"Hey, honorable Patriarch Ducasse. Does anyone make a sacred vow when cutting meat on a plate? Hearing Bohemond's words, Altabastos felt that something was wrong with the duke's eyes—Bohemond's red beard was shaking with breadcrumbs and meat grains, his glittering dagger creaking between his hand and the pieces of flesh, his eyes were cold, and he looked at himself and the Imperial Caesar like two pieces of fat, oily venison.

After being reminded by the Grand Duke of Gallipoli, even Caesar shuddered involuntarily, and he looked around, and the whole tent was full of Normans with swords, and the smell of horse manure was mixed with the smell of blood, and his internal organs were tumbling. Caesar then had no choice but to propose, "About three curricula behind your camp is Penipasbastous, the third most glorious man of the Empire, whose name is Nikephorus. Brainus. ”

"I know that he is in the city of Durazo, and he has been following me with five thousand men, and he is a good man as quiet as a woman." Bohemond chuckled.

"Yes, the chief of his cavalry is my servant, and his name is Tetisius. And Brenus himself is also the co-emperor I want to support this time, you know? He is also the fiancé of Princess Anna, do you know Anna? ”

When Bohemond heard this, he seemed very interested, and then he put down the dagger that had cut the flesh, and twisted his beard twice with his fingers, "So what? ”

"It is my hope that, in the hour of tomorrow, His Excellency will join me in lobbying Brenus and Tetisius to have his five thousand horses join us. The odds will be even greater—I can promise Brenus the supreme throne to marry Anna. Doing this is as light as you Norman hunting, and the rest of the conditions remain the same. Caesar rubbed his hands. Proposed.

Then, when he saw Bohemond's glassball-like eyes, he looked at himself, and felt that he was caught in the hunter's net, and his back was shining, "Your Excellency, Caesar, it is a pity that you have no value, as an old friend. That's what I think. Nikephorus. Brenus won't listen to you, and I'm sorry I missed it, Caesar, you still have a value. Bohemond's words, like cold glass, stung the unheated sunlight of the early winter.

Suddenly, Caesar understood.

Bohemond, who is as cunning as a fox, speaks of his only "value" as a Norman bound to himself and dedicated to Alexios. Komnenos

That's stupid. You might as well use the word "self-casting" to describe it.

"I am not interested in the wars for the throne among you, but only in the treasures of your Greeks, and in the kingdoms of Anatolia or the Holy Land. So, Your Excellency Caesar. Be the cornerstone of my path, and I am sure that with your position, the Emperor will offer me the right price," Bohemond himself said proudly. He raised the blade of the dagger slightly, and continued to creak and slice meat. He lowered his head and swallowed and bit it.

Caesar, bitter and remorseful, touched the pendant of St. Elisses around his neck with trembling hands. Unexpectedly, I really didn't expect that the prophecy and worries of Anna, the little girl, in the Cathedral of the Holy Wisdom before, actually came true. I knew that if this was the case, I really should have followed the group of mud-legged pilgrims to go to Gawain! Then Bohemond heard a sound even more violent than his own flesh, which was the wrong movement of Caesar's teeth from Caesar, who sat opposite him, with his head like an ostrich egg, and looked like the old fellow was angry and regretful, and tears and snot flowed out, probably lamenting why he had let go of himself who had been captured by the guards in Gallipoli.

"Hee-hee-hee." Bohemond loved to see others do the same, laughing happily, shrugging his shoulders, and getting louder and louder.

"Caesar!" At this time, Altabasdos, who was loyal to the Ducasse family, stood up and drew his sword.

In a flash of the sword, Altabasdos's arm and scabbard were all severed, and blood spurted all over the table and plates, and flew all over Caesar's head, causing him to scream, and he hurriedly raised his hand to wipe the blood from his face.

Then, Alta Basdos was grabbed by the back collar by Tancred who appeared behind him, flipped over, and the blade of Norman's longsword came out of his mouth directly from his mouth to the back of his head.

Tancred drew his sword and pushed Altabasdos' body down on the table, and the blade slammed to the left: Caesar pulled it out, and the self-inflicted dagger was knocked away, and the blade landed across Caesar's neck.

looked at the Maculinus, whose face was covered with blood, tears and sweat, and was held hostage by the sword, pitiful as an old bird catcher. Bohemond on the master's seat burped, wiped the starry blood stains splashed on the side of his eyes with a silk napkin, and said lightly, "Why bother, Komnenos shouldn't take your life anyway, it's good for everyone, isn't it?" You should take good care of your life. ”

Afterwards, several Norman counts and barons, Hula opened the curtain of the tent, and they heard the sound of fighting inside outside and rushed over. Bohemond cocked up his finger, "Don't be nervous, it's just a little noisy." Arrange for men to secure the safe arrival of our beloved Imperial Caesar in Constantinople, and then, the whole army will be mobilized—I will see it myself, Emperor Komnenos. ”

At this moment, under Constantinople, sixty or seventy thousand pilgrims, in a long procession, chanting the slogans of the Lord and the Emperor, rushed towards the shore, where there were ships sent by Alexios to send everyone to the other side of the strait. From the towering tower of the military gate, Alexios watched the scene with satisfaction, and kept waving his hand to greet the ant-like pilgrims, "Give me ten years, and I will give the dying empire an eternal peace." He said to Beriel and Damira beside him, with some smugness.

"Let's go to the Brachna Palace, it's been a long time since we've seen my daughter." Then, the emperor, who was full of relief, walked down the ladder.

In the dormitory, on the cold and lonely marble floor, Empress Irene sat on the small throne with empty eyes, leaving only the boots of the maid and the eunuch, and the echoing voices in between, Anna sat on the lower seat, looking at her mother with worried eyes, but there were no comforting words to say - no one around paid attention to their mother and son, and no one dared, this was an order issued by the emperor, "The eldest princess and Her Royal Highness the queen need to recuperate, and those who dare to answer at will will will be executed immediately." ”

After hearing the familiar sound of trumpets and horses' hooves, Anna's eyes followed the long colonnade, where after a moment she saw her father's slender figure appear there, and walk towards her. (To be continued.) )