"Can he really stop you?"
"I don't want to make him angry."
"You've gone beyond making him angry. You've directly ignited the powder keg of Pericles. Sigh... But I'm very grateful to you."
Hilde turned around and looked at Rhodes with a smile.
“It really touched me that you could come and say goodbye in person.”
"It's okay..." Rhodes also felt a little embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Sophia, who was standing on the other side, looked at Rhode with some resentment. She had seen the scene of Rhode coming over the waves and throwing himself into Hilde's arms. She was so jealous of him. But think about it, except for herself, almost all the people who liked Hilde were powerful characters. Even Dione, who could do nothing now, had the blood of a demigod.
Not like myself.
He was born a slave.
Of course, Hilde hadn't noticed Sophia's gaze yet.
"Why, do you want to go back to the Byzantine Kingdom with me?"
"That won't work. If I leave, Lord Pericles will be furious."
"...Okay, that's fine. You stay here and think about what you should do in the future. However, if you want to come to the Byzantine Kingdom to play, I welcome you." Hilde patted Rhodes' shoulder and looked at Sophia. "By the way, I haven't introduced the people around me to you. Now I have the chance, so I'll introduce them to you."
"Ah? Is it really possible..."
"of course."
Hilde gently took Rod's hand.
Walked to the other side of the deck.
Sophia was squatting in a corner, drawing small circles and cursing. When she looked up, she found Hilde walking towards her. She stood up quickly, trying to make herself look normal. However, the panic and confusion on her face exposed her situation. Hilde just smiled faintly, and then brought Rhode to Sophia. She let go of her hand and walked to Sophia's side.
"Let me introduce you. This is Sophia, the princess of the Byzantine Empire and my wife."
"Ok?"
Rhodes couldn't help but tilt his head.
"wife?"
"Yeah." Hilde nodded with a smile.
"But, Sister Sissi, aren't you a girl?"
"What's wrong with girls? Can't girls date other girls?"
"No, no...it's just that I've never seen it before..." Seeing this, Rhode's heart skipped a beat. For some reason, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. She looked at Sophia who was a little overwhelmed beside her, and then said carefully: "Well, Sister Sophia is also very beautiful."
"Ah? I, I can't..."
Sophia also quickly began to be humble.
"Obviously Lord Rhodes is cuter."
"No, no, no, I am just an ordinary fisherman's daughter..."
These two people.
It seems.
Hilde had felt that Sophia and Rhode were very similar since she had met them, and now it seemed to be true. These two people were both gentle in character, and they were also relatively inferior. They were kind and simple in their dealings with others, and they didn't have any ulterior motives. Sure enough, when these two endangered animals that couldn't survive more than a month in the wild got together, it was like two harmless and cute little animals playing together in a panic. It was really healing.
Hilde couldn't help but let out a silly smile.
"Sissi, I, I..."
Sophia was a little flustered.
"Okay, calm down, everyone."
"Um... Ok, ok."
Sophia and Rhodes looked at each other and then turned their heads away.
These two little guys are too shy.
At this time, Aspasia, who was talking to Alcibiades, noticed this place, so she walked over slowly with an elegant smile. After seeing Aspasia, Hilde also smiled and stepped aside, walked to Aspasia's side, and said to Rhodes: "Rhodes, this is my mother, Aspasia."
"I know you!"
Rhodes widened his eyes and said:
"Everyone in the mansion says you are very good!"
"Thanks for their kindness." Aspasia responded with a smile, "I didn't expect to meet Lord Poseidon's oracle here. It's such a pleasant surprise."
"No, it's nothing..."
"However, you came here alone, and Pericles was really worried. For him now, maybe you are the only one he can rely on." Aspasia recalled Pericles's anxious look when they set out. "Oh, this reminds me of how anxious Pericles was when I was almost expelled from Athens and was about to return to Miletus. After so many years, this is the only thing that has not changed."
“…Is that so? Then, I was wrong…”
"It's okay kid."
Aspasia walked up to Rhodes and said with a smile:
"Can I have a chat with you?"
"Of course!"
Rhodes also nodded heavily.
And Hilde understood and said, "Then I will take Sophia somewhere else first."
The First Chapter, Section 2, Pericles' Backing
Hilde knew that Aspasia still had some things she couldn't let go of.
So she took Sophia's hand and brought her to the bow of the ship.
Sophia was also a little curious and asked: "What happened?"
"It's okay. Mother just wants to tell me something. You know... women are always soft-hearted. After all, we have lived together for decades. It would be too cruel to just give up like that. Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Just understand it. Just understand it." Hilde said with a smile, then looked at the calm sea in the distance.
Aspasia brought Rhode to the side of the deck. She turned her head and smiled at him. Then she said, "I know that you live with Pericles now. He seems to treat you as his other daughter. I can feel how much he cares about you from his attitude."
"Lord Pericles has indeed been very kind to me."
"Well... as a father, he is indeed a bastard, but Pericles is not a bad person. From a standpoint, I cannot accept his abandonment of Sissi, so I chose to leave him, but... I left, Hilde left, and the other children also had their own things to do. He is now all alone, all by himself, and he is not young anymore. He has to endure loneliness in this state. There must be something important that keeps him going."
"Well, I, I don't know..."
"You don't need to know. Let me put it this way. What Pericles truly loved was not a certain person, but Athens. He was different from other politicians in Athens. They all wanted to participate in politics to gain benefits for their families and themselves, the interests of Athens and the interests of the Athenians. In fact, those people didn't care at all, such as Cleon. But Pericles was not like that. He dedicated everything he had to Athens. So when someone said that Hilde was a disaster and would destroy the entire Athens, he didn't hesitate and wanted to kill Sissi."
"But...don't the facts prove that Lord Pericles was wrong?"
on this matter.
Rhodes did not stand by Pericles.
Hearing what Rhode said, Aspasia couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
"Yes, but what I want to say is that he is actually a very simple person, a person who is dedicated to the city-state. He is very smart, but unfortunately, sometimes he cannot do two things at the same time, which naturally leads to him neglecting other aspects. Rhodes, he is a very rough person. It is difficult for him to notice your thoughts and emotions. What you need to know is that these are not intentional by Pericles. It is just his character."
"Sister Sissi also said so."
Rhodes looked into the distance in confusion.
"Speaking of Lord Pericles, you won't notice some of my thoughts."
"Yeah, but he cares about you."
"Um, Lady Aspasia... I came here without telling Lord Pericles. I heard from Sister Sissi that Lord Pericles was looking for me at the port and was very anxious. Excuse me, is this true?"
Facing Rhodes' confusion.
Aspasia responded with a smile:
"Of course it's true. This is absolutely true. Pericles came to you because he was really worried about you. He might be afraid that you would leave him, or he might be afraid that Sissi would do something to you. Maybe he was just worried about what would happen to Athens without you. No matter what his motives or purposes were, he loved you very much and respected you very much. This is the difference between Pericles and others. I hope you can understand this."
"Yes, I understand..."
Rhodes also thought about it and nodded.
"So, what should I do?"
"Child, you just need to know that Pericles' goal is to make Athens strong and to make Athens better, not to be an opportunist. If you also like Athens, there is nothing wrong with helping Pericles. Pericles is almost isolated and helpless now, but fortunately you are here. I hope you can help him protect Athens. Although I am no longer an Athenian and have never been an Athenian, but... I don't want Athens to be destroyed."
For Aspasia.
Athens is a place full of emotions.
Culture and trade flourished here. Scholars, poets, and dramatists were numerous, and there were philosophers like Socrates, great sculptors like Phidias, and many other talents. No matter how dark and dirty the real Athens was, it at least created such brilliant achievements on the surface. This is Athens. The meanness of politics and the ugliness of human nature exist in any country, but Athens alone has created unparalleled achievements on these spiritual products of mankind.
If Athens were destroyed.
It is like the Greek spirit has been cut in half.
Miletus is gone. This city-state, which was similar to Athens in style, brought its culture to the Byzantine Empire after it completely disappeared. Now, poets, dramatists, scholars and philosophers of the Byzantine Empire, with their strong Miletus school style and the fusion of oriental knowledge, have indeed created another scene of cultural prosperity. However, Athens is Athens. Athens cannot be replaced by the Byzantine Empire, and the Byzantine Empire cannot be replaced by Athens.
So, although Aspasia had some complaints about Pericles.
However, he hoped that Rhodes could stay by Pericles' side.
"I understand."
After listening to what Aspasia said, Rhodes nodded heavily.
"I will protect Athens."
"Then please."
"OK, all right."
Rhodes did agree to this.
However, she had a hint of doubt.
If you protect Athens yourself, then what can Athens bring to you?
After the last conversation with Hilde, Rhode gradually realized that she had made outstanding contributions to Athens, but the price she paid was that she had a place to live and her parents had enough food to eat. She had never been in contact with other Athenians, and she didn't know how others in Athens saw her. Pericles protected Rhode in a greenhouse like a baby, preventing her from seeing everything around her.
So, outside of the greenhouse.
What is it exactly?
Rhodes still cares a lot.
But obviously, now is not the time to think about this.
Rhodes took Aspasia's request to heart, and she knew what she should do.
The first tune, the third section, a reluctant farewell
No matter what wrong Pericles had done before, for Athens, Pericles was the conscience of Athens, a person who would do anything to protect Athens. From this perspective, he was indeed kind. Of course, as for the future, that was another matter. Rhode gradually became clear about what she was going to do in the future, and gradually had some problems that she wanted to solve by herself. These things might be much more complicated than she imagined.
After talking with Aspasia.
Rhodes came to Hilde again.
"Are you done?"
"Well! That's it!" Rhodes seemed to be in a good mood and nodded happily, "I know what I should do next!"
"That's good."
Hilde did not ask specifically.
Because she knows the answers.
Soon, the sky gradually darkened.
"It's going to be dark soon."
"yes……"
Rhode looked at the sky and sighed with some regret. She turned around, and before Hilde noticed, she threw herself into Hilde's arms and hugged her. Hilde was also a little surprised, but she quickly reacted, stretched out her hand, and gently stroked Rhode's head.
"Rod, take good care of yourself."
"Ok, I know."
