He sat in a plush chair next to the fireplace with a book open on his lap when he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he looked up to see his wife looking back at him.

"I'm off to bed, don't stay up too late." she said, and he gave her a small smile as he took her hand in his and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

"Goodnight my love, you were brilliant today, and the best ally in managing this damnable kingdom." his wife gave him a tight lipped smile before leaving the parlor.

He sighed, before raising a hand up to massage his temples in attempt to calm his troubled mind when suddenly a searing pain coursed through him as he glanced down at the pages of his book which were now covered in his own blood.

he struggled violently to take a breath but couldn't his head slumping forward as he slipped away.