As July progresses, the air in Rome begins to heat up, the people dress more lightly, the smell of spices and sweat mixes, and the age and the pious people regard bathing as a sin or luxury, so much so that in a crowded place, it can be felt that it is not a sacred place, but a mule and horse market or a tanning workshop. However, these did not affect the pair of small lovebirds hiding in the suburbs of Rome, and the cloud-like dense forest not only hid their enthusiasm well, but also kept the hustle and bustle out of the heat.

Caesar rode his horse here one bright morning, but found his sister Luclesia in the room, and when he questioned the servant, he learned that she and her husband had gone to the lake in the woods.

It is a small lake that is only one-tenth the size of the silver lake, hidden in a dense forest, and the source of the lake is said to come from a spring in the ground, which is clear and cold, and there are almost no fish, only small transparent shrimp. Caesar walked along an inconspicuous path, pulled the branches of a wild apple tree, and the surface of the blue and golden scales suddenly appeared before his eyes, followed by a bright and crisp laughter, which he knew as soon as he heard it was none other than his sister Lucrea, who searched the lake for boats, but there were no boats, and suddenly a man floated up from the water, and then another.

They were not in the wisps of light, their smooth skin glowing in the bright sun, as if they were the children of the water fairy, the elves of the water, the youthful and fanatical breath was even stronger than the sun, which made Caesar dizzy for a while, and a sharp arrow pierced his heart directly, its name was jealousy, and he watched them hug in the stirring ripples, touching and kissing each other, as if entering a splendid nightmare, his fingers snapping into the branches of the apple tree, breaking it, and the crisp snapping sound alerted Julio, He looked over to the place where the voice had come from, and Caesar dropped his branches, trampled over the withered flowers and green fruits, and strode toward them. Giulio turned to Lucretia and said a few words, then swam to the shore, first lifting a coat and putting it on himself, then pulling open a large velvet cloak to envelop Luclaysia who followed him.

Lucrecia grabbed the collar of her cloak, revealing only her wet hair and face, and two feet as white as rabbits, she smiled and raised her head to let her brother kiss her forehead and cheek: "Why do you have time to come and see us?" She happily asked, "I thought you were going to be very busy lately." Caesar knew that she was referring to her dismissal and taking over Juan's power and sphere of influence, but he still felt as if he had swallowed a ball of coals, especially when he noticed that Lucrecia had immediately backed away after the greeting, standing with Giulio.

"Looks like you're having a very happy life." Caesar whispered that it was not so much for Lucrecia and Giulio as for himself, but Giulio, who had a keen hearing, still caught this sentence, and didn't know if he was too careful, Giulio always felt that this sentence was full of gloom.

Caesar doesn't look at Lucrea, otherwise he won't be able to stand it, his eyes are focused on Giulio, people say that women will become beautiful and young when they are nourished by love, in fact, men are not far behind, Giulio was famous for his calm and self-control when he was a child, and some people will think that he is withdrawn and eccentric, unapproachable, but now, he is like an angel who has gained a body in the mortal world, has lost his chastity, but is more susceptible to temptation, if it is those women in Rome, and maybe some men, Seeing Giulio now, he must have torn him apart with their eyes, fingers and teeth and devoured him - Caesar did not wonder why Lucrecia would do such a reckless thing, although she was a Borgia, she was also a woman, perhaps because she was a woman and a Borgia, so she did it.

It was the passion of Giulio that would do whatever it took to get him that made Caesar abandon his complex feelings and fear of his father's authority and agree to marry them.

"I don't want to disturb you," said Caesar, "but I need you, Giulio, His Holiness the Pope sent me to Naples to coronate Frederick of Aragon, and ...... He wanted me to be able to make a marriage contract with his daughter. ”

Giulio glanced at Lucresia, exchanged a tacit look and nodded, although they are in a hot relationship, they can also be said to be political animals in a sense, the Pope asked Caesar to crown the new king of Naples, does it need to be said much, considering that Caesar will soon be removed from the clergy and become a mortal prince, then as the husband of the daughter of the king of Naples, he also has the right to inherit the throne of Naples - but in any case, this trip is undoubtedly important, Illustrious and imposing, being able to become a close retinue by his side is both a responsibility and a reward. Giulio could not have refused Caesar's invitation, either from the position of his friends and subordinates, or for the sake of Luclayia.

Lucresia, like a virtuous woman, had packed for Giulio, and she stood on the highest terrace, watching the two most important men in her life ride away, her heart filled with a swelling of melancholy and nostalgia.

The papal envoy's procession soon left the city of Rome, and Rome quickly became hot, and Lucrecia remained in her and Giulio's "home", calmly waiting for the return of her brother and lover in the company of the lake and her maids, but the problem was that bad news followed, and the task of crowning the new king was quickly completed, but the new king and his daughter Carrotta very sensibly rejected Caesar's proposal - although legend has it that Princess Carrotta actually enjoyed Caesar's courtship very much, but as the king's daughter, She also knew that if she had agreed to Caesar's proposal, her father would probably never have a son again, and would even die soon due to various accidents, and in any case, a princess who had lost her country was no more precious than a rich widow.

"Let's drink some mint water." Lucresia's maid served her mint water, which was the practice of throwing ice and snow into the water, but Giulio's insistence on piling the ice and snow outside the cup was undoubtedly more extravagant, but considering that he came from the Medici family, which was known for its extravagance, this insistence was not too much, not to mention that Lucrea, as the most cherished daughter of Alexander VI, may have a more generous annuity than a princess of a country, but she still hesitated when she took the cup to her lips.

"Need some more honey?" The maid asked with concern, "Or wine?" ”

The mint water in the glass is clear and clean, the fresh mint leaves soaked in the water are like jewels carved from emeralds, the water waves reflect the light of the outside world, and the walls of the cup are suspended with dense water droplets, just looking at it will make people feel cool and cool, if you change anyone, you will not hesitate to pour it into your mouth, but Luclessia has not been able to listen to her desires for some reason, she judged this voice from the depths of her heart as a warning of danger, But the maid was not poisoned or in a bad condition after drinking the mint water—she suddenly felt something.

Luclayia's mother, Vanosha, was now a wealthy widow, her husband (nominal) had died, and Alexander VI, her de facto husband, had a new love and rarely came to her, she lived alone on the outskirts of Rome, living a prosperous and leisurely life, and when she heard her daughter's call, she hurried in, and after examining Lucrecia's body, the woman, who had a lot of experience in childbirth, could not help but be shocked, She knew that Lucresia's last marriage had not allowed her to get rid of her status as a girl, but now Lucles was clearly pregnant.

She looked at Lucretia with a calm expression, dizzy for a while, she was not worried about Luclesia's loss of virginity, after all, young girls and young women in Rome and even the whole of Italy have one or two beloved lovers, as long as the father and brother, and the family is strong, her future husband will not mind too much, but pregnancy and illegitimate children are difficult to deal with, "Who is the father of the child?" For a moment, she thought of her eldest son, Caesar, for she had heard of the customs of the Borgia family, and that she had been Alexander VI's lover for nearly twenty years, and had fathered him several children, and she was worried that Alexander VI had apparently arranged the path for Lucrecia, and that he would be furious if this child affected his plans.

"Who is it?" Vanosha asked.

"Someone I love." Lucrecia replied that she was also a little surprised, after all, her mother Vanosha had a late menarche, she had become Rodrigo's lover very early, but her eldest son Caesar was born when she was thirty-four years old, and so was Luclayia, although her body seemed to be mature, but the tide of fertility had never come, and it was for this reason that she was able to get Giulio to agree to be close to her, she thought that the child would come in a few years, but compared to Vanosha's worries, She had nothing but joy in her heart, wishing that her first child would also be Giulio's first, which had been a luxury, after all, she had no excuse to refuse to have sex with her new husband and have children in her next marriage.

"Caesar?" Vanosha asked with a shudder.

Lucrecia looked at her in surprise: "Caesar is my brother. ”

Vanosha pressed his chest and collapsed in his chair: "Thank God, then, I know a reliable witch ......"

"Dispel that evil thought," said Lucretia quickly, "I will keep this child." ”

"What would your father say if he found out?" Vanosha screamed.

"Then don't let him know." Luclayia answered without hesitation.

"Impossible." Vanosha suddenly calmed down, "Impossible, you know. ”

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Caesar and Giulio had been living in the castle of Nuovo in Naples for twelve weeks, and Caesar was angry and anxious about the neglect of the new king of Naples, and the perfunctory treatment of his daughter Carrotta, on the contrary, although Giulio also wanted to go back to Rome and be with Lucracia, but he was able to maintain his sanity after all, and when he and Caesar were alone in the study, he pressed Caesar's shoulder in a gesture of intimacy with his relatives rather than mere friends and subordinates, reminding him that this was not something that could be done overnightIn any case, what they could think of, the king of Naples could also think of, when he did not even have a son, easily believing Caesar, losing not only his power and position, but also his life, and now, Caesar was not even a layman, he was still a cardinal, a saint who should not indulge in femininity and military power, at least on the surface, which made many questions not put on the table.

"We may be able to hold a banquet," Caesar said gloomily, "and if Frederick is dead, then I may ask the Pope for permission to marry his daughter." ”

"No," Giulio objected without hesitation, "it is a king, not a bishop, the hand of the Holy Father cannot reach into the world, this is the default rule of the people, Caesar, if a king dies from the wine brought by the cardinal, all those in the vestments will be expelled, do not underestimate them, they may be enemies, but the first to pick the forbidden fruit will definitely be attacked by the crowd." ”

"We're ready." Caesar said without mince of words, "and," he smiled, mockingly, "shouldn't you do everything in your power for this?" If I can't be Carrotta's husband, Lucrecia will be Alfonso. Aragorn's wife. ”

Giulio's hands trembled slightly, but from the bottom of his heart, he really lacked a solution to the impasse in front of him, and the attitude of Alexander VI and Caesar was simply naked on the surface, even a stupid groom knew that Caesar wanted to be the ruler of Naples, and the new king of Naples was not a stupid man, just like a pig would run away when he saw a butcher's knife, would he still put his head in the loop of the gallows? This situation could not be changed by money or force alone, and everyone knew that life was more important than anything else, and as far as he was concerned, the new king of Naples had no respect for the sanctuary and the Father as little as the morning mist, and it was almost impossible to restrain and intimidate him with faith and public opinion.

Giulio did not answer, but Caesar had already realized that he had said the wrong thing, his feelings for Giulio were as complicated as his feelings for Lucrea, and he immediately shook Giulio's hand, unwilling to give up such a friend and brother, yes, sometimes Giulio even made him closer and more trusted than his brother, "Forgive me," he said, "I am so annoyed." ”

"Don't let emotions control you." Giulio said calmly, "Caesar, give me a moment, I'll think again, let me think again." ”