Eagle’s Glory

[The LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers to give you. There are cities there, great and beautiful, which you did not build. 】

In the cold wind of early spring in March, Aigron, accompanied by his new wife, stood on the roof terrace of his apartment in the port of Methoni, overlooking the sea in the distance.

Just last year, it was here that he landed on Greek soil, and now his new journey will begin here.

Looking back on this year's experience, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

He escaped the claustrophobic Vienna for more than ten years, came to Monte Cristo Island, stole treasures, and finally relied on these treasures to attract supporters of the Bonaparte family, and then rely on them to march into Greece.

Although there were many twists and turns, but at the time he carefully cut into, he seized the opportunity, created a great reputation, and fished in complicated troubled waters, and finally established a small principality.

Although the nominal owner of this principality is not him, and it cannot carry his ambitions and aspirations, it is enough to become a temporary foothold for him and his supporters.

They gained a freehold, training officers, and stockpiling political talent in preparation for taking over a larger, richer country.

Of course, that huge and wealthy country wouldn't fly into Aegron's hands on its own, and he still had a long way to go to get there.

- He is now ready to embark on a new journey.

And now, he is no longer alone, he already has a group of people accompanying him - guards, secretaries, and maids who take care of him in his daily life. Invisibly, he already has the pomp of a lord.

Of course, the most important thing is that he has a beautiful wife by his side.

Aegron's eyes moved slightly, and then fell on Teresa.

Since their wedding for three months, they have all tasted the sweet and greasy feeling of the newlyweds. Although they get along with each other day and night, they still keep seeing each other. joyous.

At this time, Teresa still had traces of happiness on her face - it was precisely because of a harmonious and happy life that Teresa did not change her usual agility and talent, but she had a little bit of the coquettishness of a little woman. There are traces of happiness on his face from time to time, and he always smiles unconsciously.

Although this girl is arrogant, she seems to be content with her newlywed life after her long-cherished wish has been fulfilled.

Aigron was equally satisfied.

Everything he asked of his wife, Teresa fully met and even exceeded, so what else could he be dissatisfied with?

However, deep down in his heart, his greed to devour everything and have everything has not been extinguished. When will this young man who is obviously happy enough but not satisfied will become restless again?

Aegron didn't know the answer to that question, and he didn't need to seek one.

This time their destination is not a remote place, but the most famous city in Europe, and a holy place with a glorious history - Rome.

During these three months, they first enjoyed the New Year's celebration in Athens to celebrate the arrival of peace; then they went to Ioannina, celebrated with their subordinates, and managed this small principality by the way; and now they will Set off from Methoni, to the great and glorious city of Rome, to meet God's spokesman on earth.

It was a pre-planned move Aigron had also made through his great-uncle, Cardinal Joseph Fish.

And now, the "nephew" of Cardinal Esposito, a confidant of the Pope, has also defected to Aigron as a private secretary. He has a closer relationship with his allies, so it has become easier to dredge the relationship.

Now that everything is in place, he will visit Rome with his wife.

Of course, there is also a little regret - because Emperor Napoleon broke with the church and imprisoned the Pope for a time, there is a very strong anti-Bonaparte faction within the Roman church, and even His Majesty the Pope cannot ignore their opinions, so Aigron and Teresa can only visit in private.

However, for Aegron, this is not a big problem. Anyway, he does not want to be in place in one breath. As long as he can take every step, he will win.

In their identities, of course, they don't need to pack their luggage by themselves. After receiving the order, Chanel has already taken care of everything, and everything is ready to go - Chanel himself will follow the newlyweds all the way, Stand by your side.

And their guide this time is Leon Esposito, Aigron's private secretary.

As the illegitimate son of the Cardinal, he should also be an open secret among the senior leaders of the Roman Church. Aegron felt that if he was by his side, Cardinal Esposito would do his best to at least protect the personal safety of their couple.

With the cardinal as bailout, even if there are any forces within the Roman Church who want to toss, they will weigh it.

In this way, after a period of secret negotiations, and with Aegron taking care of his internal affairs, it was time for them to set off for Rome.

Thinking of Rome, both of them were a little emotional.

The last time they went to Rome at the same time in two months, although they took the opportunity to meet again and set a lifelong event, Rome became their destiny; but from another aspect, Agron was still half a "fugitive" at that time. I don't dare to reveal my identity publicly, so I'm in a hurry, and I don't have time to visit this city full of glorious history - I just strolled around the suburban villa of the ancient Roman emperor. Some are not happy.

And this time, it's time to make amends.

"His Majesty-"

While he was thinking, his secretary Leon Esposito came to him. "The ship is ready, just waiting for you to board and set off."

"Very good." Agron nodded lightly.

Then, he walked to Teresa's side, and then gently extended his hand to her, "Teresa, we're going."

"Yeah." Teresa nodded, then took her husband's hand very naturally.

Her eyes were full of affection, and maybe even if Aigron said he was going to any corner of the world at this moment, she would be willing to follow him.

After seeing this look, as usual, Aigron was captured again—

Because of this, he put the girl in his arms and kissed her gently, and Teresa responded to him without hesitation.

So, Leon Esposito had to stand on the side awkwardly, lowering his head and trying not to look at the intimacy of his master and his wife - this teenage couple can enjoy their love willfully, but if they look at it too much, it would be a great disrespect .

Fortunately, his embarrassment didn't last long. Teresa left the rooftop first and went to make final preparations with Chanel. Only Aigron and his private secretary stayed where they were.

Because of getting along with each other in recent months, Aegron has ended the other's 'exploration period' and accepted the other party as a member of his circle.

Leon Esposito cherished the honor he received, and he was determined to dedicate all his resourcefulness and knowledge to serve the young lord in exchange for the realization of his dream.

In his opinion, although this young man is still weak at the moment, he and his group are already on the right track, and can see the bright future in the vagueness.

Considering so many miracles he's accomplished so far, what's the wonder of yet greater miracles?

"Leon." Aegron called softly while looking at the ships that appeared in the harbor. "How's the news from Rome?"

"As far as my uncle's feedback is concerned, everything is stable. Although there are many people who criticize the Pope for being too friendly to you, this dissatisfaction has not appeared in the public questioning. His Majesty believes that, Although your father had some unpleasantness with the church in those days, your grandmother and uncle's piety over the years was enough to wash away the stains of the Bonaparte family back then, not to mention that you, as a young child, were not responsible for these unpleasantness at all. So in the Christian doctrine of mercy and tolerance, the church should reconcile with you—"

For the latter clichés, Aegron didn't care much, what he cared about was one of the key words.

"My uncle?"

"Yes, your uncle, Lucien Bonaparte," replied Leon Esposito.

Aegron was slightly surprised.

It seems that the relatives who speak for him in Rome are not just grandmother and uncle

Lucien Bonaparte was the third brother of Emperor Napoleon. During the turbulent times of the Great Revolution, he also became Napoleon's political assistant, and assisted him in launching the Brumaire Coup. Ba family rule.

However, it didn't take long, because the two brothers quarreled very fiercely over Lucian's marriage, or Lucien became more and more unable to stand his elder brother's bossy attitude towards him, so he chose to break with Emperor Napoleon and gave up his gift. of grace, and the family moved to Rome.

During the heyday of the empire, the members of the Napoleon family ascended to heaven one by one, wearing crowns on their heads, while Lucien remained in Rome and was almost forgotten by the world; and in 1815, when Emperor Napoleon returned to France to prepare for a desperate fight However, Lucien hurried back to France, ready to fight the emperor to the end and regain the family crown.

It's a pity that this time the two brothers have no luck. With the defeat of Napoleon's army in the Battle of Waterloo, the hope of the revival of the empire was once again in vain. Lucien originally wanted to persuade his brother to struggle again, but seeing that the situation was over, he There was nothing else to do but to flee France again and return to Rome.

After returning to Rome, he lived in seclusion and was almost forgotten by the world. However, unlike his brother Napoleon, he had a very good relationship with the church, so in 1814 he was named Prince Canino by Pope Pius VII. In 1824 he was made Prince Musignano by Leo XII, and in short he was greatly respected.

Of course Aigron knew that his uncle's family lived in Rome, but he didn't take the initiative to contact Prince Lucien because he couldn't be sure of his uncle's attitude before - but he didn't expect that his uncle was actually helping him inside the Roman church. say good things.

It seems that no matter how many internal disputes there may be, family ties are still the bond that connects them.

"Your Majesty, do you want to meet your uncle?" Leon Esposito has been observing his words, and seeing Aegron's complicated expression, he asked in a low voice.

"If you can, I can see you—" Aegron replied after hesitating for a moment. "However, this requires his approval first. After all, he is my uncle. If he is not willing, I will not force him to disturb him."

"You don't have to worry about this issue at all." Leon Esposito smiled, "His Royal Highness has been running for you in secret, it can be seen that he has a deep friendship for you. If you are willing to see him, he should I'd be more than happy - and my uncle thinks we'd be less troublesome if His Royal Highness were involved."

"What do you mean?" Agron asked suspiciously.

Leon-Esposito has no habit of behaving in front of the lord at all, so he immediately replied, "Actually, my uncle has always been troubled by how to arrange your meeting with the Pope, after all, both of you are quite... pay attention to etiquette. "

Leon's words unconsciously brought a trace of grievance.

As a political figure, especially as a pretender to the throne, Aigron certainly hopes to be appreciated by the Pope, but he is also unwilling to bow down to the Pope, and he will not even think about such great gifts as kneeling.

And the Pope also believes that since Duke Reichstedt claims to be a devout believer and has been using the church to gain fame, he should show enough "sincerity" after meeting the Pope - especially his father still has a history In the case of taint, otherwise how to convince the public?

Precisely because both sides insisted on their positions, in the past three months, the two sides have argued several times over this issue of etiquette, but there is still no result.

In the eyes of everyone, Aegron is too stubborn and not as soft as usual, but Aegron doesn't want to let himself be a dwarf in front of the church - if you leave such an impression now, you can turn it around in the future. Difficult.

He just wanted to use the church as a tool, but he never thought about becoming a devout believer.

So he has to stick to etiquette, because sometimes etiquette doesn't matter at all, but sometimes etiquette is all there is to it.

"So what does this question have to do with my uncle?" Agron asked rhetorically.

"My uncle thinks that if His Royal Highness is involved, it will give you and the Pope a chance." Leon Esposito quickly explained, "If you are publicly summoned by the Pope, then you and his Every action falls in the eyes of everyone, and your every move will attract attention; and if we meet at His Royal Highness's house, many questions may not be so important—"

Aigron finally understood.

"I paid a private visit to my uncle, and it happened that His Majesty the Pope also came to my uncle's house, and then we met by chance and had a friendly and friendly exchange—" He summed up the meaning of the other party.

"If you don't mind that it's not grand enough..."

"No, I don't mind." Agron patted his secretary on the shoulder to express his satisfaction. "So let's do that."

"Okay, Your Majesty." Leon Esposit nodded calmly.