"So that's how it is, it truly is an excellent opportunity." After listening to Manuel's description, Suleiman couldn't help but clap his hands, praising his suggestion.
"In that case, we'll need to make preparations," Manuel reminded him with a smile.
"Indeed, Lord Manuel speaks wisely."
After settling matters with Suleiman, Manuel felt a great weight lifted from his mind, having accomplished another long-cherished goal. After summoning his cabinet members to his office and spending an hour or two discussing a concrete plan and then shaving his beard, he finally concluded his day's affairs in the evening, returning to his imperial residence's bedchamber to be with his wife and daughter. Ever since he learned that something big was about to happen in Trabzon, he had once again moved back to the imperial residence with his wife and daughter.
After coaxing little Justiana to bed, Manuel began to chat with Barbara about various miscellaneous matters. During their conversation, he prevaricated several times, unsure how to explain things to his wife.
After a while, Barbara, seemingly sensing something, asked him curiously, "Hmm, is there going to be another war?"
Manuel paused for a moment, then lowered his head with a hint of guilt. "I don't particularly wish to resort to war, but this time, it's likely to end in military action. I'm very sorry, I actually wanted to spend more time with you and little Justiana…"
Before he could finish, Barbara gently pressed her slender, fair right index finger to his lips, smiling and gesturing for him not to say more. "It's alright, didn't I tell you before? By the Three Saints, no matter what, I will always be with you and support you. So this time, you can set off with confidence. Don't worry too much about me and little Justiana; this is our territory after all, and you've carried out a strong purge, plus your parents are here. Those with ulterior motives won't be able to stir up any trouble. By the way, why did you shave off the beard you'd only just started growing?"
"Is that so?" Hearing these words, Manuel felt much relieved, as if a warm current flowed through him. Then he quickly recalled Barbara's last sentence and asked her tentatively, "Hmm, by the way, Barbara, could I borrow a few of your clothes? I'll need them for the upcoming plan."
"Of course you can… Ah, wait, no?! I can't believe you have such a fetish. I truly didn't misjudge you, Manuel. Rather, I'm quite happy to see a side of you that others don't. But by the Holy Mother, it's best to be a bit more discreet in front of little Justiana, or you'll lead her astray."
"No, what are you thinking?! This is for the smooth execution of the plan! I don't have such strange hobbies, alright."
"I understand, I understand, a secret that can't be told, right? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone…"
"I said it's not that!!!"
Manuel's request was not without reason. According to the intelligence summary from the Dark Department, if he were to request a personal visit to Trabzon recently, his cousin John, who would likely be on high alert, would probably block him directly. But what if it was someone of a similar status to him, who wouldn't arouse suspicion?
Considering this, he quickly thought of the most suitable person to bring a certain scale of "attendants" without arousing suspicion at this time, which was Barbara. To ensure his objective was achieved smoothly, he had to go in person; and to stabilize the rear, Barbara and others had to stay behind. Moreover, with Manuel's personality, he dared not entrust such an important matter to others.
"Since that's the case, I can only go myself." Manuel concluded at the meeting near dusk today after explaining these reasons to his cabinet. Now he used the same explanation with his wife.
In late May, a fleet from Mangup arrived grandly at the port of Trabzon, and was even personally received by John IV, the Emperor of Trabzon, who had just ascended the throne about a week prior.
The story begins about a week earlier. At that time, John IV, who was overwhelmed with internal and external affairs, unexpectedly received a request for a visit from Bosporus.
"Ha, how do our relatives and neighbors north of the Black Sea pick such a time? I've only just set the date for my enthronement. Although I'd love to host them properly, if my cousin wants to come, then no, I still have a younger brother in the southeast, it's very troublesome." John IV frowned and muttered to himself as he opened the letter; having just announced his father's death, he was a bit paranoid.
After reading it carefully, John IV's furrowed brow relaxed. "Oh, his wife is coming to lead a delegation on a state visit on his behalf? Alright, let them come. But I won't personally go to receive them."
"Uh, but Your Majesty, if you don't personally receive her, won't Bosporus think you are neglecting them?" one of his attendants beside him reminded him.
"Alright, then I'll go myself." To avoid misunderstanding from his neighbors across the sea, John IV ultimately decided to personally receive the other party.
Snapping out of his recollections, John IV warmly received the visiting delegation. During the reception, he looked at the accompanying guards and suddenly felt a bit puzzled. "By the way, Lord Barbara, why do your guards seem to have so few Greeks, and their physique is, uh, quite robust?"
"Barbara," who stood opposite him with her face half-veiled, did not reply directly. Instead, following the etiquette of the time, she gestured to a young man with a short goatee and a pleasant face who was attending her to answer on "her" behalf. "I apologize, Your Majesty, the barbaric infidels in our region are too rampant, and the standards for guards have had to be raised. Moreover, since the komnenos era, it hasn't been uncommon for us Romans to have foreign-born palace guards, has it?"
"Indeed," John IV nodded, "but I must correct you. To be precise, this change began during the Macedonian Dynasty with Basil II. Our ancestor Alexius I merely developed it further."
As he spoke of this, John IV felt an increasingly subtle, hard-to-detect oddity. "Lord Barbara is a woman, isn't she? But by the Holy Mother, her shoulder width feels a bit strange. Is it my imagination?"
As he pondered this, he noticed several seemingly large ships, no, warships if nothing went wrong, approaching the harbor. Thinking pirates had returned, John IV was startled and cast aside all his doubts, "Bad news, everyone, it seems pirates have arrived! Quick, quick, quick…"
Before he could finish, the Bosporus guard who had just been beside "Barbara" suddenly swung his weapon, knocking all of John IV's attendants to the ground and then holding down the still-stunned Emperor of Trabzon.
Upon realizing he was the target, John IV cried out in anger and surprise: "I came to welcome you, what are you doing?!"