Caesar. Borgia was not the kind of person who was willing to give up easily, he was rejected by Cardinal Picromini, and searched for another person in the College of Cardinals who might become the Pope, but what made him desperate was that his father Alexander VI always did a very thorough job in attacking the enemy, and those powerful figures who could pose a threat to Picromini were also hated by Borgia, and almost all of them died, except for Giuliano. Della. Lovere is still alive, but having lost two "balls", he will not be able to pass the test of the clergy and become Pope.

The unwilling Caesar began to throw olive branches to the cardinals of Spain and to the cardinals of France, respectively, but here he made another mistake, he was not the Pope, not Rodrigo. Borgia, strictly speaking, as the commander-in-chief of the ecclesiastical army, he was at their service, not for them - the cardinal was only responsible for bowing to the pope, and his actions provoked the anger of the Spaniards and the French - the behavior of Pope Alexander VI who tried to manipulate them for the war for Naples and profited from it was enough to be infuriating, now Caesar. Borgia also came to play this trick, did he think that he could put on the red robes again and become one of the candidates for the Pope?

To add insult to injury, the mob in Rome was not satisfied with the capture of the Vatican Palace, they roamed the squares and streets, and together with the soldiers of the Orsini family, they attacked every Borgia mansion and fortress, and the red-robed Borgias either fled or died, their possessions plundered and divided, the shining Jinducats were like grease poured on the flames, and the ranks of the mob grew stronger and stronger, and finally, about thousands of people crowded the bridgehead of the Ponte Sant'Angelo, Someone was shouting, "Thieves of the Holy Vault! Or "Heretics who make deals with the devil!" Or "Borgia Maniac!" When the people broke through the soldiers' guns and rushed across the Ponte Sant'Angelo, the rope that held the Dominican monk Jacob broke, and the rotting body fell into the black river.

Caesar. Borgia could not get help from the French and the Spaniards, so he withdrew from Castel Sant'Angelo and left Rome, and when he left, with all the money he could muster, but he was too sick to stand up, and could only lie on the bridge, instead of riding a horse, he kept lifting the curtains, and looking back—Rome, which he had thought was his city, but which had now become strange and hostile.

He tried to return to his territory and regroup, but his enemies would not give up the opportunity and they returned to their own territory - Urbino of the Montefello family, Perugia of Baglioni, Camerino of Davanola, Giovanni, Pesaro of Sforza, Faenza of Manfredi, and Caterina of Caterina. Imola, Forlì and Piombino of Sforza, Bologna of Bentivoglio, and Senigania of Lovere, the most recent side branches inherited the territories that had unfortunately lost their lineage, and who desperately needed the recognition of the new pope, who would not accept Caesar even if they did not have a previous grudge. Borgia.

Borgia had nowhere to go for a while, but he was still at ease in front of his soldiers, and he decided to go to Naples, where General Gonzalo of Spain had won a stunning victory in the war against the French, and his queen and king had decided to appoint him governor of Naples. Caesar felt that the Borgias had belonged to Spain after all, and that the last thing Alexander VI did before his death was to choose five Spaniards among the nine new cardinals, and that Isabella I and Ferdinand II of Spain should have good intentions towards themselves compared to the French.

So he went to Naples, but as soon as he arrived at the castle of General Gonzalo, he was arrested, and while he protested loudly, General Gonzalo cheerfully took out a letter sent to him by the Spanish ambassador, even before Caesar, who of course spoke on behalf of the two supreme monarchs of Spain, and said that they did not welcome any Borgia visit, and not only for political reasons - in fact, They had long been filled with a deep disgust with the Borgias, for the crimes they had committed against God, against the monarch, and against the people, which could not be washed away even if they were washed by the waters of the Adriatic, and that they were hypocritical, cunning, and as good as the devil at weaving lies, and had no reputation at all, and the rulers of Spain did not need such courtiers, much less such allies......" The ambassador also made it clear that "General Gonzalo should immediately arrest Caesar and escort him to Spain, He should be tried and punished accordingly. ”

Out of his usual hatred of Borgia, General Gonzalo did not even see Borgia much, and to his regret, his letter was still on the way, and he heard Caesar. News that Borgia escaped in a small town in Umbria on the way to the escort.

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And at this time, Giulio. The Medici received a letter full of threats and flattery.

It was not a good time to leave Rome, after all, Alexander VI's funeral had just ended—his body was so stinking on a hot summer day that almost no one could get close to him, and his clothes and jewels were not his bastard Caesar. Borgia stole him, was looted by the mob that stormed the Vatican Palace, and on the basis of his actions, none of the cardinals were willing to donate a decent vestment to him, and in the end the servants had to wrap him in a bed with a curtain, put a hat on him, and tie his slippers to his feet with ribbons, barely making him look good - everyone was relieved when he was finally half-stuffed into a long box and sent to St. Peter's Basilica.

Next, the cardinals celebrated a great Mass for eight days to pray for Alexander VI's rancid soul for his ascension to heaven (which they all thought was impossible, but it was still to be done), followed by the many established ceremonies.

Cardinal Picromini barely had a good rest, and the only consolation was probably his rapidly shrinking belly, but Giulio had to worry about his health, but Cardinal Picromini did not care at all, "The papal election will probably not begin until November," he said: "I will win, and you will - you should have a break with Borgia." ”

Julio bowed his head and kissed the cardinal's hand, the elder's hand dry and warm, and his gratitude poured down like tears.

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Giulio kept wondering when Borgia would come up with what they thought was the "trump card".

Perhaps because this "trump card" is too important, especially after the Medici showed more and more sharp blades as time passed, and the sudden death of Alexander VI made Caesar. Borgia lost his confidence, he couldn't even be sure what he was going to do—a series of events in Rome severely exposed his inadequacy due to his youth—and although some loyal Borgias and Templars followed him, he found it almost impossible to pass through the third region of Umbria, Tuscany, and Lomba to reach the France he wanted to reach Navarre, with his present strength, but he had only this option now, he was the brother-in-law of the King of Navarre, Maybe you can get a place with him.

Caesar was proud to believe that he could try to make a comeback if he was given a respite, as long as he could get to Navarre as soon as possible, rather than stay in an Italy full of enemies.

If there was anything to be admired about him, it was that he had finally given up his jealousy and hatred, at least on the surface, the letter was full of deep apologies and praises for Giulio, and he didn't even explicitly threaten him (as he had done before), but only told Giulio that Luclessia had a son with him, and that Pope Alexander VI had named him Lucas, and that if Giulio could remember his previous friendship and help him get to France, he would tell Giulio where the child wasso that they can be reunited father and son.

They met in a wonderful place—the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi, in the deserted upper and lower squares, where Giulio appeared before Caesar through the morning mist, each with a dozen or so guards behind them, all dressed in hooded cloaks with a heart until the heavy fabric of their heels made their faces and bodies unrecognizable.

Caesar had lost a lot of weight, he was not wearing a mask, and his ugly face was exposed, which made him involuntarily turn his face away when he saw Giulio - although he immediately turned back, and his eyes danced with unwilling fire, compared to him, as time passed, Giulio. The Medici was like a polished gem, revealing more brilliant colors, while he was like a shattered stone, full of cracks.

Giulio didn't mean to say much to him, he looked behind Caesar and gave him an inquiring look.

"He's not here." Caesar whispered, "He is a reliable man, loved like a prince, he is healthy, Giulio, with Lucresia's eyes, and your hair ......"

"But," Giulio interrupted, "Caesar," he said with a hint of pity, "the children with green eyes and black hair are not only my and Lucreesia's children. ”

Caesar paused, he couldn't even understand Julio's words for a while, but he understood it immediately.

Julio didn't say anything more, he raised his hand, pulled down his hood, and unfastened his cloak—and the man behind him did the same, and when all the cloaks fell to the ground, the muscles on Caesar's face twitched uncontrollably, and he seemed to want to laugh, as if he wanted to cry, "You're a ......," he said in a dreamy tone, "a ...... Assasin? ”

He trembled and let out a twisted voice: "Since when?" ”

"From the year we returned to Rome."

"You were only 7 years old." Caesar said, "How wonderful, Medici, we were born to be enemies. ”

"Yes," said Giulio, "we were born to be enemies." ”

After that, instead of speaking again, they drew their swords and daggers, and fought together with a scream.