Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

With the example of Ptolemy XIII's suspected suicide, Orville comforted her a few more words, fearing that she would be too depressed, and Orville would really jump into the Nile River and never be able to wash herself clean.

But it was obvious that Arsinoe's mentality was different from Ptolemy XIII: "Is that so? That actually sounds good. Can I ask in detail how much money you can approve for me every month?"

Such a realistic request made Orville stunned for a moment. After thinking about it, he said uncertainly: "Two thousand dinars per month for the time being? If there are any problems, we can discuss it."

This is already a huge sum of money, equivalent to raising an extra hundred men. It is definitely a little less for a princess, but it is still a lot for a useless backup insurance.

Arsinoe was also very clear about her identity: "No problem, I am very satisfied with this amount. I can fully accept your arrangements, just do it this way."

Orville was so happy that he didn't react. He frowned and thought for a while, and then he asked the other party directly: "Then why do you want a coup? From the results, it will not benefit you at all."

He originally thought that Arsinoe could lead the officers to launch a coup, and then surrender to him on her own initiative. She must be an ambitious or at least politically ambitious person, which is indeed the case from Cleopatra's description of her.

If this is a person without ambition, then she would have no need to flirt and try to win Orville's support just now.

Arsinoe laughed self-deprecatingly at the words: "Because I still had illusions until a few minutes ago, I thought I could win over my sister, it's that simple. I always thought that she could succeed simply because she knew you earlier and was beautiful, but now it seems that this is not entirely the case."

If this is true, then Arsinoe feels that she is not without a chance. She has a lot of followers in name. After Berdinos and others were liquidated, those fence-sitters are nominally under her command, which makes her political power look stronger than Cleopatra. In addition, she thinks she can seduce men better than Cleopatra, so she thinks she can give it a try.

Now it seems that Orwell is almost impervious to beauty, and according to the exchanges between Cleopatra and Orwell, he and Cleopatra do have some real friendship in it. She is quite familiar with her sister. The two grew up together. From childhood to adulthood, her sister only wrote letters to each other so frequently. The exchange of interests is definitely one aspect, but personal friendship also accounts for a large factor.

She and Orville had almost never met before. This was one of the few opportunities for her to have a direct negotiation with Orville. As a result, Orville still put on such a businesslike attitude, which meant that she had no chance.

Although she had ambitions, Arsinoe was much more open-minded than her brother. On the one hand, she was a little older, and on the other hand, she was not the first heir to the throne. She had no such great chance to have it, so she was not so disappointed.

Now she could not inherit the throne that everyone wanted, but she could still live a rich and comfortable life. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong with this. No matter what, she was still the respected princess who had no worries about food and clothing. She had nothing to complain about or be dissatisfied with.

Besides, there would be opportunities in the future. She could also learn from her sister to get close to someone. There would always be a rift between Orville and Cleopatra in the future. She could find the right opportunity to take advantage of it at that time.

Arsinoe, who had a longer-term and broader vision than her brother, accepted her fate calmly, but she still half-jokingly said: "Of course, if you want to have an intimate relationship with me, I am always welcome to do so. The title of His Royal Highness is indeed very attractive."

"Forget it, you'd better keep yourself clean," Orville decisively rejected the other party's suggestion, "Then it's settled."

Arsinoe quickly restrained herself: "Of course, a word is a deal, I have no objection to your arrangement, as long as you can fulfill your promise."

…………

As one of the birthplaces of civilization, there is no doubt that the banks of the Nile River are a place worth visiting.

Pyramids, temples, prosperous cities and endless fields constitute the picture in Tiya's eyes. She rarely saw this kind of landscape when she grew up in the Sabine Mountains. Although the land in northern Gaul is also mainly plains, most of them are undeveloped swamps and forests. In the world known to the Romans, the only land that can achieve such a land is probably Egypt and the Fertile Crescent.

Subconsciously stroking the handrail of the longboat below, even though Tiya had seen Caligula's warship (a super-large cruise ship built by Emperor Caligula for his grandiosity, one of the largest ships in the ancient world), she was still surprised by the wealth of the Ptolemaic royal family.

This cruise ship is not large in size, but the overall production is extremely luxurious. The type of wood used is not clear, but the overall texture is solid and light. Inlaid gold and silver or ornaments and daily necessities that look very expensive can be seen everywhere on the ship. The cruise ship is carved with dragons and phoenixes by exquisite craftsmen from beginning to end, which can be said to reflect the highest level that Egyptian craftsmen can reach.

Cleopatra keenly captured Tiya's emotional fluctuations: "You don't seem to like it here. Is it because His Royal Highness the Prince didn't come with you?"

"Nothing!" Dia was a little flustered when her thoughts were exposed. She blurted out another thought in her heart, "I just think it's more appropriate for you to use the money somewhere else. Of course, it's not just the Egyptians who have this problem. Some of us Romans do have the same problem. I treat everyone equally on this point."

Cleopatra shook her head gently: "Your Highness the Prince once said something to me, which I think is worth pondering - born in adversity and died in comfort. In fact, most of the magnificent things you see were built in the last hundred years. Without external threats, people will naturally become lazy. I think this is a common sense, whether it is for Romans or Egyptians."

The last hundred years is the period when Egypt became a vassal state of Rome. Egypt's military slackness and extreme corruption also started from this time.

Seeing Cleopatra speaking to her seriously, Tia quickly corrected her attitude and began to think seriously: "That's right, Orville has some insights in this regard. I agree with you, but our foreign enemies have not disappeared yet, so it's not time to slack off. Compared to you Greeks, the Romans may have a simpler, more resolute, and more fearless character. Your intelligence and wisdom are not inferior to ours, but it is because you lack these qualities that you are in your current situation."