Philip, the crown prince of the Holy Roman Empire, had been waiting impatiently at the castle in Brussels, and when he saw Juana, who was belated, he couldn't help but raise his hand, but his entourage immediately blocked him—he realized that Juana had some Spaniards with him," he said, gritting his teeth, "I don't allow you to have Spaniards around you!"

In the past, he had used this brutal attitude and ferocious tone to drive away Juana's attendants, leaving her alone and having to rely on him, but this time the usual means failed, and Juana stood there, confused, as if she had not heard what he was saying, and when he strode over and grabbed her arm, she looked up blankly: "It's you," she said, "my dear husband." ”

Her tone was the same as usual, but Philip always felt that there was something different about it, and he wanted to say something, such as asking her to get rid of the Spaniards at once, but she took his arm and said excitedly, "Dear Philip," she gasped, "you don't know what I met in Rome?" ”

"Dumber than you?" Philip scoffed, "That's pretty rare. ”

"No," Juana didn't seem to be able to hear the malice in his words: "I have met a saint!" Philip, a true, living saint! ”

Probably bewitched by the tricks played by those shameless monks again, Philip thought with disgust, he wanted to shake off Juana's hand - walking with such a crazy woman, or intimate contact made him uncomfortable - but Juana's strength was unusually great, as a strong knight, Philip was not unable to break free, but the power contained in that force made him shudder down his spine, everyone who went crazy was possessed by the devil, this is the common perception of people in this era, Philip is no exception, Disgust and fear mixed together, making him almost want to vomit.

As if unaware, Juana dragged her husband into the hall, and every attendant and servant who saw them bowed and exchanged surprised looks. Philip had never been so intimate with his wife, and in general, they saw Philip grabbing Juana by the hair and dragging her away.

Philip also noticed these looks, and in his anger, he finally exploded - just as Juana tried to take him to his room, he finally stood up and pushed his wife away heavily: "Are you really crazy!? Juana! I'm warning you...... Whatever the hell you're going to do, if you don't get rid of the Spaniards, I'm going to beat you up!" ”

Juana's gaze finally fell on him: "Whatever you want." She said sweetly, "My dearest husband, you always have to beat me anyway, they are there, you beat me, they are not there, you will beat me all the same—it's not a big deal." ”

Philip had a rare snap in front of Juana, was it the same? It may be the same for Juana, an idiot, but not for Isabella I of Spain, even if she is dying, but because of this, she will not allow anyone to dare to challenge her authority. The Spaniards might have been able to pretend to be deaf and dumb when they hadn't seen him beat Juana, but if they did, it was out of the honor of the Spaniards, and they wouldn't have allowed him to act so recklessly—not to mention doing it to their future queen, and even his amusing of the ladies would have to be restrained.

Thinking of this, Philip had to swallow this breath: "Juana, my ...... Wife," he spoke to Juana so tenderly for the first time, "but this is Brussels, and there are many soldiers and squires, and we are soon to leave for Spain, and they are of no use here, so you might as well let them go back first...... Stay by their queen's side—do you think I can't take care of you? ”

"But those are my mother, sent to me by Isabella I," said Juana, nonchalantly, and then suddenly became excited: "Let them go, my loveliest love, my Philip, and come and see what I have gained!" A holy relic given to me by a saint! Take it, it will be the best that can be given to you! It will guarantee that you will not get sick or hurt wherever you go! ”

Philip didn't have the heart to look at any holy relics, could there be fewer holy relics in the Holy Roman Empire? The reliquary on his body contains the hair of the Virgin and the blood of the Son! He laughed out loud when he caught a glimpse of the holy object that Juana insisted on bringing to him—surely he could recognize that this was not the cashmere cloth that the Florentine people had only spun in recent years? While it is true that it is expensive and comfortable, who can say that it is a holy thing? Instead of putting a drape on the statue of the Virgin, let's use it to deceive this stupid woman.

"How much did you squander to get this?"

"Nope." Juana said in a trance: "No—my dear, he is a true saint, he does not need anything from the world, he is extremely rich, because the grace of God has come upon him." ”

Philip managed to endure the insults that were right on his lips, and in any case, scolding a madwoman was not the same as scolding a clergyman.

He went out, leaving Juana alone to talk to himself, but instead of immediately returning to his room, he secretly went to Juana's maid, the daughter of the count—she was not a Spaniard, but the daughter of a count of the Holy Roman Empire, and naturally the eyes of the emperor and the crown prince, who had been waiting for the crown prince, and when he asked, he did not hesitate to tell him everything.

As soon as he heard that the so-called "saint" was actually a young bishop, Philip couldn't help but change his face - he didn't love Juana, and even hated her a little, not for anything else, but because he had to marry her - he thought that he would only be flattered by others, but he did not expect that there would come a day when he would also need to be flattered by others.

His father had commanded him with the utmost severity that he must gain Juana's unconditional love and trust—so that he could rule over the prosperous and vast kingdom of Spain through her, and if he could not, let alone Spain, and even the future throne of the Holy Roman Empire, he would have to consider whether it should be in the hands of such a mediocre and incompetent man.

Philip had rejoiced that although he had the misfortune to sleep with such a cowardly and insane woman, her cowardice and madness had become the best excuse for his cold treatment and violence, and with the help of his servants and guards, he did not even have to be very attentive to make her bow down and obey her.

But how did you just go to Rome once? Has she changed? Wait, it can't be said that it has changed, but there is always something that seems to have escaped from his grasp.

"Did he say anything to her?" Philip asked.

"Also...... Nothing......" said the maid in embarrassment, "it seems that she read a poem and said something, but I did not hear it clearly, and the Spaniards were there, and you may ask them." ”

"Haven't they been alone together?"

"Nope."

Philip pursed his lips in displeasure, he got up and wanted to leave, but was grabbed by the maid by his coat: "Do you want to go?" Stay here, that Spanish woman still has milk-water, and even if you go, she won't get pregnant. She boldly and quickly unbuttoned her chest, revealing her plump breasts, "It's cold tonight, but it's warm here, Your Highness...... Inside and out. ”

If it was usual, Philip would not refuse her, but the thought of the Spaniards outside made him so annoyed that he didn't want to do anything: "Get out!" He slammed himself to his feet, shook off the maid's hand, and kicked her in the chest while she was still trying to entangle, and she screamed in pain, bent down, and began to cry, but Philip walked out in spite of it.

——————

Because the queen of Castile was already in danger, the day after Juana returned to the castle in Brussels, they were about to set off, between the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, separated by France, and generally speaking, they did not choose to go to Spain through France, but by boat from Brussels, across the English Channel to the Atlantic, and then from A Coruña in Spain.

Until the ship, Juana was still holding the cloak that she regarded as a holy relic, and Philip was annoyed when she saw it, but he could not say anything in front of the Spaniards, and Juana, uncharacteristically, no longer paid so much attention to his attitude towards herself, Philip scolded her in the room, and she also hummed a song to herself, as if she was living in another world.

Philip provoked several times, but he couldn't wait for the result he wanted, and even when he announced that he was going to find another woman, she only trembled for a moment, buried her face in the cloak, and did not move.

Juana, of course, felt sad, but as soon as she felt that she could not breathe and her lips tingled—at the sign of an onset of illness, she immediately buried her face in the cloak given by the saint, and in this way, she immediately felt better.

She couldn't believe it was hers...... Of course, she was special, of course it should only belong to her, how could she be so stupid as to dedicate it to Philip, who was indeed a handsome man - she had never seen such a handsome person when she was in Spain, so as soon as she saw him, she fell deeply in love with him, but ...... Since his return from Rome, Philip's face has become more and more blurred like a layer of dust—his nose ...... Isn't it a little longer? His lips were also a little thin and small—his eyelids were so swollen, his reddish-brown hair was too dull, and how ridiculous he wore a crown when he wore a wide-brimmed hat!

Overnight, he seemed to have become a mortal.

No, he's just a mortal. Juana thought, he didn't even recognize what a sacred object it was.

Philip felt more and more that the cloak was dazzling, he didn't know what was wrong with him, of course, he wouldn't beat their future queen in front of the Spaniards, but a fake holy relic, it should not matter - he reached out without thinking, and grabbed the cloak: "Give it to me!" ”

"No!" Juana refused without thinking.

Philip couldn't believe what she was talking about! How dare she refuse herself! How could she! Hasn't she always been so cowardly and timid?

"You said you were going to give it to me!" Philip cried out, clutching the cloak tightly, and as soon as he took it, he threw it into the sea.

"No!" Juana also shouted, her voice was much sharper, and the Spaniards who insisted on being on the same boat with them immediately turned their heads, which made Philip even more angry, and he desperately pulled the cloak out, but Juana held on to it, and he couldn't help but give Juana a slap, for him, this was a common thing, but this time, Juana viciously bit the hand that he couldn't take back!

Ten fingers to the heart, Philip suddenly screamed miserably, the Spaniards saw him beating their future queen, and immediately rushed over, but even they did not expect to see this scene, so they laughed uncontrollably (and perhaps did not want to control it), the schadenfreude of the Spaniards made Philip almost faint in anger, regardless of the Spaniard's opinion, he gave Juana a few punches in a row, but Juana bit harder and tighter, Philip hurt, and was afraid—he was afraid that his fingers would really be bitten off, And if Juana bit off his finger, how else could he punish her!? As long as he still wants Spain, he must have Juana sit next to him!

Fortunately, Philip's attendants also arrived, and they managed to save the crown prince's finger from between Juana's teeth, and Philip saw that his finger was so bloody that he could almost see the bone, and he trembled in pain, and even forgot to scold Juana, while the attendants shouted for the doctor and helped their crown prince back to the cabin.

Juana stood there dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening. Just now...... Did she bite Philip? It turned out that his face would also be distorted by pain, and he would also bleed and be injured—and the Lord of Corvado, who had come to her, slapped the princess on the back fiercely, so to speak, arrogantly: "Well done! Your Highness, you are so beautiful! ”

The ambassador beside him coughed a few times, don't say that in front of those Holy Roman Empire people...... Corvado.

"Well done...... Good? Juana turned back slowly, and she did...... Good? She just didn't want Philip to take away the only thing that could give her warmth, but they said, she did a good job? She looked at her one by one, and their gaze on her was kind and attentive, and this was the first time she had seen her own reflection in their eyes—they had never taken her seriously, she knew that, under the Queen's strict upbringing, her grades had never failed them.

But just one unexpected little thing can make them change their opinion of themselves?

"Actually," said Lord Corvado whispered in her ear, "I still have some ...... here Not so a blatant little trick, but it couldn't be better to use it against that idiot (the ambassador is coughing cough again), if you want to, can I have that honor to guide one or two? ”

"But I'm ......," Juana said uncertainly, "I'm not smart......"

"Well, that doesn't need to be smart," said Lord Corvado with a smile, "as long as you are ruthless, you already have two sons and two daughters anyway." ”

"Corvado!"

——————————

To Corvado's disappointment, Philip did not even appear in front of them again, by which time the ship had already passed through the Strait of Dover (part of the English Channel).

But the following night, a torrential downpour struck.

The silver thunder ran between the sea and the heavens like the scepter of God, and at the moment they flickered one could see the cirrus clouds that crushed the masts, and the rough sea—they used a Spanish three-tiered four-masted ship, about a hundred feet long and thirty feet wide, with gun portholes on both sides, and a ship's tower in the bow and stern—so terrible and massive when it met other ships in the harbor or on the sea, but in the palm of the storm, it was as small as a leaf that could sink at any moment.

While Philip was being lifted onto deck by the attendants, the sailors were fighting the storm with all their might, and he looked around in a panic hoping to see the land, but he was soon disappointed, for he could only see the endless darkness, and it was as if they had fallen into a cold hell, and their ears were filled with a loud rumble, like the devil was laughing in his ears.

"Where are we!?" Corvado asked aloud.

"It should be near Penzance (England)!" The captain replied, "I'm trying to get there!" ”

Corvado got the answer, and he held the cable post tightly with one hand, took off his coat in the other, and kicked off his slippery shoes, leaving only a straitjacket with a row of small buttons, and half-cut pants and stockings—the other Spaniards did the same, and no Spaniard would not know how to sail, except, of course, the Venerable Cardinal, who was fortunately still in Rome.

With the help of the Spaniards, the ship ceased to be as mad as a mad horse, and they even found some pattern to split the waves that stood between heaven and earth, and tossed in the direction pointed out by the captain, but just as the people were finally relieved, a new catastrophe struck—a large string of blue-white balls of light suddenly appeared from the dark canopy, and they flew lightly in the storm like elves with long tails.

The captain called a Latin term, literally "stupid flame", and the sailors called it a lot, "devil's ball", "chicken testicle", and "elf tail"—all sorts of things, "What is this?" Philip asked, and the Spaniard he asked turned pale, "Damn," he shouted, and as he saw the ball of light coming towards them, he jerked open the crown prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and Philip hit his head on a bucket of apples, and almost fainted in pain, and he was about to curse, but he saw the ball circle around the mast above his head, and exploded on the ground!

I heard the squeak of a mast as thick as an adult man's waist and break from it.

"Don't move!" The Spaniards were all shouting, but seeing that the terrible people of the Holy Roman Empire could hear and obey their instructions in the storm, they ran wildly and led a string of balls of light to Juana, the princess who was also brought to the deck.

Her maid screamed at this, and rushed at Philip, perhaps seeking his refuge, but she had only taken a few steps before a ball of light was lured by her, and when they floated, they seemed to be slow, but before they could react, they landed on the maid.

The maid screamed and fell.

There were three orbs of light around Juana, probably only a few feet apart, and the Spaniards could see the illuminated face of the princess, and Juana could hear the hissing sound of the orbs of light, like a beast of prey intimidating its prey.

She closed her eyes and clutched the holy object in her hand, the cashmere cloak became heavy after being soaked in water, "O God," she prayed aloud, "Holy Spirit, cast out the devil!" Cast out these demons! ”

As she spoke, she swung her cloak violently, and the water on the cloak was thrown out, and then, in a strange scream, a miracle happened, the balls of light suddenly and quickly fell to the ground, bounced again, and then leaped into the air and fell into the sea—after a small explosion, they disappeared.

And almost at the same time, the ship crashed heavily into the darkness.

Caught off guard, the people on the deck all fell, and some were even thrown dozens of feet by inertia, but the captain immediately became ecstatic: "It's land!" He shouted, "It's land!" ”

A few minutes later, the storm departed as abruptly as it had come, the clouds parted, the sun was shining, and Juana looked up at the sky, swearing that she saw an angel smiling at her.

________

Blessed by God, a group of men who had survived the storm met a group of knights who had come to check on the situation, and they were also amazed by the miracle, and they immediately reported it to the lord here, and Philip and Juana were invited to the lord's castle, where they changed their clothes and ate and drank—Juana did not even have time to change his wet clothes, so he borrowed the chapel here and offered incense to the holy relics.

Hearing how the relics blessed them, the lord's eyes were full of envy, if it was just an ordinary merchant ship, he could have managed to keep it, but in the face of the two crown princes, he did not have such courage, not to mention that they were also the in-laws of his master, King Henry VII of England.

Juana's sister Catherine is the wife of Henry VII's youngest son Henry, she was originally going to marry Henry VII's eldest son Arthur, but their marriage lasted only a few months, Arthur died, neither Henry VII nor Isabella I was willing to give up the marriage, so Catherine had to marry Henry Jr.

So, Philip and Juana were greeted at Winza Castle by a group of men, Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV of the House of the White Rose York, and a young couple, Henry and Catherine, who looked like each other.

./13_

.。 m.