Caesar gave Giulio time, but his father, Pope Alexander VI, did not, and seemed to have lost patience, and the pope summoned them back to Rome in the fourth month.

They were greeted by Duarte, the Pope's secretary, who was accompanied by a priest who Giulio was familiar with, a servant of Cardinal Picromini, and Julio parted ways with Caesar, although Giulio missed Lucrecia very much, but he also knew that at this time he and Caesar, and the others must have been watched by countless people, and he also missed Cardinal Picromini, who was like his father. But in his farewell, he reminded in a voice that only Caesar could hear: "Don't forget my letter." ”

This letter was addressed by Giulio to Alexander VI, who, although he was already an archbishop, was not yet qualified to submit the documents directly to the Pope, but fortunately his best friend was the son of the saint, and Caesar kept pressing his chest on the way to Castel Sant'Angelo (where the Pope was waiting for him), and the letter was hidden in his shirt, a letter that was extremely heavy in both substance and substance. Julio. Caesar also heard rumors that the Medici were spiritual, but because his family and father, the young and ambitious Borgia, thought that this was nothing more than a lie hatched by Cardinal Picromini and the Medici family to build a campaign for Julio, but the contents of this letter (yes, he opened it privately) could not help but surprise him that there was another person in the world who could almost equal, nay, maybe surpass him in some way—there were never a few wise men in Rome, What most people lack most is experience and foresight, but this is almost the same in Giulio, in the letters, the tentacles of his thoughts not only occupy the great Italy, but also extend to France and even the whole of Europe, according to his analysis, judgment and prediction, Caesar can even complete his hegemony step by step according to the already clear vein—Caesar grabbed the window edge of the carriage, they have gone to the bridge of Sant'Angelo, and the guards exchange the agreed code in the darkness and the light of the torches, A team of Templars respectfully and vigilantly examined the carriage and its occupants.

Duarte stopped in the corridor leading to the Pope's chambers, and Caesar glanced at him, as usual, he couldn't see any clues in the face of this man who had been a criminal.

He walked alone through the narrow corridor, pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, the door opened, and Pope Alexander VI sat in a chair in the middle of the room, behind a wide desk, wearing a white skullcap, white inlaid with gold trim, a long tunic embroidered with gold embroidery and pearls, covered with a crimson velvet shoulder coat, every time Caesar saw him, he felt that he was aging, but Borgia's aging was different from mortals, ordinary people's aging was dry and fragile, while Borgia's aging was hard and sharp, It's like a pot of poison that has been refined to the end, and although the amount is small, it is more deadly.

What made Caesar even more uneasy was that Lucretia was also in this room, and it was especially worth mentioning that the Pope's favorite little daughter not only did not snuggle up to her father's side as usual, but retreated to the other end of the room, and her eyes when she looked at Alexander VI were no longer innocent and gentle, with some caution, with some sadness, her hands crossed in front of her lower abdomen, this action made Caesar feel familiar, his steps became slower and slower, and when he remembered where he had seen this posture, He had come to the Pope, and he knelt down and wanted to kiss the Pope's ring, but the Pope withdrew his hand indifferently.

"Caesar," his voice sounded above Caesar's head, "my most credible son, tell me, are you the father of the child that Lucrecia conceived?" ”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this question hit Caesar's head like thunder, he turned his head in horror, looked at Lucrea, trembling, compared to Caesar, Lucrea was much calmer, she stepped forward slowly, carefully protected her abdomen and knelt beside Caesar, her face was as beautiful as ever, but it added a holy light that belonged only to his mother, Caesar remembered for no reason one of the many manuscripts he had seen with Leonardo da Vinci in Florence— Leonardo da Vinci told him that the painting was depicting an angel telling the Virgin Mary that she was about to give birth to Jesus because she was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that Leonardo's Madonna was young, beautiful, gentle and humble, calm and elegant, and that Lucrea seemed to be subtly overlapped with the Madonna in that painting, yes, she was going to be a mother, Caesar's favorite little sister, she was pregnant, and she was about to give birth to another man, and Caesar's lips were numb, and her mind was so confused that she couldn't even pronounce a syllable. He wanted to cover up for Lucrea, both for his sister, for the woman he loved, and for Giulio, although he was full of jealousy of the latter, but just as Lucles could convince him to officiate for her and Giulio, he also had to consider that it would be sad to lose Giulio Lucrea, but just when he wanted to tell the lie, Lucles said, "It's Giulio. Medici's. ”

Alexander VI, who surprised Caesar and did not immediately become angry, glanced at Caesar in disappointment and walked up to the two children: "I hope this is the last time, Caesar, lie to your father, master and God, Lucrea, you too," he glanced at his daughter's belly: "I will arrange a safer and more secret place for you to give birth...... No, this is also Borgia's child, he will be honored, although he cannot be made public, but he will have a pair of parents who love him. But, on the other hand, Lucracia, after giving birth, you have to become Alfonso. Aragon's wife. He glanced at Caesar again: "This is thanks to your incompetent brother, since he failed to make Carrotta of Aragon his wife, then we must establish a new connection with the royal family of Naples." ”

"So," Luclaycia asked, "what about Julio?" ”

"I'm very angry with him," said Alexander VI, "but I have to think about the help that my friend Picromini, and Lorenzo of the Medici, has given me, and he must leave Rome and go to a place like Lucca, maybe Flor......ence," he said, turning his back and going......

"You're lying." Lucrecia said.

With Alexander VI's abrupt turn, Caesar was also surprised and didn't know what to say, Lucrecia just stared at his father boldly, "You are lying, Holy Father, you have decided to put Giulio to death." ”

"I don't want my children to be sad." Alexander VI said.

"If only we don't disappoint you." "Caesar disappointed you because he didn't do what you said, and I disappointed you because I didn't choose my brother," said Lucresia. It's not that you don't have anger, it's that the angrier you are, the calmer you are. ”

After a moment of silence, Alexander VI burst into a laugh, a smile that could almost be directly depicted in the scene of hell: "You are a wise child, Lucresia, I once regretted that you were not a son, but now I wish you were not so smart."...... ”

"Don't kill him, father," Lucrecia pleaded, "he is not your enemy. ”

"Yes, but he's an enemy of the Borgias." Alexander VI stroked his ring, and next to the Fisherman's Ring, the symbol of the Borgia family, was engraved with the ring stamp of a bull: "You fell in love with him, and you gave him weapons capable of threatening us - I said that you can only love your own family, and that does not even include your husband, and of course, I am talking about a formal marriage." ”

"I love him, father, but he loves me too, and he doesn't want to hurt me."

"When you become another man's wife, Lucresia, men's jealousy is much more terrible than men's."

"But Alfonso isn't necessarily the only option." Caesar pressed his chest, and suddenly it happened, he hadn't taken out the letter yet: "Giulio is already in the process of resigning from the teaching, and when he returns to Florence, he will be the head of the Medici family, and he will support us like Lorenzo...... And......" He wanted to take out the letter, but hesitated at the burning gaze of Luclecia turning to him, he longed to see such a look, but this look was thrown at him by Lucrecia for the sake of other men, and in the midst of this hesitation, Alexander VI burst out laughing.

"It's just a lost puppy." Alexander VI said contemptuously and harshly, looking at his children's expressions: "You are all bewitched by him. ”

"But......" Caesar was still trying to fight, his hand was already in the hem of his robe, and he had no doubt that the letter would touch the cold heart of Alexander VI. But the words of Alexander VI after him almost broke his heart.

"If he's not Giulio. Medici," the Pope whispered, as if to frighten a sleeping child if he spoke louder, "I might really think about it." ”

"Is it because of his last name?" Lucrecia asked, puzzled, that the Medici were not Borgia's enemies.

Alexander VI clasped his hands together and lowered his eyes: "No, it is precisely because he is Giulio, the one who conspired with you, plotted and killed your brother with his own hands, Caesar, Lucrea, I will never forgive him, accept him, he has my son's blood on his hands, and all I have done to him is revenge, either today or tomorrow." ”

"But Juan isn't ......," Lucrecia shouted. Caesar was equally anxious to explain, and nine out of ten Romans believed that he had killed Juan for his army and territory, but he could swear that Juan's death had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"I'm not talking about Juan!" Alexander VI roared back: "Luigi! Don't tell me you've forgotten the name! Yes, he is not my favorite child, but he is indeed my son, and you, together with outsiders, murdered him! Killed your blood relatives! ”

The name plunged the room into a terrible silence.

In the end, it was Lucles who spoke.

"I am not called Luigi's brother," she said, smiling, "not before, not now, not again, father, I love Giulio because he freed me forever from the threat and aggression of the devil, and even if the Virgin is standing before me, I will not repent of my deeds, my brother and my lover are the same," she glanced at Caesar apologetically: "Maybe you remember that it bleeds your blood, but for me it is just a nightmare." If you want revenge, come to me, I am the real mastermind, Holy Father, and I wish the sword that pierced his chest was in my hand. ”

"Your coldness pains me," said Alexander VI, "and my revenge has begun, Lucresia, and your child will not see his father's face." ”

"If Giulio dies, whatever it is," Lucrecia replied in an equally gentle voice, "I will kill myself, Holy Father, and you will lose your most precious bargaining chips." ”