Chapter 117: Procession
“We will return before the feast day of Saint Jude（October 28）,” Raymond said.
Within a year of Amalric I’s death, the Crusaders’ most important work had been determined in several meetings—they were to remove the biggest thorn on the Christians’ pilgrimage road, Armenian Prince Mulai.
If Amalric I had not yet passed away, then no matter what opinion he held at the meeting, the Commander of the Crusaders could only be him, but now the King of Ayyarasa Road was a fourteen-year-old boy. He was certainly brave in combat and deeply favored, but those older knights still could not help but feel doubt in their hearts when they saw that beautiful face.
One must know that on a battlefield where situations changed in an instant, if the commander did not earn the trust of his subordinates, even a slight hesitation could lead to the worst outcome. After much deliberation, he decided that in this campaign, he would act as the king’s Agent, shoulder this important duty, and then have the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, Oger de St. Bernard, as his deputy, while the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Philip de Milly, and Bohemond stayed behind to guard the Holy City.
This arrangement made Bohemond roll his eyes, but Raymond argued convincingly that, compared to Mulai, the conflict between his son Abigail and Princess Sibylla was what he should be more concerned about. Previously, the princess’s refusal to cohabitate with Abigail had been bad enough, and then at the martial arts tournament, the princess had essentially publicly demanded his knight from King Baldwin IV, which had infuriated Abigail.
What was most infuriating was that Abigail had previously dared to challenge the knight who admired the princess, but this time, he had not made a single sound.
Before David and the others left—yes, Raymond had kept Baldwin in Ayyarasa Road and immobilized Caesar, but he had taken David and several other young knights with him—while still at the gathering, fueled by wine, they viciously complained. One must know, Abigail had always been with them before, and already noble ladies were half-jokingly asking whether there was only one such coward, or… many?
They had no choice but to curse and swear one by one that they would bring back three Turkic Seljuk braids from the battlefield to lay at their feet, before these ladies they both loved and hated would deign to lift a hand and temporarily spare them.
“Because he knows that even if Caesar doesn’t kill him, he will give him a good beating.” William said, then he subconsciously glanced at David. David shook his head indifferently. Although in front of his own father he was ashamed to lift his head, among his peers, he could candidly admit that he was indeed no match for Caesar.
“What’s wrong with Abigail?” another young knight muttered. “He wasn’t so annoying before.”
“He loves Sibylla too much.”
“Who could not love her?” Guy said. She was simply the most gorgeous dream of their youth. Even though Count Etienne’s refusal of marriage had cast a gloomy shadow over this gemstone, that was not the real reason they had gradually distanced themselves from Sibylla—they had understood the elders’ warnings with a shudder after learning what Sibylla had instigated Abigail to do.
There are people with no heart.
“She is still very beautiful,” William said, raising his wine cup to shield his face, half-seriously asking, “Have you never wavered? Caesar? Although people say your countenance would make the proudest noble lady feel ashamed, love cannot arise between self and self. After you came to Holy Cross Castle, you often met with the princess. Did you never want to kiss her finger, touch her foot?”
“No.” Caesar said. William stared at him for a moment, confirming there was not the slightest hint of wavering in those emerald eyes, and could not help but click his tongue. “You are simply Sibylla’s retribution~!”
This remark made the young knights burst into laughter. Others might not see it clearly, but they had all once been infatuated with and loved Sibylla. One must know, when you love someone, your attention focuses solely on her, unable to shift. During that time, they had been constantly capturing Sibylla’s every move, every smile and frown.
What was she doing? What was she thinking? What did she love? What did she hate?
It was not strange that Sibylla was attracted to Caesar. Few people could feel malice toward a child like Caesar. Even they, after Caesar proved he was more than just a pretty shell, had accepted him in a few days—although due to Caesar always having to accompany Baldwin, they did not interact much, they knew he was not a bad seed.
And Sibylla’s malice and rejection toward Caesar—Guys like Guy and William, with their keen minds, could discern a bit of the reason. How arrogant was Sibylla?! Even they, nephews of dukes and counts, were merely toys and chess pieces she manipulated at will. It would be better to kill her than to make her admit she had been tempted by a slave from the Isaacite community!
However, when Baldwin’s condition was uncertain and Caesar might follow him to the monastery, Sibylla could push her not particularly favored handmaid—Damara, who belonged to Gerard—to Caesar. And when Caesar became the Knight of Bethlehem and a close minister to the new king, she could force Damara to abandon the oath Caesar had sworn to her and seize him…
The one possibility she had not considered was that Caesar truly did not like her.
As long as Caesar had shown even a hint of hesitation, not so many people would have stepped forward to defend him—Sibylla was, after all, the king’s daughter, sister, and would in the future be the king’s mother.
“Are you going back to Bethlehem afterward? Or staying in Ayyarasa Road?” David asked.
“Back to Bethlehem, but with Baldwin.” Caesar answered joyfully. Although left in Ayyarasa Road, Baldwin had not been discouraged. Raymond was right: to him, Ayyarasa Road and the surrounding fortresses, territories, and cities were all new. They did not know him, and he did not know them—if he made decisions casually in completely unfamiliar circumstances, it would be tantamount to courting destruction.
He planned to inspect the many castles around Ayyarasa Road, with Bethlehem as his first stop.
————
Jacques had been very busy these past few days.
He had originally secured a place for him on a ship for his wife’s aunt, telling them to send her back to her homeland, but just before departure, that eccentric lady suddenly fell ill. Although he immediately summoned a priest for her, the priest left displeased upon seeing her—he refused to treat an Isaacite.
He could only seek out the Isaacites’ “sage.” The “sage” also refused and nearly threw him out. Only then did he remember what his wife had told him: her aunt had long abandoned her faith to marry a Christian knight, and in the Isaacite community, she was already a dead person.
In the end, he could only hire a maidservant for her to care for his wife’s aunt at the inn.
Fortunately, the other person his father-in-law had entrusted to him—his friend—did not cause Jacques too much trouble. He only needed a few camels, a few mules, some food and water, to take his wife and children to the next city.
“You say he went into the desert?”
Jacques asked in surprise.
He had only had someone follow them just in case, but unexpectedly the servant reported that these people had gone into the desert near the Dead Sea.
