For Charles, the term "kin" carried a complex significance.
It was synonymous with the most dangerous of enemies, yet also akin to protectors, and occasionally, indifferent onlookers.
At four, he was unexpectedly pushed down the stairs by his second eldest brother, leaving scars that had yet to heal; at five, he was hit on the head with a rod by his eldest brother, with some royal physicians suggesting he fell from high up, while others claimed he was struck by a brick from the flowerbed; at six, he almost died from poisoning after eating biscuits gifted by the queen…
Had it not been for the protection of his older sister, he probably would have long since decayed into a pile of bones in the cold, damp tomb of the royal mausoleum, and in such a case, the father seated atop the throne, who coolly observed it all, likely wouldn't have spared even a single sigh.
