Sophia sat in front of the dresser in a daze, looking at herself in the mirror.

At the beginning, it was completely inconsistent with age, and the figure that seemed to be overgrown has now become more perfect, just like the cheeks that have lost baby fat, and the body that originally seemed to be too plump because of its height has become more intoxicating with the change in height.

This is a 14-year-old girl, but according to today's custom, she is ready to be a mother.

Count Montina, Sophia knew that the title was due to a merchant who had risen up in front of Ladislas II.

Travelers have always been the primary source of information in times of seclusion, whether they are troubadours or traveling merchants, who can provide people with news from faraway places, and because of this, they are welcomed everywhere.

If such a traveling merchant had the idea of attracting attention, he would have quickly become a regular in the homes of some of the bigwigs.

Now Proto was the red man at the side of Ladislas II, and it was from his conversation with the king that Sophia knew about Montina and that Alexander became lord of that place.

However, Sophia did not expect Alexander to come to Bucharest.

From Rome to Prague, from Prague to Budapest, and then to Bucharest, Sophia felt that she was getting farther and farther away from Alexandria, which made her feel that the vow she had sworn in her heart that one day they would meet again was becoming more and more difficult to fulfill, and that perhaps they would never see each other again in this life.

But suddenly, Alexander came very close to her, and according to Chipes, Alexander might even be somewhere outside the city, and the only thing that blocked them was the walls of Bucharest.

The thought made Sophia excited, and she imagined that Alexander was outside the city at this time, looking up at the tall walls to find her.

Thinking about it like this, Sophia couldn't stay any longer.

Before, she was not interested in Chipes's suggestion that she should stir up the morale of the people of Bucharest, but now she offered to go up to the city walls and see what was outside.

Tsepes was both surprised and delighted by Sophia's initiative, he knew that perhaps in the eyes of many big nobles, Sophia was just a sign they used to use, but in the minds of many small nobles, ordinary knights and the common people, they really regarded Sophia as the source of their allegiance and battle.

So on the first day, when Sophia appeared on the streets in her extraordinarily striking and gorgeous armor, the whole city seemed to be boiling in an instant!

In many cases, luxury is not a good thing, and even if a slightly intelligent monarch or an ambitious aristocrat lives a life of poverty and luxury, he will always show a willingness to be poor and unpretentious in front of the people.

Over time, even simplicity has become the standard for judging whether a monarch is virtuous or not.

But sometimes it's not always that way.

Sophia's luxurious armor, which was useless on the battlefield except for showing off, plunged the people of Bucharest into an inexplicable indulgence and adoration at this time.

The extravagant life and mysterious wealth of the legendary Eastern Roman Empire have become a shadow of the ancient empire in people's minds, especially after the demise of that empire, and the obsession with that fantasy has portrayed the Eastern Roman Empire as a fantasy country made of gold and ivory.

Now Sophia appears on the street in such ornate armor that the people of Bucharest seem to see the shadow of the legendary Golden Empire.

In people's minds, the princesses of Greece, the descendants of the Roman Empire, and the descendants of the Palaiologos family should be gorgeous, noble, and even more so should be looked up to.

When the Romans finally drove out the Latin invaders and recovered the empire, the empire was in incredible financial difficulties for the rest of its life, and even the imperial family was so embarrassed that they couldn't even afford the crown worn by the emperor at his wedding.

When this story first spread throughout the Roman Empire, countless people lamented the plight of the royal family.

For the populace accustomed to the extravagant legends of the Roman Empire, that extravagance was not a bad thing, but a unique temperament of the Romans.

So when I heard that the royal family was so poor, there was even an illusion in the minds of many people that the royal family had fallen from the clouds to the world.

So now, when Sophia appeared in front of people in a luxurious and exquisite armament, in an instant, in people's minds, what they saw was not a girl in gorgeous armor, but the last afterglow of the empire that had already perished.

Sophia was accompanied by Chipes through the city, and behind her more and more people gathered to follow the 'Greek princess' in the direction of the western walls of Bucharest, and the crowd grew larger and larger, so that the city guards panicked and closed the fence leading to the city walls.

Sophia stood outside the fence and motioned for the defenders to open the fence, but the officers of the city guard stubbornly refused to comply, causing discontent among the large crowd following her.

The men shouted to the front for the soldiers to obey the princess's orders, and when they heard that this request had been denied, some began shouting to break through the fence and rush up the walls.

This caused even greater panic among the city guards, who aimed their crossbows at the crowd below, but did not dare to do so, knowing that even the slightest accident might anger the irascible populace, and that the thin fence would not protect them.

In the midst of the stalemate, Cepes stepped forward, and in the name of the Grand Duke of Wallachia, he ordered the city guards to open the fence, and then, to the cheers of the people, Cepes suddenly reached out and lifted Sophia into a "carriage" composed of him and several sturdy men.

The crowd cheered again, and then, with the crowd swarming, Chipes climbed the steps up the walls of Bucharest.

Sophia stood on the walls of Bucharest as she wished, but then she could only look blankly at the vast plains and the sparse and dense forests in the distance.

Sophia didn't know where Alexander was, she didn't even know if Alexander was really outside the city, but she wouldn't give up, so from that day on, she would come to the wall every day and watch outside, until the sky slowly darkened.

Sophia did not know what kind of uproar her move caused in Bucharest.

Although Sophia has always been concerned as a Greek princess, she has never made her voice heard.

This has led people to believe that this Greek princess is just a puppet of Ladislas II, and many people even simply doubt the authenticity of this princess's identity.

But suddenly, just as Ladislas II decided to negotiate with the Ottomans, the little girl, who had never been taken seriously by the great nobles, suddenly made the opposite of Ladislas II.

This, of course, surprised and outraged many, including Ladislas II.

Especially when he heard that it was Cepes who was planning all this, Ladislas II had already decided that it was a conspiracy.

Ladislas II blamed his wife for Sophia's disobedience, believing that if the queen had kept an eye on the girl, she would not have a chance to take advantage of Cepes, so that Sophia was now a bargaining chip in Cepes's hands.

However, Ladislas II was not flustered, he knew that the reason for Cepes to do this was only to save his Wallachia from becoming a victim of the bargaining between the two sides, and after thinking about this, Ladislas II decided to have a good talk with Cepes.

But the king's kindness was met with disappointment and anger.

Apparently not wanting to continue with the king over this issue, Tzepes made it clear that he was only a follower of Sophia, and that it was the 'Greek princess' who decided everything.

Ladislas II never imagined that the bohemian girl would one day cause trouble for herself, and it would be such a big problem.

The decision to make peace with the Sultan has been decided, and the only thing left to do now is to consider who should be sent to carry out the mission.

It should be someone who is not only eloquent, but also has a position and a relationship with the Sultan that will allow him to use his dexterity to accomplish this mission.

Originally, the best candidate was Chipes, and it can be said that in every way, the identity of this messenger seems to be tailor-made for him.

But now Chipes was the most disturbing figure for Ladislas II and his supporters.

Ladislas II doubted that Tempes would stir up the population against him, especially when he thought that he had a significant army, which made Ladislas II even more uneasy.

Bucharest was actually part of the Duchy of Wallachia, but the city became famous for its early resistance to the Ottomans, especially under the leadership of Patriarch John Levi II of the famous Bucharest, and the city became a sacred place for the local people of the Balkans.

Ladislas II was a Catholic, but this did not prevent him from becoming the master of the city, especially as the king of Hungary, and he had more than enough reason to consider the city his sphere of influence.

But it was in Wallachia, after all, so when Tempes expressed dissent, Ladislas II clearly felt threatened.

In one room, the king sat in a chair by the window and looked out of the window, his expression a little glazed, as if he was thinking of something wrong, so that Prato did not notice it when he entered the room.

"Your Majesty, have you summoned me?"

Prato asked cautiously, he already knew the enormous power of this king during his time in Bucharest, and it can be said that compared with the dukes and even the popes of Rome, these Eastern monarchs with obvious Tatar traces are the kings who really control the fate of other people's lives and deaths.

"Yes, something," Ladislas II came back to his senses and looked at Prato, "I want to know something, but I want you to be honest with me, or I wouldn't mind decorating my living room with you and your head tomorrow." ”

The King's words made Proto's heart beat a little more, and he knew that it was not the King showing his humor, but that it would really become a fact.

"Your Majesty, although I don't know much, I am willing to follow your orders."

Proto replied cautiously, he didn't know what the king wanted to know, but it should be important to think about it.

"Tell me, do you think that Count Montina may have come on the orders of the Pope?"

Prato was stunned by Ladislas II's words, and he looked at the king blankly, not knowing for a moment what to answer.

"Why, is this hard to answer?"

"I'm sorry Your Majesty, I'm just a merchant, and although I do know the Count, and I've even met His Holiness the Pope, I don't know if the Count of Montina came by order of the Pope." Prato replied with trepidation, he already felt that the trip was too dangerous, and although it was worth boasting about being a king's guest, the moody man before him made him feel terrified in his heart.

This fear reminded Prato of the Moorish man he would never see again.

Ladislas II, who had not received the news he wanted from Prato, did not appear angry, he just glanced at the businessman with a restless look, and then looked out of the field again.

Prato didn't know what the king was thinking, he quietly looked at Ladislas II's side face with some uneasiness, and when he saw the look on the king's face, his heart was tense for a while and relaxed for a while.

"That count was sent by the Pope," Ladislas II finally spoke, but his tone was more affirmative than inquiring, and then he turned his head to look at Prato, with a cold, stern glint in his eyes, "You know where the count came from, you know that he came by order of the Vatican, and you told me all this." ”

Prato looked at Ladislas II blankly, he knew that he must not have said that Alexander had come by order of the Vatican or the Pope himself, but now Ladislas II seemed to press this statement on him.

"Do you know what I mean," Ladislas II asked in a warning tone, and seeing Prato finally nod a little stunned, a smile appeared on the king's face, "I want you to spread the word, at least so that all the people of Bucharest know what I told you, but you have to remember what I said before, if I hear something different from what I told you, you should know what the result will be." ”

"Yes, Your Majesty, I know what to do." Prato hurriedly bowed his head carefully, and when he looked up again, he saw the king's expressionless face looking out the window.

"Let's see what the people of Bucharest will hear," Ladislas II swore as he stared out the window at the city, "you will regret it, Cepes, I swear you will regret your decision today." ”

Sophia had been standing on the city wall for a long time, and she didn't really understand why the people were following her, although Cepes had said that this was to arouse the morale of the Bucharestans, but she wanted to have a chance to see Alexander outside the city.

But she had been like this for several days, but she hadn't seen a single figure, which made Sophia impatient.

The impatient girl finally couldn't hold on anymore after 2 days of hard work, and when the sunset of another day slowly set below the distant horizon, Sophia finally let out a muffled snort in her throat.

She walked anxiously back and forth on the city walls, the armor on her body grinding against each other, and when she stopped to wonder if she should go out of the city to find Alexander, the people on the walls suddenly pricked up their ears.

They heard the rapid sound of trumpets in the distance, and there was the fortress on the banks of the upper Danube.