kingdom of nations

Chapter 233 The Second Marriage (Part 2)

"This is common."

When Portia mentioned this to her grandfather, even Dandolo couldn't help but say something like that unconsciously.

A woman is a commodity, and her ownership, like that of a commodity in a transaction, is constantly changing hands, from her father to her husband, and from her husband to her son. How much respect can a person have for a commodity?
Dandolo had raised Portia like a boy, without expecting her to achieve great success. Rather, out of love for the child, he hoped she would maintain her individuality in her future marriage.

This is very important. Unconditional docility will only provoke more violence. Humans are born to bully the weak and fear the strong. Their reactions to a prey that cowers and dares not move are completely different from those to a prey that may jump up and retaliate at any time.

In other words, even Dandolo didn't expect to find a husband who wouldn't beat his wife in his granddaughter's future marriage—he only hoped that Portia would be able to escape and fight back even if she wasn't under his protection—in short, just not die.

He was now witnessing a strange sight: a man who not only didn't beat his wife, but also hoped that his sister's husband wouldn't beat his wife either. "He's such a good person, isn't he?"

He asked his granddaughter with a smile.

Portia hesitated for a moment. She knew that none of her grandfather's questions were unfounded, but after a moment's hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

He was indeed a good man, sometimes even too lenient. If a maid ruined his clothes, the cook made the soup too salty, or the gardener mistakenly pruned his favorite rose bush, he would not punish them severely.

He would only tell them to try their best to make amends or not to repeat the mistake next time. At worst, he would deduct their wages—but this was hardly a punishment, as the servants working in the governor's palace received the highest wages.

The worst punishment, at least as far as she knew, was expulsion from Nicosia.

Although they have to abide by some rules that seem a bit strange.

Portia talked on and on until she saw her grandfather smiling at her, and then she realized that she was being overly concerned about the place, or rather, about the people who owned it.

A deep blush immediately rose to the girl's cheeks: "You're mocking me, grandfather."

"No, no, no, I was just watching how a girl falls in love."

Are you worried that I'll fall in love with him?

“Isn’t it natural for a wife to love her husband?” Dandolo shook his head and put down his fork—the Church considered it a pretentious act, a waste of the five fingers God had given people, but Dandolo felt that doing so did reduce a lot of grease and filth, and he found it quite convenient.

"I just want to remind you of two things."

“Two things…” Portia glanced around, and the maids immediately and silently left the room. Dandolo’s servants, needless to say, had also left the dining room long ago, leaving only the grandfather and grandson.

No one can deny that your future husband is a virtuous and upright person.

But you will also hear a lot of dissenting voices. While most people praise him, some people will mock his kindness as stemming from his cowardice and inferiority complex.

I've raised you to be a proud child, and I worry that you'll gradually lose your respect and fear for him in our future marriage.

"How could you think that way? When you love someone, shouldn't you respect them even more?"

"That's your current thinking. But I've seen too many women who are lucky enough to have a good marriage. Their husbands were willing to love and respect them at first, perhaps because of their dowry, or perhaps because of their faces and figures. But in any case, they did have a pretty good time."

But this period of time often doesn't last long. This isn't entirely the men's fault, but rather because women often have the illusion that everything is fixed and unchanging—God, castles, and their husbands' love. When something is always readily available, they stop treasuring it.

Especially if the husband is usually too gentle, they might even think they can be superior to him.

"Overlord?"

"Yes, I have always taught you to achieve a stable relationship, whether in the business world, in the court, or even in your bedroom. The best way is to make both parties equal and mutually beneficial. But there are always some fools who think that if a person does not take advantage of an opportunity to obtain something—such as a person's dignity and interests—it is an unbearable loss."

Under normal circumstances, once such women show such signs, their husbands will punish them with imprisonment, fists, and lovers to teach them their place—after which most of them do indeed begin to behave themselves and act cautiously.

I know you're not necessarily that stupid; after all, I'm the one who raised you. But there's a big problem in your marriage to César.

Just as you described to me before—he is very tolerant.

If the servants made a mistake, and it were one of the knights I knew, they would at least get a few blows, even if they weren't hung up and whipped. That would be considered good; some would even be executed.

He could be so generous and caring towards a lowly servant with whom he had no relation, and he was even more so towards his knights and subjects.

As for his wife... the things he did for Princess Anna were enough to be written into the poems of bards.

Presumably, he won't treat his future wife too badly. He may never even raise his fist against you, and you'll live a very comfortable life, happier than your mother or grandmother. But that's the biggest drawback, at least that's what I think.

"I hardly understand what you're saying."

"I mean, when you disappoint him, he won't immediately become angry or furious. He might talk to you nicely, or he might just keep it to himself. But do you know why teachers whip children so hard? Because otherwise, children won't remember the mistakes they've made."

You will be the same; you will become addicted to the sweetness of success, you will lose your way in the allure of power, and when your mistakes accumulate enough, or when you cross his bottom line, he is very likely to turn away immediately and never look back.

"Are you prophesying? Your words terrify me."

"Fear is just right. Do you think he'll keep going back and forth with you? He's still a man, a knight, the lord of this place, the absolute monarch of Byzantium. He has countless things to deal with, battles large and small to fight, a monarch to whom he must serve, and subjects and knights to whom he serves."

As a wife, you don't hold a significant place in his life.

Although… if our vows still existed then, your marriage would have continued, or perhaps for the sake of your children, he would have chosen to back down again, but his estrangement would have thrown you off balance, causing you to plummet from a great height into an abyss.” “Are you advising me not to love him so much?”

"No, I'm not saying you shouldn't love him. I'm saying you should love him more—he's kind but not stupid, and he can tell whether someone is truly sincere to him. You should love him not only as a wife, but also as a subject to your king, and as a knight to the lord you serve. You must be honest with him, you must submit to him, and you must always remember that you are equal to him yet unequal."

You may not understand now, but that's okay, just remember it.

A proverb once came from the distant East, and I find it very true. Before I do anything, I always reflect on it to see if I've made a wrong decision.

"What kind of proverb?"

"It's something you don't want to do, so don't expect others to do it for you."

Dandolo tapped the table with his fingers. "You are lucky, my child. Your future marriage has a very good foundation."

What you need to say now is to add bricks and stones to make it a solid and magnificent palace, instead of constantly removing the foundation that allows you to stand.

Okay. Now I'm going to talk about something else.

Portia could only keep what she had heard to herself for the time being, to slowly savor it in the dead of night. "What's the second thing?"

"This matter is not as urgent as the previous one, but it is very important. If you fail to do what I asked of you before, it may give you a chance to make amends—that is, Cesare's first wife, Princess Anna of the Byzantine Empire."

You don't think that just because she's dead and buried six feet under, it has nothing to do with you anymore, do you?

"No, Grandfather, I respect and admire her very much."

Not every woman, betrayed by her father and brother and nearing death, can still seek revenge. Portia could see, of course, that Princess Anna's final insistence was not just for love, but also to deliver a swift and satisfying blow to the face of Emperor Manuel I of the Byzantine Empire and his ambitious brother Alexius.

She did indeed achieve that. The current emperor is probably suffering from this thorn in his side, unable to sleep peacefully, while the head of her brother Alexius has long since turned into a piece of white bone on the city wall of the Church of St. Lazarus.

“So as soon as I arrived in Larnaca, I went to the Church of St. Lazarus to offer a requiem mass for Princess Anna, who has no conflict of interest with you,” Dandolo stared sternly at Portia. “She even owes you a debt of gratitude; she left your husband an unimaginably rich dowry.”

Their marriage lasted only one night. She did not leave any children for your husband. Your future children will not have any inheritance rights or other rights, nor will they share any of their father's love. But love is exclusive, and I cannot expect you not to feel jealous when you love César.

But you should know that Princess Anna's actions would move even the hardest stone to tears, let alone your husband, who is such a soft-hearted person. He will probably never forget her.

She will always have a private sanctuary in his heart.

You can be jealous, but don't let that jealousy destroy your reason. You must never slander or insult her. No living person can be more perfect than a dead one.

Do not view your husband's heart as a small room, or even just a box, where once one person moves in, there is no room for a second. Instead, view your husband's heart as a courtyard.

A courtyard can't possibly have only one type of flower. There might be roses, or daffodils; wild roses, or morning glories; low shrubs, or tall trees.

And you should also know that even roses, if they encroach on the territory of other plants, no matter how beautiful they are, will be considered poisonous weeds that need to be removed by some people.

Don't do such a foolish thing. You should bloom beautifully, vibrantly, and thrivingly. You should reproduce with him and become his strong support, so that he can truly keep you in his heart and in every corner of his life.

Then, when you have a child, even if it's not a boy, it signifies that your marriage has entered a stable phase. At that point, you can even talk to him about Princess Anna, listen to his thoughts on her, and you can even pray for her and attend Mass for her.

Dandolo, seeing the doubt in Portia's eyes, cruelly reminded him, "You can't be sure that you'll be the only woman in his future life."

"He's only seventeen, and you're the same age as him. Women age very quickly after childbirth, and you can't guarantee you'll survive each birth," Dandolo said. Seeing his granddaughter, though pale, listening intently without immediately jumping up to refute or denying the fact, he felt a sense of genuine comfort.

"And when he has a lover or another wife in the future, you and your children will have less and less to rely on, so you need to seize more bargaining chips while you are still deeply in love."

Princess Anna will be an insurmountable barrier for every wife and lover after him. This insurmountable barrier is your strongest shield. You should not reject her; on the contrary, you should be closely connected with her and your future children.

That way, even if his love for you fades, or you are no longer by his side, he will still think of you when he thinks of Anna—the St. Anne's Cathedral next to the Governor's Palace has already begun construction, so let Princess Anna become a true monument.

You may have your own church someday, but I hope it will be built for you by your son, not your husband.

Portia took a deep breath. All her previous fantasies were like fragile glass, shattered by her grandfather's words, but she did not blame him for it.

Just like the rigorous education she had received before, he revealed these terrible facts so that she could become better, not worse.

"Alright." Dandolo seemed unburdened, having put those words out of his mind. He knew his granddaughter understood. "Now let's talk about something pleasant. When would you like to set the wedding date? September or October?"

Portia was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by her grandfather's antics.

“September,” she said firmly, and a relieved smile appeared on Dandolo's face. It seemed his granddaughter was still as courageous as ever.

“I heard that he wasn’t having a good time that night, driven entirely by anger and pity for Princess Anna. Although every witness says they completed the ceremony, I think…”

Dandolo said softly, "I think you'll leave him with a better memory, like honey to counteract bitter medicine, though it won't completely mask the sour taste... but it's certainly not something he deserves."

“Of course, Grandfather,” Portia replied confidently.

(End of this chapter)