The Duchess's Fate in "Beloved" Parts 1-7

1. Poison

Queen Anne, her obese body huddled in her wheelchair, the crackling firewood in the fireplace
warming her bedchamber.

Middle-aged Anne's face was beginning to sag, and the excess fat around her waist was increasingly noticeable. Her gaze was somewhat
vacant as she looked out the window at the lush green lawn where several gardeners were trimming the grass.

Anne seemed anxious, as if waiting for someone, yet vaguely, she didn't want to see that person.

Her maid, Abigail, stood behind her, her eyes fixed on the Queen's head. It was as if the Queen were
her prey.

Abigail gently combed the
Queen quality. She herself didn't know how such insincere words could come out of her mouth.

Each word sent shivers down her spine. However, she knew in her heart that only in this way
could win the Queen's favor.

The Queen's gaze shifted from the window to a wooden cage in front of her.

In the cage sat seventeen rabbits, each a different color. Abigail had heard the Queen mention seventeen children who
had died young, and these seventeen rabbits corresponded perfectly to them.

What kind of person would mistake their children for rabbits? Perhaps, the short lifespan of rabbits, only a year,
was a symbol of premature death.

Suddenly, the palace door was pushed open by a guard standing outside, and the Duchess of Marlborough strode in from
the spacious .

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, was the wife of General John Churchill of the British Empire
and the Queen's childhood friend. Their secret romantic relationship
was unknown to anyone except the Queen's lady-in-waiting, Abigail.

Unlike the weak and mentally challenged Queen, Sarah possessed a strong desire for power. In fact, her methods
were quite ruthless. Under her control, the Whig Party rose to prominence, occupying almost all the seats in the cabinet.
Sarah's fate was intertwined with that of the Whig Party.

Sarah wore a black, tight-fitting leather dress with two neat rows of black lace trim
at . Her inner lining was white, and the blouse was faintly visible against the black lace.
The dress only reached her thighs, and she wore matching black riding breeches. Keep in mind that at that time,
women primarily wore dresses. Sarah dared to dress like this because she was a strong woman,
as strong and powerful as her husband, John.

On her feet were a pair of black, turned-up riding boots. The boot tops hugged her thighs, all the way
to her knees. If the nearly ten-inch-long boot edges were turned up, they would certainly
cover her knees as well. Above the boots, the boots connected to a silver-gray trench coat, making her leather outfit appear even more clean
and sharp . The open-chested trench coat, also trimmed with black lace, made her look incredibly noble and elegant.

Sarah was forty-eight years old, but her neatly styled updo made her look much younger and
more energetic. Although her features were still delicate, the signs of time were undeniable.
A closer look revealed fine wrinkles around her eyes.

Although Sarah walked somewhat hurriedly, her posture remained elegant. If it weren't for her equestrian attire,
one might mistake her for attending a royal ball.

As she walked, her gaze swept unintentionally across Abigail's face. Indeed,
Abigail looked younger. For women, youth is an asset, and because Abigail
possessed relatively attractive features, she was even more appealing to men. Of course, she was also highly regarded by the Queen.

Sarah and Abigail were cousins. Abigail had originally been a well-known noblewoman in the area, but
her father's gambling addiction led to the family's decline. To make a living, Abigail had no choice but to come and live with her cousin Sarah.

Sarah, well-educated from a young age, was arrogant and disdainful of even the Queen, let alone
Abigail, who had come from the countryside to seek refuge. Initially, Abigail served as Sarah's maid. However,
Sarah, preoccupied with state affairs, neglected the court's intrigues, giving Abigail
an opportunity.

Abigail was a woman of two tongues and a heart of stone, frighteningly cunning. Soon, she used her cunning
and beauty to become the Queen's most favored maid. She even… slept with the Queen.

Upon learning the truth, Sarah was furious and broke off all ties with Abigail, wanting nothing more than to throw
her out into the street. But now, with the Queen as her protector, Abigail was no longer the same; even
Sarah could no longer command her.

Abigail had clearly noticed the less-than-friendly look in Sarah's eyes and quickly told the Queen, "I
'll make some tea!"

Sarah approached the Queen, and despite Abigail's interference
, their relationship remained unchanged due to their childhood friendship—at least on the surface.

Sarah didn't appear reserved and nodded slightly to the Queen.

"Pet on the children, say hello to them!" the Queen said. The children she was referring to were
the rabbits kept in the wooden cage. Abigail was right; the Queen had come to regard these rabbits as her own children.

Sarah had originally disliked these little creatures; the furry things, in her eyes, were unbecoming of her noble
status . She was a straightforward person and had refused countless requests from the Queen to ingratiate herself with these animals
. Although her straightforwardness was largely based on contempt for the demented Queen, she now
felt a powerful threat from Abigail.

Sarah, though shrewd, was nothing without the Queen. At such a time, it
was necessary to curry favor with the Queen. So, Sarah, who had already reached the Queen, stopped,
bowed slightly, and returned to the wooden cage. She reached inside and gently stroked the
largest . After this symbolic stroke, she sat down before the Queen again.

This time, she wasn't there to compete for Abigail's favor, but to
discuss . Regarding the succession to the Spanish throne, a powerful anti-French alliance had formed on the European continent.

Her husband, John, led the Allied forces across the Channel to fight against France. Now, at the most
crucial moment of the war

, Abigail had already brewed two cups of hot tea at the tea station. Although
she kept her head down, seemingly focused on making the tea, her gaze secretly drifted towards the Queen and
the Duchess . Realizing their attention wasn't on her, she quickly pulled a packet
of white powder from her skirt's sash, placed it in one of the teacups, and stirred it rapidly with a silver spoon.

This was a rapidly dissolving potion that could cause vomiting and unconsciousness, with a long-lasting effect that could keep someone incapacitated
for days . The teacup she had drugged was naturally for Sarah.

Sarah was undoubtedly a formidable obstacle for Abigail. If she couldn't overcome this
obstacle , she would never gain Her Majesty's favor. Moreover, she and her cousin were now locked in
a life-or-death struggle; defeat would mean certain death for her.

But Abigail had no intention of killing Sarah; she only wanted her unconscious for a few days. As long as Sarah was away,
she could unleash her full power and secure her position.

Sarah had to leave for a few days!

Neither the Queen nor the Duchess noticed Abigail's subtle action. Sarah
sat down on the stool in front of the Queen, symbolically reaching out to touch the rabbit resting on the Queen's lap, and said, "You will give a speech in Parliament
next week regarding tax increases!"

To compensate for the war's devastation and to better support her husband fighting on the front lines, Sarah and
the Whigs had passed a proposal in Parliament to increase land taxes next year. However, this proposal was quickly rejected by
the opposing Tory parties, and the two sides had been
locked in a protracted standoff, awaiting Her Majesty's vote.

The Queen seemed not to hear Sarah's words, continuing, "I dreamt of a
one-eyed ..."

"What man?" Sarah asked.

"We rode through town, and he just kept staring at me, it gave me the creeps!" the Queen
said to Sarah, stroking her pet affectionately as if chatting casually.

Just then, Abigail had prepared tea and placed a teacup before the Duchess. Of course, it was the
tea that had been laced with drugs.

Sarah turned and took it, politely thanking the Queen's maid despite her deep dislike for her
.

"Abigail, do you think the people are angry?" the Queen asked, taking the teacup from the maid as well.

Sarah had just picked up the cup to drink when she stopped abruptly: "Anne!" She and the Queen were like
friends ; she often addressed the Queen by her first name in private.

"She doesn't know!" Sarah said. Many things shouldn't be started, because once they begin, they're
unstoppable . Sarah had spent years navigating the court, and she was intimately familiar with the intricacies of court politics. At this crucial
moment, she couldn't allow Abigail to interfere.

"I must always ask the people's opinion!" the Queen said, then instructed Abigail, "Send some
people from the villages to ask them!"

"National affairs cannot be handled this way. The people need to be led, and they are not leaders!" Sarah, of
noble birth , looked down upon the lowly poor from the bottom of her heart. Moreover, the tax increase was for her husband's
military campaign.

"Do you want Marlborough exposed to enemy fire?" Sarah said somewhat agitatedly. "He
needs a battalion of soldiers to support him. That means we need money!"

Every war requires money. And the only way for a country to need money is to increase taxes.

"Don't yell at me, I am the Queen!" Anne said, also sounding somewhat angry.

"Then start acting like a Queen!" Sarah said. In her heart, Anne was completely unfit
to be the queen of this country. In terms of ability, perhaps only she was truly suitable on the entire island.

However, sometimes, people are defeated by their own arrogance.

After Sarah finished speaking, she brought her teacup to her lips and took a small sip. Suddenly, she noticed the tea
tasted strange and turned to look at Abigail.

Abigail was staring at her nervously. Seeing Sarah's gaze directed at her, Abigail quickly looked
away.

Sarah tasted the tea again. Could it be that her nervousness had altered the flavor? She
had drunk at least 80,000,000 cups of tea in this palace, and she never imagined today's tea would be
the problem. Just then, she felt a little thirsty from arguing with the Queen, so she simply drank the entire cup.

She put down the empty teacup. It seemed the Queen was in a bad mood today; continuing the argument would be
pointless. Sarah rose, leaving the bedchamber without even saying goodbye to the Queen.

Sarah went to the stables, where royal guards had already prepared a horse for the Queen, standing
alongside Sarah's mount. Although the Queen often suffered from gout, she would sometimes go riding with Sarah to get some fresh air.

"Isn't the Queen riding today?" a guard asked, seeing the Duchess emerge alone.

"Don't talk to me!" Sarah snapped, annoyed at the guard after being rebuffed by the Queen. She strode
to her carriage, a guard grabbed her waist, and shoved her into the saddle.

Sarah huffed and puffed, her long legs spurring her horse, and she galloped out of the palace.

Often, Sarah would stay in the palace with the Queen, but today, she didn't want to
stay a moment longer. It wasn't so much resentment towards the Queen as anger towards Abigail. Sarah vaguely regretted
sending her cousin to the palace, which had brought her so much trouble. This time, it must have been Abigail who
had whispered in the Queen's ear to the opposition, causing the Queen to refuse her request.

She cursed Abigail in her heart as she rode towards her residence. From Hampton Court Palace to
the Duchess's residence, one had to cross a dense forest. Earlier, the dense forest was teeming with bandits and even wolves.

But with the Marlborough family gaining favor with the Queen, the royal
guards palace, even creating a forest path specifically for Sarah.

The horses' hooves crunched incessantly on the thick layer of fallen leaves along the path. Sarah suddenly thought of the palace.
A sense of disgust began to rise within her: the Queen, Abigail, the Tories—she wanted to spit on their existence a thousand times over.

Suddenly, Sarah felt a lump in her throat, as if the tea she had just drunk was now rising up
her throat . She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the discomfort, but it only worsened.
She couldn't help but vomit, "Ugh!"—upon expelling the tea and the pastries she had eaten that morning.

She thought she would feel better after vomiting, but before Sarah could even settle back into her saddle, her
head began to feel heavy, as if she were drunk, the world spinning around her.

Sarah's vision went black, and with a thud, she fell from her horse, crashing heavily to the ground. Her riding skills
were among the best in Hampton Court, even surpassing those of the master horsemen. This was the first
time in her life she had ever fallen from a horse.

The impact, though through a thick layer of fallen leaves, still left her dizzy and disoriented.
She lost consciousness completely and lay motionless on the ground.

The horse beneath her seemed to realize its master had fallen, and as if startled, it
bolted forward . Although Sarah had fallen, her right foot was still caught in the stirrup, and
with the horse's gallop, she was dragged along. With a rustling sound, her noble body left a deep gash in the fallen leaves, scraping
against hard stones and sharp branches.

But Sarah felt no pain; the effects of the drug had rendered her as if dead, letting the horse
drag her erratically through the mountain path, not knowing where it would take her.

Night fell quickly, and the horse still hadn't escaped the dense forest.

Even under Queen Anne's rule, Britain at night was not as luxurious as it appeared during the day.

Leaving Hampton Court Palace, vast stretches of moors stretched out before her. These desolate fields
were also breeding grounds for crime.

A withered tree leaned crookedly in the deep pile of fallen leaves. Its crown was
bare, its branches and leaves long gone, making it appear terrifying, like a monstrous beast in the night.

The trunk swayed incessantly, and the few remaining yellow leaves clinging to the bare branches
fell to the ground. Beneath the tree, a man and a woman were making love. The woman's back was pressed against the rough trunk,
her loose skirt lifted up, almost completely covering her upper body, leaving only her head exposed. Underneath the skirt, she wore
almost nothing, revealing her bare thighs. Her face was heavily made up; without a doubt, she was
a prostitute.

A crude man was on top of her, his trousers pulled down to his thighs, his white buttocks facing outwards,
thrusting into her relentlessly.

Even in this deserted forest, neither of them uttered a sound, only their heavy breathing.

The prostitute seemed used to it all along, her eyes blank.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the slow sound of hooves. Along with the hooves came the slurring of the ground.

Sarah's horse seemed tired, slowing its pace. The woman, dragging on the stirrups like a corpse,
remained oblivious. She had stumbled over countless stones and scraped against countless branches along the way; her elegant
updo was now disheveled, and her face was covered in blood. Even more horrifying,
a running from the left side of her nose to near her ear, deep enough to expose
the mangled bone beneath the skin.

Almost all the blood on Sarah's face came from this wound, now congealed. However,
the gruesome sight still sent chills down one's spine.

The prostitute patted the man's shoulder, signaling him to stop. Together, they looked into the depths of the forest and saw
the woman and her horse.

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