kingdom of nations

Chapter 314 Laura and Lorenz
For the envoys of the Byzantine Empire, this was also a rare diplomatic experience.

According to personal thoughts and moral standards, Byzantium was undoubtedly in an unjust position, but according to the emperor's will and the interests of the empire, Byzantium's enemy could only be a despicable villain.

Unfortunately, as a member of the Dukas family, Alexei was often by Emperor Manuel I's side—from fighting the Seljuks to successfully reclaiming Cilicia, quelling the Serbian rebels, conquering the coastal regions, and launching multiple attacks on Hungary in alliance with Rus', forcing it to submit... until the Battle of Myreosephalon, which utterly humiliated the emperor.

He watched helplessly as that once spirited young man gradually fell to this state. Sometimes, he would gaze at the throne that had once been occupied by Ducas's dragon and wonder if it was cursed. Otherwise, why were the Romans always mocked by cruel reality whenever they had a glimmer of hope?
He was aware of the emperor's conspiracy. Alexei was not one of those naive young men. He did not mind using tactics in politics or even on the battlefield. However, in the matter of Cyprus, he unusually dared to speak out and advised Emperor Manuel I, hoping that he would reject the "olive branch" extended by Alexander III and the Crusaders.

From Alexios's perspective, he completely failed to understand Manuel I's actions—if it was somewhat understandable that he initially used deception to incite conflict between the Crusaders and the eldest prince Alexius, then perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that he unexpectedly made the blue-eyed young man Cesar the master of Cyprus.

He was, after all, Komnen's son-in-law—his claim to Cyprus stemmed from this marriage. Although Princess Anna and he had no children, both the current and future emperors could use this kinship to demand that the Cypriot lord serve them—especially since the Cypriot lord recognized the Byzantine monarchy and was willing to pay taxes and tribute.

Everyone could see that this young man had a bright future. Even though he refused to remarry the emperor's "niece" and married a Venetian woman, Venice still maintained close political ties with Byzantium—as long as Manuel I or the future emperor were willing to yield.

Not to mention, Alexei witnessed Cesar and Baldwin, the king of Arrassal, saving Manuel I's life.

In this era, human life is sometimes cheap and sometimes expensive, but people generally agree that ransom is undoubtedly the most accurate assessment of a person. Julius Caesar of Rome once angrily demanded that pirates increase their ransom, and a proud knight would refuse his opponent's pardon.

Manuel I's reputation was as high as it was when he gave Cyprus to the Knights of Bethlehem as part of his princess's dowry—back then, people didn't even think his defeat at the Battle of Myriotherum mattered that much anymore.

Alexei was naturally berated by the emperor, which greatly disappointed him. If the Ducas family had not remained a major pillar of the emperor's power, he might have been expelled from the court, and of course, he would not have been able to continue serving as the envoy.

But when he arrived here as the emperor's envoy to negotiate with the Cypriots, or rather, to issue an ultimatum, he did have good intentions in his heart. Along his journey, he saw that the people were prosperous, the cities were thriving, and everyone—whether Christian, Orthodox, Isaac or Saracen—could live in peace and contentment. He knew that although Cesare was a Crusader knight, he was indeed a good lord.

“Please surrender on behalf of your lord,” he said sincerely. “Although the emperor has decreed that the two ladies be taken away, according to the laws and ethics of Constantinople, they are both nobles in purple robes. The Dukas family can guarantee that they will not be humiliated or tortured by despicable people. The palaces and mansions of Constantinople house countless hostages from Serbia, Hungary, and the Turks, whose lives and safety are guaranteed, and who receive generous treatment commensurate with their status.”

He paused for a moment, then said, “Although our princess Anna did not have a child with your lord, he is still the son-in-law of Emperor Manuel I. The disputes within the Komnen family are not something we outsiders can interfere with. Now that your lord is facing a difficult situation, why turn a relative into an enemy?”

Cyprus is no different in the hands of the son-in-law than in the hands of the father-in-law. Perhaps after some time, when your lord goes to Constantinople, kneels sincerely before the emperor, and begs for forgiveness, he might return to Cyprus or receive a new military district.

The old knight sitting opposite him merely wiped his stiff beard, which pierced his skin, making his lower face look almost like an albino hedgehog. He could sense the other's goodwill, even though it was based on the interests of the Byzantines. At least he could refrain from sending the messenger to lick the devil's fat ass.

"Although Cyprus is your Princess Anna's dowry, we all know that it was given to the Emperor to repay our lord, Count Cesar of Edessa, for saving his life. We won't go into the tricks the Emperor played, but now his army is under the walls of Nicosia. Does that mean his life is worthless, like a fart?"

Alexei gave an approving but awkward smile.

“Then my answer is no,” Albon said bluntly. “Let him go back to his mother—no, back to the eye of his master Satan. He should have been stuffed there a year ago, if it weren’t for the King of Arazarus and our master pulling him out of the swamp.”

"Think about it again. Even if it's just for your master's sake, he's still young. He lost a wife before, and his grief was enough to shake half the Mediterranean Sea—a beautiful relationship. His current wife has his child. What will he do if something unfortunate happens to him?"

“People say my master is as pure as marble, but I must say he is as hard as steel. Strike him, burn him, bend him, and even if he is tormented in the flames, he will emerge as a sharp sword—” He stared intently at Alexius with sharp eyes: “And your eldest prince Alexius has already tasted the power of this sword. Does your emperor also wish to taste it?”

"But the one in Rome has already issued a decree of extermination. How many people are still willing to stand by his side? Can you really be sure of everyone's loyalty? Even Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, had to submit to Gregory VII. And your master, if I may be so bold, his youth and recklessness have destined him to be surrounded by enemies."

Upon hearing this, Albon raised his eyes and looked up at the top of the tent, as if he could see the sky separated by cowhide and silk, and the supreme being above the sky.

“Then let God decide!” he shouted resolutely. “If we win, then the sinner will be someone else!”

"What if we lose!?"

"Then we'll go to hell with our master!" the old knight shouted. "We've never been disloyal! Even if we have to go to hell, fine, let us be the devil's servants too, at least we won't be traitors!"

Alexei stood up, his fists clenched, his eyes brimming with tears, not from anger, but from excitement and admiration—the Ducas family name comes from the Latin word "dux," meaning "general" or "governor," and their ancestor was likely a general in the Roman Empire. They even believed they had the blood of Constantine the Great—they were not only a noble family in Constantinople, but also warlords.

No one would not want such loyalty.

"If you survive after the city falls..."

“Then I must be escorting our little master to our master’s place—otherwise, I would surely be dead on the city wall or in front of the cradle.”

Alexei did not lie that the child could receive the emperor's pardon; it was impossible. To say such a lie would not only mock the loyal man before him but also humiliate himself.

"Has that child been born? Is it a boy or a girl?"

Albon was stunned for a moment. He really didn't know why they were negotiating in the tent. Wasn't it because their mistress Portia suddenly went into labor during the city patrol and had to stop temporarily in a small chapel near the city wall?
They hoisted the Byzantine messengers onto the city walls and then set up tents in the square in front of the chapel. Alban was trusted by Cesar, Portia, and Natia, but nominally he had no authority to negotiate with the enemy, so the final decision rested with Portia or Natia.

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No one dared to say that the baby in Portia's belly was a "bad baby," and its position was indeed correct—head down, feet up. Even before birth, women who touched it could feel that it was very healthy, with exceptionally strong limbs. But the problem was that it was too healthy, too…big. For a first-time mother, it was simply unbearable. Even the most experienced woman could feel its wet hair, but no matter how hard Portia tried, it wouldn't come down.

The sound of whipping prisoners came from the square outside, and someone was also launching rockets. A woman rushed out to see what was happening and said that innocent citizens had heard that the lord's wife was having a difficult childbirth and had taken off their shirts and were whipping themselves.

Meanwhile, the surrounding residents had already opened doors and windows on their own, loosened their collars and belts, and the women inside the rooms were almost half-naked, but it was no use, still no use. The little head appeared several times, and then shrank back several times, while Portia had already fainted.

“Call, call…” a woman said several times in a trembling voice, but still couldn’t say the word “hook.” To be honest, a mother’s right to life is generally greater than that of an infant, but in some cases, the value of an infant is far greater than that of a mother.

"Those knights haven't..."

“No, I don’t need that.” Natia stood up resolutely. She walked to the corner of the room, took out the key hanging from her necklace, and opened the box.

The women thought it might be a sacred object—they had been speculating ever since Nathia brought it into the room, and given their lord's relationship with the Patriarch and King of Arazarus, it could very well be a fragment of the Holy Cross!

But what Natia took out—it didn’t look like a sacred object at all. Although there were many strangely shaped sacred objects at this time, this one looked like two large spoons crossed and fixed together.

“This can pull the fetus out of the mother’s womb.” Natia had to explain, after all, she couldn’t do everything by herself. Fortunately, it was just a tool made of metal with a simple structure that anyone could understand. No one would think it was some kind of witchcraft—it was just a bit unfamiliar, like seeing a strangely shaped bloodletting knife—but they didn’t quite believe Natia’s words.

But it's the same even after changing the hook.

Natia closed her eyes, then opened them.

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"Wow!"

In the mud hut near the woods in Goru, the forceps were delivered by an old woman with hands as thin as chicken claws. She grabbed the feet of the "bad baby" and pulled it out directly. The mother screamed in agony, blood gushed out, and the uterus prolapsed.

But in any case, she is alive, and her child is alive.

"It's a girl! Give her a name! Quickly!" The woman beside her shook her violently. A farmer's child certainly didn't have blankets, maids, or priests like a lord's child, but one thing was the same: an unbaptized child who died young would go to hell, and its parents would be punished as well.

This is another "bad baby," and it would be troublesome if it died without being named.

Formal baptism, of course, requires going to a church and paying money. So farmers usually wait until their children are five or six years old and are sure they won't die before going for a mass baptism. But when a child is born, they still try to name him as soon as possible to receive God's blessing. Some people say that unnamed children who die young will crawl out at night and wander around.

Goru's wife was in excruciating pain, but the sweet taste in her mouth kept her conscious. She pursed her lips tightly and cried out one last time, "Laura! Laura! Her name is Laura!"

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The same cries were heard in the city of Nicosia.

The people outside the tent, whether Christian knights, Byzantine envoys, or citizens of Nicosia, all heard it—what a loud cry! It must be a boy!
Then they saw figures moving in the chapel. The lord's sister, Natia, slowly walked out of the door carrying an infant wrapped in purple silk and still attached to an umbilical cord. Blood dripped onto the ground, and the child closed its eyes in agitation, waving its little fists. Its face was covered with a thick layer of vernix caseosa.

This was the first child of Cesare, the Knight of Bethlehem, Count of Edessa, Lord of Cyprus, Governor of Damascus, and Steward of the Royal Palace on Arrassa Road.

Is it a boy or a girl?

This was the question on everyone's mind, and at that moment, Natia lifted it into the air: "Let's welcome it! Let's welcome Lorenz!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, which almost pierced Alexei's eardrums. Although women had inheritance rights in Christian countries in the Mediterranean region, a boy, a natural heir, definitely had a different meaning!
This is especially true for Nicosians today.

Alexei's expression was inscrutable, but for some reason, he simply led the Byzantines away without saying a word.

After he left, at midday, the Byzantine army launched an attack.

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When people in later generations look back at this history, they often jokingly refer to it as "King of Victory" Lorenz's first battle.

And just as his name suggests, this child did indeed bring victory to the Nicosia.

(End of this chapter)