Summer turned to autumn, and autumn gave way to winter. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed, and the winter of 1441 had arrived.
During this half-year, the various powers along the Eastern Mediterranean coast unexpectedly maintained peace, mostly coexisting without incident.
The Mamluk Sultan Jaqmaq defeated the Syrian Generals who supported Yusuf in the middle of the year, capturing the son of the former Sultan Barsbay and ending the Sultanate's civil war.
Karaman, while tacitly allowing its Turkmen tribes to routinely raid the Ottomans, continued friendly relations with neighboring countries on the surface. During this time, Suleiman also married a noble Turk woman from abroad to solidify domestic support.
The Ottoman continued its tense standoff with the Kingdom of Hungary, while deepening its control over Serbia, although the latter did not seem to fully satisfy the Sultan's wishes.
Constantinople maintained stability, while Morea, under the new Despot Thomas, continued to contend with local gentry, upholding the Empire's authority in the Peloponnese.
The Tatars north of the Bosporus continued to be embroiled in constant conflict, with occasional Nogai tribes raiding into the Autocratic State's territory, only to be driven out.
And the Kingdom of Hungary, the focus of Manuel's attention, was finally nearing a turning point. Elizabeth of Luxembourg and Frederick III, who supported her, began peace talks with Władysław III under the mediation of Pope Eugene IV, signaling the impending end of the Hungarian civil war.
As for the Bosporus, it continued to prosper under Manuel's rule. By promptly nipping the holy fire disease in the bud, and with an exceptionally pleasant climate that year, the Autocratic State enjoyed a bountiful harvest in autumn. The Caesar also seized this opportunity to develop the people's livelihood and stockpile granaries in preparation for future troubles.
During this period, Manuel also ordered the remaining ergot to be stored in several large, damp, and well-lit warehouses. While keeping the information under wraps, he also dispatched trusted troops to guard them, leaving the few important ministers who knew of their existence somewhat baffled: could their Caesar be planning to use the ergot as an alchemical ingredient?
During this time, the Caesar also secretly had the royal tailor craft him a lavish and expensive purple robe. Although he did not wear it publicly due to various considerations, he repeatedly showed himself wearing it to his family and loyal ministers in private.
Furthermore, to Manuel's delight, the two additional legions he had begun to raise were also fully organized and officially integrated into the military. He decided to entrust the command of the legion recruited from refugees and displaced people to Posadas, who had always been loyal and capable. As for the Armenian Legion, after careful consideration, the position of General was temporarily left vacant as a suitable commander could not be found.
However, saying there were no suitable candidates at all wasn't entirely accurate. At least, while discussing matters with his Megaslogothetēs / Grand Secretary Anagnostes, the Armenian youth beside the elder, whom he had given the surname Philaretus and the name Bagrat, caught Manuel's attention. After several casual conversations with this youth, who had been influenced by him to convert to orthodox Christianity a few years prior, the Caesar realized that this overly loyal subject might be a malleable talent in military affairs and began to assign him to the military to try and discover his abilities.
But cultivating an uneducated commoner without military training into a General was not easy, so Manuel did not hastily parachute him into the Armenian Legion as a General, but rather gradually advanced him in the current manner.
If there was an opportunity in the future, he definitely had to establish a military academy exclusive to his dynasty. Manuel thought this after another meeting with representatives of the Armenians in the country.
The ensuing winter, like the preceding months, was outwardly uneventful. What caught his attention externally was his sister-in-law Caterina Gattilusio's pregnancy. Not wanting his Brother-in-law Constantine XI to die without an heir, as in his previous life's history, Manuel conscientiously wrote a lengthy letter to the couple, advising his Brother-in-law to keep his sister-in-law in Constantinople as much as possible until the children were born, avoiding going out during this period to prevent being startled by the Turks' blades.
Besides advising his in-laws, his greatest joy during this period was the birth of his third child on Christmas Eve that year.
That night, in the Mangup Palace, after receiving his third child from the midwife, the nearly middle-aged monarch's eyes held a rare tenderness. Since the birth of his eldest son, Theodore, in 1435, strange rumors had circulated among some powerful figures due to the couple's long wait for a third child. Only the couple and their close court officials knew that they had personally devoted considerable effort to caring for their eldest daughter and eldest son, ensuring they received a good education, which meant they couldn't be as frequent in the night as before.
But no matter what, their third child was born safely, and it was a boy. At this moment, his father, Prince Alexius, who had followed him into the birthing room, approached, smiling kindly as he playfully teased his little grandson and asked his son, "So, my son, what name do you plan to give this child?" Concerned about their grandson, the Prince and his wife, who had not been involved in politics for many years, had specifically returned from the suburbs at their son's invitation.
His father's words plunged Manuel into thought. Facing the expectant gazes of his parents, wife, children, and trusted confidants, he simply turned his head and gently, tenderly rubbed his second son's face,
"Let's call this child Marcus."
"Marcus Gavras."
The birth of his second son brought joy to the now peaceful and prosperous Bosporus. To celebrate his second son's birth, after having him baptized by the Patriarch of Chersonese, the Caesar joyfully announced celebrations and banquets in both Mangup and Trabzon, and also ordered a reduction in taxes due from ordinary citizens in the spring of the following year.
In response to the Caesar's generous actions, the entire Autocratic State congratulated him on the matter, and even old farmers in the Asia Minor countryside spoke of His Majesty's benevolence. When Sfrantzis, the envoy sent by Constantine XI to offer congratulations, arrived in Mangup early the following year, he was even incredulous at the widespread support for the Gavras Family throughout the Autocratic State, especially in the Asia Minor region. After all, even counting from Manuel's arrival in Trabzon, less than 9 years had passed since he took control of Pontus.
To his old friend Sfrantzis's bewilderment, Serenus, the Chief Minister of the Bosporus, replied, "In this world, two things will always bring people joy: one is the recovery of lost territory, and the other is tax reduction."
"I think you can remove the first one." Sfrantzis quipped helplessly, thinking of the local magnates in Morea.