The next morning I was awakened by the rays of the sun ... I rubbed my eyes, got up from the bed, grabbed the cup that was standing on the table and drank some wine, looked at the bed, but I was alone in it... After we had finished bathing together, I took her to my bedroom to continue what we had started doing earlier. Sveta woke up earlier and sneaked out of the room, maybe she thought that I would not notice it, but since my return from Livonia I had a very light sleep, it is difficult to sleep hard when there are 19 thousand Swedes wandering around the area. I got dressed, went in front of the castle and started my daily training, I don't know why, but I was running much easier today ... after returning, I went to the office and called Sveta.
"Lord?" (Sveta)
"Bring me breakfast ... and one more thing. Why did you leave the bedroom?" (MC)
Sveta lowered her head, not knowing what to say. She hid her hands behind her back and stood like a student who was about to receive a reprimand from a teacher.
"From today, every night you come to my bedroom and stay until I wake up." (MC)
I got up from the desk and I walked over to her, lifted her head up ... she was embarrassed.
"Lord, if people find out. Rumors ... they are like poison. Your reputation ..." (Sveta)
"These are insignificant details ... Do you regret what I did, what we did?" (MC)
Before she could reply, I kissed her and hugged her tight ... she kissed me back, which was enough of an answer for me. I let go of her, gave her a light slap on the buttock.
"Bring me breakfast, I have to work a little more than usual today." (MC)
The next two weeks were divided between training, writing "Quo Vadis", drawing designs for baroque furniture and nights with Sveta. During this time my lover became more open to new things and experiments, she also took pleasure from it, it happened that she also initiated our s.e.x. Especially in the office, so I had to order a new sofa because the old one was too small and too hard.
The end of the month was approaching, when secretary Kowalski and ensign Olszewski returned from Lviv with the printed "Teutonic Knights".
I was very pleased with the effect, the book was bound in dark brown leather, embossed with my name, title and year on it, all letters were silver plated. The print was clean and legible, the pages were decorated, but it didn't bother reading ... although it cost 400 ducats, it was money well spent.
"How do you rate my book?" (MC)
"It read well, but I have a question. I do not understand why Jurand from Spychów ordered the release of Siegfried de Löwe. It was on his order that Jurand's daughter was kidnapped, and Jurand's right hand was cut off and his only eye burned out." (Secretary Kowalski)
Only now I realized that every time I meet someone who read "Teutonic Knights" I will have to answer similar questions ... but I did not intend to change my publishing plans, thanks to the book published under my name I will gain fame, but I also intend to publish several anonymously could cause some confusion in several countries. I was definitely going to publish a book on Countess Elizabeth Bathory and present the evidence and facts that her trial was a conspiracy of the Habsburgs who wanted to eliminate her in order to more easily seize the Hungarian throne... but there will be time for that.
Now I have to deal with the distribution of my novel ... For sure my grandfather must receive a copy, the next ones will be Aleksander Gosiewski, the future Grand Hetman of Lithuania Lew Sapieha, the present Grand Marshal of the Crown Mikołaj Wolski. Of course, the King, although I do not like him, his help in several matters may be necessary, especially in obtaining the position of the Voivode of Podolia and position of the Field Hetman of the Crown. Who else? Stanisław Lubomirski, the future Voivode of Kraków and the brother of my grandfather's second wife ... Radziwiłł, no, I'm going to avoid ties with this family as long as possible. The Koniecpolski family, this I have to think about it, although Stanisław Koniecpolski was an outstanding commander, his son ... is better not be born. Then two copies each for the Jagiellonian University and Vilnius University.
When I finished compiling the list, there were no more than 50 people and institutions on it, I ordered Secretary Kowalski to send messengers to these places and deliver my books, I also attached a short letter to each copy. To Tarnow, where my grandfather had the palace, I added an additional letter informing him that I intend to visit him in less than a month.
"I temporarily placed the newly arrived families in Jazłowiec, the site for the construction of a new settlement is ready, and the materials have also been delivered to the site." (Secretary Kowalski)
"That's good news ..." (MC)
I took a few sheets of paper from a desk drawer and handed them to him.
"These are projects of new furniture that are to be produced by carpenters, let them get acquainted with them and start practicing their skills. In some time, maybe it will be a week or two, I will finish writing my next book, when this happens, you will go to Lviv again." (MC)
"Will it also be a book devoted to the Polish Teutonic Wars?" (Secretary Kowalski)
"No, this time it will be a story of the persecution of Christians during the reign of Nero in Rome." (MC)
Slowly everything was going well, although my main problem was still income, I was full of ideas, but I lacked technology, raw materials or people with appropriate education. Fortunately, in those days, the university did not deal with gender studies nonsense, so I could recruit without fear.