Chapter 57: Golden Ouroboros (Part 7)
◎A secret corner◎
The number of carriages outside the Mirror Palace gradually increased. Pious believers, cunning speculators, fence-sitters who were looking for information... all kinds of people filled the secretariat of the Mirror Palace with their applications for audience. Several clerks who followed the Pope from Florence had to sort out the numerous letters every day and deliver them to His Majesty before he got up for morning prayers. The workload was not small.
When Pope Sixtus I did not receive an invitation to a banquet from Her Majesty the Queen, his daily routine was regular and simple: he would pray for half an hour in the morning, have breakfast, meet one or two guests, then work in the afternoon, plus afternoon tea, and finally the most important dinner of the day and free time.
This daily routine continued until February, when the Royal Council of Bieri convened to discuss the issue of Princess Sancha's legal inheritance rights.
The first meeting of the day was held in both the upper and lower houses to openly discuss whether to adhere to the Salic Act of Succession. This ancient succession law that had been in place in Rome for hundreds of years excluded women's inheritance rights. As the only legitimate child of Lav XI, Sancha was naturally excluded from the succession to the throne.
According to the requirements of inheritance law, if Sancha is excluded, the heir will need to trace his bloodline and find the closest male relative to Love XI to inherit. As Love XI's cousin, Duke Horton is the chosen son.
Of course, Amenra would not watch the throne that belonged to her daughter fall into the hands of others. The nobles had an ambiguous attitude towards this. They did not want a princess of foreign blood to control Roman - especially since this result would likely lead to Roman becoming part of Assyria. But this also meant that in order to gain the support of the nobles, Queen Mother Amenra would make huge concessions to them. Moreover, women always had to get married and have children. Maybe they would have the opportunity to add traces of their own family to the bloodline of the Roman royal family?
After all, humans are selfish animals. In order to fight for power and expand the influence of their own families, the nobles sometimes don't care so much about Roman's affiliation. As long as the stakes are high enough, they can kneel in front of Sangxia and swear allegiance without blinking an eye.
The Princess and the Duke factions had been at loggerheads in the five years since the death of King Laf XI, but neither side had completely fallen out. The longer time dragged on, the more opportunities the nobles had to move between the two sides to make a profit. They did not want to completely offend either of them. As long as they did not resort to unforgivable means, even if they failed in the fight for the throne, the loser would still be the duke or princess, but they did not have such a golden ticket to immunity.
The parliament had held dozens of debates on the succession bill, each of which was called off for different reasons. Until this time, with the escalation of chaos in Assyria and the arrival of the Pope, everyone knew that this meeting would be the last one, and the Roman crown that had been vacant for nearly five years was about to find its owner.
Raphael did not attend the meeting on the first day. After all, this was Roman's family affair. As an external aid, he only needed to attend on specific occasions. As night fell, letters from the royal palace were delivered to the Mirror Palace, informing him of the results of today's meeting.
The result is no result.
The Duke's faction insisted on following tradition and demanded the continuation of the Salic Act of Succession, and did not agree to amend or abolish it; the Princess's faction proposed abolishing some of its clauses and adding corresponding content in line with the times.
The two sides argued for a whole day but were still at a stalemate. It was dinner time when the Speaker adjourned the meeting.
"Being held back..." Raphael said thoughtfully after reading the short letter, "For Duke Horton, as long as he does nothing, he can win. Compared with making a big fuss to amend or repeal the bill, Horton's chances of winning are much greater."
However, he did not think that the Queen would allow Duke Horton to drag on like this. The chaos in Assyria had reached an uncontrollable point, and the Queen's patience had been exhausted in the long tug-of-war. In fact, Raphael guessed that if Duke Horton continued to be so complacent, Amenra, known as the "Warrior Princess", would likely stage a Roman version of a royal revolution.
The next day, the parliamentary process was still at a standstill. When the afterglow of the setting sun shone on the scales above the lintel of the parliamentary chamber, the Speaker rang the bell and again announced the adjournment of the meeting.
As the Queen Mother of Roman, Amenra was not legally qualified to attend parliament, but in reality, she had served as regent for five years, and the parliament set up a position for the Queen Mother below the seat that belonged to the monarch.
On the third day, the ministers in the parliament were still arguing with each other, tea was being changed in waves, and everyone's faces showed fatigue. Amenla sat for half an hour and then left. Her chief female officer listened to the whole process on her behalf - it was still a day without any progress.
That night, several unusually low-key carriages drove out of the palace and into the homes of several nobles.
At the same time, the Mirror Palace also welcomed a distinguished guest.
Raphael and his guests were strolling in the corridor of the Mirror Palace. Raphael was the nominal temporary owner of the Mirror Palace, but it was obvious that he was not as familiar with the Mirror Palace as the person next to him.
They stood in the weapons collection room, and Duke Horton casually pulled out a spear held in the hand of the armored knight. "When I was young, my grandmother would invite the royal children to the Mirror Palace for vacation every summer. My father died early, so my grandmother took extra care of me. I was treated the best among all the children, even comparable to my cousin at the time. There was a royal forest outside for us to hunt, and I could see the lake in the center of the forest from my room."
Raphael also picked up a dagger from the cabinet and tested the blade with the tip of his thumb. The sharp blade that had been there for many years had not lost its sharpness, leaving a thin red mark on his fingertips.
Raphael wiped away the blood without caring, and heard Duke Horton's surprised voice: "Oh, the sword is still there!"
Raphael turned his head and saw the Duke bending over and pulling out a...half sword from the leather sheath on the knight's back.
A broadsword as wide as an adult male's palm, made of bronze and covered in rust, suddenly broke in the middle of the blade, as if it had been split in two after suffering some kind of heavy blow.
Duke Horton smiled nostalgically. "This is the weapon used by my ancestor, Rav V. His most famous battle was the Battle of Temburg with Assyria. In that battle, he killed 68 Assyrian soldiers alone with this knife. After his death, this knife was treasured here. When I was a child, I often came here to play with my cousins, holding the weapons here and pretending to be heroes. This knife was accidentally broken at that time."
"After so many years, even the strongest things will be worn away. This shows that there is nothing in the world that does not change." Duke Horton said meaningfully.
After all, the Duke of Houghton is a member of the royal family, so it is still quite confusing when he tries to act friendly in order to build closer relationships.
Even though both people present knew exactly what he had done.
Raphael smiled and said, "You came to visit me late at night just to reminisce about your wonderful childhood with me?"
"Of course not. I'm here to tell you something," Duke Horton paused and put the broken knife back into the sheath, "so that you won't have lifelong regrets."
Raphael looked at him strangely: "...You really mean what I said.
Duke Horton's smile widened. The middle-aged man, who had dressed up carefully for this meeting, stroked his curly beard and narrowed his eyes: "Helping your enemy fulfill his wish, is it something you will regret for the rest of your life?"
A trace of doubt flashed across Raphael's face, and he spoke cautiously: "I don't quite understand what you mean."
Duke Horton took a step forward, staring at Raphael with his brown eyes, unwilling to miss any changes on his face: "Your father, Saint Vitalian III——"
"Please be careful with your words." Raphael's face suddenly turned cold and his tone was sharp.
"You are defaming the reputation of Saint Vitalian III and me. Saint Vitalian III had only three children during his marriage, the eldest son Rederick, the second son Nidro, and the third daughter Sulina. Apart from them, there are no other bloodlines. Or are you accusing my birth of being dishonorable and illegal? If so, Florence will regard your remarks as a provocation to the Holy See. Please wait for Florence's excommunication document."
The Pope's tone was as cold as ice, and his lavender eyes were filled with angry murderous intent. Duke Horton had never expected that his words would cause such great anger. Seeing the Pope turning around and about to leave, he suddenly panicked, and all the complacency he had felt for learning the huge secret disappeared.
Damn it, damn it, damn it, why did you leave without listening to him? This attitude seems to have nothing to do with Vitalian III, and he doesn't care at all about the secret being leaked. Is it true that Sistine I is not the illegitimate son of Vitalian III? Or is he just being stubborn?
Duke Horton was a little panicked. If he was deceived by that man, then this time he would completely anger the Pope. Not to mention gaining Florence's support, he would probably be retaliated against immediately.
His shallow mind couldn't even support him to think for a moment longer. He was almost frightened by this. Duke Horton lost his composure and hurriedly took two steps forward to block the door. He looked into the Pope's eyes that were brewing a storm and anger, and forced an awkward smile: "No... I mean, I just slipped my tongue, but this matter is related to Vitalian III. He is your predecessor and the Holy See that holds the highest faith. Don't you care about the cause of his death at all?"
Raphael cast his cold eyes at him, and lingered on his face for a moment, until the Duke of Horton's forehead was sweating, and then he said lightly: "Your Excellency, please be careful with your words in the future. If outsiders hear your slip of the tongue, it will not end so well. As for Saint Vitalian III... Everyone knows the reason why he was called by God. The despicable assassin took his life, making it impossible for him to perform the duties given to him by God in the world. If you insist on exploring it, it is that the religious reform he presided over made many people extremely dissatisfied."
This is a well-known fact and is also recorded in the official history of the Vatican. Of course, the history books will not write it so bluntly, but will say "he gave his life for the cause of the Holy Lord."
"Could it be that you know some secret?"
Why is the Duke of Roman related to the death of the Pope of Florence? The alarm bells in Raphael's heart rang. No matter what Duke Horton knew, whether the secret was true or false, it meant that someone was targeting him and Florence. This was not a good sign.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on the palms of Duke Horton's hands. He moved forward, trying to get closer to Raphael. The vigilant Pope took a half step back. The Duke stopped and a strange and dark will-o'-the-wisp burned in his eyes.
In countless nights in human history, in those secrets known or unknown, this will-o'-the-wisp has been ignited countless times. Love, jealousy, anger, greed... human desires are twisted and dark. They jump and burn in the eyes of different people, like snakes winding in a dark and slippery waterway, trying to break out of the warm body to lick the nutrients transformed from desire.
Countless voices, countless plots, countless whispers
, flowing out of Duke Horton's throat and gathered into a sentence.
"The man who murdered Saint Vitalian III was my cousin, Rav XI."
Raphael's pupils suddenly contracted.
Because this sentence was too bizarre, Raphael couldn't even control his expression for a moment. After a while, he frowned and looked at Duke Horton as if he was a fool: "...This is not an interesting joke. Raf XI and Vitalian III have no intersection at all."
During the reign of St. Vitalian III, he was committed to religious reform, and the main testing ground for his reform was the Papal States. There was no conflict of interest between him and the Romans thousands of miles away. Even if there would be conflicts, he would have to wait until the reform was successful. How could he possibly arouse the murderous intention of Lav XI?
This is like saying that Ferrante will kill Raphael in the future, which is something he would find outrageous.
I thought Duke Horton would say something useful, but it turned out to be a joke. Raphael immediately lost interest in dealing with him and was about to walk around him. Duke Horton raised his voice: "Does Laf XI and Vitalian III really have no intersection? Why did His Majesty suddenly go on a tour?"
"That's to survey the religious reform in the Papal State." Raphael said in a deep voice.
"——Or maybe this is just a cover-up reason. The real reason is that he is about to do the same thing as you are doing now." Duke Horton slowly repeated what the man told him.
Raphael suddenly raised his eyes.
Was Saint Vitalian III also heading to Rome at that time? Indeed, his route was very close to the border of the Papal States, and a few cities ahead was the Roman border. His ceremonial procession also exceeded the usual standards. It would be fine to call it a diplomatic tour, but a papal visit was not a big deal, so why pretend to be on tour? Unless this trip is illegal...
Illegal, illegal...
Didn't get an invitation from King Roman?
If that was the case, why would he go to Roman...
"He is about to do the same thing you are doing now" - the invitation Vitalian III received came from the then Queen Amenla. He was going to Rome to help Amenla reform the inheritance law and push Sancha to obtain legal inheritance rights!
Duke Horton came over and approached him. This time Raphael did not move. The Duke whispered in his ear, "My cousin is a passionate man. He has several illegitimate children. Sanxia is just the daughter he cares least about. But this daughter happens to be his only legitimate child."
"Do you want to help the enemy who directly caused the death of Vitalian III to obtain the throne? This mother and daughter have vicious hearts and cunning minds, and this is not your only choice. If you are willing, I can help you to take revenge openly. Of course, in order to make up for some of the mistakes I made before, you can also get Roman's full support."
Duke Horton nodded slightly at him and left.
Raphael stood there, digesting the fact brought by Holden. His mind worked faster than his feelings. Although it was very bizarre, he had to admit that what Holden said was probably the truth.
At that time, the Roman situation was turbulent and the health of King Lav XI was deteriorating. He had to let Queen Amenra serve as regent. As the queen's power gradually expanded, King Lav XI felt uneasy. He wanted to establish his illegitimate son as the heir to the throne. Amenra discovered her husband's intention, so she wanted to abolish the "Sarik Succession Act" first and let Sancha obtain the inheritance right. For this reason, she found her ally Vitalian III, but Lav XI noticed their actions and killed the Pope halfway, which caused Amenra's plan to fail and the succession to the Roman throne was once again deadlocked.
It matches perfectly.
Raphael exhaled slowly. Amenla did not tell him about this when they were talking in the secret room of the Mirror Palace. Was it because their cooperation was not close enough, or did Amenla still not trust him, or was this matter just a plot of Duke Horton to sow discord from beginning to end?
He needed more evidence.
On the fourth day, when the Speaker once again numbly read out the agenda according to the procedure and announced the start of the meeting, the Regent Amenla, who had sat in her seat without saying a word for three whole days, rang the bell in front of her seat.
The Queen's voice was majestic and cold: "Gentlemen, my time is very precious. For reasons that are well known to all, I cannot wait for you to speak here and use your wonderful wisdom. I need to get an answer as soon as possible. Is it possible to amend the inheritance bill? Or not."
"To improve our efficiency, let us follow the example of Florence in electing the pope and from now on, our meetings will not be suspended until the results are known."
As the queen's voice fell, the parliamentarians were surprised to find that all the doors and windows in the conference hall were tightly closed. The royal guards rushed in and stood in a circle against the wall. They held gleaming swords in their hands and had brass spears hanging at their waists, with the blades pointing towards the conference table. The implication was extremely clear.
Either give an answer that satisfies the Queen as soon as possible, or stay here forever.
Yamenla looked coldly at everyone around the long table, with no expression on her face.
She knew that her behavior would definitely arouse the anger and resistance of the nobles. Those nobles who stood on her side also showed dissatisfaction on their faces. When there was no external enemy, the nobles and the monarch could never stand on the same side. Her actions were almost to show the majesty of the monarch to the entire aristocratic group, but she had no more time to waste.
The latest report from Assyria stated that the capital Gonda was under siege by the rebels. If Gonda fell, the entire Assyria would completely fall apart. She could not wait any longer.
"Answer, gentlemen."
The Queen repeated.
The author has something to say:
Here I come, babies!
Pick up the baby pigeons one by one and give them a kiss, and the fat pigeons advance to the final circle! Now I am still standing firm and have not been hit!
Today, when I was browsing Bilibili, I fell into the pit of Wuxia again. It was so good, so good. The curse was very dark, but Wuxia was beautiful. I banged my head against the wall for Wuxia. After nearly two years, I was still captured by Wuxia. Is this really the hurdle that I can't get over! [Quickly flipped through the five summer articles I wrote before, sweet mouth
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