Original subtitles

I see before me my friends, companions,

people I love and trust.

Yet there is a traitor in your midst,

seeking to destroy everything I've built.

A minister is murdered, now his wife.

If you have any courage,

Stand up now and show me your face.

If not, I shall hunt you down and I...

Sorry. I'm sorry.

It won't happen again.

If not, I...

How dare you insult me? Do you know who I am?

I am the King! I'm Louis the Great!

What is the matter with everyone?

The fact...the fact is you're not the king.

We pretended you were because we find it amusing!

Then who am I?

You are footservant to the Second Chamberlain.

Then, who is King?

It is customary to bow to the King.

One day, it will end, right?

You have many reasons to renounce our affair.

The scandal, the Queen, the Church...

You're leaving.

I have duties to attend to, as do you, I assume.

My duty is to attend to His Majesty.

What per news of our daughter?

I am told she is in fine health.

You are told?

I saw her yesterday.

The doctor assured me she was fit and strong.

I do not listen to court gossip. The Church will do as I say.

And as for the Queen,

she is Queen only in name.

She's poisoned his mind, Your Majesty.

Their bastard child is here under my own roof!

I'm sure the Bishop Bossuet has done all in his power

To show the King the error of his ways.

The King sneers to his face and laughs behind his back.

You must take the matter in hand.

I, Your Majesty?

She has many friends at court.

You will speak with them, encourage them to confess.

Turn them against her.

I shall speak with the King. And the lady in question?

She is beyond redemption.

I shall appeal to her conscience. She has none.

The power of The Lord is infinite.

You are a beacon of faith and hope for us all, Your Majesty.

As you are mine.

What about the kitchens?

Two musketeers on guard at all times, Sire.

They didn't do a very good job, did they?

Double them, triple them! Do whatever it takes.

And from now on, every Minister and every member of my immediate family

must be given a taster.

Yes, Sire.

What of those social powders?

Now banned, Sire.

Anyone found selling them will be punished appropriately.

As for deliveries,

all those bringing food into the Palace must apply for a license.

All produce must be checked and all workers searched.

Sire, with respect,

there are many ways in which the poisons could be introduced into the Palace.

Apart from nobles, clerks, cooks and servants,

there are hundreds of builders and trade entering every day.

To secure the Palaces entirely would be impossible.

Anyone wishing harm to me or those close to me must know

they are no longer setting foot in a palace but in a fortress.

We've known each other a long time and I believe I've earned your trust.

Perhaps. Then trust me now.

We buy tonics and potions from a supplier

and we sell, in discretion, to the palace.

Sold. Sold.

But we have nothing to do with poisons,

neither making nor selling.

You have my word on that.

What is the name of your supplier?

A spice trader by the name of Didier Robert.

Where will I find him?

China.

He set out from Marseille a few weeks ago.

If he is gone, you must have chosen another.

No, not yet.

But as you know,

cartloads of produce from the colonies arrive in Paris every day.

If you think that by stopping us,

you can stop the nobles from poisoning each other,

then you're fooling yourself.

We shall see.

Imagine if you will, Sire, the lake before you

to be an impregnable Dutch rampart

and the hut beyond, their headquarters.

Not good enough.

Do we have any word from London?

The fleet is ready to sail.

And the grain supplies?

The Church continues to deny access.

Over 200 carts of grain and fodder are currently being transported from Normandy.

Sire, if I may be so bold...

I think I have a solution. Indeed?

The Count of Epernay. What of him?

He owns over 40,000 acres of arable land between Calais and Amiens.

I'm sure he has enough grain in storage

to feed even as large an army as His Majesty's.

How do I not know about this?

And why is the Count of Epernay not at Versailles?

He claims to be confined to a wheelchair.

In fact, he's as fit as a fiddle and hunts three times a week.

Send some men to the Count of Epernay,

remind him of his duties. Take his grain and do not pay him.

You don't like the Duke of Cassel, do you?

No, Sire.

I wish I were as blind to his vices as I am to his virtues.

He flits between the gambling and the whorehouse, Sire.

As do many men at court. None of them Ministers, Sire.

I fear he does not merit the trust His Majesty places in him.

Sire.

Do you know the best way to subdue a wild horse?

The whip, Sire?

Put it to pasture with a tame one.

I'm worried about my wife.

What? Her face? I know what you mean.

Perhaps some sort of mask would be in order.

She needs a lady-in-waiting, someone to explain how things are done around here.

I was thinking of your cousin. What's her name, again?

Madamoiselle De Clermont! Yes, she would be perfect.

I need to talk to her. You'll be here on my return?

No! I'm being fitted for a new overcoat.

Paid for by me?

Surely, you wouldn't have me pay for it?

You forget, I'm recently married. Wives cost money.

Oh, what about her dowry?

She came with outer lands but no dowry. I'm leaving.

Wait, wait! Mignonnet...

What use is 10,000 acres of German forest, if I...

need new coats?

Yes, what does he want now?

It concerns the

bedding ceremony, Your Highness.

The bedding ceremony?

His Majesty has sent out invitations

to a celebration of your union with the Princess.

This will be followed by the bedding ceremony.

Delicious!

So, you will share the same bed as your wife?

Why wouldn't I?

I think she's rather attractive.

You're jealous. Of a woman? How we laughed!

I shared a bed with Henrietta and that never bothered you.

That was to annoy your brother.

The King wishes to build an alliance with the Palatinate.

My duty is to seal that alliance

by making lots of children.

Your duty, darling, is not to your brother,

it is to glamor and beauty

and me!

Who knows? I might even fall in love with her!

Madamoiselle de Clermont, I have an honor to bestow upon you.

It relates to my new wife.

She needs some help settling in.

Mother, we are bankrupt! Quiet!

As it is, the sad fact is none of us are truly safe.

But there's no need to panic.

Mr. Marchal and I will ensure your fate.

We have no choice but to leave.

I will not hear of such a thing!

My son's place is here and nowhere else.

Then it is for you to find a way for us to stay!

I already tried! Try again!

Try harder!

friends, connections, I don't know...

Of course, my love.

That post was mine, not his.

And your provider, you trust him?

I do, Sire. He has been supplying the palace for over 10 years.

You tasted all the ingredients

before giving a plate to a servant?

I am a cook, Sire. That is my job.

Everyone is talking about the murder.

They are all worried scared to eat their food.

Some of them may even be thinking about leaving the palace.

Do as usual. Go to to the gaming tables tonight.

The wine will loosen their tongues.

I shall try, but Monseur has asked me

to be lady-in-waiting for his new wife.

Very well.

But you will continue to report to me.

It was you that delivered the plate of food to Madame de Reynaud?

Yes Sire.

You collected it from the kitchens and you took it directly to her cell?

Yes, Sire.

Why are you so nervous?

I'm not, Sire. Yes, you are.

I'm scared, Sire.

Of what?

Of you.

You should be.

Yes?

We searched all her belongings and found nothing, Sire.

You may go.

His Highness thought perhaps I could help.

Help?

To find your feet.

The last time I looked, they were at the end of my legs.

You say you served as lady-in-waiting for my husband's first wife?

Yes, Your Highness.

They say she was beautiful, intelligent, charming, honorable.

She was.

How depressing!

Good morning, Your Highness!

Cousin. Good morning!

I thought I would come to see how you were settling in.

Well enough, thank you.

Has my dear cousin explained all the regulations?

Not yet.

She will explain all the official regulations

and I shall conspire to explain the others.

Others? You'll learn to love them.

Now that's what we need here!

A touch of Teutonic fashion!

Are you planning to wear this in the salon?

What else would I do with it?

Put it in a soup?

Oh, and as for the bedding ceremony

Might I suggest riding boots and an overcoat.

What's a bedding ceremony?

Exquisite, Madame.

Yes.

Madame may also consider this beautiful diamond necklace.

Untamed...

the meaning of diamond in ancient Greek.

I feel it from here, Bontemps.

Sire?

The frown of disapproval boring into my back.

If Madame de Montespan wants something and I give it to her

it is not because of her influence,

it is because I wish it to be so.

Of course, Sire.

She will take it.

Delphine. Madame?

Your services are no longer required.

Have you ever encountered a bear?

No, Your Highness.

Well, I have and it was nothing compared to this.

Don't worry!

It is true some of the women can be a little cold with newcomers

but once they get to know you, they will appreciate your honesty and openness.

How do I look?

Wonderful! Liar!

I know the Church frowns on vanity

but to refuse a gift from a king, well, that would be arrogant.

Perhaps I should ask Bishop Bossuet for guidance?

What do we do now?

We wait to be invited to play cards

or engage in conversation.

Oh, dear!

Someone seems to have confused a bird's nest for a hat!

Who is that woman?

That is Madame de Montespan, the king's mistress.

She's like a Greek goddess.

His Majesty requests your presence.

Mine? Please.

Good luck.

Ladies, we're being mean. We should welcome her

I'll be grateful for small mercies.

She may be German but at least she's not Spanish.

Good afternoon, Your Highness. Good afternoon.

I am the Marquise de Montespan. Of course you are!

The ladies and I are just discussing

whether Lady Montfort should continue her affair

with a stable boy.

Personally, I think it depends on the qualities of the stable boy.

We'd love to hear your opinion on the matter.

I warn you, I have no gift for gossip.

It's not a gift, it's a habit.

You will soon fall into it.

I have a fear of heights.

You're both probably wondering why I asked you here.

Whatever the reason, Sire, no doubt, it is a good one.

I asked you here because I wish the two of you to marry.

Cassel, you have the general demeanor of a sewer rat

and the reputation for licentious behavior.

This is not what I like to see one of my ministers.

No, Sire.

You need someone to look after you, keep your affairs in order

and give you an air of respectability.

Indeed, Sire.

Madamoiselle de Clermont,

like all young ladies of court,

you, no doubt, dreamt of marrying for both position and for love.

The Duke of Cassel will give you the former

if not the latter.

If that is His Majesty's wish.

It is.

I would like a few moments with Mademoiselle de Clermont, alone.

You think I'm cruel.

No, Sire. I would understand if you did.

Mr. Marchal informs me that you have been his eyes and ears in the salon.

From now on, I wish you to perform these same duties regarding your husband.

If he says or does anything that you consider to be contrary to my interests,

I wish to be informed of it.

Yes, Sire.

As for love, if that is what you seek,

I suggest you seek it elsewhere.

Madamoiselle de Clermont!

Sophie!

I understand your anger. Please! Please!

Speak to His Majesty on the matter.

It can not happen. Not to me!

This is not fair, it's not right!

I can not marry that!

You know what he is capable of. You know!

Remember, remember,

You're serving His Majesty

and the security of the state.

You should consider that an honor.

An honor?

Of course.

Where the palace stands now, used to be marshland and trees.

It will soon be the heart of an empire.

But His Majesty already has an empire.

No, I merely have possessions.

Surely, there are many who would stand in your path?

Enemies? Yes.

There is one.

Do you fear him?

No, though I do admire him.

Why?

Because he does not fear me.

Why should he fear His Majesty?

Because the finest army in the world is about to destroy him.

Come, I wish you to meet someone, an old friend of mine.

A gardener but no ordinary gardener.

If you ever need advice on how to win a war, he is the person to talk to.

Where is Jacques?

We have not seen him for several days, Sire.

Well, where does he live?

Perhaps he is at home, sick.

We checked, Sire. He is not there.

Keep looking and tell him to report to the Palace as soon as you see him him.

Sire, when you were a child, you dreamt of being the king.

Now you are king. What is your dream?

To be remembered.

You will put this into the hands of the cook, Gaspard

at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Compiagne.

It's so nice to have a trusted friend by my side!

You already seem to have rather a lot of friends.

Friends in appearance, yess, but appearances can change.

When can I see the child? First, you must meet the King.

What sort of a man is he?

They say he can be cruel.

What else do they say?

That he is warm hearted, cold blooded,

amusing, without humor,

gentle, violent, clever and foolish.

Well, he has many moods and many faces

and I love every single one of them.

Every king of France has had a mistresses.

And the Church has always preferred...

A royal mistress is tolerated but not this one.

Why... but Sire, a married woman...

Sire? What?

May I introduce my friend and governess to our child,

Madame Scarron.

Welcome to Versailles. If you will excuse me...

God, it reeks in here!

Would it kill you to open a window?

Where the hell have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere.

You have to come here from now on, if you want your bit of fun.

Why?

The king has put a stop to our business.

If I'm seen at the Palace, I'll be flogged.

Some friends of mine pay to be flogged.

Not you, apparently.

In tight embrace, you say?

I believe we have our killer, don't you?

Did you search the rooms of Gaston de Foix?

Yes Sire. we found nothing.

then search them again!

Where did you meet him?

In the corridor outside the kitchens or upstairs, in his room?

Was it a powder or a liquid he poured onto the food?

It was not him.

You really suppose

you were the only chambermaid to hoist her skirt up for him?

He promised! To marry you?

Yes.

Well, that's not what he told me.

When I mentioned your name, he laughed and said:

"The one who smells of pig shit?"

He met me in the Seculary as I was on my way to the prison.

And he added the poison?

Did you know it was poison?

No.

That was the right answer.

Another 200.

I'm feeling lucky.

Yes!

You won.

Come quietly.

If this is about my debts, I have every intention of paying them.

No doubt.

How dare you? Let go or you'll pay!

Do you have any idea what you're doing?

Unluckily for you, yes.

Why am I here?

All murderers end up here.

Murder! Whom did I murder?

The Minister Reynaud and then his wife.

Before I decide what to do with you,

you're going to tell me where you acquired the poison.

I don't know anything about poison.

That's not what your lover said!

Lover?

The chambermaid who delivered the meals to the victim

after you poisoned it.

Odile!

Tell me, do you believe in your dreams?

No, Sire.

and what of your nightmares?

Sire?

I built these walls to protect myself against threats from outside.

Now i find that the greater danger lies within them.

No ship evercrossed the ocean without encountering a storm, Sire.

I have sent messages to all the women at court

inviting them to join us for midnight prayers after the ceremony.

One or two of them have said they will attend.

And Madame de Montespan?

She replied, saying she would be alas, otherwise occupied.

Do you think my looks are fading?

You are more beautiful than ever.

For how long?

You fear losing him, don't you?

I prefer the green.

Why do you keep taking that stuff?

For medical necessity.

For what?

A tickle in the throat.

The doctor says a few more months and I shall be singing like a canary.

You're setting a bad example.

On the contrary, I am setting a very good example!

People are bored to death here,

and I am showing them how not to be!

The King has banned these substances from court.

Which makes the experience all the more titillating...

What about the blue?

The trouble is I like all of them.

Then try something different.

Ready when you are.

Monseur is more Madame than Madame.

The King!

You'll make a laughingstock of the court.

I believe I already have that honor.

When they look at me, what do they see?

A woman, one of many.

In case you had forgotten, the women in our family tend to outlast the men.

Is something bothering you?

Don't expect me to follow your every rule with a smile on my face.

Right now, I expect you to be my brother.

In case you haven't noticed, the nobles have started to kill each other.

That's what happens when you lock them up!

Would you like to dance? I'd love to.

I will do your bidding

but I will do it my way.

Good evening, Sire. Your Majesty.

I love your dress.

You must give me the name of your designer.

He's called Diego Bartolome Gomez de Recalde.

Well, it's lovely. As you've said.

I have little to contribute to this discussion.

If you'll excuse me...

It saddens me to see that I have upset Her Majesty.

I thought we found common ground

in choosing a wife for Monseur.

Whatever I've done, please accept my humble apologies.

For seducing my husband?

It's hardly my fault your husband finds my company more stimulating

than his wife's.

Is your husband aware of your infidelity?

I have no contact with my husband,

an arrangement I would recommend to all married women.

A shooting star.

Her Majesty's written a poem! How delightful!

That's what you remind me of.

well, at least I will die knowing I have sparkled and shone.

Tell me, who is that young girl engaged in conversation with the King?

Good evening. Good evening.

Perhaps you'd accompany me for the next dance?

I'd love to but I sprained my ankle a few days ago

and fear I may damage it further.

Of course.

Mademoiselle...

Can I call you Sophie?

If you insist.

I fear you may have an unfortunate impression of me.

I've committed many errors in my life.

Nonetheless, in the years to come,

I hope that you will give me the opportunity to undo any harm or effects

that I might have caused you.

I thank you for your honesty.

Would you care to dance?

I'd love to.

You shitty coward!

What would you be without your metal bars?

Your armed guards and your instruments of torture?

You would be nothing!

Just tell me who made the poison.

And then what?

You'll set me free?

Who made the poison?

If I wanted to kill someone...

I would use a gun or a sword.

Only women use poison.

My friends, we are here this evening to celebrate

Sire!

It's about my son.

I know him to be innocent.

He wants only to serve His Majesty.

He is wrongly accused and wrongly imprisoned.

Your son has brought shame on the court,

on you and on your family.

You have no place here.

But he's innocent! I know it!

I know it! He's innocent!

He's innocent! I know it!

My friends,

We are here this evening to celebrate the marriage

of my dear brother.

It is now midnight.

It is customary that at this time,

that the couple retire for the bedding ceremony

and consummate their union.

Wish me luck.

Remember, it belongs to me

If you lay a hand on her again, I will have you castrated.

Is that clear? As crystal.

But I don't think that you will.

Why not?

Because I know all about your past.

You haven't forgotten what to do?

Can I... I'm sorry, I don't think that will work work.

Why am I here?

Because your father and my brother

saw a mutual benefit in our marrying.

And if there are no children?

Then my brother is disappointed, the marriage is anulled

and you will return to Germany.

I was beginning to like you.

The feeling will pass. Good night!

Good night!

My darling, you are angry.

Only with myself.

I am jealous and possessive like a little girl.

I like you to be jealous and possessive.

I have had many lovers,

but when I see you smile...

laugh, weep...

Too late for supper,

unless you like overcooked cabbage.

Actually, I'm averse to vegetables.

Thank you.

Some wine, perhaps?

I don't usually drink.

And I don't usually let men into my house at this hour.

Those vials you found at the palace

essentially a collection of every potion and powder under the sun.

But no poisons? No.

In any case,

they indicate a court more obsessed with beauty and pleasure

than murder.

Unless, of course, I'm missing something.

Such as?

An ingredient I haven't seen before, which makes the poison undetectable.

Are you scared of the female of the species?

The praying mantis does come to mind.

We're complex creatures.

Where you use your swords, we use our wiles and potions.

We have the power to create life.

We protect our young.

We can stand more pain.

What did you say

about women?

I was just teasing.

It's in the green bottle.

Subtitle transcribed by Uncle Andy