Magnus, 15 years old
"The bitch has been killing MY babies inside her womb, but this bastard's child? This useless, worthless girl—her she gives birth to, while having the audacity to pretend that this invalid is MY child!"
Marilyn's pitiful whimper slices through my daze, and once again I watch as the King's men drag her away with brutal carelessness, as though she were nothing more than a rag doll—something without heart, without soul.
"Your Majesty, please, don't hurt the child!" the gardener cries, his voice breaking as he scrapes his knees across the marble floor. There is no pride in him, no shred of defiance. His very presence radiates desperation, and the way his trembling hands remain clasped together in prayer shows how little value he places on his own life.
