kingdom of nations

Chapter 22: Sibylle Suffers Humiliation (Part )
Count Etienne felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He always thought that he was a good person who did his duty and loved peace.

He had only done one extraordinary thing in his life, which was to take his lover Adlai away from the wedding. But he also had to say that the marriage between Adlai and Ansor II was not valid and his behavior did not violate the doctrine.

He too accepted punishment, accepted the challenge of a king and two earls, and later purchased five hundred years of indulgence from the church—two hundred years longer than the sin of marrying his sister.

He felt that he had done his best and there was nothing to complain about, but from then on people always thought he was a frivolous and dissolute guy.

But at least his lord Louis VII should have known something about him, otherwise, His Majesty would not have entrusted him with such an important task as the Special Envoy of the Holy Land. He did not expect that Louis VII had other intentions in choosing him... God bless him, he never thought of becoming the father-in-law and son-in-law of King Amalric I of Alazarus, nor did he think of becoming a knight of Christ, the guardian of the Holy Sepulchre!
He is not that pious!

He complained to his valet, who immediately took off his hat and pressed it to his chest, expressing his infinite sympathy for his master. Just now, Count Etienne had done something irreparable. He didn't think he had done anything wrong, but it did make the scene very...absurd.

The Count of Sancerre had always been a popular figure in the Frankish court - because of the incident of storming into the church and snatching the bride, people's views of him were almost completely fixed. Men saw him as a difficult and disgusting enemy, while noble ladies saw him as a challenging and fulfilling lover.

He admitted that he had never been chaste, but both he and the woman could assure us that they were just immersed in an atmosphere of ambiguity, elegance and nobility. There was no overly intimate contact and no letters to leave any evidence. They were like skylarks, meeting on the branches at night and separating at dawn.

He was accustomed to the ambiguous atmosphere in the Frankish court, and therefore ignored the strangeness in the court of Alasarus - the eager eyes of the dignitaries, the provocative gazes of the young knights, and the whispers of the maids and servants.

They placed him on the left hand side of the princess, and he treated her as the mistress of the castle, just as a knight would serve a noble lady, bringing her water for washing her hands, holding her hand towel, cutting meat for her, holding her spice tray, and peeling nuts for her - but he could swear that he was really honest and dutiful, and did not do anything inappropriate!
After the last course was served, the servants cleared the long table and tidied the hall. A spacious area in the center was cleared for dancing. This was a necessary post-banquet ritual. Everyone looked at him, and also at Princess Sibylle. As the most important guest, he also deserved to dance with the hostess.

He stepped forward to invite the princess. He had to admit, Princess Sibylle was truly a beauty. Her beauty was unlike any other in the Frankish court, perhaps because she was the only daughter of King Alasarus. She lacked the humility and gentleness that were essential to women of that era. Although she had to raise her head to meet his face, her gesture was not at all shy, but rather measured.

For a few minutes Count Étienne even thought that he was going mad from drinking too much wine or eating moldy bread. She looked at him with a determined look, as if she were looking at a piece of jewelry in a jewel box. She stretched out her hand to him, as if she wanted to give herself to him, but in fact she was pulling him towards herself. Count Étienne felt that he was the one who was captured.

Even so, Count Etienne still held on to a glimmer of hope. He was already 37 years old, and Princess Sibylle was only 13. To put it bluntly, he could not only be her father - if his children's marriages were arranged more hastily, it would not be impossible for him to be Sibylle's grandfather. He was very self-aware.

But this self-awareness was soon shattered. They danced, and Bohemond, Duke of Antioch, stood up again and suggested that he compose a love poem for the princess. Poetry was a required subject for knights, and at banquets, it was common and popular for knights to present a love poem to someone they admired.

This does not involve morality or doctrine. Many husbands would be happy to see such a scene, which means that their wife is admired by many people, and as a husband, he is also proud of it. The problem is that Princess Sibylle is not married yet. A man, especially a man who is not in a marriage relationship, publicly expresses his love to an unmarried woman at a banquet, which is almost a proposal.

Count Etienne suddenly felt cold all over, but the gazes focused on him forced him to refuse rudely or remain silent. He could only stand up "happily" and write a love poem for Princess Sibylle:

"Under the shade of the tree lay a scroll of poetry,
A bottle of good wine, a little bread,
With you singing beside me in this wilderness,
The wilderness is paradise!"

The poem was short, with simple words, and the count recited it in a dry and emotionless voice, but everyone present was delighted, clapping their hands vigorously or knocking on the table.

Everyone, except Sibylle's admirers, was smiling. They invited Count Etienne to the center of the hall and surrounded him. Princess Sibylle's attendants walked up to him with their heads held high and presented him with a sable cloak.

This was undoubtedly a magnificent garment. If a noblewoman had asked her servant to do this at the Frankish court, Count Étienne would have gladly accepted this gift of love. But could he not understand it now?
This is the first step in discussing marriage!
Although marriages at that time were mostly like transactions or covenants, and the man and woman might not even have met each other, and could only look at portraits at most, the people who communicated, discussed, and bargained were either priests around their fathers or capable ministers. However, in order to make the marriage appear more formal or to cover it with a veil of affection, there were some recognized customs, one of which was for young women to prepare a cloak for their future husbands.

Count Etienne watched the servant approach, pull open his cloak and put it on him. His face was numb and his limbs were stiff, but he tried his best to control himself and took a step back.

The servant had not expected the earl to react like this. He spread his hands and his cloak fell down, landing on the ground with a thud without any support.

A chilling atmosphere, centered around Count Etienne, spread rapidly to the surrounding areas. Wherever it reached, the laughter and shouting vanished, and the joy on people's faces faded, replaced by horror and suspicion. Seeing Count Etienne step back, Amalric I was also stunned, but he was the King of Alasar after all, and he quickly realized what had gone wrong!
This was all Louis VII's fault. He was a devout Christian. When Pope Eugene III issued the Crusade Edict, he was the first to be notified. He did not disappoint Eugene III and responded without hesitation, even because the Crusade cost a lot of money and manpower. So much so that his queen Eleanor insisted on divorcing him. The failure of this marriage completely separated Aquitaine from the Capetian dynasty and France, and made Louis VII an object of ridicule.

In any case, his previous marriage to Eleanor only gave him two daughters, and he always claimed that it was because of Eleanor's poor health that she failed to give him a son. But what is unexpected is that Eleanor divorced him and married King Henry II of England, and quickly gave birth to three sons for Henry II.

It's safe to say that if Louis VII hadn't finally found an heir five years ago, his situation would have been even more embarrassing. A king as devout and steadfast as he was, he probably didn't expect his subjects to treat the throne of Alasar as a threat and shun it.

Count Etienne was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He knew that Louis VII meant well. He had previously asked Count Etienne tactfully why he had not remarried and whether he had someone he liked. The Count had perfunctorily answered with the excuse that he still missed his deceased wife.

If he knew that His Majesty was planning to send him to Alaska for marriage, he would definitely shout: "No! Your Majesty, I do not intend to remarry. Even if I do, I will only find a suitable partner in my country, not travel thousands of miles to the Holy City to be the princess's husband!"
Amalric I felt dizzy and couldn't help but raise his hand to press his forehead. Fortunately, Count Etienne had already reacted and immediately knelt, placing his hand on his heart. He said sincerely that he had never imagined that he would have such an honor, to receive the favor and praise of Amalric I. If he could marry Princess Sibylle, it would be a gift from God, a gift from fate, and the supreme honor. He was extremely terrified and could hardly believe it.

However, he was still a subject of King Louis VII of France, and his marriage had to obtain the king's permission. He would ride his horse as fast as he could and rush back to France to seek the king's permission, and then come to solemnly propose to the princess.

Almost everyone knew that this was an excuse. His reaction just now showed that he didn't want to be Amalric I's son-in-law at all.

Amalric I pinched his brow with his fingers, stood up, walked down the platform, and affectionately took Count Etienne's arm. He readily agreed to his request and said that he would immediately write a handwritten letter for Count Etienne to take to Louis VII.

We have no way of knowing whether Amalric I would have scolded the reckless Louis VII in this letter.

The only thing known is that Count Etienne stood up as if he had been pardoned, and immediately led his men out of the hall. The banquet ended hastily. Everyone, including Amalric I, tried to remain silent, hardly daring to meet Princess Sibylle's gaze. This was truly an incredible farce, and the ultimate victim might only be one, and that was Sibylle...

Even Baldwin and Cesar, who were curled up in the "gallery", did not dare to make a sound. They sat there motionless until everyone in the hall had left. Then they breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. "That's terrible," said Baldwin, but he didn't dare to do so now, and he didn't know how to comfort his sister. Being rejected on the spot was a great humiliation for a noble lady.

"I'll ask the castle steward to call a merchant in," Baldwin said with a headache, "to see if he has any gems or silks." Perhaps Sibyl would feel better when seeing these gifts.

Cesar didn't think so, but he also lacked experience in comforting women: "We can also try other things, like books, birds or something."

Count Etienne was supposed to stay at Sainte-Croix for a while, at least until after Epiphany, otherwise he would have missed several important festivals on his way. But because of this mistake, he hurriedly left Alasar Road with his knights and servants the next morning.

Amalric I brought people to see him off. On the third day, Baldwin told the castle steward about this matter. The castle steward took the order and left. Before evening prayer, he brought a jewel merchant into the castle. The jewel merchant opened the jewelry box in front of the prince and his entourage with great fear and trepidation.

At this time, the gems had not yet adopted the cutting technology of later generations, and were basically polished into round, oval or square shapes. But gems are gems. Even with such crude processing methods, when you hold them in your hands and rotate them towards the sunlight to look at them, the gorgeous colors and special texture will still make people marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship of the Creator.

"Pick one for Damara too."

Perhaps this world also has the motto that whoever you mention will come. Before Cesar could politely decline, a servant arrived. It was sent by Damara. Cesar followed the servant down the tower under Baldwin's subtle smile. He immediately saw Damara. She stood in the tower's shadow, wringing her hands, looking anxious, and even stamping her foot from time to time.

As soon as she saw Cesar, Damara rushed over and grabbed his sleeve. Cesar's heart moved and he bent down. Then he heard Damara say in a tense voice, "Something happened! Cesar! I heard Abigail's servant say that they bribed Count Etienne's guide to lead Count Etienne to the jackal's lair!"

The jackals here weren't the kind with four paws and two ears. Those would only become skins, coats, and a less-than-delicious dinner for the knights. Cesar immediately lifted his cloak, wrapped Damara in his arms, and took her up to the tower. Baldwin's face changed when he saw them. He waved his hand and drove the merchant away. "Damara, it's Sibylle..."

"It was Abigail. He vowed to wash away the princess's shame, but His Majesty has strictly forbidden anyone to challenge the Count of Sancerre—" Some knights also realized that it would be best to let the matter pass quietly. After a few months, no one would mention it again: "He hasn't become a knight yet, so..." Damara took a few deep breaths: "He sent someone to bribe the Count's guide, saying that he would take them to Mule's territory!"

(End of this chapter)