Chapter 3

Duke Guise's words were not mere whimsy, but rather the result of careful consideration.

In this era, if a woman chooses to get married, everything she owns will belong to her husband from then on, and she will have no say in what she does with it.

This is an utterly unfair rule, which may be intolerable to people in later generations, but it is now taken for granted and considered a matter of course.

If the woman happens to be the owner of a territory, then the husband who marries her will also have equal power, or even more power than the original owner, since in many people's eyes, men are always more intelligent and trustworthy.

Just like Anne of Brittany a century ago, that poor woman was forcibly married by two French kings and became pregnant sixteen times like an ovulation, all because of that coveted duchy.

The Stuart family had dwindled to almost nothing, with only Mary surviving through a legal marriage and undisputedly inheriting the Scottish throne.

what does that mean?

This also meant that anyone who married Mary would immediately receive the title of King of Scotland.

Even in its poverty and weakness, Scotland was still a kingdom, far richer than any dowry. More importantly, thanks to the intricate web of marriages, Mary also had a legitimate right to the English throne.

In some ways, it would be even more legitimate than the current English monarch, Elizabeth I, meaning that given the opportunity, France could "legally" obtain the English throne after the marriage.

This was Mary's innate advantage, and it was also the reason why Henry II made the decisive move to arrange a marriage between Mary and his crown prince.

All of this made it impossible for the Duke of Guise not to be tempted by the other Frenchmen.

The Duke of Guise sat on the edge of the bed and said sincerely, "If this marriage succeeds, my dear niece, you can continue to stay in France and be the mistress of this first-class European court! And the children you give birth to can inherit a country with a much larger territory, a powerful country that unites your ancestral kingdom with the whole of France, and even further, possess all of England! Mary, just imagine how glorious and honorable you will be, so glorious that that bastard Elizabeth will be dying of jealousy!"

He could also continue to wield power over all of France by virtue of his status as the Queen's guardian until Charles IX came of age.

Of course, this wasn't without its advantages for Marie. The Duke of Guise swore to God that he genuinely believed his naive and impulsive niece had absolutely no political talent and was incapable of doing anything. If she were to govern a country, she would surely mess everything up. Therefore, it was better for her to remain a peaceful and dignified noblewoman in the French court, which would be a fitting tribute to his deceased sister.

After he finished, Duke Guise waited to see Mary's joyful reaction, but he only saw an unusually calm face, with deep black eyes that shimmered slightly in the sunlight, like black crystals frozen in ice and snow, which was not like her usual self at all.

“This marriage will not succeed, Uncle. Don’t forget that François is Charles IX’s brother,” Mary said, shaking her head.

"So what? There are precedents in Europe for a brother marrying his widowed sister-in-law. Henry VIII and Catherine from Spain did it. We just need to follow suit and write a letter to the Pope to announce that you have not yet consummated your marriage," the Duke of Guise said dismissively.

Mary frowned at the analogy the Duke of Guise used and said, “Please don’t say that, Uncle. Queen Catherine’s ending was not good. Women may not care about a man’s age or aging, but men certainly care about whether a woman is young and beautiful. The six-year age difference made Henry VIII quickly tire of Queen Catherine, and he later deposed and drove his wife away. I am eight years older than Charles, and I don’t want to end up like that.”

The Duke of Guise stroked his thick beard and chuckled, “Oh, Mary, you’re such an innocent child. Why did Henry VIII depose Queen Catherine? Because she was old and faded—no, because she hadn’t given birth to a son. But our Guise family has never had that. Your father also had a whole bunch of illegitimate children… cough… well, anyway, you and your husband will definitely have a bunch of healthy children in the future. Besides, Mary, your beauty is praised by all the poets in the court. Trust your uncle, when His Majesty Charles grows up and understands beauty and ugliness, he won’t just not dislike you, he’ll be infatuated with you to death.”

Marie insisted on her opinion, pointing out the biggest hidden danger that the Duke of Guise had overlooked, saying, "So what? Even if you can persuade everyone in the Louvre, you can't persuade the Medici Queen Mother who doesn't like me. We have a long-standing feud, and she will definitely do everything in her power to stop this marriage that has no future."

Even Duke Giss fell silent.

After a long while, Duke Guise sighed and couldn't help but complain, "I really don't know what to say, but Mary, even if your merchant family background is indeed humble and far inferior to us nobles, you shouldn't have so openly looked down on Catherine de' Medici. I swear, that woman's hatred for you is probably second only to that for Madame Diana de Poitiers."

Mary did not speak.

Mary now feels quite regretful about this, but unfortunately, the person has already been offended, just like how she offended Elizabeth because of the legitimacy of the throne, and there is no chance to make amends.

Duke Giss frowned, tapping his fingers rapidly on the back of his chair, and said, "...But no matter what, we have to try it first. The Queen Mother's prestige in the court is not as high as mine!"

Mary remained pessimistic and tried to persuade him a few more times, hoping that the Duke of Guise would let go when the time was right and focus his future energy on religious struggles, especially the Huguenots. Unfortunately, this did not receive the attention it deserved.

Once a person gets stuck in a rut, there's no going back. The Duke of Guise's ambition had grown during his year-long reign of power, making him no longer content to remain an ordinary nobleman. Helpless, Mary could only watch as the Duke of Guise patted his gold-embroidered robe and left, eager to begin planning this marriage alliance.

Before leaving, Duke Guise suddenly said, "What you said today surprised me, Mary. It seems that this funeral has actually helped you grow a lot. If my sister were alive and had seen this, she would be very pleased."

As he said this, a genuine expression of emotion finally appeared on Duke Giese's bearded face.

...

After the Duke of Guise left, Mary asked the four expectant maids beside her, "Do you think I will remarry Charles IX?"

Without waiting for the maids' reply, Mary said calmly, "Absolutely not."

"Why, Your Majesty?" Fleming asked boldly. They all longed to regain their former status and therefore hoped for Duke Giese's success.

Mary did not answer and continued to study the materials about Scotland.

Mary couldn't recall if anyone had mentioned a marriage alliance with Charles IX in her past life, but she was certain it wouldn't succeed, because Catherine de' Medici was no pushover either.

For at least the next few years, power in France will remain in the hands of this woman who has always appeared humble and submissive while her husband was alive, while the Guise family will quickly lose its power and prestige within months and never return to its former glory.

Given that her son was young, only a madwoman like the Medici Queen Mother, who had a legitimate reason to act as regent, would allow her son to marry Marie Antoinette again, thus giving the Guise family another opportunity to dominate France.

Sure enough, in the days that followed, the Duke of Guise never brought up the latest developments of the marriage again, as if the conversation that day had been nothing but a bubble.

In contrast, news of some nobles no longer obeying the Duke of Guise's orders and members of the Guise family being dismissed from their posts kept reaching the palace, greatly disappointing Mary.

Two more visitors came to Mary: a French princess and a relative from England, Lord Darnley.

Of all the comforts offered by Marguerite de Valois—the future Queen Margot—it was the one that touched Marie's heart the most.

This little girl was at an age where she knew nothing. Even though she was in the royal family, she knew nothing about the political struggles. In just over a year, she lost her father and her eldest brother in succession, which made Margaret cry uncontrollably. But even so, after hearing that Mary was so sad that she had a high fever, she still ran over behind her mother's back to comfort Mary in a low voice and even shared her candy with Mary.

The little girl's comfort was genuine, untainted by any self-interest or power. Perhaps she was the only one in the entire Louvre who was wholeheartedly grieving François's passing.

Mary patted Margaret's head and thanked her for her special little gift.

Lord Darnley, Mary was not ready to face this second husband from her previous life. She only met him from afar before making an excuse that she was unwell and asked him to leave first.

...

The forty-day mourning period passed in the blink of an eye. After more than a month of lying in state throughout the Louvre, all preparations for the funeral were completed, and all that remained was for the king's coffin to be placed in the royal cemetery.

Inside and outside the palace, black veils were hung everywhere and flower petals were scattered, giving the once magnificent halls a desolate feel.

When the Queen's bedroom doors reopened, and Mary Stuart emerged in a white dress draped with a black veil, all the nobles and ladies-in-waiting who saw the former Queen were momentarily stunned.

The former queen's beauty was celebrated by many French poets. People praised her as a muse, as elegant and graceful as a lily in a deep valley, with impeccable beauty in every gesture, making people feel refreshed and happy.

But in that instant, what appeared before everyone seemed like a cold ghost wandering the world, pale-skinned and expressionless. As she walked through the Louvre, which was covered in black veils, accompanied by her maids, even though she was still very elegant, she could only evoke pity in people's hearts.

"Bang—bang—bang—!"

Outside the church, cannons boomed, and a requiem was slowly sung under the direction of a musician. François's pure black coffin sat in the very center of the chapel, and a beam of light shone down from the stained glass window at the top, illuminating the angel decorations painted with gold powder.

The bishop immediately bowed upon seeing the former queen's arrival. Mary, with a clear goal in mind, walked past him, stood silently before the coffin for a moment, then lifted her skirt, bent her knees, and bowed deeply, gently kissing the cold coffin.

“I have come to say goodbye to you, François,” Marie said. “…God ​​was kind and gave me a second chance, but I was still greedy and resentful of God. Why didn’t the Lord let me come back sooner, even just one more day, so that I could see you one more time.”

"My closest friend, my most distant lover, in the prime of my youth, gave me the purest love of my life."

“My dearest François, I miss you so much.”

Please allow me to be weak for a little while.