Prince Alfred looked nervous and pale, looking at the team slowly coming from the bottom of the mountain, although the team was small in number, and the badge in front belonged to his own family, but in the eyes of the prince, it seemed that the demon was constantly approaching him.

There was also a slight commotion in the ranks of the Cosencha family, and the guards quietly put away their weapons and retreated, each with a vaguely uneasy look, and they stared at the approaching procession, and looked at Alexander.

"The Duke is here." Shosha spoke again, her tone sounding more bad news than a fact.

Alexander nodded, indicating that he understood.

Naples was not the only duke, the previous king Alfonso II alone had a well-known illegitimate son who was awarded the title of duke.

But there is only one duke who only needs to be called a duke without having to be named.

It was Frederick, the younger brother of the former king and the uncle of the current King Ferdinand.

Some say that Frederick was the bravest and most meritorious man in Naples because he saved Naples from the French.

It is also said that he is a treacherous villain who relies on all kinds of intrigues and unscrupulous means, because he finally achieved power by constantly attacking his opponents along the way.

However, no matter how you evaluate this person, it is an indisputable fact that the name of Duke Frederick has already become a hot person in Naples, and even a person who can decide the fate of the kingdom.

Even the king had to do what he said, especially after the generals of the previous coalition had openly expressed their support for Frederick instead of the king commanding the Neapolitan army, and few dared to confront him.

Modiglo was one of the few who could stand up to Frederick, but even then there was a general disbelief in Modiglo.

To make matters worse, there are already rumors in the market that the king is getting crazier and healthier, and that the king has not yet given birth to an heir, which makes people think too much.

Although the mountain road was rugged and swirling, as the trumpets continued to sound, and as the last elongated tail note faded away, the duke's party finally came to the pass.

The people bowed and saluted a tall, richly dressed man with long curly hair in the middle of the procession, and when he dismounted from his horse, Alexander was surprised to find that this man was not ordinarily tall, even without a hat, but no less than the helmeted soldiers.

The duke had long, thick curly hair, and a small part of his face was obscured by them, which some say made him look mysterious and terrifying, but it was also rumored that he did it just to cover the scars on his face from the festering of some strange disease.

"What's going on here?" Seeing the two groups of people, who had converged but were clearly facing each other, Frederick walked out of the ranks.

The middle-aged man had already taken a few steps forward, he first took the duke's hand and kissed it, and then whispered to him what had happened, which made Alfred, who was standing not far away, even more nervous, he licked his somewhat dry lips and stared at his father's face, and when he saw his father looking at him, he took a nervous step forward, and then stopped.

"You're doing a good job," Frederick patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder, his kind expression didn't seem to match the rumors about him, and after saying that, he raised his hand to make a gesture to Alfred, and under everyone's gaze, the prince slowly walked up to the duke nervously, "Come here, Alfred, don't be so nervous, come, come closer." ”

Alfred, who finally walked in front of his father, looked at his father, and at this time, the prince had completely lost the courage to fight against anyone in order to protect the honor of the woman he wanted, but completely turned into a cormorant trembling with fear.

"That's why I don't like him," Alexander whispered beside him, hearing Jossa who had already stepped out of the carriage, "Alfred can be a good friend, but not a good lover, he will always be a good son in front of his father." ”

"He is said to be quite good at fighting," Alexander also whispered, "and he is also good at swordsmanship." ”

"But he still lost to you."

As soon as Jisha's words fell, Alfred's scream was suddenly heard!

The duke, who had just been talking to his son calmly, was waving a horsewhip and whipping Alfred constantly, and with the screams of the prince who was bending down and holding his head to dodge, the snapping sound of the horsewhip on his body made everyone around him tremble!

"I didn't beat you like this because you were in the way of my people," the Duke grabbed his son by the collar and forced his face to be pressed against the tip of his nose, his voice was low but not angry, "but you forgot your identity and duty, don't forget that you are my only son, if nothing else, you will also be my only heir in the future, so please don't be so naïve, go back to your palace now, whatever you want, just don't come out again, understand?" ”

Alfred, who had been beaten by the whip, could only nod his head, and when the Duke finally let go of him, he immediately staggered and ran, not even having the courage to look back.

Looking at the prince who ran away, Zhensha's face was a little unpleasant, although she herself was not optimistic about this suitor, but this person was so frightened by his father that he ran away, which made Miss Countess feel very shameless.

And looking at Frederick approaching, she also felt a huge pressure.

"The Count's Miss of Cosenza," Frederick looked at Alexander next to him, "the venerable messenger from Sicily......"

"Cambrai, my lord. Alexandre Juliant Gombray. Alexander bowed.

"Ah, Cambrai," the Duke replied casually, and then he looked at Tsusa, "Miss Count, I would like to know what is the reason for your refusal to be examined, for you must know that this is an order of the King, and that as far as I know, both your father and your uncle owe allegiance to His Majesty. ”

Tsusha laughed, her originally nervous face showed a hint of relief, she glanced at the middle-aged man in the distance, and then looked at Frederick without fear: "Your Highness, I don't think your subordinates think so, I heard him shouting 'in the name of the duke' and not in the name of the king, which makes me have to protect my family honor, because he is obviously provoking this." ”

"Is that so?" Frederick looked back at the middle-aged man, and although he didn't get an answer, he knew the answer from the look on his face: "This is really stupid." ”

Alexander heard Frederick whisper to himself, and then he turned to Josa and said, "It seems that I have to apologize for this matter." As he spoke, the Duke slowly took one of Shosha's hands, and when he put her hand to his lips and kissed it, the Duke's eyes began to change slightly, "You have grown up, I always thought you were still a child, but before you knew it, you had grown into a beautiful young lady." ”

"Do you still want to check our fleet?" Noticing Frederick's suddenly unusually hot eyes, Tsusha suddenly felt uncomfortable, and she broke free of Frederick's hand with a little force, and deliberately asked in a somewhat unpleasant tone, which looked like a grumpy little girl.

"This is the king's order, and we must obey it." Frederick shook his head helplessly, then he took two steps back and waved vigorously, "Check the convoy, carefully inspect and don't let go of anything suspicious." ”

At Frederick's command, the soldiers swarmed up, pushing away the bewildered guards and inspecting the small convoy, and then everyone under the command of the middle-aged man began to inspect the guards one by one.

Seeing her soldiers being forced to take off their helmets and hats for inspection, Jossa finally couldn't bear it anymore, she walked up to Frederick and protested angrily: "Your Highness, you are doing this an insult to Modilo and the Cosenza family, and my uncle and father will not agree to it!" ”

"Miss, then your uncle and father must go and protest to the king," Frederick replied disappreciatively, and when he saw the slight movement of Tsusha's shoulder, the duke had already raised his hand and grabbed her jaw tightly, "Be careful, miss, you can't marry a bad temper." Frederick said, and his fingers touched his smooth chin.

"Your Highness, you can behave very uneducated." Alexander stepped forward suddenly, ignoring the sword pointed at him next to him, and grabbed Frederick's wrist tightly, "You should apologize to Miss Cosenza." ”

Frederick's eyes narrowed slightly, and he, who had never paid attention to the Sicilian envoy, looked at Alexander curiously for the first time.

"Isn't it strange that a Sicilian envoy is so close to the Modillo family," Frederick slowly let go of the hand that was holding the chin of the chin and looked at Alexander, "Young man, listen to my advice, if you are done in Naples and return to your Sicily at once, although you are a Sicilian envoy, you must not forget that I am a descendant of the royal family of Aragon." ”

A descendant of the royal family who would soon be deposed, Alexander made up for him in his heart.

Frederick now looked invincible, but only Alexander knew that this man's good life would not last long.

Considering what his distant cousin, King Ferdinand of Aragon, would do to him in the future, Alexander thought that perhaps if he caused something in Naples, he would have Ferdinand's support.

"Your Highness, I beg you to apologize to Miss Cosenza, or else I can only think that you are a barbarous and rough man who does not match your status," Alexander did not heed Frederick's threats, "I don't think my king will allow me to associate with such a man." ”

This was the first time that Alexander had borrowed the name of King Ferdinand of the Kingdom of Sicily, and what really made this king interesting was that he was also the king of the Kingdom of Aragon and the husband of Queen Isabella of the Kingdom of Castile, the co-lord of two kingdoms and the king of one.

The expression on Frederick's face changed slightly, he didn't care about Alexander, but he couldn't help but care about a Sicilian envoy.

Especially at such a delicate time, when he thought that his nephew had become more and more insane, and that his health was clearly getting worse, Frederick could not help but seriously consider the people and things that the young man in front of him represented.

"I will apologize to Mademoiselle, for I wish to gain her favor," Frederick glared at Alexander, "but you young man, stay away from that girl from now on, and you had better pray that your noble council is recognized by the King of Sicily, otherwise you will be nothing." ”

Alexander slowly let go of Frederick's hand, he knew that he had completely offended the duke this time, but he didn't care, he didn't think about the duke from the beginning.

In Alexander's opinion, even his short-lived nephew was more worthy of attention than Frederick, because although Ferdinand succeeded to the throne in a hurry, after all, the Neapolitans had not completely lost their country at that time, and now Naples has almost lost everything as a state.

What can a country in which even the command of its armies have been ruthlessly deprived by the generals of other countries, even if its king has strong ambitions.

And Alexander believed that Frederick must need Aragorn's support, which is why he was not afraid.

"Your Highness," the middle-aged man came over, and after a moment of hesitation, he whispered, "We have searched all of them, and even the young lady's carriage has been searched, and there is nothing. ”

Although he was a little surprised, Frederick only nodded quietly, and he nodded slightly to Zhensha: "I'm sorry Miss Countess, I have delayed you for so long. ”

"I will tell my father and uncle about today," said Tsusha angrily, "and I will let them pay for the humiliation you have given me." ”

"It may not be long before we meet again," Frederick looked at him strangely, "and if you still insist by then, I will give you an explanation." ”

As he spoke, he looked at Alexander again: "As for you, remember my words and stay away from now on." ”

Looking at Frederick's uncomfortable gaze, Zhisa turned and got into the carriage, and the clumsy cart began to jolt forward along the road.

When she finally passed through the pass, the angry Jisha calmed down.

She turned her head to look at Alexander next to the carriage, groaned slightly, and suddenly asked, "Where is that Florentine?" ”

Alexander's hand holding the reins tightened slightly, and the horse stopped.

He looked at the slowly moving carriage looking at him, wondering if she was really interested in the Florentine people's thoughts, or if she had already noticed something.

Looking at Alexander's expression, Zhisa didn't say anything more, she stroked her jaw, which had been pinched by Frederick and still had a faint pain, and after a while she asked again, "Why did the Duke let you stay away from me?" ”

Alexander shook his head and urged the horse to follow the carriage: "Whatever the reason, I know that the Duke and I will be on your side." ”

"Of course, that's what you owe me." Zhisa glanced at Alexander, "When I get to Kosenza, I'll get my money back." ”

Standing at the pass at the top of the mountain, watching the procession slowly moving along the mountain road and gradually moving away, Frederick shook his head slightly.

The middle-aged man walked over and saw that Frederick's mood did not seem to be so bad, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Highness, we haven't found that Florentine until now, maybe he is still hiding in the city. Need to order an increased search in the city? ”

"No, order the search to end," Frederick sighed as he looked at the departing procession, "the Florentine has fled." ”

As he spoke, the Duke suddenly looked back and smiled: "If I had another son, would I be smarter than Alfred, assuming that his mother was not only young and beautiful, but also smart?" ”

The middle-aged man looked at Frederick in astonishment, not knowing how to answer, and the duke obviously didn't want to ask for his opinion, looking at the team that could barely see the shadow down the mountain, Frederick muttered to himself: "Kosencha Kosencha, how did I not think of this." ”

Descending from the northern foothills of Mount Vesuvius, a gentle ridge stretches along the mountain to the plains beyond, where a large green forest covers the otherwise bare halfway up the mountainside, and the hot wind blows through the woods.

Warm rays of light cast through the gaps in the branches and trees in the open space of the trees, swaying gently with the swaying shade of the trees, as if the curtains made of light were gently fluttering in the wind.

It had been most of the day since they left the Vesuvius Pass, and the team did not stop on the road until they came to this wood.

The terrain is much gentler here, and as you go a little further, there are several forks in the road that lead in different directions.

The captain of the escort gave the order to camp in the woods.

Some people in the woods are also resting, most of them travelers who have passed through the summit pass before.

Seeing the procession in Kosenza, many travelers showed happy looks.

Although the French have long been driven out of Naples, it does not mean that the road is peaceful.

Being able to walk with an armed escort of nobles can at least have some guarantee of safety.

In fact, in this day and age, no place is safe.

There was a shade tent on the carriage of the Countess, although it was only half of the carriage, enough for the Countess to sit in it and escape the sun.

At this time, Miss Jossa Cosenza was sitting in the carriage, looking at Alexander, who was sitting in the shade of a tree not far away, drinking water.

"Master, we have to walk a little longer to get water," said Ulliu, looking at Alexander, who was shaking the kettle with his head up, reproachful, "and there are stones everywhere here." ”

"Don't pay attention to these Ullius, it's a volcano, of course there are stones everywhere," Alexander smiled and comforted, "Fortunately, we'll be leaving soon." ”

"Volcano?" Ulliu was stunned and asked, "Is it your kind of mountain that can breathe flames?" I've heard people mention it before, but I think it's nonsense, is there really a mountain that can breathe fire? ”

"Believe me, Uliou, this is a mountain that breathes fire, and it will breathe fire in the future."

Alexander did not want to explain the history of Vesuvius to the Moors.

Although he noticed that Mademoiselle Count seemed to be listening, it made him believe that if he told him what he knew about Vesuvius, he would certainly be of great interest to Mademoiselle Count.

But the last thing he wanted to arouse at this time was the interest of Miss Count.

"I'm going for a walk," Alexander stood up, "I'm not used to riding a horse yet." ”

"Do you want me to come with you?" The Moors hurriedly asked.

"No, I'm just going to walk around, it's going to be fine."

Alexander waved his hand casually and walked deeper into the woods, where the dense canopy of trees formed a huge umbrella cover, and the sunlight was blocked from the canopy, and the further he went, the more secluded the woods became.

The ground was getting wetter and more slippery, and Alexander was already stepping on some moss under his feet, which led him to believe that if he walked a little further inside, he might be able to find a source of water, and if he was lucky, he might even find a stream.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before he faintly heard the sound of running water, accompanied by the staccato moaning and then vomiting from behind a towering stone.

Alexander knew he had found the right place, he walked around the rocks and saw the brook and a woman vomiting at the water's edge.

It would be a stretch to say that it was a woman, because although "she" was wearing a woman's skirt, she threw away the turban and revealed the face of a man with a beard.

Massimo, who was also trying to wipe off his rosacea nose like a measles, was trying to wipe off his rosacea nose when he heard the voice, and when he saw Alexander, Massimo let out a long breath.

"My lord, I must say that you are much more clever than I am in these methods."

Mahimo laughed, he was really happy at this time, because he found that the master he had just found was not only not pedantic at all, but even seemed to have found resonance in some places.

"I'm going to duel with you!" The "woman" who was vomiting jumped up suddenly, but before he could stand firmly, a wave of dizziness made him fall headlong into the water.

"Would you mind if I said I'd let him drown like that?" Alexander asked Massimo with a smile.

"You've saved him from Naples and the Duke, can't you show this kindness again?" Massimo clasped his hands together and looked at Alexander with a pitiful face.

"Okay, but remember you owe me one more time."

"I swear I will always be loyal to you." With that, Massimo jumped into the water and dragged the Florentine, who was struggling, to shore.

"You let your servant drink poison for me!"

"That's just a medicinal wine that will make you sleep more, and it's not easy for Uliwu to configure those medicinal wines."

"You're still asking people to dress me in women's clothes!"

"Only then will Frederick's men not find out about you, after all, it is against the canon to wear women's clothes."

"But you also abandoned Massimo and let him take the risk of sending me through the level alone."

"Don't be so stubborn, friend, if you really follow the team of adults, you may already be dealing with rats in the duke's dungeon."

Looking at Beruni's gradually calm expression, Alexander also had a smile on his face.

Massimo, who deliberately traveled with the Cosenza family, while the real escort of Beruni arrived at the pass ahead of time with a mix of traveling merchants.

Then use the appearance of the Kosenza family to attract the attention of the guards, so that Massimo and the others can take the opportunity to get out of the pass!

Using a big topic as bait is actually a seemingly insignificant goal to achieve.

Behind all this seemingly simple arrangement is Alexander's grasp of people's minds!

It seems that the previous marketing psychology was really not in vain. Alexander secretly basked.

"So, why did you save me?"

Beruni suddenly asked seriously, his eyes were very clear at this time, and he didn't have the faint appearance he had just passed because of the strength of the medicine.

"Why did I save you?" Alexander seemed to be overwhelmed by the question, and he thought for a moment before replying, "Because I think you are a real ......," and he pondered for a moment before he uttered the word "Régénération" in a slightly stiff tone.

"You mean regeneration?"

Beruni looked at Alexander in astonishment, wondering why the Sicilian had suddenly used a strange French word to describe himself, and he didn't feel that he had anything to do with it.

"No, I'm wrong," Alexander shook his head, "but you don't have to worry about that, just remember that I didn't save you because you were the messenger of Florence." ”

"Whatever the reason, I still have to thank you," Beluni shook his head indifferently, "Although your hostility to the ruling makes me and you enemies, you have gained my personal friendship. ”

"That's not bad, either." Alexander nodded and smiled, he knew that it was rare for a person like Beluni to be able to separate personal friendship from righteousness, and he really couldn't ask him for anything else: "Maybe one day I will go to Florence, and then I hope we can get along well." ”

"It depends on who you are," Beruni said earnestly, "I only hope that it is not me who will order your execution." ”

"Okay, you can go now, and I'm going to follow Miss Cosenza to her territory."

Alexander said without paying attention, turned and left.

"What kind of person is this?" Looking at Alexander's back, Belluni asked Massimo next to him suspiciously.

"I don't know." Assemo shook his head.