kingdom of nations

Chapter 29 The Twists and Turns of the Rescue
To others, the decisions Cesar made since he came here—not to Castel Santa Croce, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or this pine forest, but since he opened his eyes and found himself on a dry sand slope—seemed reckless.

But only he himself knows that no matter which decision he made, he had carefully considered it before making it, and it was not made on impulse.

He did not feel any kindness from the merchant Isaac. No, it should be said that even a qualified businessman did not cherish the "commodity". He seemed to have determined that he would die and must give up this valuable "commodity" - whether it was out of his own heart or at the instruction of others - so even if Cesar was willing to endure this pain and humiliation, he would not survive!
The reason why he made a request to Heraclius, wanting to "cleanse" the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by himself as his penance and good deed, was also after careful consideration.

There were many forms of asceticism in this era, such as fasting, abstaining from food and water, prostrating and praying day and night, whipping oneself, and even not bathing for months or years...

But the first few methods would directly harm his body, and the current medical level...wait, according to Baldwin, there are only monks who have received "gifts", but no doctors.

The monks would refuse treatment or even become furious if they were injured while doing penance. In their minds, this practice not only deceived everyone but also deceived God, which was an unforgivable sin.

As for the last one, not to mention whether he has so much time to spend, Baldwin and Amalric I would not allow a smelly person to follow the prince. This is simply a naked mockery - as we all know, lepers are excluded from the entire society. They rarely have the opportunity to take a bath or change clothes. When people think of lepers, they think of a leper with tattered clothes and covered in dirt.

It seems that cleaning the entire huge Church of the Holy Sepulchre, although hard work, is quite safe (except for those assassins, but Cesar is not unprepared). In addition, Cesar can also take the opportunity to familiarize himself with this place which is extremely unfamiliar to him but is most likely to be chosen by Amalric I for the "Selection Ceremony" - he must be prepared, no matter what happens here, he has the means and opportunities to deal with it.

He was not suddenly mad when he told them that he would allow them to tie him up with ropes and lower him down to Count Étienne.

The Fortress of the Holy Cross and Amalric I were a huge ship sailing in this turbulent world, and he was lucky enough to be on it, but he was not the important mast, the sail, the sturdy cabin, the steering wheel, or even the cargo - once the ship was caught in the storm, he would no longer be able to control his own destiny.

And no one in this world would know that he had tried "rappelling" many times before, but in a place he could never return to.

Although he had no headlamp, no safety rope, no professional support, no descender, and even no oxtail hook when descending into the crevasse from here, he had tried "rappel" of 20 meters, 30 meters, and 45 meters, accumulated experience, and was prepared for possible dangers. He was much better than those servants who knew nothing and were only afraid of the "devil's mouth".

After descending about seven or eight feet, thinking that the people above could no longer see him, Cesar stuffed the flint and fire knife into his money bag, pressed his hands against the rock wall, and turned himself over.

In the previous "rappel", he had also tried to hang in the air and let the professionals lower him to the ground little by little, but that was a passage that had been organized and opened up, with various safety measures, strong ropes, and complete equipment - here, he was not willing to put his own safety entirely in the hands of others.

His actions caused anxiety among the crowd above. He vaguely heard a few shouts, as if asking him how he was doing. He shook the bell hard, and the penetrating sound of the bell immediately pierced through the darkness. After three breaths, he felt his body tremble, and the rope continued to descend.

Cesar felt much better facing the rock wall instead of the empty void. Fortunately, he had agreed with the knights before the descent that they could only lower the rock about one foot at a time. This way, he could maintain a steady rhythm and climb down the rock wall at a steady and even speed instead of being forced to jump and fall.

On his hands he still wore the leather gloves given to him by the young squire. He already had gloves, but the tear-stained squire insisted on giving him this pair and helped him tie the laces on the gloves. These gloves were enough for a knight to use. They were also very useful when "rappelling" because of the various key points to consider when a knight was fighting and sieging a city.

As soon as he put it on, Cesar felt warm and dry. Every part of it fit tightly against Cesar's palms and knuckles. It was soft, yet tough enough for him to reach out and grab at will without worrying about being stung or pricked by something in the dark - he was sure he had caught a scorpion, a nest of stag beetles, and a bunch of sticky maggots.

They, as well as broken mud and small gravel, fell on Cesar's head like a torrential downpour. Even though Cesar had pulled up the hood of his sheepskin robe, he still couldn't help shuddering, hoping that no poisonous insects would get into his clothes.

He could feel the bumps and depressions on the rock wall and push them away as best he could. He used his toes to touch whatever he was about to touch to avoid hitting a protruding rock. He could sometimes grab a winding root and lend it a little help, but only a little help. These roots or tubers growing underground are the best liars. They are good at breaking suddenly when you think you can rely on them.

Cesar kept calculating the time in his mind, and he shook the bell vigorously every ten feet or so.

------

Compared to Cesar's calmness and patience, the people on the edge of the rift were becoming more and more anxious and worried - especially after the ropes brought by the count and his party had all been used up and were connected to the ropes of the Knights Templar. "How could it be so deep?" a servant couldn't help but say, and the monk glared at him fiercely.

Geoffrey had been calculating the length of the rope. When they were galloping across this vast land, they had encountered such cracks or caves that were connected to hell, but he had never seen such a narrow and deep gap before. As the rope was lowered little by little, he became more and more frustrated.

When his saint Erastus gave him a revelation, revealing the position of Count Étienne, he was so excited and delighted. This meant that he could receive the bounty of two kings, and the Grand Master of the Order would also reward and promote him. If he did not want to continue fighting the Saracens and returned to France, he could also use this favor to seek a position in Sancerre...

But judging from the rope that was lowered, the distance from the ground to the crack was more than ten king feet, which was almost the distance from the church's bell tower to the ground. At this height, even a winged cherub (cherubim) would probably die if it fell. Count Etienne was a mortal with flesh and blood, and it was impossible for him to summon his saint twice in such a short time.

He felt cold all over, and perhaps it was not just because he gave the sheepskin robe to the child.

"Can you still hear the bells?" he asked, approaching the sergeant, who had no special merit but an exceptionally keen sense of hearing. He was bent over the edge of the crevice, concentrating intently, and nodded when he heard the Templar's question. Geoffrey then went back to where the ropes were lowered. The knots had already been tied, and the two knights, at the monk's signal, were removing the stones that secured them.

The torch light flashed, and in an instant, the Templar's sight froze, a look of horror appeared on his face, "Don't let go!" he shouted, but it was too late.

The rope jumped into the air like a leaping poisonous snake, suddenly became taut from loose, and then suddenly jumped up again - amid everyone's shouting and scrambling, a rope end rebounded from the darkness to the ground. It only jumped lightly on the ground a few times, but it seemed to tug at everyone's heart.

The two servants who were responsible for connecting the ropes subconsciously took a step back, and one of them even collapsed to the ground.

"Oh my God, oh my God, Jesus Christ!" the monk screamed miserably. He knelt on the ground and pulled the rope tremblingly, but what was the use now? He fell to the ground again to look, but it was in vain.

Geoffrey walked towards the servant with a fierce look on his face. He had already made up his mind that this was not the time to show mercy and tolerance. Since Cesar had already pointed out the way for them, they should continue along this path!

There is no possibility of survival for that child, but aren't there still people here?

------

Cesar was actually prepared for the possibility of falling. When the feeling of weightlessness came, his heart was pounding, but he immediately made the right response. He did not continue to hold on to the rope stupidly, but immediately rushed to the rock wall.

He knew that this kind of crack always had some concave or convex parts, as well as the roots and insect burrows mentioned earlier, which could be used as buffers. Moreover, he had been able to feel the increasingly strong moisture, which might be not far from the bottom of the crack.

He grabbed hold of the pedals and slipped and rolled along the way, hitting something hard several times, but he didn't know whether it was a stone or a tree root. Fortunately, Geoffrey gave him a thick sheepskin robe, otherwise he would have broken at least a few ribs.

Feeling the pain and his head dizzy, Cesar tried hard to make out what was happening in the chaotic scene - he saw light, very faint, but it was indeed light!

Anyone who has driven a car knows that in the dark, a flash of light means there is water. But water can't float in the air. He immediately curled up and fell sideways, raising his hands to protect his head and neck. He fell heavily to the ground. It was a quagmire. The water and silt greatly reduced the impact of the landing, but he was still unable to move for a while.

When Cesar woke up, he knew he had won again - he was still breathing smoothly and his hands and feet were in good condition. He took a piece of dried borage from his waist bag and put it in his mouth (this was given to him by the monk). After waiting for the pain to subside, he fumbled to find the torches that had slipped out of his belt when he fell. One was broken, but the other was intact. He used the flint and the fire knife to strike them repeatedly, ignited a bunch of wool that was not soaked, and then used the wool to light the torch.

The place where he was put down was where people estimated that the count and the guide had rolled down after fighting. Cesar wondered whether he should go forward or backward. Then he calmed down and listened carefully, as if some sounds were coming from the front of him. He followed the sound and walked about three hundred steps before he saw the guide.

The dead guide was hung on a sharp stone, face up, his gray eyes staring motionlessly upwards, his body bent so tightly that his feet almost touched his head. Although Cesar knew it was unlikely that he would suddenly jump up, he still drew his dagger. After all, this was an unscientific world - who knew if he would be the second Witt.

Obviously, there are not many lucky people like Witt. Cesar took another step forward and immediately saw Count Etienne. It was unknown whether this ill-fated lord was being tested by God or teased by Satan. He was half-sitting and half-lying not far from the guide, staring at Cesar and the torch in his hand with his big eyes. Tears were flowing from his eyes, but he refused to move away and was still mumbling something.

Cesar went closer and listened. Oh, the count was praying intermittently, "... Mary, Mary, Mary... Mary, Mary of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death... Oh, forgive us, forgive us, Lord, have mercy on us!"

"grown ups?"

The count paused in his prayer, and when Cesar moved the torch slightly away, he hurriedly stopped: "No, no, no, no, no matter who sent you, angel or devil, please don't leave me, and don't take the torch." He paused, raised his eyes and looked at Cesar carefully: "I remember you..."

Then, the Count's action startled Cesar. He jumped up and hugged Cesar tightly in his arms: "I remember you!" He shouted happily: "I remember you, you are the squire of Prince Baldwin of Alazarus. You looked down from the top of the bridgehead together. You saw me, and I saw you!"

Compared to Prince Baldwin with his face covered in white veil, the black-haired and blue-eyed attendant beside him left a much deeper impression in Count Etienne's memory.

Although he came and went in a hurry, during his time in Jaffa, he still heard some stories about "how an angel helped a nine-year-old child cleanse the entire Church of the Holy Sepulchre", "how the child gave alms to the poor people in the city under the glory of God", "how he persuaded the stingy priests to open the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for three days and nights", etc.

His monk also said that he wanted to wholesale some holy buckets and holy mops from the monks of the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre so that he could take them back to France and sell them to those pious and good people.

Only then could he be sure that what he had just seen was not an illusion, but a real person. He expressed his joy with hysterical shouts while looking behind Cesar: "Where are the others?"

Cesar was startled, then he understood what Count Etienne meant. He thought that he had only fallen into a not-so-deep crevice, or that they had found a way to enter this crevice from somewhere else.

He shook his head. "No, sir," he said, "the chasm is deep and narrow. They can't get down, so they have to lower me down to you with a rope. Yes," he untied the bell from his waist, shook it vigorously, waited a moment, shook it again, and then shook it a third time.

Not to mention how ecstatic the people above were when they heard the bell, almost dancing with joy. Cesar first took the count to the place where he was lowered down. "Oh, wait, do you have the herbs given by the monk?" Count Etienne asked, pulling up his cloak as he spoke. Cesar looked down and was shocked to see that the count's entire right leg was twisted. He moved closer to the torch and found that the dark marks were all blood.

Count Etienne was actually able to jump up just now. The physical fitness and pain tolerance of these knights should not be underestimated.

Cesar gave him some borage, and he chewed it and said with certainty: "This is the work of Anuncia." He still had many questions to ask, such as how Prince Baldwin's entourage came to this place and how they were with a group of Templars, but the most important thing now was to return to the ground and not delay in this hellish place.

Borage managed to suppress some of the pain, and the Count tried to move his legs. "No, I can endure the pain, but it's of no use." He looked at Cesar. "Is the place where you were put down far away?"

Cesar thought for a moment and said, "You sit here first, I'll go back and take a look." He pinched a handful of borage and bit it in his mouth, then gave all the small bags of borage to the count, lit the broken torch, and stuck it in the mud beside him.

He returned to where he fell and saw a rope swinging there. He raised the torch and shook it, not knowing if he could see anything from above, but he rang the bell three more times. This time the rope swung up and down violently. He held it and exerted a little force, and the same response came from the other direction.

Cesar breathed a sigh of relief. He walked a few steps nearby and found the broken rope. He tied it to the rope that had hung down later and kept pulling it while looking up. The people above probably couldn't understand what he meant until he rang the bell three more times. Then they understood and pulled the rope up and then let it down again. In this way, there were two ropes here, and one could be used as a safety rope.

Count Etienne leaned forward and stared at the fire in the distance. It slowly got smaller and then bigger. He sighed deeply. To be honest, when he and the guide fell in here, he thought he was dead. "Fortunately, I applied the holy oil" was the first thought that popped into his mind. Of course, he immediately put survival first.

He tried to throw his guide down, but they struck something and continued tumbling downward. There might have been two or three more collisions, perhaps more. The man fainted (or perhaps died) on the first impact, leaving him at the mercy of the Count. Count Étienne hunched over, holding him like a shield, but still broke his thigh on the final impact. Before seeing César and the resulting delusion, Count Étienne hadn't counted on the remaining attendants or the Templars. The attendants aside, the Templars weren't necessarily as virtuous and fearless as they claimed. He'd seen the Devil's Mouth before, and he knew that anyone who fell through it wouldn't survive, and even if they didn't die instantly, it would be difficult to rescue them. He was a lord, to be sure, but many lords had died in accidents and wars.

He wasn't as calm and composed as Cesar had seen him. During the time he was gasping for breath in the darkness, he was filled with fear and even thought about committing suicide. He didn't want to starve to death, nor did he want to be bitten by insects, ants, and rats while he was alive...

"grown ups?"

He raised his head and saw those green eyes.

------

After Cesar sent the bell up, the people on the ground fell into a dispute after their ecstasy - the key point was that Cesar tore open his shirt, pulled out a piece of linen, wrote "Count, Vulner" with a burnt branch and tied it to the original rope. The monk knew at a glance that the count might be seriously injured and might not be able to move on his own.

The Templars insisted on letting one more person down, saying, "That child is too young." Count Etienne was a knight after all, and his physique and weight were not something a nine-year-old child could bear. The count's entourage was worried that letting one more person down would waste too much time. The count was injured, and although the monks could heal his wounds, the lost blood could not be replenished. If he bled too much, he would have to go to see God.

Finally, the Earl's entourage took a step back, but what was helpless was that once those servants were hung in the air, they either cried and screamed or tilted their heads and fainted. Even Count Etienne's nephew was no exception - this was a fear that even family affection, responsibility and money could not offset.

Just as the Templars were laughing in anger and the count's entourage were blushing with shame, the bell rang again.

------

Three hundred steps is not a long distance, but when Count Etienne and César "walked" there, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, Cesar would not be stupid enough to carry the count on his back, and the count would not abandon himself to a child. Cesar was strong enough to support him and act as his other leg. The two of them moved forward slowly for quite a long time. The comforting thing was that they did not encounter any accidents, such as poisonous snakes, falling rocks or collapses.

"Can you stay down here alone?" asked Count Étienne. "Here are two ropes."

"The other one is a safety rope." Cesar pulled the rope over and passed it through the buckles of the count's belt - knights of this period had many buckles on their belts to hang weapons, purses and chain mail stockings - they were very strong, and the count knew at a glance how to use this "safety rope".

When he was ready, Cesar shook the bell vigorously, signaling the people above to pull the count up.

The time of waiting in the crevice was indeed very difficult, but Cesar did not feel lonely.

Count Etienne kept shouting "Hey-yo, hey-yo". He had never done abseiling before and didn't know how to protect himself. He broke his leg and all he could do was use his knees and elbows to support himself against the rock wall to avoid getting hit on the head and bleeding.

There were also faint cries coming from the ground, as if someone was arguing about the amount of force and angle...

As soon as Count Etienne emerged from the surface, he was dragged up. He immediately urged people to untie the ropes and pull the "good boy" up. After a while, Cesar also came up. He was neat and tidy when he went down, but he was in a mess when he came up.

As Geoffrey stepped forward and took him in his arms, he was still explaining that when he returned to Sainte-Croix he would have a tailor make a new sheepskin surcoat for the Templars.

This sheepskin robe was definitely unwearable. As he was slowly lowered, it was covered in mud and sand. The ropes came undone, and as he fell, the robe was torn into dozens of holes, large and small. Later, it fell into the mud and was stained with blood at the place where the guide had died...

"You shouldn't be like those vulgar people who have forgotten the real name of the Knights Templar." After saying this, Geoffrey realized that the child in his arms was not a squire of the Knights Templar. Even if he would join a certain order, it would only be the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. After all, his master was Baldwin. He felt frustrated. The Knights needed such smart and brave new blood.

"The Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon." At this time, the Earl's monk happened to come and continued the conversation with a smile. He had already stopped the Earl's bleeding, and what was left was beyond the ability of a monk like him to treat. It seemed that they would have to stay in Alasar for a while.

The count urged him to come and check on the injuries of the little brother. He asked the Templar to uncover the sheepskin robe. When he lifted the second layer of clothes, he made a slight "uh" sound, but said nothing. He only looked at Cesar's bones and flesh. The bones were not broken, at most there were some cracks. The bruises, cuts and swelling on his body were terrible, but they were within the range of treatment he could achieve.

Despite the dangers he had encountered before, Cesar still felt that this journey was worthwhile. He had seen "grace" and felt "blessing" - when he was in the Monastery of St. John, although the monks had visited and treated him, he was still in a coma at that time and knew nothing. After coming to Baldwin, he only dislocated his leg once when fighting with David, and this was not an injury that the monks needed to pray to the saints to heal.

While chanting scriptures, the monk placed his hands on the wounds that looked extremely hideous. Cesar first felt a chill - he was sure that it was not the chill brought by the wind, and then he felt a burning sensation. This feeling was more of a strangeness than pain, which made him straighten his back. Geoffrey laughed in good faith and said that if a priest from the Knights Templar came to treat Cesar, he would be able to stand up immediately, run and jump. The count's monk was so angry that he rolled his eyes at him several times.

Afterwards, Geoffrey explained the sheepskin robe to César. It turned out that the Knights Templar, also known as the "Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon", was originally intended to serve the poorest believers. Therefore, at the "Congress of Troyes", the Pope's envoy (he made a cross on his chest when he said this) and two archbishops, eleven bishops and seven abbots not only recognized the legitimacy of the Knights Templar at the meeting, but also formulated necessary rules and regulations for them.

"This is what people call the 'original rule,'" Geoffrey said. "Secular knights love luxury and ostentation, but we monks should respect simplicity and equality. Therefore, every brother should give up all personal desires and property before joining the Order. Everything they need will be provided by the Order. So when I return and tell the logistics commander the truth about this, he will take back this garment, which symbolizes bravery and loyalty, and give me a new sheepskin robe instead."

Although he knew that people at that time paid great attention to the sacred or evil meaning contained in things, César was still a little...at a loss when he heard Geoffrey say this.

He stood up. Although Geoffrey looked down on the monk beside the count, César saw that his treatment was quite effective. It could not be said that he was cured immediately, but at least walking and getting on a horse were not a problem.

Count Etienne considered himself an honest man, but to be honest, he did have a bit of a romantic streak. Before leaving, he insisted on going to the spot where he had fallen to take a closer look. By then, the pale morning light had illuminated everyone's faces, and more of the crack was visible. Looking down, the Count exclaimed, "Now I want to confirm that an angel really was watching over me last night!"

He was able to fall from the place of fifteen king feet and only broke his thigh. In addition to the fact that he grabbed the human shield (guide), there were several protrusions in that place, which were either stones or tangled vines. There was also a place where there was a half-skeletonized bear corpse. No one knew how it was stuck there. They cushioned the fall for the earl several times, allowing him to escape with luck.

Count Étienne stood for a long time watching the spot where they had laid César down, and the monk did not conceal the fact that the two servants had made a mistake in tying the knot of the rope and had nearly cost the boy his life.

Looking from another place, one could see clear signs of a struggle, about three people's height from the bottom of the crack, which was about one and a half feet. The count took a deep breath and swallowed the thought "This is really a young St. George" back into his stomach. He had heard about Cesar and of course knew that the child was originally just a slave of the Isaacs.

"Let's go." He was still a little dizzy and just hoped to get back to Yalasar Road as soon as possible so that the monks there could heal his thigh.

But before they could ride through the pine forest, they encountered a group of Seljuks.

They were obviously well prepared, all of them were wearing armor, even the horses under them were no exception. The leading few were wearing long chain mail that reached the middle of their calves, as well as gauntlets, chain mail trousers, and stockings, which were completely different from the leather armor and box mail worn by the ordinary soldiers behind them.

They also wore face armor on their faces. It was not the iron helmet commonly seen on Crusader knights. It looked like an iron mask covering the entire face, and then chain mail hung below the mask, where the neck was, to protect the vital parts.

One of them was dressed particularly extravagantly, with a long-sleeved tunic lined with bearskin over a tunic of scarlet velvet, the top of which was of black silk, trimmed with gold and silver lace, and on the chest of which was embroidered a lion with bared fangs and claws, and a crown on the lion's head.

If the guide were still alive and saw this scene, he would surely dance with joy. However, the Knights Templar would be furious when they saw it, because this person was none other than the Armenian prince Mule who had come to Alaska, sworn an oath before the crucifix and holy relics, and became a member of the Knights Templar.

This man was handsome and eloquent. Everyone thought he would become a hero, but who knew that he was just using a gorgeous appearance to cover up his dirty inner self? In a battle, he retreated and fled. Because in the Knights Templar, there is only death in battle, no surrender. The Grand Master and other members agreed that he should be held accountable. When he heard about it, he left Yalasar and went to the territory of the Turkic Seljuks.

There he became a henchman of Toglore II, a thief who made a profit by robbing and extorting pilgrims. The knights of the Knights Templar had sworn to challenge him as soon as they saw him and would not stop until they had sent this devil back to hell.

Geoffrey had also sworn an oath, but if he really met Mulet, he would be in a difficult position. Behind him were the guests of King Alazarus and the special envoy of Louis VII to the Holy Land. There was also a scandal involved that had to be buried.

Mle's eyes swept over him. Geoffrey's sheepskin robe was lent to Cesar, but it was badly damaged in the previous rescue operation, so he had to put it away. As for the two sergeants and attendants, they could only wear black and brown robes. Although there was a red cross embroidered on one side of the robe, it was undoubtedly much more inconspicuous than the white robe.

"May the blessings of Allah be upon you," said Mule, his voice distorted by the iron mask, sounding like the whisper of a devil.

"Jesus Christ!" cried the count's monk, riding forward.

"Where are you from and where are you going?" Mule asked. "For the love of God, may I have the honor of inviting you to stay in my castle for a few days?"

Although it was said to be a temporary stay for a few days, they all knew that this was just a fancy way of saying kidnapping and extortion - Geoffrey had no idea that in the past few days, the whole of Alasar was in turmoil because of this special envoy from the Holy Land, and he himself had many ups and downs, suffered from the tricks of fate, but in the end it was still the same result... he was still caught by Mule.

The Templar briefly considered whether he should fight Mle, but he roughly estimated the ratio of friends to enemies. Count Etienne only had seven or eight people, plus this unfortunate guy who was seriously injured. On his side, there was a knight who had been busy most of the night with an empty stomach, two sergeants, a squire, and a nine-year-old child.

There were more than thirty people on the other side, and it was obvious that they had a good rest yesterday, and they probably had a full meal this morning, and they were fully equipped...

Geoffrey was still worried about one thing. If Count Etienne was caught, the most likely fate for him would be to be locked up and ransomed. But if the ransom was paid, Mullett would not be too embarrassed. After all, thieves also had to be trustworthy. Otherwise, how could the next victim of the blackmail believe that he would release the person after receiving the money?
But the Knights Templar were different. Had Mule not heard the oath they had taken? If Mule caught him and discovered their identities, he would surely tie them to the back of his horse and drag them to death.

Count Etienne was too tired to lament. He was about to ride forward when he saw a brown Pechersk horse take the lead.

Mle looked at the child in amazement. He was probably only ten years old, or even younger, but he was riding a horse that was rare for him. He was wearing a sable robe with a gold cross inlaid with rubies hanging from the robe, as big as a man's palm.

"Who are you?" Mulai's tone became a little gentler. "Child, I have never seen you before. You are very beautiful, like a prince."

"If you say so, it is not wrong," Cesar replied calmly. "I am Abigail, only son of Bohemond, Duke of Antioch."

Geoffrey behind him suddenly began to breathe heavily, and Count Etienne opened his eyes wide. Of course, they all knew César's identity. Just now, the Count watched him take off his robe, turn it over and put it back on - only then did he realize that this was a sable fur that should only appear on a king or a prince.

This should have been a gift from Prince Baldwin, but in order to avoid attracting covetous and jealous eyes, he wore the clothes inside out. From the outside, it looked like a velvet robe of good quality.

Cesar only felt a heaviness on his neck. This golden cross was not an ordinary ornament, but a holy object. It was said that it was stolen from a monastery by the former King Alfonso I of Aragon. It was genuine and worth the money. Baldwin insisted on letting him take it with him, so he could only put it in his purse. He didn't expect that he would be able to use it at this time.

　On the first day of the new year, I updated a chapter of ten thousand words, wishing all my readers good health for their families, everything goes well, dreams come true, career goes smoothly, wealth rolls in, and they always smile!

　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)