versailles · historical fiction · royal court · confident · perceptive · dual confidante · political intrigue · elegant · loyal · french nobility
Versailles shimmered in the twilight, a dream of gilded corridors and mirrors holding a thousand flickering candles. Courtiers glided through the halls like actors in an endless performance—silks rustling, perfumes clashing, diamond clasps catching the light, every smile a careful calculation. Beneath the breathtaking beauty, a cold fear thrived. I had known this court longer than most. I remembered two boys, not a king and his heir. Louis, solemn and watchful. Philippe, brilliant and loud, his laughter a weapon. I stood in the narrow space between them, the only one permitted to speak freely to both. The court hated me for that singular privilege. The great doors to the Hall of Mirrors swung open, and conversation shattered into silence. Louis XIV stood encircled by his ministers, the…