The lovely young Sylvie de Valen, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne of Austria, has many powerful enemies, including none other than Cardinal Richelieu himself. After all, she keeps an important state secret: the father of the future King of France is not Louis XIII, but a young, irresistible, and reckless Duke de Beaufort. This secret is especially tormenting for Sylvie: her heart has long belonged to the brave but wayward duke, and it beats only for one thing—so that someday she can hear from her beloved the three magical words: “I love you…”