Madame Kindness waited outside the door, when suddenly there was a crisp crash in the room, as if something had been thrown to the ground, and then the duchess let out a suppressed exclamation, and she rushed in without asking. She saw her master leaning sideways on the edge of the bed, clutching the wounded man's shoulder, frowning, a box on the ground overturned (the sound came from it), and the letters in the box were thrown to the floor.

The room was filled with blood, and Giulio raised his hand, trying to hold his face down—blood spilling from his nose and mouth continued to trickle between his fingers and onto the floor.

"Help me." Said the Duchess. Madame Kindness hurriedly stretched out her hand to help her master put Giulio back on the bed, and for a moment she could not find a clean cotton cloth, and the duchess simply lifted her petticoat and tore a large piece of silk from it, and when they helped him wipe it, they found that not only his nose and mouth, but also his eyes and ears were bleeding fine blood. Madame Kindness looked at the Duchess reproachfully while busy: "This is not the way to treat an amiable person. ”

"He's not that vulnerable." "Look," said the Duchess, "look," she said, pretending to be angry, "and that is the disadvantage of having a pretty young man, and even you will speak from his side." ”

"Well, it is because I know you well enough," said the true Lady of Kindness, "that I know how cruel you are, and even if you see a wound, you will not think about how to dress it, but about tearing it open to see what it is." ”

The Duchess laughed: "If not, if I don't do this, how can I know if there is a seedling buried in it, or a stinger." ”

Madame Kindness was startled and hurriedly looked at Julio, and found that he had passed out again, but sadly, even in his deep sleep, he was still trembling, and Madame Kindness's pity couldn't help but prevail: "What have you done? I've never seen him so pitiful, even when he's smiling at a leper, and when you go to his rescue, he has no less than a dozen corpses lying next to him, and he's still standing and greeting you. ”

"It's not me," the duchess brazenly denied, "and I didn't abandon him, nor betrayed him." ”

"Isn't that what you're going to do?" Mrs. Kindness said angrily.

"No, no, no, we don't have that ridiculous and stupid relationship." The duchess waved her hand, "So be it," she winked at her female officer, "If he can wake up, come and tell me." "After waiting so long, it's time for her to pick this rose.

————————————

Giulio woke up at dusk.

He couldn't help but scream at the thought of what had happened before he fainted, but all that came up his throat was a thick smell of blood.

"Want coffee?"

He looked up and saw the Duchess with the silver cup, and during all this time, he almost opened his eyes and saw her.

Giulio took the cup, but his throat seemed to rust, and the coffee poured into his mouth, but he couldn't swallow it, and it poured out of the corner of his mouth, staining the clean linen sheets with a heavy stain.

The duchess didn't rush, didn't complain, just added a little more coffee to him.

The coffee was supposed to be bitter, but Giulio didn't think it at all, probably because he had tasted the most bitter thing.

For a moment, there was not the slightest sound in the room, and the duchess looked out the window, and the last rays of sunlight had already sunk below the horizon, and their surroundings were suddenly plunged into darkness, but none of them had any intention of summoning the servants to light candles or fireplaces.

Then the duchess heard it...... The hoarse and indistinct voices she had probably heard in her life were the most beautiful and desperate voices.

She ...... Don't believe me......"

"She's never ...... Believed...... I. ”

"I did this...... Many, so ...... Much, but she ......"

"Didn't believe it...... I...... One day. ”

The Duchess held her breath, and though it was the result she had expected and expected, it had also swept over her heart with a deep pang when it came.

"She loves you." Said the Duchess.

"Yes, it's just that she doesn't believe it...... I," Giulio said, "signed her name to the death sentence without even trying." ”

"I was unprepared."

"That's the fatal blow." Julio asked, "Is that right?" Your Majesty. ”

"You must be confused." The Duchess said softly, "I don't understand why I'm doing this? You have not hurt me, or any Breton man, you are not my enemy, but I want to make you miserable, I will make you despair, I sit here and watch you sink in the dark, why? ”

"Why?"

"Because you are so naïve, Mr. Bishop, so naïve, I cannot leave you any way out, or you would rather continue to be your saint—and my children do not need a saint's father."

There was another burst of silence.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, may I ask...... Did I hear something wrong? ”

"Nope." The Duchess raised the corners of her lips slightly, although in the darkness no one could see this real smile: "You heard me right, my child, you, father, are all right. ”

Julio felt dizzy.

"You have a husband!"

"Dead."

"Where's Louie?"

"I haven't been married yet."

"It's impossible, I mean, between us." Julio's pain was almost scared away, what kind of concept is this, Louis XII has divorced his former wife Jeanne, and is now waiting to marry the Duchess of Brittany, he will never allow Brittany to fly away with wings on the plate, not to mention that Giulio is still a Florentine.

The Duchess let out a surprised laugh: "No, no, no, you misunderstood," she explained, "I won't marry you, I just want a son, a son of mine." ”

"How could I possibly agree to such a ridiculous thing!"

"I don't need your promise," said the Duchess briskly, "I'm just asking for compensation." Confess, Mr. Bishop, that I have been gracious to you—one is to deliver you from the horse's hooves of Cardinal Lovere; Hiding you from the seriously wounded and the mortal doctors and monks is the second thing; The appointment of you as my confessor priest is the third ......"

"Wait, when did I become your confessing priest?"

"At first," said the duchess, "if you were not my courtier, how could I keep you?" Caesar. Borgia is much more than I am, and as soon as you arrive at Brest Castle, a glass of poisoned wine, a little coal, and a dagger can kill you at any time. ”

"But ......"

"As a recipient of favor, you should give a reward to your benefactor; As a courtier, you should obey the king's commands; And as a man, in the face of women's requests for help, is it your upbringing to treat nothing as if it were nothing? ”

"Even if it's to assassinate an enemy for you, I'm willing, but ......"

"Is there any difference between taking away life and giving life?"

The difference is too great!

"Nope." Julio shook his head: "I...... I don't think I can accept your request......"

"Is it love? Or morality? The duchess asked, "If it's the latter, you might as well hear my story."

I have loved someone once, and although I don't know if it counts as love, I did believe in him, looked forward to him, and relied on him.

That person you should know that my first betrothed, Maximilian of the House of Habsburg, is funny enough that I have never seen him, only his portrait - I was only twelve years old when I succeeded Brittany, and I was a female heir, destined to have a husband, and my husband was able to obtain the whole of Brittany through me, so my suitors came in large numbers, from Edward, Prince of Wales in England, Maximilian of the House of Habsburg, to John the Prince of Orange, and, of course, The most urgent was Charles VIII of France, but Brittany had been hostile to France since my ancestors, and had always wanted independence, so my ministers, the husband I chose for me was Maximilian, because our country was far apart, and it was impossible for him to give up Austria to rule Brittany, and we gave him a large sum of money for this, and I was full of hope that he would help me escape from the hands of Charles VIII.

When I was fourteen years old, when I reached the appointed age for marriage, the ministers planned his marriage to me, but he did not come, only his messenger, such a marriage could not be recognized by the Holy See, we had no round house, let alone children, but Charles VIII quickly sent troops to Brittany, and we failed, and I was dragged out of the castle by him and put on my horse.

To Charles VIII, I was just a mare, he put on my magnificent bridle and put on a golden saddle, and he was constantly spurring me on and taming me day and night, always keeping an eye on whether my belly was getting bigger.

My marriage to him lasted six years, Mr. Bishop, and I was pregnant four times, but none of the children were able to come out of my womb. ”

Speaking of this, the duchess let out a creepy laugh: "I will not let the son of Charles VIII get Brittany, and the same is true of the son of Louis XII, but I think again...... Dear Mr. Bishop, why can't I have a child of my own? He will be the heir not only of Brittany, but also of France! ”

“…… You...... You should probably go and rest, Your Majesty! ”

"No, my mind has always been clear, I have always considered, I want my child to be smart, healthy and beautiful, but his father cannot be French, nor can he be Breton, wise enough, calm and composed, and virtuous, for the crisis is too great, and the temptation is too great—I have searched and waited, and I have almost given up, until you appear in Brest, I have heard your name for a long time, and thought you were just a prodigal child, but the truth always contradicts rumors, isn't it? I have chosen you to be the father of my children, and I am sure that you will keep your mouth shut, and you will not think that you will get the glory and money you don't deserve. ”

"I promise I'm not going to say anything, but again, I'm not going to do anything."

"Oh, that......" said the Duchess indifferently, "the witch's ointment is very useful, Mr. Bishop, it will make me lose my child, and it will make me have it." ”

“……”