At the southern end of Lisbon, on Prince Enrique Street, near the mouth of the Terau River, there is a small but secluded nunnery with beautiful scenery, because it is located high at the upper end of the estuary, from behind the low wall of the courtyard of the convent you can see the busy boats coming and going on the Teru River, and you can also see the beautiful coastal scenery of the cliffs of Cap Espiche on the other side of the river and deep into the Atlantic Ocean.

The abbot of this convent turned out to be a noble widow, after the death of her husband, the rich widow saw through the red dust, and took all her property into the convent to live a secluded life, and after a few years after the old abbot died, the widow inherited the abbot's position, because of the rich assets, so the life of the nuns' convent is not very hard, and even because it is indeed a good place to live quietly, many women who want to enter this convent are not in the name.

However, just a few years ago, the convent underwent a small personnel change, and the widow nun who had been the abbot was sent to another convent in the interior, which is not demeaning, because the convent is much larger than the convent called Mary of Mercy, both in size and profit, and because the former abbot of the convent is quite rare as the vice-rector of the diocese, as long as nothing goes wrong, It won't be long before the new abbess can continue in this position.

So that's definitely a good thing.

Succeeding the lucky abbess as the new abbot of the Convent of the Mercy Mary was Juana, daughter of Enrique, former Princess of Castile and former heir to the throne.

As for the reason for suddenly wanting to become the abbot of such a convent, Juana asked her people to explain to the king: "I am tired of the noise and noise of Lisbon, and I can't even eat every day listening to the hawkers outside and smelling the stench of animal manure on the streets. ”

As for the suspicion that might arouse Queen Maria, Juana simply went on the defensive, and asked her people to say to Manuel I: "If the Queen is worried that I may be trying to run away or have some kind of conspiracy, then please give me a glass of poisoned wine, so that she will not be distracted by staring at me all day, and if not, please make me comfortable, for I am no danger to her mother." ”

Manuel I was a soft-eared king, and he would be called the lucky Manuel, because everything he had obtained now was almost entirely not paid by him, but what his predecessors had prepared for him a long time ago, and he just had to sit back and enjoy it, so for such a king, sometimes it didn't take much wisdom, so he didn't think too much about Juana's request, or simply left it to his wife how to reply.

Queen Maria immediately noticed this, and she didn't have any good feelings for her cousin, if it weren't for the fact that Juana was once the crown princess of Portugal after all, and had some connections and influence among the aristocracy, she would have really given this cousin a glass of spiced bedtime.

So when she heard that Juana suddenly wanted to live in a different place for a long time, she immediately sent someone to inquire what tricks Juana was going to play, but the person she sent was well fed and drunk, and invited to Lisbon's famous flower street to sleep for a few nights, and Radia went back with a golden glitter in her pocket to report to the hostess: "Everything is normal, that woman is just tired of living in the current place and wants to change the environment, I heard that she has taken a fancy to a good estate outside the city, but her people also remind her that you will never agree to her leaving Lisbon." , that's why she chose the Convent of the Mercy Mary instead, and you can rest assured, because there is a fortress with hundreds of soldiers stationed not far from the convent, and I believe that if that woman has a little bit of trouble, it won't be long before she is escorted to you. ”

Queen Maria, who got this answer, was relieved, and she also knew that as time passed, Juana should have been selfish, after all, not to mention that in Castile, even in Portugal, no one is optimistic about her anymore, and now Juana really has nothing but the title of a princess and a small group of loyal but useless retinues around her.

Interestingly, not long after she took a fancy to the convent, the original widow abbot left the convent due to an unexpected exaltation, which made Queen Mary think that maybe it was God's arrangement.

"Then let her be, I don't want people to call me mean, but she's willful this time, and I hope that the convent will be her grave." And so Queen Mary agreed.

So Juana left the convent on the street from the Cathedral of Grace, where she had been for almost 20 years, and moved into the Convent of the Mercy Mary after expressing her gratitude to the king and queen.

The barracks, not far from the Convent of the Mercy Mary, also received an order from the Queen to monitor the convent and to immediately interrogate any suspicious persons, and if necessary, the soldiers were allowed to enter the convent directly to arrest them.

The officer guarding the fort agreed, and said that he would not spare any suspicious person, and when the messenger had gone, he went back to his room to count the profits from the sale of liquor that had just been sent from Porto.

Juana, who became the new nunnery, quickly adapted to the place, where she did not enjoy the poverty but tranquility of life as she had told her, her rooms in the convent had been carefully decorated, and the dishes she enjoyed every day were no different from those in the same place.

It's just that Juana is patient, or the only thing she's learned over the years is to be patient, because she has nothing but a lot of time.

So she waited quietly, knowing that whether it was convincing the spies sent by the queen or taking away the former abbot, it was the man named Tiego who was doing it, and that she was now able to wait for someone in this "new home", and it was the same Tygo who showed her proof of the strength of "them".

This made Juana's heart, which was already almost dead, revive slightly, and she began to wonder if it was really possible for the man to say to her, although as long as she calmed down a little, she knew that those promises were really not so reliable, but now seeing that these people had really placed her from under Maria's nose to this much freer place, Juana couldn't help but begin to yearn for more.

In 1500, the weather on the Atlantic coast cooled down early, and although it was still August, after the hottest days passed, the weather suddenly became much cooler, especially after a few delightful heavy rains, and the crisp climate made people who suffered from the heat unpleasantly happy.

Juana's room was very well ventilated, and the cool breeze blowing from the surface of the Tejo River made the room very pleasant, and sitting in a chair with a low windowsill, looking at the river and the other side, Juana forgot for a moment the troubles that had been bothering her.

Juana had been in Portugal for a long time, and after she failed to compete with her aunt Queen Isabella for the Castilian throne at the age of 17, she had to be forced into exile in a convent in Lisbon in accordance with the Portuguese agreement with the two kings.

In the first few years, some of her followers had hoped that she would make a comeback, but as the days passed, many became disillusioned with her, and they left her for other careers, some in the service of Portugal, and some simply returned to her nemesis, Queen Isabella.

And Juana's life was not bad at first, but when Isabella put her two daughters on the throne of the queen of Portugal one after another, her life became difficult, especially after Maria married to Portugal, her cousin always tried her best to get along with her, which made Juana very suspicious that maybe one day she was really impatient, and Maria might poison her.

Just when Juana was worried about her future but at a loss, the Tiego appeared, and he brought a message that made Juana feel like a dream.

The knock on the door woke Juana, who was in deep thought, and she looked back to see her maid coming in with a plate of joy.

"Madame, you ought to look at these, for they are all good things," said the maid, carefully placing the plate on the table, and lifted the red flannel that covered it, revealing a necklace of precious stones encrusted with various precious stones on a cushion of the same color below.

The gems on the necklace were all very large, and it was rare that each gem looked so crystal clear and without flaws, and a yellow agate stone set in the middle reflected a variety of different rainbow-like brilliant colors in the sunlight, which made even Juana, who had seen all kinds of rare treasures, flash a trace of interest in her eyes.

"It's a good thing, it's a precious gem of this size," Juana said, picking up the necklace and examining it carefully, and seeing that the gold chain connecting each gem was still etched with intricate patterns, she was even more attracted to the rare treasure in front of her.

"Where did this come from?" Juana asked a little strangely, she knew that this necklace was expensive, so it would definitely not be bought by the maid casually.

"It was sent by the merchant named Tiego, and I heard that he had just returned to Lisbon today, but he immediately sent for this, and according to the attendant who sent the necklace, Thiegor had bought it from another merchant named Mordillo, who had just come from Africa, and I heard that the man had a lot of such good things in his hands, some of them even better than this."

Juana's hand trembled slightly, so that the necklace in her hand almost fell off, and a complicated look mixed with surprise and panic flashed on her face, and then she immediately forced herself to calm down, and then asked in a nonchalant tone: "Is there anything better than this necklace, could it be that the person has been to the East, it is said that only India and those countries in the East further away can have so many treasures." ”

"Perhaps, I have heard that the merchant came from far away, and that the merchant named Mordillo brought with him a lot of strange goods, and it is said that one of his garments made of peacock feathers was so beautiful that any woman could go crazy." The maid said wistfully, not noticing that Juana had not listened to her words at all, and while the maid was still longing for the peacock feather dress, Juana's heart was beating violently.

"If that's what you say, maybe I should meet that Tiego, and maybe the merchant he said." Juana said in a deliberate nonchalant tone, although she was relieved of the loyalty of the maids around her, but this matter was too important and too dangerous for her, and even the slightest carelessness could endanger her life, so she decided to be as cautious as possible.

"If you want to see him, I can have someone write you a letter, and I can come to see you tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest." The maid was very zealous, and from her desperate look, it was clear that she was thinking of the clothes and precious stones from the East.

"Don't worry, just wait until you have time." Juana tried her best to suppress her impatience, she didn't know how many people Queen Maria had sent to spy on her, although she believed that all these years of self-servicing had made Maria relax her surveillance of her, but once she was involved in some conspiracy, she couldn't help but worry that she might still be closely watched.

The maid obviously could not understand Juana's anxiety and uneasiness at this time, and her mind was full of those beautiful clothes and precious jewels, so as soon as she received the permission of the mistress, she immediately ran out and sent someone to bring a message to Tiego, and at the same time told the person who carried the letter to be sure to bring with him the oriental merchant named Mordillo.

Tiego's house in Lisbon is still on the second floor of his humble shop, and he is now home to a group of wine merchants who have just arrived from Porto with him.

The message sent by Juana's maid was quickly delivered, and according to Tiego's reply, they would visit the abbot's wife the next day.

"Please tell the dean's wife that I will visit her with my friend Modillo, and I promise that the goods he brings will satisfy the dean's wife."

Tyego's words kept Juana awake all night.

The next morning, it had just rained the night before, and the air was still smelling of grass and dampness.

Juana got up early, and though she tried to remind herself not to appear unusual, she got out of bed and walked up and down the room until the maid knocked on the door and came in.

Because of her special status, Juana sometimes doesn't even wear nun clothes, for example, when she lived in the castle of St. Joseph for many years, in addition to wearing a symbolic headscarf, she often wore gorgeous dresses in and out of the castle, but the floral ornaments were slightly less ostentatious.

But today she put on a nun's dress, and the black nun dress made Juana, who had already entered middle age, look a little old but dignified, especially when she wore a nun hat that covered her forehead, a layer of indifference hung on her face, and it seemed that at the same time all her divine feelings were hidden under the black and white cloth hat.

The two Tiegos arrived at the Convent of the Mercy Mary after lunch, and they were slightly delayed on the way, and when they were finally sure that no one was following them, they made their way to the convent.

Obviously, being a convent man was not allowed to enter easily, and even Juana did not want to cause criticism for breaking this rule casually, after all, Queen Mary might not be able to kill her for a while, but it would be nice if she had the opportunity to discredit her.

Juana met her guests in a house belonging to the convent property, not far outside the convent.

When she saw Alexander for the first time, Juana, who was still very calm, couldn't help but show a little surprise in her eyes, she looked at Alexander's face, and then looked at his obvious blonde hair, and after a little groan, Juana let out a soft sigh that was not noticeable to others.

However, the maid standing aside obviously noticed the strangeness of the hostess, and she bent down slightly and asked the hostess what was wrong in Juana's ear, but all she got was Juana's prevarication.

"Madame, we have seen you at last," Tyego said in a casual tone, but Juana could understand the meaning from his eyes.

She waited for Tiego to bow to her, and then her eyes naturally fell on Alexander's face who was following behind, this time she could look at the young man carefully without concealment, although she was surprised by Alexander's appearance before, but when she looked carefully again, her heart still couldn't help but feel a burst of surprise.

"Madam, this is my friend Giorgio Mordiglo, a merchant from Rome, I am not bragging, he can grant all your wishes." Tiego looked at Juana with a meaningful gaze, and then he stepped aside, looking at the "siblings" who finally looked at each other with mixed emotions.

Everything that has been done for a long time, the effort and all the efforts and efforts spent for this moment, will finally have a result. Tiego tried to keep himself calm as he could at the scene in front of him, because he didn't know what this moment meant for the future, but he knew that from this time on, the fate of many people would change completely.

"Allow me to salute you, Her Royal Highness Princess Juana de Rastarama." Alexander bowed to Juana.

The maid next to her looked surprised, and she tried to stop the apparently troublesome title, but Juana stood up to stop her.

"Then please accept my greetings," Juana bowed solemnly, and then she straightened up and stared at Alexander, "Lord of Rometesia, I have been waiting for you for a long time. ”