kingdom of nations

Chapter 117 Parade
“We will be back before St. Jude’s feast day (October 28),” Raymond said.

Within a year of Amalric I's death, the Crusaders' most important task had been decided in several meetings—to remove the biggest obstacle on the Christian pilgrimage route, Armenian Prince Mullah.

If Amalric I were still alive, then no matter what his opinion was at the meeting, he could only be the leader of the Crusade. But the current King of Arathi was a fourteen-year-old boy. Although he was brave in battle and well-liked, the older knights still couldn't help but have doubts when they saw his handsome face.

It is important to understand that on the ever-changing battlefield, if a commander does not gain the trust of his subordinates, even the slightest hesitation could lead to the worst possible outcome. After careful consideration, he decided that in this battle, he would assume this important responsibility as the king's representative, with Grand Master Aug de Baleben of the Good Hall Knights as his deputy, while Grand Master Philip de Mille of the Templar Knights and Bohemond would remain in the Holy City.

Bohemond rolled his eyes at this arrangement, but Raymond argued that he should be more concerned about the conflict between his son Abigail and Princess Hibil than with Mule. It was bad enough that the princess refused to share a bed with Abigail, but then at the tournament, the princess openly asked King Baldwin IV for his knight, which enraged Abigail.

What's most infuriating is that Abigail, who previously dared to challenge a knight who admired the princess, didn't utter a single word this time.

Before David and the others left—yes, Raymond pinned Baldwin down on Arrassa Road and rendered Cesar immobile, but he took David and several other young knights with him—they still grumbled viciously at the party, fueled by alcohol. You see, Abigail had been with them the whole time, and a noblewoman had already asked, half-jokingly, whether there was only one such coward, or… many?

They had to swear and curse one by one that they would bring three braids of Turkic Seljuk hair from the battlefield and place them at the feet of these ladies whom they both loved and hated before they would be willing to raise their hands and temporarily let them go.

“Because he knows that even if Cesar doesn’t kill him, he’ll give him a good beating,” William said, then he glanced at David unconsciously. David shook his head indifferently. Although he was ashamed to face his father, he could honestly admit that he was not as good as Cesar among his peers.

“What’s wrong with Abigail?” another young knight muttered. “He wasn’t always this annoying.”

"He loved Sibil so much."

“Who could not love her?” Guy said. She was simply the most beautiful dream they had in their youth. Even though Count Étienne’s refusal to marry her cast a shadow over this jewel, it was not the real reason they gradually distanced themselves from Hibil. It was only after they learned what Hibil had instigated Abi to do that they understood the elder’s warning with a chilling realization.

Some people are heartless.

“She is still beautiful,” William asked, half-jokingly, raising his wine glass and covering his face. “Didn’t you ever waver, Cesar? Although people say that your beauty would put even the proudest noblewoman to shame, love cannot arise between the self and the self. Since you came to Holy Cross Castle, you have often met with the princess. Didn’t you ever think of kissing her fingers or touching her feet?”

“No,” Cesar said. William stared at him for a moment, making sure there wasn’t the slightest wavering in those emerald eyes, and couldn’t help but click his tongue. “You’re practically Sibil’s karma!”

These words made the young knights burst into laughter. Others might not see it clearly, but they had all been fond of and loved Hibil. You know, when you love someone, your attention is focused on her and cannot be diverted. During that time, they were almost constantly watching Hibil's every move and every smile.

What is she doing? What is she thinking? What does she love? And what does she hate?
It's not surprising that Hibler was attracted to Cesar. Few people could harbor ill will towards a child like Cesar. Even they, after Cesar proved he was more than just a pretty face, accepted him within days—though they didn't have much contact with him because Cesar was always by Baldwin's side, they knew he wasn't a bad seed.

Hibil's malice and rejection of Cesar were also noticed by subtle boys like Guy and William—what an arrogant person Hibil was! Even they, the sons and nephews of dukes and counts, were merely toys and pawns to be manipulated by her. To ask her to admit that she had been seduced by an Isaac slave was worse than killing her!
However, with Baldwin's condition unclear and Cesar possibly going to the monastery with him, Hibil could easily push her handmaid, whom she didn't particularly like—Gerald's Damara—to Cesar. Of course, she could also force Damara to break the vow Cesar made to her when Cesar became a knight of Bethlehem and a close advisor to the new king, and take him away... The only thing she might not have considered was that Cesar genuinely disliked her.

If Cesar had hesitated even a little, not so many people would have stepped forward to help him out—after all, Hibil was the king's daughter, his sister, and would become the king's mother in the future.

"Will you go back to Bethlehem afterward, or will you stay on the road to Arazars?" David asked.

“Back to Bethlehem, but with Baldwin,” Cesar replied joyfully. Although he was left behind on Arrasa Road, Baldwin was not discouraged. Raymond was right; he was a newcomer to Arrasa Road and the surrounding fortresses, territories, and cities. They didn’t know him, and he didn’t know them—making a decision arbitrarily in completely unfamiliar circumstances would be tantamount to courting death.

He planned to tour the many castles surrounding the Arrassa Road, with Bethlehem being his first stop.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jacques has been very busy these past few days.

He had already bought a place on a boat for his wife's aunt and asked them to take her back to her hometown, but just before she was about to leave, the eccentric lady suddenly fell ill. Although he immediately summoned a priest for her, the priest left in displeasure as soon as he saw her—he refused to treat an Isaac.

He could only go to the Isaacs' "wise man," but the "wise man" also refused him and almost threw him out. Only then did he remember that his wife had told him that her aunt had long since abandoned her faith in order to marry a Christian knight, and that she was already considered dead in the Isaacs' community.

As a result, he could only hire a maid to look after his wife's aunt at the inn.

Fortunately, the other person his father-in-law had entrusted to him, his friend, didn't cause Jacques too much trouble. All he needed were a few camels, a few mules, some food and water, so he could take his wife and children to the next city.

You're saying he went to the desert?

Jacques asked in surprise.

He only sent men to follow them as a precaution, but the servant returned to say that these people had actually gone to the desert near the Dead Sea.

(End of this chapter)