A shimmering golden bay.
Gazing down at the sunlit waves that glistened like gold, John was lost in thought. Who could have predicted that even after becoming Emperor, nothing would go his way?
His brothers had transformed from allies into rivals, and his enemies remained as formidable as ever. With so much happening, what was the right course of action?
The chance for reconciliation with his brother, Konstantinos, which should have been a united effort for the revival of the empire, was now lost. The moment Konstantinos demanded the establishment of an archbishopric in Morea, the possibility of coexistence between the central government and Morea vanished.
Declaring that they would no longer adhere to the authority of the church signified much. If his brother’s demands were met, it would effectively create two nations under one banner.
Morea had to be kept in check.
Only through a strong, centralized unity around the capital could victory be achieved. If his brother and Morea resisted, another civil war could engulf the empire. Confronting their enemies was crucial, but internal division would be disastrous.
Thus, John had deliberately withheld information about the blockade of Edirne. It was time to make it clear, despite Morea’s growing influence, that the central government had not entirely fallen.
There was still a need for close cooperation between Morea and the central government, and if anyone had to bow, it should be Morea.
A month passed.
Unfortunately, it seemed John’s efforts had failed. Morea continued to govern central Greece independently, and they went further by absorbing officials dispatched by the central government into their own faction. These officials, recognized for their abilities, showed no hesitation in pledging loyalty to the capable prince.
Though fuming with betrayal, John could understand.
In contrast to himself, who had achieved little, his brother, who had shown promise from a young age, had begun the grand reclamation of Greece. Yet, wasn’t it an unfair fight, where he hadn’t even been given an equal opportunity?
Why was he preemptively convinced that he couldn’t accomplish what his brother had? This was John’s grievance. Supporters of his brother, Konstantinos, echoed these sentiments.
They argued it was right to support the proven prince over the unproven John. Among those who said this was their father, Manuel, who looked at him with an expression of pity but without any sense of remorse.
Yet, beneath the jealousy and denial, there was an accumulation of resignation and despair. The more he denied, the more these thoughts grew. The more he tried to ignore them, the more they loomed.
Could I truly achieve what Konstantinos did?
His brother, who abandoned his path to the throne to secure an alliance for the empire, swiftly seized central Greece at a desperate moment. Could he have so easily forsaken the throne? Could he have resisted the allure of the thousand-year empire’s crown and done what needed to be done with such confidence?
The turmoil persisted for hours.
Eventually, footsteps echoed faintly.
“What weighs so heavily on your mind, Your Majesty?”
John immediately recognized the voice’s owner, cold though it sounded now. She was a woman who masked her passion with a façade of coldness. Joannina Kantakouzenos, a determined woman who, despite being rejected, immersed herself in the whirlpool of mystery and politics to remain by the side of the man she loved.
Initially, John had been captivated by her boldness, but he found himself increasingly drawn to her. She was a woman of extraordinary beauty and considerable intellect, who harboured deep affection for a single person. Had his self-control been weaker, he might have cast aside all promises and embraced her long ago.
However, the promise he made to her was bound by the honor of an emperor.
If he did not even have that, who would regard him as Emperor? Who would elevate someone lacking the pride and honor of an Emperor to the throne? Thus, John had spent years in solitude, never laying a finger on her, hoping she would take an interest in him and approach—just as she had now.
“Joannina, you must be quite pleased with Morea’s growth, aren’t you?”
“Your Majesty?”
“I mean, watching the man you admire rise so triumphantly must fill you with satisfaction.”
“…Are you jealous?”
Jealousy—yes, jealousy.
It was absurd to be jealous. As the ruler above all earthly monarchs, why should he envy a mere prince of Morea? Yet, Jogn envied and admired Konstantinos. Himself, a mere prince without the title of Emperor, and Konstantinos, who, even without the title, had earned recognition by standing against the Ottomans.
Those who followed him did so out of hope for his authority, while those following his brother were drawn by his accomplishments.
Even the beautiful woman at his side was looking at his brother, not him.
Unknowingly, John clenched his teeth. Where were those who held expectations for him, the Emperor? Yet, such base feelings were unbecoming of an Emperor. Concealing his true thoughts, he offered a gentle smile.
“Of course not. I’m merely ashamed of myself for achieving nothing while my brother has accomplished so much.”
Joannina’s blue eyes momentarily reflected suspicion and caution, but soon they softened with warmth.
“Even so, is he not still one of your vassals? Rather than opposing him, wouldn’t sharing imperial authority with him be a wise choice?”
“Sharing imperial authority…”
It was a sensitive issue, and John’s irritation was understandable. Yet, his reason whispered that it was not a bad idea. If the empire, already divided between Morea and the capital, were left as it was, a split would inevitably occur. If they ascended as co-emperors before that, at least they wouldn’t be fighting each other with the Ottomans at their doorstep. His brother, who had fought solely for the empire’s survival against the Ottomans, would ask for no more.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, though he wished to be the sole supreme ruler…
Following Joannina’s proposal might end his feud with Konstantinos. He knew well enough who the real enemy was. The vision he had long dreamed of resurfaced. If they acted on this plan, John and Konstantinos would be remembered as brothers united in saving their faltering homeland.
But that wasn’t all.
“And Joannina, you would then have the opportunity to choose between the two co-emperors.”
In the distant future, when Konstantinos and John inevitably clashed, each vying to be the sole autocrat, the support of the prestigious Kantakouzenos family, with Joannina as empress, would determine who amassed greater power. Joannina would be elevated from a mere empress to a decisive player capable of overturning the political landscape.
To this, Joannina responded with a subtle, mysterious smile.
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