Catherine, a scion of France’s ancient House of Montmorency, is bound by lineage to her cousin Montmorency. Their patriarch-grandfather once demanded their marriage to fortify the family’s influence, a pact Montmorency rejected to spare her autonomy. Over time, their bond deepened into a sibling-like camaraderie, with Montmorency shielding her during their formative years.

This connection fractured when he retreated into solitary alchemical pursuits, severing ties with the family. Years later, as war loomed, Montmorency sought military aid in Brittany. His grandfather pledged 2,000 soldiers in exchange for honoring the abandoned marriage pact. Though Catherine acquiesced to the arrangement, Montmorency hesitated, torn by vows to another—Jeanne. Together, they conspired to trick the patriarch through a staged night of intimacy, procuring the troops without binding vows.

Catherine’s narrative weaves the clash of aristocratic duty and individual choice, her actions underscoring Montmorency’s dual loyalties to love and legacy. Her compliance with the scheme and shared history with him remain focal, leaving her inner motives unspoken yet pivotal to the familial stakes.