Chapter 55: Golden Ouroboros (V)
◎Silent Rose◎
Ever since he ordered Leshert to expand his army and form the Knights Templar, he knew that he would have to face this problem one day.
Neither Roman, Calais nor the states surrounding Florence could ignore the resurgence of the Papal States.
Florence already possesses a lofty status that is superior to all secular monarchs. Once it has an invincible army... they will definitely be unable to sleep at night.
Raphael said lightly, "You worry too much. This is just necessary self-protection. According to the provisions of the Holy City Treaty, the Knights Templar of Florence will never exceed 200 people. The troops going out this time are all temporary refugees and will not be included in the Knights Templar."
This explanation is full of vagueness and ambiguity of conceptual substitution. If you look into it a little more deeply, you will find that there are many problems.
But the queen, who was always perceptive, did not ask any more questions. She was silent for a while and said, "This explanation is not strong enough."
Her response was equally cryptic and vague.
"Archduke François is very dissatisfied with the changes in Florence. He tried to contact me to question Florence, demanding an inventory of all adult men who have been holding weapons for a long time in the Papal States and a calculation of military expenditures. Your explanation is unlikely to satisfy him." The Queen almost frankly told the content of her private dealings with Calais, which was also a gesture of goodwill to Raphael.
"I don't have to satisfy him." Raphael understood the queen's meaning. The heavy stone in his heart finally fell to the ground. His lavender eyes curved slightly. "The question is not whether he is satisfied or not, but whether he will accept it."
"If Roman and Assyria had acquiesced to this fact, then Calais would not have been the first to come forward. Although Francois is arrogant, he is not a complete fool."
Raphael moved slightly closer to the table, and stroked the warm outer wall of the teacup with his slender fingers: "...So, what do you think?"
Asking even though you know the answer.
The queen glanced at the Pope opposite her. The young Pope had an overly radiant face. His long golden hair was bound by a crown of thorns made of silver and gold. His loose golden hair flowed down his back. One could see light blue veins under his fair skin. His thin body leaned against the chair, as if a steel skeleton was supporting this not-so-strong body, making everyone who saw him ignore the lingering tiredness and exhaustion on his face.
"Roman will always respect Florence's guidance." Amenla sighed slightly in his heart and answered calmly.
"I have shown my sincerity. If Your Majesty is willing, you can stir up chaos within Roman at any time." The queen threw a piece of sugar cube into the cup and stirred it twice with a long-handled silver spoon.
"Of course I wouldn't do that. We are allies, aren't we?" Raphael said briskly after getting a satisfactory answer.
"Yes, ally," the queen suddenly laughed, and this time her smile was much simpler. She looked at Raphael no longer as an enemy, ally or monarch of equal status, but as an elder looking at a younger person. "Sangxia likes you very much. As a mother, I am also very happy that my child can make such a good friend."
"I thought you would be very vigilant. As the heir to two empires, Sanxia became friends with the Pope..." Raphael paused with an unfinished sentence. The implication was very obvious. This friendship could not be known to the world. Their identities and status made all their interactions shrouded in many speculations, as if all their words and deeds carried ulterior motives.
After the serious business was resolved, private conversations no longer had to be so tense, and both of them were visibly more relaxed.
"Do I look like a stubborn old man?" The queen laughed briskly, her sapphire eyes sparkling under the light. "Rather, I hope that while I can still protect Sanxia, she can encounter as many setbacks as possible, at least to prove that she will not make such a mistake again in the future. Moreover, if your betrayal makes her sad, then I will sympathize with you - my little sun is quite tenacious, but you are going to lose the best friend in the world."
Yamenla's tone was as if she was talking to her daughter's friend, and Raphael changed his attitude appropriately: "I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not ready to lose such a good friend."
The two of them smiled happily at the playful joke. Raphael took the opportunity to ask about something that had been on his mind for a long time: "You seem to trust me very much, just like when you sent Sangxia to Florence to sign an alliance with me. Although I can understand your urgency, given the situation at the time, you might have thought about it for a longer time."
If he didn't ask this question, he would always have a thorn in his heart. The mutual assistance agreement between the Papal States and Roman signed with Sangxia was too easy. However, he was exhausted by internal and external troubles at that time and had no way to explore the secrets. Even if Sangxia put poisonous bait in front of him, as long as he would not die from the poison at that time, he would have to swallow the bait.
The fact that he asked this question now proved that he hoped to solve this problem and ensure that the cooperation between Florence and Beligo would be completely free of any hidden dangers.
Queen Amenra easily understood the meaning of his implicit question, and she hesitated for a rare moment.
This room, which was specially used for secret conversations, was very small and had a very high dome, like an inverted rectangle. Portraits of a Roman queen were hung on the walls, and gold photo frames and vases were placed on the tall cabinets next to the curtains. For the sake of privacy, there were no windows in the room, and the only door led to the queen's study - this kind of secret small room was set up in all ancient royal palaces, and there were many of them.
The palace is a place full of secrets. Countless conspiracies and snooping take place here. These small secret rooms used exclusively for conversations may be next to a ballroom, at the corner of the stairs, behind the false window of the dressing room... Many secret rooms have been erased during the continuous expansion and renovation, and more have been built. Some have been lost in memory during the inheritance from generation to generation. Even people who have lived here for many years dare not say that they can master all the secret passages and secret rooms in the palace.
One of the most famous examples is the double spiral staircase in the Royal Palace of Calais. Its special structure makes the two staircases overlap and intertwine. Although people go up and down the stairs at the same time, two people on the stairs will never meet each other. It is said that this design was invented by the art master Leonardo da Vinci, in order to prevent the queen and the king's mistress from running into each other when they live here at the same time.
The makeshift fireplace emitted the crackling sound of burning firewood. Amenla looked over and said after a while: "This is not something that needs to be concealed - your father and I used to know each other. He was my teacher of religious studies."
Even Raphael, who was usually calm, widened his eyes upon hearing this unknown secret.
This sudden shock made his expression look very much like a frightened cat. His long, fluffy, soft golden hair stood up and his round pupils dilated, making him look very childish.
This expression made the queen's hands move slightly, but she quickly changed her position and suppressed this small movement.
"No one has mentioned it..." He muttered subconsciously.
Yamenla shook her head helplessly. "It was a secret from the beginning. After my engagement with Lav XI was finalized, my father hired many teachers to teach me courses on Roman history, language, culture, etc., including, of course, religious studies on faith. Vitalian III—he was just a bishop at the time, and was assigned to Assyria, a diocese filled with 'pagans', so he was naturally hired by my father to teach me for a few months."
The Queen said: "Not many people know about this, especially after he returned to Florence. The overly sensitive status and position did not allow Queen Roman to have any contact with the Pope, so our communication was limited to sending letters to each other to greet each other during diplomatic exchanges."
Raphael raised his eyebrows subtly. With such a distant relationship, how could the man reveal his illegitimate child to her?
"Because Sanxia," the queen noticed his change in expression and answered frankly, "I need to plan for Sanxia - and the princess wants to obtain the inheritance rights in Roman, only through the Pope. We reached some...deals, and he mortgaged this secret to me as a bargaining chip, so I just take care of my teacher's child when the time is right."
As Yamenla said this, she turned her head and pushed the cup in front of her away with her fingers. Her honey-colored fingertips pressed on the rose on the tablecloth that was facing her: "I didn't want to bring it up at this time, but our deal is not yet complete. According to the most ancient law of inheritance, it is now time for you to inherit your obligations."
Raphael leaned back, his eyes also falling on the rose, and a flash of inspiration came to his mind.
Rose.
Vow of silence.
When the eldest son of God and the incarnation of Saint Leah walked on earth, the evil people instigated by the devil exiled him to a barren plain. All his followers were arrested, leaving him without warm clothes, food to fill his stomach, and loyal friends. So the tiger offered its own nest to keep him warm, and the birds brought him wild fruits to fill his stomach.
After his life was protected, Saint Leah sat by the bushes and preached to the empty wilderness. A wanderer saw him and asked him about the truth of the world. Saint Leah replied: "I can tell you the truth of the world, but this is God's secret. Anyone who hears it must swear to be devoted to God forever and not to reveal, disclose, or hint at it."
The tramp said, "Can God hear my oath?"
Saint Leah replied, "He hears everything that is said."
He pointed to a thin rose in the bushes beside him and said, "Everything is His will. Please swear to Him."
So the tramp swore an oath to the rose, and Saint Leah told him the truth of the world. In order not to disclose the secret, the tramp kept silent all his life and never said a word again. His loyal character earned him the title of saint after his death and made him the patron saint of all secrets.
The rose used for the oath also became a hint of "no secrets can be leaked". Whenever there is a rose pattern in a meeting, it means that the conversation needs to be kept strictly confidential. It is a "pledge of silence" in which God is listening and witnessing, and it is sworn by the soul without the need to sign a name.
…This was clearly a conversation that had been prepared long ago. Raphael thought so, picked up the teacup, but did not drink it. Instead, he moved it to the rose facing him, which meant that he accepted the confidentiality agreement: "Please go ahead."
I know that there are no free gifts in the world, and if you get benefits, you have to pay them back.
The music in the Hall of the Goddess of Spring was spinning briskly. The herald guarding the door straightened his back and called out loudly, "The respected Princess Sangxia has arrived—"
The people who had been waiting with their ears pricked up immediately ended their boring and unnecessary conversations and turned their eyes towards the door.
The girl with light honey-colored skin walked in with her head held high. The gentlemen on both sides bowed and the ladies lifted their skirts to salute.
"Your Majesty Saint Sistine I and Your Majesty the Queen Mother are here—"
The powerful voice echoed in the spacious hall.
The Pope and the Queen walked in hand in hand. According to etiquette, Queen Amenra held Raphael's arm, and their body language was full of politeness and courtesy. ※
Even though they had been struck by the beauty of the young Pope at the entrance of the Palace of Mirrors, when he walked inside, the countless bright lights reflected by the mirrors illuminated his long hair, golden chasuble, and snow-white robes. His brilliant beauty with no blind spots crashed into their eyes again like a surging wave, rewriting all aesthetics that were contrary to his.
As the two of them passed, men and women bent down one after another, with their bodies bending at an angle much greater than before, and they wanted to write their loyalty and respect for the Pope and the Queen on their faces.
Everyone sat down in order, and the long table stretched from one end to the other. Those who could attend here were all upper-class figures of the Roman Empire. Men and women sat at intervals and talked to each other. The servants began to serve the dishes like flowing water. The scarlet and clear wine formed small whirlpools in the glasses. Snow-white porcelain plates were placed on the dining table one by one, against the backdrop of the bouquets of flowers freshly picked from the garden on the table, the fragrance was refreshing.
The queen picked up the silver spoon and tapped the crystal goblet in front of her. The crisp clinking sound attracted the attention of all the guests. She took the freshly poured wine glass from the tray of the servant waiting beside her and raised it to everyone: "We are gathered here today to welcome our guests who have come from afar. Your Majesty, Saint Sistine I, the friendship between Roman and the Papal States has lasted for many years and will continue forever in the future. Everyone present, please bear witness here. Let us toast to the distinguished guests who have come from afar to visit Rico."
Everyone raised the wine glasses in front of them and said loudly: "Cheers, Your Majesty."
Raphael raised his glass and returned the greeting: "To your majesty."
The nobles raised their glasses again: "To your majesty."
After a set of procedures were completed and cheerful music started, the banquet officially began.
As the most distinguished guest, Raphael's seat was arranged on the right hand side of the Queen, while Sanxia was on his other side. On the left of the Queen was the Duke of Houghton, the cousin of King Raff XI and the biggest obstacle to Sanxia's succession. This middle-aged man was dressed neatly and gorgeously, had similar hair color to Sanxia, and had a smile on his face, but everyone could see that he was in a very bad mood at the moment.
Everyone knows why the Pope came to Roman this time. Duke Horton now wishes that Raphael could disappear from this world. It would be strange if he could be happy when he saw the foreign aid invited by his competitors.
But now, no one cares about his feelings except his followers.
Sang Xia was quietly introducing the dishes on the table to Raphael, and actively recommending Roman's specialties. Two waiters were waiting beside them with huge plates. The roast chicken covered with snow-white cream was sizzling with oil. Raphael picked up the knife and cut open the belly of the roast chicken. The rich aroma of butter inside hit him like a bomb, and the scent of basil and lemon gently entwined in it, neutralizing the overly greasy dish into a mellow and flavorful one.
Raphael cut a piece of roast chicken and put it on his plate. The waiter on the side scooped a spoonful of hot cream and spread it on the chicken. Raphael smelled the fresh and fragrant scent of fruit wood mixed with the faint scent of orange leaves.
You have to eat well. As for the angry look in Duke Horton's eyes...
What does it have to do with him?
The author has something to say:
The stupid principal, a street lamp capitalist, called the teacher who was impotent back home
Taking classes in the office, what a clever little genius this is, his big head can’t even fit on the lamp post... Oh, money is hard to earn and shit is hard to eat, it needs everyone’s kisses and hugs to be better! Let me send you kisses from Fat Pigeon one by one first! 【Negative】
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