kingdom of nations

Chapter 102 Funeral and Wedding (Part 2) (Bonus chapter for 14,000 favorites!)

Among the noble ladies present, some, like Damara, immediately beamed with joy; others wore expressions of displeasure—simply because they too had a brother or lover whom they hoped would take Cesare's current position; still others secretly glanced at Princess Hibil. Indeed, Hibil was more than ten years older than the young Princess Isabella, and now, like a tree in full bloom, her ovary was ripe, just waiting to bear fruit…

But what could she do when her husband was Abigail of Antioch? To tell you a hellish joke, not only Baldwin, but also the other vassals and generals of the Holy Land, even Princess Hibil herself looked down on Abigail. It was precisely because she had underestimated this young man that he had done something almost irreparable, which enraged Bohemond, who then sent Abigail back to Antioch—"like a sinner in iron chains," as one knight put it.

Many people witnessed this scene. It can be said that if Bohemond had a second son, he would have simply killed Abigail. If Abigail had used such a scheme against the Saracens, or for national or personal grudges and interests, people would only say he was treacherous and cunning, just like his father Bohemond, but they wouldn't say much more. But if it was for a woman...

Don't be fooled by the knights' boasts of their love for their mistress, even their willingness to die for her. Everyone knows it's just a pretext for them to show off their strength. If there were no noblewoman, they could bring a goat and fight to the death over whose wool is shinier. They would only scoff at a guy who actually violated the contract of guest rights for the sake of beauty and almost caused an enmity between the two kings.

The only person who was happy about this marriage was probably Abigail.

If possible, Princess Hibil would certainly want to send Abigail to Baldwin's side, since Abigail was originally Baldwin's servant. But judging from Baldwin's attitude, in the future, or rather for a long time, no one will be able to compare with Cesar. And whether Princess Hibil's son or Princess Isabella's son will succeed to the throne in the future, Baldwin's opinion will definitely play a significant role.

No, perhaps, by then, the Knights of Bethlehem might also have an important vote.

Princess Hibil knew that her unease also stemmed from another terrible past—she had once suggested to Baldwin that she would orchestrate an accident to create an irreparable and intolerable flaw in Cesar, lest he lose his true self due to people's admiration, become arrogant, or even dare to surpass his master…

Although Baldwin rejected her proposal, Princess Hibil always suspected that Baldwin had told Cesar about it whenever she saw him. She told herself that Baldwin couldn't have, that Baldwin loved her, but at the same time she worried that Baldwin might have just let it slip, or that someone had overheard their conversation and told Cesar.

Although Cesar's attitude towards her remained consistent, he was unaware of this matter. Baldwin truly loved his sister, Sibil, and kept it a secret even from his best friend. He worried that this misunderstanding would create a rift between them, potentially leading to an irreparable conflict.

But we already know what kind of person Hibil is; such a person will only see others as people like her.

Her resentment and fear grew as Cesar's importance increased. He became Baldwin's servant, then his attendant, a student of Patriarch Heraclius, and participated in the election ceremony with Baldwin. Later, they even entered into a two-way contract.

Although Cesar's enemies would still curse the Isaacs as slaves, they could not deny that his future was so bright, so smooth, and so predictable. Baldwin had now received God's blessing, and even if he were to die before the age of thirty, he would still have nearly fifteen years of reign. During those fifteen years, he would surely bestow power, wealth, and honor upon the person he trusted most, making him stand beside him and receive the people's adoration.

Who else could that person be?

Surely it wasn't those like David and Abigail who, upon learning of his illness, immediately abandoned him and left without looking back.
Princess Hibil also knew that after Baldwin received the blessing, the king had asked him if he needed any new servants, but Baldwin refused, saying he only needed Cesar.

God knows how many people hoped that César would make some mistake that would anger Baldwin, the king, and then fall from the highest point to the mud—but unfortunately, they were all disappointed in the end, and some have even reluctantly admitted that perhaps César's origins were indeed not low.

They simply couldn't imagine that the son of a craftsman or a farmer could do so many things that they themselves couldn't.

Not to mention Cesare's good reputation among knights, priests and monks of Arathi Highlands, and pilgrims; they liked him more than they revered him, which was frightening.

But for Princess Hibil, the better Cesare was, the worse she felt; she expended a great deal of effort to refrain from uttering any malicious words.

But as soon as Baldwin and Cesar took their leave, she stood up as well, coldly bid farewell to her stepmother—without even glancing at her biological mother—and returned to her room.

Back in her room, Hibil immediately summoned a maid. "Abigail will arrive at Holy Cross Castle today. Have two servants greet him and tell him to come to my room immediately." The maid hesitated, as this was hardly a respectable act, but Princess Hibil simply waved her hand dismissively. She didn't want to be in such a hurry to meet Abigail.

But she could imagine how overjoyed and smug that fool Abigail would be upon hearing that he could marry her. And if he showed any sign of it at such a crucial and solemn moment, or even uttered some nonsense like "That's great!", Baldwin would definitely not let him off the hook.

It must be said that Princess Hibil's understanding of Abigail was truly profound, but unfortunately, the servants she sent still failed to intercept him. He fought with several knights in front of the drawbridge and was brought before Baldwin.

Baldwin pressed his temple, a gesture his father often made. Back then, he hadn't quite understood its meaning, but now he understood the feeling—irritation, nausea, and mostly anger.

He recognized the two knights; after all, they had just walked out from in front of him, carrying his reward.

It was Cesare who suggested trying to reward the knights who had mourned for the king.

Baldwin was in a daze during that time, preoccupied with weeping and grief, and had no time to pay attention to anything else. But Cesare had seen clearly how the knights rode up, leaving behind precious items before the king's coffin, and cutting their faces and arms in mourning. So when the army turned back to Gasarafa, Cesare reminded Baldwin not to forget these respectable men.

Baldwin, upon hearing his words, couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. As we mentioned before, most of the knights who came to participate in the expedition were there to gain honor, wealth, and perhaps even land. Now that the land was certainly gone, they couldn't afford to return empty-handed. After all, they were originally the second or youngest sons in their families who were not valued, like Longinus.

Their family could no longer support or help their second son, so they had to fight and wander on their own to find a way out.

For them, the Crusades were undoubtedly a huge gamble. If they won, their descendants would still be knights, would not fall from their current social class, and might even rise to a higher level, becoming generals or ministers of the king.

But if they return to their hometown empty-handed, they will have no choice but to bow their heads and beg their elder brother or his son for a position in charge in order to make a living.

But don't think that becoming a manager means you're safe and sound, unless they have no descendants. If they do have descendants, then when their brother's son has several sons, they will continue to fall, becoming a craftsman in the village, and even that position may not last long.

If their descendants do not find suitable opportunities, they may become ordinary tenant farmers, following their lord to war or become monks.

Do you think tenant farmers are the lowest class? No, they may be robbed, or they may be bought and sold. Perhaps after several generations, they will go from being descendants of a lord to nameless serfs.

Such things may not happen often, but they have indeed occurred.

It's also possible that in their generation, driven to desperation, they became bandits, were stripped of their knighthood, and hanged themselves from tree branches. Perhaps that wasn't such a bad path after all, at least they wouldn't have to watch their descendants suffer.

But when these knights came to mourn for the king with pure hearts, they did not hesitate to throw their most precious possessions to the ground and bury them in the dust, without considering what they would do when they returned.

They might gain the appreciation of the local lords and dukes for this act, and someone might be moved by their loyalty and write them a letter of recommendation, but in the end, they lost an important asset for Amalric I.

César had no idea what people were doing at that time.

But since Heraclius once said that a host who accepts a gift from a guest should return something of greater value, Baldwin should not neglect those loyal and devout knights and let them go empty-handed.

Baldwin immediately realized his oversight. While in Gasharapa, he gathered together the knights who had mourned his father. He patiently asked them what treasures they had each offered during the mourning for the king, and then repaid them double the value of those treasures.

If the knights were injured, he would also give them an extra gift so they could seek treatment from a priest.

Thus, they received over five hundred knights in Gasarafa alone, along with over two hundred knights who had accompanied him to Arrassa Road and later, upon hearing the tragic news, came to pay their respects. This number eventually increased to over two thousand.

Raymond was initially not quite in favor of it, but of course, such behavior is commendable and befits the demeanor of a king.

The problem is that this expense is truly staggering. Although the treasury of Arazarus is not empty thanks to the spoils and gifts from Faust and Bielebaus (those Saracens), the money is enough to build an army.

Baldwin's questioning was completely unexpected by the knights. Of course they knew Baldwin; after all, he was a young man like King David, with a squire like St. John by his side, but he was still just a fourteen-year-old boy.

Unexpectedly, instead of indulging too much in his grief and anger, he was able to think of them even in his deep sorrow.

The knights certainly understood Baldwin's good intentions. Having had this experience, witnessed the departure of a saint, and now received this sum of money, they would naturally not be troubled by their past hardships when they returned home.

Immediately, some knights knelt down and swore that although they were to be loyal to another master, once they had fulfilled their obligations to that master, they would immediately don their chainmail, take up their lances, and gallop day and night without hesitation whenever Baldwin summoned them.

These two knights had sworn an oath to Baldwin, who was essentially their second master. While they were waiting for the drawbridge to open, they overheard someone spouting insults that humiliated the deceased king and Prince Baldwin. They immediately fought with him and dragged him before Baldwin.

“Summon Bohemond,” Baldwin said.

(End of this chapter)