kingdom of nations

Chapter 238 The Gift (Part 2)

The ladies present couldn't help but utter heartfelt exclamations of admiration.

Some urged Portia to try on the golden crown immediately, while others said that she happened to have a piece of scarlet velvet that would perfectly match it.

Portia held the exquisite golden crown in her hands to admire it. She had to admit that the gift was indeed very much to her liking—but after looking at it for a while, she put it back in the box with a regretful expression, and then said gently to the lady, "I like the gift you gave me, but please take it back."

"The trading privileges for rock sugar are not in my hands; they are in the hands of our sister, Natia. If your husband did indeed instruct you to do this, I can summon my maid. Have her take you to see Lady Natia."

In fact, not only she, but even some of the noble ladies around her might not have guessed the lady's true intentions. They watched as she took a step forward, boldly raised her head, and stared at Portia.

She said, "But you are the lady of the house."

The air in the room suddenly turned cold. Almost everyone except Portia and the lady froze, as it had been said before, that in modern society, women were not qualified to wield real power or command the military.

But in certain situations, such as when her husband went to war, or when her son was still very young, or when her parents died prematurely, leaving only her underage brother and older sister.

So whether it's the wife or the sister, they both have the right to temporarily manage the property for the male master or heir. Although they can only manage this property for a short time and will be subject to various constraints and obstacles, they at least have more say than ordinary women.

Of course, men also pay attention to this. Although they have to let their sisters or wives manage the castle and territory on their behalf when they are away, they always go to great lengths to portray women who are unwilling to give up their power as witches or even devils.

Elinor of Aquitaine, Richard's mother, Constance, Queen of Sicily, and the most recent Queen Mélisande, were subjected to so much criticism and slander precisely because they were able to control not only their own destinies but also the destinies of others, much like men.

Even if they cannot break free from the constraints of faith and law like the former, many women still want to fight for power and profit, but due to their limited vision and knowledge, they find it difficult to see the long term.

But when it comes to a castle or a territory, no one knows its power better than them. When Cesare's sister exercised the power of the lord on his behalf, some people speculated that she would clash with Cesare's future wife. And after Portia truly became the mistress of the place, the Cypriots believed that sooner or later they would see the open and covert struggle between Cesare's sister Natia and his wife Portia.

Although things didn't go as they expected.

Natia is one of the most difficult problems facing Cesar.

If she truly had a significant inclination towards power, things would be much easier.

But like Cesar before her, she also lacked education. She entered the Sultan's harem at the age of eighteen, where the education she received—if it could be called education—belonged to a female slave rather than a mistress.

She also knew that although her brother loved and respected her, to many people she was a stain on his reputation.

Even though it wasn't her fault, people would still bring it up from time to time—overtly or covertly. While she was grateful and adoring, she didn't want her brother to waste his energy on this matter.

Without needing any persuasion, she willingly remained invisible in her brother's first marriage. The same was true in his second; she needed no more money, clothes, or jewelry. She had absolutely no interest in the advances of knights.

In fact, she still fears men to this day.

In the Sultan's harem, there was only one true man, whose every joy and anger was tied to their dignity and lives. She would never forget the look in Sultan Nur admiring her eyes, a look filled with weariness and indifference.

Under the guidance of the chief eunuch, they learned many musical instruments, songs, and dances to proclaim and express their love for the Sultan. But Natia knew very well that throughout the entire harem, even the first ladies felt no love for the Sultan whatsoever. They only felt fear towards him; who would love a lion that could bite their throat at any moment?

She used all her remaining courage when she faced King Baldwin IV of Arathi Basin and revealed her and her brother's identities. Even knowing that Queen Mother Maria had intentionally separated her from others, she was happy to accept it, as it was exactly what she needed.

But similarly, she wouldn't hesitate at all when her younger brother needed her.

But in the quiet of the night, she would think about her future—she had long since lost any desire for love and marriage. She had also heard that César might be looking for a suitable marriage for her.

She had tried countless times to muster the courage to ask Cesar if she could stay by his side, even if it was just a small room.

But don't abandon her; she doesn't want to get married or go to a convent. As for Cesare, he should admire her; not every child can keep such a significant secret hidden in their heart, remember it so deeply, and never reveal a single word.

Keep in mind that she went to the Sultan's harem, and her status was that of a lowly female slave. Moreover, if she had revealed her identity, she might have become Sultan Nur ad-Din's concubine much sooner, without suffering so much torture and the threat of death, although this might have threatened Joseph IV's life.

Even that person couldn't possibly criticize her under these circumstances.

But she persevered, and persevered until the very last moment.

César, however, did not know how to soothe Natia's unease and fear. He could tell Natia that he did not care whether she wanted to marry, but he worried that Natia would think that he was implying that she should go to a convent—this was often how male heirs dismissed their sisters who were not valued by them.

He also tried to share some of his power with Natia, but found that these efforts only increased her psychological stress.

The granting of the trading privileges for rock sugar to Natia was entirely accidental; Cesar was simply taking Natia there for fun.

You should know that when you flick the bamboo strip to lift the silk thread, you also lift the sugar crystals that are frozen on the thread, which look like ice cubes. Even César, who knows the principle, would find it magical and interesting.

He had shown Baldwin, their teacher Heraclius, and the Templars Joffroy and Walter before. Even the usually stern knights would widen their eyes with excitement like little animals, let alone a girl like Natia.

She looked at it, touched it, and even tasted a piece of rock candy. Just as César had easily captured Portia's attention with a piece of rock candy, Natia was completely captivated by its sweet and fragrant taste.

She stayed in the workshop all day and was almost unwilling to leave.

By this time, sugar was no longer a scarce commodity in the Mediterranean region. It was transported to Italy, Germany, and the Frankish Empire as a valuable commodity, becoming an indispensable and precious condiment on the tables of kings and nobles.

Moreover, methods for decolorizing sugar already existed at this time. At least César once saw two merchants in the market grabbing each other by the collar and arguing loudly before the market inspector because the sugar color was not as advertised.

That's right. By this time, people had learned to cover cheaper dark sugar with higher-priced light-colored sugar to disguise it as light-colored sugar for sale. The taste and value of light-colored sugar were obviously higher than those of dark-colored sugar. Rock sugar was a further purification of white sugar.

Moreover, after crystallization, it becomes more resistant to moisture and heat, and is less prone to clumping and spoilage.

Moreover, its resemblance to ice and snow, along with its diamond-like shape, luster, and transparency, made it even more appealing to nobles.

Perhaps the church also had its own—at least, after seeing and tasting the new sugar, Professor Heraclius immediately decided to add it to the church's purchasing list.

Cesar had intended to teach Baldwin how to make rock sugar, but Baldwin refused, preferring to buy the raw materials for rock sugar and transport them to Cyprus to complete the final steps in Cesar's workshop rather than take the recipe back to Holy Cross Castle.

“It’s bound to leak,” he said firmly. “The people around me aren’t as reliable as you think.” This wasn’t just his personal problem, but a common ailment among all monarchs and lords these days—perhaps Cesar’s seemingly overly harsh demands weren’t such a bad thing after all.

Baldwin said this while shaking his head. Cesar had set such harsh and strict bottom lines that a large number of knights who originally wanted to join him turned to Antioch and Tripoli instead. Many people laughed at him for missing the best opportunity to recruit people.

But now it seems that a knight who can meet Cesar's requirements is destined to have no major flaws in other areas.

If Cesar asks them to keep a secret, they will absolutely keep their mouth shut and will not, like others, casually sell their master's secrets at the dinner table or in a prostitute's bed.

Cesar had no intention of keeping this small skill to himself. He had made an agreement with the old knights who had served Joseph II that after ten years of service, they would receive a stable home and a fiefdom in addition to weapons, armor, and horses.

The skill of making rock candy is another reward he will give them, and the other knights will also be able to profit from this industry. If they are able to obtain fiefdoms from Cesar in the future, Cesar will also allow them to open rock candy workshops on their own fiefdoms.

It can be said that the current production of rock sugar is entirely for the purpose of building a reputation and sales channels for this new product. Cesar has never regarded it as a means of making money, which is why he handed it over to Natia for management without any concern.

(End of this chapter)