"We've dispatched a fleet from Genoa to aid in the conquest of Jerusalem. It's a force of a thousand elite crossbowmen led by Generals Avocato and Embriaco."

"I see."

"We must fulfill our duty as a Catholic state. So, will Antioch remain under Roman control? I heard Duke Bohemond has been demanding his share of the spoils."

"The spoils will be distributed fairly among the crusaders. However, Antioch will remain under the Emperor's direct control."

"Hmm, just as I thought."

After finishing his statement, Cosimo glanced at me. His eyes suggested he had something on his mind.

"By the way, Princess, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Why are you sitting so far away today?"

"Well..."

As he pointed out, I was currently seated in my office chair, quite a distance from the usual sofa where I normally received guests.

He must have noticed. I tried to act casual as I stood up and slowly returned to the guest sofa.

"It's nothing. I was just worried Nikephoros might show up."

"The Vice Minister?"

"It's not really important."

This cautious behavior was completely unlike me.

Nikephoros wouldn't be back until the afternoon anyway. I shrugged as if it were nothing and sat down across from Cosimo.

"Anyway, since Genoa has sent troops directly, I suppose you don't have the capacity to sell additional supplies?"

"Yes, and what supplies we had left were already claimed by Duchess Matilda."

"Grandma Matilda?"

"She's always been passionate about religious matters. Now that her conflict with the Emperor has somewhat resolved, she's fully committed to supporting the crusade."

Compared to the future Third Crusade, this First Crusade might seem less impressive in name, but it was actually when European nobles' passion burned hottest.

With peace settling in the Empire following the reconciliation between Matilda (and the papal faction) and the Germanic chieftain, it wasn't surprising that the pseudo-Roman lords were taking action one after another.

"That must be disappointing for you, Cosimo. Are you going to surrender your sales champion title to the western salesmen for once?"

"As I've always said, I'm just a civil servant with no interest in being sales champion. Besides, my brother handles the political side of things."

Cosimo put the catalog, which seemed unusually thin today, back into his bag and began rummaging around inside it.

"Ah, I have a gift for you, Princess."

"A gift?"

"You recently completed your regency duties successfully. This is my personal congratulatory gift."

"Oh, really? How thoughtful."

I couldn't help but feel excited about Cosimo's gift. His presents were usually delicious snacks from the Middle East.

As I gazed at his bag with sparkling eyes, Cosimo nodded and pulled out a small wooden box about the size of his palm.

"Here you are."

"What is it?"

"It's a beverage that Armenians enjoy. When you steep it in boiling water..."

Just then.

"Princess, may I come in?"

Nikephoros's voice suddenly rang out.

"Eek!"

I jumped up in surprise.

"...?"

Cosimo looked at me with puzzled eyes, but I had no time to worry about that. I quickly returned to my desk and composed my expression, trying to appear calm.

Soon the door opened, and Nikephoros entered. With a calm gaze, he assessed the positions of Cosimo and myself, then offered Cosimo a brief greeting. Then he approached me steadily.

"I have some urgent documents to deliver to you."

"O-oh, really?"

"Yes, I apologize for the sudden visit."

Nikephoros placed a stack of papers on my desk. Glancing through them, I saw they concerned naval organization.

"The Drungarios requested that these be processed as soon as possible."

"I-I'll do that."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

After finishing his statement, Nikephoros stared at me for a moment, then turned away. He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and asked Cosimo:

"What are you holding there?"

"Ah... it's a specialty product from Cilicia."

While answering, Cosimo glanced at me to gauge my reaction. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head desperately.

"A specialty product?"

"Yes, I was just about to introduce it to the Princess. It's a new product."

Fortunately, Cosimo was quick-witted. A big stamp of approval for him.

Nikephoros looked back and forth between the box, Cosimo, and me, then nodded and turned away.

"Don't stay too long. The Princess looks tired."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Thankfully, he didn't seem suspicious. Nikephoros bowed politely to me and strode out of the room.

"Phew."

I wasn't sure why I felt this way, but somehow it felt like I'd just climbed a huge mountain. As I approached Cosimo with a deep sigh, he asked with wide eyes:

"Did you do something wrong to offend His Excellency?"

"No, it's not that..."

In truth, even I couldn't clearly explain my behavior. It just felt like the right thing to do at the moment.

Shaking my head, I tried to act normal as I snatched the box from Cosimo's hand.

"So this is the famous tea?"

I'd heard that tea from China had been introduced early to the Caucasus region, the border between East and West, via the Silk Road. Of course, they couldn't import enough to develop a proper tea culture.

When I opened the box, a familiar, earthy green tea aroma wafted out, reminiscent of Korea.

"So you know about it. Are you familiar with the proper way to prepare it as well?"

"Of course. Speaking of which, let's have a cup..."

I started to suggest having a cup but suddenly stopped. The image of Nikephoros glaring at me with half-closed eyes flashed through my mind.

Why was I acting like this? It was an inexplicable feeling. Though I couldn't understand it, I nodded as if being controlled by something.

"Thank you very much. I'll enjoy it later with Nikephoros."

Even as I said it, I found it ridiculous. It made it seem like I was conscious of him! An inexplicable bitter smile played at the corners of my mouth.

"Um... yes."

Cosimo was looking at me strangely again, but I couldn't help it. I just turned away, pretending not to notice, and muttered, "Ah, I'm looking forward to it~"

"Why am I acting like this?!"

I couldn't fully understand what was happening in my own heart. I could only stare blankly out the window, overwhelmed by inexplicable emotions.

※※

"The Muslim rulers of Tripoli and Acre have requested an alliance."

In the command tent at the center of the massive crusader camp near Ma'arrat, Conrad, King of Germany and Italy, now sat in the place where Raymond usually sat.

"Ha, an alliance? It seems they don't understand the word 'surrender.'"

"Haha, indeed."

Despite the change in command structure, the crusaders' faces were filled with bright smiles. As the laughter subsided, Conrad turned to Raymond, who sat closest to him, and asked:

"What do you think, Duke? Will you proceed as planned and lead a detachment to besiege Tripoli?"

Although Raymond was a duke, he was a vassal of the French king, not the Kaiser. Even Conrad couldn't order him around carelessly.

Raymond seemed lost in thought for a moment but then nodded firmly.

"We cannot leave the historic Tripolis in the hands of infidels. I will proceed with the attack as planned."

"Are you sure you can handle it alone? We would gladly provide support if needed."

Robert, Duke of Normandy, asked with concern in his voice.

"Indeed, Duke. Please don't overexert yourself."

Hugh, Count of Vermandois, also chimed in agreement.

The crusaders' current objective was to simultaneously attack three major cities in the Syrian region—Tartus, Arqah, and Tripoli.

As the capital, Tripoli would naturally have the strongest defenses. Logically, they should commit the most forces there.

"Thank you for your concern. But it's fine. I can capture Tripoli with my forces alone."

But Raymond thought differently. While maintaining his usual friendly smile, he was inwardly grinding his teeth.

"Bohemond was the first to plant his flag in Antioch... I must achieve something equally impressive!"

Although the conquest of Antioch was a collective achievement of the crusaders, the one who would be recorded in history as "the first to raise the cross in the Antioch palace" was Bohemond, who had secured passage by bribing the garrison commander.

Moreover, Bishop Adhemar, the papal legate who had guaranteed Raymond's authority, had returned to Conrad's camp.

At this rate, the position of "King of Jerusalem" that Raymond so desperately coveted would inevitably fall to the cunning Bohemond.

"Well, I'm sure the Duke will manage just fine. Let's quickly capture Tartus and prepare to move toward Berytus."

Whether aware of Raymond's thoughts or not, Bohemond spoke in his usual slippery tone. Displeased by his attitude, Godfrey frowned and interjected:

"We will support Duke Raymond after capturing Arqah and moving south. You should do the same."

"Yes, yes, if possible. By the way, Duke Godfrey, have you still heard nothing from your brother?"

"...Baldwin of Edessa is no longer my brother."

"Come now, how can you say that? Tancred tells me your brother is having quite a difficult time in Edessa. After capturing Arqah, perhaps you should go to Edessa yourself to help—"

"Gentlemen, that's enough. The Edessa matter is no longer our concern."

Conrad clapped his hands to change the subject. Bohemond shrugged as if he couldn't help it, and Godfrey turned to Conrad with an uncomfortable expression.

"Let's return to the matter of Tripoli. I hear an administrator to govern Tripoli has already departed from Constantinople. The Princess believes we can capture the city within a month."

Conrad's voice sounded completely natural as he mentioned the "Princess" rather than the "Emperor."

"He must have been affected by the Roman Princess too."

Bohemond asked with a smirk:

"Was there any mention of the spoils?"

"Yes. All the holy relics and plunder found in Antioch will be distributed equally among the crusaders, and the Princess has specially granted one thousand gold coins to Duke Bohemond, who was the first to capture Antioch."

"T-ten thousand gold coins?"

Bohemond, who had been fidgeting until then, suddenly raised his head. Murmurs spread among the crusaders.

Ten thousand gold coins—enough to build a proper castle on one's estate.

Conrad nodded with satisfaction, then continued with a pious expression, as if reciting a hymn:

"The Princess cares for us that much... like a mother embracing her children."

"...A mother?"

The puzzlement quickly faded in the face of the reality of ten thousand gold coins.

Bohemond, Raymond, and even the pious Godfrey's eyes sparkled as they thought of the Levantine cities they had yet to conquer.

A moment later, Conrad's voice flowed softly:

"So let's put aside unnecessary quarrels and focus solely on driving the Muslims from this land. For the Princess."

At this point, saying "for the Princess" seemed a bit awkward, but the crusader lords, blinded by the promise of substantial rewards, conveniently interpreted it as "for the Princess's money."

A brief silence. In that moment, Godfrey and Bohemond's gazes suddenly met.

"Ahem."

They said nothing more. They simply looked away, pretending not to notice.

"Ten thousand gold coins, ten thousand..."

In the crusader tent, captivated by golden fantasies, only Bohemond's dazed voice echoed.