Rafael held the letter from Rome, propping his head up with one hand as he drowsily stared at the parchment. The parchment had a classic yellowish hue, and the handwriting was bold and decisive, a stark contrast to the rounded, flowery script typically favored by noblewomen. Sancha’s handwriting had a strong masculine quality, blurring all traces of gender. It would be impossible to determine the author’s gender based on the script alone.

    In an era where the handwriting of royal members was carefully designed and trained, such a significant ‘error’ could not have been unintentional. Rafael was certain that Sancha had cultivated this distinctive style for a specific reason. Perhaps, from a very young age, Queen Amandra had already decided to place her on the throne.

    A monarch could be a woman, but in an era that always prioritized men, even a queen had to make certain compromises. Even if this compromise was merely a seemingly insignificant detail like handwriting, it would help to dilute her feminine qualities. At least, during correspondence, it would prevent people from being constantly reminded that she was a woman, thus avoiding unnecessary condescension.

    Rafael stared at the beautiful calligraphy, unsure of what he was feeling.

    Sancha’s letters were always concise and informative, but the language was pure, the kind that Rafael preferred most. In this letter, Sancha informed him of a piece of news:

    —Three months ago, civil unrest broke out in Assyria.

    This vast and fertile land was dominated by plains, with continuous mountain ranges providing ample rainfall and a temperate climate. At the end lay vast frozen swamps, and the diverse climate resulted in an incredibly rich variety of species. The people living in this land followed the guidance of nature, which had bestowed everything upon them, and worshipped the gods of nature. They revered the wolf, feared brave tigers and leopards, and kept the bones of fierce beasts as symbols of courage. They cherished a fearless spirit and an appreciation for the grandeur of the primal wilderness.

    They were heretics in the eyes of the Church, but their gods had granted them unparalleled bravery. The Assyrian infantry was renowned throughout the continent. Every adult man in the tribe possessed the agility of a monkey, the endurance of a wolf, and the courage of a tiger. United under the leadership and guidance of their tribal priests, they pledged their loyalty to the Assyrian monarch.

    Unlike the monarchies of Rome and Calais, Assyria’s unique belief system made their political system more primitive. They did have hereditary monarchs, but beside the monarch were high priests and priests, religious figures who had equal prestige. This religious faction who listened to the voice of gods controlled all aspects of the lives of the Assyrian people, and sometimes even the monarch had to yield to them.

    Before Amandra was born, Calais, along with several neighboring countries of Assyria, launched a war against the resource-rich Assyria. This war lasted for several years, and Assyria was divided as the smoke and flames of war spread across the land.

    When Amandra was slightly older, her father, the then King of Assyria, proposed an alliance with the Roman Empire to end the war as soon as possible. His only daughter became the ideal candidate for this marriage alliance. In preparation for becoming the Roman Queen, Amandra had received both Assyrian and Roman education since her youth, giving her both the wild pride of an Assyrian and the elegant reserve of a Roman.

    However, the alliance between Assyria and Rome did not bring Assyria the peace that they had hoped for.

    Although Assyria was reunited under the threat of force, this reconciliation was fraught with uncertainty – Calais had not left Assyria empty handed. The unified and complete Assyrian Empire was plagued by the hidden dangers sown by decades of war. The regions where Assyria bordered other countries became notorious for their chaos, and the power of the monarchy was unprecedentedly constrained.

    Over the long years that followed, Amandra, with the help of the Roman Empire, finally managed to stabilize Assyria and took the crown from her father, ruling Assyria for nearly a decade—until the internal strife in Assyria broke out this year.

    Assyria was no longer the unified and peaceful country it once was. Under the influence of various chaotic factions, it would erupt in large and small conflicts at any opportunity, dragging Assyria back into the Dark Ages.

    In fact, many countries didn’t want to see a stable and powerful Assyria. They preferred the current chaotic state, which allowed them to intervene and profit.

    Rafael knew very well that this internal strife was inevitable. Or rather... he had long anticipated such a civil war would break out, one that would engulf all of Assyria, dragging their hard-won stability into a terrifying abyss, and even...

    Queen Amandra of Assyria would also die in this war.

    This had happened in his previous life, but Rafael’s memories only went up to this point. Less than two months after the Assyrian queen’s death, he was killed in a bloody murder.

    Rafael had once tried to warn Sancha, but of course, his words in the letter were very vague. Since he couldn’t reveal his source of information, he could only say that the faith in Assyria was undergoing a turmoil:

    If Rome, Assyria, and Calais were unified, the newly born country would be even more vast than the Holy Roman Empire at its peak.

    This was a future that even Rafael was terrified of.

    Not to mention the other small countries that were already teetering on the brink under the influence of these three countries. They would be terrified of this future and would rather be shattered to pieces than allow this possibility to come into being.

    ‘...I hope Her Majesty will realize the seriousness of this matter. If Assyria and Calais starts to negotiate a betrothal, then the price of you and the Emperor of Calais in the assassin market will be unprecedentedly high. And considering the difficulty of completing the task, it would obviously be more wise to choose you. After all, the young emperor still has a strong and healthy uncle of marriageable age. If you die instead, the queen wouldn’t have a second daughter to complete the marriage.’

    Moreover, as the monarch of Florence, he didn’t want this marriage to take place.

    Before the Knights Templar grew to the extent he desired, he didn’t wish for such a unified empire to appear. This would be a huge pressure on Florence. In this sense, the civil strife in Assyria was not without its benefits for him.

    After thinking absentmindedly for a while, Rafael suddenly came to his senses. Realizing what he had just thought, he involuntarily clenched his quill and sighed.

    ‘In addition, I still have to remind you that while a monarch personally going on the front lines can indeed boost morale, the risks involved always need to be carefully considered. The importance of a young and strong monarch to a country surpasses all else. I hope the queen will carefully consider this matter.’

    He finally added this sentence hesitantly. Queen Amandra’s death was very sudden and the cause was unknown. Of course, this was also because he hadn’t put too much effort into investigating this matter. Some said that the queen was heavily wounded and died on the battlefield, while others said that she died of a high fever caused by her injuries. In short, it was caused by the war. After her death, Assyria lost its last monarch to maintain it, and it was obvious what situation it would fall into.

    Rafael simply mentioned this out of respect for the strong, intelligent, and powerful woman, hoping that she could change this overly hasty and tragic fate.

    ‘I’m sorry that I can’t offer a better solution. Florence is also facing an internal turmoil right now—of course, please don’t worry too much, this is not a problem for me. As a friend, I wish you and your country can safely pass through this ordeal.’

    —This was of course just a beautiful hope. Rafael placed the copper spoon containing the wax block over the flame and heated it, then dripped it onto the envelope and stamped it with his own seal before the wax had dried.

    His guess was right. In the Roman Palace, Amandra was considering the possibility of negotiating with Calais for a marriage alliance.

    The queen was wearing a tight-fitting long dress with a strong Assyrian style. The golden long skirt suddenly bloomed like a rose below her knees. The woman with skin as smooth as honey was at the most charming age. She was beautiful, amorous, and cold, and she was the most powerful and wealthy woman in Syracuse, a woman who controlled two powerful empires. Who wouldn’t admire her? After the death of Lav XI, even the Duke of Calais, Franc?ois, had proposed to her. His intentions were obvious, and Amandra naturally rejected him.

    But now, she needed to carefully consider the possibility of restarting negotiations for a marriage alliance with Calais—for her beloved and only daughter.

    Amandra lowered her eyes, her sapphire blue eyes more beautiful than the most precious gems in the world. She was a pearl born on the vast plains of Assyria, and her golden brown hair was more dazzling than a leopard’s fur. However, fate took away all the treasures and happiness it gave her, and this was perhaps a punishment for her for having enjoyed happiness that others had not.

    “God, please forgive me and bless my poor child.”

    The woman, who had always been as tough as stone, murmured.

    “I have given everything for Assyria, and we have all suffered enough. Please protect my child...”

    Her full and plump red lips moved slightly, and the lonely mother suppressed that inappropriate sadness. When she opened her eyes again, the queen who controlled both the Roman and Assyrian empires was back.