Windsor, a small town in Berkshire, located on a hill south of the River Thames, is probably only vaguely remembered by Isabelle Walton in modern times, with the Duke of Windsor, Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel.

Among them, the Duke of Windsor is the most famous person who can arouse her curiosity. He reigned for only 325 days, becoming the only king in the history of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth to abdicate voluntarily, and the main reason for the abdication was that the former king loved the beauty more than his kingdom. In fact, the truth about the abdication of the Duke of Windsor, i.e. Edward VIII, is that Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was a supporter of the fanatical regime of Nazi Germany.

Fortunately, the Duke of Windsor chose the third option given to him by Sir Stanley Baldwin, then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, which was abdication. If the Duke insisted on choosing the second option against the Prime Minister's wishes, which was to marry the divorced Mrs. Simpson, it would lead to the surrender of Nazi Germany to the British government.

At that time, peace-loving countries and people around the world will watch the British government change its position at the wedding of the Duke of Windsor and Mrs. Simpson, and firmly stand in the Axis camp dominated by Nazi Germany.

At the same time, the lack of the most important military base in the Allied camp to open up a second battlefield led to the collapse of the alliance in an instant. The United States, the Soviet Union, China, and France were forced to engage in even more brutal warfare with their new enemy, the British Commonwealth, thus postponing the armistice of World War II indefinitely.

Isabel stared intently at Henry's beautiful pupils standing across from her, and slowly she felt the Duke's pupils become darker and larger.

When her pupils dilated to the size of a black hole, she suddenly felt like she was standing at the top of Big Ben. It was a hellish sight: the Nazi flag fluttering over London, the distant horizon in the colors of fire, and the swaggering strides of SS soldiers in front of Westminster Abbey......

"Isabel, Isabel, are you okay?" A voice of concern full of warmth and affection kept ringing in my ears.

She blinked twice, and the sound seemed to come from the cloud-covered sky. In an instant, she noticed that the terrifying sight in front of her had disappeared into the darkness ahead of her faster than the speed of light, and finally turned into a black patch in Henry's pupils.

Isabel looked at the scenery outside the window, and glanced at Henry, who was a little worried and a little incomprehensible, and nodded: "Yes, I'm fine." Just now... I'm just thinking about your early days at Windsor. ”

Henry shook his head, a look of disdain on his face, and said, "Childhood? That was only my two years as the Duke of Norfolk's supervised person. These two years are not beautiful memories. ”

Henry turned his face out of the window, and Isabel looked at him who was still full of childishness and smiled lightly: "Well, now, I have explained to you the essence of this marriage, so you still don't want to complete the marriage ceremony with the duke's daughter?" With that, he picked up his glass and took a sip of wine.

"I can follow my father's wishes and marry Mary Howard. It's just that I don't think I love her. ”

"Henry, how is this generally resolved in the marriage of a Catholic aristocracy?"

Henry's eyes rolled upward, pondering the precedent he knew, and said, "Let me think." Well, it is possible to live separately and not live together until one of the parties thinks they can live together. ”

Separation—a way of life that became popular among many families in the United States in later generations, actually began to be popular in England in the mid-16th century? Isabel was greatly surprised by Henry's words, and hurriedly asked the duke, "Henry, how did you come up with this method?" ”

Henry laughed and said: "Lord Surrey, who lived with me for two years, is a good example. After marrying the daughter of the Lord of Oxford in 1532, he lived apart for three years, and did not live together again until 1535. ”

"Henry, that's going to be easy. If you and the duke's daughter don't love each other, you can live separately from her. ”

"That's how I envisioned it, Isabel."

"I'm sorry, Henry, I can't make such a suggestion to you." Isabel suddenly regretted saying this. looked at Henry, who was smiling, and hurriedly said, "Henry, I'm destroying your family and your marriage." If Mary resents you for this, my soul will be redeemed forever. ”

"Isabel, I actually said this advice myself, right? It is because you mentioned Lord Surrey that I think of Lord Surrey's wife and marriage. Henry took the glass and walked slowly to the sitting area of the study.

Isabel held her glass, turned to lean against the windowsill and took another sip of wine. Henry put down his glass at this time, looked at her and hesitated, and said, "Isabel, are you not surprised at all by this?" I mean, I was married to Mary. ”

Henry looked at her with guilt, unease, and apprehension in his eyes, and Isabel could see what the high school student was thinking, and walked over to him and sat down across from him with a wine glass. When he put down his glass, he said, "Actually, I have long thought about your marriage. It's just that I don't know which noble girl you're marrying. ”

After speaking, Henry, who was looking at the opposite side and was about to speak, smiled softly and said, "When I came to this land, I didn't know what would happen in the next second. Driven by a desire to protect myself, I killed your janitor. ”

"Everything that happened from the killing of the janitor was unexpected to me. Perhaps, I have experienced more than every woman in this castle. ”

"Henry, if it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have been burned as a witch. So, I really appreciate your help to me. ”

Henry sat in his chair and listened, and only when Isabel stopped did he say, "It's nothing. At first, I just wanted you to compensate for the damage caused by killing the janitor, but it was Sir Augustine that I became interested in getting to know you. ”

"As this understanding deepened, I realized that I could not leave you, Isabel."

"Henry, I take your word for it. If it's just because you don't want me to leave, I can stay in the Duke's palace and do things for you. Surely you can see that my role as Privy Counsellor will help you even more, won't you? ”

When Henry heard this, he quickly shook his head and said, "I don't deny this fact. Even if my father doesn't agree, I want to be with you. ”

"Henry, why don't you ask my opinion? Or, do you think I like you too? Isabel said, staring straight into the other's eyes.