His Secret Slave to Scandalous Queen

Chapter 242: You Asked For Freedom

Livia looked to Henry again. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

Henry’s mouth curved faintly. "Does it matter what I want?" he asked. "You asked for freedom...Exercise it. Beginning now." He had offered freedom like a key, yet even keys could feel heavy in the hand when one had been locked away too long. Livia had demanded choice from him. Now he sat there, refusing to choose for her, and somehow that felt almost as frightening as captivity.

She scowled. Henry’s smile grew a little.

Madeleine looked between them in irritation. "Your Majesty, am I expected to endure this disrespect in your own chamber?"

Madeleine’s eyes snapped back to Livia. "Must I call the guards to have you removed?"

Livia slowly set her cup down. "My lady...I have my breakfast in front of me. The king does not seem to object to my presence."

Henry’s gaze warmed, but he remained silent. Livia folded her hands in her lap, resisting the sudden urge to look away.

"If you do not want me present while you speak with His Majesty," she said, "I shall hurry with my breakfast and grant you your privacy."

"So I am expected to wait while you eat?" Madeleine demanded, gesturing to herself.

"I truly have no idea what to expect of you," Livia said calmly. "I do not know you that well, my lady."

Madeleine’s eyes widened. She seemed unable to decide whether she had been insulted or merely misunderstood. "I am a princess...Royal blood. Who do you think you are to speak to me in such a manner?"

"You are not a princess of England, Madeleine." henry interjected.

Madeleine turned to him slowly. Henry remained seated, one hand resting beside his cup, his expression mild enough to be insulting.

"You cannot exercise authority in my chamber," he continued, "nor over anyone under my protection, unless that authority is granted to you by me."

Madeleine’s face flushed beneath her powder. "Is that why you received me? To disgrace me further?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then what is this?"

"Breakfast." Henry sighed. "Though I must say, princess, it is too early in the morning for a tantrum. Livia is my guest. I expect my guests to be treated with honour and respect. And before you mistake me, Livia is my acknowledged favourite, and whether that pleases you or not is a matter of profound indifference to me."

"So she has rights now?"

"yes."

"Because she warmed your bed?"

"Because I say so." Henry picked up his cup. "You came to see me. I have received you. Speak."

"It is a private matter."

"You are not my queen yet, Princess. We have no cause for such privacy. Say what you came to say, or leave me to finish my breakfast before council."

Madeleine drew herself upright, gathering the remains of her dignity around her. "The Lord Chancellor informed my parents...the King and Queen of France, that Your Majesty was reconsidering the marriage."

"Yes," Henry replied. "He did."

"And is that true?"

"Yes."

Livia had known this was part of some design. Henry had practically said as much. Still, hearing him confirm it before Madeleine still didn’t sit right.

"Then why is this still happening?"

Henry’s brows lifted. "This?"

Madeleine gestured sharply at Livia. "This. Her. The insult."

"What do you mean?"

"Why is a whore in your bedchamber?" Madeleine said at last.

Henry leaned back in his chair, studying her. "It is remarkable how easy it is to make people say the wrong thing at the right moment. Give a person enough rope and they will usually hang themselves." His voice remained mild. "I knew you and my mother had become suspiciously warm allies. Once, you were ready to claw at one another. Then suddenly, a shared enemy made you remarkably companionable."

Madeleine lifted her chin. "If you meant only to keep me in England so you might insult me, Your Majesty, you should have allowed me to return to France with my family."

Henry gave a quiet laugh. "Your family seems remarkably uninterested in taking you back. Unfortunately, the brief fuck we had has become a bone lodged in my throat."

Livia coughed. Madeleine turned on her with a scowl. Livia brought her fork to her mouth at once.

"Your Majesty," Madeleine said, each syllable trembling with fury, "I refuse to stand here and be spoken to in such a manner. I came here only to hear from your own mouth whether the marriage will proceed and whether the treaty still stands."

"That will be all then."

The dismissal was unmistakable. Madeleine bowed once more. She turned and swept towards the door, every line of her body stiff with wounded dignity.

Only then did Livia release the breath she had not realised she had been holding. Her shoulders eased, though her nerves still rang from the exchange.

"Feel better?"

"You did not have to put me on the spot like that."

Henry’s eyes warmed with infuriating amusement. "Is that what I did?"

"You know exactly what you did," Livia said. "You set me against a princess."

Henry looked pleased with himself. "If you were queen, no one would dare stand toe to toe with you."

Livia closed her eyes for one measured breath. "And we have circled back."

"Did we ever circle away?"

She opened her eyes and gave him a look. He smiled again.

Infuriating man.

Livia decided, for the safety of her sanity to change the subject. "Why do you not take your meals in the great hall?"

Henry’s smile faded slightly. "Because I dislike eating while being studied."

"You cannot confine yourself to your private chambers. Your people should see you. They should know their king."

"They do see me. I walk among them"

"Your people have another version of you."

"Ah. You mean the version in which I murdered my seven brothers."

Livia choked, then coughed, reaching for water. She drank too quickly and had to cough again. "I meant only—"

"Lying does not suit you, Livia. Everyone knows the rumour."