On this day, the Papal States of Flandia welcomed a rare guest: Franz Habsberg, Prince of the Sylvinian Empire.

The armies of the two countries had fought side by side in the previous Battle of the Nord River, which ended with the noble allies ceding land and signing a treaty.

The huge four-nation alliance was disbanded, and due to mutual suspicion and conspiracy, the contradictions between the four countries became increasingly prominent, and the former allies became strangers.

Against this backdrop, Prince Franz's visit was particularly abrupt, awkward and inopportune.

The Pope himself did not come to greet the prince's luxury caravans, he was a hedonist, and it was better to have a drink or two than to have this time, so he did not bother to receive this trouble-seeking figure, but sent his own nephew to do it for him.

The Templar Palladia received the guest in the family estate,

As a sign of respect for his guests, he wore the most expensive set of knightly armor, with intricate patterns carved into silver-plated plates, and huge red crosses embroidered on his burqa and cloak.

The ornate Papal Guard salute was divided into left and right, and the lineup and ceremonial specifications were implemented according to the standards for receiving the leader of the country, which was regarded as compensating for some of the prince's face.

During lunch in the hall, Prince Franz proposed to send all his minions and guards away to speak with the Templar Palladia face-to-face, to which he readily agreed.

The last servant closed the door and left, and the two young nobles got up and left the large long table and sat facing each other at the ends of a small table.

Prince Franz crossed his hands and leaned forward,

"I feel that I have been slighted, and in the past His Majesty the Pope should have greeted him personally, rather than sending his nephew to make up the numbers, sorry, I don't mean to disdain your position, just to take matters into account." With a look of displeasure on his face, he uttered these angry words.

"A large prayer event is being held in our country, and the senior priests of the Church are going to participate, and my uncle is indeed unable to escape, and he does not mean to neglect you." Palladia argued, but he himself felt that the explanation was a little weak.

"Templar, whether you admit it or not, the relationship between our two countries is indeed estranged, and I fought side by side with your generals on the land of the peninsula a while ago, but now it tends to be cold, why is that? I think the fault is on your side. ”

Palladia sensed the anger in the prince's words: "It seems that you are quite dissatisfied with the foreign policy of our country. ”

Prince Franz clenched a fork and plunged it into the cheese, pouring out the unhappiness in his heart:

"Of course not! Your army did not do its best on the battlefield, and when the Varstas launched a counter-offensive, the allied forces were fighting bitterly on all fronts, but your reserves stood still, staying on the hillside to watch the scenery.

The commander must have received an order from His Majesty the Pope, and watched the friendly forces being routed one by one, and the five intact infantry divisions of the Papal States did not move, and they did not save the friendly troops when they saw death! ”

"It seems that this incident has caused you a lot of trouble, but I was not involved in that fight, so I can't comment on it."

"Inconvenient to comment? But the betrayal of allies by the armies of your country has done me great harm! The prince said angrily.

"My brothers are competing with me for the position of prince, I did not hesitate to risk my life for meritorious service, personally supervised the battle, if your country sent reserves in time at that time, even if the coalition army was still defeated, it could retreat in an orderly manner, instead of retreating in embarrassment!

At that time, in order not to be a prisoner, I changed into tattered and dirty clothes and fled into the forest, and lived by eating mushrooms and drinking river water, which royal nobleman suffered such humiliation?

I became the laughing stock of my brothers, and my father's impression of me plummeted! ”

Prince Franz's angry voice echoed in the empty hall for a long time, refusing to disperse.

Palladia listened quietly, letting the other party vent his emotions until the angry echo dissipated, and then replied:

"I deeply regret what happened to you, to be honest, I don't quite agree with my uncle's approach, allies should trust each other, not secretly calculate."

Hearing this, Prince Franz looked quite shocked, (as an important figure in the Templar Church, the Pope's own nephew, how could he say such a thing?) As we all know, disagreement between monarchs and ministers is taboo and can be easily exploited by outsiders. ）

"Do you really think so?" He asked tentatively.

"Yes, from the bottom of my heart." The knight replied firmly.

"Are you sympathizing with me? But this pretty word doesn't help me! I'm here to see your uncle, but he doesn't want to see me! ”

"What do you want to say to my uncle? Can you tell us about that? ”

"Hmph, everything failed anyway, it doesn't matter now, and it doesn't hurt to tell you.

I hope to make a deal with your uncle, His Majesty the Pope.

If he is willing to encourage my congregation to support me as crown prince, I will promise to marry a female member of the Chiaramonti family and make her the future queen! Our two families will be reconciled forever! Blessing future generations! ”

"Very good deal, marriage in exchange for power, if I am in the position of uncle, I will definitely agree to you."

"It's a pity that you are not the Pope, with all due respect, your uncle is not very old, and I am afraid you will have to wait another twenty years to succeed to the throne."

The Templar gritted his teeth lightly and said, "Perhaps, but not necessarily. ”

(Oh my God, did I hear me wrong?) Such a big reverse! How could he say such a thing? Do you have nothing to fear? ）

"You're not afraid that I'll spread your words?"

Palladia looked at the shocked prince and said with a smile: "I am your potential ally, and I believe that you will not harm me." ”

He stood up and shook hands with the prince,

"It has been a pleasure to dine with you, and I have other official duties ahead of me, so I beg your pardon for taking my leave, Your Majesty."

Palladia left a meaningful look, left it to the other party to slowly understand, and directly pushed the door away, leaving the prince stunned in place.

He thought for a moment, but was puzzled, and suddenly he found a rose-colored envelope in his napkin, which had been handed to him by the Templars themselves.

He eagerly opened the letter with a dining knife, and inside was a letter paper folded in three folds, with the cross of the Templar Church on the edge, and the floral characters on it were written in the fine ink of incense:

"To His Majesty Prince Franz Habsberg:

I admire your shrewdness and skill, and you are more fit to be a prince than your pleasure-hungry brothers.

In my opinion, you are brave and resourceful, and you are only a little bit of luck.

And now your luck has come, and I invite you to join me in my great cause.

Rest assured, I will not betray allies like my uncle, you can trust me absolutely.

If the plan goes well, I'll soon be given the power to help you take the crown prince, and all I want in return is your friendship.

Just imagine what a beautiful vision it is for two young monarchs to join hands to make a career.

And when I give you this letter, I am tying my fate to your carriage.

How do you choose?

Accept this friendship? Or did you betray me for a small profit?

Let's wait and see.

- Sincerely, Templar, Palladia Chiarmonti II. ”

When he had read it, the gloom on Prince Franz's face vanished without a trace, and he smiled and folded the letter paper, threw it into the fireplace, along with the envelope and napkins, and watched them burn to ashes.

Then he returned to his seat at the long table, sawed a steak with a silver knife, sipped a sip of fine ice wine, and enjoyed the delightful feast alone.