A troop of cavalry galloped along the mountain road, a road familiar to the army, many of whom had already walked it before, and others who had been born in this place.

Spring seemed to be coming later in Caniola, and even though it was already March, Alexander felt the wind blowing in through his collar and it was uncomfortable.

Before leaving Montina, Alexander once again arranged a new job for Ulliu, and he asked the Moors to be the sole administrator of his wedding, which was a natural thing, but Alexander made a point of making it because he needed to be away for a while.

Counting the days, Sophia is not far from going into labor, which makes Alexander a little worried, he hopes to be by Sophia's side when she gives birth, because he and their mother and son are destined to be separated for a long time, maybe he will miss many important and meaningful moments in the child's growth, so he doesn't want to miss the time when his child comes into this world.

The idea that Alexander was going to the Balkans before their wedding made Barundi feel a strong sense of unease.

The thought of the bohemian girl's current honorable status, and the fact that she was about to add another heir to Alexander, Barondy fell into a deep state of apprehension.

The Archduchess of Wallachia and the Duke of Romagna-Tuscany could not seem more suitable, both in terms of status and in the interests of trade alliances, and even Lucrezia seemed to be slightly inferior in this respect, which made Barencia even more difficult to accept.

So when Alexander made this request, Barentia immediately became agitated, and she did not at all look like the Countess of Montina, who calmly ordered the execution of her own uncle, but retorted loudly like a jealous wife, and then tried to dissuade Alexander from going to Wallachia in a pleading tone.

"I'll be back, just before our wedding, I promise you." Alexander took Barendi's body around her and comforted her, "I must see the birth of my child with my own eyes, I know it is unfair to you, but I will regret it for the rest of my life if I miss this, and you must know that I am also doing this to declare my paternal right to the future Wallachian heir, you should know very well what it means to us, right?" ”

This explanation calmed her mind a little, and she soon realized that this was exactly what Alexander was saying.

Wallachia was now the source of troops for the Duchy of Rometesia, and the strength and low cost of money of the Balkan soldiers saved them a considerable amount of money, which was too important for the principality, which now seemed to be running out of money all at once.

This alone is enough to make them do everything in their power to maintain relations with Wallachia, and this is only one of them, as the tentacles of the free trade alliance penetrate into the Balkans, and the merchants who are taking over the eastern European markets seem to have seen a great sweetness coming their way.

Especially here, because of years of war and division of princes, as well as the chaos of currency in the market, there is no unified currency in circulation, which makes everyone, including the Vatican, seem to see that a piece of fat has been put on a plate and served in front of him.

Traders wielding Radia gold coins poured eastward, and even though it was not peaceful, no danger could stop these riches-seeking adventurers compared to the great rewards that could be foreseen.

All of this was premised on the need for Alexander to have sufficient influence over the Balkans.

In addition to these, there is another important reason, which is the copper mines in Hungary.

Barendi knew very well how much wealth the Hungarian copper mines had brought them so far, and how important it would be in the future, and it all knew that Alexander was right.

For the sake of interests in the Balkans and the East, Wallachia must be firmly controlled, or, to put it bluntly, Sophia and her future children firmly under control.

Thinking of this, Barendi took a deep breath, suppressed the strange sourness in her heart, and said in a calm tone as much as possible: "Then you promise me to come back before the wedding, and don't forget that this is also the most important thing for us." ”

"Of course, just as I promised you, and now I will make another promise to you," said Alexander, as he walked to the window and looked at the busy workers below, "I will be back as scheduled, just before our wedding is ready, and I will personally put the crown of the Duchess of Romatesia on you at that time." ”

Alexander's promise relieved her mind slightly, although she was still a little uneasy, she also knew that Alexander's trip to the Balkans was already imperative.

Fortunately, there was another piece of good news that gave her some comfort, and she sent a letter that she had decided to go to Montina for Alexander's wedding, and that she would soon leave after the preparations were made.

Alexander was very thoughtful about his trip to the Balkans, and his constant contact with the Balkans gave him some insight into the current situation in the Balkans, which is why he insisted on visiting Sophia before his wedding.

Whether admittedly or not, the Battle of Bucharest not only made Alexander a hero against the Ottomans, but also allowed his forces to infiltrate the Balkans.

Relations with Wallachia, the support of Croatian and Northern Bosnian monarchs, and the influence on southern Hungary through the acquisition of Hungarian copper mining rights from King Ladislas II of Bohemia.

All this has led him to form a huge interest link with the Balkans, which has forced him to pay attention to the situation in the Balkans.

After the defeat of Bayezid II, many ports along the Balkan coast have been reclaimed by the states, and now the Ottomans' power in the Balkans has shrunk the most since the Battle of Varna in 1444, and even some areas that have been occupied since the time of Mehmed II were forced to abandon because of the bad situation, which made the Balkan states feel high for a while, and some simply proposed to fight a war of liberation like the Iberian Peninsula.

With the Aegean Sea almost completely occupied by the Ottomans, the Mediterranean coast of the Balkan Peninsula was threatened like never before, and some places were even more worried about the invasion of the Ottoman landing, so they simply abandoned some inconvenient areas along the coast, and the army shrank into cities around the country, ready to guard against threats that may come from the sea at any time.

What many people did not expect was that shortly after the coalition forces won a crucial victory under the city of Bucharest, Grand Duke Stefan, who was far away in Moldova and famous for fighting against the Ottomans, suddenly announced a truce with the Ottomans, and then announced that the Ottoman fleet would be allowed to freely enter and leave the coastal zone.

This left the entire Balkan coast completely exposed to the Ottoman navy.

As a result, Alexander had to go overland again, along the lines of his last expedition to the Balkans, towards Wallachia.

Before leaving, Alexander also gave the others separate tasks, and this time he made it clear to Ofleil and Gompati that their only task for the Lombardy region was "defense".

"Don't take it lightly, even if someone provokes us."

Alexander's order surprised Ofleiil somewhat, and according to his understanding of Alexander's first series of actions in Lombardy, he thought that the duke must have great ambitions for Lombardy, but now this order made him feel quite puzzled.

"We need to calm down, you must admit that our expansion has caused many people to worry, and it will cause unnecessary trouble if we continue to expand at this time, so it is time to calm down for a while," Alexander instructed his men who had been specially recalled in the vault, "What I want you to do now is not to show everyone the threat we may pose to them, but to let them know that we are their good neighbors, For for a long time to come, we must ensure the stability of the Duchy of Rometesia. ”

"As for the threat that a war in Lombardy might pose to the northern borders of the principality, you need not worry about this, because soon the French will have an even more troublesome opponent, and then they will certainly not be able to take care of us." Alexander finally explained to his subordinates, who were still somewhat apprehensive, that "the English would not allow Louis XII to become the most powerful monarch on the continent, and even if Ferdinand did not ask them to go to war, they would still choose to go to war in the end, so the longer this war drags on, the more fierce the war will be for us, at least for now." ”

This was the first time that Alexander had explained his views on the Italian war to his men in such detail, of course, because he was going to the Balkans, and he needed everyone to be able to do what he had arranged during this time, and because with the establishment of the Duchy of Romagna-Tuscany, it was clear that neither he nor his court could deal with the current situation in the same way as before, so he had to make his subjects very aware of the purpose of his foreign and domestic affairs. And can no longer deal with everything in the moment as an ordinary military prince.

The Duchy of Romagna Tuscany is still very young, and even a toddler, just like his daughter Estelles, it is still fragile in the face of this complex and changing world, and needs to be cared for.

Karl, Grand Duke of Caniola, was enthusiastic about Alexander's second visit, but in fact he was somewhat troubled during this time, as Duke Helva of Zagreb had been elected King of Croatia and Northern Bosnia with the support of Hungary and Wallachia, and then, just a month after his accession to the throne, Helva made a territorial claim to Caniola on the eastern border, which caused tension between the bordering Caniola and Croatia for a while.

Archduke Karl was a little worried about the now strong Herva, and he had to ask Hungary to intercede, but now that Ladislas II had just emerged from the shadow of the Ottoman invasion, he was wary of the ambitions revealed by Herva, but he had not yet made up his mind whether to intervene in the matter.

The arrival of Alexander gave hope to Archduke Karl, who first sent messengers to meet him all the way, and then set out from Ljubljana himself to meet Alexander's party.

Alexander understood the reason for Archduke Karl's courtesy, and although Helva's impatient ambition surprised him, it did not make him feel threatened.

At least Herva did not dare to show his ambitions to Wallachia, and Alexander, because of his hurry, did not want to get bogged down in these local disputes in the Balkans.

Therefore, he did not react to Archduke Karl's deliberate overtures and various hints, which somewhat disappointed Karl, but he also understood that Alexander probably did not have any reason to be in the mood right now.

Counting the time, Sophia's pregnancy is indeed very close.

After only a day's stay in Ljubljana, Alexander set off again, this time with his next stop in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

On the third day of Alexander's departure, the regent of Naples, Jossa of Cosenza, arrived in Montina.

Barentia showed unusual enthusiasm for the arrival of Josa, she was well aware of the influence of the Queen of Naples on Alexander, and even knew that in a sense she could become Alexander's wife, and this queen played a very important role in it, after all, whether it was Lucrezia or Sofia, it seemed that she was more suitable to become the Duchess of Rometesia than her, and it was because of this that Barenti was even more grateful and valued the important role that Josa played in the end.

When they were alone, Barendi took Joysa's hand and said in a grateful and intimate tone: "I really don't know how to express my gratitude to you, you probably don't think about how I felt in those days, I only panicked when everyone was happy for Alexander and became the Duke of Alexander, yes, I was scared, because I found that I couldn't keep up with Alexander's pace, It's never felt like it before, but this time it's real. ”

Ji Sha listened carefully, her expression was calm and focused, she looked completely like a sister-in-law full of respect for her sister-in-law, but when she heard Barondi's words, a hint of playfulness flashed in her eyes, she reached out for Barondi to smooth a strand of hair that slipped to the corners of her forehead, and then looked at her carefully, and said in a slightly inquiring tone: "This is not like you and my sister-in-law, you should be calmer and more sensible, don't you, even if you are disappointed because this marriage may fall through, but you should not seem to suffer from losses because of this." ”

"It used to be like this, but now I don't know, I'm starting to worry about what it will be like if I can't marry Alexander, I don't even dare to think about it," Barondi closed her eyes slightly, then opened her eyes and looked up at the roof, her shoulders fell slightly, "I think I'm used to being the Countess of Montina, so if I lose this status, I will feel that everything before me is meaningless." ”

Listening to Barendi's words, Tsusha quietly withdrew her hand from Barendi's hand, she sat up slightly straight and thought for a while, and then said, "Actually, I did consider Lucrezia and Sophia, and they are indeed more suitable to be the Duchess of Rometesia. ”

Seeing the stunned look on Barondi's face, Jisha continued unmoved: "But do you know why in the end I think you are more suitable to be my brother's wife, because you are a calm and rational woman, you will not marry because of love, but only because of the union of interests, so even if you become the future mistress of the Duchy of Romagna-Tuscany, you will help my brother rule his principality and family instead of adding trouble to him just for your own willfulness, But now I'm a little worried about whether this choice is the right one, because I see that you seem to care less about these things but about my brother as a person, which is not a good sign. Saying this, she leaned forward slightly, leaned close to Barendi, and whispered in her ear, "Remember, you are the Duchess of Rometesia, but you are only a duchess, you can enjoy all the privileges and honors that this position brings you, and you can also let your children inherit this duchy in the future." But," said Zhusa paused and turned her head slightly to look into Barendi's eyes, "you must remember that my brother is mine, whether it is Lucrezia, you, or the bohemian woman, you can get a crown from him, but that's all, none of you can expect more, Alexander will never belong to any of you, for he is destined to belong to me alone." ”

Barondi stared blankly, she knew what she had heard, but she couldn't believe if what she heard was what she imagined.

It wasn't until Josha slowly stepped back and distanced herself from her that Barendi looked at Josha in disbelief, while covering her lips tightly with her hands, forcing herself to swallow the scream back into her throat.

Jisha met Barondi's gaze indifferently, although many people around her and Alexander were either clear or had some guesses, but it was the first time that they took the initiative to admit that the relationship between the two was not tolerated by the world, this was the first time.

Seeing that Barendi was overwhelmed by the shock and panic, and even a look of horror flashed in her eyes, Jisha picked up the wine glass next to her and raised it to her.

"I wish you a happy marriage, dear sister-in-law."