When Rubina came to see Leo III with her honey-drippy charm, the King could tell what business she had for him just by hearing the tone of her voice.
“Your Majesty, the King...”
Leo III answered calmly.
“Put your aegyo aside. I know why you came here.”
The King was not feeling well these days. He felt strangely irritated whenever he saw Rubina's face.
“Oh, my, how does Your Majesty know why I came? I just wanted to see Your Majesty...”
“We’ve been sharing the same bed for nearly 30 years, and how can I not know you?” Leo III muttered to himself.
The words came out very bluntly.
“I understand why you’re doing this, and I’ll take care of it myself, so you can go back now.”
“Yes? What are you talking about... Please talk to me, Your Majesty.”
Rubina was desperate. She couldn't go back like this. This was Cesare's chance to become King...
“Oh really!”
Leo III suddenly lost his temper.
“Isn’t that why you’re doing this now, because of the Allemand Law amnesty?”
Rubina realized that she had been seen through. She immediately lowered her head and looked at the king.
“I know what you are going to say! Let’s include Cesare too!”
Once he started getting angry, he couldn't control it. Leo III was very irritable.
“Your vision is narrow, your view is short-sighted! How can I do that as I please! Do I have to save all the illegitimate children born in 1101 in the entire Central Continent?!”
“Your Majesty, that’s not it...”
“If not, go!”
The old man's voice pierced the ceiling. Leo III motioned for her to leave.
“If Philip IV is pushing for it, the Pope and King Gallico will take care of it! Thud!”
When Rubina still did not budge, Leo III became angry once more and left the room.
However, Leo III clearly had intentions of interfering with the current Allemand amnesty, even though he had been so harsh with Rubina.
He thought of the back of his grown son, whom he had sent to Trevero.
“I hereby appoint the autonomous city of Unaisola as a free city loyal only to the King.”
“Our people, the people of Unaisola, will not forget this favor.”
Rich blond hair and broad shoulders. The back of the head is bowed as is customary, but it doesn't look docile at all.
He has an extremely unattractive appearance and is too popular to be loved just because he is his son, born of his blood.
'You're lucky.'
Leo III gritted his teeth.
After declaring Unaisola a free city, he expected a sharp turn of public sentiment against the Prince of the great lords. However, among the great lords, there was surprisingly no movement.
'But even if you jump, you're just a flea. I still have plenty of cards left, my child.'
Leo III has not yet crowned Prince Alfonso as Crown Prince.
It was truly unusual for an old King who had only one legitimate son and had not even taken a new Queen.
'If Cesare's right to the succession is restored without a Crown Prince being appointed... I can let the two compete and choose the one that suits my taste.'
He shrugged his shoulders at the end of his rope.
The irritation he had felt upon seeing Rubina's face seemed to wash away as he imagined his two grown sons bickering and trying to please him.
Well, if Alfonso listens, he'll end up choosing that child as his successor.
But Leo III did not like the way he acted as if the throne was his by right. He wanted him to roll on the floor and kiss his feet.
After wandering around like that for a while, he suddenly realized that he was hungry.
'Let's go get something to eat.'
Leo III, upon seeing that Rubina was gone, went downstairs to the small dining room attached to the King's Quarters.
He looked around carefully on his way to the restaurant, but no matter how hard he looked, there were no pretty women, not even young women, in the palace.
After Queen Marguerite's death, Rubina took full control of the palace and quickly replaced all of the servants.
“Tsk.”
Leo III felt bad again. A young, fresh-faced woman with flaxen hair appeared before his eyes.
Although he wasn't exactly aware of his own feelings, he knew one thing for sure: he was deeply dissatisfied with his current situation.
While people all over the Central Continent were farting over the Allemand Law's amnesty, the person who was going to give the cake came to a very simple and ignorant conclusion.
“Think about it.”
Pope Louis informed Cardinal de Mare that he intended to postpone the question of the Allemand indulgences until the next council.
“We agree to hold the next council at San Carlo.”
The council traditionally took place in various cities throughout the Catholic world, but for the past 200 years it has always been held in Trevero.
“Huh? Why all of a sudden... Are you having trouble moving?”
After being designated as successor, Cardinal de Mare became very polite to Pope Louis, and the Pope did not seem to mind.
The Pope spoke to the Cardinal in a very kind and encouraging manner, something he would never have imagined when he was young.
“If I die in San Carlo, won’t the conclave be held there?”
All conclaves in the last 200 years or so have been held in Trevero, because that was where the Pope died.
But clearly, the Canon Law stated that the meeting to elect the next Pope was to be held "at the place where the Pope died," not in Trevero.
It was a remnant of the time when the first Christians lived a nomadic life, herding sheep in the fields.
“If it opens suddenly, those from far away won’t be able to come.”
Ludovico smiled kindly and said something eerie.
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to die in a foreign land rather than kill all the voters?”
Cardinal de Mare's back was covered in a cold sweat as he thought of such a great man. However, the Pope pretended not to know anything and talked nonsense.
“If you think about it, it’s not really my hometown. It’s where I was born and raised.”
The Cardinal thought that the most frightening thing about that man was when he smiled kindly.
Fortunately for the Cardinal, who disliked the Pope's kind smile, Pope Louis hardened his face and said to the Cardinal.
“No matter how much I am the Pope, the next Pope is ultimately decided by an anonymous vote of Cardinals. Do you understand?”
The only people who had the right to elect the next Pope were Cardinals under the age of 80, and there were currently 46 Cardinals in the world.
“If I die while everyone is focused on the council, quickly hold a conclave and elect the next Pope. Tell those who don’t want to see me to stay away.”
The council was open to all clergy above the rank of bishop.
However, paradoxically, since the attendees were not limited to Cardinals, there was room to induce Cardinals to boycott.
Because theological issues were raised as topics of discussion, high-ranking clergy whose main specialty was administration or missionary work rather than theology often sent bishops or other representatives to represent them instead of attending the council.
“A rabble of people will gather from all over the world, but you must take care to select the attendees well. Make the announcement of the convocation of the council short. Make the announcement of the conclave short.”
Cardinal de Mare nodded.
A shortened notice of the conclave could also be justified by making excuses such as the need to transport the Pope's remains to Trevero quickly.
You could argue that since all the important people are at the council anyway, they can't afford to wait for you.
“Can you do something like that?”
“I will try my best.”
“The reason I’ve postponed the decision on the Allemand amnesty until then is because I want to give you more room to maneuver. Those who are beyond my reach are prevented from attending. All the Cardinals within your sphere of influence are allowed to attend. The rest of the rabble are lured by the Allemand amnesty to gain votes.”
All of that was going to happen after Ludovico's death. He couldn't help it.
It was entirely up to his new successor, de Mare, to carry out the task.
But the Pope was not overly worried, for he knew that although his successor was timid and shy, he was not stupid.
“Then, about the Allemand Law’s amnesty...”
Pope Louis laughed heartily.
“It doesn’t matter either way. I want the port of Pisarino, but Philip IV is not the kind of man to hand it over so easily. I got a sense of it from the way he financed the last crusade.”
After Philip IV received the Pope's support for his accession to the throne, he cut off two-thirds of the financial support he had pledged to the Holy See.
“As long as it helps you elect a Pope. As long as the Fourth Crusade liberates the people who are suffering under the rule of the pagans.”
The Pope held Cardinal de Mare in his arms with eagle eyes and looked at him very closely.
“You understand, de Mare? Yesak must be incorporated into the land of the Yesapists forever.”
Cardinal de Mare nodded hurriedly to the Pope's request, which bordered on madness.
“Oh, I understand, Your Holiness.”
He made the sign of the cross.
“May the protection of God be upon Latgalin and all of Hejaz. Amen.”
"Amen."
Grand Duke Odes walked around the hallway, unable to hide his impatience.
'It's about time we got there...'
This was because the return of Prince Alfonso and his party was imminent. Alfonso de Carlo never gave him any indication of permission.
Since he was the one who said, 'Let's talk again later,' he couldn't even curse the Prince for breaking his promise, and he felt like he was going to die.
'You never keep your promise... You're such a bad guy.'
Grand Duke Odes sent a message to Prince Alfonso to 'have another secret meeting', but he only received a polite reply saying 'let's meet at an official event'.
Today was the farewell banquet that the Pope held for his guests.
So Grand Duke Odes planned to take Prince Alfonso aside today to get a definitive answer.
If he had time, he would have grabbed the Prince after the banquet was over, and he was very drunk.
But the situation was not good.
What if the Prince gets up from his seat early, or if he sticks right next to the Pope and doesn't move, preventing them from having a chance to talk alone?
Grand Duke Odes decided to aim for before the banquet rather than during it, to be sure to meet the Prince.
So he had been loitering around the banquet hall for forty minutes, trying to make a random encounter. This was a pretty nice place.
Since only those invited to the Pope's banquet were allowed to enter this hallway, it was certain that the Prince would dismiss all his attendants and appear alone.
'Why aren't you coming?'
He grumbled, thinking that it would be reasonable to show up about half an hour early. It was purely his own opinion.
'No, let's still be grateful.'
It was actually thanks to Philip IV that Grand Duke Odes was able to gain this much freedom of movement.
As soon as the King arrived at Trevero and had finished his audience with the Pope, he became mad again and locked himself in the room assigned to him in the Pope's apartments, never to come out.
It was a huge advantage not to have to worry about Philip IV showing up while you were less than a hundred feet away.
'It would be best to get rid of Philip and put Prince Alfonso on the throne. If the 'illegitimate son Jean' comes to the forefront... Once he becomes an adult, our family will be out of control.'
He sighed as he thought of his daughter, the hostage who would be holding Prince Alfonso captive.
What sin did she commit in her past life? When Lariesa arrived in Trevero, she made a fuss about going to see Prince Alfonso.
Fortunately, Philip was locked in her room, so Odes was able to subdue his daughter and lock her in her quarters without worrying about what other people might think.
'If it weren't for my child... Oh my.'
As the Grand Duke was wandering the corridors, lost in thought, a commotion was heard outside. The Grand Duke raised his head.
'Have you arrived?'
The doors to the quaint hallway leading to the Pope's banquet hall opened wide.
As the old oak door opened, a large man with faded blond hair, whom the Grand Duke of Odes had been waiting for for a long time, appeared.
“Prince Alfonso, it’s been a while...!”
But he was not alone. He was walking with an elegant woman with black hair as his escort.
“Your Majesty, the King...”
Leo III answered calmly.
“Put your aegyo aside. I know why you came here.”
The King was not feeling well these days. He felt strangely irritated whenever he saw Rubina's face.
“Oh, my, how does Your Majesty know why I came? I just wanted to see Your Majesty...”
“We’ve been sharing the same bed for nearly 30 years, and how can I not know you?” Leo III muttered to himself.
The words came out very bluntly.
“I understand why you’re doing this, and I’ll take care of it myself, so you can go back now.”
“Yes? What are you talking about... Please talk to me, Your Majesty.”
Rubina was desperate. She couldn't go back like this. This was Cesare's chance to become King...
“Oh really!”
Leo III suddenly lost his temper.
“Isn’t that why you’re doing this now, because of the Allemand Law amnesty?”
Rubina realized that she had been seen through. She immediately lowered her head and looked at the king.
“I know what you are going to say! Let’s include Cesare too!”
Once he started getting angry, he couldn't control it. Leo III was very irritable.
“Your vision is narrow, your view is short-sighted! How can I do that as I please! Do I have to save all the illegitimate children born in 1101 in the entire Central Continent?!”
“Your Majesty, that’s not it...”
“If not, go!”
The old man's voice pierced the ceiling. Leo III motioned for her to leave.
“If Philip IV is pushing for it, the Pope and King Gallico will take care of it! Thud!”
When Rubina still did not budge, Leo III became angry once more and left the room.
However, Leo III clearly had intentions of interfering with the current Allemand amnesty, even though he had been so harsh with Rubina.
He thought of the back of his grown son, whom he had sent to Trevero.
“I hereby appoint the autonomous city of Unaisola as a free city loyal only to the King.”
“Our people, the people of Unaisola, will not forget this favor.”
Rich blond hair and broad shoulders. The back of the head is bowed as is customary, but it doesn't look docile at all.
He has an extremely unattractive appearance and is too popular to be loved just because he is his son, born of his blood.
'You're lucky.'
Leo III gritted his teeth.
After declaring Unaisola a free city, he expected a sharp turn of public sentiment against the Prince of the great lords. However, among the great lords, there was surprisingly no movement.
'But even if you jump, you're just a flea. I still have plenty of cards left, my child.'
Leo III has not yet crowned Prince Alfonso as Crown Prince.
It was truly unusual for an old King who had only one legitimate son and had not even taken a new Queen.
'If Cesare's right to the succession is restored without a Crown Prince being appointed... I can let the two compete and choose the one that suits my taste.'
He shrugged his shoulders at the end of his rope.
The irritation he had felt upon seeing Rubina's face seemed to wash away as he imagined his two grown sons bickering and trying to please him.
Well, if Alfonso listens, he'll end up choosing that child as his successor.
But Leo III did not like the way he acted as if the throne was his by right. He wanted him to roll on the floor and kiss his feet.
After wandering around like that for a while, he suddenly realized that he was hungry.
'Let's go get something to eat.'
Leo III, upon seeing that Rubina was gone, went downstairs to the small dining room attached to the King's Quarters.
He looked around carefully on his way to the restaurant, but no matter how hard he looked, there were no pretty women, not even young women, in the palace.
After Queen Marguerite's death, Rubina took full control of the palace and quickly replaced all of the servants.
“Tsk.”
Leo III felt bad again. A young, fresh-faced woman with flaxen hair appeared before his eyes.
Although he wasn't exactly aware of his own feelings, he knew one thing for sure: he was deeply dissatisfied with his current situation.
***
While people all over the Central Continent were farting over the Allemand Law's amnesty, the person who was going to give the cake came to a very simple and ignorant conclusion.
“Think about it.”
Pope Louis informed Cardinal de Mare that he intended to postpone the question of the Allemand indulgences until the next council.
“We agree to hold the next council at San Carlo.”
The council traditionally took place in various cities throughout the Catholic world, but for the past 200 years it has always been held in Trevero.
“Huh? Why all of a sudden... Are you having trouble moving?”
After being designated as successor, Cardinal de Mare became very polite to Pope Louis, and the Pope did not seem to mind.
The Pope spoke to the Cardinal in a very kind and encouraging manner, something he would never have imagined when he was young.
“If I die in San Carlo, won’t the conclave be held there?”
All conclaves in the last 200 years or so have been held in Trevero, because that was where the Pope died.
But clearly, the Canon Law stated that the meeting to elect the next Pope was to be held "at the place where the Pope died," not in Trevero.
It was a remnant of the time when the first Christians lived a nomadic life, herding sheep in the fields.
“If it opens suddenly, those from far away won’t be able to come.”
Ludovico smiled kindly and said something eerie.
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to die in a foreign land rather than kill all the voters?”
Cardinal de Mare's back was covered in a cold sweat as he thought of such a great man. However, the Pope pretended not to know anything and talked nonsense.
“If you think about it, it’s not really my hometown. It’s where I was born and raised.”
The Cardinal thought that the most frightening thing about that man was when he smiled kindly.
Fortunately for the Cardinal, who disliked the Pope's kind smile, Pope Louis hardened his face and said to the Cardinal.
“No matter how much I am the Pope, the next Pope is ultimately decided by an anonymous vote of Cardinals. Do you understand?”
The only people who had the right to elect the next Pope were Cardinals under the age of 80, and there were currently 46 Cardinals in the world.
“If I die while everyone is focused on the council, quickly hold a conclave and elect the next Pope. Tell those who don’t want to see me to stay away.”
The council was open to all clergy above the rank of bishop.
However, paradoxically, since the attendees were not limited to Cardinals, there was room to induce Cardinals to boycott.
Because theological issues were raised as topics of discussion, high-ranking clergy whose main specialty was administration or missionary work rather than theology often sent bishops or other representatives to represent them instead of attending the council.
“A rabble of people will gather from all over the world, but you must take care to select the attendees well. Make the announcement of the convocation of the council short. Make the announcement of the conclave short.”
Cardinal de Mare nodded.
A shortened notice of the conclave could also be justified by making excuses such as the need to transport the Pope's remains to Trevero quickly.
You could argue that since all the important people are at the council anyway, they can't afford to wait for you.
“Can you do something like that?”
“I will try my best.”
“The reason I’ve postponed the decision on the Allemand amnesty until then is because I want to give you more room to maneuver. Those who are beyond my reach are prevented from attending. All the Cardinals within your sphere of influence are allowed to attend. The rest of the rabble are lured by the Allemand amnesty to gain votes.”
All of that was going to happen after Ludovico's death. He couldn't help it.
It was entirely up to his new successor, de Mare, to carry out the task.
But the Pope was not overly worried, for he knew that although his successor was timid and shy, he was not stupid.
“Then, about the Allemand Law’s amnesty...”
Pope Louis laughed heartily.
“It doesn’t matter either way. I want the port of Pisarino, but Philip IV is not the kind of man to hand it over so easily. I got a sense of it from the way he financed the last crusade.”
After Philip IV received the Pope's support for his accession to the throne, he cut off two-thirds of the financial support he had pledged to the Holy See.
“As long as it helps you elect a Pope. As long as the Fourth Crusade liberates the people who are suffering under the rule of the pagans.”
The Pope held Cardinal de Mare in his arms with eagle eyes and looked at him very closely.
“You understand, de Mare? Yesak must be incorporated into the land of the Yesapists forever.”
Cardinal de Mare nodded hurriedly to the Pope's request, which bordered on madness.
“Oh, I understand, Your Holiness.”
He made the sign of the cross.
“May the protection of God be upon Latgalin and all of Hejaz. Amen.”
"Amen."
***
Grand Duke Odes walked around the hallway, unable to hide his impatience.
'It's about time we got there...'
This was because the return of Prince Alfonso and his party was imminent. Alfonso de Carlo never gave him any indication of permission.
Since he was the one who said, 'Let's talk again later,' he couldn't even curse the Prince for breaking his promise, and he felt like he was going to die.
'You never keep your promise... You're such a bad guy.'
Grand Duke Odes sent a message to Prince Alfonso to 'have another secret meeting', but he only received a polite reply saying 'let's meet at an official event'.
Today was the farewell banquet that the Pope held for his guests.
So Grand Duke Odes planned to take Prince Alfonso aside today to get a definitive answer.
If he had time, he would have grabbed the Prince after the banquet was over, and he was very drunk.
But the situation was not good.
What if the Prince gets up from his seat early, or if he sticks right next to the Pope and doesn't move, preventing them from having a chance to talk alone?
Grand Duke Odes decided to aim for before the banquet rather than during it, to be sure to meet the Prince.
So he had been loitering around the banquet hall for forty minutes, trying to make a random encounter. This was a pretty nice place.
Since only those invited to the Pope's banquet were allowed to enter this hallway, it was certain that the Prince would dismiss all his attendants and appear alone.
'Why aren't you coming?'
He grumbled, thinking that it would be reasonable to show up about half an hour early. It was purely his own opinion.
'No, let's still be grateful.'
It was actually thanks to Philip IV that Grand Duke Odes was able to gain this much freedom of movement.
As soon as the King arrived at Trevero and had finished his audience with the Pope, he became mad again and locked himself in the room assigned to him in the Pope's apartments, never to come out.
It was a huge advantage not to have to worry about Philip IV showing up while you were less than a hundred feet away.
'It would be best to get rid of Philip and put Prince Alfonso on the throne. If the 'illegitimate son Jean' comes to the forefront... Once he becomes an adult, our family will be out of control.'
He sighed as he thought of his daughter, the hostage who would be holding Prince Alfonso captive.
What sin did she commit in her past life? When Lariesa arrived in Trevero, she made a fuss about going to see Prince Alfonso.
Fortunately, Philip was locked in her room, so Odes was able to subdue his daughter and lock her in her quarters without worrying about what other people might think.
'If it weren't for my child... Oh my.'
As the Grand Duke was wandering the corridors, lost in thought, a commotion was heard outside. The Grand Duke raised his head.
'Have you arrived?'
The doors to the quaint hallway leading to the Pope's banquet hall opened wide.
As the old oak door opened, a large man with faded blond hair, whom the Grand Duke of Odes had been waiting for for a long time, appeared.
“Prince Alfonso, it’s been a while...!”
But he was not alone. He was walking with an elegant woman with black hair as his escort.
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