kingdom of nations

Chapter 203 Missing
“How beautiful,” Princess Anna sighed as she stood on the high terrace, gazing at the distant coastline and the calm sea.

The seawater is like an emerald, and also like a sapphire. There seems to be a boundary between them, but before you realize it, they blend together to form another, more beautiful, yet indescribable color.

“This is the work of God; no painter could possibly replicate it,” the princess said, and her maids nodded in agreement. Among them were women from the Byzantine Empire, noble ladies from Holy Cross Castle, and others sent to her by Cypriot nobles. Although these girls appeared quite docile, each harbored her own thoughts.

Anna, however, had no time to consider their thoughts. In fact, as she gazed at the sea, she thought of her future husband. Cesar also had a pair of jewel-like eyes. You couldn't say they were emerald green, nor could you say they were deep blue. Just like the sea before her, they were a fusion and reflection of the two most beautiful colors, interspersed with golden veins. When he gazed at someone for a long time, his eyes seemed to be filled with tiny starlight.

Anna found that even after just a few days apart, she began to miss him.

For the Crusaders, the sooner the couple married, the better. However, Byzantine officials considered February an inauspicious month, March insufficient, and April, May, and June potentially ominous. They advised holding the wedding in the autumn or winter. This suggestion, of course, was unanimously rejected by the Crusaders, even by Baldwin himself.

Finally, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, holding the Bible, solemnly chose an auspicious day for them—January 25th. The expressions on the faces of the Byzantine officials and envoys at that time were indescribable.

Even now, Anna still laughs at this. January 25th is the Feast of St. Paul's conversion, an important date mentioned many times in the scriptures. As God's people, there is nothing wrong with choosing this date to get married, except that it was too hasty.

So Anna stayed in Fort Sainte-Croix for more than a month before heading to Cyprus. To her own surprise, when she finally decided on the departure date, she even felt a little attached to Fort Sainte-Croix—a place that should have been unfamiliar and dangerous to her.

Yes, although she was an outsider and a princess of the Byzantine Empire, everyone in the castle, from squires to knights, from servants to masters, treated her very well. The letter her foster mother, Theodora, had asked her to deliver to Queen Mother Maria was still hidden in her bodice, and she hadn't been able to take it out yet, nor was there any need to.

Maria cared for her like a mother, and she didn't even need to make any requests—because Maria had already considered all the issues. This was not the kind of treatment an outsider could receive in the Holy Cross Castle, the princess knew very well, and her current status was rather unappealing; after all, she was the emperor's illegitimate daughter.

Anna was prepared before she stepped into this place; she might be met with coldness, bullying, or at best, being ignored.

But apart from Queen Maria, the noble ladies surrounding her did not harbor much ill will towards her. The young attendants and servants ran around and were willing to obey her orders. And once they got to know her and realized that she was a good person, they became more relaxed and natural around her.

It was from this moment that Anna realized that the reason these people treated her so kindly was not because of her status or anything else, but simply because she was going to become César's wife. They loved César and of course would not make things difficult for him.

Cesar may not have fallen in love with her; he hadn't yet completed his lesson. But he respected her, and his attitude influenced others. What Anna didn't expect was that the first person Cesar reminded was none other than Baldwin, the King of Arathor.

Anna had overheard the maids' whispers—whether intentionally or unintentionally—that Baldwin had originally intended to choose the most suitable marriage for his brother and best friend, one that was of similar age, of noble status, and with a large dowry or estate. He was not concerned with appearance, as he did not believe anyone could be more beautiful than his friend, even if she was a woman.

Princess Anna, apart from her dowry—specifically Cyprus—met Baldwin's expectations in every other way.

Although her appearance could be described as pretty, it was nothing compared to a true beauty. Moreover, apart from Cyprus, her dowry was exceptionally meager. Queen Mary, on the other hand, had at least several dozen heavy cavalrymen as her entourage, and her accompanying officials and servants were numerous and impressive.

Princess Anna was only accompanied by a few Byzantine maids—not from the Grand Palace, but sent by the Byzantine officials—otherwise, she would have looked too unsightly!

Cesar didn't seem to have much of an opinion on this, but Baldwin was furious. He saw it as a sign of disrespect, especially since the emperor had never restored Anna's status, which made him very suspicious—it was completely contrary to the grand gesture of sending Cyprus away.

Moreover, Anna was getting on in years, and he was worried about whether she could have a healthy child. No one knew Baldwin better than Cesar, and before arriving at Arrassa Road, he had a long talk with Baldwin about Anna's situation.

Almost everyone in Holy Cross Castle acts according to the king's wishes. If Baldwin shows any displeasure with Anna, Anna's days in Holy Cross Castle will certainly be very difficult.

Sometimes, pain doesn't require sharp words or fierce eyes. A faint smile, a meaningful glance, or a sudden silence can make someone feel helpless and restless.

This is all without resorting to any underhanded tactics. In the Grand Palace, some girls even commit suicide because they can't stand other people's "pranks".

Only then did Anna truly understand Theodora's words: what is the most precious quality? For a good man, it is not appearance, not wealth, not status, and bloodline is utterly irrelevant—it is virtue.

Some might say that Anna wasn't ugly, or perhaps it was just a young man's impulsive act of first love. But weren't there people more beautiful than Anna around her? Cesar had met Theodora, and there were Sibil and Damara in the Castle of the Holy Cross—she had heard that Sibil had recently lost a child, but she couldn't tell from her demeanor or figure at all; her appearance was even more aggressive than that of an average woman.

As for Damara, the noblewoman who had once been loyal to Cesar—she was still a child, her face not yet fully developed. She had been betrothed, but the unfortunate knight died of illness before the marriage could take place.

Quite coincidentally, the Gerard family was also seeking to forge a further alliance with Cesar—for the sake of Cyprus, they had also become involved in this grand game at the invitation of the King and Patriarch. For this reason, Damara's marriage was temporarily postponed, and she was taken back to Arrasar by members of her family.

They knew that Cesar was a very sentimental person. Even if there was no romantic relationship between him and Damara, he had still fulfilled his vow to Damara on the battlefield—even if Damara had broken off their agreement, there should still be some difference.

Two of the princess's maids were sent by the Gerard family and would remain with her there until she married Cesar. Some time later—perhaps before she became pregnant—she would choose two Cypriot nobles as husbands for these two maids.

The Gerard family knew very well that the Cypriots were not as obedient as they appeared. They were all smiles and obedient, but no one could guess what they were thinking. However, the Gerard family were also merchants, and if they put themselves in the Cypriots' shoes, they would inevitably feel constrained and unable to move freely if they suddenly had a lord.

After all, the Byzantine Empire's control over Cyprus was already quite loose. Manuel I hadn't sent a governor there for several years, perhaps because his ministers were also reluctant to come. Being the governor of Cyprus meant that he had to defend this precious territory for the Byzantine Empire. In other words, he would be at war with the Saracens again—and the empire's navy was no longer able to support their needs.

Before entering Egypt, the Fatimid Caliphate was the Islamic dynasty that attached the most importance to maritime affairs, second only to the Umayyad Caliphate. Their navy was very powerful, and later they even recruited Saracen pirates to attack and plunder Cyprus together.

Only in recent years has the decline of the Fatimid dynasty given Cypriots a chance to breathe.

Although Cypriots still pay taxes to the Byzantine emperor, they certainly don't want another person who can take advantage of them.

The Gerard family occupied a large part of the content and terms of the agreement between the Crusaders and Cesare—after their marriage, Cesare would sign a charter allowing them to operate several ports and shipping routes, and in return, the Gerard family would order ships from the Venetians for Cesare.

Of course, the Gerard family cannot rely entirely on Cesar; they must also establish themselves here as soon as possible, and the best way to do so is, of course, through a happy marriage.

(End of this chapter)