kingdom of nations

Chapter 224 The Fourth Wife Candidate (Part 2)
Of course, Cesare could not possibly go to the port in person to greet the Pope's niece, as these priests had demanded.

This has little to do with status, dignity, or even love—in this era, "public behavior" is a procedure that must be followed in many important events, and this has given rise to many unspoken rules that are only followed and practiced at the top of the pyramid.

These rules are not written down, nor are they casually proclaimed. There is only one way to understand and master them: to follow one's father, uncles, and brothers who are also high-ranking officials and learn from them.

For example, when Cesar first arrived at Arrassa, he draped the white woolen cloth that the priest had draped over him over Baldwin. This was just a kind gesture—Cesar only wanted to comfort a sick child, but it aroused Amalric I's murderous intent.

For a king, a prince can bestow anything upon his servants, but a servant cannot look down upon his master with condescension; that would be blatant usurpation.

And then there was the unfortunate Count Étienne—at that banquet that made everyone feel incredibly awkward, he had to refuse the cloak offered by the princess's attendants at the last minute, because if he had accepted the princess's gift in front of everyone, that is, in the presence of most people, it would have been tantamount to accepting the marriage.

And the recent incident involving Princess Hibil and her husband Abigail, who attempted to use familial affection to persuade Baldwin to give up the main tower of Holy Cross Castle for their unborn child, also carries a special meaning—don't think of it as just a room. If Princess Isabella has a child in the future, this incident could be used as strong evidence in the struggle for succession.

They would say, "King Baldwin IV allowed the child to be born under the Holy Cross (the master bedroom was under the small chapel where the True Cross was enshrined), which means he recognized that the child would be his heir."

Therefore, if Cesar were to personally go to greet the noblewoman, the crowds along the roadside would cheer for the newlyweds before they even returned to Nicosia.

It's unclear whether it was at the Pope's behest, but his niece and her envoy acted with utmost respect upon arrival. Perhaps they didn't see it as coercion, but rather as something perfectly natural—they probably didn't even consider that Cesar might refuse.

You should know that the daughter of the Pope—oh no, niece—would be a suitable match even for the son of a king or a grand duke.

Not to mention a mere landless count.

Although Cesar could be considered the monarch of Cyprus according to the laws of the Byzantine Empire, the Pope did not recognize him—he would not easily grant recognition, as it was a very expensive bargaining chip.

For this reason, the noblewoman who came to arrange the marriage was not entirely willing. It was only after the priests from Arazars repeatedly told her that her future husband was an extremely young, tall, and handsome knight that she reluctantly agreed. She was even thinking about what kind of gift she should ask for if her future husband came to the port and begged her to disembark and marry him—a gold cup or a necklace? A silk robe or a crown?
On the first day, she was able to stay peacefully in the cabin, listening to the musicians play music and the maids recite poetry.

By the second day, she was starting to feel anxious. The cabin at that time was nothing like the spacious, bright, and fresh-aired cabins of later generations.

Even for distinguished guests like them, the ship's cabins were cramped, small, dimly lit, and filled with stale air. She wanted to go up to the deck to relax, but that's when she was met with many ambiguous gazes. She didn't know who they were. But the way they stared at her was anything but friendly.

Those are all heresies.

She suddenly thought of this problem and couldn't help but feel scared, so she quickly returned to her cabin.

By the third day, she could no longer bear it and wanted to disembark. But the words she had spoken earlier still echoed in her ears. She began to curse the ungrateful man and took her anger out on the priests around her. At the same time, she wondered why, as a Crusader knight, he shouldn't have feared and respected her father.

If it weren't for God's protection and the grace of the saints, how could he have risen from an unknown nobody to his current position? Doesn't he fear incurring the wrath of the gods by treating the bloodline of the Lord's agents on earth with such disdain?

Fortunately, the people who came to greet her arrived at dusk on the third day.

However, this person was not the lord they had expected, but the lord's sister. She politely apologized to the noblewoman and the priests around her, saying that her brother was too busy with official duties to come and had sent her to greet them. But everyone knew that this was just an excuse.

The other party's attitude was clear; he seemed genuinely indifferent to whether the marriage would succeed. While the priests cursed the knight who had been bewitched by the despicable heretic in their hearts, they also tried to persuade the Pope's niece. They were tired of the musty-smelling room, the food on the ship was not good, and there was no way to take a bath.

They had long been prepared to indulge in the pleasures of this unfamiliar city—but instead, they were confined to the ship every day, watching the lights flicker in the darkness…

The Pope's niece tried her best to maintain an arrogant attitude and a hint of anger, hoping to intimidate the woman who was said to have suffered misfortune in her childhood. But as the woman approached, she smelled the rich sandalwood scent on her body, saw the gorgeous purple silk robe, and the layers of pearls and gems. She immediately lost heart.

She had been on the ship for several days without being able to bathe, only able to wipe herself down, and was already starting to smell bad. No amount of perfume could help, and there was no purple silk in her luggage.

Helpless and disheveled, the group followed Natia off the ship. After entering the city, Natia kindly did not urge them to set off immediately, but instead entertained them at the mayor's residence, allowing them to take a bath, have a good meal, and then get a comfortable sleep.

However, that night, less pleasant shouting and banging noises came from the Pope's niece's room.

Is there anything she's unhappy about?

“Perhaps it’s because there’s no jewelry on the dressing table,” said a man whose female companion was working in the mayor’s mansion. “Oh dear, you can’t blame our lord for that; everyone knows he’s quite poor these days,” another man said, and those around him laughed.

However, neither the joke nor the laughter carried much malice.

The Cypriots all knew that their lord, after suppressing several rebellions, was still penniless and empty-handed. This was because he had paid a ransom for the Cypriots—he distributed his spoils to the Crusader knights in exchange for their compliance with his laws, which forbade killing, plundering, and rape.

Their discontent was largely directed at the Pope.

After all, the conflict between the Eastern and Western churches had been long-standing. The Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople had even excommunicated each other and declared the other a heretic. This sharp conflict only eased slightly during the Crusades. But to say that Cypriots, citizens of the Byzantine Empire, could possibly have any goodwill towards the Pope's niece was pure wishful thinking.

“Speaking of which, this is the fourth candidate—but I heard that one is also a ‘niece,’” a man said meaningfully. Several people around him immediately cast knowing glances; everyone knew that these ‘nieces’ were just a euphemism for illegitimate daughters. “Does it really matter whether you like her or not? This matter depends on how our lord decides. Sigh, I’d rather put up with those Venetians than have the Pope’s niece.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, the Venetians had been extremely pleased with themselves during this period. After all, the Gerard family had committed a foolish act, and their chances of securing the marriage were now extremely slim. Who would want to marry the sister of a sinner?
As for the Byzantine princess, although the Cypriots were very willing to let her become Cesar's wife, the problem is that everyone now knows that Manuel I of Constantinople is not so sincere in giving up Cyprus. If this young man is really persuaded to let another niece become his second wife, he only needs to wait for their child to be born, and as soon as Cesar dies, he can take back Cyprus in the name of the child.

Therefore, the only possible candidate is the noblewoman recommended by Venice.

So during this period, they were really smug and self-satisfied, and even began to openly purchase jewelry, silk and spices for the wedding from merchants, which made the Cypriots very uncomfortable.

They couldn't help but worry that if their lord really married that Venetian woman, the Venetians might one day turn the tables and become the new masters of the island—they had already heard that Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire had distributed all the privileges that originally belonged to the Venetians to the Genoese and Pisaians—which was why the Venetians were willing to do anything to secure this marriage.

"They must be terrified. The niece of the Pope carries far more weight than the niece of a Venetian dominator. And the Pope's niece is obviously safer than a Byzantine princess. After all, the Pope might plunder Cyprus's wealth, connections, and merchant ships, and might demand that their new lord order them to convert, but he is unlikely to become the King of Cyprus."

“However,” another person asked, “do you know how much dowry the Pope is willing to give to his niece?”

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"These are their terms?" Natia placed three documents in front of Cesar. The Gerard family had long been excluded, and the fact that they were able to retain their original share was only because Cesar was considering Damara and her father's interests.

The current candidates remain three: a princess of the Byzantine Empire, the niece of the Doge of Venice, and the niece of the Pope.

The Byzantine princess brought with her a dowry of 100,000 gold coins, 100 silk robes, and a promise from the emperor. Manuel I promised that if Cesar accepted the marriage, in addition to the dowry, he would also allocate a portion of the empire's existing navy to his son-in-law so that he could defend Cyprus from Saracen incursions.

But everyone could see that the part of this verbal promise concerning the navy was subject to non-compliance at any time, though a dowry of 100,000 gold coins was still considerable. Moreover, there was a condition secretly conveyed by the messenger—Manuel I was willing to include César in his list of successors; at the very least, César would receive the title of regent.

In other words, if Manuel I were to die before his youngest son came of age, César would have the right to become the uncrowned king of Constantinople by virtue of this decree. As a potential ambitious man, this condition would indeed make people hesitate, and even knowing that it was a poisoned bait, there were many who would be willing to take the bait.

“The Venetians might be a bit insincere; they’re a bunch of cunning and short-sighted fellows,” Natia said rather unhappily. The Venetians had initially been very generous, offering a dowry of 100,000 gold coins. But in addition, they promised to build thirty warships for Cyprus and agreed that Cesar would use Cypriot tax revenue to pay for it.

“Behind these Venetians, there must be a group of Isaacs,” Nanatia said. “They’ve been tax farmers for the Romans, Egyptians, and Saracens, and now they want to take on this job for you.” Before Nanatia could finish, Cesar waved his hand.

In this era, many kings and lords were willing to grant the Isaacs the right to collect taxes, as long as the Isaacs could provide the money they needed. How the Isaacs would exploit the poor merchants, artisans, and commoners was none of their concern. They simply waited for the lowly people to reach their breaking point and protest or riot, then called in a few Isaacs to kill.

This method was highly regarded, but Cesar had already seen the disastrous consequences of this seemingly advantageous approach to the rulers, and he was determined not to grant the Isaacs too many privileges.

However, after that banquet, seeing that the Gerard family had lost its competitiveness and that Cesar was likely to choose their governor's niece as his wife, the Venetians changed their original offer, only agreeing to a dowry of 100,000 gold coins and 15 warships, and demanding that Cesar purchase them at the existing prices.

“They seem very confident.” Cesar laughed, and Natia glared at him, clearly annoyed.

The Venetians were essentially saying that once Cesar married their governor's niece, the Venetians would gain any power they desired, rendering the tax farming system no longer a bargaining chip. By halving the number of warships, they were also taking this opportunity to further control the lord.

Fifteen warships are no match for the Saracen attack, and the lord will surely seek help from the Venetians. "They're all a bunch of greedy bastards," Natia said angrily.

Next was the Pope's niece, whose dowry was the smallest, consisting of only 75,000 gold coins.

But the Pope's messenger also had his own secret conditions—the Pope promised that he was working hard to bring about the Third Crusade.

The target of this eastern expedition remains Edessa.

The Second Crusade was intended to reclaim Edessa from the Saracens, but it was undoubtedly a failure.

If the third expedition still targets Edessa, then who will be the biggest beneficiary? Needless to say, it will be Cesare.

Crisis-ridden Edessa could not compare to the wealthy Cyprus, but it held great significance for a child who had lost his grandfather and father.

Alexander III could be said to have shown some sincerity, as he essentially asked Cesar to exchange Cyprus for Edessa.

Cesar glanced at the documents in front of him with annoyance. To be honest, he didn't want to choose any of them if he could, but he also knew that he had to get married this year because he would probably have to leave Cyprus next June to participate in Baldwin's second expedition.

This expedition was more significant than the one to rescue Manuel I. It meant that for the first time in nearly fifty years, the Crusaders finally had hope of further expanding their territory.

He didn't know how long the war would last. During this time, although he could still entrust Cyprus to his sister Natia, he certainly wouldn't entrust it to his wife, as that would be more convincing and appropriate.

Natia looked at her brother and pondered for a moment before finally placing her finger on one of the documents.

(End of this chapter)