Chapter 50 Jadeite Gem (21)

◎Submission◎

On the morning of the second day of the celebration, Florence was still immersed in the joyous atmosphere that had not yet ended. This celebration would last for at least four days with the permission of the Papal Palace. During these four days, the people of Florence could put all the pressure behind them and enjoy the food and entertainment activities given to them by their Holy Father.

But for most people who are responsible for the official duties of Florence, being able to enjoy a day of relaxation is already a great thing. And for the Secretary General of the Papal Palace who is responsible for the administrative operation of the entire Florence, being able to have a night of leisure is incredible.

So Julius naturally got up at nine in the morning according to his usual schedule. This time sounded a bit scary to most nobles. They would usually get up at one in the afternoon, enjoy brunch, and then have afternoon tea. They would start dinner at eight or nine in the evening and attend or host a grand banquet. This banquet would last until three or four in the morning. Being able to go to bed before five was their regular routine. If nothing unexpected happened, they would live this kind of indulgent life forever.

The Secretary General was standing by the window in a simple morning robe. The warm fireplace prevented him from shivering in the cold December wind even though he was only wearing a silk robe. The fully open robe was only tied with a belt, and the V-neckline revealed his smooth chest. He was not wearing glasses, and his long hair was loosely tied with a silk ribbon. He held a cup of steaming Ceylon black tea in his hand.

The huge floor-to-ceiling glass window faces the garden. The expensive and rare Queen's Rose has passed its growing season. The gardener has trimmed the roots of the roses and planted seasonal tulips and roses. Cnidium monnieri and Ornamental ivy climb in the gaps in the soil, tightly attaching every inch of the land, making the entire garden look full of vitality.

Out-of-season flowers are also moved out of the glass greenhouse every day to decorate the flower bushes. Although these delicate and beautiful flowers can only survive a few hours in the cold wind, the purpose of their cultivation is to make Portia's owner have a good mood in the morning - if possible.

But it was obvious that the gardeners' hard work was about to be destroyed.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and a servant holding an envelope handed it to his master who was standing in front of the window.

The two maids following behind him carried a four-layer silver dessert stand and carefully placed it on the small round table next to their master. Dozens of desserts were placed on the stand in exquisite plates. It was obvious that the kitchen had put a lot of effort into making this stand of delicious and beautiful food.

Julius sat down at the table, put down the porcelain cup, and took the envelope from the servant.

The wax seal on the envelope belongs to the Knights Templar.

Julius frowned when he saw the emblem of a crossed sword and thorny staff. He turned over the envelope, glanced at the name on it, and his eyes froze for a moment.

"Send Redrick to see me." He ordered quickly, without any emotion in his tone.

But everyone present felt the gradually sinking aura of their master. The maid bowed and retreated, and the servant quickly went down to pass on the message.

Redrick, who was pulled out of bed early in the morning, was cursing angrily. He scratched his messy blond hair with his hands. His brain, which was swollen and aching due to the hangover, seemed to be filled with half of the Black Sea water. The water in it was swaying and rolling with every step he took, ready to hit him at any time. Redrick had to let the servant who delivered the message support him to avoid bumping into a statue in the corridor or rolling down the stairs.

"What did Julius ask me to do? It's only now—" He shook his eyes, which were full of stars. The servant next to him kindly reminded him, "It's only half past nine." He smoothly continued, "Yes, it's only half past nine. Damn it, he is an early riser, but I am not. If there is nothing important enough, I will definitely punch him in the nose and make him follow my schedule today."

Judging from these words, His Excellency the Duke of Luxembourg is still under the influence of alcohol and is not fully sober.

The attendant smiled bitterly and said silently in his heart, I hope you can maintain this confidence and courage when you meet me later.

His guess was correct, Redrick woke up as soon as he stepped into Julius' room. !

Completely—completely—awake.

Once again, no one could remain indifferent to Julius Portia's cold and sharp gaze. Someone once privately said that even a lunatic in a mental hospital would clearly recall the entire experience of his first bedwetting under Julius's oppressive gaze.

And Redrick is obviously not a person who can withstand strong pressure.

The Secretary General's deep purple eyes were like an iceberg in midwinter, pressing directly on the young man who had just walked in. Redrick felt cold all over for a moment, and his hangover brain was clearer than ever before. He realized that he might have made some mistake, but the problem was that he couldn't remember what mistake he had made.

Duke Lusen moved forward slowly, racking his brains to review all his actions during this period, but no matter how hard he thought, he had no idea what he had done to anger this unpredictable uncle.

Even though he hoped that Julius' bedroom could be as big as one hectare, reality dealt him a huge blow. Julius watched Redrick walk up to him reluctantly, his body covered with messy marks from being forcibly pulled out of bed due to a hangover, and the iconic purple eyes of the Portia family were filled with naive stupidity and unconscious self-righteousness.

Julius suddenly felt extremely tired.

The anger he had been preparing for was thwarted by his stupid nephew, so he had nowhere to vent it. He raised his hand and threw the letter in front of Redrick: "Explain."

Frederick picked up the letter in confusion, turned it over and took a look. He recognized the badge, but couldn't figure it out for a moment. The servant who pretended to be deaf and dumb handed him a letter opener at the right time. Frederick cut open the envelope in a few strokes and shook out a piece of crisp parchment that had been specially treated.

He unfolded the paper, took a look at it, and suddenly a trace of irrepressible joy flashed in his eyes: "Hey! My application was approved! I said, they can't reject me - wait, you intercepted my letter?"

Redrick's face changed.

“This is not what we need to discuss,” Julius said calmly.

"What's the question?" Redrick said gloomily, "Do I need to report my career plan to you, Your Excellency the Duke?"

There was sarcasm in his tone, and like a hedgehog whose belly was touched, he couldn't wait to raise all his thorns.

Julius raised his eyelids and glanced at him, and asked with a half-smile, "Shouldn't it be?"

Without waiting for Redrick to react, Julius stood up suddenly, put one hand on his nephew's chest and pulled him to the window. The huge force of his body hitting the window made the heavy iron frame that was biting the glass window make a teeth-grinding squeak.

Julius pulled out the long sword from the servant's waist and pressed it against Rederic's chest, immobilizing Reder who was about to stand up.

"You threaten me with your duke title? Do you think I'm afraid of this? Do you think you can be on equal footing with me by relying on your title of Duke of Lucern?" Julius' voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, like the hissing of a snake, mixed with venom flowing out. His voice was so low that it was almost gentle, but this kind of gentleness would only make those who heard it feel cold all over.

Redrick realized belatedly that he had said something in anger and disbelief. All the pores on his body opened up, cold sweat evaporated from them, and he stammered in defense: "No... That's not what I meant..."

“I know what you mean,” Julius’ voice was almost inaudible, his deep purple eyes like two cold ponds, “Do you think you can

You do whatever you want, because your birth gives you everything that others can hardly imagine, and then you naively think that these things really belong to you - I have reminded you many times, Frederick Portia, remember your last name, I can make you stand above others, or I can make you have nothing. ”

Redrick's pupils suddenly contracted.

“You think you have freedom?” Julius said coldly, looking at his nephew who seemed to never grow up through the sharp cold light of his sword. “Since you are still a member of the Portia family, you have to give everything for Portia. Who told you that you can choose the career you want? Joining the army - a stupid idea.”

Redrick couldn't bear it any longer. "Why can't I? You have obtained the highest administrative power in Florence, and everyone trembles when they see you. And that man - you even put him on the throne of Saint Leah! What about me? How am I worse than him? I have the surname of Portia, and you want me to contribute to the family. Then what have you given me? That bastard raised by a whore has everything, and I can't even do what I like?"

Julius’ expression was indescribably horrified for a moment. The monster hidden under his gentle and noble appearance tore open his flesh and blood, revealing its sharp claws.

“You are still asking for more from me? Do you think what you have gained is not enough?” Julius was so angry that he almost laughed.

He really couldn't understand Redrick's thoughts. Ever since Raphael was brought back many years ago, he didn't understand why Redrick targeted Raphael like this.

Raphael was born in the slums. He had no mother of noble status to provide him with resources. He could not even legitimately have the surname of Portia, nor could he receive a formal education. He had no ability to threaten Rederic at all. Even when he was later taken care of by Saint Vitalian III, it was because Rederic's mother refused to let her child follow this path.

But Redrick always seemed to think that this was a preference for Raphael.

“You are being unreasonable,” Julius said coldly.

He put down the sword in his hand, took a step back, and calmed down: "Raphael is the leader of the secular faith, and I am the highest administrative head of Florence. If you get involved in the military again, then Portia will be too ostentatious in Florence. Now that the twelve lords have been eliminated, being too high-profile is not a good thing."

Such behavior is dancing on Raphael's bottom line.

It is difficult to say whether the Pope considers himself a member of the Portia family, but even if he sincerely believes that he is a member of the Portia family, he will never tolerate the Portia family standing over him. He makes a very clear distinction between the two.

Julius had seen this fact in his eyes a year ago.

After Lesherte regained power over the Papal States for the Pope, allowing him to completely possess a unified Papal State, Raphael could not tolerate the rise of another new threat.

"But this is the most normal practice! All families insist on the Trinity--" Redrick retorted.

Aristocratic families have always had such a tradition: the eldest son inherits the title and engages in politics, the second son is sent to a monastery to devote himself to religion, and the third son joins the army to gain control of military power. Such an arrangement will not only prevent the dispersion of property, but also enable the family to prosper in all fields. It is also jokingly called the "Trinity" method of inheritance distribution.

The Portia family had Julius, who inherited the title and went into politics, and Raphael, who was the Pope. Logically speaking, the only thing they lacked was a soldier.

That is, if one of them is not Raphael.

Raphael...is he really aware that his family is above all else?

Julius knew this very well, but Rederick knew nothing.

He also naively believed that no matter how much he had mocked and bullied Raphael, Raphael, who had received huge favors from his family - bringing him out of the slums, giving him the opportunity to receive an education, and placing him on the throne of Saint Leah - would always regard Portia as his ultimate destination.

But a true monarch never sets his sights on a narrow family.

Julius had never seen this so clearly.

The day Leshert returned, he knew that he had lost miserably in this silent gamble, and it was time to pledge his loyalty to his monarch.

He glanced at Redrick, who was about the same age as Raphael but was so stupid that he felt like a genius. He felt his brain throbbing and aching, and whispered, "Shut up, keep this stupid idea to yourself, and don't tell anyone. If you don't want to die young, get out of my sight now. As for this matter, I will take care of it."

Redrick could not be the evidence for Raphael to doubt Portia's ambitions, nor could he be the entry point for him to overthrow this huge family.

“Besides…” Julius raised his eyes and glanced at Redrick. At that moment, Redrick suddenly felt cold all over. A sudden intuition hit him. He threw himself to the side without thinking, but he was still a step too slow.

The sharp sword pierced his calf, and scarlet blood spurted out as he screamed. Julius drew his sword expressionlessly: "This is the punishment for your disrespect to His Majesty. I hope there won't be a next time."

The servant who looked like a clay sculpture or wooden carving suddenly came to life, bent down and helped Duke Lusen, who was about to faint from the pain, and left the room.

Julius changed his clothes and went to the Papal Palace to see Raphael with the letter. The young Pope was leaning on a fluffy cushion reading a book. When he saw Julius' expression and the letter, a hint of hidden understanding flashed across his face.

“I’m sorry, but Redrick may not be suitable—” Julius had only just begun to speak when he saw the Pope smile.

Raphael's smile was very gentle and soft, as if he was blowing air to a newly blooming flower: "Leshert recommended him to me. I think the Knight Commander's vision is always trustworthy, isn't it? My dear Secretary General?"

His tone was gentle, but his eyes looked at Julius without any smile. Julius once again felt the silent oppression from his eyes, which were full of scrutiny and judgment. He was waiting for an answer that met his expectations.

“If that is your wish,” Julius finally spoke, sighing softly.

This confrontation was the end of the quarrel in the bath a year ago. They finally decided the winner. Raphael proved himself with an undoubted massacre and war. He was qualified to be the hand that controls everything and qualified to lead Julius and Portia to find a new way out.

Raphael smiled, closed the book, and held out his hand to Julius.

The secretary general with long silver-gray hair switched the cane to his right hand, knelt on one knee, took the slightly cold hand, lowered his head, and kissed the ring with his dark red lips: "I offer you my loyalty."

He raised his eyes at this angle, and an equally deep light flashed in his deep purple eyes, like a silver wolf with gorgeous fur finding its monarch, and from then on willingly offering its collar and reins.

"Just in time," Raphael pulled his hand away. "Roman's invitation has arrived. I will take people there in two days. Redrick can also join the diplomatic corps and go out to see the world. As for my Papal States, I'll leave it to Eula."

His voice was as sweet as honey, and the smile in his eyes was genuine and gentle.

The author has something to say:

The basic character sorting is complete! The relationships between the people around the Pope are clear, and he is starting to go out into the world!