War of Hearts || Reign || REWRITE

Chapter 18

4th of  september 1562, Château de Blois

After weeks spent at Maximilian's château, it was time to return to court.

Francis, Maximilian, and I were to travel to the palace of Blois, where the king had moved the court for the autumn months. Diane—unable to endure more time away from her great love and king—had left several weeks before us.

Those last weeks had been the happiest of my life.
Even though Maximilian and Francis were often busy with their duties, we spent every free moment together.
Max slowly grew accustomed to the idea of Francis and me. He still found our relationship dangerous, but he understood that true love could not be commanded or undone.

What troubled him most was my reputation.

Francis, as dauphin, could do whatever he pleased—no one would dare condemn him openly.

But I... I had nothing.

I was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Florence, the ward of the Queen of France.

Nothing would protect me if the truth ever came out.

Francis and I spent every evening together, but we had not gone further than before.

He wished to respect me, he said.
He wanted to wait until we could marry.

And he had set his mind on marriage.

He was determined to tell his father that he did not want Mary—that he wanted me.

And if that meant surrendering his title as dauphin to his younger brother Charles, he would do so without hesitation.

Maximilian did not believe the king would ever allow the heir of France to abandon a political marriage for a girl like me.

And deep down... I believed the same.

But I could not say that to Francis.

His optimism was too pure, too precious to break.

I told him that I loved him in every form—married or not. That I would always belong to him.

Sunlight warmed my lightly bronzed skin as it streamed through the carriage window.
I knew Queen Catherine would chastise me for spending so much time in the sun—but I did not care.

Francis and Maximilian sat across from me. Max leafed through letters, signing each one, while Francis read a book, oblivious to the way I stared at him.

Maximilian noticed.

"I hope you remember to control yourself once we return to court," he said dryly. "Don't give anyone an excuse to whisper."

Francis looked up sharply. "Stop policing her. We know how to behave. We hid our feelings well before, and we will continue to do so."

Max set his pen aside and fixed him with a hard stare.
"You can get away with anything. She cannot. One wrong look at the wrong moment, Francis, and it will be her reputation ruined—not yours."

"And still she stays by my side," Francis said quietly, his eyes finding mine. "Even now."

I held his gaze. "Always."

The carriage rocked gently as we crossed the bridge into the gardens of Château de Blois.

It felt as though we were entering another life entirely.

Within minutes, we would once again be part of the façade—the games, the secrets, the masks.

Max tucked the letters into his leather bag.
"We can't afford to be naïve anymore. Carry this secret as if your life depends on it."