In the room, she sat quietly in a chair, her hands on her knees, her slender waist straight, which made her look more like a well-bred and elegant queen.

On the opposite side, a group of Sicilian officers looked surprised and curious at the young duke sitting next to the queen.

Most of them knew the duke, while some had only heard rumors about him, and they could not help but be surprised to see him suddenly appear at the queen's side.

Alexander looked at the officers with a calm expression, he knew that they were wondering how he had suddenly arrived in Andalusia, and he believed that even Josha should be very curious.

When Alexander entered the barracks, the Sicilians had already seen him, so the brother and sister were surrounded by officers who had heard the news before they could say a single word.

After all, this is a big battle that will affect the entire kingdom and may even affect the future fate of the Trade Alliance, so there are not many people who can really sleep well on this night.

"Generals, as you can see, my elder brother, the Duke of Rome, has arrived, so I have decided here that from now on the command of the army will be handed over to my brother, and that all Sicilian troops must obey the duke's command unconditionally, and this is my order in the name of the Queen."

The Sicilian officers were stunned by his words, and except for those who were still familiar with Alexander, the others could not help but look hesitant.

They had become accustomed to the Queen's command, and the battles made them think that as long as they saw the Queen's figure and heard the Queen's orders, they could finally win.

It seems to have become a matter of course, and the victories, both in Bucharest and in Sicily, proved that their dependent-like ideas were not absurd, but rather that they were rewarded with honour and abundant booty.

So now that the Sicilian officers were suddenly going to hand them over to another person in command, the Sicilian officers were surprised and dazed, and some even had the thought of "this is the end" flashed through their minds.

Alexander noticed the strange expressions of the officers, and he shook his head gently at Jisha: "I have indeed come to fight with you, but I think it is because I am afraid that you may feel lonely alone, but I trust your command, and even if I were to command those battles, I may not be able to do better than you." ”

Alexander stood up and looked down at the Josha who was sitting there looking up at him: "Remember why I engraved your image on the gold coin of Radia, because that's what you should be, brave, witty and calm, you are the queen of the Sicilians and their commander-in-chief." ”

Saying that, Alexander knelt down on one knee and took Jisha's hand and kissed it gently: "Your Majesty, I am honored to fight under your command, and I am willing to obey your command." ”

"Long live the Queen!" The officers shouted loudly, and the sound resounded through the room, shaking everyone's ears.

"How did you come here all of a sudden?"

When the two of them were finally able to be alone, it was only when the sound of the door closing in had just sounded that Jisha immediately rushed up desperately and hugged Alexander tightly.

The hug was too hard because of the excitement, so that Alexander even had the illusion that he was being hugged by Sophia.

"Those generals of yours are still outside."

"Then you have to be careful, Duke, if people are seen doing this with your sister, it won't be a good thing for you."

"Can I say no then?"

"No, you just swore an oath in public to obey my command, and now I am your commander, so you must obey my orders."

"I'd love to listen to you, my commander."

On this night, the generals who returned to their respective camps heard that something had happened later:

After they had left, the Queen and the Duke were still together to deliberate and plan for the battle that was to come, and for this reason they stayed in the room for a long, long time, and it was said that the lights in the room were on until dawn the next day.

The morning breeze blew in through the half-hidden window, blowing through the open maps, letters, short guns pressed on the table, and the extinguished wax table, and the scattered clothes on the floor swayed a few times with the wind, and then the wind mischievously lifted the curtain that shrouded the large bed upwards, faintly revealing the two figures clinging to each other inside.

Jisha moved, and the wind blew in to make her feel a little cold, so she instinctively shrank into the warm embrace behind her.

Then she woke up.

But she didn't move, but just lay on her side and looked at the curtains in front of her, which were gently touched by the wind, and the clear sky that could be seen faintly outside.

"Poof."

Jisha turned around and saw it

She let out a chuckle and felt the arm around her waist seem to tighten, and she slowly half-twisted around to look at the face behind her that was very close.

It was so close that she could even clearly see the fresh stubble on his jaw.

"What are you laughing at?" Alexander pulled Jossa into his arms with a little force.

"I wonder if you thought you were a horse you wanted to tame yesterday," said Jossa holding a finger against Alexander's chin, "if you let your mother know that you treated her sister like that, she will punish you." ”

Josha's words made Alexander's throat start to dry a little again, and he lowered his head slightly and tapped his fingertips with his lips and asked softly, "Since I can't escape being punished by my mother, should I add some more crimes to myself now?" ”

A smile appeared in her eyes, but then she suddenly sat up straight, and then bowed her head with a hint of pride, "Brother, have you forgotten, I am the Queen of Sicily, so now follow my orders, and it is up to me to play the knight." ”

Seeing Josha proudly raise his chin, Alexander smiled at first, but soon he realized that under the fierce drive of Her Majesty, he really became a horse......

Schell stood bored in the corridor outside the room and fiddled with the short knife in his hand, his rough fingers were very nimble to play a few nimble tricks with the short knife, especially when he noticed that the Queen's lady-in-waiting standing not far away looked over from time to time, and he had more work in his hands.

When he finally saw the woman come over suddenly, Schell immediately stopped and grinned.

The waitress looked at the Balkans expressionlessly for a moment, and then gestured to the closed door behind Sher a little helplessly: "It's not too early, we have to wake up those two people inside, otherwise they may be tired of it until everyone can see it." ”

"You're right, ma'am," Scheer turned and tapped twice on the door with the end of his dagger, then lowered his voice slightly, "sir, it's time for you to get up." ”

With that, Schell pressed his ear slightly against the door, followed by a slightly stunned look on his face, and then he turned back to the waitress and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

The waitress looked at Sheel in a daze, although she knew that it was a bit inappropriate to disturb the two inside at this time, but looking at the sky that had gradually brightened, she could only walk over and knock on the door again.

The faintly audible sound inside fell silent, and after a while, the door opened a crack, and a long cloak that was hidden from her neck flashed out from within.

Looking up at the light pouring in from the tall windows of the hallway, Jisha couldn't help but raise her hand to block it, and her smooth, white arms peeking out of the cloak, seemed to shine holyly in the sunlight.

Schell glanced at the queen and immediately turned his head nervously, he guessed that the queen might not be wearing anything underneath her cloak, so he simply turned around and looked at the end of the hallway to prevent someone from suddenly breaking in.

As soon as she entered, she embraced the waitress, and her smooth arms were so hard that the poor woman had to pat her on the back.

"Madame, do you know that he was like a beast last night, and I was afraid that he would bite me to death at once." After saying it excitedly, she buried her face in the shoulder socket of the waitress and rubbed it for a while, "God, what am I talking about, it's really shameless, Jisha Kosenza, it's a shame, why are you so fascinated by a man." ”

"It's not a shame for your majesty, at least it shows how much the duke is infatuated with you," the lady-in-waiting sighed silently, she looked at the excited Jisha again and again, but finally reminded "But you should also be careful, especially don't let yourself get pregnant, otherwise things will get very bad, after all, the king has long since died, and the only man close to you so far is the duke, this kind of thing is not easy to hide." ”

The waitress's words made Zhensha, who was holding her hot face and falling into intoxication, immediately raise her head, she seemed to look at the waitress in a daze, and asked blankly: "Pregnant?" Child? ”

The waitress nodded wordlessly.

"Our children, my brother and I's children?" Ji Sha asked again, and then she suddenly took her female partner's hand a little nervously and hurriedly asked, "Do you think I'm pregnant now, I mean the two of us were a little too crazy yesterday, of course, we did well this morning, but it was more intense than last night, so do you think I'm pregnant?" ”

The female companion looked at the queen blankly, she didn't know how to answer for a while because of the change in the queen's mood, but just when she was about to speak, Jisha herself couldn't wait to find the answer: "Yes, I think I may be pregnant, Alexander has always wanted me to give him a baby, so if he is really pregnant, he will be very happy." ”

The lady-in-waiting looked at the excited queen speechlessly, she suddenly regretted stirring up the topic, and now she was worried that the queen might have to make her the caretaker of the future prince or princess.

However, Ji Sha was obviously much more rational than the waitress imagined, and finally calmed down after a burst of excitement, looking at the female companion who seemed to be at a loss for what to do in front of her, she suddenly let out a chuckle, took the female companion's hands and ordered: "Okay, let someone prepare hot water for me, I want to take a good bath, there are still many things to do today." ”

Seeing that the queen gradually regained her vaguely majestic demeanor, the female companion bowed respectfully and retreated.

But as she was about to walk out of the room, she inadvertently looked back and saw the queen looking down and caressing her lower abdomen, with a strange smile on her lips that she had never seen before, a little obsessive.

Alexander was also taking a shower, and the feeling of relief as Schell poured the vat of hot water over his head made him whistle with a refreshing whistle.

When he changed into dry clothes and walked out of the room, looking at the soldiers who had already gotten up with the familiar morning call outside, Alexander suddenly said to Schell, who was following him: "Prepare the horses, let's go meet that Gonzalo." ”

Hearing this, Schell couldn't help but be stunned.

And Josa, who heard that Alexander had gone to see Gonzalo, was not surprised when she heard the news, but immediately gave the order to the whole army to prepare for battle.

Alexander's time with Gonzalo was short and rushed.

In fact, when he first heard that the Duke of Rome Thessia had actually appeared in the Sicilian barracks, Gonzalo was not convinced.

He thought it was a trick played by the Sicilians to shake and confuse his military spirit.

After all, the Sicilians were able to land in Malaga as suddenly as they were in Sicily, but it was too unrealistic for the Roman-Thesian army to transport troops from Italy to Iberia.

And even if he could, he knew that it was unlikely that the Roman Tescian army would be able to draw enough troops to invest in the Iberian battlefield, after all, the situation in northern Italy was very delicate, and it was not safe to protect the border without a strong enough force.

Moreover, Alexander was now in Portugal, and it was unlikely that he would lead the Portuguese army deep into the south of Castile.

At least Alexander wouldn't be so stupid, and Manuel wouldn't be fooled enough to let his army die, after all, if the Portuguese hastily landed in Andalusia, all that awaited them was annihilation from all sides.

It was only when he later heard that Alexander had arrived in Andalusia with a guard of only a few hundred men, that Gonzalo was silent for a while, and then he told the messenger sent by Alexander that he was willing to meet with the Duke of Thesia alone.

The meeting took place on a small island at the confluence of the Guadaville and Henier rivers, far from the positions of the armies of both sides, and because the island was bare, there was hardly any place to hide people, and it was surrounded by two converging rivers, making it the best place to be reliable for both sides.

Alexander brought only Schell and the agreed 20 guards with him, while Gonzalo brought only one of his cronies and an equal number of guards.

When his cronies asked with some concern whether there would be any conspiracy involved, Gonzalo replied easily: "Don't worry, there will be no conspiracy, I don't say this because I have any confidence in the Duke of Rome Thesia, but in myself." ”

As agreed, the two sides arrived at the unnamed island at noon, where the guards of both sides lined up and waited outside the range of muskets, while the protagonists of each side of the negotiations came down with one of their men to the open space in the middle for talks.

Except for only one chair, the people on either side did not carry anything.

And this was a private negotiation that was completely unapproved by the monarchs of both sides.

At least Alexander did not produce any written orders authorized by his now titular commander, Josha.

And Gonzalo only met with the enemy as a front line commander.

The negotiations did not last long, and before the troops on either side of the river could get uneasy, they each saw from a distance a few small boats of their own men rowing away from the island.

No one knows what was discussed on both sides.

However, after returning to the barracks, Gonzalo immediately ordered to prepare for battle.

And the Sicilians, who had been prepared long ago on the orders of Josa, also began to move after Alexander's return.

Soon after, news of the negotiations between the two sides was written in secret letters and hastily sent to Vallaridode.

Just when the war clouds were gathering in Andalisia, in the royal palace of the city of Vallaridus, Ferdinand walked anxiously around.

He was the only one in the room at this time, so he no longer needed to play the wise king who always seemed to have everything under control, and now he was just an ordinary person who was anxious and hesitant.

Ever since he heard that the Sicilians had landed in Malaga, Ferdinand was surrounded by that uneasiness, but he had to show composure in front of outsiders, not to mention that this was Castile, and countless pairs of eyes were staring at him, whether it was an ally or an enemy, at this time as long as he showed a little cowardice, what awaited him was to abandon betrayal and all kinds of irrepressible confrontation and hostility.

The conflict between Castile and Aragon for many years was still so deep, it was not something that could be completely eliminated by a marriage, and Ferdinand knew too well how great the difficulties were, not to mention the fact that there was now a woman who might compete with him for the throne of Aragon.

Ferdinand never thought that the Queen of Naples would cause him so much trouble, even if he inexplicably became the Queen of Naples and seized Sicily by mistake, but he still thought that as long as he was given a chance to breathe, he could punish that woman severely, but now the situation suddenly became such a situation that no one expected.

Ferdinand was waiting for the envoy to Austria, and according to the time, the scholar should already be on his way back, whether Maximian was willing to send troops, and what kind of conditions he proposed, would probably be answered accurately in the next few days.

Or should it be nice to that dying Philip? Ferdinand pondered.

Now Philip had no need to worry about him at all, the poor man who had been tortured to the point of being inhuman was now unable to even moan in pain, and it was said that his throat was rotten, and sometimes the soup poured into his mouth would seep through the festering holes.

Ferdinand thought wildly, he could only force himself to let go of his mind a little in this way, otherwise he would always ponder the troubles, and he suspected that he might one day go mad.

After a brief but rapid knock at the door, an attendant burst in in a hurry, and without waiting for the king to ask, he said excitedly: "Your Majesty, the messenger sent to the emperor has returned!" ”

Ferdinand took a sharp step forward at his feet, but then he stopped, and then he calmed down.

The messenger was soon brought to Ferdinand, who handed the emperor's handwritten letter to the king and waited silently.

Maxim's letter was long, and apart from the initial red tape greetings and diplomatic rhetoric, Ferdinand took note of the Emperor's reference to the rivalry between Austria and Bohemia over Hungary.

"Ladislas II apparently considered me to be an incompetent and weak emperor, so he decided to challenge my authority, and my only recourse to this was to respond strongly......"

It might be a bit of a hassle to send troops in this way? Ferdinand's heart jumped, and he looked more closely at the contents of the letter.

"I don't think it will prevent me from helping the esteemed king of Aragon punish the villains who covet the legitimate throne of Orthodoxy, so I have decided to order the troops stationed in the Lombard region to march south......"

That's all well and good, but what does the emperor want to offer? Ferdinand became cautious.

"But Milan stands in my way, and Constantine, the son of Cardinal Rovile, has publicly declared himself on the side of our enemies in order to compete with me for the dominion of Milan, so I need a reasonable excuse to send troops to the south without compromising my quest for sovereignty over Milan......"

Is that in exchange for me supporting him to take Milan, or is there a bigger ambition?

"We are tired of years of war in Rome, and it's even disgusting, so I feel compelled to reorganize the relationship between these Roman city-states, and as Emperor of the Roman Empire, which at least nominally rules all the city-states, I want to be able to really bring Rome under my direct influence, and that requires your support."

Oh, he actually wanted Rome, Ferdinand fell into deep thought for a moment.

In fact, for Rome, the Vatican and the Holy See, the attitude of Liberians is not so strong, and there is a persistence and yearning for other places.

Iberia is still a little far from the European continent, and its geographical location in the southwestern corner of the continent and its complex integration with the Moors over the years have created a very local environment, both culturally and religiously, and there are very different cultural and religious differences between Iberia and the European continent.

Therefore, for the city of Rome, the Iberians from the top down are more of a spiritual longing and yearning, and do not have the impulse to take possession of the city of Rome as most Europeans.

Therefore, choosing to openly support Maximian's capture of Rome was not a difficult choice for Ferdinand, but he knew that it was a quagmire that would be difficult to pull out once he was trapped, and even if the Iberian crisis could be resolved this time, he could be caught up in a more difficult battle for Rome again.

Whether or not to accept Maximian's condition, which could bring endless consequences for himself and his country, left Ferdinand in a difficult choice.

It wasn't until a big surprise came out that Ferdinand finally made his choice.

The sudden appearance of the Duke of Rome in the middle of April in the Sicilian military camp for the invasion of Andalusia was accompanied by a proclamation by the Duke in his capacity as Prince of Castile, son of Henrique IV.

“”