Ten Years Later Chapter 22 - The King's Card-Table

In which the court’s lively card-table serves as a stage for shifting affections and subtle rivalries, revealing Madame’s dazzling wit that captivates even the king, while the Duke of Buckingham bears the bitter sting of disillusionment. Meanwhile, Monsieur Fouquet confronts the pressing and perilous demand for a vast sum to satisfy royal extravagance, confiding in Aramis the despair that shadows his seeming composure.