maids, nuns or attendants came to watch.

"Your Highness," said Mrs. Milady, "don't make unnecessary struggles, this... will only make you more... rude, and disappointing... Now that Your Majesty has made a decision, it is impossible for others to change it at will. , I thought you already knew about this."

   "Why?" Ms. Christina said sadly, "I thought he would be the person I could count on most."

   "It used to be." Mrs. Milady said, as one of the king's secret spies, she certainly knew that the king had paid a lot to protect this lady.

"Just because I killed Monardesi?" cried Christina, who had hardly seen Louis XIV since she left Fontainebleau, whether it was because of guilt or a guilty conscience, she didn't know: "It's just Because I don't want to follow Father Lebel's advice and make Brother Santinelli a scapegoat? But he deserved it, he betrayed his queen!"

   "You were no longer queen then."

   "I was just angry for a moment."

"The king was also very angry at that time." An infamous murder took place in his palace. There are probably not a few people who laughed and ridiculed in secret, especially Christina's behavior, which greatly damaged her. Fame made the king's plan almost aborted. Madam Milady thought of this and couldn't help sighing. Now it should be said that she has completely failed. The king asked her to come, just to recover the last loss.

   "I will not wish to be a nun." Ms. Christina said decisively: "Let me talk to Your Majesty, I still have..."

"What else do you have?" Mrs. Milady interrupted her indifferently: "Without Your Majesty, you can't even get the taxes of your own territory, and you are surrounded by flattering little people, even those who are slightly useful. None, just actors, heretics, and idle second and third sons, eager to benefit from you and just scattered when you need help..."

"I…"

   "You're heavily in debt... You've bought a lot of art, decorations, banquets every night, and Mass, but none of that will do you or your career any good."

   "Mr. Bishop Azzolino promised me..."

"What did you promise? Was it on visible paper, or did you make a vow before God?" If it was someone else, he might hesitate, but it's no exaggeration to say that the loopholes around Ms. Christina are as tight as a fishing net. , Mrs. Milady has read every letter between her and Mr. Bishop, Ms. Christina is affectionate, and Mr. Bishop did not even leave a trace on the letter, his letter is full of calmness And wise persuasion, without any personal feelings, these letters, even if they are put in front of the most devout religious judge, he has nothing to say.

   "As long as I go back to Sweden..." Christina stubbornly raised her shoulders.

"Your residence in Stockholm has not been taken back, let alone the royal palace, since the day you left, Your Highness, you will never be able to return." Mrs. Milady lowered her head and said the cruelest words: "And no matter what What kind of people are willing to support you is also a matter of the past, Your Highness, you are forty years old, you are not married, you have no children, and even if you get back to the throne, you will have no heir, so—”

   She straightened her body, took out the hood from the box, and put it lightly on the head of Ms. Christina, who was kneeling on the ground at some point: "We, they, and you, why bother?"

  ———

  Stockholm, Palace of Three Crowns.

The young Karl XI was returning from the outside, and his attendants were all young men about his age. Because he had been with the king for a long time, he knew that he was a generous person, so he quarreled and laughed along the way. The noise made the whole palace full of vigor and vitality - the king is only twelve years old this year, not yet an adult, but he has grown tall enough, about five feet one inch or so, it is conceivable that he will continue to grow taller, and it will be a A great king to look up to (in every sense), this is also what his mother, and five regents expect from him.

   (end of this chapter)