I Am Louis XIV

When the Duke of Orleans woke up, his mouth smelled of ouzo with laudanum. This is the wizard's wine. Although it cannot cure epilepsy, it can relieve the pain and paralysis after a major attack. He turned his head slightly and saw The king and his brother were standing in front of the window with their hands behind their backs.

Louis XIV turned around when he heard the sound, walked to the bed, put an arm around his brother's shoulders, and watched the doctor measure his temperature, pulse, and tongue coating. The Duke was rarely obedient. When the doctor left, the attendant was also After sending it off, when it was just him and the king, he smiled: "Brother, you are angry, right?"

"Why don't you make me angry like this?" As soon as the Duke's situation stabilized, Louis XIV's reason returned. After connecting the two inferences, the king realized the mystery: "Prince Uriel of Mokawei I once tried to kidnap and transform you on your way back from Catalonia, but was stopped by Amon and Theodric. At that time, I thought that the waves caused by Makavi might not subside so quickly, especially in In Spain, people's perception of the Inquisition became even worse after the evil deeds of Carlos II broke out. Many priests were expelled or questioned. The dark wizards, vampires, and even monsters in this world should have Just a period of partying.”

Louis waved his hand: "But no, my army and officials were trying to quell the intermittent, large and small riots, but the world outside was still as calm as a pool of stagnant water. At that time, I thought that there must be a force controlling them, but Before I could take action, you gave me the answer - Philip, when you were in Catalonia, you reached an agreement with Mokavi. They suppressed the Spanish world for you, and you accepted their transformation. "

The Duke smiled and said nothing, knowing that he could not hide it for long.

"I don't know how you originally planned to persuade me, but you have epilepsy," Louis choked up: "Maybe others will be struck by thunder, but it is a good opportunity for you, you know... you know ," he suppressed the anger in his heart and said: "You know now, I can accept any loss, but I can't lose you. I will definitely try my best to restore it and destroy the agreement between you and Mokawi, so you use your life Come blackmail me!"

He suddenly retracted his hand behind his brother, stood up, and took a few hurried steps in the room: "You saw that I was still unwilling to give up, so you deliberately used the flash of the river to trigger a fit. You used your Pain and ugliness come to force me and punish me! You know I can't watch you suffer!"

"But why can't you have mercy on your brother! I'm not Abel. I don't need to shed the blood of my loved ones. I don't need to put the people I love on the altar! Even if it's dedicated to God!"

he cried in a low voice, pale with rage, and looking more alarming than the Duke of Orleans, who was lying on his bed.

The Duke of Orleans was silent for a moment, and then he laughed. "But, Your Majesty," he said, "you are wrong."

"You should trust your brother, I will not be a sacrifice, I will not leave my fate to anyone else," he whispered, accompanied by a sudden flash of light.

A dull rumbling sound came immediately. Louis was startled for a moment, and immediately ran over to pull up all the window curtains to prevent the light of lightning from triggering the Duke's attack again. When the Duke saw him doing this, his smile deepened: "It's been decades," he murmured: "You are the only one who has never changed, Louis." Then he raised his voice slightly: "Is it going to rain? "

"Yes." Louis said, covering up the uneasiness in his heart. Lightning rolled in the dark clouds, and the thunder cheered them. This seemed to be the beginning of a tragedy.

"When is it?"

"It's seven o'clock in the evening, are you hungry?"

"I'm not hungry," said the Duke, "but this scene reminds me of the time when we were still in Germany-en-Laye."

Hearing this, Louis looked around. They were the only ones in the room with closed doors and windows and flickering candlelight. Indeed, at that time, the two brothers were often together. Philippe had been a sensitive and smart child since he was a child. When he was in the Louvre, he often encountered unlucky people. When they arrived at Louis, they spent more time together at the German Castle of Enlai. It was also at that time that Philip realized that the Queen Mother and Bishop Mazarin might not want him to compete with his brother in any way, and even deliberately used despicable methods. Means - He will reach adulthood in three or four years, but he is still wearing a skirt and is dressed like a girl. Generally speaking, when he is six or seven years old, he should have the "trousers ceremony", but they have delayed carry.

So he avoided the attendants and ran to his brother. He was not sure whether his brother would help him. If Louis was unwilling or didn't understand, he could just say lightly, "Listen to the queen and the bishop." , after all, even the king had to listen to these two people at that time.

But Louis didn't. Even though his brother didn't have any power, he still used the best strength a young man could do to get the treatment he deserved for Philip, regardless of the fact that this kindness might become a sharp knife stabbing his back in the future. .

"You remember, brother," the Duke patted the pillow beside him: "It seems that we haven't slept together in the same bed for a long time."

"That's when we're no longer old enough to be squeezed into the same bed." Louis said, complaining that he hadn't had a bath yet, that the bedding would have to be changed later, etc., while taking off his coat and boots and putting on his shirt He lay down next to the Duke with his trousers, and the Duke just changed his shirt. They leaned together and pulled the blanket up to their chin. "Don't think that I will forget what you did to me." Louis muttered: "And I You can still regret it.”

"Do you know?"

"What?"

"You have a big bad habit," the Duke said: "You always think too well of some people, thinking that they will be restrained by morality and emotion just like you. But that's not the case."

"Isn't that true?" Louis laughed: "Do you still want to tell me that everything you did for me before was all fake, disguised, and for your own benefit?" But what can be better than a crown? Is it valuable? Don’t you see that for this noble position, the father can kill the son, the elder sister can imprison the younger sister, and brothers, uncles and nephews are always at war with each other? People say that he loves the Duke of Orleans too much, but who knows that it is not even one ten thousandth of the loyalty that the Duke of Orleans devotes to him? If Philip hadn't kept his childhood vows, let alone the Sun King, Louis XIV would have been "dead" when he was assassinated in Dunkirk.

"But I have ambitions and selfish motives." The Duke said with his eyes closed: "I know that you have always had 120,000 trust in me, precisely because I rejected the position of regent king, but brother, at that time I'm just scared, I'm scared, I don't think I can shoulder such a heavy responsibility, I'm just a cautious coward, not a brave and loyal knight like you and people think."

He shook Louis' hand and did not let the king interrupt him: "This time I decided to accept the transformation and become a vampire. Your Majesty, yes, epilepsy is just an excuse. I am not afraid of death yet, and I want to give up the ugliness caused by the disease. As a person's power, but not as you think, for Bourbon-Spain and my little nephew, at least not entirely - although without Makavi, we will encounter some dangers and difficulties, but now France can fully afford these losses."

He turned his head and looked at Louis quietly: "Look, I understand everything."

"Then why..."

"I also want to try it once, brother." The Duke said: "It's all your fault. You let me receive the king's education with you, participate in important political affairs, and make great achievements on the battlefield." His voice Gradually it became illusory: "People bowed to me with fear and respect, and these were not due to my identity as the king's brother, but to me as a person, Philippe Bourbon... …”

"I still believe you."

"But sometimes I am jealous and have fantasies. Even in fantasies, I still can't stand side by side with you, but I also wonder, is this what I am going to do in my life? As your subordinate? The king's brother, the Duke of Orleans , a loyal general and minister? If only we were still three hundred years ago, you would be a wise king, and I would be an outstanding lord. If there is a war, I will sacrifice my life for you, Without war, I exercise my rights as a master in my fief."

"But this is not allowed by you," the Duke continued: "Forget about the lord, even a sailor in the Port of Marseille will say that he is a Frenchman, a subject of the king, and his master is only you. It can only be you - your priests and teachers have done such a good job. They have deeply imprinted this idea into everyone's heart." He sighed: "No, no, no, Your Majesty, you deserve this. Yes, I don’t find it unacceptable or sad, I just feel a little confused sometimes.”

"Then," he moved his body and got closer to Louis: "I feel that you not only want to cast your light into every corner of the outer world - the inner world is also the territory you long to seize."

"It takes a long time."

"Yes, it's very long. It's so long that we can't even see it. Our sons and grandsons may not be able to see it either. We are facing not only wizards, but also vampires who have existed longer than them. But neither you nor I can Make sure our descendants have such courage and perseverance." The Duke shook his head slightly: "Not to mention other things, my little Philip and your little Louis, it is probably difficult for them to have the courage to face it directly. 'People' like Amon and Uriel, even with your instructions, will slowly give up their search for the inner world, and gradually stay away from and ignore them - as long as the inner world does not interfere with the outer world."

"But how can we allow poisonous flowers to grow? Place our hopes on the promises of others?" Louis said softly: "We cannot completely destroy them, at least we must be able to control them, otherwise we will suffer all kinds of backlash. Now France is glorious." , but there may not be times when they will be weak...especially since they have tasted the sweet taste of power." The Sun King can overwhelm them - but it may only be the Sun King - he paused: "Unless their fear can Sustained into the further future.”

"Further in the future?" the Duke asked curiously: "How far?"

"It's so far away that human technology can make them invisible and pose a fatal threat to them." Louis said, "But... yes, it's too far, brother, just like you said, our My grandson may not be able to witness such a scene with his own eyes.”

The Duke chewed the word "technology" secretly, "It's hard to imagine, but I think there should be such a day." Think about it, how many years have people used from throwing stones to bows and arrows, and how many years have it taken from bows and arrows to muskets? ? Maybe in a few hundred years, vampires and humans will exchange the positions of prey and hunter. "But not yet, right," he said, "So I want to try, brother, let me try, you are Sun, can I use your light to become the moon that everyone looks up to in the darkness?"

"...What do you want to do?" Louis asked: "You know that once you accept the transformation, parricide will result in exile or even death."

"But I am different, I am your brother," the Duke said coldly: "The parents of Mokawi must accept this condition."

Louis was silent for a while.

"I will become the master of Malkavi," said the Duke of Orleans, "but this will not be my end, brother. Bourbon has no less than three crowns in the outer world, why can't he have one in the inner world?"

——————

The news that the Duke of Orleans had died suddenly due to a grand mal seizure reached Paris a week later, and it was said that it rained heavily that night.

From the Queen to the humblest fishmonger in Paris, apart from being surprised and sad, they were all worried that His Majesty the King would be too sad and painful to hurt his body due to the sudden death of his only brother - it's not that they didn't love the brave and handsome man. The Duke, but compared with the Duke, the Sun King's well-being is obviously more important.

"I think I can understand Philippe's mood." Louis said to Bontang bitterly.

As the Duke said, if he had been a stupid and incompetent person, like the son of the Duke of Vendôme; or if he had become a twisted monster according to the arrangement of the Queen Mother and Bishop Mazarin, he might have been happy. Happy to spend this life in chaos.

It was Louis who saved him from such an unbearable fate. For this reason, he tried his best, just hoping to become a person who can stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother. He almost did it, but at the same time, a subtle unwillingness was slowly growing. breed.

He loves his brother, country and people, and he is unwilling to destroy everything because of his ambition - but there is always something surging in his veins like magma.

The Duke of Orleans knew that he had to find an outlet to pour out his lust.

Prince Uriel of Malkavi thought he had just chosen a new prince for his people who would be impeccable in every way before he fell into eternal rest. He had no idea what kind of beast he had unleashed.

The finale is tomorrow.