Act XIII: The Last Supper (Thirteen)
Thirteen
"The moment he saw Eudosia, he yelled, 'You bastard!'" Nuk said, his head bowed in grievance. "He also said, 'You have no idea how much humiliation I endured to find you…'"
“I can only ask Lord Jubius for her help.” Naya stood beside him, her gaze and tone extremely firm. “Please grant me permission.”
Yakov frowned as he looked at the two blood slaves before him, and suddenly felt a little amused: Nuk was ragged and covered in excrement; Naya's hair was disheveled, and her cheeks were covered in handprints. He then turned to look at the people in the banquet hall: Eudosia's face was streaked with tears, Pascal was silent; Theophilus watched grimly as his wife and father-in-law exchanged pleasantries with Ambichia, while Yubi held a wine glass and whispered to Margo; Seleman was coaxing Ansopea amidst a dazzling array of delicacies, and Schumeer was telling jokes, occasionally throwing anxious glances at him.
“I understand.” The knight removed his iron gauntlet. “You all go and clean yourselves up first. I’ll go ask Yubi what he plans to do.”
The two blood slaves obediently went to the bathroom. Yakov was able to return to his seat, where drums and music were playing, and stand guard behind Yubi. "I'm curious, how do the mobs of Constantinople tell whether someone is Latin or Greek?" Schumer looked at the long-haired cat in Ansopia's arms and said casually, "They look at appearance. There are quite a few blond-haired, blue-eyed Greeks like the Philaxtus family, and many Italians look indistinguishable from Greeks."
“My grandmother and Eudosia’s grandmother were Serbian nobles, and my mother was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Rus.” Diophantus was clearly displeased by this statement. “That does not affect the fact that we have pure Greek blood.”
“They are mostly distinguished by their clothing and names.” Cicero affectionately put his arm around his son-in-law and pinched his shoulder to remind him, “In the past, being a Latin had many advantages in the empire, and no one bothered to hide it. But now, some people who aren’t quick-witted enough have suffered the consequences.”
The notary smiled obsequiously, afraid that Anbichia, seated at the head of the table, would show an unpleasant expression—but Yubi couldn't stand it anymore. "...What did Nuk say?" the city lord whispered, turning his head to ask Yakov, "Did he cause trouble for Yudosia?"
“I warned you before,” Yakov glanced at him with downcast eyes. “You can only keep this little girl by your side and take care of her now.”
"Can't we reconcile?" Yubi glanced worriedly at the seat to her left: Margot was wiping away Yudosia's tears with a handkerchief, trying to comfort her. But her Greek friend wouldn't listen to a word she said; tears streamed down her face like an endless spring.
"Don't even think about turning your enemy into a friend," Yakov said, his voice tinged with anger. "You can't make up for the suffering he's already endured!"
Suddenly, Ambikia laughed to their right. "Why are you still letting your knight lecture you?" She had clearly heard their whispers. "Do whatever you want with this little thing."
Yakov's face darkened. "Don't think about it now," Yubi said, patting his hand to comfort him.
Schumer remained in the very last seat, his place as the court jester—among those present were either nobles and their relatives or knights and warriors, only he, a lowly heretic, was allowed to speak without restraint. “How long do you gentlemen intend to stay in the Holy Land?” he probed indirectly. “If you need a guide for your pilgrimage, I can arrange it. However, there are too many holy sites; I fear you may not be able to see them all.”
“I don’t need a Jew to arrange my itinerary,” Diophantus said impatiently, brushing Cicero’s hand aside. “I’m here to take Eudosia away. She must come with me.”
"Even if you're her brother, you can't disregard her feelings like this!" Margot finally lost his temper. "Didn't you see her crying nonstop, unwilling to go with you?"
"Am I supposed to just let her become a pig dealer here?" Diophantus slowly raised his knife. "Doing such a lowly job?"
"Why are pig dealers so lowly!"
"This line of work will make it impossible for her to get married!"
"She just doesn't want to get married! Even if she does, she doesn't want you to arrange it!" Margot slammed her hand on the table, startling Pascal, who lowered his head. "Even if she marries a butcher or a cook, it's her own choice!"
"Ha! Marry a butcher, marry a cook!" Theophilus laughed arrogantly. "Do you think the nobles of the empire are as shabby and shallow as other nobles? I really don't know what kind of impoverished family a shameless woman like you will marry into in the future."
His outspokenness subtly insulted many present—Cicero tugged at his clothes to remind him, but to no avail. The Ibelin girl blushed, like a dragon about to breathe fire. "...I won't marry anyone!" Margot shouted, stamping her foot. "I want to be a knight in a convent, like Pascal!"
“You can only be a nun in the monastery, not a knight…” Pascal said in a low voice.
"Shut your mouth!" Margo unleashed all her pent-up anger on him. "You spineless coward, why don't you say a word for Eudosia? What a waste of her sincerity!"
“I see.” Diophantus cast a meaningful glance at the Hospitaller Knight. “Where are you from? What is your family’s rank? How much land and property do you own?”
Pascal was finally enraged by this obnoxious appearance. "...I have long since dedicated my body and soul to the Lord." He raised his eyes. "I have sworn never to marry or have children."
“The Knights are truly a bunch of worthless good-for-nothings with no status or wealth, using piety as an excuse.” Diophantus’s gaze shifted to his sister. “Look at you, so many lowly fellows, their character and abilities are utterly despicable.”
Yubi glanced worriedly at Margot and Pascal on his left, fearing the two might rush across and start a fight; he then looked at the seats on his right, where Diophantus seemed to be hoping they would do so, to occupy the moral high ground. This was his city, his hall. The young lord recalled the courtroom scene with distress: he seemed to hear the arguments of both sides again, forced to send Yakov to maintain order—Shumer couldn't make judgments between nobles; this was something he had to do himself.
Suddenly, he heard a knight's contemptuous chuckle coming from above.
"You yourself have taken a fancy to a guy with good character and ability," Yakov said with a gloating and meaningful tone. "You sold your 'peacock' to him?"
Like a spark thrown into oil, the hall erupted in chaos. In an instant, Diophantus kicked over a table and leaped forward, reaching out to slap Eudosias across the face—but he failed. Margo and Pascal shielded Eudosias, while his wife and father-in-law awkwardly grabbed his arms. "You shameless bastard!" The nobleman, not daring to insult the most powerful and highest-ranking man, vented his anger on his sister, tears streaming down his face. "How dare you live so freely here... You're a woman, how dare you remain unmarried and shift all the responsibility onto me? Do you know how much humiliation I've suffered, how much sacrifice I've made to get to where I am today?"
Eudosia rose, wiping away her tears. "...Is what is humiliation to you a natural duty to me?" she finally uttered her first words since entering the room. "Do you hate me for taking away your freedom?"
Her brother snarled through gritted teeth, "It seems freedom has made you arrogant and ignorant, completely forgetting the honor and shame of your family!" Theopheros's handsome face was contorted with grimaces. "You've been tempted by the devil, held hostage by desire, that's why you've become like this! I must take you back!"
"Does your pursuit of family glory not constitute an evil desire, but my pursuit of freedom does?" Eudosia shouted at him, clenching her fists. "'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,' how can you say I am tempted by the devil?"
“How dare you talk back to me, Eudosia…” Diophantus directed his hatred toward the location of Yubi and Yakov, “You have been turned into such a vile person…”
The vampire sat regally on the city lord's magnificent throne, frowning and clutching Yakov's cloak. He turned his head and saw the blood slave leisurely watching this nonsensical debate as if it were a good show. "...I don't understand." Yubi lowered his head in self-reproach. "Is this our fault, Yakov? Did I owe him money, take Eudosia away, and cause him to fall to this state?"
“He reaped what he sowed,” Yakov replied firmly.
"But he said he had suffered humiliation and made sacrifices..."
“Listen, you made your choice, and he made his.” The Blood Slave pressed his shoulder and leaned down solemnly. “If he felt that he could sell everything and gamble everything for that ‘family honor,’ then he got what he wanted. This is none of your business.”
Yubi sensed something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint the problem. The argument raged in the hall, then a cat-like meow broke the silence—Ansopea was crying again, being carried to her mother by Seymour. This noble cry finally forced the heated debate to a halt, and the gathering returned to quiet.
“I was really enjoying watching this.” Anbichia ran her sharp fingernails across her daughter’s face, and the crying stopped immediately. “Take her back to her room and let the wet nurse look after her.”
“Okay,” Seymour replied, bowing his head.
“I’m so sorry, sister.” Yubi stood up from her seat. “I should have stopped them sooner.”
“No, no, I quite enjoy watching these family dramas.” Anbichia smiled, blinking her upturned red eyes. “I’d also like to know how you would handle this.”
Was this a test? Yubi wondered nervously. He turned his head and saw Yakov's wary expression, Schumer's helpless look; then he saw all the guests in the middle of the hall, suppressing their anger as they apologized to him, the musicians standing like puppets beside their instruments behind them, the slaves standing silently like statues by the doorposts—everyone was waiting for his decision and command, only he could get them moving again. He couldn't tell whose side to take, he only felt like a huge weight, whichever side he fell to would tip the scales.
“…I hope we can resolve this conflict peacefully and understand each other,” Yubi said helplessly. “Please go back to your seats and sit down to talk about something pleasant.”
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