Chapter 8: Letter
Sancha believed that the newly appointed Pope of Florence was one of the most interesting people she had ever met.
This assessment couldn’t be easily categorized as positive or negative; it simply indicated her curiosity about him.
As the product of a Roman and Assyrian royal marriage, Sancha’s life was more complex than that of an ordinary princess. After the divided Assyria moved towards unification and her mother was confirmed as the sole queen of Assyria, Sancha’s status changed from a simple princess to a more prominent Assyrian Archduchess.
As both a Roman princess and the first heir of Assyria, Sancha, though only nineteen years old, had already stood at the pinnacle of the world.
With the crown adorned with flowers and jewels came an overwhelming tide of scrutiny and prying eyes. A barrage of words, both kind and cruel, true and false, flooded her, making it difficult to discern right from wrong. Sancha learned to face and master these difficulties, just as her mother had…
But it was incredibly difficult. Everything around her seemed so unreal and the people around her also became strange. The tasks she had to perform were so daunting that she felt fear and despair.
That was why she had eagerly accepted this mission to Florence. She wanted to escape from that suffocating atmosphere.
After hearing her daughter muster up the courage to ask to go to Florence, the Queen of Assyria was silent for a moment.
Sancha was surprised at how clearly she could recall that day.