Cesare is the eldest child of Vanozza and Rodrigo. From a young age, he did not cry, make a fuss, or cling to others, nor did he make unreasonable demands like other children. Because of this, Rodrigo had great expectations for him and was determined to nurture him to enter the Papal Curia, continuing the Borgia family's complete control over the Roman Curia.
He became the pastor of the Valencia parish, the ancestral home of the Boggie family, at the age of seven, was appointed Secretary-General to the Pope at the age of eight, and became the Archdeacon of Gandía and Treasurer of the Cathedral of Cartagena at the age of nine.
Whenever Joya heard about Cesare's new appointment, she couldn't help but give Rodrigo a thumbs up. The blatant nepotism was so justified, the big boss was truly a big boss.
However, Cesare faced things that ordinary families' children would not even dare to think about, yet he displayed a calmness that exceeded his age. Both Rodrigo and Adriana felt that the child had learned the virtue of Joya's imperturbability, and they praised him greatly for it. It was not until they heard that Rodrigo planned to have Juan join the Papal Guard that Joya discovered the first cracks in his previously calm and unruffled demeanor.
He did not join the Vatican, he wanted to join the military.
He lost his composure for the first time in front of Joya. He clenched his fists and said in a calm voice, word by word, "What I want, I will definitely get."
Immediately, the words "Something is amiss" popped into Joya's mind.
No wonder she has always felt that something was not quite right with this younger brother, and now she has finally realized it.
Is it really okay for this child to be able to speak such seductive and domineering words at the age of eight?
After a few years, Joya faced her charming brother's words again, and she was silent for a few seconds, thinking a little, then she gave her heartfelt blessings: "Don't worry, Cesare, your words will surely succeed."
If Cesare lived in the modern era and read Japanese light novels, he would surely squint his eyes and show a spirited smile: "Of course, Joya's words are the ones that can invigorate me."
Joya quietly ended her imagination, and looked at Cesare again.
Although she had never seen Rodrigo in his younger days, she could probably catch a glimpse of him from Cesare's appearance. The Boggie family members all have a slightly taller stature compared to their peers, and due to their Spanish ancestry, each person has more pronounced and deeper facial features.
Cesare's physique and appearance have undoubtedly amplified these advantages, but they do not appear awkward. His contours and features all fit together seamlessly, perfectly complementing each other.
When people face beautiful things, they tend to be more tolerant, and Joya is no exception. Of course, she is quite aware of her looks-obsessed trait. Although she knows that Cesare's obsession at such a young age is not a good thing, Joya still tries to soften her tone and says, "It's more important to be happy with yourself."
At this moment, Cesare had already walked to the door, with one hand on the door, and after hearing Joya's words, he paused for a moment, turned back to look at her, and the cold glint in his blue eyes had already disappeared. He let out a short sound from his nasal cavity, as if laughing: "Why did you decide to go to Florence? Because of happiness?"
Joya blinked her eyes: "......"
"I don't believe you are truly curious about your own biological mother." Cesare said, opening the door and stepping into the moonlight, "However, I believe you are truly in a state of happiness."
Joya slowly unbuttoned the man's shirt on her body after hearing the sound of Cesare's boots stepping on the porch stairs and gradually fading away.
I've heard that Florence has been raining for a long time, and it's much cooler than Rome. The natural air conditioning makes her happy.
She is indeed eager to go to Florence and feel the summer's rarest wind of the Apennines.
"Be good at observing."
It appears Cesare carried out Rodrigo's words with considerable force.
If the Rome of this time was a city of chaos and evil, then Florence, nearly three hundred kilometers away, was a prosperous and orderly city, intoxicated with art, fine wines, and luxurious attire.
Florence defeated the Emperor Henry VI of the Holy Roman Empire in the 12th century, gaining autonomy and becoming an independent city-republic. It subsequently conquered Pistoia, Arezzo, and Pisa, becoming the dominant force in the Tuscany region. At the same time, Florence's manufacturing, commerce, and banking sectors flourished, making it a financial center of Europe.
Once a person has money, they want to try something else.
For example, art.
Even though the former Joya may not have been very interested in history books, she still had some understanding of Florence during the Renaissance period, not to mention that Adriana had already emphasized the artists of Florence, such as Giotto, Verrocchio, and Botticelli, when teaching several children. Both Julia and Lucrezia were particularly fond of Botticelli, saying that the women in his paintings possessed an indescribable unique charm.
In recent years, the Vatican has invited famous masters from Florence to paint frescoes in the Sistine Chapel of the Papal Palace, among them Botticelli.
Although Joya was unable to go to the Sistine Chapel to admire the frescoes of the masters, she also knows the legendary work of Botticelli, "The Birth of Venus," in which Venus stands in a graceful pose on a seashell, an image that remains vividly in her memory.
Her two former university classmates once debated for two whole weeks over the proposition of "whether the women painted by Botticelli or the women painted by Titian are more beautiful", and the busy Joya, who was preoccupied with learning parkour at the time, was quite perplexed by it.
Joya, who had just jumped down from the school wall, was brought to settle the matter.
Joya was originally prepared to get used to casual and sloppy behavior, but after carefully observing "The Birth of Venus" and "Venus of Urbino", she asked a question that had been troubling her for more than ten years: "Why are all the Venuses not wearing clothes? Is it hot? Don't they get cold?"
And so Joya acquired the nickname that she would go by for the following years:
Straight man is a man.
On the way from Rome to Florence, the Florentine coachman, upon learning that Joya had never stepped out of Rome since birth, enthusiastically began to recommend his hometown to her.
From Dante to the current hot Botticelli, from the Florence Cathedral to the Palazzo Vecchio, he fully exerted the characteristic of the scorching summer of the Apennines, eloquently elaborating all the way.
"Not bad for an Italian," she murmured in agreement, feeling a little tired of having to say those words.
"If possible, Miss Boggie should go see the Florence Cathedral. That is the pride of us Florentines," said the coachman.
Joya was originally going to casually say yes, but then suddenly remembered the tower of the Orsini Palace that overlooks half of the city of Rome, so she said: "Is the Florence Cathedral tall?"
"Tall, very tall," boasted the coachman. "It has the most perfect dome."
Although the distance of nearly three hundred kilometers is not considered far in later generations, and can be reached by car in less than three hours, in this era where only horse-drawn carriages are used for transportation, it still requires a considerable amount of time.
Joya, who had not experienced much fatigue from travel since arriving in this world, began to doubt whether her decision to travel from Rome to Florence to escape the heat was correct as the carriage was shaken by the uneven terrain. But the carriage finally entered the gates of Florence.
At this time, Florence was not experiencing the heavy downpour that Rodrigo had described. The water on the ground had almost completely evaporated, and the thick clouds over the city had parted, allowing the sun to shine through in delicate rays over the prosperous and affluent city. The coachman skillfully maneuvered the vehicle through the main street, exuberantly saying, "Miss Boggie, I don't know whether to say you're lucky or if Florence is lucky. You've just arrived in Florence, and the light rain that had been falling for over a month has stopped, and the sun has come out."
Joya looked pained: "......You......Please don't say anymore."
At this moment, she is no longer happy.
The carriage had not been driving in the city for long when she heard the carriage driver say: "Miss Boggie, there is the Florence Cathedral."
Although she had lost the joy brought by the rain, she still opened the nest in the carriage when she heard the news, and the breath of the city rushed towards her in an instant.
She saw the soft, brilliant yet not ardent sunlight after the rain gently enveloping the city filled with yellow, and the tiny specks of light reflecting off the brick walls and rooftops seemed like a loving response to the sun.
The wandering minstrel stands in the square, playing the lyre, and the men and women walking through the streets and alleys, whether in dress or behavior, are far more free than the Vatican. They speak Italian with a Tuscan accent, discussing trivial matters. A gray eagle flies overhead, drawing her gaze across the bustling streets to the grand, white-themed cathedral on the square and the strikingly prominent red dome with its pagan hue
Even if she was in the Vatican and had seen countless churches, she would still be amazed by this one.
She was amazed, but suddenly discovered a person standing on top of the red dome. Her pupils dilated slightly as she tried to observe carefully, but the figure then vanished into thin air.
She stood there stunned for a few moments, then blinked her eyes hard, but the red circular dome still remained empty, with only a ray of sunlight filtering through the clouds below, caressing the gentle red hue.
She lowered the curtain, leaned against the carriage, and then rubbed her eyes.
It looks like I need to do some eye exercises tonight.
