kingdom of nations

Chapter 204 Yearning (Bonus Chapter)
The other Christian noblewomen also came for this purpose; they belonged to different factions: the three major knightly orders, duchies, counties, and various lords...

Baldwin and Patriarch Heraclius certainly hoped that Cyprus could become a territory belonging solely to Cesare, but its location was too important, its area too vast, and its people too complex. Compared to the small city of Bethlehem, even with the support of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, the Gerard family, and the Patriarch, it was far from enough to truly rule Cyprus.

They could not completely exclude other forces within the Holy Land—as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar said, their most urgent and important task was still to fight the Saracens, and they had already seen the consequences of acting independently—if the County of Edessa had received aid from other Crusader kingdoms when it was besieged by Zangie, Antioch, Tripoli, and Arrassa would not be in such a passive position now.

As for what would happen next, Heraclius and Baldwin were not too worried. Cesar had 200,000 gold coins left to him by his father, as well as the annual tax revenue from Cyprus. He could recruit knights from the Franks, grant them land, or give them annuities to serve him. He could even summon the knights who were originally loyal to his father and grandfather in the name of the Count of Edessa. He believed that they would be happy to gather under his command.

Then, after their child is born, and after a few more battles, Cyprus will truly belong to Cesar, who will then be the Count of Cyprus, or the Grand Duke, or even the King, depending on how high he can rise.

Baldwin was naturally pleased with this. As for whether Cesar would part ways with him because of this, he wasn't too worried. His father's advisors, Bohemond and Raymond, were also rulers of duchies and counties, with countless affairs of state to attend to. But when the king needed them, weren't they still serving him in Sainte-Croix Castle?
They were also present in every Crusader war against the Saracens.

In that case, he doesn't need to worry about any changes in their relationship.

He was certain he would attend the wedding, and he would be the most significant witness besides the Patriarch and the Archbishop of Cyprus. As he fastened a gold brooch for Cesare, he complained that the Byzantine Emperor hadn't sent the Patriarch of Constantinople to officiate the wedding.

While this wasn't excessive—after all, the Patriarch might not be willing to perform sacraments for an illegitimate daughter—Baldwin still thought the Emperor was being too stingy.

“This is a good thing,” Cesar said. “Now we can have our teacher officiate my wedding.”

Indeed, the Patriarch of Arrassa was a religious leader who could almost rival the Pope or the Patriarch of Constantinople, and if the Patriarch of Constantinople wanted to officiate the wedding—Anna's status was indeed higher than Cesare's, and Cesare's claim to Cyprus originated from her—they really couldn't refuse.

But if there were only the Archbishop of Cyprus here, they wouldn't have to worry. There is a hurdle between the Archbishop and the Patriarch, a hurdle that some people can never overcome in their entire lives.

Baldwin finally calmed down after César said that. He certainly hoped that Heraclius would officiate the wedding, not the Patriarch of Constantinople, "and I will have my teacher officiate my future wedding too."

He spoke, then realized the atmosphere had become somewhat awkward. He paused, then laughed again: "When I'm with you," he said, "I always forget that I'm a patient."

"You'll be fine."

“I hope so too,” Baldwin responded, “but I’ll be very disappointed. I used to imagine that we could get married on the same day, but now it seems impossible.”

“You are my witness today,” César said. “Perhaps one day in the future, I will be your witness.”

“That’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Baldwin said, but he didn’t take the words to heart. He had given up hope of recovering from his illness and was content as long as it didn’t affect his daily life or military operations. How could he possibly recover?
Unless Jesus Christ returns and heals him by touching his head as He touched the leper outside the city, his fate is predetermined and no one can change it.

Some people might be afraid of such a foreseeable future and have dark and twisted thoughts, but Baldwin never had such thoughts. He was indeed unfortunate, but his father, his teacher, and his most important friends and relatives were doing their best to support him. Although he only stayed in the sky for a moment, a bright star is better than countless dust. Why should he feel sorry for himself because of his misfortune?
He had decided to live each day happily until God called him.

He slapped Cesar on the shoulder abruptly. "Oh, right, there's something I forgot to ask you. Uh, I mean—it seems like Walter, Geoffrey, and David all came looking for you before. Did they…" Baldwin waved his hands slightly, a subtle smile on his face that any man could understand, "…take you to see a prostitute, or perhaps a maid?"

César gave him a very rare eye roll. "No," he said firmly. "I understand."

Although many people did come forward to offer him guidance, he refused them all. He couldn't tell Baldwin that, besides scoundrels like Geoffrey and Walter, even a noblewoman from the castle had invited him to her room—to teach him how to be a man…

His head was buzzing; he could hardly believe what he was hearing. His expression made the noblewoman burst into laughter.

"You don't think I'm teasing you, do you? No, we just feel it's time."

In this era, children received early romantic education. Not to mention the common people and serfs, older couples, young newlyweds, and their children and elders all slept in the same large bed.

They did those things without any scruples or concealment.

Within the castle, a young servant, just beginning his sexual journey, often becomes the object of forbidden fruit. Of course, they wouldn't allow any real relationship with the noble ladies of the castle, but the maids around them, the peasant women outside the city, and the prostitutes wandering the streets and alleys were enough to spur them into sexual relations. Surprisingly, despite Cesar's handsome appearance, physique, and talent, the noble ladies remained remarkably consistent. Perhaps such a steadfast and upright young man, so devoted in body and soul, was extremely rare; he was like a blank sheet of paper, and they didn't want to easily taint him.

With the wedding imminent, the noble ladies also wanted to take the opportunity to indulge themselves—the person who extended the invitation to Cesar was chosen by them together. She would soon be leaving Arrassa Road to return to Frankish territory and enter a monastery. There might be unexpected events, but she believed she could handle them well.

If it had only been a brief one-night stand, her relationship with Cesar would never have been discovered.

Of course, Cesar ultimately refused firmly—under the regretful gaze of the noblewoman, he practically fled in disgrace, and was thoroughly mocked by his attendant Longinus.

However, like Longinus, Baldwin was quite concerned about this matter. "Are you sure? You probably don't have any experience with this." He looked at Cesar with a suspicious gaze.

Some say that because Baldwin was unable to marry, sleep with a woman, or have children, Cesar, as his closest confidant, was forced to remain celibate. But Baldwin can swear that he never restricted Cesar in this regard, nor even hinted at it. He was happy to see his friend enjoy what he could not.

However, he also noticed that Cesar seemed to be the kind of person who was naturally aloof, and he did not find him to be impulsive when they occasionally needed to be alone in a room together.

“It’s okay if you fail,” he said in a low voice, gripping Cesar’s shoulder. “I’ve heard that the chances of failure are high the first time, but it’s alright. The witness just needs to make a few small movements.”

"Once they confirm you've slept together, you'll have plenty of time to adjust." His mind started wandering again: "And once you have a child, you can come with me to war again."

Syria is now divided into four or five parts, and almost every vizier and Fatah member is claiming to be Nour al-Din's successor.

“It’s a pity, if it weren’t for…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but Cesar knew he was lamenting the enormous losses Raymond and Bohemond had inflicted during the previous campaign against the Saracens. That gap had not yet been fully filled, let alone organized another expedition against the Saracens.

“But if we wait a year or two, or if the timing is right, we might still be able to achieve a great victory. If we can achieve another great victory, I will write to the Pope in Rome and ask him to organize the Third Crusade. We must find a way to take back Edessa,” he tightened his grip on his arm, “that is your foundation.”

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“My lord,” Longinus said as he entered, “we have arrived.”

The officials and envoys of the Byzantine Empire, as well as the nobles of Cyprus, had been waiting at the port for a long time. They held high banners, including the crescent and star banners of the Byzantine Empire, the banners of the Alassane Cross, the banners of the Knights Templar and the Knights of the Good Hall, and the banner of Cesare—the red banners stood out among the white and blue ones, making them easy to spot at a glance.

The Cypriot nobles prepared a gift for Cesar, and they seemed to be very sincere towards their new lord: a silver plate as large as an adult male's arms, engraved with the image of Aphrodite rising from the sea, standing on a huge seashell filled with pearls, real pearls.

Each pearl is about the size of a little finger, and what's most amazing is that, in addition to the usual white and pink, there are also gold, blue, and black pearls.

This gift would be impeccable even if presented to the king. The head of the Cypriot nobles specifically mentioned that there was an even more precious gift—the Cypriot crown. However, it was currently in the princess's hands, and after the ceremony, the princess would personally place the crown on Cesar's head, signifying that he had become the master of this place.

But some devout people frowned at the plate.

While it's understandable that Cypriots chose this motif—Aphrodite is still a pagan deity—Cyprus is her island. Aphrodite was born near the Romeo Rock on the Paphos coast, and her religious culture dates back to the 3rd century BC. Cypriots still preserve temples, limestone, and marble statues of Aphrodite.

The Paphos region preserves the "Love Spring," whose waters are said to bring love to young men and women, and people still visit it to this day.

“These heretics!” Walter cursed angrily, referring not only to the plate but also to the Byzantine flag.

In 340 BC, Byzantium was besieged by Philip II of Macedon. The situation was critical until Artemis, the goddess of hunting and the moon, descended from the sky with a crescent moon and an eight-pointed star, and repelled the Macedonian army. From then on, the crescent moon and the eight-pointed star became the symbol and emblem of Byzantium.

The stars on the new moon are also said to represent the Virgin Mary, but Walter did not acknowledge this.

(End of this chapter)