Chapter 14: The Joust
Chapter 14: The Joust
Count Leopold was a young man, appearing no older than thirty, with short, curly hair, a beard, and pale skin. Today, he wore a crimson surcoat fastened with a golden belt. Servants, holding the train of his red cape, followed his every step as he approached the throne.
He stopped before his seat, his hand resting on the sword scabbard at his waist, which was inlaid with gold and ivory, further accentuating his noble and extraordinary bearing.
Lothar sighed inwardly: ’Though both hold the title of Count, if Count Werner stood beside Count Leopold, even if Werner were decked out in all the treasures he brought back from the Holy Land, he’d still look like a country bumpkin.’
In this era, the further west one went did not necessarily mean greater development. On the contrary, both the Eastern Empire and the Ayyubid Sultanate in Egypt were considered lands of incredible wealth and fertility. Count Leopold of Austria, who controlled the land trade hub between Western Europe and the Eastern Empire, clearly wielded considerable power.
Following closely behind Count Leopold onto the dais, however, was not the Countess. Instead, it was a mysterious woman wearing a shoulder-draped brown hood and a magnificent crimson gown, revealing only a delicate white chin.
Someone in the crowd below muttered, "This lady is said to be the Count’s newly hired witch advisor. Some claim to have seen her in His Majesty the Emperor’s bedchambers."
Another person showed displeasure: "Can such a wanton woman sit in a place of honor higher than ours?"
"Keep your voice down! That’s a witch!"
"I heard that the Emperor’s most trusted Count Palatine offended a witch and was turned into a rat on the spot by that evil woman. It was only when the Emperor intervened that she turned the Count back into a human."
The air was thick with whispers. Despite their gratitude to Count Leopold for hosting this grand event, people were still dissatisfied with his patronage of a witch.