kingdom of nations

Chapter 372 Lyra's Secret Letter

"Is it a message from the birds?"

As soon as Baldwin stepped into the tent, he saw Cesar sitting cross-legged on the carpet, reading a secret letter by candlelight. The letter was not made of the usual sheepskin, but silk—so that as much important information as possible could be written down and it could be rolled up and stuffed into a copper tube.

Of course, the characters must also be written very small.

Cesar never hid these things from Baldwin; he even entrusted Baldwin with a portion of his power—ostensibly as the Piper, but secretly as the "Flock of Birds."

The piper can drive away the rats and snakes in the dark, while the flock of birds is responsible for bringing them leaves and seeds from all directions.

Their methods of reporting also differed. The pipers preferred to compile the information, have it transcribed by a designated tax official, and then send it over in the form of a letter.

The birds most often use carrier pigeons, which are fast and stealthy, but their drawback is that they cannot transmit overly detailed messages.

“Light another candle,” Baldwin said. He didn’t call for a servant, but walked to the side, lit a candle, and brought it back. Blessed knights usually had eyesight like hawks, but Cesar was still careful. He had never seen a nearsighted knight, but he had seen nearsighted priests… It seemed that the blessing couldn’t cure nearsightedness…

Baldwin took the candle, sat down next to Cesar, and turned his head to look. The thin, fine silk was covered with dense writing, each character almost the size of a fly.

Cesar, perhaps feeling nudged by him, said, "Fine, I'll read it to you—The white bird greets you in Nicosia, my esteemed master..."

Leila returned to Cyprus to raise funds for the military, not for the ongoing expedition, but for the defense of Arrasa Road.

Of course, it would be difficult to get businessmen to spend money for this reason.

After all, for most merchants, it didn't matter whether Arrassa was in the hands of the Saracens or the Christians; they could do business the same way. But Richard's joke reminded Cesar that he didn't hesitate to mortgage his properties in Cyprus—palaces, castles, land, orchards, and rivers…

What he didn't expect was that his knights would be willing to stand with him against the common enemy and face the crisis together at this time—they even mortgaged their workshops.

In the end, they raised 350,000 gold coins, which would be used for various purposes: bribery, buying off, hiring more soldiers, and setting traps for the greedy. Earlier, Cesar's "flock of birds" had already set the stage for this drama in Saladin's camp, and Saladin's departure was the signal for the start.

Now they are just waiting for the funds to arrive so they can proceed with their plans.

Another large expenditure was for the fleet – the Byzantine Imperial Fleet.

The current emperor of the Byzantine Empire is the young Alexander II. As for what kind of person he is, there is probably no need to say more. There are two forces standing behind him. One is the Grand Duke Bohemond of the Principality of Antioch, his maternal family, and the other is the Dukas family, a powerful and influential family with deep roots in Constantinople.

The current Alexei Dukas is an even more ambitious man. He was originally a formidable general, and it was because of his outstanding military talent and superb skills that Dukas recruited him into his ranks through marriage. He even changed his surname to Dukas and is now the most authoritative person in the Dukas family.

In the court, he was constantly fighting with Grand Duke Bohemond and had the upper hand—for the Byzantine nobles and officials, Dukas, who had been entrenched in Constantinople for hundreds of years, was certainly more trustworthy than the Frankish outsiders.

This time, César offered the equivalent of an emperor's ransom—yes, Manuel I had asked the Crusaders for 150,000 gold coins to avoid becoming a prisoner of the Turkic Sultan Arslan II.

Now, Cesar has also offered 150,000 gold coins to Dukas in exchange for the right to use the Byzantine Empire's fleet.

As Leila wrote this secret letter, the Byzantine fleet was already speeding across the azure waters of the Mediterranean. They raised their sails, and the gold threads or gold foil on the sails shone with a captivating light in the sunlight and moonlight. The overlapping double oars pushed through layers of waves, making the huge ships as agile and swift as a white dolphin on the sea.

This time, the Ducas family did not shirk their responsibility or break their promise—Cesar gave the money readily, and their instructions were also given readily.

However, judging from the letter brought by the envoy, the reason why the Ducas family was so generous this time was more likely because they intended to marry Princess Isabella, the daughter of the former King of Arrassal.

Regardless of whether Cesar did this to protect Arathal Road, or even if he was only doing it for his own benefit—don't forget that he was Baldwin's close friend and blood relative, and had a great deal of say in Isabella's marriage. In fact, if Baldwin suddenly died, he would be the closest male relative to Princess Isabella, and could directly control the princess's marriage, or at least cast a decisive vote.

They were trying to win him over, to curry favor with him, hoping he wouldn't hold them back in the negotiations.

Cesar and Baldwin had also received letters from Queen Mother Maria.

Queen Mother Maria truly lived up to her reputation as a woman who had emerged from the grand palace of Constantinople. When faced with the provocations and coercion of the Byzantine envoys, she simply used a single sentence to put them on the hottest fire.

The envoys were indeed there for the marriage of Alexander II, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, but the ambitions of the Dukas family were well known—members of their family had already donned deep purple silks and demanded titles from the emperor that were completely incongruous with their status, which was almost an indication—and the ministers and generals of Constantinople were also choosing sides...

As soon as the Queen Mother made her request, the envoys immediately lost their initial arrogance. Did they dare to insist that they were not there for Dukas, but for Emperor Alexander II?

Who knows?

They're on the Arrassa Road now, and the emperor in the Great Palace of Constantinople is still Alexander II. When they go back, will some Ducas become emperor? This kind of thing has happened before.

What's even more remarkable is that even after the Komuni family's restoration, the Ducas family, though severely weakened, remained one of the pillars of the army and the court. Even today, suspicious monarchs like Manuel I still need to rely on their sons, demonstrating the Ducas family's immense power and influence.

But as for when Dukas will become emperor... that's probably not something that can be achieved in a few months, or even a few years.

After all, Alexander II was still alive, and he had some supporters, as well as some members of the Komnen family.

In addition, there are quite a few people in the Ducas family who are either enemies or competitors.

Alex Dukas wasn't sure he'd emerge victorious in this bloody battle—he might have to fight his way through before he could place that dazzling crown on his head.

But if that's the case, then without a doubt, once he ascends the throne, if he can marry Isabella, the little princess of Arazarus, he will possess the right to claim legitimacy over Byzantium and the right to claim Arazarus...

That's why Cesar decided to make a deal with the Ducas family at this time—Alexei Ducas needed money, and with Grand Duke Bohemond of Antioch and many enemies watching him closely, if he dragged his feet and hesitated, who knew what kind of complications might arise.

Besides, the Empire's fleet doesn't belong to Dukas anymore, so why should he be so stingy?
“We should thank those knights properly,” Baldwin sighed. “Once the Saracens withdraw, I will give them the reward they deserve, but I don’t know if it will be enough to offset the workshops they lost.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Cesar said without any concern. Besides rock sugar and Roman cement, he also possessed several other technologies that had become quite common in later generations but had never appeared in this era.

He could guarantee that once released, the nobles of Europe would flock to these new things as if they were rock candy, making it easy for the loyal knights to regain an industry that would benefit future generations.

"And then...?"

As Baldwin stepped into the tent, he keenly sensed that Cesar was somewhat worried. He wondered if Cesar's concerns were understandable if, after Leila returned to Cyprus with Cesar's personal letter, the merchants failed to provide the money Cesar desired, or if the negotiations with the Saracens and Byzantines were not going smoothly.

But now it seems that everything is going very smoothly.

"It's Lorenz."

Baldwin's expression immediately tensed up.

Even in the wars with the Saracens, both sides would intentionally treat each other's wives and children with kindness—except at the very beginning, when both sides truly regarded their opponent as a beast, and there was no sympathy or pity between them.

But now, it is a consensus that a noblewoman or a young heir will be treated as an equal to their status by the enemy.

Therefore, even though Abigail lost an arm in Damascus, not even the knights of Antioch sided with her and blamed Cesar. Furthermore, Baldwin's subsequent apology to the Saracen noblewoman on Abigail's behalf, allowing her to rest and pray in Damascus, and even sending an army to escort her to Homs, was still a commendable act. In other words, most people should at least outwardly maintain a dignified appearance, but there are always some madmen—like Abigail—who would do things so incomprehensible as to be madness.

César had been married for many years, but he only had Lorenz as his son. In the Mediterranean region, women also have inheritance rights, so there was no doubt that some unscrupulous individuals might take the risk.

“No, not this.” Cesar held up the “letter” and continued reading. Although it was very cryptic, Baldwin understood—the king was unusually stunned. Yes, he knew Cesar as the leader of the “flock,” the former Assassin assassin, who, though a woman, had once heard the prophet’s revelations.

Later, Damara, in Bethlehem, while suffering from a plague, heard the call of the saint.

Their teacher, Heraclius, had also mentioned in class that in earlier times, there were many female saints in Catholicism, including powerful women like Saint Martha who dared to confront the dragon. However, gradually, such female saints were no longer mentioned by the priests. When people talked about saints, there were almost no miracles to speak of other than chastity, charity, and martyrdom. They had also become accustomed to the priests' saying that women are like lambs and hens, and it is impossible for them to grow horns like rams or crow like roosters.

Once people get used to it, those women who defy common sense are naturally seen as "devils".

For example, Saint Hildegard von Bingen—the Church coveted her abilities (which were not publicly acknowledged) and her talents (she published numerous theological and medical works), while simultaneously harboring deep resentment—and was ultimately forced to acknowledge her canon status (otherwise, how could it appropriate her legacy?).

However, the blood relatives of this female saint did not benefit from this; in fact, they were implicated and suffered tragic fates, including imprisonment, expulsion, and murder.

This is because her abilities and talents are so rare—she wasn't chosen in a church either—a century ago the church strictly forbade women from holding election ceremonies or entering churches where election ceremonies were being held.

If anyone did this, even the duke's daughter would not escape punishment.

What about the women who were blessed unexpectedly? If they were just ordinary commoners, their fate would inevitably be tragic. They would either suffer all kinds of torture and die, or be burned alive at the stake.

Women with status and surnames, whose families were willing to protect them, would be sentenced to life imprisonment if they did not possess abilities that the clergy had to acknowledge, like Bingen's.

They were confined to the tower like nuns, with no contact with the outside world for years. Some doors were even bricked up, with only a small hole for passing water, food and chamber pots.

No one dared to communicate with them—they received blessings, but in the priests' mouths, they were cursed and possessed by demons.

Under such circumstances, it would only take a few years to torture a person to death.

Therefore, even on the road to Arrassa, a place thousands of miles away from the Roman Catholic Church, after discovering that Damara had been blessed, Gerald's patriarch could only immediately annul Damara's original engagement and make her a nun. Even so, he dared not let her continue to appear in front of others and hid her away from everyone.

Baldwin took a deep breath. Besides Lorenz's female identity, there was another crucial problem—she was too young.

Before the selection ceremony, Heraclius had told them why the ceremony was held between the ages of nine and fourteen—because after the age of fourteen, boys usually had to take on some social responsibilities, either as servants, as apprentices, or directly into monasteries and churches.

As for why it has to be after the age of nine, it's because children under nine are almost unable to handle the aftereffects of being chosen. Some children who are too young can't even understand what they've encountered—they only feel fear, cry, and scream at the sudden power, and the energy accumulated in their bodies will be depleted even faster as a result.

If they were to unfortunately encounter a powerful sage, death would be almost inevitable.

After noticing the two girls' unusual behavior, Leila immediately used the excuse that the two children had caught a cold and needed to be taken back to the Governor's Palace for treatment to bring them back to Victory Court.

But just like Damara before them, they didn't know when the holy light would overflow from these two girls. Once that happened, it was hard to say whether the priests who witnessed it would keep it a secret for them.

After all, whether among the Saracens, Christians, or in Byzantium, the idea of ​​women being inspired is simply inconceivable, even frightening, not to mention that Cesar has not yet regained his Catholic status, and it is hard to say whether the Roman Catholic Church will interfere again.

As for the Byzantine side, this is also a problem.

When the Byzantine envoy brought Alexei Dukas's personal letter, he mentioned that the Dukas family intended to form a marriage alliance with Cesar, which was quite common—for the people of this time and place, marriage was always the best way to form an alliance.

As for Lorenz, he is only seven years old, which is not a big problem. They just want a marriage contract and are not in a hurry for the two children to immediately produce an heir.

The envoy seemed very interested in the marriage—he was a member of the Ducas family, an envoy, and a hostage, left in Nicosia as collateral for the previous deal, and living in the Governor's Palace. Even though his residence was some distance from the Rose Court and the Victory Court, no one knew when he would discover the secret fortune of the two children, especially after they awoke.

Laura's fainting and high fever lasted for a day and a night, while the light emanating from Lorenz was much stronger and lasted longer, continuing for four days and three nights before finally disappearing.

During these past few days, they used the excuse that the child had caught a cold and couldn't be exposed to light or wind to seal the entire room tightly, thus preventing the secret from being known by more people.

But after the child awoke, another problem arose: the saint Laura had seen was Saint Martha—a brave woman who confronted the dragon with a cross.

But when Lorenz woke up, she was unable to clearly identify which saint she had seen—even when people brought her a portrait of the saint and asked her to identify it.

Although the painting skills at this time were simply not flattering, saints always had some characteristics that were unique to them. For example, Saint Jerome often had a lion crawling at his feet because he had once pulled a thorn out of the lion's foot, or some saints carried the instruments of torture they had been subjected to.

Some saints held books or gazed at an angel bowing down to them—moreover, everyone who saw a saint would walk a part of the path that the saint had walked, but when they asked each of them, the little princess always shook her head. In the end, they could only let her describe it, and then they would guess which saint had chosen the little princess.

"So tall! So strong! Glowing with light! Like Father—yes, like Father—he is Father!"

The little princess's determination left everyone speechless, exchanging bewildered glances.

Of course, César was known as a minor saint, but this was more of a compliment than a reflection of his actual sainthood.

“So,” Lyra wrote, “they guessed that ‘he’ might be the same saint you perceive, Saint Jerome, and that saints tend to favor those who resemble themselves, which is why ‘he’ has confused you.”

However, some say that what he saw might be another Saint James—James who once wrestled with angels in the darkness, and even when his thigh tendons were torn, he continued to fight.

They say this because the first special quality Lorenz displayed after being chosen was her strength. Everyone knew that she possessed superhuman strength; even Philip II, a blessed knight, had his thigh bruised by Lorenz.

After receiving the blessings of the saint, this trait became even more pronounced. She would break a fork or tear a plate while eating, or pull a chair so hard it fell apart, or even break a bedpost with a slap while falling asleep.

She even broke a sharp dagger when Lyra wasn't looking, leaving a sharp dent in her shield, while her skin remained as white and soft as ever, without any signs of abrasions or bruises.

She still couldn't fully control her power, and there were several times when she almost got discovered by outsiders.

“So,” Leila wrote at the end, “please forgive me for making a dangerous and presumptuous decision.”

By the time you read this letter, I should have already taken the two children out of Cyprus, along with Sister Damara, Dr. Bingen, and his two daughters—they are extremely grateful to you and have vowed to protect the two children for you, even at the cost of their own lives.

As for where we will ultimately settle down, I will inform you personally.

Baldwin's face turned ashen upon hearing this: "How dare she?! Have Portia and Natia gone mad too? How could they allow her to do this?!"

Cesar, however, could understand Portia and Natia’s thoughts. The people of Cyprus would accept Lorenz because of him, but Cyprus now had more than just his people and knights. Cyprus was so prosperous that, although there were knights and soldiers to monitor and patrol, there were certainly no shortage of eyes and ears from others. And as long as they did not violate the laws he had set, the knights could not arrest them and imprison them.

But what Cesar feared wasn't even those people, but rather some self-righteous fools—just as Goru could kill his own little daughter for him, perhaps some might think that killing the "possessed" Lorenz was for Cesar's own good.

Only those who explicitly acknowledge that "women can also be blessed" are truly safe.

(End of this chapter)