Chapter 67

Baldwin stepped back slightly.

This action made him look a bit rare and childlike. After all, in the past three years, he and Cesar had been growing rapidly. Now they were about six feet tall and weighed one hundred and forty pounds.

Cesar was still worried about whether this growth rate was normal, which drew a burst of laughter from Heraclius and Amalric I. It was still very interesting to see Cesar occasionally ask these childish questions.

Heraclius then cleared his doubts, saying that if a child passed the "Selection Ceremony" before the age of fourteen, or even earlier, the child would become stronger and taller under the radiance of the Kingdom of Heaven, just like wheat seedlings growing sturdily in the sun, and one could see visible changes in them every day.

This was a good thing, and it could also be said it wasn't so good, because if the child were too young, even if they survived the backlash after "Grace" or "Blessing," in the following time, the suddenly stretching bones, expanding muscles, or even just the high fever caused by falling teeth could cause them to die prematurely.

Now, when he and Baldwin walked out, they were almost no different from an adult, it was just that their muscles were still a bit thin. Cesar seemed to be born that way, while Baldwin was because of the chronic illness still tightly wrapped around him.

Amalric I, while worried, had also been looking forward to the arrival of a second son. The Byzantine Princess was fifteen when she married him, a good age for bearing offspring, but there was no movement in the first year. By the second year, the King built a chapel to pray for the arrival of a son and promised that if a second son were born, he would build a church for the Virgin Mary.

Byzantine Princess Maria was therefore under great pressure. Before every time she shared a bed with the King, she insisted on a seven to ten-day fast—in fact, this practice was not conducive to conception, but Cesar couldn't say so—before getting into bed, she had to pray with the King. After the intercourse ended, she would not get out of bed at will, only sending a capable maid to pray for her, lest the precious seed be wasted.

Finally, nine months ago, she was suspected of being pregnant.

Heraclius checked the Wang Hou's urine, confirmed its gray-white color and sediment, and then used some ancient methods, such as soaking seeds in the urine to see if they would sprout early, or sprinkling the urine on a pregnant female animal to see if it would become irritable, etc. —to verify. The result, of course, was everyone was happy.

The King held a thanksgiving mass for this, as well as a grand parade and almsgiving, and begged a cleric who looked to Saint Joseph (the patron saint of women and families) and a Templar who looked to Saint Anthony (the patron saint of lost items, the poor, the oppressed, and pregnant women) to come to the Holy Cross Castle, asking them to soothe and protect the fetus and the Wang Hou.

He even moved the Wang Hou's room to the main tower, the original armory, on the grounds that it was quiet and hidden enough not to disturb the pregnant woman. In fact, everyone knew that the King hoped that under the protection of the True Cross, the Wang Hou could give him a healthy son.

Although this era was not yet to the point of letting everyone watch the Wang Hou give birth—that was something for centuries later—the mother's room was still very tightly covered. The windows were covered with wooden boards and tapestries. The content of the tapestries was carefully selected, either saints or geometric figures, no beasts or knights, lest the pregnant woman have hallucinations and the fetus be deformed by fear.

And in such a dark room, only one small candle was allowed to be lit. The air was turbid, and shadows were flickering. If it were a timid pregnant woman, she might even faint directly.

But the ground was definitely covered with the freshest rushes and herbs to ensure it was a "comfortable environment."

Fortunately, Princess Maria was physically strong and could sit on a chair to give birth without needing a maid to hold her. There was also a rope specially fixed on the ceiling that she could pull when she felt pain.

However, these were all relayed by several noblewomen; men were not allowed to enter the delivery room. The King and Prince Baldwin, Heraclius and Cesar, and all the important ministers were waiting and praying in the chapel.

Cesar heard Bohemond discussing the Wang Hou's hips with Raymond. This was not an act of disrespect, but entirely out of worry and care for the heir to the kingdom. Bohemond said that although the Wang Hou was young, her hips were wide and her legs were strong, so giving birth to a child shouldn't be a problem. But Raymond gave his own example; his wife died of dystocia during her first birth—and then left him a son like a bull.

He said that youth was certainly an advantage, but experience was the most precious. A woman who had given birth would not be so worrying.

The facts seemed to be moving in the direction Raymond said. Generally speaking, a mother, even a first-time mother, should be able to give birth to a child in one day, at most adding a night, but there was no good news from Wang Hou Maria's room for a long time.

The Countess of Jaffa walked into the chapel with a grave expression. She was wearing the Virgin's girdle around her waist, and the Wang Hou had one too, as did the noblewomen who had been summoned to supervise and deliver the baby—they were called "God's sisters."

There would also be a parchment girdle on the delivery bed, but it was less of a piece of jewelry and more of a scroll, filled with prayers for a safe delivery and pictures related to childbirth, which were said to ensure the Wang Hou's smooth delivery.

But these holy objects seemed unable to let the Wang Hou get rid of the devil's teasing—the Countess requested to take a fragment of the True Cross so the Wang Hou could hold it in her hand, and the King agreed.

The Wang Hou went into labor in the middle of the night, and now it was the dawn of the second day. The King looked out the window and felt he couldn't wait any longer: "Call her in, and call them in too."

"She" referred to a dirty and old woman, cowering while carrying a basket. There was a cloth over the basket, but when the guards checked, Cesar still saw the scissors and hooks inside. She was the person in the village most likely to be accused of being a witch, but sometimes, she was indispensable, because when a woman had dystocia and the husband still wanted this wife, she would hook the fetus out—if she couldn't, she would chop it to pieces.

Baldwin also saw it, and it was at this moment that he took a step back. Although they had followed Amalric I through several large and small wars in the past three years, some against the Saracens, some against the Seljuk Turks, and some against thieves, but thinking that the one being cut was his younger brother or sister...

They were a group of criminals.

Wang Hou Maria was moved to the window of the room. After confirming she was in position, under the King's order, the attendants began to beat the criminals vigorously. They used all their strength. In the gradually brightening daylight, those naked backs were instantly covered in blood, and the criminals' wails rose one after another. They prayed, begged for mercy, cursed...

They knew very well that if the Wang Hou still couldn't give birth to the child, they would be whipped to death.

"If the Wang Hou weren't a Byzantine Princess," Bohemond said gloatingly: "this whip would be on her."

And what was gratifying was that the frightened Princess seemed to burst out with her final strength. With the surprised shouts of the maids and noblewomen, about when the sky was completely bright, a baby was born.

But what was disappointing—the True Cross also failed to ensure the devil would swap the son in the Wang Hou's belly for a daughter at the last moment.

——————

Damara was sure she saw Princess Sibylla smile.

She immediately lowered her head, even lightening her breathing—ever since Count Etienne left, that awkward marriage had not been mentioned by anyone, but it was only not mentioned; everyone kept it in their hearts and took it out from time to time to savor and mock, at least Princess Sibylla thought so.

The visit and reproach of the Countess of Jaffa added insult to injury. After the Countess slapped the Princess and left, Princess Sibylla cried rarely and didn't eat well for several consecutive days. If such a situation had happened before this matter, there would undoubtedly have been many young men coming to comfort her, but those days they all seemed dead.

Oh, no, that shouldn't be said either. At least Abigail insisted on visiting the Princess, but before Count Etienne returned safely to the Holy Cross Castle, he was sent back to Antioch by his father with knights. It was said that when he "left," his cheeks were as swollen as a peach pickled in honey, and the two knights treated him very badly, only short of putting shackles and chains on him.

Such a situation didn't improve much even after Amalric I married Byzantine Princess Maria. These young men seemed to have grown up overnight. They still treated the Princess with respect, enthusiasm, and even eagerness, but even the simple Damara could feel that subtle sense of alienation, especially after Wang Hou Maria was confirmed to be pregnant.

Damara's father had analyzed for Damara that if Wang Hou Maria failed to give birth to a son, then the inheritance of Lazarus would inevitably fall to Princess Sibylla or her descendants. And as long as one became the Princess's husband, as Bohemond had once expected, at the very least, one could rule Lazarus with the Princess, or even replace her.

But what if the Wang Hou gave birth to Amalric I's second son? Then there was no need to think too much; Baldwin could pass the throne directly to his younger brother. This was not the first time in Lazarus, and Princess Sibylla's right of inheritance would be pushed back—if her younger brother married and had children soon, then the possibility of using her to obtain Lazarus would be even more minimal.

When news came from Wang Hou Maria that the Wang Hou had given birth to a Princess, not a Prince, Sibylla's smile was sincere. She turned to the maids—if it weren't for the loss she had suffered with Count Etienne before, she would almost have shared her joy with them!

And just as she thought, not long after, the King sent someone to call her to the chapel to pray with everyone for the newborn baby.

——————

Baldwin's eyes were almost reverent... although he didn't make a sound, Cesar could tell that he was begging the saint to give him protection. Yes, give him protection. He wouldn't tremble when facing four or five fierce enemies on the battlefield, but in front of a swaddle, he was at a loss and swaying.

Cesar had to support him. If the Prince of Lazarus, the future King, fainted from excitement when seeing his younger sister for the first time, people would surely talk about it with relish for many years.

He looked down at the baby. She was wrapped in several layers of snow-white linen, wrapped from her chin to her toes. People at this time believed that a baby's bones were soft, and if they weren't wrapped this way, the baby would grow into a dwarf or a monster—he had seen many babies when he was an intern before, and could see that this baby should look very much like Baldwin when she grew up...

She inherited many of Amalric I's features, but the most important one was not inherited. The King did not hide his contempt for this daughter at all. He even asked someone to hold the baby for Baldwin to see, but even though Baldwin's illness had been well controlled in the past three years, this careless attitude—he had already started discussing some matters about the expedition with Bohemond and Raymond.

Cesar could also understand the King's unhappiness. After all, they had already decided to set out in September of this year, avoiding the hot summer and the cold winter. This expedition might take several years of effort.

That is to say, in these few years, Amalric I could not share a bed with Princess Maria to conceive offspring. This daughter was completely outside his expectations.

Baldwin was overjoyed, but still didn't dare to touch or approach his little sister: "You help me hold her."

Cesar held the Princess in his arms, and Baldwin leaned against his arm and watched for a long time.

"Father," he asked enthusiastically: "Have you named her?"

Amalric I had prepared a name for a son, but for a daughter... "Isabella."

The name Isabella originated from Hebrew, meaning "God's oath" or "divine promise."

If it weren't for the time when an expedition was about to begin—this name could be considered solemn and elegant, but at this time, it couldn't help but make people guess what this "oath" and "promise" were.

Baldwin also noticed it. On the way back to the left tower, he sighed and complained to Cesar that Amalric I's attitude was indeed too cold. Even if Amalric I had been looking forward to a son, he was still very young, and he and Wang Hou Maria would have many children in the future.

In this regard, Cesar really couldn't persuade him.

"You don't have to accompany me," Baldwin said: "Go to sleep, you haven't slept all day either."

Although he said so, after Cesar returned to his room, he still drank a cup of coffee to eliminate the little sleepiness. He called a page and asked him to see if Damara was asleep or awake, and if she was awake, if she was interested in going to the market with him.

Because of the need to prepare grain and military equipment, the original weekly market had become twice a week, and even if it wasn't a market day, merchants would come in to buy and sell goods. As long as it wasn't too conspicuous, the supervisor would turn a blind eye.

Cesar had never missed a market, but he always went in the name of accompanying Damara. For this reason, the gold coins in his box were a whole layer less. Damara was not a greedy person, but Cesar would never let anyone work for nothing.

He left the castle again that day and didn't return to his room until None (two to three in the afternoon).

He only had time to close the door and hadn't been able to walk to the window to lift the blackout tapestry when he heard someone cough lightly: "What did you buy?"

Cesar's hand loosened, and a large package hidden under his cloak fell to the ground.

(To be continued)

(End of chapter)