In a lavishly decorated room, adorned with portraits of former monarchs, a man sat hunched over a table. He looked to be in his fifties, stocky build with straight raven hair and sharp eyes.

Thomas More, the king's chancellor, sighed wearily as he surveyed the pile of papers before him. Did the crowd just get bigger? The workload was always there, especially for a high chancellor like him. But the king also had the obligation to review the papers. His duties were clear, as was the king's obligation to review these documents. Although Henry had always seemed reluctant to do this, finding the work boring, he had not neglected it until now.

The keywords are until now, practically out of the blue, the king canceled all his plans and suddenly left the court, leaving them all in the dark. That's strange enough in itself, but the fact that he's going to visit the Queen has completely confused everyone.

Many assumed that he quarreled with her in letters, and that she got over his head. It was a reasonable thought, given his obsession with Anne Boleyn and his constant complaints about Catherine.

Nevertheless, Thomas harbored the hope in his heart that their meeting would bring reconciliation. He was the king's chancellor, sworn to his sovereign, but his greatest duty was to God. Although he was aware that he was on a precarious path that could lead to accusations of treason, he was resolute in his stance. For him, annulment and separation from the Catholic Church was an affront to the faith, a path Henry tried to take him to, but their beliefs diverged. Thomas More was a servant of the king, but above all, he was a man of God.

Glancing at the clock in the corner, he sighed once more. His dinner will have to wait. He had work to do. And the king's sudden change of plans weighed heavily on him.

--

Thomas respectfully bowed to the king as a sign of greeting for his return to the Court. Although he had just returned, Henry immediately called Thomas. To his surprise, instead of the grumbling he expected, the king looked excited talking about his upcoming plans.

Now, if only Thomas could figure out what the plans were. Henry spoke of great celebrations and ceremonies, which is not unusual, as everyone knows of his love of revelry. But what baffles Thomas is how big and lavish these parties are, as if they are preparing for a coronation. What in the world happened when the king was with the queen?

While attentively listening to the description of these parties, Thomas was caught off guard by one word – baptism. What kind of baptism in the name of the world is he talking about? As far as he knows, no one was born so distinguished for this kind of entertainment. Could Anne Boleyn be pregnant? But that doesn't make sense either, she didn't show any sign of being in a different state, and the King of England certainly can't be this happy because of unconfirmed information.

Thomas cleared his throat carefully and said, "Forgive this servant for his ignorance. But I am not familiar with the baptism you speak of, Your Majesty."

The king paused, looking a little confused for a moment before he understood Thomas' question. After a short silence, he began to speak, his tone showing that it was something he could no longer hold back.

"I am not surprised that you did not hear, my friend. The Lord has given me and Catherine a son!"

. . .

Ha!? To say that Thomas More did not expect this would be an understatement. It was an option that no one considered, and yet it happened. This discovery only strengthened Thomas More's belief that his religious beliefs were righteous. For why else would God bless England with an heir at this time?

His determination grew, he would make sure that the newborn would become a great king, according to God's will. Thomas' mind was already compiling a list of the individuals he would have to face to achieve that goal.

One of the biggest threats was Thomas Cromwell, a clever and cunning man who knows how to get what he wants. Cromwell is an advocate of Protestantism and annulment of marriage, for him and his ambitions, the newborn prince is a great threat. He might feel the need to get rid of it. Next to him, we have Lady Anne and her family, although Thomas doubts that Anne Boleyn would do anything to harm the baby, her father is a different story. He has always been an ambitious man, but now that he has tasted the power of the future queen's father, he will certainly not want to give it up. Besides them, there were other Protestants who would see the boy as a threat.

Thomas was pulled out of his thoughts by Henry, who was debating with himself about the color of the clothes he should wear. He began to write down all the things he had to prepare for baptism. With the exit of the King of England, Thomas leaned back in his chair, already feeling headaches from the future work.

--

Anne smiled as she saw her lover enter her chambers, she quickly signaled the maids to exit and happily walked over to Henry. Without much thought, she gently cupped his face and kissed him.

She frowned, the kiss felt strange, as if she were the only one taking part in it. She interrupted him and looked at Henry confused. His eyes didn't show desire and love like usual, instead he looked so far away.

Anne couldn't help thinking it had something to do with his sudden visit to Catherine. The two of them had a picnic planned, but Henry left in such a hurry that he forgot to tell her about the change of plans. So she was left alone like a fool waiting for him while he visited his soon-to-be ex-wife.

She forced herself not to think too much and asked him gently, "Is something wrong, love?"

Henry hesitated for a moment, letting the anticipation build. His voice was a mixture of pride and discomfort as he spoke:

"Catherine has given birth to a son. A healthy prince, my son, and heir to England."

The world stopped for Anne, she was incompetently trying to process what she had just heard. She herself was not aware of what she was feeling. Is it shock, sadness, disappointment, confusion, or indifference? But before she even got a chance to understand her emotions, the King of England continued.

"But don't worry, this doesn't change my love for you, we can still be together as lovers."

Whatever she was feeling a moment ago is gone, leaving only anger. How dare he do that to her?! Just because he's a king doesn't give him the right to play with other people! For more than four years, she waited for him to marry her, her marriageable age was approaching, but she continued to wait like an idiot. He did not let her refuse his courtship, he wrote her poems, presented her with expensive things, professed his love to her, and whispered now false promises to her.

But that's not what hurt her the most. Henry knew she would rather not be anyone's lover. How she witnessed her beloved sister being insulted and called a whore! Mary's pain was something that had such an impact on her and her choices. But even knowing all that, he offered her to be his lover. No, she already was. Although they were not officially married, they spent nights together. How cruel! She wanted to cry with anger, in the end, she did everything she swore she would never do.

She stopped shaking and looked defiantly into the eyes of the King of England. Her coal-black eyes ignited, allowing the unbridled fire to spread. She knew what she was about to do was stupid, and she was aware of the consequences, but Anna didn't care.

Slap

The sound echoed throughout, leaving the King of England stunned. He stood like that for a few seconds, trying to process what happened to him. Soon an angry look appeared on his face.

"HOW DARE YOU SLAP ME! I'M GOING TO ASK FOR YOUR HANDS FOR THIS!" he shouted, pointing a finger at her as if she was the one who wronged him.

Anne's words were calm but stronger than any shout, "Do as you wish, Your Majesty. If it pleases you, you may take my head. But you will never make a fool of me again."

The fire went out, and her eyes were once again that familiar black coal, only this time completely numb. Such that they ordered Henry to stand there in shock. With no intention of staying in this room even a moment longer. She came out with her head held high, with firm movements.

--

Anne sat alone in her room, sewing. Even though it hasn't even been a day since she lashed out at Henry, she feels somehow relieved, at least mentally. She is well aware of her father's anger and her soon-to-be-ruined reputation. The chances of her getting married are slim, but after this, she doesn't want to at this point.

If only her physical condition were so good. She has not been feeling well for the last few days. She has frequent headaches and is often irritable. Most likely she caught a cold, it was worrying. But for now, the symptoms are not that bad.

Anne hastily put down the needle and the piece of cloth, and ran off, very unladylike. She opened the jar that serves as a decoration and vomited into it...