kingdom of nations

Chapter 218 The Lord of Cyprus is in High Demand (Part 2) (Two chapters combined)
Natia knew that this delay was not a solution. Some people did not dare to directly propose marriage to Cesar, but there were always those who had the courage and the right to do so.

She personally pulled up a chair and sat down beside César, casually picking up a document from the table to peruse—she sometimes acted as lord on César's behalf, and he wouldn't hide anything from her or be wary of her. Otherwise, if something happened to Natia that she didn't know about when he left Cyprus, wouldn't she be caught off guard?
Natia frowned after reading only a few documents. The Cypriots loathed the Crusaders to the point that they resolutely rebelled upon hearing that they would have a Crusader lord. Besides their inherent greed, part of the reason was that there were also some undeniably scoundrels within the Crusaders.

Their actions completely violated the code of chivalry. If they were in the Franks or the Apennines, they would have been stripped of the shoulder straps and golden spurs that only knights possess, and then hanged as despicable bandits.

But here, they often act recklessly under the pretext of fighting for God, especially those who have been blessed by God, such as knights, kings, and lords. Their attitude towards them has always been quite ambiguous. They are clever; the victims are often either heretics or cultists. No matter what crimes they commit, under the protection of their fellow Christian rulers, the complaints of the aggrieved are mostly ignored, and sometimes they themselves suffer as well.

To prevent such a thing from happening, during the "Seven Days of Mourning" for Anna, the knights who followed Cesar—whether they were from the Knights Templar, the Knights of the Good Hall, or the Knights of the Holy Grail left to him by Baldwin, as well as those knights or their descendants who had sworn allegiance to his grandfather or great-grandfather since he became Earl of Edessa—made a pact with Cesar.

After capturing the palaces and fortresses, Cesar would not participate in the division of the spoils. They could take some small trinkets they liked, while the heavy, cumbersome, and difficult-to-handle items would be dealt with and appraised by the merchants who accompanied the army, and then distributed according to the proportions agreed upon by the Crusader knights themselves.

This practice certainly greatly damaged the interests of Cesar as lord, but the knights who had once followed him did not think it was anything to be alarmed about.

“He has always been so generous, more so than any king I have ever met,” a knight of the Order of the Holy Grail said proudly.

These families had been entrenched in Cyprus for centuries, accumulating wealth almost equivalent to that of a country. Even a Templar Knight as violent as Walter immediately calmed down—although it was a pity that he could not hear the cries and wails of those heretics, the gold was enough for the Templars to continue their operations in Cyprus.

Don't forget that Cesar allowed the Knights Templar to build military fortresses and walls in Cyprus. Moreover, their Grand Master Philip has decided to expand the Knights Templar, increasing the number of official members to two or three times the original number. When these members join the order, they will renounce all worldly power and property, and all their subsequent expenses, from horses to armor, will be provided by the order.

Although the Knights Templar were wealthy, it was still somewhat difficult for them to equip two or three hundred people at once.

As for Cesar, will he need money? Of course, after becoming the master of Cyprus, he needs money for almost everything, especially for the urgent defense of the southern border.

As far as they knew, after Saladin became the Grand Vizier of the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt, he moved the capital from Fustat, which had been destroyed by fire, to Cairo. During the turbulent year, he supervised the construction of the Muqatem Citadel while suppressing dissent. Now, Egypt had become his personal fiefdom, and he would soon become Sultan.

At that time, Cyprus might become his first target. But similarly, Cesar did not want his rule in Cyprus to begin with an unrestrained and unregulated massacre.

The construction of every palace requires a foundation hidden deep underground. This foundation cannot be seen by people, but its sturdiness directly determines the lifespan of the palace.

He would mourn and seek revenge for his wife, but he would not indulge his anger and turn a military operation that even the goddess of vengeance would rejoice at for its precision and restraint into a pointless venting—even in a state of extreme rage, Cesar never crossed the line he had set for himself.

Therefore, after a brief period of panic—when people saw him hang so many nobles, including noblewomen and monks—Cyprus quickly returned to calm before the arrival of Lent.

At Pentecost, Cesare sent his knights to announce that Cyprus could continue to act, trade, and live according to the original laws for another year. The decrees he formulated, which were loudly proclaimed by heralds in the marketplaces, squares, and various residences, were not about increasing taxes or requiring them to convert to the Roman Catholic Church, but rather three very simple rules.

First, it is not permitted to harm or even kill others. If a knight and a nobleman need to duel, they must apply in advance and obtain the lord's consent.

Second, theft, robbery, fraud, or other illegal means of obtaining other people's property are not permitted. Violators will be severely punished and will have to repay three times the value of the property.

Third, raping women or engaging in any behavior that is not permitted by the church is not allowed.

The latter point might be mistaken by later generations as a requirement of the Roman Catholic Church—in fact, at this time, the Church was not so strict. Even in the 18th century, priests only made suggestions, and for ordinary couples or even lovers, such a requirement was of little use. After all, once the door is closed and the curtains are drawn, who knows what is happening in bed?
César added this law because when much of Cyprus was in chaos, some people would not only take the opportunity to plunder property, but also assault young men and women. Therefore, he omitted the gender of the victim in the last clause to prevent anyone from escaping punishment.

These three decrees were simple and easy to understand; even slaves, whose numbers could be counted on one hand, could comprehend them. But some people always harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality), and these people were not all Cypriots—the latter would not risk their lives to test their new lord at this time. But the Crusader knights were different; no, they couldn't even be considered formal Crusader knights, as they had no order of knights or lord to serve.

They were all wandering knights like Longinus before them, always shouting that they were fighting for God, but when they arrived at Arazari, Antioch, or Tripoli, they were disoriented and lost. They couldn't even find the Saracens, let alone fight for God.

At first, they might have some spare money to support themselves and their squires, but if no one was willing to take them in, they would simply run out of money. Next, if they didn't want to starve to death, they would have to do things that were despised—knights had a deep-seated aversion to labor, and even if they had to become bandits, they were unwilling to work like commoners.

These people flooded into the city and did cause great trouble for some Cypriots. Even though they captured these knights, they did not dare to kill them as they had done before. They could only plead and beg repeatedly. Fortunately, the worst outcome did not occur. Although their lord was also a Crusader knight, he abhorred these heinous acts and dealt with these people quite fairly.

This caused dissatisfaction among some people, but when Cesar presented the evidence to them, they were speechless. After all, he could not admit that these scoundrels were one of them—the crimes were simply unforgivable, no matter where they were or who the victims were.

These people were indeed disgusting, but Walter still reminded Cesar that if he were truly so stubborn, he might lose the loyalty of some knights. "Don't you need them? You still haven't built an army that is entirely yours." The older and cruel knight said, "I know your relationship with the king; you are as close as true brothers, but he is ultimately the master of Arrassa, and you are the master of Cyprus. Any close bond, as long as it still belongs to two entities, will eventually separate. And when that day comes, if the king withdraws his support, what will you do?"

“I know.” Cesar first thanked the old knight for his kindness, then said with a serious expression, “But you should also know that corruption is contagious. Just like if you find worms wriggling in a bag of wheat, but you are unwilling to discard the hollowed-out grains and continue to leave them in the warehouse, these worms will continue to live and reproduce in the part you are unwilling to discard, and grow rapidly. The damage they cause will spread as quickly as ink falling into clear water.”

You might start by being unwilling to give up a bag of wheat, but the result could be the destruction of your entire harvest.

I never test human nature, because human nature is inherently fragile and cannot withstand any trials—while depravity is always pleasurable, and the pursuit of profit is innate. When they see someone around them who can act recklessly without being punished, guess what they will do?

Mr. Walter, I believe you understand that otherwise the Knights Templar would not have followed the twenty-five laws established at the Council of Nablus (laws concerning the Crusades established in 1120 by King Baldwin II of Arathi Basin, the Patriarch, and various high priests).

I do not require my knights to renounce all their wealth and eliminate all their desires like monks, but I also hope they can understand that this world is not just about violence and desire. They may feel that my laws are like shackles, but without these shackles, they would surely suffer calamity—not given by me, but by God.

I once saved their bodies on the battlefield; now I hope even more to save more people on the road to hell.

These words left Walter speechless. He glanced at Cesar, as if he wanted to say something, but then looked away. Soon, a difficult problem would stand before this young lord. He thought, then he would let him see if the other party could keep the oath he had just made.

As he left the governor's palace, he unsurprisingly saw the patriarch of the Gerard family. The gray-haired old man was sitting in a tavern, surrounded by several members of the Gerard family. They looked like they were trying their best to persuade him. Walter clicked his tongue; he knew what they were talking about.

The Gerard family was among the earliest investors in Cesar. Initially, Dean John's investment was merely a personal one, stemming from pity and regret for the young boy—it was only after Cesar established himself with Prince Baldwin that the Gerard family was willing to increase their stake. Their actual investment was relatively small, yet they reaped enormous rewards. Especially after Baldwin's ascension to the throne, the Gerard family and the Knights of the Good Faith they supported received numerous preferential treatments on Arrassa Road—and after the King assumed personal rule, he was even more generous in promoting his family members.

Logically, they should have been satisfied, but human desires are never-ending. If Damara had already married, they might have sought other avenues, but Damara's husband was dead, so the marriage contract was invalid before it was even fulfilled.

Naturally, Damara should continue to look for a suitable marriage, and who could be better than Cesar now?
He now possesses the title of Earl of Edessa, as well as the rich territories of Cyprus and Bethlehem. Most importantly, his family is small, with no male relatives other than his sister (besides Baldwin IV and David): "Haven't you been looking for a stable place for Damara? What place could be more stable than Cyprus?"

Previously, they had to worry about Egyptian invasions, but now, the island had the full support of Arrassal and the two major knightly orders, and even Antioch and Tripoli had promised to help. If Damara could become Cesare's wife, the Gerard family would also provide all their assistance. Wouldn't it be much more comfortable for her to become the mistress of such a vast territory than to return to the Franks and live a life confined to a castle, a few mills, a few barren fields, or a forest?

"Moreover, even if she becomes the wife of a Frankish knight, you cannot return to Frankish with her. You have sworn an oath that you will stay here until you have fulfilled your duty to God. But if she marries in Cyprus, you can still see each other often in the future, and you can even come directly to Cyprus. You are his father-in-law and should bear some responsibility for this young man."

“Indeed,” another member of the Gerard family nodded in agreement. “Our lord doesn’t have many trustworthy people to rely on these days. You see, when he left Cyprus, he even had to entrust the government to a woman. Although that woman was his sister, it was still quite a difficult situation.”

Such a great temptation, and the seemingly legitimate reasons that come with it, would be hard for any father with a daughter to refuse. But the patriarch of the Gerald family listened with a blank expression, and anyone who looked at him knew that this persuasion would inevitably come to nothing.

A member of the Gerald family, dressed more like a merchant than a knight, leaned back in his chair helplessly, picked up a glass of delicious wine and gulped it down. He really couldn't understand why the patriarch of the Gerald family was so stubborn.
Their strong support for his daughter was not without ulterior motives, but because Damara had a past connection with Cesare, and it is said that they got along very well at the Castle of Santa Croce at that time.

Of course, Damara cannot be said to have the beauty of Princess Sibil, nor does she have the dowry of Princess Anna, but she is young. She is two years younger than Cesare and is fourteen years old this year, which is a good time for her to get married. Presumably, she will be able to bear children for Cesare soon after marrying him.

Having an heir is very important to a lord.

Moreover, Cesare was a well-known good husband. Before he and Princess Anna of the Byzantine Empire were betrothed, they had almost never met. Their only time together was a short one or two months in the Castle of the Holy Cross.

They acknowledged that César's looks and character could easily make a woman fall in love with him, but Princess Anna was clearly not the kind of beauty that could easily make someone fall in love at first sight. In the poems of bards, of course, one could write at length and exaggerate her appearance, describing her kindness and nobility, but in reality, those who had only heard of her would certainly be disappointed when they saw her for the first time.

Moreover, she was a Byzantine, yet Cesar did not hesitate to clear half of Cyprus for her, even though his actions could be interpreted as striking and expelling forces in Cyprus that did not belong to him, and giving his enemies some due deterrence.

Undoubtedly, his execution of those noble ladies and monks was solely for Anna's sake. Not to mention that during the subsequent seven-day, monthly, and anniversary remembrances, he indeed fulfilled all the duties of a husband meticulously and faithfully, including fasting, chastity, and long periods of prayer and procession.

It's important to know that many husbands, after their wives die, would rather party and celebrate than wallow in grief. They might even start looking for another wife the very next day.

Even for couples who are deeply in love and have stayed together for many years, the husband will not refuse any woman who throws herself at him. During the year of mourning, it is not uncommon for a man to seek pleasure with prostitutes in order to relieve his "sorrow".

At this time, most knights viewed their daughters much like Amalric I had before. As long as she was well-behaved and didn't cause them trouble, they would hardly think of her. They would only remember that they had such a daughter when they needed to form an alliance through marriage.

However, there are also fathers who love their daughters, like Chief Gerard. But what puzzles his people is that, whether for his daughter's future happiness or to lay the foundation for the alliance, the lord of Cyprus is the best choice.

Chief Gerard had previously taken Damara out of Holy Cross Castle. They understood his concern that his daughter might secretly marry Cesare for love. At that time, Cesare's identity was unclear; he was merely a servant born of slavery. The title bestowed upon him by Amalric I before his death was clearly a reward for his future service to the prince in court and on the battlefield.

If Damara marries him, whether she will be happy or not is still uncertain, but she will certainly encounter danger many times.

The decision made by the head of the Gerard family was understandable. But his insistence on finding a marriage for Damara in Frankish was... well, if Damara hadn't once earned Cesar's loyalty, and if that young count weren't so easy to approach, they would have plenty of young and beautiful daughters.

He didn't continue trying to persuade him; he could tell that no matter how much he said, it would be useless.

Meanwhile, in a mansion in Nicosia, Damara was also experiencing a nagging buzzing sound. The men of the Gerald family went to persuade her father, while the women of the Gerald family went to persuade her.

“Our Damara has grown up. It’s probably a good thing that you didn’t marry that Frankish knight. Let’s dress you up and do your hair, so that you’re like a spring flower. When you go to the lord of Cyprus, let him marvel at your transformation and realize that you are full of fragrance, just waiting to be picked.”

“It is not shameful to go to see a knight and let him fall in love with you,” another lady advised. “On the contrary, it is the duty of any Christian woman. His mourning period is over, and you are not trying to tempt him into sin. You have no husband and he has no wife; you are a perfect match.”

“I’ve heard,” an older lady said earnestly, “that the daughter of the Venetian governor is on her way to Cyprus, and that the Byzantine emperor is also interested in continuing the marriage between the Byzantine Empire and Cesare. He has so many illegitimate daughters, all of them exceptionally beautiful, but we all know that beneath their gorgeous exteriors lies deadly poison.”

In any case, Cesar was once your knight. Would you rather see him seduced by those despicable Greeks, falling into the enemy's trap like Samson did? Even if not for him, not for yourself, but for the cause of the Crusades, you should become his wife. This is what is best for everyone. Shouldn't you also dedicate yourself to God?

They were sincere and affectionate, but Damara only found it amusing. If Cesar were the kind of person who could be swayed by beauty, he would have been Princess Hibil's lover long ago at Sainte-Croix Castle—and Hibil's malice towards him would not have grown stronger with the passage of time and the unhappiness of their marriage.

She was no longer an innocent little girl; now she could clearly discern people's true intentions. Just as she looked back, she realized that when Princess Hibil made Cesar her knight, it wasn't out of kindness, but rather a malicious prank. It was only because that person was Cesar that she was spared harm.

These ladies who once cherished her, loved her, and called her pearls and flowers may have had some good intentions, but more so, they did it for their husbands, sons, and brothers.

Her father had a long talk with her about whether Cesar was a good husband. Well, it would be a lie to say that Damara was never moved. Even though she was young when she was in the Citadel of Santa Croce and only saw Cesar as an older brother, when she followed her father to Gashalafa and Cesar fulfilled his promise to her without hesitation, she was willing to die for him.

Everyone talks about how Cesar treats Anna, but Damara has to admit to herself that she was the first one!
But she quickly cut off that still-immature affection, not only for Cesar, but also for the Gerard family—they were too greedy, Cesar had already given so much, yet they were still not satisfied.

If they continue to be allowed to run rampant, Cesar will only take back all the favors he has shown them in the past.

(End of this chapter)