Chapter 60: Marriage
Princess Sancha of Rome was granted the title of Princess of Perigo.
The title of Prince of Perigo is traditionally held by the heir apparent of the Roman Empire. This ancient title does not come with an actual fiefdom—according to the rule that the title itself represents the territory, Perigo would be the fiefdom of the crown prince. However, no matter how you look at it, the capital cannot truly belong to anyone other than the king. Thus, this title is merely symbolic, signifying that its holder is the future Roman monarch.
This news quickly spread like wildfire to the capitals of various nations. The fierce struggle for the throne of the vast Roman Empire had finally come to an end, and the winner was not entirely unexpected.
Julius was at the theatre when he received the news. The extensive intelligence network of the Portia family delivered countless pieces of information here daily. After a preliminary screening, it would be summarized and the most important ones were directly presented to the family head. Given that this matter concerned the Roman throne it was immediately delivered to the Duke of Rhine, Julius who sat in the private box on the upper level of the theatre. After listening to the servant’s report, he nodded expressionlessly and then turned his attention back to the stage.
He seemed indifferent to the matter, and indeed, the changes in the Roman throne had little to do with the Portia family, which was far away in Florence. No matter who ascended the throne, they would still rely on the ubiquitous Portia Bank for trade. Julius didn’t care who sat on the throne—even if it were a dog, it wouldn’t matter to him.
At this moment, the Roman throne was not as important to him as the play that was about to begin.
Julius relaxed his body, leaning back on the soft cushions, patiently waiting for the stage curtains to rise.
The Florence Opera House was performing The Birth of Bacchus, a play adapted from the traditional Roman festival drama. Since most members of the Portia family had a fondness for the arts, many great artists had worked for the family at some point, and the creation of numerous artistic treasures was closely tied to the Portia name.
For example, the famous painting The Three Goddesses of Spring was a portrait of the three Portia sisters by the master Schelint. The renowned painting Winter Feast depicted a family gathering of the Portia family at a certain year, and the sculpture The Sleeper was modeled after a Portia who enjoyed sports…