Chapter 166: The Isaacs' New Year (3) (Combined Chapter)

Cesar, who was always quick to react, almost couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence.

Sibylla was pregnant, this was certainly a good thing, but what did it have to do with Baldwin? He hadn't yet connected Baldwin's sudden arrival in Bethlehem with Sibylla's pregnancy, but his sister Natiya beside him let out a soft exclamation.

When Cesar turned to look at her, he found Natiya looking at them worriedly. What was she pitying, and what was she indignant about? Cesar understood.

Baldwin saw the crimson flames rising on Cesar's cheeks, not because of high fever, but because of anger. He quickly reached out and grabbed his hands, forcing him to stay by his side, "It's Abigail; perhaps he values this hard-won child a bit too much."

Although as an ordinary couple, one would have to wait several years, or even more than ten years without children to say such things, people had already assumed that Baldwin would not have his own children. The children of Sibylla and Abigail were his heirs, the future kings of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. They had only been married for a few months without news, and some people were already tossing and turning, praying all night.

Now that this good news had finally arrived, they naturally didn't want anyone to destroy it, including the King.

"You are the King." You are the master of the Castle of the Holy Cross.

Although as a physician, he knew that whether it was a fetus still in the mother's womb or a newborn baby, they were very fragile. Baldwin's illness had been contained and alleviated, but the venom in his body still remained. No one could be sure whether it would have any effect on this important young child.

But if so, Sibylla and Abigail could just leave the Castle of the Holy Cross. If they did so, even Cesar would thank them, and might even feel a little guilty.

Now their behavior of usurping the master's role could only be said to be arrogant due to being favored. Of course, this favor only existed in their imagination, or rather, only existed on their lips and tongues.

Not to mention anything else, when Baldwin was still the heir, when Amalric I's Queen Maria was pregnant and giving birth, no one said that Baldwin should be moved out of the Castle of the Holy Cross. During that period, Baldwin also just reduced the frequency of visiting her, and even every time they gathered in the small chapel to attend mass and receive communion, they just kept their distance and didn't use the same cup.

Why didn't anyone stand up and accuse him at that time, thinking he should make way for that unborn child?

Seeing Baldwin's joy had been swept away, Cesar had previously thought this was just a naughty and happy visit, but he didn't expect the truth hidden beneath it to be so ugly.

"I also really want to have a healthy heir."

Baldwin could only try his best to grab Cesar, who was in the midst of anger—not that heavy, after all, Cesar's current physical state was still in a weak condition. He was like trying to grab a furious big cat, loosely holding his companion, afraid of hurting him, and yet moved by his preciousness.

"Alright, alright," this time it was his turn to soothe Cesar; this feeling was really novel, "I am not a poor person with nowhere to go. I am the King of Jerusalem. I can go to any place in the Holy Land, including here—a King receiving warm hospitality in the fief of a friend and relative, staying for a few months is not a big problem."

Not good, not good at all. Although Baldwin could hold Cesar's hands and grab his shoulders, he couldn't reach out a third hand to control Cesar's mouth.

Cesar turned his head without a pause and shouted. Longinus outside the door immediately responded and entered. He only saw his little master staring coldly at him and ordering: "Invite Bishop Andre back."

Bishop Andre stepped on the threshold of the lord's house for the third time tonight. He didn't quite understand why Cesar had suddenly invited him back again? Could it be that something had happened between this pair of teenagers that required him to be a fair judge? Was it chess, gambling, or some ideas and measures?

He even thought of the Isaacs' New Year, but didn't think of the Castle of the Holy Cross—seeing Bishop Andre step into the room, Baldwin also felt helpless and let go of his hand.

Bishop Andre saluted the King, and then nodded to Cesar. Longinus moved a chair over. He sat down and asked with a smile what had happened between the two teenagers?

His eyes were still searching in the room, looking for a chessboard and dice.

Hearing Cesar say that Sibylla was pregnant, Bishop Andre's first reaction was the same as his, "This is a good thing."

After Sibylla and Abigail shared a bed, everyone was looking forward to this happy event. If she could give birth to a son, they would no longer have to worry about the Kingdom of Jerusalem falling into turmoil caused by another lack of heirs.

And the previous kings, and Baldwin IV, had also proven that this bloodline had the qualification to continue in this most sacred Holy Land. But he then looked at Baldwin in astonishment, finding that there was not only the joy of reuniting with a good friend on his face.

A king suddenly coming to a minister's house, although a bit reckless, was not something that hadn't happened before. A king leaving his castle and touring various places was also a common thing. The King of Francia often did this, both to observe whether those lords and barons had any bad thoughts and to suppress them in time; and also to understand the situation of the country he owned, rather than staying in his own castle and becoming a puppet.

As for taking the opportunity to call those disobedient guys to pay the huge expenses of the King's stay, that was another trivial matter not worth mentioning.

So there was no objection when Baldwin toured the defense lines of Jerusalem under Cesar's service before. Now that he wanted to stay in Bethlehem, the officials and people of Bethlehem might be very happy to have him stay—after all, he didn't bring his army and court, but came light-handed, like a friend.

But no matter which one it was, the biggest prerequisite was that it must come from the King's own will and not be coerced.

Bishop Andre was a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He not only had the elder's expectations for the young man, but also the minister's loyalty to the King, and the knight's obedience and love for the Grand Master of the Order.

Cesar's choice was very correct. Bishop Andre absolutely couldn't tolerate such things, "Have you told others?" he asked immediately.

Baldwin hesitated. Abigail had come to greet him on behalf of Sibylla. There was no one in the room at the time, and when Abigail knelt on the ground and made an unreasonable request, he didn't have much anger, just felt a burst of irritation. And he was thinking of Cesar at that time, so without thinking, he took two squires, put on a cloak, and left the Castle of the Holy Cross as a knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

"So most people in the Castle of the Holy Cross don't know you've left yet."

"It's Bohemond." Bishop Andre immediately grabbed the tail of this old fox. He didn't have any evidence, but some things didn't need evidence.

"It was... Abigail who suggested it."

"But Bohemond must have instructed it from behind. Perhaps there are also Raymond and other ministers." Bishop Andre pondered: "They are forcing you—they know you love your sister... so they used this as a reason—ha, let a king leave his castle? Make way for an unborn baby?

Who did they think that would be? Hercules the strongman? (A demigod in ancient Greek mythology, son of Zeus, who strangled two poisonous snakes in his cradle)"

"Perhaps it's because of the previous period... making them a bit..."

Baldwin said, drawing a disapproving glance from Bishop Andre, and then he glared at Cesar. Cesar sighed helplessly. He knew why Bishop Andre glared at him; he must have felt that he had corrupted Baldwin, making him still reflect on his own mistakes at this time.

A young man became king and stood up to turn the tide when the seasoned generals and ministers around him made an irreparable mistake—the Holy Land was indeed in danger at that time. If he hadn't defeated an army of tens of thousands in the first battle and captured their old opponent Sultan Nur ad-Din, by the time Raymond and Bohemond returned with their armies, the Holy Land might have already fallen.

And the price of this great victory was only the casualties of dozens of people. This result made people think deeply. They even said that this was God sending angels to help the King and Jerusalem win.

Baldwin IV thus changed from the heir of Amalric I to the heir of Saint George. Every pair of eyes was watching him. People believed that he could not only fulfill the duties of a king and commander of the Crusades, but also do things that previous Kings of Jerusalem hadn't done—leading the Crusades to Syria or Egypt to win more land and cities for Christians.

Now it seemed that Baldwin was too calm, like a child with a good nature who would immediately realize his mistake and feel guilty after slightly crossing some bottom lines. But what qualifications and face did those people have to blame him?

When Baldwin IV lifted the crisis in Jerusalem and returned in triumph, they were still in the cold mud, being chased by the Turks.

The losses they caused to the Order and the Crusades made Bishop Andre unable to seriously count or recall them. This was also why he was full of gratitude to Cesar—at that time, he didn't approve of Baldwin's actions. The Order had already lost a large part, and he still had to draw out thirty to be Cesar's guards.

Even if this diplomatic mission wouldn't have much danger, if the Order suffered another blow, it might really fall into a predicament. So, when he saw these thirty knights return to his side and to Jerusalem intact, the joy could be imagined.

And he hadn't had time to hold the culprits accountable, yet they righteously blamed the person who cleaned up their mess...

It's a pity they weren't in front of him now, otherwise he would definitely have taken off his gloves and thrown them in front of them—the Bishop stood up and walked to the window. There were not many luxurious things in this room. Only water clocks, ink, and parchment were the necessary tools, and there was the glass embedded in the wooden windows, which always made his room bright and warm, making people feel comfortable and not depressed when they looked at it.

And now, through the glass, Bishop Andre saw only the dark sky. Everything seemed to have been burned by charcoal, charred to the point where no other color could be seen.

"It seems you can only rest here tonight. Tomorrow I and the knights will escort you back to the Castle of the Holy Cross."

Baldwin wanted to refuse, but he heard a sigh of relief from Cesar beside him.

Bishop Andre's strong reaction and Cesar's rare persistence made him hesitate. Perhaps I did something stupid again, Baldwin said in his heart.

The Bishop was also a straightforward person. After saying goodbye to the King, he left the room immediately. Before the door was even closed, Baldwin and Cesar heard him loudly ordering his attendants to summon the knights. It seemed that the old man wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. A trace of apology flashed in Cesar's heart.

But this was clearly a probe, or a counterattack, "Do you know—how long has this child probably existed?" When he left, Abigail was still being urged by his father to the point of going crazy.

"Probably... less than two months." Baldwin said in a low voice: "Sibylla's condition is not very good. She was still bleeding in the first month, but she didn't in the second... uh, and then the clerics checked her. They used the methods of Christians, Isaacs, and Saracens, and even the Egyptians, and the results all proved that she was pregnant, and this child is very likely a boy—the barley sprouted."

After the news that Cesar was trapped in Damascus came, Sibylla publicly announced this. And while he was anxiously waiting for Cesar to return to his side, Abigail repeatedly hinted in front of him that he should stay away from them for the health of Sibylla and the fetus.

Not long ago, he even put this suggestion on the table.

Although he knelt at Baldwin's feet and used tears and pleas to persuade him, the blame and impatience contained in it were about to overflow from his eyes. Baldwin could understand his anxiety. This was the most important gamble of his life. If he won, his future would be limitless; if he lost—Sibylla didn't give birth to a boy, or gave birth to a stillborn, or the child died shortly after birth, he would have to suffer the previous torment again.

If he failed again and again, even his father would propose to dissolve his marriage with Sibylla. And in order for Sibylla to find the next husband, the mistake of this marriage would definitely be pushed entirely onto him. He would become a ridiculed eunuch.

He had lost his last use, unable to gallop on the battlefield, let alone plan in the court, and actually couldn't satisfy a woman in bed. It was imaginable that in the future, he would have nowhere to go except the monastery. His father might also be more willing to hand Antioch to a stranger than to him, a son who was worse born than not born.

But wouldn't Baldwin feel angry? Of course he would. He almost wanted to whip Abigail and tell him to get out of his room.

But he also thought of Sibylla. She was his biological sister after all, one of the few relatives he had left in the world after Amalric I passed away, still enduring the pain brought by pregnancy, just to give birth to an heir for him and for Jerusalem. He perhaps shouldn't be so selfish.

So he disguised himself as a knight, took two squires, and left the Castle of the Holy Cross overnight.

His idea was very simple, and not all out of coercion. He really wanted to be with his blood relatives and companions at this time, rather than looking at those hypocritical and hateful faces. Cesar was weak in body, and he was weak in soul.

When he heard that Cesar was trapped in Damascus, he almost thought he would lose him.

Fortunately not. Those Saracens still kept their previous promise, but as a price, Cesar's body became very weak. But for them, this was actually a good thing. He could accompany Cesar, and they could spend this difficult time together. When Sibylla gave birth to a son, he would return to the Castle of the Holy Cross, perhaps bringing Cesar with him. Wouldn't that be even better?

Unfortunately, neither Cesar nor Bishop Andre thought so. "No need to tidy up other rooms. Sister, let Baldwin sleep with me." Cesar said.

His mansion in Bethlehem was not newly built. It originally belonged to a merchant. He volunteered to offer it. Of course, Cesar still insisted on giving him money at the market price, but in return, the merchant didn't take away the furniture in the house.

Except for the need to embed glass in the wooden windows, everything else in this bedroom had almost no major changes. Some furniture and decorations were even taken away, but the daybed in front of the window and the bed in the depths of the room were preserved. This bed was exceptionally large, occupying almost half of the room.

At the beginning, Natiya had also asked Cesar if he wanted to dismantle this bed.

Nobles at this time did not advocate for overly large beds, perhaps because such large beds easily reminded them of the furniture used by poor farmers, if a few wooden boards could be called furniture.

In order to save materials and retain heat, this kind of wooden board bed that could barely isolate the cold from the ground was always made very large, and then everyone—parents, brothers, sisters, and even sheep and pigs—might squeeze onto this so-called bed together, cuddling each other and relying on the gathered heat to survive the whole winter.

And according to the laws of the Church, the union of men and women was only for reproduction, not for pleasure. Therefore, noble couples would even separate rooms, and if they couldn't separate rooms, they should separate beds, each having a small bed.

And people at this time slept more in a semi-sitting position. They believed that this would confuse the God of Death, letting the God of Death think they were resting, not sleeping—long sleep. But the more practical reason was that because the room was closed, the fireplace was burning charcoal, and lighting relied on candles and torches, people's respiratory tract and lung health were not very ideal, and semi-sitting could make breathing smoother.

People who had received blessings like Cesar naturally didn't need to consider this problem, but moving this huge bed out of the room had become an impossible thing. The original owner might have asked a carpenter to move the parts into the room and then assemble them inside, using a lot of sturdy shellac and tree gum.

Now if they wanted to move this bed away, they had to chop it to pieces, which was a pity. It used good oak, and had bedposts and exquisite carvings.

So Cesar simply left it there. Well, anyway, he wouldn't ask pigs and sheep to sleep with him, so what did it matter if the bed was a bit big? Now it was convenient for him and Baldwin.

Baldwin refused his service when bathing: "You are now the Count of Edessa; these things don't fit your status."

There were no strange rules like "rising ceremony" or "bedtime ceremony" later, so Cesar could only let Longinus go in to serve.

Because it was already late at night, Baldwin groomed himself quickly. When he came out of the bathroom Cesar had attached next to the bedroom, Cesar took out the ointment. Baldwin just glanced at it and hurriedly turned his head away, "I've already applied it."

"Didn't the teacher say that you have to wait until your body is completely dry before applying the ointment?"

Cesar sat on the edge of the bed with the ointment, watching him quietly, not urging, but motionless.

Baldwin took a deep breath, knowing he couldn't hide it anymore: "I didn't want you to know this." He unbuttoned the whole row of buttons on his long undershirt, pulled his arms out, and exposed half of his back. Cesar's face changed as soon as he saw it.

He stood up and hurriedly lit a few more candles so he could see more clearly.

Sure enough, the illness on Baldwin's body had further deteriorated. Originally, it was just some red spots and small rashes, but now it had shown signs of erosion and hardening. "The teacher said... it's not very serious." Baldwin swallowed dryly. This was also the reason he didn't insist on going to Damascus.

The illness that had been suppressed before seemed to have erupted all at once in those few days. Heraclius warned him seriously that if he insisted, he might fall ill on the road. At that time, he would not only be unable to become Cesar's support, but might even become a burden to him.

If he died on the road, Cesar would also be held accountable, and the worst result would be being executed for treason.

He had forcibly restrained the anxiety in his heart, but the flames couldn't be vented outside, so they could only erupt inside.

He thought he would be blamed and complained about by Cesar. He knew how much Cesar valued his health, even more than his own. But when he turned back, he only saw a pair of sad eyes.

He pulled the corners of his mouth, wanting to smile, but shed tears the next moment. Then he couldn't care about anything else and threw himself at Cesar. They hugged each other tightly, and the ointment fell under the bed, but no one cared.

All the worries, restlessness, resentment, nervousness, and sadness erupted completely at this moment.

He once thought he only had Cesar, but Amalric I told him that as a King, there would be countless people around him willing to offer their loyalty, flesh, and glory for him. But the King was wrong. Until today, he still only had Cesar by his side.

Perhaps in the future too.

Early the next morning, Bishop Andre led the knights to welcome them impatiently. He joyfully discovered that after the young King stayed here for one night, his complexion not only didn't get worse, but became even better.

He was spirited, as if he had shaken off the gloom of the past, and didn't refuse the service and following of the Bethlehem knights. Bishop Andre also felt it should be so. After all, after returning, the King might still encounter some tricky problems. Having the new Count of Edessa standing by his side to support him was the best thing.

Not to mention how dumbfounded and unbelievable the people in the Castle of the Holy Cross were when they saw this group of people.

Even the Queen Mother Maria and Patriarch Heraclius were dizzy as if they had been struck by thunder. Only then did they know that the King had actually gone to Bethlehem overnight to see his best friend and blood relative. But such things happening between Baldwin and Cesar were not strange, and could even be regarded as a beautiful story.

But the problem was, if the King stayed in Bethlehem for several days, or even forgot to return, they wouldn't have any strange feelings except writing letters to blame and urge him a few times. But staying for only one short night and returning quickly, that was a bit wrong.

Queen Mother Maria originally lived in the main tower with Amalric I, but when Baldwin finally walked out of his grief and was willing to leave his left tower, Queen Mother Maria didn't hesitate at all to give up her room with the King and moved to the left tower.

She didn't mind that the left tower was a place where a leper had lived. She had heard the complaints of the castle steward—how strictly Cesar required those servants, and it could even be said that the left tower was much cleaner and more comfortable than the main tower she lived in now.

And similarly, Sibylla and Abigail, who moved here after marriage, also lived here. Mainly because there were not many rooms left in the right tower for them to use.

Queen Mother Maria therefore added some small troubles. She could hear this newlywed couple arguing and fighting noisily almost every night, and Sibylla moved back to her room again and again, unwilling to share a bed with Abigail.

But she did sleep an unprecedentedly good sleep last night, and thought that after this couple had a child, they were finally willing to settle down.

Unexpectedly—the Queen Mother looked at Abigail and Sibylla walking out of the main tower with a livid face, "How could you walk out of there?"

"I just want to live with my brother, is that not allowed?" The one who answered her was naturally Sibylla.

But just as Sibylla said, she was the mistress of the castle. Queen Mother Maria had the right to discipline any child in the castle, even if she was now married and about to become a mother.

But to her surprise, before she had time to say or do anything, Abigail rushed over fiercely and blocked Sibylla viciously. The Queen Mother was almost angry enough to laugh. There wasn't much anger in it. What was there to be angry about?

Abigail didn't even realize that once Sibylla gave birth to a son or more sons, the significance of his existence would not be great. Just like the former Fulk I, a knight who had galloped on the battlefield for many years would fall off his horse during a hunt and break his neck. This matter was ridiculous enough.

Now there were still people who hadn't learned a lesson from it. The King of Jerusalem was not so easy to be, let alone he was not as good as Fulk I. He was useless on the battlefield and in the court, and Sibylla didn't have much love for him. And the person Sibylla had always wanted to imitate was none other than her grandmother Melisende (Fulk I's wife).

Abigail didn't realize this. He was flushed with excitement, thinking that he finally had an opportunity to show his ability to the princess and make her look at him with admiration. He rushed to those maids and attendants, hitting them with his fists while loudly insulting and cursing them—because they disturbed his wife and unborn child.

The knights who were almost unable to react due to surprise rushed to stop it. The chaos of the scene didn't need to be mentioned. Queen Mother Maria quickly discovered the clues. After all, the outside was so noisy, and Baldwin, who always got up early, didn't come out to see, nor did he send a servant to ask...

This former Byzantine princess had seen too many conspiracies hidden under the curtains and immediately sensed something was wrong, "Where is His Majesty the King?"

"I don't know." Sibylla answered quickly, "He is already the King, no longer my brother, and doesn't need to report his every move to me, and I don't have this qualification."

Her words were full of resentment, but the Queen Mother just smiled slightly. To her, perhaps because there was only such a brother, the young King had already done his best for Sibylla. After all, this Sibylla almost carved the sentence "Only I can give birth to an heir for you" on her face, and regarded it as the greatest merit and glory, even the great victory at the Sea of Galilee created by Baldwin IV couldn't compare with it.

People's flattery made her lose the calmness and caution a princess should have. Although after the Count of Etienne incident, she learned to disguise, in Queen Mother Maria's eyes, Sibylla's acting was glaringly clumsy. She seemed to have forgotten that she not only had a brother, but also a sister, and a girl only took ten-plus years from infancy to adulthood.

Perhaps she thought Baldwin couldn't wait for these ten-plus years.

Compared with such a fool, the Queen Mother was naturally more willing to cooperate with Baldwin IV. After getting along for these years, it could only be said that Baldwin was not only a good king, but also a good son and brother—if Baldwin IV really died prematurely, and Sibylla and Abigail took the throne, Maria was really worried that they would be killed the day after they took the throne.

Subsequently, Patriarch Heraclius also hurried over. Only then did he know that this stupid woman had actually instigated her husband to say some ambiguous stupid words in front of the King, making the King leave the Castle of the Holy Cross in a rage.

"What do you think the King of Jerusalem is?"

He dropped this sentence and went with others to welcome the King. Fortunately, the King still had a dear brother and friend. He was not without a place to go, and Cesar's reaction was also fast. As soon as he heard that the King had come in disguise and didn't bring many attendants, he felt strange. After asking a few questions, he found out the truth and immediately sent Baldwin IV back.

Among the crowd that came out to welcome them, the surprise on the face of Raymond, Count of Tripoli, was not so real. David was genuinely stunned, but he avoided Sibylla's gaze, and Bohemond's face was smiling—now it seemed that this plan had failed, but for him, it was of no consequence. What was more important was the child in Sibylla's belly.

The Queen Mother also saw him and turned her head away full of disgust, as if seeing a poisonous snake. She couldn't fight against a great noble like Bohemond for the time being, but she was not without any ability to fight back.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 167 =====