Ferdinand felt that life was extremely difficult during this time, and it can be said that it seemed that the whole world was suddenly on the opposite side of him.

The emissaries sent to Austria have finally returned.

But Hermes, who was supposed to bring back good news, turned into a crow that brought bad luck.

Ferdinand did not fear that Maximian would be offended by his house arrest of Juana, he knew very well what the emperor's true purpose was, and he knew that he would not destroy the alliance between the two countries because of this.

And even if they were dissatisfied, after hearing the news, probably the Austrian army had already launched an attack on the Duchy of Rome-Thesia, and the situation would not be changed by anyone.

But he didn't expect that before he could do anything, Maximian chose to betray him.

When he learned from the returning messenger that the Emperor had decided not to cross the line of the Parmabo, Ferdinand began to feel that he had misheard.

It wasn't until he looked at Maximian's reply from the messenger that Ferdinand finally realized that he seemed to have fallen victim to a deal.

“…… It is a great pity, but in view of the present situation, it is generally felt by my nobles that due restraint should be exercised, for the threat from the eastern frontiers is growing and the frequent activities of the Bohemian and Wallachian armies have caused too much unease......"

“…… At such times I had to consider appeasing the restless nobles, and the Hungarian pleas for help could not turn a blind eye, so I ordered the army to try to avoid clashes with the Romans, in the event of the occupation of Milan......"

“…… But rest assured, my friend, that I will attack Milan as soon as possible, which will be sufficient to draw the attention of the French and force them to withdraw their forces from northern Castile, and it is my duty of course that our sacred alliance will always be unbreakable......"

Looking at the contents of the letter, Ferdinand's heart swept through a wordless curse.

The messenger, who was standing not far away, noticed that the king's face, which was always gloomy, and that a storm seemed to be brewing, and he looked at the letter from time to time, then raised his head and looked blankly ahead, and then lowered his head again and continued to read it.

It's just that his expression is getting more and more ugly, and when he slowly puts the letter on the table, Ferdinand's forehead, which has already sagged a little because of its slackness, has been stretched to show green tendons.

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's all Your Majesty has."

The last bit of hope was dashed by the messenger's words, and Ferdinand tried to comfort himself that at least the French would be distracted by the Lombard war, but this weak explanation could not hide the great disappointment.

In his original plan, Maximian would launch a full-scale attack on the Duchy of Rome-Thesia, if not destroy the new Duchy in one fell swoop, at least force Alexander to flee back to Italy to clean up the mess.

As for the Sicilians, Ferdinand did not expect them to suddenly invade Iberia, but it is believed that the Sicilian queen would have to withdraw for fear of being threatened.

This was enough to give him the opportunity to take direct control of the two kingdoms in Iberia, and when everything was ready, he would naturally regain Sicily and even annex Naples.

However, Maximian's reply to him completely ruined his plans, which gave Ferdinand a sense of anger at being abandoned, betrayed, and perhaps betrayed.

Yes, it's a betrayal.

Ferdinand suddenly thought of something, and he hurriedly walked back and forth, and beads of sweat began to overflow on his forehead.

Maximian, of course, would not give up Iberia, and he had his son marry Juana in order to covet the future throne.

But after all, that is later, and because of the marriage link, it can be said that he has firmly grasped the future Spanish throne.

So for him, the losses that he may suffer in the moment are even more important.

After all, if you lose a territory like Hungary, you may be in real trouble.

And Spain, sooner or later, belonged to the Habsburgs.

It's just that in this way, it will be Ferdinand who will be wronged.

Ferdinand vaguely guessed Maximian's intentions.

"What is there any news about Bohemia in Vienna?"

Ferdinand looked at the messenger with a gloomy face, and he wanted to prove that his guess was correct.

"Your Majesty," the messenger reported at once, "a number of nobles wishing to quell as soon as possible the provocations of the Bohèmes, who seem to be much more interested in Hungary than in Lombard." ”

Ferdinand nodded slowly, he knew that he had guessed correctly, and the Austrians really valued their territory in Hungary more.

It is not surprising, then, that in order to resolve the conflict with Bohemia as much as possible, Maximian will temporarily conclude a temporary truce with Rome Thesia.

It's just that in this way, it was Ferdinand who finally faced the problem.

He became a bargaining chip between Maximian and that Alexander.

At the thought of this, Ferdinand, whose whole body trembled slightly because of his anger, almost suppressed the urge to curse with all his strength, he was a king and could not lose his temper in front of his courtiers.

More importantly, he could not make the Castilian feel that he had suffered a setback.

He did not regret imprisoning Juana, and even if she hadn't turned out to be like that, Ferdinand was tired of the tedious and cumbersome need to give orders through Juana for everything.

He wants to hold power firmly in his own hands, and only then can he become the true ruler of the country.

So Juana naturally became a stumbling block for him.

In addition, the threat from Maximian always unnerved him.

Maximian is likely to use his legitimate power to the throne by openly supporting Juana or her children, and Ferdinand's position will be awkward.

Just return to Aragon in such a gloomy way?

Ferdinand never thought so, and from the moment he married Isabella, he secretly vowed that one day he would become the common master of the two kingdoms.

Isabella couldn't stop him, and even more so Maximian.

That's why he decided to take a tough stance against Juana, even though he knew that it might cause all kinds of adverse reactions at home and abroad, but Ferdinand couldn't care about it.

Ferdinand picked up the letter from the table and looked at it, then let out an imperceptible "hum".

After the previous anger had passed, Ferdinand, who had gradually calmed down, began to ponder how to deal with the situation in front of him.

There was one point in Maximian's letter that he agreed with, that the actions of the Austrians in Lombardy were bound to attract the attention of the French.

With Louis XII's coveted greed for Lombardy and Milan, Ferdinand believed that he could not sit idly by and watch it fall into the hands of Maximian.

But the French had just suffered heavy losses in the recent Italian War, which left Louis XII without much of an army to mobilize.

The frequent recruitment of those nobles would inevitably cause discontent, which would be very detrimental to the reign of Louis XII.

He must make the most rational use of the available forces.

In this way, the French army north of Castile had to retreat.

Thinking about it, Ferdinand felt that Maximian's letter had brought him some good news, and although it was far from the result he wanted, at least it did not come of nothing.

Ferdinand snorted again, his fingers tapping lightly on the letter paper as he pondered what to do with it.

He had sent his confidant Andrés Rogge to Navarre to propose to Maria, but it was more to disrupt the alliance between Navarre and the French as much as possible.

If the family is married, of course, everyone will be happy, but even if it fails, it can create a lot of contradictions and suspicions between Navarra and the French.

When he thought of this strategy in a flash, he was very proud of his cleverness.

Now it seems that this small pride could turn into a huge surprise.

"Hasn't Andres Rogge been back yet?"

Hearing the king's inquiry, the people next to him immediately became confused.

To Ferdinand's disappointment, however, whether it worked out or not, the clown beside him had not been heard from since he left, and it seemed to have disappeared all at once.

"If there's any news from Andrés Roger, report it to me at once," Ferdinand didn't pay much attention to it, though slightly disappointed, and then told him uneasily, "at any time." ”

Thomas Tangomada hurried through the two rows of large fir trees with their canopies completely on top of each other, the shade of the trees did not bring him much comfort, his face was gloomy, and everyone seemed to be no different from before, but the anxiety between his expressions revealed that he was not at peace inside.

The house arrest of Juana allowed him to gain Ferdinand's trust, but it was also costly.

Even in the Inquisition, Tangomada could feel palpable hostility.

As Isabella's personal priest, Tongomada's actions were undoubtedly betrayal.

This has brought the hatred of the Castilian people towards him to a peak.

Some of the people around him also left him under the pretext of leaving him, and for a time he was almost a betrayal.

In the eyes of people, Thomas Tongomada did something extremely stupid, and this incident was enough to destroy him completely.

Passing through the cedar forest, a small, sturdy-looking fortress stands on top of a hill.

The rough stone walls and mottled wooden doors tell the story of the fort's ancient past, but now it is Juana's prison.

Ferdinand did not use the entire castle of the Highlands as Juana's prison.

He carved out a small area near the hill wall of the castle in the highlands, and used a small fortress there as a house arrest for Juana.

Now the three-story stone house has become the only "fiefdom" of Queen Juana of Castile, and with her, apart from Philip, who has been asleep, there are only a few close attendants who still insist on staying by her side.

Surprisingly, among these people was Isabella's Moorish guard who had been with her all the time.

After Isabella's death, no one saw the man, some thought he had escaped, while others speculated that he might have been secretly executed by Ferdinand.

It's just that no one thought that he would suddenly appear next to Juana, and no one thought that when Ferdinand sent troops into the palace to kidnap Juana overnight, he would suddenly appear, and escorted Juana and his wife all the way, and finally followed her into the castle in the highlands.

Tangomada pushed open the heavy, mottled wooden door, and a bright light entered the slightly dimly lit first-floor hall of the fortress.

A figure sitting in a chair deep in the hall moved slightly, then remained motionless again like a frozen sculpture.

Tangomada walked over, stopped not far from the man, looked at him silently for a moment, and said, "Have you thought about it?" ”

The man moved, and just as a beam of sunlight shining in from a high window shone on his face, revealing his slightly swarthy countenance.

The man twisted his head in a large turban, and his deep eyes flashed with questions as he looked at Tongomada standing in front of him.

"How can I trust you?" The Moors asked, "I know who you are, and what you have done, and that is enough, you have betrayed the Queen, and now you will betray her again?" ”

Tom Gomada frowned imperceptibly, he had long known that this Moorish man was very stubborn, but after really dealing with him, he found that this person was even more difficult to convince than he had heard.

"You can get Juana to safety, it's a good thing for her," said Tangomada, who looked unimpressed by the Moorish accusations, "I think the queen would approve of my approach if she lived." ”

"The queen didn't let you help the man imprison her daughter."

The Moorish man's body moved again, the corner of his scimitar peeking out of his fat robes, and the eyes that looked at Tongomada sharpened.

Instinctively sensing danger, the priest took a step back, but his eyes never took off the Moorish face.

He knew that he had to convince this stubborn heretic, or he wouldn't end well in the future, even if he wasn't hacked to death now.

Tongomada never thought that Ferdinand was a man to be trusted, and even if he did so much for him, Ferdinand would not care if he needed to be thrown out as a scapegoat to appease the wrath of the Castilians.

He already knew this.

"Where are you going to send the Queen?"

The Moore seemed to have finally moved his mind, he asked sullenly, and involuntarily glanced upstairs, and said faintly: "If it weren't for Philip, she wouldn't have gone back there." ”

"He doesn't deserve her."

To Tongomada's words, the Moors only shrugged their shoulders slightly, and did not answer.

"It's not easy to send them all away, I've done this once before, and Ferdinand should have been prepared."

The Moorish guard glanced at the priest and said no more.

Tongomada didn't speak to the Moors again, he bypassed the Moors who were in the way and walked upstairs.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he heard the sound of Juana talking to someone above.

Her tone sounded cheerful, without the anger or frustration she would expect from house arrest.

It's just that it seems that she is the only one who keeps talking, but no one responds.

Tangomada glanced back at the Moorish man with his back to him, then shook his head helplessly and walked up the stairs.

The second floor of the fort has several rooms on the left and right, and a large open space in the middle.

Juana was standing next to the large bed in the middle of the clearing.

A disgusting stench filled the entire second floor, and Tom Gomada frowned secretly before stepping up.

Juana, who turned her head at the sound of the noise, looked horrified for a moment when she saw Tongomada, but she immediately forced herself to compose herself, and took a few steps forward between the priest and the bed.

"Your Majesty, do you think this will stop me from harming the Prince?"

Tongomada's words made Juana stunned for a moment, and her body trembled slightly as she stared at the terrible person in front of her, who in her memory would always be so gloomy and terrifying.

Now he makes her feel even more terrifying.

"Tell me, are you really going to save your husband?"

The priest asked as he walked slowly towards Juana, and seeing the confusion on her face, Tangomada continued, "Have you ever thought about how to save your husband?" ”

"How can I save it?"

"Actually, there is an opportunity you missed, remember in Toledo, where someone once promised to cure the Prince's illness, but it was ruined."

"I remember," Juana suddenly became agitated, and she walked anxiously back and forth in front of the bed, ignoring her fear of the priest, and suddenly stopped to look at Tongomada, "is the duke, what is his name?" ”

"Duke of Roman Thesia."

"Yes, it's him, the Duke of Rome Thesia, he said he could cure Philip's illness," Juana nervous, "but where is he now, can he find him?" ”

Tongomada shook his head, and when he saw that Juana seemed to be about to be angry, he said, "It is not difficult to find the Duke, but he is your father's enemy, so His Majesty will not allow him to heal your husband." ”

Tongomada's words made Juana stunned, and the fear of Ferdinand from the bottom of her heart made her feel as if she were about to suffocate.

The fear of her father and her infatuation with her husband tormented the young woman's already fragile nerves.

Seeing Juana's body tremble imperceptibly, Tangomada took another step forward and whispered very close to her, "It was the king who forced you to return to Valaridot, wasn't it, for whom Philip would have caused him too much trouble if he lived. ”

Juana's body trembled even more, and she looked at Tongomada in horror, as if frightened by his words.

Looking at the pale Juana, Tongomada glanced at the stinking figure on the bed with a curtain, and let out a faint sigh.

Suddenly, the sigh struck Juana like a huge hammer in her heart, which had become completely confused, and did not know what to do.

…………

Clouds drifted across the sky, casting shadows on the ground.

Then the shadow grew larger and larger, and the originally clear sky became cloudy.

A dull roar of thunder rolled in from afar.

The wind blows with a distinctly moist moisture.

Finally, there were big drops of raindrops, then gradually finening rain, and then a curtain of rain covering the whole world in a short moment.

In the midst of this heavy rain, a horse broke through the rain, splashed countless mud on the ground, and galloped towards Valaridot.

Ferdinand didn't know that when he thought he had heard enough bad news, something that shocked him even more awaited.