Chapter 136 Heart of the Storm (Twenty-three)
◎Rhine Palace◎
Raphael's carriage was attacked by assassins again on the Campo della Sant'Amore, a day's journey from Florence. Such a familiar move was obviously done by the panicked Pope Tion VIII. Everyone in Florence could find excuses to claim their innocence, but he had no reason to explain his presumptuous behavior.
For him, the only way to survive was for Raphael to die immediately.
So Raphael was not surprised at the constant attacks along the way. Leschert and Ferrante took turns to protect him. They wished they could put Raphael in a jewelry box and put him in their pockets. Such tense care made Raphael a little helpless. It took him some effort to prove to the two overly nervous people that it was impossible for someone to fall from the sky and stab him to death when he walked from the sofa to the table. Only then did he barely gain the freedom to be alone in a room.
After the assassins began to appear, the convoy's pace slowed down a lot. The Pope believed that they should put safety first. As for when to arrive in Florence, that could be discussed later.
But to be honest, Raphael wasn't as relaxed as he appeared.
This certainly didn't mean that he didn't know how to solve the problem of the Papal States - he didn't care about that at all, and he had already decided how to get a completely obedient Papal State. The problem was...
Who will do it?
There has never been a situation in history where there were two popes sitting side by side. There was a time when the Holy See was so poor that it could not even retain the land of the Papal States. The entire Papal States was occupied by two countries. During those decades, there were two Holy Sees in the world in a ridiculous way. Both the Eastern and Western Holy Sees claimed to be orthodox and to have the relics and blessings of the Holy Lord.
But that was a special situation caused by the division of the land. The two sides were shouting at each other from a distance, and the lethality was limited. Raphael was facing an independent Papal State, the absolutely orthodox Florence, and the official Pope elected from the Vatican through legal, compliant and traditional means.
In a sense, Tyn VIII was not a false pontiff, and secular law could not judge the actions of a pope.
If Raphael had really died at that time, the position of Tyn VIII would not have been questioned or shaken.
The bad luck is that Raphael is still alive.
There has never been a death penalty within the Vatican. The most serious punishment is excommunication. Raphael must kill Pope Tion VIII, but he cannot do this.
Leshert was right in saying that his rule must not become a horror story for future generations. Raphael could order people to kill people - in Syracuse today, no one could disobey the orders of Saint Sistine I, but precisely because of this, he needed to be more restrained and calm.
Unrestrained killing is not proof of freedom. Having power without abusing it is what makes us human.
Everyone in Syracuse was watching Raphael's every move, especially when he gained supreme power. They were eager to know whether he would raise his knife to kill because of his own mood, or send out more reassuring signals?
This is related to whether other small countries that have not yet been taken over by Raphael will sincerely obey his rule.
He needed a way to kill Tyn VIII that...at least on the surface had nothing to do with him.
Raphael frowned irritably, stretched out his body on the recliner, and his wide hem rustled on the ground. He couldn't help but feel a little different towards Julius.
It was certainly because of his greed that Tyn VIII was pushed to the position of Pope without knowing why, but didn't Julius add fuel to the fire behind the scenes? Raphael was a student brought up by Julius. Sometimes their ideas and logic would overlap infinitely. There were more than one way to get rid of those who were disloyal in the Holy See, but Julius chose this most extreme way.
Raphael didn't want to think about what choice Julius was going to force him to make, a dead man - he proved his victory with his life, and then what? Even after his death, he will collect his spoils from Raphael!
There was resentment and sadness in Raphael's eyes. Julius was his best ally, but conversely, when this man became his enemy, he was definitely the most terrible enemy in the world. Raphael spent a lot of effort to prevent him from becoming his enemy, and spent an unimaginable price to make him submit to him.
But he always forgets that taming foxes and poisonous snakes requires a lifetime of caution.
Even a well-behaved and harmless kitten will develop a possessiveness towards its owner, let alone the wild animals that live in the jungle.
It was not that Raphael could not think of a solution to the problem. He had no doubt that Julius must have left him this method. Perhaps it was a letter that he could see when he returned to Florence, or perhaps it was a message from someone. The content would not be beyond Raphael's expectations. It was nothing more than having someone assassinate Theon VIII and then having the Arbitration Bureau come forward to acknowledge the matter.
The reputation of the "Holy Raven" being omnipresent has frightened everyone. Ferrante, as Raphael's knife, has been stained with too much blood. The entire Papal States regards Ferrante as the spokesperson of Pope Sistine I in the dark. How many people dream of Ferrante, who knows their secrets, dying quickly. If there were no Arbitration Bureau and no Ferrante, Raphael's image would undoubtedly be more positive, bright and gentle.
The war is over. Abolishing the Arbitration Bureau, an institution created for war, is a kind of peace commitment from the Pope, and getting rid of Ferrante is proof that the Arbitration Bureau will never revive.
Taking this opportunity, everyone would be happy if Ferrante, who "acted on his own initiative" to assassinate Theon VIII, was killed. Even the subsequent appeasement of Syracuse could be done in one step, which was very much in the style of Julius. Raphael admitted that he was not at all tempted by this solution that could kill two birds with one stone.
He chose to let Leshet lead the Knights Templar to surround the rebels including Tyn VIII, rather than the more useful Holy Raven. Perhaps he already had a vague preference in his mind.
Ferrante had been by his side for so many years, even though he had deceived and exploited the boy to redeem him, and had given him everything he wanted over the years...
Raphael always felt guilty towards Ferrante, because he chose Ferrante with the intention of having her die for him one day.
However, so many years have passed, just when everything is about to see the dawn, Raphael can't bear to let Ferrante go to the ending he had already decided...
It is easy to kill a person, but it is very difficult to kill someone who loves you wholeheartedly.
Raphael was not surprised at all that Julius wanted Ferrante dead. Ever since Ferrante first came to him, Julius had inexplicably been hostile to this young man. At that time, Ferrante was just a small personal guard, being taken around by Raphael to see the world. Julius would not show his dislike for someone too blatantly, but would just secretly get angry, for example, he could not remember Ferrante's name. Who could believe that Lord Portia had such a bad memory? He did it on purpose.
And then…not to mention what happened next.
Raphael sighed with a headache, and was almost laughing at this petty and vengeful man.
The train meandered across the plains. Thin sunlight shone through the stained glass windows. Raphael stared at the colorful beams of light in the air for a while, briefly forgetting all these complicated things.
In the evening, it began to drizzle outside, and the accompanying astronomers estimated that the rain would get heavier. Fortunately, they soon arrived in Florence, and the gates of the City of Cities were opened for the Pope as they had every time before. The people did not receive the news that His Holiness had returned to the city, but Raphael did not care about this and calmly got on the carriage back to the Papal Palace.
Leshert's army rushed back to Florence first. The remnants of the chaos were still vaguely visible on the streets. Unwashed bloodstains were smeared on the steps everywhere. Raphael noticed that there were faint human figures swaying in the wind under the street lights in the distance.
The streets were still deserted. The Knights Templar had taken over Florence, and the nobles who had fought each other for their lives immediately retreated to their homes. Leshert didn't need to worry about it, as they had already kept themselves under control - no one wanted to attract Raphael's attention at this time.
The car drove into the square in front of the Papal Palace and stopped in front of the steps. Raphael got out slowly, stood at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the magnificent building.
The building, made mainly of snow-white marble, is like a sharp arrow pointing to the clouds. The walls are covered with intricate and gorgeous patterns, and different statues of saints are placed in the recesses. The snow-white eyes of the stone statues look down from all directions, like a compassionate gaze cast from the sky, giving this ancient building another form of majesty that transcends the world.
This most solemn, holy and noble palace in the world has served as his home ever since he was brought back from the slums by Delacroix. Except for the initial stay in the Portia Palace for medical treatment and the few years of exile, he basically lived here.
The Papal Palace, Florence, Raphael was a little surprised to find that his starting point was indeed too high.
Should he be afraid of such good fortune?
The attendants standing on both sides had no idea what the Pope was thinking. They only saw the handsome Holy See looking at the Papal Palace for a long time, then revealing a very faint smile, and then slowly raising his feet and walking towards the corridor in front.
The black iron door carved with gold flowers opened, followed by a heavy oak door. The statues of angels holding trumpets, arrows and lilies stood lifelike on the door. After the door opened, Raphael looked at the extra fountain of the Madonna holding flowers in the hall and raised an eyebrow.
His expression made the servants of the Pope's Palace hold their breath nervously. A monk explained: "This was a renovation requested by the two young masters of His Majesty the Eighth Emperor..."
Raphael did not listen to what he said next. He took two steps inside and soon noticed something strange again - the Spring Hall, which he used to use as a breakfast room, was reflecting colorful lights. The glass mirror and dome made the colorful lights of the gems shine noisily on the corridor outside, dazzling the eyes.
"The Hall of Spring... was converted into a small dance hall..." the same monk said in a low voice trembling with fear.
They had bitter faces, and it was obvious that they were angry but dared not say anything about the changes.
Raphael was silent for a while.
He turned around and walked out of the Papal Palace, saying in a very calm tone: "Let the craftsmen restore all the changes. I won't be coming back to live here for the time being."
He didn't look angry, but people who knew him well could already sense the suppressed indifference in his smooth voice.
The attendants in black monastic robes bent down deeply, watched the corner of the Pope's robe flash across the smooth ground in front of them, and hurriedly boarded the carriage parked at the door.
His Majesty didn't say anything for a long time after he got on the carriage. The driver stood ready with his ears perked up. Seeing that the rain was getting heavier, he couldn't help but look back at the closed door anxiously: "Your Majesty?"
"...to the Rhine Palace."
Finally, a slow voice came from the carriage.
Land in the upper city is extremely valuable, and most of the nobles live here. If the son is not the eldest son who inherits the family property, he will generally move out after getting married and starting a family. More and more branches are derived from this, like a large net that is spread out, constantly eroding the land of Florence.
The Portia family has a large population, and their wealthy life certainly does not make building a family business a worry for the family members. Power has become the goal they fight for. As an old house, the Portia Palace covers a vast area and has a lot of rooms. Members of the family often come back to live here, hoping to keep in touch with the patriarch of the Portia family who lives here.
Raphael did not care who was in charge of the Portia Palace. His carriage quickly left the Papal Palace and drove towards the Florence River, where the Rhine Palace was located.
When Julius was twelve years old, his father gave him this palace. At that time, Julius had not yet taken over the burden of the Portia family, and the focus of his daily life was on reading and studying. This new palace was closer to the Florence Seminary, so he often lived here.
When the surname Portia became his exclusive name, he seldom came here again, but because this palace was his personal property, it was still named after his title of Duke of the Rhine and was called the Rhine Palace.
This was Julius's residence during his youth. Raphael didn't come here very often. After all, Raphael didn't know much about Julius' early experiences.
That was a long time ago. It seemed that from the first time Raphael saw him, he was already that shrewd, sharp, and excellent politician who never showed his emotions.
Imagining the youth of an ambitious man is like imagining the desolate appearance of a magnificent city before it is built. What built its solid walls? What made its palace so magnificent? That’s a hard thing to chase.
There were only the gatekeeper and two male servants in the Rhine Palace. This magnificent palace had not welcomed its owner for a long time. After Julius' death, no one was known whether they had forgotten or had not had time to take over the Rhine Palace. Raphael, who arrived here today, was actually the first guest of the Rhine Palace in several years.
Holding a lantern, the butler opened the palace gate and let the carriage drive into the courtyard of the manor. The orange light of the lantern swayed in the rain, illuminating the light-colored long hair, purple eyes and indifferent profile.
The old butler was stunned for a moment in this momentary trance, and subconsciously thought that the long-lost master had returned home: "Sir..."
When Raphael raised his eyes and glanced at him, he came back to his senses from that extremely similar trance and murmured, "Ah, it's Master Raphael."
The butler was really very old, so old that he had forgotten that the young master he was talking about was already the monarch of Florence. He could be addressed as Your Majesty, Holy Father, Your Holiness, or His Majesty, but no one had called him Young Master for many years.
Raphael paused and responded calmly, "It's me, Lawrence. They're working on the renovations over there, so I came back to stay for a few days."
Old Lawrence nodded and led Raphael into the hall where the fireplace had just been lit. "The bedroom has been cleaned. Let Gina change the quilt and you can move in. Your pillow has been left in the closet. After the master left, no one came to take over here. I dismissed most of the servants and only left Gina and two male servants in charge of patrolling. Fortunately, no one dared to disturb the Portia family's property..."
The old man took Raphael to sit on the sofa by the fireplace, hesitated for a moment, and asked tentatively: "Did the gentleman leave the Rhine Palace to you?"
Raphael was slightly stunned, and replied apologetically: "I don't know, I haven't seen Julius's...will."
His heart skipped a beat at the name.
Only then did he realize that this seemed to be the first time he had spoken this name since Julius' death.
The author has something to say:
Julius is not a good person. Let me emphasize again that he is really not a good person. He is not that kind. He wants Ferrante to accompany Raphael forever even if he dies. He is so angry that he faints just thinking about this scene [a very jealous man who wants to save face]. Although I like him very much...
Ahhhh why is school about to start! ! ! ! ! How come two months have already passed! ! ! I don't believe it!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
