Chapter 51 Two Prussian Young Nobles

  I accepted the task with alacrity and returned once more to the imperial physician.

  When I arrived, Hans was lying on the bed wrapped in bandages all over his body. The court physician who treated his wounds asked me to take off my outer garment and pinched my wounds here and there with his hand, then found some ointment from a cabinet in the room and applied it to me.

  "How is it, does the wound still hurt?" I asked Hans.

  "It's okay, it doesn't hurt that much anymore." A relatively weak voice came from Hans in the next room, his slender body was enough to make him suffer after being beaten.

  "Haha, fortunately you were beaten in Constantinople. If it were somewhere else, who knows those doctors might have given you a few more cuts and bled you first."

  "It seems that if I hadn't come to Constantinople, I wouldn't have been beaten either..." This guy still has some resentment.

  "Haha, if you hadn't come to Constantinople, you wouldn't have had this thrilling opportunity! Wait a minute, strive for it, the childhood sweetheart you've always liked is yours! Remember to thank me!"

  The person in the next room had been silent for a long time and didn't respond, just when I thought it was a misunderstanding between them, or maybe they were just siblings or friends, Hans poked his head out of the door with a red face: "Uh, how do I say this?"

  I knew it, at this point in time, there's no way a man and woman can have a purely platonic friendship: "Dude, you don't know that after saving the beauty, confessing has a 99% success rate?"

  The meticulous German character is evident here, Hans asked: "Where did this data come from?"

  "Uh, I can tell him that it's from various Hollywood blockbusters? With his experience, he wouldn't understand the fun of a large group of people jumping around in small frames: 'Knight, rural stories! No way! From hundreds of years ago to now, what's the most popular genre? Hero rescues beauty! Knights saving princesses from evil dragons! No matter how rotten the plot is, as long as it has this scene, there will be a large group of female readers! Think about your actions today, aren't they heroic? Willing to sacrifice one's own life for the survival of the woman you love, any woman who encounters this scene would be moved to tears and secretly pledge their heart!"

  "Really?" Hans, this German fellow, immediately smiled with a raised eyebrow.

  Apart from that group of military nerds who have been warped by old people since childhood, almost any man can break the ice with this topic of talking about women.

  The doctor having dressed my wound, I dismissed him from the room; and in a little while Hans's manner changed from his gloomy mood at arriving in Constantinople to an elated state of mind at arriving in Constantinople with a love affair.

  I immediately turned the tables on him! He absolutely cannot reveal what happened to the two of them at the Holy Spirit Hospital, hmm, for the sake of his childhood sweetheart's reputation and their own reputations! As for why, "Think about it, if you were a noblewoman who was innocently thrown into prison and humiliated, would you still have the face to attend banquets and parties?" And so, Hans was duped by me into nodding in agreement. Two German nobles, settled.

  It wasn't long before, roughly around the afternoon, our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. The servant informed me that the German poetess had arrived with the ambassador of Prussia. I instructed the servant to have them wait and called Hans to lie down and pretend to be on his deathbed, telling him what to say later, as I walked through the palace corridors to greet the German poetess...

  At this time, she changed her identity to be the cousin of a prince of the Kingdom of Prussia! And Hans, a prince of the Kingdom of Prussia!

  "May I step into that courtyard? I think we need to talk..." The courtyard referred to the garden near the corridor with pillars behind the palace gate. I had some questions for this cousin of the Prussian prince.

  She gave the Prussian ambassador a wink and followed me over. We walked in the garden at dusk until we were out of earshot, then I asked: "Say, although I'm not a genius when it comes to languages, but I have some basic knowledge of biology. When can the German word for nephew be used to refer to a female?"

  The German girl said seriously: "I am a man!"

  "Are you sure?" I asked in surprise, circling around her. "Alright, if you insist on being a man, I respect your choice. So, my second question is, should I address you as the Prince of Prussia or the Princess of Prussia?

  "I said! I am the first cousin of the Prince of the Kingdom of Prussia!"

  "Don't treat everyone like a fool, okay?" I sat by the fountain and gazed at the female writer with a smile. "From the first day we met until now, it's always been Hans listening to you. Would a prince really listen to his younger cousin like that? You two have your roles reversed."

  "Don't look at me with that suspicious expression, I don't want to make a big deal out of this." I lied, "Knowing your identity will be helpful for our conversation later on."

  "What do you want to talk about?"

  "First of all, what should I call you? Privately."

  "Philately." The German girl said.

  I saw myself sitting and thought it was not respectful enough, so I stood up: "First of all, I want to talk about Hans. Fieretria, for his injury and your encounter today, I deeply apologize! Hope you can accept my apology!"

  "I don't need apologies and regrets, I just want to figure out what happened!" the young woman Filaretia shouted angrily.

  "Specifically, I'm not quite clear either. It seems that you wrote a forbidden book and then it was discovered by a Constantinople nobleman who humiliated you in a duel, and he reported the matter to the church. The people from the church didn't know your identities so they sent someone to capture you! Penivis and the others received similar treatment. When I arrived at Elysee Club, the church was sealing off the place under the pretext of searching for evil ritual tools. Now, they're all under house arrest."

  "House arrest!?" Don't look at this literary girl's slender body, but her strength is not small. She suddenly grabbed my shoulder and shook it violently, making my whole body ache.

  "Stop shaking, okay? You're hitting my wound and it still hurts today!" I squeezed out a painful expression.

  "Really hurts?" Filaretia stopped shaking.

  "Give me a chair and I'll smash it to pieces in three hits."

  "Alright, I was wrong to hit you in the dungeon today, but if you hadn't come in and said those things, I wouldn't have hit you! And with such a heavy hand!" The female literature youth stubbornly justified her own behavior.

  "Never mind, what's past is past. Let's just consider those things that happened before as a nightmare. Now my father has already sent someone to take care of this matter, and he will give you an explanation soon. But there's one thing I must remind you: I didn't tell him that you beat me up in the dungeon! If it gets out that you hit me, it could make things even more complicated than they already are! So when asked what happened at the church, it's best if you don't say anything!" I repeated what I said to Hans here, and at the same time hinted at the ominous warning of Prussia's hostility towards the Roman Empire. The German girl looked regretful and stunned.

  After a while, she said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause all this trouble."

  "If you want to apologize, do it to those who were hurt by you. Like Hans, like Penelope, like Elsie's people. By the way, there are still many things we need to discuss, but first go see Hans, don't let him worry! I just came out of his room, his whip injuries aren't light, if he doesn't take good care of himself, it will have a bad impact on his future."

  "Alright."

  I secretly sent off Filaret and, feeling hungry, went to the kitchen to find something to eat. I casually had some roasted meat and bread, and also instructed the servant to send some to my cheap old father and Alexander. As I walked out of the kitchen door, it was already evening, so I had the servant carry a plate of dinner and bring a bottle of grape wine with me to Hans' recovery room.

  The moonlight is bright, and in the corridor of the flower garden on the left, the German girl unexpectedly leans against the railing with both hands, looking up at the sky with a deep gaze.

  This scene is different from what I imagined. At this time, she shouldn't be cooing with that heroic savior in the room, but instead ran to the corridor and stared at the moon, being sentimental?

  Isn't it Phoenix Band crossing over to dedicate a song On Top of the Moon here?

  No, recite a poem?

  It's also possible that she wasn't inspired to poetry after eating the Constantinople ice cream made by her predecessor, so now wanting to recite a poem under the moon as an eternal memory is understandable.

  I increasingly feel that finding a wife with a strong artistic temperament is really looking for trouble. I had the servant bring in dinner and left the wine and cups behind, saying: "You've been busy all day, it's time to eat something. Go inside and eat first, then come out and compose poetry."

  "Write poetry? Who has the mood for that... I don't even want to eat, I'm thinking now."

  The German girl continued to look up at the moon, I looked up and followed her gaze, I finally felt that something was wrong, "What's going on? Did you guys have a fight?"

  "None of them." Filitreya shook her head, her lips moved bitterly, then she turned sideways, her eyes full of confusion. "What do you say love is?"

  "Rather than answering this profound question, I'm more curious as to why you asked it."

  Friederike sat on the fence and softly called out Hans' name, she paused for a moment before saying: "He just said he likes me, he said he has always deeply loved me."

  "But you don't like him." I knew it. By the way, why doesn't the Hollywood-style hero who always saves the beauty work in real life?

  Felicity sighed and said dejectedly, "We've been playing together since we were kids, I just thought of him as a good friend, why can't the friendship between men and women always be like this?"

  Along with the good person card, the two great refusal tools of the parallel world, the good friend card was born. I smiled wryly at Hans: "Hans isn't handsome? Today, for your sake, even life can be given up, aren't you moved? It's said that this is the heroic rescue scene that girls dream of all their lives, don't you feel a thrill?

  "Didn't I tell you earlier?! I only regarded Hans as a good friend! And another thing, you rascal! Believe it or not, I'll make your other eye wear an eyepatch too!"

  The German girl has a very serious violent tendency! With injuries on her body, and judging from her combat strength, she's at least level 10. If we were to fight, it's not certain that I could easily win against her. So I didn't bother arguing with her: "This time you rejected him, but when you realize too late, you'll understand what you missed out on."

  This is my heartfelt words! In this 18th century where people are infatuated with plump buttocks and breasts, a flat-chested maiden like the German girl, even if she wears a corset, still can't stand out. It's just like in later generations, a man without a house can't get married, no matter how beautiful his face is. In short, in the 18th century, if a man can accept your flat chest, then hurry up and marry him!

  "I just want to know why can't there be normal friendships between men and women! Why do all men think of taking it further than friendship!"

  The mental state of the German girl was unstable. I sighed and didn't say anything, poured wine into the two glasses in my hand, and handed one out.

  "The Cretan islands, the good things of my estate."

  "Thank you."

  Friederike sat on the railing with a glass of wine in her hand, staring blankly at the red liquid, seemingly lost in thought. Since she wasn't speaking, I took the opportunity to sort out the impact of not being able to make up with this Prussian noble couple on the series of events that followed.

  I don't know how long it took, but a chill suddenly rushed from my spine into my brain. I looked around and saw that the mentally unstable German girl sitting on the railing opposite was staring intently at me. I glanced left and right again, confirming that she was indeed looking at me! My breathing became heavier! What is she going to do?

  No good!

  Suddenly, several bad thoughts emerged in my mind. Was it that she discovered I was using them? Or did she figure out that I wanted to pair her with Hans and just use this happy event to make the two of them relax their vigilance in future negotiations? Did I realize that being beaten up in the dungeon was just a way for me to regain the initiative from a passive position after they were caught? Or had her IQ already reached the point where she guessed that I was making a big deal out of nothing on this matter in Prussia, but on the other hand, turning an international diplomatic event into a tool for purging?

  If that's the case, then I can only tear my face off! But no matter what, I've always been at an advantage in negotiations! Whether it's Filaretia hiding her female identity or the situation with Penivis and the others, both of them will make Filaretia and the Prussian Kingdom behind her surrender to us!

  Friederike put down her wine glass and walked over, her eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit. I reckon her combat strength is also rising linearly!

  Hmm, is it the blood of a German berserker or the battle spirit of the Teutonic Knights?

  Forget it, is it all about fighting?

  Come on, I'll give it a shot! Possessed by Emperor Constantine!!! 300 Spartans time-traveling crossover!!!

  One hand grasps the wine glass tightly, ready to splash the liquid out at any time!

  She actually grasped the hand I was holding the wine glass with first, good guy, and actually saw through my first move at a glance. In that case, my counterattack can only be planned! Right hand clenched, as long as she makes a move, ready to strike out at any time!

  "We can be friends, right?"

  "What? Is this chick crazy?"

  "My point is, let's have a great debate!"

  "What?!" I was shocked, is this German youth learning Hitler's devilish transformation as a prelude?

  "As far as I know, there has never been a purely platonic friendship between a man and a woman in this world! All the stories, all the legends are about romantic love between men and women! Why don't we create a story of friendship between a man and a woman instead!" Philarette grabbed my collar, her nose almost touching my lips! This girl was excited, passionate, and... well, I had no idea what drove her, but she was on fire! And it was the kind of fire that would explode as soon as I nodded!

  Wait a minute, what's going on with this strange development? I thought we were just discussing her dumping Hans!

  "Why look for me?" I feel that as long as I'm with this German girl, I can never keep up with her pace, her logical thinking is too out of this world!

  "I'm not too bad with you here, and we can talk relatively well, so I won't look for anyone else! You should know that becoming friends, especially good friends, also requires a foundation! If you just randomly find someone on the street, it's not dialectics, it's not a great philosophical exploration, but **!"

  "Your request is too sudden and also quite disturbing. Hey, can we not talk about this?" I dodged.

  "Alright, let's keep drinking. Your family's wine is not bad, it's better than mine. Give me another glass!" The female literary youth downed my family's treasured wine in one gulp...

  Then I poured some more for her, and we both gazed at the moon, chatting occasionally.

  After drinking, we went back to the kitchen and grabbed a few more jugs before heading to the high tower of the palace. And then... I don't remember anything else...