Good King René

In a manor outside Aix-en-Provence (the capital of Provence), spring had returned, and flowers bloomed in competition, creating a beautiful and pleasant scenery that was a feast for the eyes.

Amidst this picturesque scenery, an elder, nearly fifty years old, sat quietly by the pond, a drawing board in front of him, skillfully depicting the surrounding landscape with his brush.

At the manor's main gate, guards, feeling a bit drowsy under the warm spring sun, were startled by the sound of horse hooves and quickly snapped to attention, curiously looking down the road.

When they clearly saw that the approaching figures were Young Master John and an unknown stranger, the guards immediately lowered their guard and opened the manor gate to let the two in.

"Father!" John's rough voice made the painting elder frown, and he lightly touched up the stroke he had just made too heavily a few times before turning his head to see his son and a guest standing outside the flowerbed.

This elder was John's father, Duke Rene of Anjou (Good King Rene).

He took a deep breath, his mood becoming pleasant again, and calmly said, "John, my dear son, next time don't startle me so suddenly, alright?"

"I'm sorry, Father," John said somewhat sheepishly, but then he excitedly added, "But please forgive my rudeness this time. This is a guest from Naples, Mario Orsini; you must know his father."

René raised an eyebrow, looking at the guest. His face indeed felt very familiar to René, so René asked, "Are you Giovanni's child?"

"That is correct. Emperor, we implore you to return to Naples and re-establish the rule that the Anjou family maintained for centuries. This is the common wish of many nobles."

Mario spoke earnestly, hoping to further expand the influence of the Orsini family by supporting a new king. Although the Orsini family's base was in the Papal States, the Naples region was also an important component of their power.

However, René waved his hand at this point and said, "I have already handed all the work over to John. The life of a recluse is so wonderful; being far from worldly disputes keeps me from worrying, and I will not fight for this throne again."

Upon hearing this, Mario grew anxious, but John was even more anxious than him.

John stared at his father in disbelief, unable to believe that his father would willingly let such a good opportunity slip away.

"Father, you... how could you do this? Think of our ancestors' glory, think of the splendor of the Anjou Dynasty!"

René shook his head and said, "I will not contend with Alfonso's son for the throne. I want you, my son, to go and fight him, and then achieve victory!"

"Me... me?"

John was somewhat surprised, followed by a surge of ecstasy. His father René speaking such words meant that he could mobilize all possible resources at will to participate in this competition for the throne.

Good King René, also known as René the Wise, ruled Anjou, Maine, Provence, and Lorraine, and even ruled Naples for seven years. He also held the title of King of Jerusalem. People often compared him to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. They were equally powerful, the two strongest vassals within France.

However, as René suffered successive defeats in several clashes with Philip, coupled with the loss of the Naples throne, the Duke of Anjou, once as powerful as the Duke of Burgundy, headed towards two entirely different destinies than his counterpart.

René, whose power was greatly diminished, had no choice but to rely on King Charles VII, obeying his every command, and his territory was constantly being encroached upon by the royal family.

Conversely, Philip's power rapidly expanded after repeatedly defeating René and annexing large territories in Rhineland, uniting Burgundy and the Low Countries, growing into a formidable entity that even the King of France had to be wary of.

How could René be content with such an outcome?

However, countless failures had disheartened him. After his wife's death, he handed all affairs over to his son John and went into seclusion with his second wife, writing poetry, painting, and raising pets, living a comfortable and peaceful life.

He had fought wars for most of his life, only to find that the land of Maine was recovered only by marrying his daughter to the King of England, the Lorraine succession war saw him utterly defeated by Philip, and the Naples succession war saw him beaten again by Alfonso V. Even Provence was invaded and only recovered with the help of King Charles VII.

Anyone would find such a life of failure unacceptable, so René simply placed his hopes on his son.

John was a brave man, full of passion, and perhaps in him lay the hope for the Anjou family's resurgence.

"Be confident, my boy, you will succeed. But first, you must go to Paris. Your only way to victory is to gain the Emperor's support... I think he might demand Maine, or even Anjou. Anjou cannot be given to Charles, but a part of Provence can be ceded to the royal family, such as Avignon. This should secure his support. As for you, Mario, if you can be as loyal to John as your father was to me, the Orsini family will be rewarded, but you must fully support John. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father." "Yes, Lord."

The two young men, of similar age, excitedly left the manor, while René refocused all his attention on his artistic creations.

The challenger had begun preparations, and Ferdinand I (of Naples) soon got wind of it, beginning to worry about the impending war.

Just then, an Austrian envoy arrived at his court, which both surprised and delighted him.

The Holy Roman Emperor's attention made him tremble with fear, but at the same time, Ferdinando also saw hope for retaining his throne.

In a secret room, only the Austrian diplomat and Ferdinando were present for the discussion.

"May I ask why the esteemed Emperor has sent you here, Excellency?"

Ferdinando was somewhat curious. He knew his father had a good relationship with the Empress, but such connections were irrelevant to him as an illegitimate son, so he couldn't be sure of the Emperor's attitude towards him.

"Emperor has sent me to alleviate your worries, Emperor."

The Austrian diplomat smiled mysteriously. The King of Naples must be in a state of anxiety by now, as the news of the Duke of Anjou preparing for war had spread across the continent not long ago, and anyone following the situation in Italy would not miss such important intelligence.

Ferdinando frowned slightly. There was no baseless affection between people, let alone between nations.

Laszlo couldn't have sent someone to contact him out of kindness, so what exactly did he want from Naples?

Ferdinando couldn't figure this out, so he asked directly, "I seem to have little interaction with Emperor. Why would he send you, saying he wants to 'help' me?"

"It's a simple principle, Emperor: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"So, your target is France?" Ferdinando was not foolish; he immediately understood everything.

The diplomat affirmed, "Exactly so. King Charles VII is determined to help John II, Duke of Lorraine, the son of the Duke of Anjou, seize the Naples throne. Emperor wants to help you keep Naples to strike at the arrogance of the French. Now, are you willing to trust me?"

Ferdinando nodded and said, "I will not forget the Empire's righteous assistance. If I retain the Naples throne, I will certainly repay Emperor Laszlo's kindness in the future."

"It's good that you have that intention. Now, let's discuss the grand alliance plan we've customized for you..."

That day, Ferdinando and the Austrian diplomat conversed for a long time in the secret room. When he emerged, a confident smile was on his face, and his attitude towards the Austrian envoy was very warm. All of this transpired in secrecy, with not many people aware of or paying attention to the meeting.

The struggle for the Naples throne was still brewing.