Two males could be seen conversing inside a secluded and luxurious room. If one looked closer, he could see that there was a significant age gap between the two.
The younger man stood up and looked down, while the older man looked at him severely. It was obvious that there was a power imbalance between the two guys, with the older man having the upper hand in this case. The elder man's face revealed a power imbalance between the two , as he glared angrily at the younger man. It wasn't clear what the two men were fighting about, but it was clear that it wasn't going to be a pleasant and friendly conversation.
''Would you mind explaining, nephew? How did you manage to lose to those sea ducks?'' inquired the more senior member to his younger counterpart. ''It was the French's fault, uncle; we were holding out just fine, but the French were being pushed back. This went on until the French opted to retreat, unable to win and unwilling to risk their fleet for a losing cause. I thought it would have been better for the Republic to retire securely to an allied port.''
The older man was clearly irritated by what his nephew had just said since it appeared that the younger man was attempting to blame the loss on the French. He seemed to be of the opinion that his nephew was attempting to shirk responsibility and blame his allies rather than take accountability. The older man did not seem to have any patience for such excuses, and he was clearly not willing to listen to any further explanations from his nephew. He was clearly not happy with his younger nephew's decision, and he saw it as a total failure. It was clear that they now had problems within the Republic, and as the elder, he felt like it was his responsibility to fix them. He continued to stare at his nephew with a stern face, as he was clearly not satisfied with the younger man's explanation and would not accept anything else but apologies from him.
As he stared , The older man's face softened somewhat when he noticed a slight resemblance to his own brother in his nephew's face. Even though he was still furious with his nephew for losing 'to some sea ducks,' it was evident that the older man cared about him. He couldn't help but compare the resemblance between the two and notice the parallels.
He was plainly beginning to feel sorrow for his nephew. Despite his severe and seemingly icy demeanor, the older guy had a warm place for his nephew, for he made him remember of his dead little brother.
The two men were Ranieri Zeno, the doge of Venice, and his nephew Lorenzo Zeno. This meeting happened as soon as the Venetian fleet arrived back in the port of the maritime republic. Even though Ranieri was not satisfied with the outcome of the naval battle, he understood that he could not lead outsiders to smell disunity inside the ruling family, and as such, he knew that he had to appear in the council of forty as if he believed what his nephew was saying and pit the blame on the French. He had to maintain a facade of strength and unity in the ruling family, even in the face of defeat, and this was something that did not come naturally to him. However, he knew that it was important to maintain a united front; otherwise, this would only lead to weakness and disunity within the family and the whole of the republic.
''Uncle, I swear that I will redeem myself in the next battle. Please allow me to exact revenge on the Genoese. Lorenzo said as he was trying to convince his uncle to allow him to lead in battle once again. Lorenzo was clearly determined to redeem himself, and it was clear that he would do whatever it took to achieve this. It was important to prove himself in battle and to finally do something that would allow him to restore his honor, which had been tarnished by the last defeat.
''And wh-- cough cough'' As Ranieri was about to respond, he started to cough, a sign of deteriorating health that had been plaguing him for days. ''Why would we do that? We already lost and completed our part of the deal with Charles; there is no other reason to waste resources on him. From what you said, the French fleet must have been decimated, and as such, we would be wasting even more resources if he were to help the French. Ranieri said in a dismissive tone that he did not want to help the French more than he had already done unless they offered something bigger, which was unlikely.
''You are still young nephew; do not let personal feelings cloud your mind. I cannot allow you to achieve your revenge without clear tangents of interest to our family. However, I am happy to say that I will be willing to give you another opportunity in the future if you work on improving your abilities as an army commander. I believe this will be better for you in the long run, as you need to gain more experience before leading the troops in battle again. You are young and as such you will be able to have many more opportunities in the future.''
"I understand your point, Uncle," Lorenzo said. "I will work on improving my abilities as an army commander, and I will seize the next opportunity that you will give me." This was not the reply that he had wanted to hear, but he also knew that it was important to recognize his uncle's authority and give him the idea that he understood his reasoning.
Now all the two had to do was rely the news of the defeat to the council; unlike now, in the public eye, he will accept the excuse given by Lorenzo and pit the blame on the French.
''Now what we have to do is announce your failure to the council. We will stick to the excuse of the French's lack of maritime experience. I will convince the council not to punish you greatly. I will also fake giving you some punishment. Know though that it will just be temporary and will be back to lead in a blink of an eye.''
"Thank you, Uncle," Lorenzo said. "I appreciate that you are willing to stick up for me and help me get back on my feet. I will take your words to heart and work towards improving my abilities so that I may lead our forces in the next battles." Ranieri was clearly a kind uncle, for even though he was not happy with his nephew's failure, also believed in him and saw his potential. It was evident that he cared for his nephew, and he was willing to give him another opportunity to lead their troops in the future once he had improved his skillset.
As Lorenzo entered the council hall, he was calm and collected, knowing that his uncle would cover for him and protect him from any serious punishment.
He was eager to redeem himself in the next battle, and his uncle knew that he would be able to accomplish this if he put his mind to it. It was clear that the young man was determined to make up for his previous failure and was ready to serve his relative with honor and dedication. Just as Ranieri ordered him, he had given the report of the battle. While boosting the number of the Genoese fleet, he described how the French retreated prematurely and how he decided to retreat in order not to mindlessly destroy Venetian ships.
As expected his uncle covered for him. ''I understand your predicament; it is true that the French sailors are inexperienced in naval combat, and from what you describe, it appears like the French retreated early, losing any hope of success. It's a good thing you retreated rather than battling recklessly and squandering more Venetian resources, since we need cautious generals, not reckless bull. An investigation will be conducted to confirm the veracity of your statements. If everything is exactly as you state, your punishment will be minor; nevertheless, if lies are intermingled into your report, expect to be harshly penalized.''
Ranieri said that, trying to appear as a just doge, the other elders wanted to speak and reprimand Lorenzo, but upon hearing the words of the doge, they dropped their accusation, for they knew that would only damage them to get on the bad side of the doge, since it is an open secret that he had great love for the son of his beloved dead brother.
This was the reality of Venetian politics, for when a doge is elected, he will try everything to give offices to family members so as to increase the power of his family and be sure that after his death another member of the previous doge family shall be elected. Such things happened also in the history of all the republics, and it was not rare that a doge or a podestà would try to ascend as a prince and make his title hereditary.
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Author's thought:
hey guys I finished exams , I hoped that this chapter is at your liking , please give power stone and review the novel for it help immensely . Also comment down if you want anything to be changed of the story or if you have a suggestion.