Their True Nature

At the royal court, my stepfather met with the king, his majesty, to plan the next attack on Saladin's army.

"The Byzantine Empire, my king, will assist us in defeating Saladin's armies."

"Yes, your cousin Count Philip, my king, will arrive in the east in September, and he has promised financial assistance in our campaign."

A tall, well-built man dressed in a white robe with gold embroidery and gloves, with a silver mask covering his face over the white linen.

"I hope everything goes as planned," said King Baldwin IV during his rounds of general council.

"This is a perfect time to invade Saladin's armies and conquer Egypt."

After the meeting ended, Raynald of Chatillon spoke to the king in private.

"My king, your loyal knight, wishes an audience," He bowed down to the king.

"Please speak," King Baldwin IV said calmly.

"It is regarding the marriage candidate of my stepdaughter, Lady Philippa."

"Did she fully recover? I heard she had dysentery after returning from the convent."

"Yes, your grace, she has recovered from her illness, and it was a miracle."

"So, how can I assist Raynald?"

"We received 15 contenders for her hand in marriage, and Stephanie, my wife, is unable to select between them; Andronikos, the young Byzantine General, is one of the better candidates."

"I see, I don't see a bad match from the Byzantine General," noted the wise king. If we marry her to Andronikos, the Byzantine Empire will bolster our allies."

"Your grace, I also thought to myself. "Well, she has already achieved her age of maturity and even obtained the authorization of her marriage prospect to choose her suitable husband in an archery tournament at the Knighthood Banquet, your grace," Raynald replied anxiously.

"Did she? " chuckled King Baldwin IV.

"Yes, Your Grace, she desired it, but you can forget about it because she is just a lass who is still deluded, as you know that dysentery affects her thinking, and I want her already married to the Byzantine empire to reinforce our allies against the Muslims."

During the conversation with Raynald, William of Tyre, one of the king's closest counsellors, stood entirely beside the monarch because he couldn't stomach the notion of his departed friend's younger daughter being sold off to another empire to feed his avarice.

"May I intervene? "Your grace," he said.

"Proceed," said King Baldwin.

"The match between Lady Philippa and the Byzantine commander is wonderful, but your majesty, I've heard rumours that the general is licentious."

"However, your grace, my stepdaughter, cannot decide on her own; it is up to us, as her guardians, to decide for her." Raynald Intervene

"Your Majesty, consider the Antioch family's loyalty to the kingdom." "We cannot just decide on the lady's fate; we must await the decision of her brother, Prince Bohemond," William pleaded.

As the two raised their voices, King Baldwin sat silently, He was well aware that William despised Raynald's bravado.

The king roared, "Silence!" and the court went quiet.

"I understand the circumstances, Sir William; we are not entitled to engage in their family problems as outsiders." "As Sir Raynald indicated, he is the direct guardian of Lady Philippa in the absence of her dear brother," King Baldwin replied gently.

Raynald bows to the King and says, "You Majesty, thank you so much," conceitedly knowing that the young king usually favours him, and William frowns with dumb defeat.

"But I agree with Lady Philippa; she is of legal age, and we need her agreement for the marriage; if she believes that the victor of the tournament will become her husband, I cannot refuse; it is her decision."

Raynald attempts to intervene "b-but your grace."

"My choice is final, Sir Raynald; we will host a tournament in exchange for the lady's hand in marriage."

"I-I understand your grace," Raynald bowed in defeat.

Meanwhile, Lady Philippa has been replacing her old belongings with new ones at Kerak Castle, Raynald of Chatillon's residence.

"My Lady, this is absolutely wonderful," remarked Baron Tindall, the family's dressmaker. "Who drew all of this design? I've never seen anything like it."

"I did" I reply

"I didn't realise you were so skilled, my lady, but I don't see any drawings for the head dresses," he replied, looking over the mounds of patterns I created.

"Because I wouldn't wear any." "There are things about me that you don't know, Sir."

"Pardon?" He said startlingly.

"You heard me; I have extremely nice hair; why would I hide it?" I chuckle.

"Oh, my lady, you are perfectly correct," Sir Tindall laughs.

"When can I expect to receive the finished product?"

"With the money you provided my lady, it'll be finished in no time."

"That's great news; you can go immediately."

Lady Stephanie enters her stepdaughter's chamber just as the baron is ready to leave and is taken aback to see her holding books and clothes that are about to be given.

"What's going on?" she inquired.

"As you can see, step mother, I'm getting rid of these useless and old stuff and replacing them with new ones," I assured her.

"What are you doing with these expensive clothes? I forbid it," Lady Stephanie remarked sharply.

I got to my feet and walked in front of her.

"I understand those garments are expensive for you, but to me, they're nothing compared to rags; and I believe I have the right to buy new things that suit my desires, and my lovely mother and father left a large inheritance for me to utilise on the day of my coming of age; am I correct?"

When I used the term inheritance, Lady Stephanie's eyes widened.

As suspected, they are using the money of Philippa for their own gain. I thought to myself.

"Since I am of legal age, I can handle my financial affairs from now on." "I hope we don't have any problems, my darling stepmother," I say as I grin at her.

"Of course, your stepfather has just returned from King Baldwin Palace, and the king has agreed to your demand."

"Thank you, stepmother; and by the way, I need an extra room for my hobbies."

"Hobbies?"

"Yes, I decided to collect flowers and herbs and make soap out of them."

"Sure, why not. Well, I'll be leaving now," she said as she left Philippa's room.

Everything is going according to plan. Now I only need to get ready for the tournament.

Meanwhile, Raynald of Chatillon, who had just returned from King Baldwin's court, learned in the Master Chamber from his wife, Stephanie de Milly, that his weak and dunce stepchild is now asking a piece of her inheritance.

"What!" he shouted.

"Yes, she seemed to have wanted her share, and she has been throwing out her old clothing and hiring a tailor to build her a new set, not to add she has asked a separate room for her hobbies."

"Hobbies? Does she now have hobbies? asked Raynald.

"Well, I'm not sure; she even asked to go out tomorrow to get some herbs and flowers," his wife added. "

"Flowers and herbs?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, you heard me, and I'm not sure what's going on with her; it's as if she suddenly became a different person," she said as she sipped her tea.

"Is it because her memory isn't returning because of dysentery?" Raynald wondered.

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure; since I can't read her mind, we need to keep her under control; something about her doesn't feel right."

"Do that; she's already causing me problems at the royal court." "Can you believe the Leper King agrees with her stupid idea?" Raynald gulps a goblet of wine.

"Well, we don't have to worry about anything during the tournament; she'll marry the winning knight; all we have to do is make sure the winner is our choice from the start." Stephanie told his inebriated husband.

"Do everything you can, my wife; we can't let her have her money back; it's the only reason this family is still alive."

" I understand, you don't need to tell me twice," she reassured her husband.