Chapter 55: Rose of Silence
Ever since he ordered Leshert to re-expand the army and form the Knights Templar, he knew that one day he would have to face this problem.
Neither Rome, Calais, nor the surrounding states of Florence could ignore the resurgence of the Papal States.
Florence had already possessed a lofty status superior to all secular monarchs. Once it had an invincible army… they would definitely be unable to sleep at night.
Rafael said lightly, “You’re worrying too much. This is just necessary self-protection. According to the provisions of the Holy City Treaty, the Knights Templar of Florence will never exceed two hundred. The troops that have set out this time are all temporary recruits from the common people, and will not be included in the Knights Templar.”
This explanation was full of vague and ambiguous concept substitutions. If it was investigated more deeply, many problems could be found.
But the Queen, who was always perceptive, did not ask any further questions. She was silent for a moment and said: “This explanation is not strong enough.”
Her response was equally implicit and vague.
“Grand Duke Francois is very dissatisfied with the changes in Florence. He has tried to contact me to question Florence, demanding a census of all adult males in the Papal States who have been armed for a long time, and to calculate the military expenditures. Your explanation is unlikely satisfy him.” The Queen almost frankly stated the content of her private dealings with Calais, which could also be regarded as a gesture of goodwill towards Rafael.
“I don’t need to satisfy him,” Rafael understood the queen’s meaning, and the heavy stone hanging in his heart finally fell to the ground. His lavender eyes curved slightly, “The problem is not whether he is satisfied or not, but whether he will accept it.”