[DING!]
[Conndition: Survive 20 assassinations attempts]
[Calculating….]
[Calculating….]
[Calculating….]
[Calculating….]
[Calculating….]
[DING!]
[Condition survive 20 assassinations attempts have been met]
[DING!]
[You have obtained the perk: Insight]
"Huh…" I said with a confused look on my face while staring at the countless status screens that appeared in front of me out of nowhere.
I set the teap cup back onto my desk while reading over each and every one of the status screens in front of me and thought with my eyes widening in surprise "So I can gain perks"
"Status." I said calmly while looking at my status screen that appeared in front of me out of nowhere.
[DING!]
[STATUS]
[Name: Juan Manuel de Guzman y Habsburg]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 20]
[Health: Healthy]
[Perks: [Perfect Health], [Insight]
[Titles: [Duke of Medina Sidonia], [Marquess of Gibraltar], [Marquess of Cazaza], [Count of Niebla], [Lordship of sanlucar], [Grandee of Spain]
[Skills: [Etiquette: Master], [Swordsmanship: Intermediate], [Horsemanship: Intermediate], [Daggership: Elementary], [Multilingual: Master], [Sex: Master]
[Storage: [Money: 476,352,677], [Abrus precatorius plant], [Nicotiana Tabacum: 17]
I looked over my status screen while picking up my tobacco pipe and putting it into my mouth and inhaled it and exhaled smoke from my nose while looking at my money on the status screen and thought with creased eyebrows at losing 90 million gold coins "It might have dropped drastically for funding my army gear, bribes and overall food supplies and war machines but luckily I will regain my wealth by taking cadiz and I can guarantee it will rise drastically."
"I wonder how I use insight." I said calmly while staring at the tea cup on my desk.
[Cellini tea cup: This tea cup was created by the famed sculptor benvenutocellini in 1530 as repayment to your father alfonso perez de guzman for getting him out of jail and pardoning him on a murder that he committed, it was also poisoned with the extreme deadly poisons of cyanide and paraquat dichloride that your sister / wife catalina ynes de guzman y habsburg seemed to have been preparing for you, for quite sometime now]
"Hahahaha." I said laughing with visible anger not being hidden within my eyes at all from my intuition being true and looked back down at the tea cup again and focused on what the paraquat dichloride poison was.
[Paraquat dichloride: Paraquat dichloride is a highly toxic herbicide primarily used for weed and grass control in agriculture. It's a non-selective contact herbicide, meaning it kills plants it comes into contact with, and it's also known to have some desiccant action, meaning it dries out plant tissues. Due to its toxicity, paraquat is classified as a "restricted use" pesticide in the US, meaning it can only be used by licensed individuals in the 21st century and if even a little of it is ingested it can instantly kill said individual]
I Immediately got up from my seat and left my study while looking down at both of the guards who were guarding my study and if you looked closely weren't actually regular guards but personal guards disguise as every day one, darning not to look up and meet my gaze and said whisperingly "Secretly investigate the tea cup on my desk and the force behind my assasnination attempts."
"Yes your grace." Said both of disguised guards in unison and immediately started taking their leave with footsteps that made no sound.
I immediately looked down at another man in a butler attire who came out of my study with no sound and the tea cup in his hand, who anyone wouldn't even know was in there with me until he appeared.
"Good, make sure it is done swiftly and with care." I said calmly to the average 6'0 looking man in the butler attire with emotionless eyes.
"Yes your grace." Said the man calmly with his head bowed and started taking his leave with no sound.
"I'm glad I prepared for something like this, gathering men with no purpose in life, stripping them of their identities and giving them one" I thought with very wide smile forming on my face while heading back into my study and closing the door behind myself while heading.
"Hahaha, do you really think I will let you get away with this catalina, I might not be able to do anything to you instantly but believe me i will not let this betrayal go unpunished." I said calmly while bending down and grabbing a piece of paper and the quill pen dipped in ink on my desk and started drawing up designs of the previous count of seville's castle and started making upgrades to it, keeping the old medevial look but adding a early very fortified renaissance look to it also since while medina sidonia might be very fortified with a very fertile resourceful historical land, I wouldn't put it as a major strategic key point for long term defense, trade, wealth and a place to operate in long term politics with the nobility who are most definitely not one to fuck with.
"Fucking politics, even if I did abdicate and abandoned medina sidonia, I will still get killed by other major forces and my descendants will be expected to inherit my position and also if your curious why I can't lay a single finger on catalina or exile her or something it's because it has something to do with politics and as you've seen she is not stupid and is most definitely aware that she's been caught or that I suspect something which is why I will act like I am unaware that she's trying to seize power.
"It's crazy that I even have a enemy sleeping next to me in bed and even let her control the dukedom while I was off at war, I guess the greek philosopher socrates saying was true that kisses of love are not venomous, because you perceive not the poison? Know that a beautiful person is a more dangerous animal than scorpions, because these cannot wound unless they touch us; but beauty strikes at a distance: from what place soever we can but behold her, she darts her venom upon us, and overthrows our judgment." I said whispering with a sigh at his wise words which made me remember another quote of his that spoke, if you get a good wife you'll be happy and if get a bad one you'll become a philosopher.
"But those are just quotes which can and cannot be accurate because in the end no one is right or wrong and every is just only human which tells that everyone is smart yet stupid and can be good yet also be bad and if thought throughly comes down to everyone being imperfect" I thought with a sigh while going around and sitting down in my seat and started to formulate countless schemes in my mind and revising through of all them so no errors could occur.
I slouched in my seat and thought with a dead emotionless look in my eyes that was only emitting one emotion at this moment, survival "My dearest catalina just sight tight and eat comfortably, your husband is preparing everything nice and slowly just for you"
My eyes darted down at the castle reconstructing plan and religion plan on my desk and said with a sudden grin forming on my face while licking my lips wretchedly "Yes, nice and slowly."
(Inside a secret room in the city of antwerp)
Inside a dimly lit secret room in the city of antwerp you can three distinguished looking men who looked to be in their mid 50s, late 40s and early 30s sitting at a table with cloaks on and solemn looks on all three of their faces.
"Marquis joseph de villeneuve who represents france are you present." Asked a old man with a long gandalf like beard in a luxerious attire while looking down at a piece of paper in his hand.
"Indeed I am present." Said a gentle looking man with a french accent.
The old man nodded and looked back at the paper in his hand and said "Voivode mikolaje zaborski who is representing both poland and lithuania, are you present."
"Indeed." Said a older gruff looking man with a polish accent.
The old gandalf wannabe man nodded against and look backed down at the paper again and asked "Count richard de guzman y habsburg who is representing both england and andalusia, are you present."
"I am now shall we proceed on to the main discussion." Said a stern handsome man with a deep voice that has austrian accent to it.
"Indeed let us." Said marquis joseph with a gentle smile.
"Hmm…" Said mikolaje while nodding his head and stroking his beard.
The room was completely, not anyone said a word which told the gravity of what was about to be discussed.
Mikolaje adjusted his throat while stroking his beard and said with squinted but non bullshitting eyes that spoke that he isn't playing any word games "I'll be frank with you count richard."
"You have my ear." Said richard calmly while waving his hand for the gandalf wannabe to step out of the room, whatever his name really was.
Gandalf wannabe bowed a little and took his leave while everyone watched as he left the room.
Mikolaje interlocked his fingers on the table and said sternly with a intense gaze while looking at richard "Hand over full control of andalusia's navy and both poland and lithuania shall offer political recognition, economic benefits and military support."
"You jest voivode mikolaje, you shouldn't let your greed get the best of you, it isn't a good look on you polish freaks." Said marquis joseph with a snicker that completely contradicted his gentle outer appearance.
"Indeed, marquis joseph but at least those polish freaks you speak so boldly of are the type of freaks that knows how to handle their business well without being to overly greedy, lest they jump at every opportunity like a dog sniffing out dog shit to crush spain and rome." Said mikolaje with a disgusted look on his face, wishing he could just spit in the stuck up french nobles face but restrained himself.
Joseph's jaw clenched in anger and was about to refute what mikolaje had said but was immediately interrupted.
"I'll have to inform to his grace about this offer, but I can most definitely say that he wouldn't accept it." Said richard calmly while looking at mikolaje rather to calmly straight into his eyes.
Mikolaje's eyebrows creased and said while staring richard back into his unnaturally pale grey eyes that looked like two silver marbles which most guzman's seem to have and it also shows that he really has guzman blood running through his veins "That won't do your excellency, this has already been established by lithuania offering andalusia access to our baltic trade ports and eastern calvaries and mercenaries which gives andalusia even more reason why you shall give complete access to your n…"
"I'll have to stop you right there voivode mikolaje because you seemed to be a little confused about something, both of us are benefiting out of this alliance and you are being a little too overly greedy, it's as if your undermining how valuable our trade ports in andalusia are and even if we granted use to poland and lithuania, what could you offer of equal yet much greater value than our navy." Said richard calmly while glancing on the corner of his eye at marquis joseph who was sipping his tea with his eyes closed leisurely.
"Hurry up and speak you greedy dog smelling fuck, this is the perfect opportunity for you so take it and see what you can get out of me" Thought richard while secretly glancing back at mikolaje who had a deep pondering look on his face, his calm outward appearance completely contradicting what his current thoughts are.
*Clack*
"Indeed, what could poland and lithuania possibly offer that our france couldn't when we all know who has the greatest strength at this table." Said marquis joseph with a slight smirk rising on the corner of his mouth.
Richard's mouth slightly twitched and said with his eyes squinting "I wouldn't speak so casually and carelessly lord joseph, lest you want to go to war with both andalusia, poland and lithuania, we aren't your friends if you've forgotten the current circumstances and while andalusia has just been united and his grace juan, my cousin is still solidifying his power and authority, our strength cannot be denied so you best watch your tongue because despite status in our own lands, everyone presently at this table are representatives who represent each major force in europe which means we are of equal rank by being being representatives."
The room was silent for a moment, the atmosphere in it immediately turning solemn by richard's words that happened to be a wake up call, reminding the two of the current turbulent situation happening in andalusia and assassination of king philip II that flipped all of europe upside down.
Marquis joseph sighed and leaned back in his seat while looking at richard and mikolaje and said solemnly "His majesty henri is worried about how his grace juan will handle his marriage affairs, the pope and rome will not stand for him have multiple wife's and deem it as unlawful so I suggest that if he has a way to get a pardon for this which I doubt so instead france, poland and lithuania can brand together and can politically shield him from the papacy and rome for awhile and france would marry officially while poland secretly and would be revealed when politically convenient and we can deem it an alliance of unions, though it may not last long this is the best france can do for awhile since the pope has to much authority and I doubt poland and lithuania aren't in a better situation since you are all dealing with, catholic, orthodox, muslim and jews, all major powers from each side."
The room was silent for a moment, everyone deep in thought, only the breathing of the three distinguished men being heard.
"Indeed, we can only shield for so long but it should give his grace juan enough time to think of something, the gains outweigh the losses from all sides so no one is losing anything in the end." Said mikolaje while stroking his beard with a serious look on his face.
Richard had creased eyebrows and looked at mikolaje and said calmly while leaning forward and interlocking his fingers together "We can't give complete access to our navy but we can transport your goods to and from with maximum security of our military that ensures your goods are safely transported but in return we ask for military support, exclusive access to baltic goods and political recognition when the time comes."
Mikolaje's face turned very ugly and was immediately about to refute about how preposterous it was but immediately calmed down and thought while stroking his beard "Wait, this is actually a good deal, we get access to overseas goods and in exchange they want military support, access to our baltic goods and political recognition which isn't really a problem, we lose nothing from this and we can make up for some small losses"
"I can agree to this, I shall inform his majesty when I return." Said mikolaje with a smile while stroking his beard.
Richard nodded at mikolaje and shook his hand and looked at marquis jospeh and said "I assume we have nothing to discuss since france already gains more than poland and lithuania and we also benefit a lot out of this alliance so i can agree to what you suggested earlier, I'm sure his grace juan has already thought of this minor issue and has a plan."
Mikolaje chuckled and said said "Indeed I can also agree."
The room suddenly erupted into the laughter of the three men who started shaking each others hands with smiles on their faces at their gains, showing how dangerous the game of chess can be, poland and lithuania gains access to overseas goods and becomes stronger to fight off their neighbors and france already has access to all the valuable trade ports inandalusia, and has military support, which shows that they benefit more while poland and lithuania don't necessarily since theirs is more strategic, they don't have complete access to all andalusia trade ports only, seville and cadiz while france has access to seville, cadiz, malaga, almeria, huevla, and gibraltar along with military support.
"Hahaha, Let us enjoy enjoy some food and wine." Said joseph while gesturing towards the door towards the two men, richard who stood at a impressive 6'10 and mikolaje who was 6'3.
"Indeed, let us." Said mikolaje while leaving the room with his hands behind his back, his guards who was waiting by the door following after him.
Richard nodded towards jospeh and said while gesturing calmly "After you my lord."
Joseph nodded and started taking his leave from the room at a steady pace, his guards also following after his steady 5'10 figure.
Richard watched joseph faded from view and started leaving the room while ducking so he wouldn't hit his head and said to one of his guards "Send word of what we discussed in the room to his grace juan and do so swiftly like your life is on the line and if I catch wind that this has been leaked I will behead your whole family so make sure you serve the habsburgs grace and utmost loyalty."
"Y…yes your excellency." Said the guard with his head bowed and immediately left swiftly to complete his task.
Richard watched the guard leave and thought with creased eyebrows "Cousin I hope you have a plan otherwise this alliance won't last long, you need to hurry up and solidify your rule in andalusia immediately otherwise a war will break out with all the major powers joining one game of chess, completely ruining all of europe and flooding it in the blood of the peasants and warriors of what could soon be fallen empires that once held long history and prestige"
"I guess we will find out soon enough." Said richard with a sigh while continuing on his way to join the other 2 distinguished noblemen in a cup of wine with some food.
Not realizing that this alliance is a major key point that would kick start of what's to come.
…
THE END…