The Throne of Broken Hearts

CHAPTER FIVE

Third person pov.

Henri stood beneath the stone arch of the balcony, the fading rain clinging to the edges of the night. He did not turn when he heard her approach.

“Lady Éloise.”

Her name left his mouth like something rehearsed.

Éloise stopped a few steps behind him.

“You sent for me, my lord.”

There was no hesitation in her voice. No warmth either.

Henri inclined his head slightly before turning to face her.

For a brief moment, he studied her—not with interest, but with assessment. As one might regard an obligation rather than a companion.

“I will be direct,” he said.“I would prefer it,” she replied.

A pause, Measured,Intentional.

“This arrangement,” Henri continued, “exists for the benefit of the court. Nothing more.”

Éloise’s gaze did not waver as she replied,“That much is evident.”

He watched her for a second longer, then nodded once.

“You will have your own chambers. Your movements will not be restricted, provided they do not draw unnecessary attention.”

“And in return?” she asked.

“That you understand your role when required of you.”

Her brow lifted slightly.

“A role?”

“My wife,” he said plainly. “In public. At court functions. In matters where appearance is necessary.”

Éloise absorbed that without reaction.

“And in private?”

Henri’s expression did not shift.

“In private, we remain as we are now.”

Strangers.

The word was not spoken, but it lingered clearly between them.

Éloise folded her hands before her, her posture composed.

“That is agreeable.”

The ease of her acceptance seemed to register, though Henri gave no outward sign.

“I will not inquire into your personal affairs,” he added. “Whatever attachments you held prior to this arrangement remain your own concern.”Henri’s hand tightened momentarily on the balcony railing, the cold stone biting into the scars on his palms.

A faint stillness settled in her shoulders.

“As do yours, I presume.”

“Yes.”The answer came without delay.

Another silence followed—cool, deliberate.

Not empty, but defined.

“If there are expectations beyond this,” Éloise said, “it would be best if they are stated now.”

Henri considered her words.

“There are none.”A lie, perhaps. Or simply a truth not yet formed.

Éloise gave a small nod.

“Then we understand one another.”

She turned slightly, already prepared to leave.

“Lady Éloise.”

She paused, but did not look back.

“When the court watches,” he said, “they must see no fracture.”

This time, she did turn.

Her eyes met his—clear, steady, and entirely unreadable.

“They will see what they expect to see, my lord.”

Not reassurance.Not defiance.Just facts.

Henri held her gaze for a moment longer, then inclined his head.

“Good.”

Éloise dipped into a brief, formal curtsy—precise, impersonal.It was a masterpiece of restraint, hiding the slight tremor in her knees that only she could feel.

“My lord.”

And with that, she left.

No hesitation, no lingering glance.

Only the soft echo of her steps fading into the corridor and the smell of wet stone mixing with the dampness of the air.

Henri remained where he stood, the quiet returning around him as though nothing had passed between them at all.

Which, perhaps, was exactly the point.

Henri walked back into the ballroom,his posture straightened, his expression settling into something unreadable” acting as a shadow on his true emotions. He watched Lady Eloise as she took the excuse of feeling a bit tired to return to her room, his eyes following her till she reached the large stairs. He turned and exchanged pleasantries and had small talks with members of the court.

“ It seems like you have settled in with the lady right?”, Henri felt the air beside him shift as Charles stood beside him. His eyebrows remained raised in question even after Henri nodded, clearly demanding a more wholesome explanation.

Henri sighed and turned to face him “I know you've been keeping an eye on our movements since the end of the dinner Charles, don't play games with me, I'm clearly not in the mood.”

“ And just so you know Lady Eloise and I are settled in just perfectly and don't need anymore help Chancellor” Henri added his voice laced with curt sarcasm. He bowed to Charles and walked off towards the Royal defense minister.

The music in the ballroom had begun to play and although Henri was not interested in music and dances at the moment, he was not inclined to refuse the women of the court and nobles. He had a few perfunctory dances and slowly backed towards the corner of the room.

He took a cup of wine from the table and turned to face the party.

“ The celebration is quite grand right?... Congratulations”, the small voice sent a shiver down his spine and he spun his neck to meet Marie casually tucked away in the shadows. He noted that she seemed way too comfortable to have been there for just a little while.

Marie looked up at the man she loved, she felt an overwhelming urge to leap into his arms and tell him to abandon everything and run away with her– she knew he would, he always had but she really couldn't bear to do so. She had been unable to attend the wedding ceremony at the chapel but she had been able to get here though getting here was a treacherous affair.

On her way she had assumed and concluded that the marriage between the woman and Henri would be purely conventional – how bold of her!. She had met the bride in question and she felt her heart had collapse. It was selfish of her to want no entanglement between the two of them despite pushing him towards her but her heart could not stop aching.

Lady Eloise as Marie had learnt was her name, the well known daughter of a well known Marquis and she couldn't help but compare herself. Her family owned a farm, a few towns away, that was the only pathetic identity she could claim. Lady Eloise seemed ethereal as if undaunted by the affairs of mortals and this scared Marie.

Henri looked at Marie in shock and as if registering he jumped to her side. “ What are you doing here?” He asked, panic and urgency lacing his voice.

“ I came to see you get married silly” Marie spoke with a straight face, “ Or… do you not want me here, I can go back if you feel…”

“ What do you bloody mean by that Marie, I'm asking because of your leg, who brought you here, please tell me you had someone carry you?” He spoke at once, his voice growing an octave.

“ I'm fine, I wanted to see you and your countess and see if she's really prettier than I am, you know I can hear and see things, I'm not just a doll that must only be locked up in that forlorn tower but nevermind”

Henri's face twisted into a grimace. “First of all don't call her that, he growled “and also”, Henri continued his voice turning into a whisper, his blue eyes staring into her green ones “there is no one more beautiful than you are ma chere”. The air seemed to have suddenly disappeared leaving Marie breathless.

“ Urm, I hate to really break this romantic moment but at least have some shame Cousin Henri, and have a little pity on your new bride”,Phillipe spoke with resounding sarcasm, his voice loud enough to attract those closer to them.

They all knew what would happen if the court came to the knowledge of Marie and Henri certainly did not want to see the end of that. He moved forward quickly, dragging Phillipe with him.

Henri shoved him into the light of the ballroom, where the gold leaf and silk made Philippe’s mocking smile look even more sinister. "Stay away from her," Henri hissed, the words lost to the upbeat rhythm of the lute players.

“ Woah, calm down cousin, while I would not want to cause harm to anyone they say that all is fair in love and war and you know much more than others how much at war we are with each other.You should be more careful, cousin, Goodbye”, Phillipe gave a mocking bar and walked away.

Henri quickly ordered the guards to escort Marie back to her quarters while he saw the last of the guests off. Sweat ran through his clothes as he watched every move of Phillipe in wonder of what he was going to do and for a fleeting, reckless moment, he considered climbing the dais and shouting his abdication to the rafters to end this ascension war before it claimed the rest of his soul.