In the convent of the Lady of Mercy, Juana was looking at a letter sent by Alexander, which was written about trivial matters, if others read it at most as some polite greetings between a nobleman and a former princess, and if they knew Alexander's identity, they might guess that it was sympathy for Juana's current situation.

But in fact, during his last visit, Alexander gave Juana a set of tools to use to distinguish secret letters, and the easiest way to do this was to use the Rosary Book, which was in the hands of almost everyone in the era, as a translation master.

And in the monastery of the Mercy Mary, the Rosary was the most important, so Alexander could have sent the letter without fear that it might be discovered.

Even so, the connection between them was still cautious, and Alexander warned Juana not to trust anyone when they first met, not even the maid who had been with her for many years.

And he reminded and emphasized again and again, which made Juana, who did agree with his statement in his heart, but still couldn't help but express a little anger a little bit of dissatisfaction with his somewhat domineering attitude.

Alexander didn't bother to explain, he wouldn't tell Juana that centuries later there was a Corsican who was in a similar situation to her, and that one of the theories was that she was poisoned and assassinated by an entourage that had followed her for many years.

Even the most loyal person may be shaken by the lack of reward after a long time, and if the person is tempted by some temptation from the outside at this time, no one can guarantee that such a person will not turn from a loyal follower into a spy planted by the enemy.

After all, Juana has no chance to regain power, and there is actually no benefit in staying by her side at this time, even if there are still some former supporters who express sympathy for her, but it is difficult to judge how much truth is in this sympathy.

Alexander could not take any chances, because he was not alone but had too many concerns, and he could not bear to be defeated by his own negligence, so he had to be careful, and even do anything terrible to keep the secret if necessary.

In this letter to Juana, Alexander told her some things that he could reveal to her for the time being, some of which surprised Juana.

Juana carefully put away the letter after reading it, and at the same time she put the Rosary back in its original place on the shelf, although she knew that even if the letter fell into the hands of others, she would not find anything, but she still carefully glanced between the wooden box and the bookshelf on the table before she was relieved.

Alexander had specifically reminded her not to burn the letters, which seemed to be a one-and-done solution, but it was also the place where suspicion was most likely to arouse suspicion, and if Juana really had Maria's spies around him, and Alexander believed that it was certain, then burning the letters would undoubtedly be tantamount to telling Mary the secret of their dealings.

And so far, even if Mary had been suspicious, she had not yet seized any evidence, and even Alexander was ready to reveal something to Mary if needed.

"He's crazy," even in her heart, Juana still couldn't admit her half-brother to Alexander, though when she saw his distinctly red hair, she secretly sighed that if it wasn't for the Count of Mordiglo, then the young man must indeed be her half-brother, "Did he think that this would make the old woman suspect Gonzalo de Córdoba?" ”

Juana felt that Alexander thought things too simply, and even a little naïve, she still knew about Gonzalo, that person was Isabella's favorite and right-hand man, it can be said that if only one of these two identities accounted for, Gonzalo's status in Isabella's mind would not be so important, when he was both favored and had such great ability, no one could shake Isabella's attention and trust in him.

But Alexander actually suggested that Juana cooperate with him in the Portuguese court, or to be more precise, spread rumors about Gonzalo around Queen Maria, which made Juana's heart start to sink because she seemed to see a glimmer of hope, and she even began to wonder if it was necessary to continue to mess around with Alexander, after all, he even came up with the idea of trying to provoke Isabella's trust in Gonzalo, which was obviously doomed to failure.

Juana was a little worried, of course she wasn't worried about Alexander, she didn't have any feelings for this "half-brother", or she knew very well that this person didn't appear at this time for some sister-brother affection, but to take advantage of her identity.

She was only worried about her own safety, she feared that Alexander's reckless behavior might cause her trouble, and although Alexander's arrival did rekindle the flame of hope that had long been extinguished, she was also very important to her own life.

So Alexander's suggestion to leave those letters was also in Juana's hands, and she thought that perhaps they would be a talisman for her life when necessary.

Alexander's second visit to the royal couple was not at the Château de São Jorge, but at the Palazzo Neuve.

Queen Maria's passion for showcasing her education from both Castile and Aragon royal families in the Palazzo Nueva gave her a sense of superiority over the Portuguese.

Little did she know, however, that this was precisely what Manuel hated most about her, and every time she saw the nobles who looked at her with the eyes of a barbarian, the king was disgusted with his wife's arrogance.

In addition, Maria's attitude towards the Portuguese Church is also one of the reasons why many Portuguese people are resentful.

Alexander VI, as the former Archbishop of Valencia, undoubtedly made Maria extremely proud of being a pope in her country, and she was deeply influenced by the direct intervention of her parents in the affairs of the Church.

Therefore, in Maria's view, the Church in Portugal should also be more receptive to the royal family's advice than Castile and Aragon, and even in many major religious matters, it should be based on the will of the royal family, rather than acting on its own.

This put the Portuguese Church headed by Archbishop Bruce into a very delicate and embarrassing situation, on the one hand, Maria's piety made the archbishop irreproachable for her actions, and on the other hand, she forcibly interfered in the affairs of the church again and again, which made the archbishop extremely chagrinous.

Although the new palace is small in size, it is decorated with gold and splendor, and it was not so comfortable before, but after Maria became queen, because she frequented it, Manuel ordered the palace to be redecorated again, and it was only a few months after it was completed, and many places can still see traces of that too new.

This time Alexander was treated differently than before, as he appeared as the Grand Duke of Romagna-Tuscany.

Mary wore a half-mask characteristic of the Iberians, a decorative custom inherited from Gothic customs so ingrained that even the kings and their children, who were known for their steadfast faith, were inevitably immune.

The mask on Maria's face covered her face above the tip of her nose, only a mouth and chin were exposed, and behind the mask opened into an oval eyelet, her eyes looked at Alexander who walked in from outside the hall with confusion, and her men had previously reported to her that Alexander had written a letter to Juana, which made her think about the identity of the duke, and then her special relationship with the Vatican, and Maria felt that she had made the right decision to reveal his identity so quickly.

At least let the duke know that the attitude of the royal family should be taken into account in Portugal, Maria thought to herself.

Alexander stopped not far from the throne, this time for a formal audience not for a banquet, but also dressed neatly, a moon-white soft satin half-length coat with a gold watch and a gold belt representing the status of the duke, and as he walked steadily on the marble floor, he could feel the expressions cast in the eyes of the people around him.

Alexander bowed, then slowly looked up at the couple sitting across from him.

"It's not so easy to get you into this palace in a way that matches your real identity," Manuel I began, he was not dissatisfied with Alexander's arrival, especially considering that the duke might not be long before he left Portugal, and he felt that there was no need to care too much about this man's attitude towards his country, "but you are still welcome, duke, but next time I hope you will be a guest in a more public capacity." ”

Alexander was indifferent to Manuel's obvious dissatisfaction, he knew that Manuel was actually a very conceited person, and when he became king, he felt that it was God's will that he could wear the crown, otherwise the throne of Portugal would never have fallen into his hands, so Manuel was a very self-righteous person in his bones, but because of this, he was also dissatisfied with his marriage, especially with Maria, he was never satisfied.

"Duke, it's a pleasure for you to visit Portugal."

Maria spoke, her voice steady, and the Latin with a much more pronounced accent than Manuel's, which made her image look dignified and noble, reminded Alexander of the legend that when Maria first got married, she was openly sarcastic because no one in the Portuguese court could speak fluent Latin, and it was at that time that some of the Portuguese nobility began to have an indelible ill feeling for her.

"Please forgive me for withholding my name, but I think Your Majesty will be able to understand why I did this, after all, it is related to my mission and mission to be here this time, and the Vatican wants to see a fair review and not a report that has become untrue for various reasons."

Hearing that Alexander had taken the initiative to mention his mission, Maria's eyes lit up in an instant, and she was still very concerned about the things about the holy miracles, and even compared to this, Juana's things were not so important.

"How do you think you can prove that the miracles are genuine, or do I mean that even if some of them seem to have been accepted through later interpretations, does that also mean that they have existed for a long time, but no one has discovered them before, or that they have not been revealed because of confusion and lack of firmness in their faith?"

Maria's words instantly caused a low murmur in the hall, and although they did not say anything publicly, Alexander vaguely felt that the atmosphere had become slightly more subtle.

Alexander knew why these Portuguese people were so sensitive, and it was clear that Maria's so-called lack of firmness and confusion in faith was precisely the "Way of the Cross" in the village of Alfrag, and before she became Queen of Portugal, no one had ever thought that the mountain road in the village of Alfrag had anything to do with the Way of the Cross in Jerusalem, but now it has become the most devout proof of the Portuguese to prove that they are the Lord, although the "Kindred Way of the Cross" has not yet been recognized by the Vatican as a holy miracle. But that's enough for Maria to add a striking footnote to prove that she is the most devout queen in Portuguese history.

However, the life of the Portuguese aristocracy was not so easy, after all, the queen's piety reflected their slackness in their faith, which was enough to make many of them disgrace in front of the people, and this was one of the reasons why some nobles resented Maria.

Alexander paused at Maria's question, knowing how difficult it would be to answer the question, especially under the gaze of the nobles, who he could sense were equally interested in the answer.

"Damn ****." Alexander cursed in his heart that Maria clearly hoped to become the "Virgin of the World" in Portugal like her mother, but although this ambition was great, whether she could do so was another matter.

"Your Majesty, I think you have heard the purpose of my visit, and an incident that happened in Castile is in need of a review to determine whether it is a holy miracle."

"Yes, I have heard of the miracle of a pure virgin giving birth to a baby," said Mary, slightly raising her voice in a tone that was audible to all, "a miracle, a true miracle!" ”

"No, that's exactly what I'm trying to say, I can only faithfully record what I see and hear until it is confirmed by the Vatican, and then the Vatican confirms whether it is a miracle or not, so I can't answer your question here," Alexander said with an apologetic look to Mary, and then before the disgruntled Maria could speak, he continued, "But I should still be moved by the many things I see here, for this is the most devout example of faith I have ever seen. There is a great reverence for Jesus Christ in the air, and I think it is because of this that this land, which has been occupied by the pagans for centuries, has been restored in this age, and not at any other time, because it is piety, steadfastness, and the courage that great monarchs gave to their soldiers that moved God. ”

"That's right, Duke, all to God!"

A loud voice came from the doorway, and Alexander turned to look and saw a tall figure standing under the slightly dim porch.

Archbishop John Bruo of Portugal arrived, and Alexander smiled to himself, and he could relax a little more.

Just looking at those Portuguese nobles, Alexander couldn't help but be interested.