Cesare spoke as he walked, ensuring every Tuscan vassal in the main hall could hear his voice.
"I was willing to trust the Marchioness. We all know she is wise and sharp, rational and elegant—despite being a woman. I was still willing to trust her judgment.
For a time, I was even pleased with the Marchioness's marriage.
Because the Normans are natural-born Knights, and if they wish, they can defeat any outsider.
I believed as much until a week ago. But why has that changed?
Because something nauseating has occurred.
A man of noble birth lured a married woman into sin. And that man just so happens to be a Norman.
This is enough to make an old man like me break out in a cold sweat.
It reminds me of the plight of the Lombards in Apulia to the south.
We all know that in Tuscany, an unmarried man who seduces a married woman is to be hanged. And yet now, he stands here brazenly, celebrating the new Marquis, having escaped the punishment he deserves.
