In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

"Out of personal friendship and the pleasant cooperation we have had so far, helping Her Majesty the Queen stabilize the situation is a good thing for both of us."

Although Lagaia encountered many constraints, fortunately she had Anna's help. The two were highly tied together, and both credibility and ability were worthy of Losa's investment, not just for the title and the territory of Cyprus.

Cherinina frowned and said, "But we have to leave eventually."

Lothar was silent for a moment, then said, "If she couldn't calm the situation before we left, she wouldn't have been able to sit on the throne of the empire for so many years as a widow."

The Queen was naturally a capable person. If she had not been so ambitious and only cared about the mess of the empire, she would have given up power and stopped being regent when it was time to step down. She would not have encountered so many difficulties.

The team landed at the Golden Horn and drove all the way to Hagia Sophia, where the Patriarch and a group of clergy had already been waiting and held a large-scale ceremony.

The chief treasurer Eusebius came hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty Basilius, Her Majesty is waiting for your audience at the Palace of Brahena."

Seeing Lothar nod in agreement, he then carefully made a suggestion: "You have worked hard on the journey, would you like to take a bath? His Majesty has ordered people to prepare new robes that suit your status. And your soldiers will also have special people to receive them. After bathing, there will be a grand banquet."

Losa had no objection. Fresh water was always a scarce commodity at sea. They set out from Cyprus and did not stop for a single day along the way, so it would be nice to be able to take a bath.

Among them are many figures that Losa is familiar with, such as Caesar, Homer, Plato, Aristotle, etc.

However, since Emperor Hadrian, the empire's baths no longer had the joy of men and women bathing together in the ancient imperial period. Losa took a leisurely bath here, and then changed into a full set of new clothes with the help of the maids.

Although he was not used to being served by outsiders, it was obvious that he was not capable of wearing this gorgeous new dress by himself.

Its main body is bright red, with imperial royal purple used on the collar, cuffs and trim. On the back is a red cloak with a blue background, on which is printed his double-headed eagle emblem.

This new suit was very similar to the attire of the emperor, but it was much simpler in style. For example, the gold belt that was supposed to be inlaid with pearls and gems was replaced with an ordinary silver belt.

Losa came to the entrance of the bathhouse wearing the new clothes, which made the eyes of the people who had been waiting there for a long time brighten.

Jeanna couldn't help laughing and said, "I was wondering why it took so long. Nina thought you were hanging out with those pretty maids in the bathhouse, but it turns out you changed into such a complicated new outfit."

Cherinina blushed and shook her head hastily: "I didn't say that!"

Viviana smiled and praised: "This outfit does look very noble, but it feels like something is missing."

The treasurer beside him understood what was going on and said with a smile, "When His Majesty Basilius meets the queen, he will naturally make up for this missing link."

"Okay, take me to see Her Majesty the Queen."

Losa urged. Although this complicated and gorgeous robe looked very noble, it felt extremely cumbersome when worn on the body. Even with a layer of soft silk lining, it still felt very uncomfortable.

Arrived at the Blahena Palace.

The queen was sitting high on the throne. She was wearing a Dalmatian purple robe decorated with crosses and icons, a golden crown studded with gems and a cross in the middle, a golden rectangular piece of cloth called "Tabrion" draped over her collar, and a golden scepter with the "XP" logo on the top in her hand.

This outfit was extremely gorgeous, and compared to it, Losa immediately looked much inferior.

Jeanna, who was following beside Lothar, whistled subconsciously in her heart. She liked the Queen's plump and sweet figure very much. It was like a cup of warm milk sprinkled with icing sugar, which was sweet to the heart when she drank it.

Especially when she looked at her noble, elegant, and inviolable sacred appearance, she had an urge to have her man pull her down from the shrine and whip her severely.

Lothar naturally did not realize the evil thoughts contained in Jeanne's eyes. He just glanced at the magnificent palace indifferently. He no longer felt the shock he had when he first came here. After all, Saladin's palace in Cairo was not much inferior to this one.

At the lower left side of the Queen, there was another small throne, on which sat a beautiful woman with healthy wheat-colored skin. She was wearing a blue robe with purple decorations on the edges, which looked quite similar to Lothar's clothes. She wore a small golden crown. I guess she was the nominal co-ruling emperor of the empire, Princess Ira of the Komnenos family.

The look she gave Losa was quite complicated, with admiration, resistance, and resentment.

It is hard to imagine that a person's eyes can contain so many emotions. Losa's gaze just touched hers slightly and he no longer paid attention to her. This made the princess bite her lip again, feeling sad and jealous.

Lothar looked at the queen for a moment, and then he slowly spoke in Latin: "To the most pious Barthelissa, the Crusaders' closest and most trustworthy ally, my beloved lord and most trustworthy friend."

Before he finished speaking, the esteemed Empress of the Empire walked down the stairs first and enthusiastically extended her fair and delicate hand to Lothar. Lothar took it and kissed it lightly, then lightly brushed aside the issue of audience etiquette, which might have led to a diplomatic conflict before.

During the First Crusade, Godfrey of Bouillon caused an ugly scene when he refused to kneel down and kowtow to Emperor Alexius.

Later, the legendary leader of the Normans, Robert Guiscard of the Hauteville family, also fell out with the empire over etiquette issues. Of course, this was most likely just the cunning Norman monarch taking advantage of the situation.

"My dear friend Lothar, this time the Crusaders were instigated by treacherous people and surrounded Constantinople. It was all thanks to you who overcame all difficulties and rushed to rescue us."

The queen's palm was very soft. She held Losa's hand and did not let go for a long time.

There was a hint of amusement in the eyes of Jeanne and the others. In the eyes of Princess Ila, the resentment was almost overflowing. If her mother intended to pass the throne to her, why didn't she accept her request to marry this Crusader monarch?

Doesn't this prove that what the family members said was true? Is his mother really going to marry this foreign monarch and give birth to a child to replace him as the crown prince of the empire?

Lothar stared at the face of the woman who was praised as the most noble and beautiful in the world, smiled and shook his head, saying: "The goal of the Crusades should never have been to attack Christian brothers. An ambitious person tried to use the Crusades as a sharp weapon in his own hands and turned the sacred cause into a money transaction. I cannot tolerate this. I hope Your Majesty will not regard the Crusades as your enemies because of this matter."

“It’s natural!”

Lagaia nodded slightly. The two of them were characterizing this war - the Crusaders had good intentions, but were exploited by the ambitious Alexius.

"The Empire has always been the Crusaders' staunchest ally since the time of Emperor Alexios I. It has always been so and will remain so in the future."

Lothar added: "Tomorrow, I will go to Galata and persuade the Crusaders who have lost their way to return to Asia Minor and the Turkish states, or to Tripoli to continue fighting against the remnants of Saladin. I will urge them to withdraw from Galata as soon as possible. At that time, I hope Your Majesty can sign a new treaty with the Crusaders and provide them with some food and supplies to support the just cause of Christians to recover lost territory."

Lagaia nodded without hesitation and agreed: "This matter will be handled by you, Lord Lothar. You have made great contributions and deserve a reward."

As soon as he finished speaking, two eunuchs came forward carrying trays.

The queen took out the golden crown from the tray and solemnly placed it on Lothar's head, then took out the scepter from another tray and handed it to Lothar.

"I grant you this scepter representing the highest military and political chief of the Eastern Region and the Egupstadt Region, and I grant you the crown of Basilius, the vice-emperor of the empire. From today on, you are the undisputed supreme lord of these two places. All the Crusader kings and pagan kings should submit to you or allow you to conquer them. I hope you will guard the East for the empire and treat all Christians well."

The crown is made of gold and inlaid with rubies and emeralds. It has a single layer of pearl tassels hanging on the edge and a crown cross placed on the side. The overall look is similar to the Queen's crown, but it is obviously a little simpler.