Coming to Zagreb again, Alexander sensed that the city was noticeably livelier and more lively than ever.

Unfortunately, Croatia and Northern Bosnia's King Helva are not in Zagreb.

Not long ago he had just received news that Rowa, who had escaped in the Battle of Bucharest?? Reappeared, which immediately caught the attention of Helva, who was very wary of the former Bosnian king, because Rwa?? Not only did he retain a strong army, but he still had a great influence in Northern Bosnia.

Although Herva has gained popularity in Croatia, it is less popular in northern Bosnia.

The Bosnians prefer their king to be their own man rather than a Croat, and Herva's status as a Catholic in Bosnia is more sensitive in Bosnia, which Herva is very aware of, so he has been cautious about Northern Bosnia from the beginning, and while using various soft policies, he has been secretly wary of possible changes in Northern Bosnia.

Rowa?? It is one of the important causes of this change, in addition to the fact that he once held the title of King of Bosnia, which was enough to brew a battle for the throne, and also because of the fact that he had so far Rhova?? Still having close ties with the Ottomans who occupied southern Bosnia, Herva couldn't help but say anything about Rwa?? The news is extremely cautious and cautious.

But these were all superficial reasons that sounded like they had been said in the past, and Alexander could have imagined that Herva would leave Zagreb before he arrived, probably thinking that he didn't want to meet him.

Alexander could understand that Herva's psychology when facing him should be very contradictory, on the one hand, everything he has now comes from Alexander, which makes him naturally feel inferior when he stands in front of Alexander.

This feeling is really annoying, even if Alexander doesn't care about this kind of thing, but after a long time, Herva himself will find it unbearable to go on like this.

On the other hand, Alexander's status in the Balkans is very special, he is the lover of the Grand Duchess of Wallachia, and the father of the future heir of Wallachia, and he is also the hero who turned the tide in the Bucharest War, which is already regarded as a holy war, and his influence in Hungary also gives him a great influence on the Balkans, which makes Alexander seem to be an important arbiter in Balkan affairs, and a king cannot accept that there is another person above him.

As for the border dispute between Croatia and Caniola, it was the reason why Herva did not want to see Alexander, because he could already imagine that Archduke Karl of Caniola should have asked Alexander for help, so Herva decided not to give Alexander this excuse and opportunity to intervene in Balkan affairs.

Alexander can still understand Helva's thoughts, after all, no one wants to have a finger on their head all day telling you what you can and can't do, but this does not prevent Alexander from having some views on Herva from this.

In the Balkans, the biggest winner was Helva, who not only inherited his father's Zagreb but also became king of Croatia and Northern Bosnia, and Sofia seemed to have much less to gain than him.

In addition to the common reason for Helva's somewhat ambiguous attitude, in Alexander's view, was that his ambitions gradually became apparent as he inherited large tracts of land, as can be seen from his territorial claims to Caniola.

So what happens when he gets what he needs from Caniola? Will he have an appetite for this success and keep greedy for it?

Alexander stayed in Zagreb for two days, during which many local nobles came to visit him, and the Balkans were full of respect for this hero of the Battle of Bucharest, which also made Alexander feel Helva's mood again.

No monarch wants to see someone else who can match him, or even overshadow him, even if that person is not a Croatian or a Bosnian.

But even if he wasn't from the Balkans, it was unpleasant.

From those local nobles, Alexander learned something more detailed, Rois?? Soon after fleeing to Moldova, he reorganized an army that was small but strong.

During this period, he undoubtedly had the support of the Ottomans, but there were also indications that the Grand Duke of Moldova, Stefan, also seemed to have a kick in the game.

It's just that Herva didn't want to make a big deal out of it at the beginning of his reign, and the dispute with Caniola has already involved his experience, and before settling the territorial dispute with Caniola, Herva didn't want to provoke Stefan, a very difficult person to deal with.

Helva's decision was obviously correct, whether Archduke Stefan was really secretly supporting Roy??, this was indeed not the time for open conflict, which gave Alexander some insight into Helva's psychology after becoming king.

Herva was undoubtedly assertive and forbearing, as evidenced by the fact that he was driven out of Zagreb in his early years and persevered for so long, and although his rise to prominence was fueled and supported by Alexander, this man did have extraordinary abilities.

As for Helva in history, he has been through several ups and downs but has never been able to show his ambitions, and finally died depressed, which can only be said to be bad luck.

But now he seized the opportunity, and even began to appear hideous just after succeeding to the throne, which many people, including Alexander, did not expect.

To Alexander's surprise, Herva actually allowed his actual brother Omo named Kulash to pursue his niece Aloxia, which made him look at Herva a little differently.

Although he knew that he was doing this mainly to win over Kulash, a knightly hero who was also famous in the Balkan Wars, he did not marry his niece to a prince, but allowed a knight's younger brother to pursue her, and Alexander saw not only enlightenment, but also an ever-expanding ambition.

However, Aloxia is not in Zagreb now, as an important ally of Wallachia, Aloxia, who has been canonized by Herva as Countess of Slavo Bernige, is ordered to go to Wallachia to visit Sofia, who is about to give birth.

And the person who accompanied him was Kulash's younger brother Omo.

As for Kulash himself, the legendary knight of the war returned to his farmstead in the country, and although many people famously visited, he was either working in the fields with the peasants or did not know where to go hunting.

It seems that this legendary knight has really decided to become a landlord with peace of mind.

The two days allowed Alexander to learn a lot of things, so when he left Zagreb, he only asked the local nobles who accompanied him to leave a message of greeting to Helva, but nothing else.

Alexander believed that this was what Herva wanted to see, otherwise whatever he said might be seen by the king as an instruction to him.

Once a person has a prejudice in his heart, then he can often no longer use common sense to speculate.

The Duchy of Wallachia, Transylvania, considered a place of terror because of Vlad III's bloodthirsty cruelty, seemed to have a vague overcast over the past of the Tepes, who were rarely given a cold reception when Alexander's army passed by.

Tepes's prestige in Transylvania was high, and the events in Bucharest had caused the locals to develop an unspeakable hostility towards Sophia, which naturally implicated Alexander.

This made Alexander happy that Sophia had not chosen to stay in Transylvania, after all, it would be unwise to stay in a place where hostility was everywhere.

And now Sophia has been living in Bucharest for a long time, citing the need for better care during pregnancy.

Moreover, even in the midst of his hurried journey, Alexander could hear rumors from the local people that it seemed that the nobles of Wallachia had proposed to the Grand Duchess to move the capital to Bucharest.

These suggestions were made by Greeks who are now highly regarded in the Duchy of Wallachia, who apparently still dreamed of the glory days of Eastern Rome and the rule of the Balkans.

Alexander could even think of the real purpose of the old and young people who suggested that the capital be moved to Bucharest, and it was clear that they wanted to take this opportunity to slowly eliminate the influence of the Wallachians on the Grand Duchess, and at the same time these people may also be interested in restoring the glory of Rome, after all, Bucharest is located in the center of the Danube Delta plain, where there is not only vast farmland that can be easily irrigated, enough food for the future army, but also, if possible, perhaps these people also dream of one day going south to Bulgaria and unifying the Balkans. Rebuilding the Roman Empire.

Alexander could understand the Greeks' self-motivated thinking.

For many people, restoring the glory of the Roman era is like a dream that will never be realized, but the times have changed after all, so Alexander can only support and praise those people's dedication in spirit.

However, the capital was Bucharest, and Alexander was very supportive of this decision.

Many years later in history, the Duchy of Wallachia took Bucharest as their capital, but at that time Wallachia had become an island in the Balkans, and a large number of Orthodox Christians who were forced to leave their homeland because of the Ottoman invasion regarded Wallachia as the last place of refuge, and the influx of people brought a lot of labor and many talents to Wallachia, which made Wallachia once a beacon of resistance to the Ottoman invasion in people's minds.

But by that time it was too late, and Wallachia was finally submerged by the wave of Ottoman conquest that spread throughout Eastern Europe.

Today, Wallachia is still the front line of Christendom's resistance to the Ottoman Empire, but both Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire, which is a strong enemy, are different from before.

The choice of Bucharest as the capital was only a few years earlier in history for Wallachia, but it had a very different meaning for Alexandria.

Many of the Balkan Guards led by Alexander were quite excited because they had set foot on the soil of their homeland, these farmers who originally came from rural villages were now dressed in neat military uniforms, wearing shiny armor, wearing the same style of sharp weapons, and even after a long journey, their boots looked only dirty but never worn, which made them straighten their backs when they marched, and when they saw women looking at the roadside, they held their heads high. Some of them also twist their upturned beards from time to time, as if this will make them look more imposing.

Located in the upper reaches of the Danube Delta, the Bucharest Plain is a vast and fertile land that provides abundant food for the people who inhabit the plain, and has become the largest granary in the Balkan Peninsula.

It's colder than usual, but the smell of spring has already stained the plains, and the wildflowers everywhere make the plains look like a sea of color with no end in sight.

The cold wind blowing from the Dembovica River was still a little cold, but Alexander's body was fiery.

Bucharest was already in sight, and his heart had already flown to the royal palace in the city earlier.

From the Wallachian envoys, Alexander already knew that Sophia had ordered the Bucharest Castle to be turned into the summer residence of Wallachia, but since the beginning of winter, she has never returned to Transylvania, which is the winter palace, and this act alone has already shown that Sophia has actually made up her mind to move the capital.

This surprised Alexander a little, he couldn't imagine that Sophia would be able to adapt to her current status in such a short period of time, and even make such a big decision as moving the capital.

After all, although she had been worshiped as a Greek princess before, the nominal spiritual leader was very different from the archduke who ruled the country.

Bucharest was apparently aware of Alexander's arrival, and as his party had just crossed the hill on the outskirts of the city, where the famous church of Bukur stood, a troop of cavalry galloped towards them.

Looking at the banner at the front of the procession, Alexander pondered for a moment and recognized that it was supposed to be the guiding flag belonging to the Wallachian court.

As the cavalry approached, Alexander saw a vaguely familiar face, and he recognized it as the Greek named Georgiliruo beside Sophia.

For those Greeks, Alexander was most impressed by this George Lerou and another old man named Bodpaed.

It can also be said that these two men are his favorites, and in Alexander's opinion, Bodped is a good adviser and diplomat, but he can also be a resolute and courageous general at critical moments, as he did at Pletvi Castle on the lower reaches of the Dembvica River.

And Georgilirouu was a brave and terrible officer, a man with the characteristic fierceness of a mountain man and the cunning of a Greek, which made him even more dangerous, and it was very annoying to be targeted by such an enemy, like a fox on the battlefield, every time he found his prey, he would pounce on it and bite it, and then flee away before the enemy could understand what was coming, and then wait for an opportunity to expand the victory.

At the front of the line, Georgio Lirouou signaled the cavalry to stop, while he himself led his horse forward.

"My lordship, I have come to meet you on the orders of Her Highness Sophia Alexandra," said the officer, glancing at the banner held by the cavalry behind Alexander, before bowing again on his horse, "Please accept my congratulations, Lord Duke." ”

Alexander nodded slightly, he knew that with the news of his arrival reaching Bucharest, the people here should have known that he had been crowned Duke of Rometesia, which made Alexander think that maybe at this time these Balkans would really think that he was worthy of Sophia.

Before that, it was not uncommon to have rumors that he was trying to use his exploits in Bucharest to become a Greek princess.

Accompanied by him, Alexander's party galloped towards the city, resisting the urge to ask him about Sophia, who was clearly not a talkative person, so there was silence all the way until the party reached the castle, which had been converted into a summer palace.

But as they entered the castle, Georgelirouou suddenly said to Alexander in a low voice, "We are all praying that Your Highness will give birth to an heir in peace, because there are too many people watching us." ”

Alexander glanced at Georgilius, which made him think that this man did not only know how to put his mind on the battlefield.

Indeed, Sophia's production is very important.

If all goes well, Wallachia will have an heir to their principality, and if anything happens, a struggle for power in the principality will begin.

Alexander sensed the nervousness of the Greeks, and when he saw more of the Greeks led by Bodpaed, the oppressed mood became even stronger.

"My lord, it's great that you're here at this time," said Bodpaed, a little excited, "and it reassures Her Highness more than anything else." ”

"Is Sophia doing well?" Bodpade's words made Alexander's heart skip a beat.

"It's just that nervous adults, you know that women give birth for the first time," the old man explained, but then he lowered his voice and said, "But obviously not everyone wants the birth of an heir to the duchy, and you probably don't know that Wallachia has not been so peaceful during this time, and there are some people who don't want us to live comfortably, both at home and abroad. ”

Alexander nodded silently, he knew who Bodped was alluding to, but he didn't want to waste time on these things at this time, and his steps did not stop but walked faster and faster, so that the group behind him could only barely keep up with the pace of the group.

When he came to Sophia's room, Alexander looked back at the men, and then he pushed the door open and walked in.

The room was a little dark, and the windows were covered with thick curtains for fear of the wind coming in.

Hearing the sound, the figure nestled in a circle of soft cushions moved slightly, and then turned around slightly awkwardly.

The gaze of the two pairs of eyes met, and after a moment's pause, the big eyes on Sophia's obviously round and plump face curved downward, and the corners of her mouth turned upward, and she smiled.

"I'm coming."

Alexander whispered.

At the age of 15, Sophia transformed from a young girl into a charming woman.

And now she is 16 years old and about to become a mother.