When the envoys sent by the Golden Horde arrived in Mangup at the end of February, they were to sign relevant terms with Bosphorus to formally implement the promises made by Muhammad Khan at the time.
Soon after arriving in Mangup, the envoy heard the news that Adyghe had been formally made a vassal of Bosphorus. Although he tried to speak about it several times during the negotiations, he ultimately implicitly avoided the topic, choosing instead to take the information back to Sarai for the Khan to be aware of in time, to decide on the next strategic direction.
Some time after the Golden Horde envoy departed, another envoy from Bosphorus signed a relevant treaty with the envoy of the Lithuanian King in Kiev in mid-March, officially implementing the results of Mana's previous negotiations in Vilnius.
And Carlo de' Medici, whom Manuel valued, also began, at his command, to prepare the necessary conditions for establishing a bank a little later.
After confirming that the borders of Bosphorus were indeed stable and that Trabzon was proceeding as he expected, Manuel could finally relax a little and accompany his wife, Barbara, to rest and recuperate. Because, by his reckoning, she, being pregnant, was nearing childbirth. As her husband, Manuel intended to entrust some of his governmental duties to his cabinet and personally look after her for a period. At least before he traveled to Asia Minor, he hoped to spend some peaceful time with his family.
At the same time, Yusuf Jaqmaq was returning to Egypt from Tana. He had intended to investigate there for more time, but Mamluk Sultan Barsbay was already urging him to return home. To avoid angering the Sultan, he had no choice but to return as soon as possible.
As for his investigation in the Eastern European Great Plains, it was regrettable that he found no clues about his brother Zahir; it was likely that Zahir had indeed died. He did find some participants in that decisive battle, but their testimonies were almost identical to what Bosporus Caesar Manuel had stated. It seemed that the intelligence given to him by that infidel was indeed conclusive.
After much deliberation, on the ship returning home, Jaqmaq, believing he had found the truth, finally decided to give up further investigation. After all, he was now a Mamluk General of Alexandria, and Sultan Barsbay was old and frail. Although the Sultan intended to pass his position to his son, according to Mamluk tradition, this succession would surely fail again. At that time, it would be the moment for the Sultanate's generals to contend for the position. For this, he had to prepare in advance.
However, on his way back, news of Adyghe's vassalization and Bosphorus signing peace agreements with two neighboring powerful nations reached his ears. This made Jaqmaq, while admiring Manuel, also pay attention to his movements. "Perhaps in the future, this Christian monarch will do something unexpected in the Black Sea region," he said to his confidant that afternoon while passing through the Panticapaeum Strait.
At this moment, Manuel, who was accompanying his wife, sneezed soundly.
"Are you alright, Manuel?" Barbara asked worriedly.
"I'm fine." Manuel was also quite puzzled; by all accounts, it was almost April, and with his physical condition, he shouldn't be catching a cold. However, he couldn't win against his wife and had to put on an extra layer of clothing. To distract her, he casually asked, "By the way, Barbara, what do you think we should name our child?"
"Hmm, I've thought of many names. For a girl, Theodora, Theophano, Anna, Helena... but none of them seem quite right."
"It does seem so? If it's a girl, names like Anastasia, Zoe, Eudokia, Eudocia... still don't feel quite right. Should she be named 'Barbara' like you?"
"It seems like some barbarian names got mixed into the ones you mentioned... But being named Barbara like me, let's just forget it. Although it's normal for parents and children to have the same name, I always feel like something is a bit off."
"To be fair, indeed." Manuel stroked his chin, where he was growing a short beard, and nodded, "I'm thinking, our child must be unique, especially with a special name. Although conditions are insufficient now, we must give him or her the best conditions we can."
"Don't spoil our child then," Barbara grumbled.
"Ah, well..."
Under this rare atmosphere of tranquility, another half month passed. One night in early April, as Manuel was chatting with Barbara, she suddenly had a spasm and groaned as she lay down on the bed.
Seeing his wife groaning incessantly, after a brief panic, Manuel quickly called for a physician to diagnose her. Less than a quarter of an hour later, after a simple examination, the physician quickly leaned over, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Princess Catherine seems to be going into labor."
"!"
Time waited for no one. Manuel immediately had servants take her to the delivery room and sent someone to wake the midwife, telling her to prepare immediately. He followed closely behind, soon arriving outside the delivery room, waiting for things to settle. During this time, he prayed from the bottom of his heart to the Holy Father, whom he rarely prayed to seriously, asking for his wife and child to be safe. After all, in the Middle Ages, it was not uncommon for either the mother or child, or both, to pass away during childbirth.
When a person is in a negative emotional state, they often feel that time passes slowly, and Manuel was no exception. After three or four hours filled with anxiety, he finally received the good news that both mother and daughter were safe.
"By the Holy Mother, congratulations, Your Majesty, it's a girl." The midwife very respectfully handed the calmly sleeping infant to Manuel, who had gestured to her.
After receiving his child, a complex emotion arose in Manuel's heart, "I've really become a father." He murmured absentmindedly, holding the child. It wasn't until he saw Barbara's tired but expectant eyes that he realized he seemed to have forgotten something.
"Oh right, a name, a name..." Coming back to his senses, he searched his mind for the names he had prepared beforehand. About half a minute later, he gently held the infant and, with a solemn expression, said to the mother and daughter, "Hmm, I want to name her Justiana, the name of the goddess of justice in ancient Roman polytheistic paganism."
"Hmm, this goddess is called Astraia in Greek paganism, right? But 'Justiana' is also fine, it's a good name. I hope in the future, she will be a just and strong child." Barbara gently affirmed the name he had chosen for their daughter.