Chapter 92: Hope Blue Diamond (Part 9)
◎Rumors and truth◎
In September of the Christian calendar 1082, a secret message began to spread wildly in the Syracuse Peninsula. It was passed under the sleeves of nobles, in the chaotic noise of taverns, and in the subtle eyes of bards. There was excitement in everyone's eyes. People are naturally interested in gossip, especially when this gossip involves the world's top monarchs - even though the two people in the topic are already dead.
"So that's true? It's Assyria and the Papal States?" Even in a busy market, this freshly-baked hot topic can be the killer to open people's hearts.
"I heard that they met in Assyria. Didn't His Majesty serve as the Queen's teacher? Maybe it was at that time..."
Almost overnight, the same rumor emerged in Calais, Roman Empire, Assyria and even the Papal States: Her Majesty Amenra, the former Queen of Assyria, and Saint Vitalian III were once lovers.
People were not surprised by the chaotic relationships among the nobles, but they felt a little uneasy about the involvement of St. Vitalian III. He was the Pope who had vowed to serve the Holy Lord for life, to abandon desires, and to dedicate his pure body and mind to the Holy Lord. He seemed to be the only person in the world who should not be involved in sex scandals.
But considering that the Holy See is sometimes so weird, many monks have illegitimate children, and that St. Vitalian III had not yet been crowned when the mistake was made, an archbishop doing something wrong... doesn't seem so intolerable?
People's tolerance is sometimes really strange. Their focus is on the relationship between the two monarchs, and they wish they could travel through time to see the secret affair that happened in the past.
Soon, more details were passed on by word of mouth, including that Saint Vitalian III, then Archbishop of Valencia, went to Calais and served as a religious teacher to Princess Amenra, and returned to Florence a few years later... These things should have been secrets, or even if they were not secrets, they should not have been known by so many civilians - in this era of information blockade, many civilians did not even know who the mayor of their city was, so how could they know so much about the king of the Pope who had passed away many years ago in the Papal States?
Smart people quickly realized that the news must have been released by someone with ulterior motives, and that person fanned the flames behind the scenes, spreading the secret to every corner of the Syracuse Peninsula and even Assyria in the shortest possible time, and also filled in many plots to make the story sound full and real.
What is his purpose?
The smarter ones vaguely sensed the other party's intentions at the first moment.
A love story about the queen was unearthed after her death, when Assyria was fighting fiercely for the throne.
In this story, did the queen bear a child for her lover?
That child, whose existence is unknown, may become a new key to the situation in Assyria.
In Florence, fewer people talked about this rumor. The master did not allow the servants to mention it, and respect for St. Vitalian III made most people keep their mouths shut. However, the nobles exchanged horrified glances in private.
They knew a little more than others, about a "rumor" that had been circulating in Florence for many years, and which had been repeatedly mentioned by the nobles in a joking tone when St. Vitalian III was still alive.
It is said that the His Majesty who now sits in the Papal Palace is the illegitimate son of St. Vitalian III.
This "rumor" is actually nothing big. Which noble doesn't have one or two illegitimate children? Portia spent a huge sum of money to clear the background of the current Pope so that no one could find any fault with it, so this rumor could only be a rumor. Except for the fact that Rederick had been hostile to His Majesty for many years without any reason, everything seemed normal.
But when they heard the new love story, their legs began to go weak with just a little association.
The illegitimate son of Saint Vitalian III was his eldest son. It seemed that he was born in the year when he just returned to Florence from Assyria.
At that time, some people said that the child's mother was a prostitute, and everyone naturally agreed with this conclusion. After all, having a mistress was not a big problem. There was no such woman around His Majesty, which showed that the woman was indeed a one-night stand and her status was so low that it was not worth mentioning.
No one would speculate in the other direction - what if the woman was not of low status, but on the contrary, she was of such noble status that she could not become the Pope's mistress?
If they really had fallen in love in Assyria, if they really had broken the taboo, if they really had a child...
…and that child is alive today and even wears a crown.
All the nobles who caught a glimpse of the truth could not help but tremble with fear.
This is not an interesting romantic story, nor is it a topic that can be used for entertainment in leisure time.
The implications behind this matter are too huge, and people will really die, even many people.
But while some people are afraid and timid, naturally there are also people who are ecstatic.
Julius received a letter from the elders of Portia.
The letter urged him to verify the truth of the matter in an impatient tone, and preferably to obtain relevant strong evidence, so that the Portia family "can make a more complete and appropriate response" to "obtain the benefits they deserve", which is also "what Raphael should pay for the family."
Julius sneered silently. The whole article was full of nonsense, and the smell of greed was about to overflow from the paper, emitting a disgusting stench.
He threw the letter into the fireplace, watched the paper shrink and char in the flames, the edges turning into shiny orange-red fragments, and crossed his hands in deep thought.
There was no need to pay attention to the elders' pretending to be reserved tests. They could only jump up and down in frustration and rage. However, this letter revealed more information from the side. Even the Portia family was inclined to doubt the authenticity of the news. More people must have made some guesses. It seemed that it was time to spread the next piece of news.
That's right, it was Raphael who asked Julius to release this news, and they had an unprecedented quarrel over this.
Although Julius obeyed Raphael's orders, the two of them never had any private conversations again. Every time they met, it was just cold official business, and even daily greetings were no longer there.
Julius thought that this method was too simple and crude. Not everyone was a fool. When Raphael announced his inheritance of the Assyrian crown, most people would realize that this was his own directing and acting. He would be labeled a conspirator and a scheming person, which was definitely not a good thing for a pope. It might even cause him to be questioned by believers.
Raphael insisted on declaring the legitimate succession to Assyria in the shortest possible time so as to gain the opportunity to legally intervene in the Assyrian civil strife.
Julius looked at Raphael with almost hatred: "You know how stupid your choice is."
Raphael did not give in: "But I know I am right."
“You know?” Julius almost laughed out of anger. “What do you know? You are still so naive, trying to change the unchangeable facts with your own strength.”
He suddenly crossed the table and approached Raphael, his voice low, hiding the worry that even he himself could not detect: "How many times do you want me to tell you that you can't save everyone!"
Raphael subconsciously tilted his head back because of his approach. The next second, he regained his calm appearance, but the boredom in his eyes was still clearly visible: "Yes, I remember it very clearly, sir."
There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
This has been their long-standing disagreement.
From the time Raphael became his student at the age of twelve until this year when he was twenty-five, for a full thirteen years, almost every quarrel they had had was because of this issue.
"You shouldn't—"
Before Julius could finish his words, Raphael quickly took over and said, "—You shouldn't put yourself in danger."
He knew exactly what Julius was going to say, and he knew Julius as well as Julius knew him.
No, maybe they never really understood each other.
"Don't love specific people, love everyone." Raphael repeated the words Julius taught him many years ago, and lowered his eyes in annoyance.
Julius looked at him coldly, unable to explain his feelings.
Angry? A little, but doesn't he know what kind of person Raphael is? Thirteen years ago, he took over the skinny wolf cub from Delacroix and led him step by step to the highest position. How could he not know Raphael's character?
There is no one in the world more compassionate than him. He is just like the saint on earth described in the Holy Book of Music. He loves everyone who passes by him, everyone who lives in the corner he cannot see, and everyone who lives hard and dies calmly.
But there should be no saints in the world.
The first person who appeared to the saint was betrayed by his believers and died in the desolate wilderness. What fate will Raphael face?
"You haven't even taken the crown of Assyria yet, and you've already begun to have mercy on them." Julius calmly pointed out what Raphael had been hiding in his heart.
Raphael wanted to spread his life story and obtain the legitimate right to inherit the Assyrian throne as soon as possible, even at the cost of his own reputation. Wasn't it just to stop the current meaningless and chaotic civil war in Assyria and save more innocent people?
Raphael had no intention of arguing with him about this matter, and brushed it off lightly: "There is nothing to talk about this matter. We need the same result, but the process is a little different."
“No, it’s different.” Julius suddenly calmed down.
He carefully examined Raphael's expression, then slowly straightened up, straightened his sleeves that were wrinkled due to his excessive movements just now, and announced: "I don't support you to seize the throne of Assyria."
Raphael's pupils suddenly contracted.
He had never thought of this possibility...Julius rejected him?
Julius looked at him. "Yes, if this is your plan, then I reject it. You already have the crown of the Papal States, and all monarchs must respect your name. Abandoning the unique divine power to obtain the royal power of the world, especially in a chaotic country like Assyria... I don't see any benefit. As a collaborator of the Potias family, your behavior is ill-considered. If you insist on making such a choice, I can only reconsider our cooperation. I absolutely cannot accept a collaborator who may sacrifice himself at any time for... for someone else."
He weighed the pros and cons grimly: "I am against your succession to the throne of Assyria."
Raphael stared at him blankly and suddenly became furious.
An unprecedented quarrel broke out between them.
Perhaps the source of this quarrel had been planted as early as the day Raphael wore the crown, and it just lacked a fuse. They glared at each other angrily, lost their minds and attacked each other's soft spots with the most sharp and stinging words - this was really not a pleasant experience. The long time allowed them to not only understand each other's preferences, but also let them know how to accurately hit each other's vital points. They cursed and vented madly, spitting out bad words that were completely inconsistent with their status. If the sound insulation around them was not good enough, the whole Pope's Palace could hear the sound of them abandoning their status and face.
The quarrel ended with Julius slamming the door and leaving.
.
But two days later, Julius still did what Raphael thought.
His arrangements and designs were more ingenious than Raphael's ideas, and every step was arranged perfectly. Just like countless times before, as long as he was there, it was like having a way out to turn back at any time.
But this time it's different.
Raphael took the report sent by the Secretariat - these things were originally done by the staff of the Secretariat, but every time before, Julius would personally bring people to deliver it, except this time.
He looked at the familiar signature on the report and realized clearly that this time was different from every previous time. They were finally back to where they should be.
Monarch and his ministers, the Pope and his secretary, or something like that.
But there is nothing wrong with this. He is best at dealing with relationships that are simply based on interests.
As the Queen's past with St. Vitalian III was widely publicized and then slowly returned to calm, another new bomb dropped.
The queen and Saint Vitalian III also had a child, who is now Pope Saint Sistine I, and the queen even left a will identifying him as the first heir to the Assyrian throne.
The queen's lady-in-waiting Ashur appeared in Florence and showed the queen's will to ambassadors from various countries to Florence in public. At the same time, Queen Sancha I of the Romans sent an open letter to Florence, acknowledging Saint Sistine I as her half-brother, and showed the oath left by Queen Amenra in the Roman court to prove that twenty-five years ago, when she gave birth to Raphael, she and Saint Vitalian III were still married. Therefore, Raphael was a legal child, and his papal crown had an unshakable legal basis.
Sancha's stance made many people who wanted to take the opportunity to attack Raphael lose their power. They couldn't believe that Sancha, as a person whose Assyrian crown had been stolen, could support Raphael so unreservedly. What puzzled them even more was that Emperor Francis IV of Calais followed closely and announced his legitimate claim to the Assyrian throne.
As Sancha's legal fiancé, he claimed that he had the "right to obtain the Assyrian throne for his wife."
This series of chaos directly caused the situation on the Syracuse Peninsula to become foggy and everyone was stunned as they watched the development of the situation.
During this period, the stone pavement of Florence was almost worn away by the carriages of the dignitaries. They frantically held various tea parties, dances, and hunting parties, exchanging intelligence and information like little insects flying around in spring, trying to figure out the movements of everyone in the Papal Palace, trying to find angles to exploit.
A crown was hanging before them, and the one who could receive it was the monarch of Florence.
If Raphael succeeds to the throne, will they be able to gain something from it?
The author has something to say:
Raphael and Julius... their relationship is so complicated, it just doesn't feel right no matter how I write about it... I've racked my brains over these two people, but there will be more troubles later... Ahhhh my scalp starts to tingle when I think about this.
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