In the spring of 1526, the air was filled with moist warmth, and the messenger sent by the courtiers rushed to deliver a letter to the Palace of Seville.
Charles I finally listened to the opinions of his brother and the bishop, determined to give up the English princess, no longer waited for the Molucca lioness, and instead entered into a marriage with Portugal. Although the two countries' citizens have long been incompatible, many people believe that this marriage will bring long-term benefits to both countries.
In February of this year, the Pope approved Charles I's marriage request and allowed Princess Isabella to arrive in Spain and temporarily settle in the Palace of Seville. At this time, the king was still far away in Madrid. After hearing the news, he immediately rushed to Seville. At the same time, he quickly sent an edict, asking everyone in the palace to obey the princess's order. Now Treat her like the mistress of the empire.
"Get up!" Lily giggled and jumped onto her father's bed. Like an agile and lively puppy, she dug out a disheveled and confused Agape from under the quilt. "I'm not going to see Agape today. Princess, daddy is not allowed to sleep in!"
Agape reluctantly opened her eyelids and looked at the weather outside the window.
He covered his face and let out a feeble wail in a drawn-out tone.
"Lily - what time is it now? What else do I need to see as a princess? You are the biggest princess... Please, Your Highness, please let me have a good sleep." He muttered, fell down again, and wrapped himself in a quilt. She said to herself, "Dad is already an old man and can't bear the trouble anymore."
"Nonsense!" Lily screamed, angrily retorted to Agape, rubbing his shoulders desperately, "You are not old, who said you are? , Grandpa Bishop is considered old! Take back your words, take back your words quickly..."
Lily is far smarter than many people imagine. The older she grows, the more keenly she notices that time imposes on everyone How amazing is the power. Sometimes when she looked at the bishop, she would worry about her father, wondering if he would become such a gray-haired, skinny old man.
She was afraid that Agape would grow old, that he would become incompetent and be bullied. This little girl doesn't even know who her other father is, but she has inherited his strong and cold qualities. A strong person can accurately identify another soft person in the crowd.
Subconsciously, she understood that her father's softness would cause him to suffer a lot of unnecessary hardships, but she was still too young to protect him well. Therefore, Lily always said silently in her heart, time, please let me grow up faster and let my father grow old slowly! Since you are a fair and just time, I also make a fair and just request to you.
Unfortunately, time never paid attention to her voice. Now that she heard her father's self-deprecation, Lily immediately became anxious.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay..." Agape hurriedly apologized, "I am not old, and dad is not old..."
He sighed and tried to bargain with his daughter: "Sweetheart, can you go find Mrs. Hetty?" "
No. ," Lily pursed her lips, "I won't go." "
Then go to Grandpa Bishop?" Agape tried again, "He will be very happy to see you, although he must keep a cold face first..." "
No. Okay," Lily continued to refuse, "I want you to accompany me!"
Now, the tough, sharp, and profit-oriented Bishop Burgos has fallen into Lily's small hands. Juan Fonseca could not resist her magic, the joy of a gremlin, the excitement and vitality of a wild child. As a bishop in the court known for his ruthlessness, Juan indulged Lily's pranks with unusual tolerance, and she giggled all day long. She was the only one who could run and jump around the desk. One who does not suffer rebuke.
She almost charmed the old man, and the attendants treated her as if she were the bishop's granddaughter. Agape had a terrible headache, because the last thing Lily needed was pampering and pampering. What she needed was guidance and someone to teach her patiently. He could completely predict what kind of situation the part of Lily's blood inherited from Scott would lead her to if he didn't take care of it.
His plantation plans have been going smoothly, the lilac trees are lush and green, and the peppers are blooming. However, Agape had to have people pinch out the pepper flowers in the first few years to avoid premature fruiting and affecting future yields.
Now that he had his own little world in a foreign country, Agape immediately resumed correspondence with Captain Aiden and the old priest. He could not explain the current situation to them in detail, but he was able to ask the two old people who loved him to put it down. In my heart, I know everything is fine with him here.
However, for Juan Fonseca, this move undoubtedly caused him to suffer a relatively serious blow.
Now that he knew the person Agape was communicating with, he mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally during casual conversation, and mentioned the priest who was far away in another country: "Then, let's talk about your teacher. When the lilac matures, The plantation is also taking shape. What are your plans for him? Do you want to bring him to Spain?" "
No, I think." Agape pondered, and before the bishop could completely breathe a sigh of relief, he whispered He said, "I once promised my teacher that I would provide for him until he retires. When I complete my goal and pass on all the knowledge about spice cultivation, I think... by then, I should go back." "Still
. It’s not too late to think about it again and make plans!” The bishop immediately sat up straight and said, “Also, what did you just say...? Do you want to support your teacher until his death?” After Agape left,
Juan Fonse Ka stared at the official paper that had been placed on the table for a long time, then stretched out his hand, tore it into pieces, and threw it into the wastebasket.
"It's all in vain." The bishop squeezed out these words gloomily, "All the preparations for so long are in vain." Before
going to bed, the servant who cleaned the room cleaned up the paper basket and found that these had been torn hastily and could be identified. Many fragments of writing.
"Adoption... document?" He identified it in confusion, "Who is this for?"
After he returned, he quietly told his companions about the matter, and an unsolved case that everyone knew the answer to was left hanging. , became a well-known secret to everyone.
In any case, Agape's life here is very stable and comfortable. There is no extravagance except waiting for the cloves and peppers to bloom soon and bear fruit successfully. He took the initiative to filter out all the news about the "Black Crow" - no matter whether that person was a noble noble of Portugal or a guest of the king - it had nothing to do with him! Only on days like this, when the Portuguese princess comes, will Agape briefly remember that a Scot who is still related to him lives in a neighboring country.
"Young man, I know you hate him and the Scotts." In this regard, Juan Fonseca also explained his reasons to him, "But the marriage with Portugal is the result of our careful consideration. If Plantations can cover the banks of the Seville River. No matter how much gold Portugal has, it must trade with us. And Manuel took in the black crow, proving that he has become the enemy of the Moluccas. At the same time, he has also established a large number of enemies for himself. His two million florins are easy to get. He will definitely agree to the marriage with Spain. You see, now the Molucca has a powerful and hostile enemy. Alliance."
"I understand," Agape said sullenly, "but he taught me all my spice knowledge, and he and I have no friendship anymore. I don't know if he will come to identify me and scold me for leaking it. The secret of spices...maybe he wants to take back the Molucca? But what I want is to completely destroy it."
"What are you afraid of?" the bishop asked, "Yes, you are indeed his student when it comes to spices, but does this teacher love gardening and the flowers and plants in the soil more than you do? Is he willing to spend a lot of time and energy, burying one's head in writing and drawing on the paper, keeping writing and counting? Well, don't make me laugh, he is from Scott! Even the mice in the palace know that Scott What people love to do most is to kill, scheme, and have fun. They don't know how to 'love', and they have no heart. If any king thinks that it is okay to hand over the plantation to such a person - I want to say, a ruler who is stupid enough to do so, In less than the next day, he will be eaten alive by the Scotts."
Agape was laughed at what he said. After laughing, he still had doubts and whispered: "But we can be considered enemies. , What should I do if he wants to plot against me? He already has the title of Portugal, and I know that King Manuel made him a count..." "Then, just
like how you obtained Spain "Just like the friendship of the King," Juan Fonseca said firmly, "continue to gain the friendship of the Queen of Spain, young man. Princess Isabella will be married and crowned in the Palace of Seville. If the rumors are true, then She will be a decent and good woman, and she will not lack common ground with you."
"Well, but," Agape scratched her head, "I am... I mean, I am..."
"What, you You are a man and it is not easy to talk to the princess?" The bishop said abruptly, "Forget it! In this matter, you are not only a young man, but also a widower. I have heard what you said to the king, you said you would like to I will never marry again for the rest of my life - I am already old, but I know very well in my heart that a young widower living alone with his daughter will not be attractive to young girls. You can rest assured on this Already."
Thinking of the bishop's words, Agape sighed and could no longer sleep.
"Today is an important day, so don't mess around." He reminded his daughter, "According to tradition, Princess Isabella will first meet with the ministers of parliament in the palace, then meet with your grandfather the bishop, and then other officials, big and small. Nobles... Finally it's our turn to stand and take a look from a distance. This is a serious occasion, so don't bother your grandfather the bishop and let him take you with him, okay, sweetheart?" He explained in detail
, does not regard Lily as a simple child, he knows that she has her own opinions on everything.
"Ah... Okay." Lily imitated him and sighed, "Then after watching the princess, can I go to the garden to play?"
Agape kissed her forehead: "Be careful, sweetheart. There are strangers in the palace recently. There are a lot of people, and they are not all friendly."
Lily made a face. After they washed up and had breakfast, the elder took the younger out and went out. Mrs. Hetty also walked with them. She was anxious to see them. Friends in the kitchen, chat with them about the lively details of the past few days.
Waiting until after noon, when the sun was at its hottest, Agape held Lily in her arms and looked at the princess' honor guard with a smile in the square of the Palace of Seville.
The sky was filled with colorful ribbons and everyone was cheering. Agape looked at the figure at the front of the team, guarding the right side of the princess's carriage, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
All the noisy sounds passed away, and Lily hugged his neck and asked blankly: "Uncle Black Crow?"
- Among the many golden, colorful and joyful colors, Black Crow rode a black horse with an iron saddle, wearing a dark riding outfit and a hat. The crow's feathers, with their flowing light on them, were truly as frightening as the bird after which he was named.
Being so far apart, he lowered the brim of his hat to cover his gloomy forehead and eyes, but for some reason, Agape recognized him at a glance, and Lily also recognized him at a glance.
Black Crow seemed to feel something, his heart was throbbing, he couldn't help but raise his eyes, and scanned the surrounding crowd with a sharp gaze like an eagle.
Maybe it was an illusion, or maybe the person he wanted to see hid too quickly, but he didn't find any trace of anything strange.