Alphonse's face darkened when he read the message and whispered, "I have been betrayed."
Luca Sozzini, who was nearby, took the letter from his cousin and read the message. A blinding fury began to take over him as his eyes scanned each line.
"Sinolla has been captured, General Arlo and my army are defeated! I will kill that bastard from Bulgar and execute all of his commanders." Luca Sozzini spat with venom.
The other courtiers nearby shared nervous looks with one another. Duke Sozzini had the largest army of every Zandarian noble, and it was defeated. That loss alone put them at a huge disadvantage, but the capture of Sinolla was an extra punch to the stomach.
Alphonse's lip quivered; no one could tell if he was overwhelmed with anger or shock. This development in the war had now forced them to rethink their entire strategy. Their siege of Florenzia would need to be postponed, and the efforts to break the siege of Madena would be of paramount importance.
Luca, who was angrily barking at courtiers, turned to his cousin and said. "You must send an army north to retake Sinolla; we can not let this stand."
One courtier replied, "With what army? All our soldiers are either garrisoned somewhere or moving to break the siege of Madena. Where would we get the men to undertake this mission?"
"We pull troops that are garrisoned away from the fronts. Matteo Vegni has plenty of troops in reserve in Napo," Luca stated.
"If the soldiers in Napo are also defeated, King Luxenberg could pretty much waltz to the capital to besiege it. The Vegni soldiers must remain in Napo where they can act as a barrier to stop any assaults coming from the north," another courtier said.
Alphonse, who had remained silent, finally spoke up. "Cousin, I am just as angry as you, but we must focus on the Pope's forces. Madena is besieged. Florenzia was captured. My son was nearly assassinated. At present, we must keep our attention on the Pope's faction. Victor does not have the forces to leave the north. Once we defeat the Pope, then we shall deal with him."
No one could argue with the King's words. As much as Luca Sozzini wanted to, he too remained quiet. Their immediate focus would be on breaking the siege of Madena. The Sozzini ships carrying resources and a handful of reinforcements were enroute.
Alphonse may have seemed somewhat composed, but inside, he was enraged at Victor's actions. He may have dismissed him due to his trying to interfere with the continent's politics, but to openly take the city of Sinolla was something Alphonse could not fathom.
When all the courtiers left the throne room, Alphonse calmly returned to his study. No words were spoken to any palace staff. He subtly went into his study and then went on a tear. Furniture was thrown about. Unimportant documents were ripped to shreds. Alphonse let loose upon his study.
When Alphonse was finished with his rage-filled tirade, he left, not before the palace staff noticed the carnage that was left. They were shocked to see his study in such a state. None of them chose to speak about it, and subtly began to clean up the mess.
The mood in the Visconte Palace had shifted; the civil war had taken a toll on all of them, and the capture of Sinolla worsened it. However, across the city in the Cathedral of Christ, the Pope and his cardinals were reacting to the news from the north.
"Your Excellency, our spies in the Visconte Palace bring news. King Luxenberg has defeated the Sozzini Army and captured Sinolla," Cardinal Ruffus reported. The 4 other cardinals reacted with slight smirks on their faces.
"It would seem that King Luxenberg has done us a great service," Cardinal Bellori said
"I agree, it seems that he has chosen his faith over his alliance," Cardinal Naso added.
The Pope interjected and offered his opinion. "Do not be too hasty. This action does not mean that King Luxenberg sides with us. In fact, I think we should refrain from thinking that he is on our side."
"What do you mean, Your Excellency?" Asked Cardinal Crispus.
The Pope wore a stern expression, "If my theory is correct, I would say we now have two adversaries instead of one."
"Are you sure that King Luxenberg would make an enemy out of us?" Cardinal Naso asked.
"Yes. I believe that in the short term, he will be helping us against King Visconte and his faction, but that is only due to the counties near him. Once King Luxenberg begins his push south into the centre of the continent, we may be the targets of his army." The Pope replied.
Cardinal Naso looked worried, "What are we to do then, Your Excellency?"
"We might need to accelerate our plan. Cardinal Rufus, you will remain in Roma and continue to pass on information to us. Cardinal Bellori, handle preparations for us to depart for Florence in secret," Pope Constantine ordered.
Both cardinals bowed and began to do their work. With their meeting adjourned, the Cathedral of Christ was buzzing with activity.
Victor's capture of Sinolla had caused a stir for both factions. But his actions drew the interest of the three neutral counties. This move was peculiar and not one they had anticipated.
With the emergence of a new player in this civil war, they now foresaw a greater conflict to erupt. Whether they would remain on the sidelines or not was still to be determined. But it would not take long until a decision of theirs was made.
For four months, the war continued. The fighting began to show signs of a stalemate after early setbacks from the Visconte faction. Madena was able to withstand the siege of the Pope's forces, and after that, there were no major conflicts, only minor skirmishes.
The landscape of the Civil War would change with the arrival of ships and a declaration. These two actions would cause both Alphonse and the Pope to worry.