Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 116 Isabella's Past
The air in the room seemed to freeze. The faint light coming in from the window shone on the girl's face, reflecting her slightly fair skin.

She sat on the edge of the bed, folded her hands on her knees, and looked up at the man standing by the door with a slightly hesitant look. Now she did have her own opinions, but she still felt that she should not ask this question.

"What kind of person do you think my brother is?"

It was not polite to ask a knight who had sworn allegiance to the Leper King what he thought of his lord. Moreover, Garys was a [Prophet].

As expected, Garys's outline appeared softer in the light, but his lowered eyelids concealed his inner turmoil. He placed one finger lightly on the window frame, rubbing it lightly with his fingertips.

Without waiting for Gailis's answer, the girl spoke to herself: "I feel that up to now, we have all been living under the shadow of a dead person."

Yes, living under the shadow of the dead, which of the many things that have happened in the past few months was not caused by the Leper King's plan?

Even today, the arrival of Acting Bishop Ame was due to the dispute over royal power.

In this vortex of disputes, the only person the girl could rely on was Garys, but he behaved like a piece of wood.

"You know, Gailis, in my eyes, it is impossible for my brother to go to heaven. He, like me, is a descendant of Anjou, a descendant of the devil, and is destined to go to hell."

Just when the girl was about to say something else, Gailis came directly to the bed, knelt on one knee, and hugged Isabella. He realized what the girl wanted most.

"Don't think too much, I'm always here for you."

"What if I really went to hell?"

"Then I will destroy hell."

Hearing Gailis's answer, the girl's lips curled up. This was all she wanted.

"Did you bring the seal ring?"

"Bring it."

"give it to me."

When Garys released the hug, he took the seal ring from his pocket and handed it to Isabella.

Isabella spoke again and said, "Give me your left hand."

For a moment Gaillis did not think of what Isabella meant, but he did as he was told.

The girl grasped Garys's left hand with her slender hands, feeling the warmth from that palm. She spoke again, her tone filled with some joy, no longer filled with self-pity.

"My brother is a bastard, so don't believe him anymore. Just listen to me... I only listen to you..."

The girl grabbed Garys's left ring finger and pushed the signet ring onto it. After crossing the second knuckle, she found that it was just the right size.

Huh~
When Garys showed a puzzled look, the girl chuckled. This was her little act of rebellion.

……

The unity of the kingdom depends on the support of the nobles for the monarch. However, in the Middle Ages, the monarch was only the most powerful among the nobles.

So how to subdue the nobles and make them obey the monarch?
Marry them, give them favors, show power, and make them obey.

In the eyes of the Leper King, his mother, stepmother, and sisters were all the most effective political tools.

The stepmother of the Leper King, whom he arranged to marry Balian de Ibelin to appease Balian's contribution in the Battle of Montgisard.

His sister Sibylla married twice into political marriages with European nobles, as this would deepen their relationship with the European nobles and bring in more reinforcements.

Isabella was no less successful. In order to check and balance Guy and unite with Reynard, she was arranged to marry Humphrey at an early stage.

Humphrey IV was the son of Humphrey III, a northern noble of the kingdom, and his mother Stephanie was the daughter and heiress of the Lord of Transjordan.

When he came of age, he inherited Toruń, the fiefdom from his father, and became a role model for the younger generation of nobles in the north of the kingdom. His mother also inherited Transjordan and became one of the most powerful women in the kingdom.

That was the night seven years ago.

It was drizzling in the holy city, and Isabella was summoned by her brother.
The Royal Palace in Jerusalem was originally rebuilt on the basis of Islamic architecture and is full of exotic style. Compared with those small and dark castles in the West, it is more like a garden and is designed to make people feel comfortable.

The evening rain hit the grass leaves, and the former girl, led by the palace servants, walked into the prince's bedroom.

In this luxurious room, there is an open balcony. Brother Wang is reclining on a lounge chair on the balcony with his back to them.

Hearing the noise coming from behind, Baldwin made a gesture, signaling those who were not involved to retreat.

When the palace servants saw the gesture, they retreated silently, leaving this luxurious bedroom to the brother and sister who had not seen each other for a long time.

Isabella looked around the room with a little curiosity. In the past two years, she had very few opportunities to spend time with her brother.

With brisk steps, the girl came to the balcony from the door of the bedroom and stood timidly behind her brother's recliner.

The Royal Palace of Jerusalem sits like a crown, quietly on the top of the Temple Mount, overlooking the entire ancient holy city.

Standing behind Brother Wang and looking into the distance along his gaze, the entire city slowly unfolds under the night sky, like a quiet painting.

Fine raindrops fell from the sky, each of which sparkled in the air, echoing with the stars and lights in the city, making Jerusalem at night hazy and dreamy, floating in the mist.

There was silence. The girl didn't know how to start, and her brother was obviously not in a hurry, so the two of them admired the city of Jerusalem in the rain together.

When the dark clouds dispersed a little and the spring rain was about to stop, Baldwin began to speak.

"Bella, sit in front of me." A hoarse voice sounded with difficulty.

There was a table and stool already placed in front of the right side of the recliner, and only after she sat down did she have the opportunity to look at her brother from the front.

The leper was wrapped tightly in a robe and gloves made of pure white linen, and on his face was an iron mask that only revealed his eyes and nostrils.

In this era, leprosy was seen as a punishment from God, and the Arabs found it difficult to understand why Baldwin became king.

Imad al-Din al-Isfahani, in his book, wrote: Despite his illness, the Franks remained loyal to him and gave him every encouragement... They were content to have him as their ruler; they exalted him... They were anxious to keep him in power but turned a blind eye to his leprosy.

However, according to rumors in Jerusalem, although Baldwin was a leper, everyone who saw him claimed that they felt the light from Christ.

Every knight who spoke with Baldwin said that they were impressed by the king's strong will.

However, the girl did not see the so-called courage and glory in her brother. All she could feel was the decay of this body.

She knew how terrifying it would be if her brother took off his iron mask.

Leprosy patients will gradually become numb and lose their sense of pain, their physical mobility will gradually decline, their skin will ulcerate and their facial features will become distorted, they will lose their reproductive ability and may even become disabled for life.

This is the suffering of this world! It is more tormenting than hell!

Leprosy had taken away all the enjoyment of her brother, leaving only a body that could contain his soul to survive in the world.

"My beautiful, lovely, and beloved sister, you are already eight years old." The hoarse and broken voice contained sincere emotions.

Her brother motioned the girl to come to him, then stroked the girl's tender face with his gloved right hand, pinched her chin and made her raise her head, which made the girl feel uncomfortable.

She might be cute, but being pretty and beautiful is too unrealistic for an eight-year-old girl. Such praise is creepy.

"Bella, I love you, I really love you. After our father passed away, only we three siblings were left. We are connected by blood."

"Brother Wang, I love you too."

The girl responded like this, before Baldwin came to power, she was taught personally by Balian.

Therefore, a few years ago, the brother and sister were not strangers to each other. Baldwin was relatively healthy at that time and often used his body to protect Isabella from wind and rain.

But in just these few years, just these few short years, everything has changed.

"Ballian, is he okay? Is your mother, Maria, okay?"

"Ballian is in good health as always, and my mother is doing well as well."

Because of his leprosy, Baldwin had difficulty speaking, and just chatting about family matters seemed to have exhausted all his energy.

"Sorry." After chatting for a few sentences, Baldwin suddenly uttered this word inexplicably.

The girl was a little confused. She didn't know why her brother would say that.

"Starting tomorrow, you will go to Fort Karak in Transjordan and get along well with Humphrey."

Fort Karak, a strange place name, and Humphrey, a stranger who had never met.

"I'm sorry, my beautiful, lovely, beloved sister. You can no longer be with Balian and your mother day and night."

……

Three years ago, in Karak, Saladin received bread and wine, roasted whole lamb and cooked beef, which were used to celebrate a special engagement.

During the siege of the city by thousands of people, Isabella and Humphrey became engaged.

This is a union between royal power and local nobles, symbolizing the unity of the kingdom.

Even Saladin gave his blessing to the engagement, telling his soldiers not to attack the tower where the engagement was taking place.

During this engagement, Isabella received a seal ring from her brother, which was a symbol of royal power and a representative of Anjou. It also meant that her future husband would have the right to claim the throne.

But did you choose this husband yourself?

Compared to the old husbands and young wives that other noble ladies often encounter, Humphrey is at least young, but Isabella cannot muster the slightest affection for him.

Because she could feel that she was being treated as a trophy, her identity as a royal princess only raised her value and made her seem more precious.

But the spoils are the spoils, and who cares what the spoils think?

Only the person who grew up with you will care about you a lot.

　Volume 2 The drizzle ends
　　
　
(End of this chapter)