Chapter 203: Longing
“So beautiful.” Princess Anna said with a sigh, standing on the towering terrace, gazing at the distant coastline and the calm sea surface.
The seawater was like emeralds, or like sapphires, seeming to have a boundary between them, but before you noticed, they blended together, forming another even more beautiful color that was indescribable.
“This is the handiwork of God; no painter could copy it.” The princess said, and the handmaids around her nodded in agreement. Among them were people from the Byzantine Empire, noble ladies from Holy Cross Castle, and some nobles from Cyprus who had been sent to her, though these girls all appeared quite docile, each harboring her own thoughts.
But at this moment, Anna had no time to consider their thoughts. In fact, as she gazed at the sea surface, she was thinking of her future husband. Caesar also had a pair of gemstone-like eyes; you could not call them emerald green, nor deep blue, just like the sea surface before her—a fusion and mutual reflection of the two most beautiful colors, interspersed with golden veins. When he gazed at someone for a long time, those eyes seemed filled with tiny specks of starlight.
Anna realized that even after just a few days apart, she had begun to miss him.
For the Crusaders, the sooner this new couple married, the better, but the officials of the Byzantine Empire believed February was not an auspicious month, March was not perfect enough, and April, May, or June were even more likely to bring ill omens. They suggested holding the marriage in autumn or winter. Of course, this suggestion was unanimously rejected by the Crusaders, even by Baldwin.
In the end, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar held the Bible and solemnly selected a good day for them—January 25th. The expressions on the faces of the officials and envoys from the Byzantine Empire could only be described as indescribable.
Even now, Anna still laughed out loud at the memory. January 25th was the day of Saint Paul’s conversion, an important date mentioned many times in scripture. For the people of God to choose this date for marriage was beyond reproach; it was just too hasty.
Therefore, after staying in Holy Cross Castle for over a month, Anna was about to set off for Cyprus. And to her own surprise, when the departure date was finally set, she even felt a slight attachment to Holy Cross Castle—this place that should have been foreign and dangerous to her.
Yes, although she was an outsider and a princess of the Byzantine Empire, everyone in the castle, from escorts to knights, from servants to masters, treated her very well. The letter from her adoptive mother Theodora for Queen Mother Maria was still hidden in her bodice; she had not taken it out, nor was there any need to.
Maria cared for her like a mother; she did not even need to make any requests—because all the issues had already been considered by Maria. This was not the treatment an outsider could expect in Holy Cross Castle, and the princess knew it well. Her current status was quite ignoble; after all, she was the emperor’s illegitimate daughter.
Before stepping into this place, Anna had prepared herself for cold reception, bullying, or at best indifference.
But apart from Queen Mother Maria, the noble ladies around the Queen Mother harbored little malice toward her. The young escorts and attendants ran about and were willing to follow her orders—and once they got to know her and realized she was a good person, they became even more natural and at ease with her.
It was also from this time that Anna realized these people treated her kindly not because of her status or anything else, but simply because she would become Caesar’s wife. They loved Caesar and naturally would not make things difficult for him.
Caesar might not have fallen in love with her yet; he had not completed that lesson. But he respected her, and his attitude influenced the others—though what Anna had not expected was that the first person Caesar reminded was none other than King Baldwin of Ayyarasa Road.
Anna had once overheard from the handmaids’ whispers—though she did not know if it was intentional or not—that Baldwin originally wanted to select the most satisfactory marriage for his brother and close friend: someone of matching age, noble status, and a huge dowry or territory. Requirements for appearance could be relaxed, because he did not believe anyone could surpass his friend’s looks, even if she was a woman.
And Princess Anna satisfied Baldwin only in terms of dowry—that is, Cyprus—nothing else.
Her appearance was certainly refined, but compared to a true beauty, it was negligible. Moreover, apart from Cyprus, her dowry was exceptionally meager. Queen Mother Maria had at least several dozen heavy cavalry as ceremonial guard back then, with a grand procession of accompanying officials and attendants, impressive and magnificent.
Princess Anna, however, had only a few Byzantine handmaids—not from the Grand Imperial Palace, but sent by the Byzantine officials—or else it would have been too embarrassing!
Caesar had no strong objections to this, but Baldwin was very angry. He saw it as a sign of disrespect, especially since the emperor had never restored Anna’s status, which made him deeply suspicious—this was completely at odds with the grand gesture of giving Cyprus.
Moreover, Anna’s age was too advanced; he was very worried whether she could bear healthy children.
No one understood Baldwin better than Caesar. Before arriving at Ayyarasa Road, he had a long talk with Baldwin about Anna.
Almost everyone in Holy Cross Castle acted according to the king’s mood. If Baldwin showed dissatisfaction with Anna, her days in Holy Cross Castle would inevitably be very difficult.
Sometimes causing pain did not require sharp words or fierce glares; just a faint smile, a meaningful glance, or sudden silence could make one flustered and uneasy.
This was still without resorting to underhanded tactics. In the Grand Imperial Palace, some girls had even committed suicide unable to endure others’ “pranks.”
It was at this moment that Anna deeply understood Theodora’s words: what was the most precious quality? For a good person, it was not appearance, not money, not status, and certainly not lineage—virtue was.
Perhaps someone would say Anna was not ugly, and maybe it was the impulse of a young man in the throes of first love. But were there no more beautiful women around Anna? Caesar had seen Theodora; in Holy Cross Castle there were Sibylla and Damara—she had heard Sibylla had recently lost a child, but it was completely undetectable from her demeanor and figure. Her appearance even had a more aggressive quality than that of ordinary women.
As for the noble lady Damara, to whom Caesar had once pledged fealty—she was still a child, her features not yet fully developed. She had previously been betrothed, but before the marriage, that unfortunate knight had died of illness.
Quite coincidentally, the Gerard family was keen to forge a deeper alliance with Caesar—for Cyprus. At the invitation of the king and the Patriarch, they had also joined this grand game. For this reason, Damara’s marriage was temporarily set aside, and she was taken back to Ayyarasa Road by family members.
They knew Caesar was a very sentimental person. Even if there was no romantic affection between him and Damara, he had fulfilled his oath to her on the battlefield—though Damara had already released them from their agreement, there should still be some difference.
Two people sent by the Gerard family were among the princess’s handmaids; they would continue to reside with her in the future. After she married Caesar and some time passed—possibly before she became pregnant—she would select two husbands for these two handmaids from among the Cypriot nobles.
The Gerard family knew very well that the Cypriots were not as compliant as they appeared on the surface. They smiled amiably and obeyed, but no one could guess what they truly thought. But the Gerard family came from merchants; putting themselves in the others’ shoes, if they suddenly gained an extra lord, they too would feel constrained and unable to relax.
After all, the Byzantine Empire’s control over Cyprus was already quite lax. Manuel I had not sent a governor here for several years, perhaps because his ministers were unwilling to go. Being governor of Cyprus meant one had to defend this precious territory for the Byzantine Empire—which meant fighting the Saracens again—and the empire’s navy could no longer support their needs.
Before entering Egypt, the Fatimid Dynasty was the Islamic dynasty after the Umayyad Dynasty that placed the most emphasis on maritime affairs; their navy was very strong. Later, they even recruited Saracen pirates to join them in attacking and plundering Cyprus.
It was only in recent years that the weakening of the Fatimid Dynasty gave the Cypriots some breathing room.
Although the Cypriots still paid taxes to the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, they certainly did not want an additional person who could demand anything from them at will.
And in the agreement drafted by the Crusaders and Caesar, the Gerard family occupied a large portion of the content and clauses—after their marriage, Caesar would sign a charter allowing them to operate several ports and shipping routes. In return, the Gerard family would order ships for Caesar from the Venetians.
Of course, the Gerard family could not rely entirely on Caesar; they themselves had to establish a foothold here quickly. The best way to do that was, of course, a happy marriage.
