Eagle Flag of Epirus

"The Eagle Flag of Epirus (

"I don't understand what you mean?" Sir Baptiste, as the municipal official, said in the aristocratic hall, receiving guests from Genoa.

Standing on the opposite side, the messenger from Genoa said impatiently: "Do you still need me to say it again? I think my meaning has been made very clear. Master Andrea is now at the port waiting for my reply. We have nothing to spare. Your patience will spend with you again. Please hand over Master Andrea's sister, Antonia Doria. This is our only request."

"This is surprising. Your sister Andrea is not in Genoa's boudoir, but instead asks me for someone. Unfortunately, I cannot agree to your request, because there is no such person in Thessaloniki. "Baptiste, who was pretending to be a fool, smiled. Of course he knew the purpose of the other party, but how could he easily be manipulated by the other party? All he needs is to perfuse the Genoese in front of him.

And the Genoese messenger, who felt being teased, was furious, and said angrily: "It's a shameless lie. If you say that Miss Antonia is not here, please explain that the Genoa smuggling ship has sent you large quantities of supplies at low prices in the past few months. what's going on!"

In fact, it is precisely because of this abnormal phenomenon that the Doria family noticed Thessaloniki. There was a huge deficit out of thin air. When they discovered it, the Genoese were shocked that someone actually purchased food, weapons and other goods as Doria. However, the money was all credited. At this time, the senior management was immediately alarmed, and the Doria family, who was deeply stressed, immediately sent someone to conduct a thorough investigation. Only then did they discover the traces of Antonia.

But now, when the Doria family began to question the crime, they happened to bump into the Venetian siege of Thessaloniki. Such an embarrassing scene is bound to cause discord between the two countries. More importantly, the Genoese also vaguely discovered that they were being used. The so-called acting municipal official of Thessaloniki was completely unwilling to cooperate.

Therefore, the Genoese messenger also simply resorted to his assassin, threatening: "Huh, if your attitude is like this, don't blame us. You're welcome. Lord Andrea has promised before that as long as you can cooperate with us, The Doria family is willing to temporarily shelter Thessaloniki for a period of time, and at the same time, the supply of materials in the city can continue without interruption. But you seem to want to reject our goodwill, in that case, our fleet will soon be launched. Harbor, then you will rely on yourselves to deal with the Venetians! "Already seeing the abacus in the other's heart, the Genoese will of course not give up this bargaining chip for the initiative in the negotiation.

At the same time, the Genoese messenger went further. He glanced at Sir Baptiste meaningfully and said:

"Your Excellency, as a Latin, can hold your current position. I heard that you rely on the support of the Queen Odosia. Her Royal Highness can get the support of the Greeks in the city only because they think they are filling their stomachs. She made the bread out of thin air. It’s really stupid, but because of this, once those lazy and mediocre people know that the gift of the emperor is actually given by a Gentile, what will happen? Let’s wait and see! Please wait and see! Think about it!"

The name was a suggestion, but it was actually a warning. Looking at the complacent expression on the other side, Sir Baptiste's face was livid, and he replied:

"Thank you for your suggestion, I will consider it carefully."

...

...

...

The gloomy, silent, suffocating, heavily pressed Odosia could not breathe. This is not the first time she has been in such a dream, even though she knows that what she sees and feels are all illusions, but she can't get rid of it. The empress returned to Tripolis two years ago, standing among the ruins destroyed by the war, and then she remembered the great rebellion set off by Leos Grace that swept through most of the Peloponnese. She took her daughter Helena into hiding to escape the revenge of her past lover.

But how to get out of trouble, Odosia found that there was only a blank memory in his mind. In the last blurred segment, the emperor only remembered Grand Duke Anastasius, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and said to her, to live well. The old man looked at his eyes at the beginning, Odosia will never forget it for the rest of his life. After all, it was also because of her indirect reason that Grand Duke Anastasius lost his only son, and at the same time the old man used his own life to protect him. She also has her daughter.

I remembered to her, the cyan light emitted from the green matsutake stone, and then swallowed her like a sticky bubble, and I couldn't remember anything from now on.

After that, an endless sense of emptiness filled my heart, and the depression that couldn't breathe was simply too real, so that Odosia couldn't tell for a while what was a dream and what was reality. The familiar and disgusting cold light surrounded Odosia again. When she was struggling to break free, a force suddenly pulled her body back, and suddenly she felt a whirl of heaven and earth—

"Ha—hu—"

Suddenly awakened from the nightmare, the short-breathing Empress Odosia was in despair. It was the same dream again, and it was the same depression. The woman's pale face was covered with sweat without a trace of healthy blood.

"You finally woke up!" In the corner of the bedroom, a girl's voice suddenly sounded, frightening Odosia, how could there be other people in her room.

Seeing the other party opened the curtains, letting the bright sunshine outside the house shine in, Odoxia finally saw the other party's appearance.

"Little Antonia? So it's you!" Although I was shocked just now, but I saw that the person was a Genoese girl, Odosia's heart was relieved a lot, and the heavy depression in the dream disappeared most of the time. Due to her permission, Antonia was able to enter and exit her side unimpeded, but Odosia is a bit strange today. The girl was not invited by her this time, but came by herself.

"Why did you come so early today? What happened?" Looking at the other person, Odosia asked with concern. Antonia was much more cheerful in the past, but now the girl standing in front of her is like a dusted jade. , Bleak and dull.

Suddenly, the silent Genoese girl walked up to Odosia who was sitting on the bed and leaned over in the arms of the emperor.

"Little Antonia?!" Odosia was really surprised by the girl's move. In her impression, Antonia was like a lonely petrel, never showing any weakness in front of outsiders, but today The girl looks like a wounded kitten in front of her, just wanting to spend time with people she knows in a comfortable area of ​​her own.

"What's the matter?" asked again cautiously. During the two days of illness, the emperor didn't know anything about what happened outside, but looking at the lonely expression on the Genoese girl's face, Odosia knew Sessa. Something must have happened in Lonika.

For this girl from Genoa, Odosia has always treated meticulously and kindly, and is more grateful for her repeated help, so even if Antonia asks for nothing, she hopes that she can help her somewhere.

But the girl who was buried in the arms of the emperor did not answer, but said faintly: "I'm just a little tired. I want to find a place to be quiet, so I borrowed you to lie down for a while, and it will be fine soon."

Seeing the girl's answer, the dumb empress also acquiesced to Antonia. She gently stroked the messy braids on the girl's head, and whispered in a soft voice: "Okay, if you think this can make you feel better. But my mother told me when I was a kid that bad moods are like rotten fruits, you can’t cover them there, maybe you can share some with me.”

"You're really long-winded, you're not my mother!" The girl in her arms said irritably, raising her head and looking at Odosia, who was only a few years older than herself, pouting her mouth, but her eyes were originally bleak. It was much brighter than before.

"Although you are just like her, kind and clumsy. Your Highness, you have to know that most people like this don't live long."

Although Antonia never confessed it, Odosia, who cared about her very much in the past year, did overlap with the image of someone in her heart. And that person is Antonia's mother, she rarely mentions it to others, because it is because of her mother that the Genoese girl resolutely chose to abandon her family.

Looking at Odosia, who always thinks about others first, the Genoese girl's mind will always feel a little upset, especially now that she sees the empress's haggard face.

"Rather than caring about me, it is better to care about yourself. Your health has been getting worse and worse recently. This burn took two days to retreat. I don’t want Helena to be the same as me at that time. Involved in the family, it was swallowed by the big mouth of the blood basin called "family affection"." Since she was brought up by physician Christopher Falus, Antonia, who has a little medical knowledge, has been in charge of taking care of the Empress Odosia. For the strange disease, she couldn't find the cause in her body for a year, but the vitality of this woman was withering at a speed visible to the naked eye. When she thought of this, Antonia's heart became heavy. She also didn't want to believe it, but this woman's life was already in the wind.

But the emperor, who didn’t care about it, smiled and said, “With your care, I believe that even without me, Helena’s child can grow up healthy and happy. I have nothing to ask for now, just hope In the last days, it would be nice to accompany her more every day." At this time, Odosia has already known the condition of her body and has been bearish on life and death. If she used to have concerns about her daughter, but now she There is no need to worry anymore, the only thing that needs to be done is to do her part in the last moments of life to protect the one she loves.

"Then you'd better count on that **** Justinian, he said he would be back soon, but now there is no news. May Saint George protect him from sinking the ship when he leaves the port." Antonia said a Genoese slang to express herself She’s dissatisfied, but in fact, from her words, she can also hear her worry about Justinian’s situation. The two are collaborators and they have a kind of friendship. The chance encounter in Constantinople made Antonia choose to support each other. Now both of them have grown up in adversity. She doesn't want Justinian. Also fell into a desperate situation just like now.

So, no longer concealing anything from the woman in front of him, Antonia immediately told the emperor on the bed of everything that happened in Thessaloniki.

"I may not stay here for too long, Your Highness, because my brother came to look for me."

Not long ago, the arrival of the Genoese fleet temporarily forced the Venetian navy back, but the people on the ship did not come to help Thessaloniki, but to rush to pick her up. Unsurprisingly, the person leading the Genoese fleet was Andrea Doria. After receiving the news, the opponent rushed over almost immediately. This was also in Antonia's expectation, because she deliberately leaked her identity and brought them over. After all, Genoa’s fleet stayed outside the port of Thessaloniki for one more day, and it would be able to buy a day to wait for Justinian’s reinforcements to the north~www.ltnovel.com~ Of course Antonia would not take the initiative to come out to see them, and she did. An elder brother Andrea, who knew her no better, was already prepared. He deliberately leaked her news to the whole city and caused an uproar among the nobles and civilians. The other party tried to force her to appear in this way .

"Your brother might have done this because she was worried." The emperor who knew everything was silent for a while and said insincerely, trying to comfort the girl in front of her.

But Antonia didn't care about the authenticity: "You don't have to comfort me, because my brother is a bastard! It's not so much worrying about me, it's better to worry about himself. After all, in his eyes, I am just a piece of weight. It's just a heavier bargaining chip. You can sacrifice everything for himself, including our mother. I can forgive other things, but that one doesn't work." The girl's eyes seemed to spit out anger, and the old things came to mind.

Antonia and Andrea, who are twins, were not actually born in Genoa. Their mother was a poor woman in Turin. She ran the family tavern by herself, but was caught by a Doria family on a rainy night. The nobles defiled the pregnancy. Despite being mentally stimulated, Antonia's mother took the twins hard to grow up until the Doria family ruthlessly snatched them from her. After that, Antonia had her own name and became Doria's belongings. She never saw her mother again, but after seeing it again, it was already between Yin and Yang. She begged her brother to move her mother’s cemetery like that, but she got a cold response. Since then, Antonia has hated her brother, her family name, and the one who hides the dirt. Genoa city.