Kosha's slender fingers tapped lightly on the table with a slight "thump" sound, and in front of her was a glass of slightly dark brown rum, the wine in the transparent glass shone a slightly eerie light in the light, and Kosha's attention seemed to be completely attracted by the color.

The Queen of Sicily's crown is now locked in a precious gold-encrusted box in the cabinet opposite her, and the coronation has been around for days.

Sophia, as the only foreign monarch to attend the coronation, was a witness to the ceremony, and it was the new Archbishop of Sicily who crowned Josa.

Although the Vatican was so ambiguous that it did not object to the coronation, nor did it send a senior cleric to attend, she was satisfied.

The Vatican's reaction was anticipated, and she was even prepared for a possible strong condemnation from the Holy See.

So it's just this kind of seeming indifference, which already makes Jisha feel that it is a good result.

However, even if it was a bit hasty, the coronation was still exciting, because it not only marked the final unification of the two Sicilies, but also the first time that the trade union appeared in front of the countries of Europa in the form of a strong political, economic and military alliance.

Just this is enough to make Jisha feel that everything is worth it.

After a soft knock on the door, the lady-in-waiting entered the room, and when she saw the queen staring at the cup in front of her, she crept over and stood a short distance away and waited silently.

She looked up at her, and when she silently raised a letter in her hand, she smiled like a sunny face.

The smile was so cheerful that even on a night like this, the waitress felt as if she had seen a touch of brightness.

"It's a letter from the Duke," the lady-in-waiting, even though she knew that the queen should have guessed, but the lady-in-waiting said it on purpose, so she saw the smile on the queen's face even more cheerful, "Your Majesty, do you need me to read it to you?" ”

"If that's the case, I'll have to kill you later." Ji Sha deliberately showed a serious expression, and then suddenly reached out and snatched the letter from the waitress's hand, opened it in a hurry, and couldn't wait to read it.

"You look like a little girl in love now, not a queen." The waitress deliberately teased.

"I'm only 23 years old, have you forgotten?" She looked up at the waitress defiantly, and then began to read the letter carefully.

Looking at the queen, who seemed to be completely immersed in the letters, the mood of the waitress was not calm.

At the age of 23, there are many people who have achieved and done great things in this era, but there are obviously few people like the Queen of Sicily, Josa Cosenza Astamara, not to mention that she is a woman, and it is rare that she is so beautiful.

The lady-in-waiting knew that there were many people who were infatuated with the queen, and those nobles tried to conquer her as their most precious prey, because once they conquered her, they could not only have her beauty, but also get a noble crown.

It's just that the lady-in-waiting knows that those people are in vain, and the current appearance of the queen has explained everything.

Watching the waitress walk out, Jisha took out a key from her small leather bag and opened a small wooden box.

Inside was a codebook, and after finding the corresponding decipherment sequence according to the cipher index marked above, she began to carefully translate the contents of the letter.

“…… We're going to face a tough situation, and despite all the preparations, there will always be some surprises. And we still have such a strong enemy to face, and sometimes I wonder if I can get to where I am today without your support, and what will I do without you in the future......"

Looking at the letter that had been translated into plaintext, the corners of her lips crossed a smile, she seemed to feel a little cold, so she put her legs away on the chair, put her pointed chin against her knees, and looked at the contents of the letter with a smile.

“…… Ferdinand is looking for allies in Europe, and we are doing the same, if we take a closer look at the forces in Europe, we can see that the gap between us and the enemy is not large, and in some places it may be more favorable, but the situation is still serious, England and Austria will inevitably join Ferdinand's alliance, so that at the same time as the war in Iberia, you will inevitably face the threat from the Austrians, and the Genoa-Verona-Po line will be under great pressure, so I advise you to return to Naples as soon as possible, Because the next battlefield will be on both peninsulas at the same time, and I think you are the only one who can command the coalition forces. ”

Josha nodded, as if to give an approval to an unseen person, and she continued to look.

"But I personally don't think this war will drag on for long, because we all know that the birthplace of the war is in Iberia, and if I can settle the dispute over the Castilian throne in the shortest possible time, and the emperor can't quickly achieve the goal of capturing Milan in Lombardy, then the situation will be much more favorable for us, and then it will be time for the trade alliance to come into play."

Rubbing her chin against her smooth knees, she continued to read every word of the letter carefully.

"We need the support of the Vatican, and given the cardinal's insistence on Constantine to succeed as Duke of Milan, I think he can be a good ally for us in the Holy See."

Yes, that's true, Tsusha nodded in agreement.

She was pleased that Alexander had not been protective just because it was his father-in-law.

At least he knew who to trust more between his sister and his wife, Tsusha told herself.

"As for the Venetians, we can't expect much from them, not only because the merchants are always vacillating and treacherous for profit, but also because the war with the Ottomans has dealt them a great blow, and Venice is not in a very good situation now, but it may be a better opportunity for us, after all, the Venetians may not be able to afford those ships themselves, but their skilled shipbuilding skills and skilled workers are also an immeasurable wealth. I think we need to pay more attention to this......"

Reading this, Josa opened her mouth slightly, she did not expect that Alexander had begun to think about the shipyards of Venice at this time, although he remembered that he once recalled that when he returned from Wallachia to Italy and passed through Venice, he saw the Venetians' thriving shipbuilding industry and felt very envious, but in the face of an impending war, he still remembered other people's things, which made Jossa somewhat relieved.

"At least I still have this mood, which shows that my brother is still very confident in himself."

Josha decides to explain her brother's greed and ambition in this slightly eccentric way.

"As I write this, the moonlight happens to be pouring into my bedroom, and I am sure I heard the meows of cats outside the window because of the sultry commotion of spring, which also makes my heart throb a little, so I think we should settle the troubles we are facing as soon as possible, and then we can meet as soon as possible. But I warn you that by that time you may not be dealing with a male cat who has been distracted by spring, but a lion that may swallow you completely. ”

Josha's face suddenly warmed up a little, and she imagined a lion named Alexander pounce on her, and then use its claws, fangs, and strong body to completely conquer her body, and she suddenly felt that she had never hated those "big and small troubles" so much as she did now.

She carefully put the letter away, and opened the door for the maid who was guarding the door to invite the Archduchess of Wallachia.

"I've got to find a way to send that wild girl back to her hometown," while waiting for Sophia, Shosha began to think badly, "and write a letter to that Barendi, I believe she must be in a hurry now." ”

Ferdinand's emissaries sailed from Valencia, passed through the western shore of the Mediterranean Sea and then through the Tyrrhenian Sea, disembarked at Genoa, and then rushed to Vienna.

This road may not be the closest, but it is the safest.

Before arriving in Genoa, the envoy's cargo ship made a stop in Pisa.

In the port of Pisa, the messenger exchanged greetings with a priest who had spoken well with him along the way, and then watched the priest disembark.

He continued north with a cargo ship replenished with some fresh water until he disembarked at Genoa.

The messenger did not know that the priest was a messenger whom Alexander called the "Church Post Express", and that in his cross-body purse there were several letters from Alexander.

Although it was in Montina, Barentia did not get the letter long in the evening.

This was of course thanks to the construction of the convenient intercity road from Montina to Pisa, which was completed by Machiavelli's Continental Development Company.

Unlike his letter to his sister, Alexander's letter to Barondy was more about the arrangement of specific matters.

He decided to reorganize the Roman army into two legions, east and west, under the command of Gompati and Ofleiuil.

At the same time, he again appointed Paolo Busacco, commander of the Bologna regiment, as commander of the Roman garrison of Thesia, formed after the just-ended Italian war, with the Agri musketeers and the huntsmen gradually composed of the Balkans.

In addition, Alexander ordered Machiavelli, who was in the midst of the great infrastructure and mass production movement, to temporarily hand over his work at the mainland development company to his deputy, the aspiring young man who had originally wanted to study art in Florence, but was led by Machiavelli to become an exchange broker.

And he himself, on Alexander's orders, returned to his old profession as a diplomat.

This series of appointments made the entire court of Thessia in Rome realize that something major might be about to happen.

In the early morning of March 12, 1503, the gates of the Château de Montina were opened.

The nobles and officials who had been ordered to come from all over the territory hurriedly entered the castle.

Everyone could detect the strange eyes cast by the people next to them, and at the same time, they could also feel the deliberately suppressed excitement and slight apprehension.

Valentia della Juliante Gombray, regent of the Duchy of Rome, did not sit on the ducal throne as usual, but calmly sat in her duchess's seat, the triangular coat of arms carved on the high back of her head seemed to hang behind her like a circle of holy light.

Even though everyone already knew what was coming, many people were still breathing quickly with excitement and nervousness when they saw Barondi.

The hall was quiet, and the wind blowing in from the window seemed to be a little less at this moment.

Barondi slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the men before resting on Machiavelli's.

The Florentine, who had been prepared, stepped forward and bowed to Barentia.

Then he took out a document from the tray he had prepared next to him, used a silver knife to cut open the seal wax seal coated on it, and slowly opened it with a scroll.

"In the name of Alexandre Giulient Cambrai, the legitimate ruler of the Duchy of Tuscany-Romagna, the duke himself is officially declared to be of King Enrique IV, the legitimate monarch of Castile......"

Machiavelli's voice was a little impassioned, but it was very skillfully restrained from the emotion that seemed to be deliberately suppressed, which made his voice sound low but passionate, and even with a rare incitement.

“…… God prevented King Enrique from having sex with Brenda of Navarre, but gave King Enrique and Anne Giorgioanne of Cosenza a descendant of his bloodline, just as God gave King Enrique to his daughter, Queen Juana of Portugal, Queen of Castile, a grace from God. ”

Machiavelli read the proclamation unhurriedly, his voice rising higher and higher, until he read it aloud in a chanting tone: "The Duke of Rome Thesia, a descendant of the House of Astamara, would be seen as disrespectful to the Duke and hostile to the Duchy of Tuscany-Romagna." ”

Barenti just sat quietly and listened to Machiavelli read the manifesto.

There was no expression on her face at all times, even though the declaration seemed likely to make her one of the most prestigious queens in Europe.

Even if you look closely, you can seem to find a subtle trace of worry on her face.

Machiavelli still read the manifesto, and as he read it, some people suddenly realized that they seemed to be facing a new war.

"In view of the noble lineage of the Duke, the Duke has all the rights that are rightfully his, sacred and inviolable, protected by God," Machiavelli paused at this point, took a deep breath, and then read in an impassioned tone, "The Duchy of Rome supports the claim of Princess Juana of Castile to the throne of Castiria, and since Princess Juana, now as Queen of Portugal, has renounced her claim to the throne on her own accord, in order to perpetuate the legitimacy of Castile, The Duchy of Rome-Thessia in turn supported the Duke of Alexandre Giuliante Cambrai's public claim to the throne of Castiria! ”

At this moment, the nobles of the Duchy of Rome and Thessia were first surprised, and then fell into a huge shock.

Barentia stood calmly in the middle of the vault, and in front of her stood several nobles, one of whom was the Bishop of Montina, the Bishop of Montina whom Barentia had appointed directly from a country priest.

The men were waiting for the Duchess's reply with serious expressions.

"Are you trying to dissuade my husband from withdrawing his claim to the throne of Castile?" Barondi looked at the men, and when she saw that they were nodding their heads, and as if they were about to say something, she raised her hand to stop them, "I think I know very well why you are making such a request, declaring that the throne means war, and that is why we are likely to go to war directly with the emperor, and that's what you are worried about." ”

"Madame, we all know that the last war has not been over for a year, and it is too risky for us," said one nobleman, worriedly, "that the Emperor is bound to support Juana of Aragon, which will lead us to a war that may not be what we wanted, and if we had fought for Rome-Thesia, the claim to Castile was completely blinded by ambition." ”

"Forgive me, ma'am, there is another reason you need to take into account, "the bishop takes a step forward" We all know that Queen Isabella has been working for the unification of Castile and Aragon, and she has almost succeeded, the current Queen of Castile is Juana of Aragon, and her husband is Philip, Duke of Vienna. ”

"Bishop, are you also worried that this will lead to the Emperor's interference?"

"No, the Emperor will definitely interfere, but I am worried about another matter," the bishop said, looking at Barentia, "do you think the Duke is equally determined to the Kingdom of Aragon?" ”

Barondi's originally indifferent face finally showed a hint of strangeness, although she had concealed it well, but the nobles had already noticed this fleeting change.

"Madam, if the Duke also wishes to inherit the throne of Aragon, then his only recourse is to marry an Aragonese princess after becoming King of Castile, or to marry Juana directly," said the bishop, looking at Barentia cautiously, "so do you think you really want to see that?" ”

Barondi's body stiffened slightly, in fact, after she knew Alexander's "true identity", this uneasy worry had been haunting her heart, but now that the bishop had completely exposed this trouble that she had never wanted to uncover, Barondi couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Alexander's ambitions grew, but she seemed to be unable to keep up with him, which had been a source of growing unease in Barondi's heart, and now, as Alexander officially declared, she could not help but feel a secret fear of whether she would have to leave him one day.

Barondi stood up, and was about to say something, but was interrupted by one of the attendants who walked in, and saw the letter that the attendant was holding with the red and blue silk markings of obvious Naples, and she immediately realized who had written it.

She suddenly realized that she had never been more eager to see a letter from her "sister-in-law".

Barendi immediately motioned for the attendant to bring the letter to her, and then immediately opened it.

"Dear sister-in-law, I really can't wait to write you this letter," at the beginning of the letter, Ji Sha wrote in an enthusiastic tone, and the next words made Barondi's face instantly flush with excitement, "Because I want to be the first to call you Her Majesty the Queen......"