I Am Louis XIV

"Philippe will arrive in Paris tomorrow." Louis said to Bontang: "Send a messenger over and tell him to rest for a few days at Fontainebleau or the Louvre before coming back. Don't think that he is still a young man. He always gets carried away and rides for days on end, gambles or dances all night long, it’s time for him to cultivate his moral character.”

"If His Highness hears you say this," Bangtang hid his smile, "he will definitely complain with dissatisfaction. He always thinks that what you said is to go to bed before ten o'clock, get up at seven o'clock, and eat vegetables and drink less alcohol every day. It should be something that someone of the age of Viscount Turenne or Duke Vendôme should do."

"But even the Duke of Vendôme and the Viscount of Turenne were not obedient," Louis said, looking up from the stacks of documents. He was also a little helpless. In this era, people are afraid of death, and they are also afraid of those who are destined to bring them with them. When death comes, no matter whether they are commoners or princes, the older they are, the more they want to indulge in joy and wanton indulgence, as if this can drive away the god of death.

Also because Louis XIV was the Sun King, his moderate and regular life would not be criticized by others. If he were an ordinary person, he would be ridiculed like an ascetic monk, and people would also think that he is unkind and eccentric. .

"Well, Bontan," said Louis, "if he returns to Versailles immediately, forget it. If he stays at Fontainebleau or the Louvre, you have to watch over him for me and don't let him hold a ball." He He raised the quill to his chin: "No, wait, let the messenger tell him that he has been gone for so many days and I miss him very much. Let him take the carriage back to Versailles."

Bontang couldn't help but smile knowingly at the king's rare renegade, bowed and retreated.

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"You have a good brother."

The Duke of Orleans turned his head and looked at the uninvited guest beside him. The carriage was running fast, and the moonlight poured in from the window, but it never illuminated the other person's face or even a finger: "It's not for this reason," he said softly, "Did you choose me?"

"Yes..." the visitor said: "But this is not the only reason. Your Highness, you have abilities and talents that are not inferior to your brother. If Louis was born instead of Philip in 38 years, France may not be able to do so." Worse than now.”

"You are absolutely wrong to say that," the Duke of Orleans' eyes were as cold as winter swords: "Sir, if it were me, you wouldn't be here - I don't have the tolerance of my brother, nor his For those of you who have such courage..." He paused and said, "I will do my best to remove you from my world."

"You are very brave just by saying this," the visitor said, "but we have a common root system with human beings. We are two fruits on one branch. Your Highness, unless you kill all the people, we will have the same root system." It is possible that Cain's descendants will be completely destroyed, you should know this, and your brother also knows - although your brother is almost the master of Europe, people call him Caesar, just like the first Caesar, he did not You can do nothing to us, and your brother is no exception. We will coexist with you forever, even if it is a thousand years later."

"So I compromise with you," said the Duke of Orleans.

"What I'm worried about now is whether your brother is willing to compromise with us." The visitor said, "But I have invited Prince Theodric and Prince Amon to bear witness."

"Yes, after all, you are the same race."

The visitor glanced at the Duke of Orleans, but finally did not say those words.

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The carriage drove into Versailles. It was already dark at this time. The Duke of Orleans raised his head and stared at the round moon. He didn't know whether his decision was a mistake, but sometimes, you still have to do something even though you know it is wrong. , even his brother Louis XIV, the Sun King of Europe, could not avoid it, let alone him.

"Brother, are you still in the study?" He could already see that the lights there were still on.

"His Majesty is currently busy with His Royal Highness Charles' official entry into Toledo." Bontang whispered: "And Madrid also needs to form a capable administrative agency." Otherwise, the blank territory left behind will definitely be occupied by others. Quick occupation, if it is just for power and profit, then forget it, but if it is the remaining power of Habsburg, it will become a very thorny problem.

"Yes," the Duke of Orleans sighed strangely, making Buntang look like he was relieved: "The war is over, and there is no doubt about the legitimacy of Carlos III - Spain should also be put on the right track. coming."

"That will be a long road." Bontang said: "But our little Highness is still very young, and he has a strong father and a trustworthy uncle."

"So my brother should agree?" Duke Orleans said: "Buntang, I want to go to Toledo."

Bontang raised his head in surprise, but at this time the Duke of Orleans had already strode towards the king's study: "Bring a pot of coffee! Buntang!"

It's already ten o'clock in one hour, Buntang wailed in his heart, but the Duke of Orleans and his brother Philip have always been special to His Majesty the King. Sure enough, when Buntang brought in a large pot of coffee, His Majesty the King was already in front of the Duke. I packed up the documents, wiped my face, and moved from the armchair behind the desk to a more comfortable armchair. It seemed that I was going to have a long conversation with the Duke.

But Bontang couldn't remember when the Duke became interested in Toledo. Maybe it was when he was in Catalonia? He was not sure, especially when the Duke suddenly turned his head and said apologetically: "Sorry, Bontang, you can't stay here."

Bontang looked at His Majesty the King, Louis nodded, and Bontang withdrew.

After Buntang left, Louis looked at the Duke of Orleans. His brother and the envoy led by Eugen Jr. had gone through three consecutive coronation ceremonies and two funerals, surrounded most of Europe, and visited no less than twenty cities. They were close to They had not seen each other for a year, and he was eager to see his brother, but as the Duke of Orleans, he actually took the lead in breaking Louis's routine, which was really unusual - even if Louis had never changed his attitude towards Philippe , the Duke has always been careful not to let any rumors or reckless behavior damage his relationship with Louis.

"Your Majesty," after a period of silence, the Duke spoke first: "When do you plan to send Charles to Toledo?"

"You want to talk about that," Louis said. The Duke had indeed mentioned it before. If possible, he wanted to accompany Charles to Toledo and be his Minister of the Navy or Minister of War, because of his status as the Duke of Orleans. , even the most stubborn Spaniard cannot compete with him for this position, "I have considered it, but brother, I still want you to stay in Paris and Versailles."

Louis stared at the Duke's face. Philip still looked somewhat similar to him, but more beautiful than handsome. They were both middle-aged now, but time was kind to Louis, and not so cruel to Philip - maybe Because he has been running around so much in the past few months, the Duke has lost some weight. His soft facial contours have become clearer, and there are also some fine lines around the corners of his mouth and eyes. However, this has not made him ugly. Instead, he has become more ugly. Those parts that were too feminine were removed, making his temperament more awe-inspiring and sharp.

"Maybe when you are eighty years old, there will still be people who fall for you, brother," Louis couldn't help but said: "I know you have great ambitions, but you have proven yourself more than once on the battlefield and in the court. If you still want Power, then I can give you Calais, or Nantes, or any place you want, but Toledo..." He shook his head: "You may still be able to deal with it calmly, but those cumbersome things , complicated and boring political affairs will make you work hard and damage your foundation. I don't want to see my brother lose his beauty and life because of this, Philip, especially these things my ministers can do for me. "

The Duke pursed his lips, as if he was about to smile or cry, and then he said: "I'm sorry, brother, I have made a promise. It is a very strict oath, and I am not prepared to break it."

The cup placed by the king's lips stopped, and then with a slight click, it was put back into its place: "Who? Who is qualified to get your promise and make you swear? Those Catalans. "

The Duke looked at his brother for a long time, "Your Majesty," he said: "You said before that your ministers can solve all your troubles, but... is that only in this world, in another world?"

The air suddenly condensed. Louis looked at the Duke of Orleans, as if he didn't understand what he was talking about. There was a deathly silence in the room. Only the clock in the corner was still clicking. If it weren't for the slight sound of breathing, people would You would have thought that the king and the duke had turned into frozen statues in an instant.

I don’t know how long it took before Louis shouted in a low voice: “Attendant!”

This sentence is not meant for those mortals. He is calling for the wizards and priests who take turns serving the king. They are always patrolling in places where mortals cannot see, ensuring that people like Mary Mancini are like this. , and even worse things will never happen again, they have indeed allowed the king to avoid many dangerous curses and murders - but tonight, at this moment, none of them appeared, silently, as if they did not exist at all.

Louis lowered his head and thought for a moment, ignoring the Duke's pleading eyes for the first time: "Prince Theodric!"

A chuckle came from the shadow that the moonlight could not reflect: "Look," the voice said: "Theodric, do you regret it now? If you hadn't stopped me then... We would have it now. A leader who can truly fight against humans."

Amon appeared in front of the king, and he was still the beautiful young man smiling. Time is kind enough to Louis and Philippe, but it is always partial to the vampires, or a curse.

Thirty years is enough to turn a baby into a strong man or a plump woman, or it can turn them into a grey-haired, decrepit old man, but for him, to be precise, for the vampires Say, it’s just a snap of your fingers.

Theodric appeared right after Amon. Different from Amon's ease and comfort, he looked worried and a little confused.

Louis' heart sank suddenly, not only sinking, but also seemed to be sinking into a bottomless vortex, unable to find any place to focus.

If we want to talk about another world, that is, the other world, Louis must say that after the wizards of Elario and Gaiola give the key to this mysterious power, he can control and persuade the wizards and priests. Yes, but in the other world, there are also things that wizards are afraid of and fear, and that is the vampires.

Unlike wizards and priests, vampires are extremely special beings. They are transformed from humans, but they feed on humans. Their long time and indestructible bodies allow them to study and exercise for a long time, so that even if they occasionally They will lag behind humans, and they will catch up quickly. The most dangerous thing is that they can pick out the best among humans, transform him, and use the abilities of the vampires to ask him to surrender and serve the vampires, and the vampires have no interest in human blood. Desire is almost destined to mean that once transformed, that unfortunate human being will never be able to return to the human camp...

Amon has always longed for Louis, precisely because Louis has a noble bloodline, a smart mind, and a beautiful appearance. Although the church in the outer world has an agreement with the vampires in the inner world, Amon is a member of the Demon Party and disdains such rules and regulations; Secondly, France was in a very chaotic moment at that time. A child who was not yet a minor died. Even if he was the king, it might not cause much trouble...

What's more, he has a younger brother.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Amon said, but he quickly pouted, "Maybe it's because I didn't like this guy very much from the beginning." He stared at the Duke of Orleans and said.

"Then I am exactly the opposite, Prince Amon," said an elegant, cold voice with a hint of melancholy.

Unlike Amon, Theodric, and even most vampire princes, Prince Uriel of Malkavi is more like an elf or an angel in people's imagination, rather than a terrifying vampire. He carries an exquisite wind lantern and walks on The moonlight passed through the glass and walked into the room. It was like there were transparent steps in the air. Every step he took was light and precise. His long silver hair swayed gently behind him, and tiny bright spots like luminous dust kept falling.

His posture was even lower than that of Amon or Theodric. As soon as he landed on the ground, he turned to Louis and bowed to him without any hesitation. His head was almost up to It hangs down to the chest, which is simply unimaginable for a vampire prince.

But Amon and Theodric didn't show any surprise at all.

Louis didn't need to look too much to know that although these two vampire princes had once stood on his side, they would still stand on the side of the vampires in front of their own kind. He turned stiffly to the Duke of Orleans, hoping to get the favor from his beloved. Horror and fear were visible on his brother's face, but all he saw was guilt.

"No," said Louis.