"I don't recall hearing anything about this. If it was regarding my engagement, you could've told me sooner."
"I had no choice since you kept avoiding the subject."
After guiding Pompey and his daughter to the reception room, I had a brief conversation with my mother.
Even so, I didn't expect to find out about my own engagement like this.
"As I've told you before, marriage is the most important matter for a family, and one of your duties."
Mother sighed.
"A marriage to Pompeia could be the most powerful catalyst for uniting our two families."
"I thought the head of the household usually decided these things."
"Your father agreed to my decision."
Mother put her hands on her hips.
"And you must know the reason well enough. Pompey is currently one of the most powerful men in Rome. If Crassus has money..."
"Pompey has reputation, authority, and the veterans."
I nodded.
There's a reason the Senators fear Pompey right now.
If he set his mind to it, Pompey had the power to become a second Sulla who ruled Rome as dictator.
"You and Crassus are connected by money. There is little reason to attack each other. But Pompey is different."
"You mean we need a connection with his family."
"Yes. Wasn't that your proposal? To join hands with both Pompey and Crassus."
I couldn't argue with that either.
After all, I was the one who proposed the necessity of a Triumvirate first.
In Rome, political marriages were normal.
Actually, it was the same in the 21st century, not just Rome.
Prestigious families united through marriage, combining their strength to become even more powerful.
But being used to dating freely, I couldn't help but feel an aversion to it.
Becoming husband and wife and starting a family meant decades, or perhaps a lifetime of commitment.
To me right now, my family—my parents and younger sister—were more important than anyone else.
If I marry for political gain, could I feel that kind of love?
"I'm sorry to spring this news on you so suddenly. But I had no choice because you kept avoiding the conversation."
Mother sighed and offered a faint smile.
"Just have a conversation with the girl. That is all I ask."
Instead of answering, I nodded.
Just because I'm conflicted doesn't mean it's polite to leave a guest alone.
Pompeia must be feeling just as troubled as I am, anyway.
"But I want to make the final decision."
"Lucius, as I said earlier..."
"As you said yourself, Mother, my marriage is an important political decision for the Caesar family."
I answered with a smile.
"If so, shouldn't my judgment as a Caesar be important as well?"
***
The house was still bustling with the sounds of people eating and talking.
But the atrium was different.
Perhaps sensing the mood, the others had cleared the area for Pompeia and me.
It was like a private blind date in an atrium filled with petals.
I didn't expect to be doing something like this after being born in Rome.
"You are a little different from what I expected, Caesar."
"What do you mean?"
Different from what she expected.
What does that mean?
Pompeia was looking at me with a calm gaze.
It was an expression that even felt slightly cold.
"When I heard the rumors, I expected you to have a colder, more ruthless vibe."
Saying that, she turned her head to look around.
The slaves of our household—no, freedmen now—were laughing in the banquet hall.
Even Pompey had joined in the festive atmosphere.
"But the atmosphere is much softer and more joyful."
"Why did you think I would be ruthless?"
I didn't think I had been going around doing such terrible things.
Was my image really that bad?
"In just one year, you have accomplished countless things. Starting with insurance, Palmolive, the lottery, and supporting the veterans. What was most impressive was..."
Pompeia looked back at me and said.
"That you made my father and Crassus join hands."
"It certainly wasn't an easy task. And I was quite lucky, too."
I had to pull all sorts of stunts for that.
To be honest, I still couldn't quite believe I succeeded.
"But I felt as if your moves were all planned from the very beginning."
Pompeia said.
"After you visited the Temple of Vesta, the Vestal Virgins started using Palmolive. After provoking the Senate using the lottery, you nonchalantly handed it over to them."
"It was a judgment made for the sake of Rome."
She was quite sharp.
The lottery itself was a means to provoke Cato in the first place.
"Did you truly receive a revelation from the Goddess Vesta to create Palmolive?"
"Well. If you find it hard to believe, how about asking Tribune Rufinus?"
We looked at each other in silence.
The one to break the silence was Pompeia.
"I can bear healthy children. At least I believe so."
I barely managed to hold back a cough.
I definitely didn't expect that.
"Sorry?"
"And with them, our families won't just cooperate—we'll be bound together. Not simply asking for help when needed, but sharing our destinies."
"I see."
I don't know how to respond to that.
Should I say, 'It's amazing to know that you can bear children'?
"Or, perhaps you prefer 'that' orientation?"
'That' orientation?
What does she mean?
"I heard that unlike other nobles, you rarely visit brothels. And you don't keep a separate female slave either. The only attendant you use is a Greek male slave."
"Ah, you mean Felix. I freed him today, so strictly speaking, he is no longer a slave."
"Even if you do not prefer women, it does not matter. Ultimately, what is important is the union of our two families."
Wait.
Does she mean...
"Let me make one thing clear. I am not of that orientation."
Actually, homosexuality wasn't considered strange in Rome of this era.
Of course, some people found it distasteful, but the important thing was who held the dominant role in the relationship.
But I wasn't of that orientation.
Just because I'm a noble doesn't mean I have to visit brothels, and I didn't have the luxury to waste my time like that in the first place.
Just working alone was overwhelming enough.
"Besides, Felix is planning to marry his beloved soon."
"I see. If I was mistaken, I apologize."
As a silence fell, Felix approached the table carrying two cups.
"I brought some wine."
Setting the cups down, Felix whispered in a low voice.
"Anyone watching would think you're in the middle of a business negotiation, Young Master. Try to look a little less stern."
"Are you my older brother now, Felix?"
"Regardless, I'm a married man now. I believe I have every right to offer you advice, Young Master."
"And who was it that made that marriage possible?"
"This is me paying you back. Straighten your back a bit and try smiling. If you stay so stiff, who would want to marry you, Young Master?"
"..."
At that moment, the sound of soft giggling echoed.
Turning my head, I saw Pompeia laughing.
I think this was the first time I'd seen her smile since we met.
She looked at the flustered Felix and me and said.
"You are truly a unique person, Caesar."
Felix bowed his head with a polite expression, completely opposite to his earlier demeanor.
"Our Young Master is certainly a very unique person. Then, I shall take my leave. Please enjoy your conversation, both of you."
Felix winked at me and stepped away.
Seriously, anyone watching would think he's my wingman.
Amidst joyful laughter, the first day of Saturnalia was drawing to a close.
***
"I don't know why everyone loves wasting time like that."
Vitruvius let out a disapproving sound as he looked out the window.
Night was falling, but the streets were still full of people.
Normally, it would be too dark to see anything, but right now, the streets were lit as bright as day by torches.
Heavily intoxicated men staggered through the streets and shouted.
"Io, Saturnalia!"
"Io, Saturnalia!"
Hearing the shouts of the drunkards, Vitruvius let out a sigh.
He didn't have time to waste on drunken singing.
"With this, I could improve the water wheel…"
He looked at the papyrus blueprints spread out on the table.
The water wheel proposed by his employer, Lucius Caesar, was revolutionary in itself.
It was beautifully proportioned, almost perfect.
To be able to produce goods using the power of water—could there be a more outstanding invention than this?
But that wasn't the only amazing thing about Caesar.
The numbers and the new technical school he'd set up were all things that didn't exist in Rome.
Complex calculations became possible through those numbers, and countless talents could be recruited through the technical school.
The students weren't just learning—they were being sent out to build water wheels and improve their skills quickly.
For a technician, experience was the greatest asset.
In the past, you could only hope you'd find a good master.
If they were unlucky, they could spend a dozen years doing chores and fail to properly learn the important skills.
But through the technical school, anyone with passion and ability could learn skills.
"He truly is a unique person."
Vitruvius muttered.
What exactly was Caesar trying to achieve through all this?
Perhaps it was something so grand that Vitruvius couldn't even imagine it.
Leaning back in his chair, he looked at the devices placed on the table.
Among them was a long, cylindrical object.
It was a device Vitruvius had made using the blueprint Caesar gave him.
Picking up the cylinder, he walked over to the window.
"Let's see, there are too many torches today, so I can't see the stars properly."
Vitruvius muttered as he looked up at the dark night sky through the cylinder.
Every time he moved the cylinder, thousands of stars appeared, dancing in the darkness.
A telescope.
That was what Caesar called this object.
A device that made distant objects appear as if they were close.
Who could have expected that such an incredible device could be made with mere glass?
What would the scholars of Greece think if they saw this telescope?
"They would have wanted to buy it even if it cost a fortune."
Imagining the sophisticated Greek scholars squabbling over the telescope, Vitruvius burst into a chuckle.
"Let's see, that twinkling star is..."
He planned to publish an astronomy book someday.
Of course, considering the cost of papyrus and hiring scribes, it was unlikely to generate a profit.
But there was nothing as great and honorable as leaving one's name to posterity.
"If it weren't for the torches, I would have been able to observe it much better."
Vitruvius lowered the telescope and looked down at the streets of Rome.
While gazing at the torches filling the streets, a sudden thought flashed across his mind.
"Wait... Yes, that's it! Why didn't I think of this until now!"
He shouted.
Stuffing the telescope haphazardly into his tunic, Vitruvius ran down the stairs of the insula.
"Hey, what are you doing in the middle of the street? Move!"
Hurrying through the streets, he barely dodged the heavily intoxicated drunkards.
Like a man possessed, Vitruvius ran and ran.
"Watch where you're going!"
A drunkard shouted, waving his middle finger, but Vitruvius had already disappeared far into the distance.