Disclaimer: I don't own Reign. Rated T. A talk of past violence but not in detail. not historically accurate but drama on point. This is gonna be a roller coaster ride :)
Chapter 8: The Littlest Broken Crown of Lee, Part I
Catherine didn't wait for Lucille with the guard and burst right into the chamber. "Stéphane! What's going on!?" Her husband was facing the window and immediately turned to her "Catherine? What are you doing here?" Lucille finally emerged with the guards. "You are all imbeciles! I told you not to let anyone in! Please, Catherine. Just leave. I don't want you to be hurt." Catherine and Lucille shared a worried look. "Hurt me? Who will hurt me? Will you hurt me further by closing yourself from me?"
"Further? What do you mean!? All I've been doing is protecting you!" His voice was raised and startled the rest. Catherine couldn't help but be taken back to the past. It was like seeing her insane ex-husband all-over again. She froze in contemplation but found back her strength when he shouted once more at the guards. "That's why I didn't want anybody in! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW, YOU WORTHLESS BASTARDS!" Narcisse was becoming out of hand almost lunging into the guards. Lucille and Catherine acted quickly.
The nun immediately instructed the guards to stay outside by the door and keep quiet about the outburst of the lord chancellor. The queen mother halted her husband with all her might and held him in place. "Stéphane! What are you doing!? Protect me from what!? Protect me from whom!?" Narcisse was not paying attention to his wife and removed himself from her. He turned back to face his nemesis by the window but he found no one there.
When he turned around to his wife, his eyes widened. Henry was behind Catherine with the dagger placed by her waist. His evil grin was unsettling. "CATHERINE, DON'T MOVE! HENRY PLEASE DON'T HURT HER!" The ladies were baffled by his screams. "Narcisse, calm down! What are you talking about?! Henry is dead!" Stéphane rendered speechless after Catherine for Henry spoke.
"You and this dagger are one. For every inch you move closer to her, so will this dagger. Dare tell her this predicament and she'll be dead in no time. So if you truly love her, you know what to do."
Stéphane was trembling. Catherine has never seen her man this vulnerable. "Catherine. Please just leave. If you truly love me, you will leave and let me be." She shook her head and argued with him. "I can't leave you in this state. I won't leave you. Please let me help you, mon amour."
Lucille was also afraid of what's happening but her mind was present enough to think of a way she might be useful. "My lord, please listen to her Majesty. Let us help you. Hold my hand." The nun extended her arm for him to reach.
To Narcisse's vision, Henry was transfixed on him and seemed unaware of Lucille's presence. "Please, Stéphane. Trust me. I promise you, I will not move if you follow Lucille." Still trembling but hesitantly, he reached out to the nun.
Once Lucille grasped the lord's hand, she briefly closed her eyes to let a vision come through. The rest turned into a blue hue and frozen. Narcisse was covered by the purple and black smokey glow, irregular blanket shape, that she kept seeing for the past nights in her dreams. Catherine's right side had the same smokey glow but only colored black, in the human-like shape. The nun felt the eerie presence that Narcisse must have been feeling. But no detail of any sort on the dead king he claimed was seen by Lucille.
She opened her eyes once more and all the glows remained in the couple but now under the daylight coming from the windows at present. She heard Narcisse's voice, which was merely a whisper under his breath. It was not audible to Catherine but heard by Lucille. "He's just looking at me, smiling devilishly. His dagger at my wife's side. He will hurt her. I can't let that happen."
Narcisse was looking down now and kept on repeating the last sentence. Lucille looked back at Catherine with scared eyes but a plan in mind. The black human-shadow must be the ghost the lord is seeing. But it seems that it's just floating and harmless. If the queen could convince him that she won't be hurt, perhaps it will slowly go away. She made a sign of the cross. Catherine, visibly confused and terrified, saw how her husband was muttering words to himself and the nun praying to God knows what.
"Lucille, what in the world is happening!?" Lucille took a deep breath before addressing the queen. "Listen to me, your Majesty. Convince him you won't be harmed by any means." Catherine now looked more angry than worried. "How will I do that!? He doesn't listen to reason! Look at him!" She did and held his hand tighter. He was still muttering but another voice came through and it was not Stéphane's.
"She will hate you once you tell her the truth. Let's just kill her to lighten your burden."
Lucille was mortified. She wasn't sure about her plan anymore. Oh my Lord, are you being possessed? Her mind was running wild. Then she heard Narcisse's voice back. "I will never hurt her. You can't make me. I WON'T LET YOU!"
The ladies both flinched to his last words. Lucille needed to act now. He is fighting whatever this is. This may be all in his mind. I need to help him fight it. I have to feed on to what he is saying. The nun just ran with it. "You're right, my lord. You can't hurt her. You don't have a dagger. You are not Henry. Am I right, Queen Catherine?"
Catherine was utterly shocked by Lucille's words. A dagger!? Her mind shouted at the nun as she mouthed the words back to her. Lucille just nodded and pleadingly gazed at the queen to follow her lead. Catherine swallowed the lump of nervousness she was carrying and joined the plan. "Yes, mon amour. You are not Henry. You won't hurt me. I trust you." Narcisse's expression softened a bit on his wife. Then, he shifted to Lucille. "Do you see him?"
Lucille's eyes widened. She doesn't see anyone else but just a couple with a dark entity looming all over them. But she had to lie. "Yes. He's on her right side. But I believe you can make him dissipate once you trust the queen with whatever truth you are holding on to."
Narcisse took a step back and looked directly at Catherine in fear. "I don't want to lose you, Catherine. I don't want you to hate me." His tears were free-flowing as he shook his head in denial. Catherine couldn't bear to see her husband like this.
"Stéphane, look at me. Whatever it is, you can trust me. I am your wife." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. She wanted to reach her husband's soul, like the way he saved her countless times. "We've been through so much. I have hated you before. I even hated the fact that I still loved you despite all of that. So, my Stéphane, please. Just tell me what it is."
Catherine looked at Lucille if it's working. The nun nodded and urged her to talk further. "If Henry is here and dares to take me, he will never get me back. Because I will always come back running to you, no matter what happens to you, no matter what you did."
Narcisse started to calm down with her words and Lucille could see the black entity by Catherine's side gently fading. Catherine reached out her hand for Stéphane to hold on to. He was heaving. But he reluctantly moved forward. He saw Henry do nothing and was slowly disappearing. The moment their hands touched, it was as if his soul was lifted together with the glows, instantly leaving their bodies.
Lucille's body momentarily jolted with the impact. Narcisse became so weak that he started to faint. Blessedly, Catherine reacted fast and kneeled in time to catch his upper body. Lucille was also still holding so his fall was not abrupt.
"Stéphane! Call the guards and the physician now!" Lucille let go and stumbled on the floor. Then she ran outside for the guards. They came soon after. "Help me lift him to bed!" They obeyed the queen.
Catherine went on trying to wake him up and checking his pulse every second. Stéphane's heart was raging fast in fever and was still unconscious. He was sweating profusely. "Go help the nun fetch the physician quickly and NO SINGLE WORD TO ANYONE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? NOW GO!" The guards immediately left the chambers.
Woefully, her children were walking in the corridors when they saw the guards rushing out of Narcisse's chambers. Luc's intuition forthwith his legs towards his father's whereabouts. The Valois royals, together with Elisa, followed suit.
"Father? Oh my Lord, what happened to him!?" Luc sprinted to his bed. Claude followed her husband. The Valois brothers were stunned with the unconscious lord chancellor in bed.
"What are you all doing here!?" Catherine was furious but the worry was more painted on her face. "We saw the guards going out of here. What happened to Narcisse?" Henri inquired. Catherine just held her husband tighter. "He fell unconscious after a delusional spell. The physician is on his way. I don't know if he's going to be alright but he is raging in fever and his heartbeat is not reassuring."
"What could have caused this? Should we worry about another plague?" Charles addressed and Elisa held on to him for dear life. "He did get out and about preparing for the wedding. But if so, mother should have surely caught it since they've been preparing together." Claude insightfully suggested.
"No. We've been apart for the past two weeks. And his symptoms are more consistent in an isolated condition." Catherine fearfully stared at Stéphane.
"But how did he get ill like this? He seemed fine from the past days." Elisa finally got a word out. Nobody saw and cared for Narcisse like the way Catherine does.
Everybody was wrecking their heads out of confusion and anxiety. The quiet seconds were shattered by the arrival of the physician and the nun. Catherine was now enraged and seethed it on the new arrivals. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?"
The physician immediately checked on the patient ignoring the rage of the queen. He made the nun his squire. "Get me cold water with a cloth. And I will need everyone to leave, except for the queen mother. I shall update everyone of his condition after my initial examination."
"You heard the man. EVERYBODY OUT NOW!" Catherine startled everyone but followed nonetheless. She tried to calm herself with the whole situation. The physician's assessment brought her back.
"His unconsciousness came from his overfatigue body. I'm not yet sure if he is infected with anything. But if we could get his temperature down quickly, he shall regain his consciousness. Rest assured, Majesty, the lord chancellor shall recover."
Catherine nodded in relief. "That's good to know. Besides infection, I think we should rule in poison. I'm afraid he is experiencing it. For the past weeks, he doesn't look right. He was hallucinating before he fainted." The physician bowed in respect to the queen's suggestion.
Finally, Lucille came back with the cold water. Catherine personally cared for him. Lucille and the physician were observing the lord from his feet and at the same time, they noticed faint white pigmentation under his nose. The physician brought out a smaller clean cloth and collected whatever the powdery substance was. "I shall examine this in the infirmary. Come to me when the lord awakens." The nun nodded and the physician went out.
"Contrary to what he claims, your Grace, I didn't see the king. All I saw was a black shadow looming over you. While he got a mix of purple-black all over him. I'm not sure if this coincides with what happened to Damien, but whatever it is, I felt the presence of evil in it. I heard a different voice apart from my lord's voice." Catherine couldn't believe what she was hearing. But she didn't have time to process everything as her children all came back to the room. She was too tired to address them so she let them be.
"How is my father, Queen Catherine?" Luc worriedly sat by the side of the bed. Claude comforted her husband. "The physician said we just have to wait for his fever to break. He said he might have caught an infection. But he found a powdery substance underneath his nose, making my suspicion of poison very likely. And I will beat you to it, I didn't do this. So keep your judgments to yourselves." She hissed as she dampened the cloth back in the cold water.
"Mother, why are you being defensive? None of us said a word." Henri came into everyone's defense. "Yes, But the moment I said 'poison' all your judgmental eyes say otherwise." Catherine didn't care about their absurd gazes and focused on her husband. "Wait, I know you. You're that nun from Chenonceau. What are you doing here?" Claude suddenly blurted out of nowhere.
"A nun in Chenonceau? When did you go to Chenonceau? Why would a nun be there?" Charles asked. Then the rest froze. Catherine gave Claude a very disappointed look as her daughter mounted the words 'sorry'. Luc saved his wife and the rest of them the trouble.
"As you gave us the responsibility of the duchy of Lorraine, your sister and I took it upon ourselves to start to remedy the tragedy that struck the land. A monastery and an orphanage were attacked by radical groups after the slaughter of the whole duke's clan. We sought refuge for them and Claude suggested that one of your chateaus would do nicely. We commissioned the help of the queen mother who allowed us to use Chenonceau."
"And you didn't tell me this because?" Charles was digging into this. But he seemed unexpectedly calm about it. "Well, you were still very much acquainted with the Admiral and his faith at that time. So we thought it was not wise for us to disclose it to you." Henri backed up Luc.
"An admiral and his faith? What does Henri mean, Charles?" The very Catholic Princess Elisa couldn't help but wonder.
"If you must know, my love, I favored the Protestants before your arrival. But I learned I trusted the wrong man. And would like to set things right this time. So Sister, what brings you here at French court? Is there some kind of trouble that we need to know about?" All eyes were now on Lucille. But Catherine intervened.
"I summoned her. Ever since the wedding preparation started, I've been having terrible headaches. I remembered this nun gave me a tincture that soothed my headaches in my stay in Chenonceau. When we were walking on the hallways, his guards informed us of the lord chancellor's condition and immediately went inside, just in time to catch him." Catherine crafted the convincing lie that muted everyone. The room was not silent for long.
The physician burst into the room just before anyone could speak. "Your Majesty, you're right. It is poison. I have tested it. It is a pulverized henbane. I don't know where he got it but all his belongings in this chamber, including his clothes, and everything he eats must be washed and inspected. I suggest he must be moved to a different room now. Everyone, don't touch anything from this room and leave immediately."
Without another word, everyone moved quickly. There was a lot to discuss but they needed everyone to be safe. Narcisse was still sleeping when Catherine ordered the servants to change his clothes. Luc and Henri helped carry Narcisse to an adjacent room. Charles accompanied Elisa and Claude outside. Catherine and Lucille followed through. Once everything was settled, Catherine ordered Lucille and the physician to stay with Narcisse as the rest of them discussed the news in the queen's chamber.
"I can't believe this is happening just a week before the wedding! This is a direct attack on France!" Charles was now pacing back and forth while everyone was quietly thinking who could have done this atrocity.
"He is right. This is an act of defiance. Whoever did this must have wanted this wedding off or must have a personal vendetta on Narcisse." Henri was trying to stop Charles from pacing as he spoke.
"And I can't think of anyone else who would want that on my father." Luc caught Catherine's attention but Claude finished her husband's hunch for everyone else. "Admiral Coligny. You think he did this?"
Elisa tried to grasp this admiral whom she just heard from today. "But is that wise of him to do such an attack? You've informed me that he is not in your favor now but was once under the graces of Charles. If he wants revenge but still wants the power back, I don't think he would blatantly make a delay on it to make it fruition. If he wants the Lord Chancellor dead, he would want him dead now and not prolong the agony for himself."
The princess' brilliance was shining through but the wisest one in the room has yet to speak. "Elisa has a point. The last thing that we want is to mistakenly put Coligny down and make him a martyr for the Protestants. We also have to take into account that Narcisse made a lot of enemies. So the possibilities are endless." The queen stood by the window and looked at the sunset.
"There must be things that he is hiding from us that have come to haunt him down now. He's the only one who can solve this for us." She contemplated on every bit Narcisse was saying before he fainted. "Mother, what do you mean by that?" Claude found Catherine's statement vague and intriguing.
Catherine turned back to them and realized how young they all are. You are all the future. I need to protect you all. She took a deep breath and did her best to shy away from Claude's question. "Honestly, I don't know. All I know is whoever did this will pay the necessary price. No one must dare to infiltrate my inner circle and come out of it alive." The queen's remarks sent fear in their veins. No one wanted to be on Catherine de Medici's bad side.
"Now, let's start fixing this. Claude, order all servants to keep their mouths shut or else they will suffer gravely. Luc, discreetly investigate all affairs Narcisse did recently. Henri, be present in every privy council meeting. Observe everyone. Craft a story of why Narcisse can't be there. My king, please be vigilant but don't impose rush decisions. And I'll take care of the rest." Catherine finally walked towards Elisa and took her hands.
"Princess, welcome to the real French court. This unfortunate event is a breach of security but I can assure you, you are still safe in my home." Now, she addressed everyone. "You are all safe as long as I'm alive. Am I understood?"
Elisa surprised everyone by embracing the queen. "I appreciate everything you do for us, Queen Catherine. Thank you." The rest were enamored by the scene. Claude chimed in. Catherine was caught off guard but hugged them dearly. Then she did the same to her two sons, then Luc. But she pulled him aside as the rest of them headed towards the door.
"Luc, I don't know if your father has been confiding with you as of late but I want you to know that I love him beyond reason. And if this poisoning happened because he wants to protect me from whatever truth, I wish to know if he has shared anything with you."
"No one has ever come close to the way my father loved you and I truly appreciate that you feel the same, mother. But he has not shared anything with me. I will do my best to investigate. We will have him back." Luc smiled caringly. Catherine was not ready for her stepson and son-in-law addressing her that way but it was welcomed nonetheless.
They all went out of the room to go separate ways. The children went for their dinner as Catherine returned to her husband. She found Lucille and the physician taking good care of him. "He has not awakened, your Grace. But I made him drink a herb medicine that I know could help in henbane poisoning. His fever finally broke and his heartbeat is coming back to normal. He must eat when he wakes up. Any food would do."
Catherine caressed Stéphane's face in relief. "His dinner will be prepared by my own trusted servants for safety. Thank you for your services. We shall tell you if something comes up. You may take your leave." The physician acknowledged and left.
"I know so much has happened, your Grace. It may still be true that a lurking evil is still conquering him. I realized that the moment we had control over him was the moment he trusted you. And whoever was the voice I heard was within his mind. For a minute, I thought he was possessed. But the poison explains everything." Lucille tried her best to lighten the queen's burden.
"And I'm hopeful that this might give you comfort. Damien is here. He is with Jean-Philippe and his nanny, as you ordered if I were to be going here at court." Catherine smiled at the thought of her sons.
"Good, I shall send for them once their father awakens. You may also take your leave and go to them. Just go back to me if another unusual thing happens to Damien. I'll take care of my husband." The nun curtsied and left.
Now alone with her husband, she let her tired body lie by his side and poured out all the frustration she had for that day. She cried on his chest whispering her love for him. "I don't know what you did but please just come back to me."
Just a few minutes later, dinner was served in the room and she heard him groan to wakefulness, muttering her name. "Stéphane? Mon amour? I'm here." He slowly opened his eyes and took hold of whatever strength his body could manage to embrace his wife. "Catherine, please don't leave me." He whispered pleadingly.
"As long as you promise you will eat and tell me the truth, I won't leave." She didn't waste time to start where they left off. She sat them both upright. She kissed him passionately and made him feel safe. "I love you. Don't you dare scare me like that again?" He faintly smiled. "I will try. I love you too."
Then she fed him his dinner in silence. When both their hunger was satisfied, it was the moment of truth. "Someone has been poisoning you, Stéphane. Most of us hunch it's Coligny. But you have made so many enemies. There could be someone else that I don't know of. Is there? What's the truth, Stéphane?"
Stéphane tried to make sense of the new info but ultimately tensed to her question. So she tried a different approach. "If I tell you my truth, would you tell me yours?" They were deeply looking at each other's eyes, trying their best to convey trust within their reach. Finally, he gave in and held her hands. She kissed his forehead and started.
"The truth is, out of all the men in my life, you are the only one willing to die for me. You may have hurt my feelings in the past, but never did you lay an iron hand on my body. And," Stéphane halted his wife. "What do you mean? Did they physically abuse you? I will kill them."
"I know you will but you can't. Two of them are dead and the other is our sovereign king, my son." Narcisse straightened himself in attention. "Charles!? When and what did he do to you!?" Catherine thought of him as overreacting but this was news to him. He knew her wife was stronger. But never was it detailed that she was physically abused nor did he rummage in all of Lucille's detailed drawings of her life.
"Stéphane. I will tell you in detail later. Please, let me get my point across first, yes?" He hugged her tighter and surrendered to his wife. "I'm sorry. I just don't want anybody hurting you. Even if he is your mentally unstable son or my stepson king or your ex-husband mad king," Catherine in passing continued the string of men. "Or my now dead servant boy or my ex-husband's bastard." Narcisse had an immense shock on his face as Catherine lifted his hand for him not to speak.
"Later. I promise. As I was saying, you are not like them. That's why I trust you and I hope you trust me back. We worked so hard to get here and we could only go so far if we share our truths. Now, why is my dead ex-husband haunting you? What makes you think I'll leave you and I'll be hurt?"
Stéphane loosened his embrace to look her in the eyes. He caressed her face and braced himself. He took a deep breath before speaking. "He is threatening to hurt you and our family. Well at least now, the poison explains the hallucination." Catherine patiently waited for her husband.
"I'm not crazy, Catherine. I know he is dead. But even with poison now in consideration, I felt the evil within him with the truth bound. When I saw that dagger, I felt he had the power to wield it in you and bleed you to death. That's why I was so scared. And I bet Lucille felt that too. But I realized she had a plan and it worked. She wanted me to trust you that you won't leave me despite what I've done. Once I placed that trust, Henry started to vanish." She held him in security.
"Then what is it, mon amour? What have you done?" Tears welled up in his eyes. "That ghost of Henry tortured me with the fact that I know who truly poisoned him. I knew it was not the one you killed and I kept that from you for my personal gain. I gave out the information that Christian De Guise was behind Henry's poisoning so you would kill him. Then I blackmailed Henry's true poisoner for money, the King of Navarre, Antoine Bourbon."
Catherine didn't know what to feel. She was tricked but she understood Narcisse's reasons, or at least that was what she thought. He was left with nothing after what he did to the Crown. He did everything for survival. You are the only one who could make me respect the way of betrayal. She thought and pursued further as to why he did all that.
"Why would you hide that from me? It seemed you were not afraid of my wrath back then since you pushed through with it. I could have destroyed the Bourbons with the right reasons and protected the Valois line."
He gripped her hands and kissed her knuckles. "And have you and your family destroyed? You know that they have the backing of England. Our forces were not matched with the two countries. I can't let that happen. I need you to be safe. I," He stopped just to kiss her.
"I was reminded of why I wanted you to be safe always. When Christian tried his way, I was horrified to imagine you in another's arms. At first, I truly thought it was political. But we got closer that I couldn't seem to escape you. I tried my best to save you from yourself and what you can do. But things were changing so fast between us that I can't keep up. So I turned back to what I could handle, which is, unfortunately, betraying you. I'm so sorry, Catherine. Indeed, I will never harm you physically, but I was capable to fathom hurting you emotionally. I don't deserve you. I hope you could forgive me."
Catherine was slowly grasping what he said. Everything happened for the love they've been so afraid to deal with, unbeknownst to both of them. She locked her eyes on him. "I want you to know that I'm so mad right now. What you did was unforgettable but understandable, which makes me angrier at us than on you alone. I couldn't believe we let all of that happen when in fact, we could have worked through it just like what we are doing now. It was a betrayal nonetheless and I would like to kill you but I couldn't. My love for you is greater and I can't lose you, Stéphane. Promise me it won't happen again because I don't want to kill you." It was a warning in true Catherine de Medici fashion. She was the only one he knew that could declare undying love and a serious threat in one sentence.
"I promise, mon amour." They kissed with all the dangerous mix of her anger and his devotion. He was taking in whatever she thought he deserved after all this.
After the breathless minutes, they stopped for him to hear her entire truth. "Now, you did promise to share something with me. But I won't force you to say anything you are not comfortable sharing." He was so respectful to her time that it brought more guts for her to speak.
Catherine looked him in his soul. "It's alright. All of these happened a long time ago. I'm healed now. I can freely share them with you without flinching." He nodded and composed himself. She was strong enough to detail everything as if it never happened. "Charles threw me to a wall in Claude's wedding. Henry and Christophe became too rough on me during intercourse. Sebastian choked me when he learned I killed his mother. But all these harms on my body I endured because I became strong. When some soldiers violated me at eight years old, there was nothing left to do but be strong for myself as I grew up."
Narcisse's tears silently poured as she spoke. "Why are you crying? Please, your pity is the last thing I need." Her tone was not mad but in full discomfort while wiping his tears. No man had cried for her as he did. "I don't pity you. I respect you in all ways. I admire that you could save yourself no matter what. You are the strongest human I have ever been with. But these are tears of regrets for missed opportunities. There must have been times that you needed anybody even if you're strong. I wish I was that soul for you."
He held her protectively. I will protect you this time around. This history won't repeat itself, I assure you of that. And Charles will hear from me. He kissed her forehead as he pledged silently. He knew she didn't need to hear it at this moment. But he made sure she felt his intentions.
"But now, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I feel honored that you chose to confide all of these with me. Your trust and love is my strength." He embraced his queen as he brought them to lie down on the bed. Catherine was on his chest while Narcisse was on her crown.
She let herself smile tenderly to his security. I never thought I'd ever find a sanctuary for all these emotional baggage. Despite all that we have done, there's no place I'd rather be. In your arms, your love radiates. She looked back at him. Their eyes met. Although, I do wish for you to be mightier like you used to. I wonder why and when you have been this sensitive.
"The poison is turning you into an emotional wreck." She summarized her thoughts with that as she continued to soothe him. "Probably. Or perhaps I lost too many wives that it traumatized me to lose another in any way." He whispered on her crown.
With a concerned look, she asked. "How did you lose them?" He returned the look. He only mentioned this to Lola at the crypts as a divisive plot to have her pity on him. But now he wanted Catherine to understand his rational fear.
"My first three wives died of hemorrhage, which included Luc and Eduard's mothers. I was young. I didn't know what a woman's body needed to go through after birth. My father was relentless in pushing me to have lots of heirs." Catherine felt more connected to him as she remembered how she struggled to have royal heirs for the throne. Her stakes were higher but it was the same experience for both of them. She let him continue.
"My fourth wife, Estelle, jumped from a cliff. She became afraid of me because of what she heard about my past wives. People don't know that she was not in her sound mind that I helped her from the plague. All these rumors tarnished me as a monstrous husband. So I did my best to change that narrative into an irresistible lover in court. The very reason I did that was to teach myself how to take care of a woman. So I won't lose another wife to death. But then my fifth wife still died and I just thought I was meant to be alone."
Catherine felt a little guilty for feeling pity for her husband. So she tried to stir away from this thought with logic. "Then what made you change your mind? What made you take a chance on us?" Narcisse gave it some thought. Then it hit on him with a pang of immense remorse. "I was quite surprised when that happened. What urged me to take this chance was from an unlikely source and an innocent man, Gideon Blackburn."
"The English Ambassador? How did he change your mind?" He cleared his throat as he reminisced that afternoon Gideon helped him realize what love can do to anyone and gave him the idea of the perfect revenge.
"He told me to allow myself to love again and be loved in return. At that time, I don't know why I immediately looked for you but I did and rekindled our sexual connection in an afternoon delight. And as they say, the rest is history." He sighed after. Speaking of it now made him feel worse about killing Gideon.
"I guess I should thank Gideon for helping us get here. How unfortunate he is dead." Catherine nonchalantly said but noticed the sudden change in Narcisse's expression. "What's the matter? You sighed after telling me a dead man helped you get me back." She chuckled at her next thought that she voiced out. "It's not as if you are involved in his death, right?"
Narcisse widened his eyes on the remark that was a joke to Catherine. But his wife was fast enough to catch on. "Oh my goodness, Narcisse. Did you kill Gideon? Why would you do that? You told me yourself he is innocent."
He closed his eyes and prepared his being for her disappointment. "He is. That's why it was harder for me to kill him, especially what he has done for me. He made me realize that I need you and he is loved by Elizabeth."
Catherine exhaled her frustration. They were still in bed but the emotional turmoil made Catherine remove herself from her husband's embrace and simply went to her side. "So you killed him because she killed Lola. Just like how acts of revenge work, isn't it?" He simply nodded. She looked back at him in severe disappointment.
It seemed she was more affected by this secret than that of the Bourbon blackmail. "I understand that when a heart goes through a colossal pain, sometimes the brain shuts off." She gave him a stern look. "Now, my dear husband, what made you think that Elizabeth won't know it's you and that she won't go after you? Hmm?"
The weak lord chancellor lowered his head like a petrified student. "I was careful. She will never find out." Catherine looked at the ceiling to prepare themselves for the aftermath of his stupid decision. But her sarcasm made Narcisse fear for the worse. "I see. How did you kill him?"
"Poison. I gave it to Elizabeth's closest servant. Catherine, what are you thinking?" Narcisse was trying to figure out where Catherine was taking him because he had a hunch that it's a treacherous place.
She scoffed and closed her eyes. Son of a bitch. I can't believe this is happening. And just like that Catherine figured out who was poisoning Narcisse and why he was being poisoned now. Whatever has transpired with Lucille's powers and her husband's terrible past life decisions will come to play later. For now, the queen's knowledge will give them the upper hand. But first, she will make sure that her husband will not make the same mistakes again.
She propped on her elbow and faced her husband. "I'm thinking that I'm more disappointed at this than the Bourbon plot. You want to know why?" He just swallowed the lump in his throat to her upset tone. "Because you made friction and turned it into fire with the wrong enemy. Antoine Bourbon may be capable to play our games. But Elizabeth is one of the most brilliant minds I've seen. And I bet you, she knows you did it."
Narcisse was now very unsure of himself but tried his best for a pretentious stronger front. "Are you saying she's behind all this? How sure are you that she knows with just the information I gave you?" Catherine smirked. Oh, my sweet dear husband. The poison affected your brain, it seems.
"Because your wife is Catherine de Medici and I figured it out. The physician found a white substance in your nose while you were unconscious. It was henbane, Narcisse. It can only be found in England. With the right motive, the Queen of England is trying to infiltrate the impending alliance of France and the Holy Roman Empire by destroying the French lord chancellor from the inside. We are not going to let her win. Not on my watch."
"Catherine, we can't just be jumping to conclusions." Stéphane held her hand. "I hope you said that to yourself before you killed Gideon. And maybe we wouldn't find ourselves here in the first place." She caressed his face, calming out his regret.
"I'm so sorry, mon amour. I feel so stupid." Filled with remorse, Narcisse lowered his head in shame. "No worries, mon amour. I will get us out of here. I always do." The assured smile came from the queen while a faint smile came from the lord. I'll make sure we will win, Narcisse. Against a queen or the evil, we will win.
Told ya, roller coaster of emotions. See you in the next part!