War of Hearts || Reign || REWRITE

68- The Sorrowful Duchess.

June 17th, 1577.

6 months passed after Hercule's death. Shortly after his death, my sister Isabella was murdered by her husband. As she predicted, her husband found out about her affair and killed her, even though he himself claims she was ill.

I felt all the little life in me gradually leave my body. I ate little, I no longer spent the nights with Francis and was alone in church.

I believed that the death of my loved ones was my own fault. I had so many sins that God decided to punish me by killing everyone around me. I was afraid to go near my children, afraid I would curse them.

I only wore black and had my hair up. I had retired to one of my own chateaus far from court. I left the children there.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had only just turned 30 but I looked much older because of my unhappy appearance.

My skin was pale and dull. My eyes had lost the sparkle and the smile I had always had barely appeared.

I picked up the scissors in one of my drawers and moved them around in my hand.

I could end my life right here, right now, and I was released from the pain I felt inside myself.

Joan burst into the room and I dropped the scissors back into the drawer, startled.

Joan walked up to me. "What are you doing, Your Highness?" she asked. I turned to her to say "Nothing, what's going on?"

She looked at me briefly. "Don't you think it's time to return to court? You haven't seen the king since..." she stopped speaking.

"Since Hercule's funeral." I finished.

She looked apologetically "Right. You haven't seen him since then and I hear all the gossip."

I looked at her startled. "What gossip?". Joan bit her lip "That Jane was found in the king's bed, naked. It happened several times I heard"

I closed my eyes for a moment.

The day would come when Francis would let me go, but I didn't expect him to do that now.

"You're right, we're traveling back to court today."

~

When I arrived that night I didn't even bother to visit the children, they would probably sleep anyway, instead I went straight to Francis's room.

I opened the door and then I saw it.

The love of my life who made love to one of my own ladies-in-waiting.

"My God!" I cried. They were both startled and Jane climbed off Francis in shock. "My God!" I cried again.

I walked up to them.

"While I mourn the death of our son, you were here fucking Jane all this time?! How could you do that Francis? After all the years we've been together, the moment I hit my lowest point in life, you decided to cheat on me." I felt the tears running down my cheeks.

Francis stood up and tried to grab me but I pushed him away from me. "Don't touch me! Do not touch me! How could you?"

Francis looked at me "You are not the only one who has lost a son Bianca. He was my son too and the moment I needed your comfort you disappeared. Jane was the person who helped me get over it."

"So you decided to fuck her? Whose fault is it that Hercule died? Who was in the palace when he was sick? Who decided not to take additional measures? That was you! I lost my Father, My son and my sister in 2 months and you expect me to comfort you? Don't you have any feelings at all?"

I turned and stormed out of the room to my own room. Once there, I sent my chambermaids away before bursting into tears.

I am slowly losing everything.