Chapter 238: Gifts
The noble ladies present couldn’t help but let out sincere gasps of admiration.
Someone urged Boccia to try on the golden flower crown right away, while others said she had a piece of scarlet velvet that would match it perfectly.
Boccia held the exquisitely beautiful golden flower crown in her hands to admire it. It had to be said that this gift suited her taste perfectly—but after looking at it for a while, she still showed a look of regret and put it back into the box, then said mildly to the madam, “I really like this gift you gave me, but please take it back.
The trade privileges for rock sugar are not in my hands; they are in our sister Nathia’s hands. If your husband truly instructed you to do this, I can call my handmaid to take you to see Madam Nathia.”
In fact, not to mention her, even some of the noble ladies around her might not have guessed this madam’s true intentions. They watched as she stepped forward, boldly raised her head, and gazed at Boccia.
She said, “But you are the mistress here.”
The air in the room suddenly grew cold. Except for Boccia and this madam, almost everyone froze in place. As mentioned before, in today’s society, women have no qualification to hold real power or command armies.
But in certain situations—for example, if her husband went off to war, or her son was still very young, or her parents passed away too early, leaving only underage brothers and an older sister.
Then, whether it was that wife or that sister, both had the power to temporarily manage the industry for the male master or heir. Although the time she could hold it was not long, and she would face all sorts of constraints and obstructions, at least she would have greater say than ordinary women.
Of course, men also paid close attention to this. Although they had to let their sisters or wives manage the castle and territory in their absence, they would spare no effort to portray those women unwilling to relinquish power as witches, even devils.
Like Richard’s mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Constance of Sicily, and the most recent one, Queen Melisende. It was precisely because they could not only control their own destinies but even control others’ destinies like men that they faced so much criticism and slander.
But even if they couldn’t break free from the shackles of faith and law like the former, there were plenty of women who wanted to seize power. It was just that, limited by their vision and knowledge, they could hardly see far ahead.
But when it came to a castle or a territory, no one knew the stakes better than they did—when Caesar’s sister acted as lord in his stead, some muttered that she would clash with Caesar’s future wife. And after Boccia truly became the mistress here, the Cypriots believed it was only a matter of time before they saw open and covert struggles between Caesar’s sister Nathia and his wife Boccia.
Although things were not as they thought.
Nathia was one of the most thorny problems Caesar faced.
If she truly had any strong inclination toward power, things would be much easier.
But like Caesar once was, she also lacked education. She entered the Sultan’s Harem at eighteen, and the education she received there—if it could be called education—was that of a female slave, not a mistress.
She also knew full well that although her brother loved and respected her, to many people, she was a stain on him.
Even though it wasn’t her sin, people would still bring it up from time to time—overtly or covertly. And beyond her gratitude and devotion, she didn’t want her brother to waste his energy on it needlessly.
She even willingly became invisible in her brother’s first marriage without anyone needing to persuade her. It was even more so in his second marriage. She didn’t need more money, nor more clothing or jewels. She had no interest in the knights’ pursuits.
In fact, to this day, she still feared men.
In the Sultan’s Harem, there was only one real man, and his every joy or anger tied to their dignity and lives. She could never forget Sultan Nur al-Din’s gaze upon her, that look filled with weariness and indifference.
Under the guidance of the eunuch overseer, they learned many instruments, songs, and dances to proclaim and express their love for the Sultan. But Nathia knew very well that in the entire harem, even the First Lady had no love for the Sultan. They only feared him. Who could love a lion that might bite their throat at any moment?
She used all her courage in the moment facing King Baldwin IV of Ayyarasa Road, when she revealed her and her brother’s identities. And even knowing that Queen Mother Maria did it intentionally to set her apart from the others, she accepted it gladly—that was exactly what she needed.
But likewise, when her brother needed her, she wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.
But in the dead of night, she would also think about her own future—she had long lost any yearning for love and marriage. But she had heard that Caesar might be seeking a suitable marriage for her.
She had countless times wanted to muster the courage to ask Caesar if she could stay by his side, even if it was just a small room.
But don’t abandon her; she didn’t want to marry or go to a monastery.
As for Nathia, Caesar should admire her. Not every child could keep such a major secret buried in their heart, remember it deeply, and never leak a single bit.
One must know she went to the Sultan’s Harem, with the most humble status as a female slave. If she had revealed her identity, she might have become Sultan Nur al-Din’s concubine much earlier, avoiding so much torment and the threat of death—though that might have threatened “Joscelin IV”‘s life.
But even that one couldn’t blame her in such circumstances.
But she held firm, and held firm until the very last moment.
Caesar just didn’t know how to soothe Nathia’s anxiety and fear. He could tell Nathia he didn’t care if she wanted to marry, but worried she might think he was hinting she should go to a monastery—that was how male heirs typically dealt with sisters they didn’t value.
He also tried giving her some of his power. But found it only added to her psychological pressure, nothing more.
And handing the rock sugar trade privileges to Nathia was completely an accident; Caesar had just taken her along for fun.
One must know, when pulling the bamboo strips to lift the silk threads, simultaneously raising the lumps of sugar crystals condensed on the threads like ice cubes, even Caesar, who knew the principle, found it magical and amusing.
Before, he had shown Baldwin, their teacher Heraclius, Templar Knight Geoffroi and Walter. Even those usually stern knights would stare wide-eyed like little animals, full of excitement—not to mention a girl like Nathia.
She watched, touched it, and tasted a piece of rock sugar. Just as Caesar had once easily captured all of Boccia’s attention with a piece of rock sugar, Nathia was thoroughly conquered by this sweet and fragrant taste.
She stayed in the workshop all day, hardly willing to leave.
In this Mediterranean region at the time, sugar was no longer in short supply. It was transported as a valuable good to Italy, Germany, and Francia, becoming an indispensable precious seasoning on the tables of kings and nobles.
Moreover, methods to decolorize sugar already existed by then. At least Caesar had once seen two merchants at the market grabbing each other’s collars, yelling and arguing before the Market Inspector over mismatched sugar colors.
Right, people at the time had learned to cover higher-priced light sugar over lower-priced dark sugar to pass it off as light sugar for sale. Light sugar’s taste and value were clearly superior to dark sugar, and rock sugar was a further purification of white sugar.
Moreover, after crystallization, it better resisted moisture and heat, not prone to clumping or spoiling.
What’s more, its ice-and-snow-like appearance, diamond-like shape, luster, and transparency won even greater favor from the nobles.
Perhaps the Church too—at least Teacher Heraclius, after seeing and tasting this new sugar, immediately decided to add it to the church’s procurement list.
Caesar had once planned to give the rock sugar production method to Baldwin, but Baldwin refused, preferring to acquire the raw materials for rock sugar, ship them to Cyprus, and complete the final steps in Caesar’s workshop rather than bring the secret recipe back to Holy Cross Castle.
“It will definitely leak,” he said firmly. “The people around me are not as reliable as you think.” This wasn’t his personal issue, but a common problem for all current monarchs or lords—Caesar’s seemingly overly strict requirements might not be a bad thing.
Baldwin said this while shaking his head. Caesar’s initially harsh and strict bottom line had driven away a large group of knights who originally wanted to join him, sending them to Antioch and Tripoli instead. Many mocked him for missing the best chance to recruit talent.
But now it seemed that a knight who could meet Caesar’s standards was destined to have few flaws elsewhere.
If Caesar required their secrecy, they would absolutely keep their mouths shut, unlike others who casually sold their master’s secrets at the wine table or on a prostitute’s bed.
And Caesar had no intention of keeping this small technology tightly in his own hands forever. He had already agreed with those old knights who once served Joscelin II that after ten years of service, besides weapons, armor, and horses, they would also receive a stable residence and fief.
The rock sugar production technique would be another reward he gave them, and other knights could also profit from this industry. If they too gained fiefs from Caesar in the future, likewise, Caesar would allow them to open rock sugar workshops on their own fiefs.
It could be said that the current rock sugar production was entirely about building fame and market for this new product. Caesar never treated it as a means to amass wealth, so he casually handed its management to Nathia.
