Chapter 108: Return to Rome

Chapter 108: Return to Rome

Chapter 108: Return to Rome >

The room fell silent for a moment at Cleopatra’s bombshell declaration that she would go to Rome.

Marcus had not expected her to say that she would follow him to Rome.

If anyone had said that, he would have guessed it was Arsinoe.

Marcus cautiously asked for confirmation in a careful tone.

“Do you mean to say that you want to study in Rome?”

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to visit Rome at least once.”

“Hmm... I didn’t know you had such a thought.”

“Rome is the strongest nation in the world. Ever since I was young, I thought I should study there if I had the chance. I want to understand Rome’s culture.”

Cleopatra smoothly recited the answer she had prepared beforehand.

But Marcus knew that her words were different from the truth.

Historically, Cleopatra visited Rome for the first time after meeting Caesar.

And after Caesar was assassinated, she immediately returned to Egypt.

If Cleopatra really wanted to see Rome at least once, she would have visited before she ascended to the throne as Pharaoh.

Moreover, she had publicly announced her inappropriate relationship with Antonius to the world, which angered the Romans.

This was the decisive cause of Antonius and Cleopatra’s downfall.

If she really understood Rome’s culture, she would have chosen a more wise way.

Marcus was curious about what made Cleopatra change her mind from history.

‘It’s certain that my intervention caused some change in her feelings... but I still don’t know what exactly.’

Considering Cleopatra’s intellectual level, he could naturally imagine various schemes.

It was obvious that she would try to make acquaintances with Rome’s influential people, and possibly create her own supporters in the Senate.

The Ptolemaic dynasty had a lot of wealth.

They could easily attract many nobles who were struggling with huge debts.

If Cleopatra built up her power within Rome, it could cause trouble in the future.

But it was unreasonable to reject a foreign princess who wanted to study in Rome without a proper reason.

“How long do you plan to stay in Rome if you come?”

“At least until I can speak Latin perfectly.”

“That would take several years at least. You’re planning to stay quite long.”

“Yes. Not only the language, but also to understand Rome’s culture deeply, I think I need that much time.”

Strangely enough, Cleopatra had been avoiding Marcus’ gaze and answering evasively since a while ago.

There was no way to see it other than that she had some hidden purpose.

But she was too clumsy at hiding it to be scheming something.

The emotions of an adolescent girl were too complicated and subtle for Marcus to understand.

“Hmm, is that all?”

“...To be honest, there are a few more reasons that are not so impressive. If Berenice goes to Rome alone, what will the Roman nobles think of the Ptolemaic dynasty? Someone has to show them the proper dignity of a royal family.”

It was a reason that seemed absurd but somewhat convincing when he thought of Berenice.

The Ptolemies were proud people.

They wouldn’t tolerate being ignored by the Roman nobles.

It was understandable that they would choose to send another royal family member besides Berenice.

But that wasn’t enough for Cleopatra to volunteer herself.

Just when Marcus was about to probe deeper into Cleopatra’s intentions,

Arsinoe, who had recovered from the shock, shouted out loud.

“What nonsense are you talking about! Why would you go to Rome?”

“Why not? There’s no reason why I can’t go.”

“No... honestly, it’s weird. You never showed any interest in Rome before. You only looked at some records at most, but you never said you wanted to see it for yourself.”

“I just didn’t tell you. I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Anyway, it’s absolutely impossible!”

Arsinoe reacted more sensitively than necessary, and Cleopatra raised her eyebrows and retorted.

“Why are you acting so strange? You have no reason to oppose me so much.”

“Because the person who should go to Rome is not you but me! I’m going!”

“You’re kidding me. You want to study in Rome? Are you sure you’re not talking about tourism?”

“Hmph, I’m serious about learning Latin.”

Arsinoe wrote ‘I want to go to Rome’ in Latin on the spot.

Marcus and Cleopatra, who had never imagined that she could speak Latin, opened their eyes wide.

“You learned Latin?”

“You... since when...?”

Arsinoe straightened her back and smiled, feeling proud of herself by the two’s reactions.

“I’ve been secretly learning it because I wanted to talk to Marcus in Latin someday. See, you have to admit that I have more qualifications to go to Rome than you.”

“Pfft, that’s all? You barely wrote one sentence. Considering my language learning ability, I can surpass your level in a few weeks if I learn Latin. So, based on efficiency, I should go to Rome.”

“If you’re so smart, you can study by yourself here. You scorpion!”

“What did you say? You ugly toad!”

Marcus watched the sisters who were having a childish argument with his arms crossed.

Fortunately, they didn’t resort to physical violence, but if left alone, it seemed like a waste of time.

Marcus sighed lightly and separated the two who were growling at each other.

“Princesses, this is not something worth fighting over, is it? Why don’t you both come with me if you wish? The Crassus family will gladly welcome you as guests.”

“Both of us?”

“Can we do that?”

“That depends on the Pharaoh’s permission, I suppose. But if you both say you want to come, I have no reason to refuse.”

In fact, Marcus had already decided to take them both with him.

As long as Cleopatra was determined, she would find a way to come to Rome no matter what.

Then it was better to bring Arsinoe along and keep her by Cleopatra’s side.

If Alexandria’s astronomers set up a theoretical framework, he only had to make some minor modifications.

‘In history, there will be only the name of Licinius calendar, not Julian or Gregorian.’

He felt a little guilty, but it was something that someone had to do anyway.

Given the current situation, it was unlikely that Caesar would exert a strong influence on Egypt as in history.

So he had a duty to introduce a more accurate calendar to Rome instead.

The sooner he made a new calendar, the better.

There was no problem with hiring scholars as long as it didn’t violate the law.

Marcus obtained information about reputable astronomers with Arsinoe’s help and started contacting them right away.

※※※※

The chaotic political situation in Egypt quickly stabilized.

The nobles who had seized power with Berenice at their head were all beheaded.

The ruler of Alexandria was now Auletes, and behind him was Rome.

Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s study abroad was also smoothly decided.

Auletes just gave Marcus a strange look once.

He felt like he was misunderstood somehow, but he didn’t feel like explaining it.

Marcus accepted Auletes’ request and left some soldiers as defenders and boarded a ship heading for Rome.

Berenice, Cleopatra, and Arsinoe also boarded the same ship as Marcus.

Berenice, who had been locked up in her cabin all along while she was in Alexandria, showed her face again for the first time in a long time.

Marcus approached her one last time before arriving in Rome to warn her again.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Sort of.”

“You know your position is different from Arsinoe or Cleopatra, right? They are officially invited guests, and you are a prisoner of war.”

“Hmph, I know that too. I know what you’re trying to say. Don’t mess around and behave yourself, right?”

Her tone was rough but she seemed to be aware of her situation clearly.

Marcus nodded without denying it.

“I’m not a bad person. I promise to treat you as a former king of an allied country without any lack if you listen to me well. The splendor of Rome’s social circles is no less than Alexandria’s, so you won’t have any trouble adapting.”

“...Fine.”

Berenice sighed repeatedly with a subdued spirit.

She was a simple person who couldn’t think of anything complicated.

At first, she was furious when she was driven out of the Pharaoh’s seat.

But she miraculously survived unlike the Egyptian customs, and she was able to accept the fact that she couldn’t be the Pharaoh again.

Father Auletes’ attitude in front of Marcus shattered all of Berenice’s illusions about Pharaoh.

She thought that living a splendid life in Rome, the strongest nation in the world, would be better than the empty throne of Pharaoh.

“But what if... what if I had done well? Would you have pushed me to be Pharaoh?”

“There was a possibility. If you had been ready to offer more than the current Pharaoh. And if you had proven that you could be a useful ruler for Rome, I might have supported you.”

“I see... as expected.”

Berenice sighed bitterly and went inside the ship.

Cleopatra, who had been watching her from behind, approached her and spoke.

“Sister Berenice, you are surprisingly accepting the situation well, aren’t you?”

“She is a very simple person. She doesn’t think too complicatedly, so she often adapts to the current situation easily.”

“Is that so? But I think people can’t change overnight. She may seem normal now because she is subdued, but she is still our sister who can cause trouble at any time. I will keep an eye on her when we go to Rome.”

“Thank you for that.”

They were chatting when the ship approached the port.

The ship rocked as it docked.

Cleopatra lost her balance and swayed, and Marcus grabbed her hand to help her.

Cleopatra realized that Marcus’ body was touching hers and felt her head go blank. She quickly shook off his arm.

“Kyaaak!”

Marcus stepped back in surprise at her violent reaction.

He wondered how scared she must have been to react like that.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was worried that you might fall, so I unintentionally offended you.”

Cleopatra realized that she had pushed away Marcus’ arm and felt her face turn red. She didn’t know what to do and started to babble.

“Uh, no, it’s not your fault. It’s not that I hate you, it’s just that I was really surprised... so... um...”

She was murmuring incomprehensible words with tears in her eyes.

She then turned around and ran away.

The mind of a teenage girl is harder to understand than a stormy sea.

Marcus shook his head and sighed as the ship slowly anchored.

Berenice and Cleopatra also came back to the deck when they heard that they had arrived on land.

Surprisingly, Julia, who had brought the family servants, was waiting for them at the port of Ostia.

The young children were not with her, probably waiting at home.

“Julia!”

Marcus waved his hand happily at his beloved wife.

Julia also smiled sweetly and waved back at him.

Her eyes then fell on Arsinoe, who was clinging to Marcus’ hand.

And then she noticed Cleopatra and Berenice standing next to him.

Julia’s eyes twitched slightly.

But that was all.

She walked up to Marcus with a relaxed smile and kissed him on the cheek and lips.

Marcus also hugged his wife and kissed her repeatedly on the cheek, showing his joy.

Behind him, Arsinoe was looking around curiously with her bright eyes.

On the other hand, Cleopatra couldn’t take her eyes off Julia since she appeared at the port.

Various emotions were reflected in her intelligent eyes.

< 108. Return to Rome > End