Chapter 133: Pharaoh 2
Chapter 133: Pharaoh 2
Who would be the next pharaoh to succeed Auletes?
That was a crucial question that could determine the fate of Egypt.
Egypt had a tradition of siblings marrying and ruling the country together.
And currently, there were only two princesses who were eligible for that role: Cleopatra and Arsinoe.
Marcus had anticipated that Auletes would bring up this topic.
From the beginning, Auletes had invited Pompey and Marcus under the pretext of his health, but he had his own concerns about Egypt’s future.
He wanted to secure as much benefit as possible from Rome in exchange for his cooperation, and at the same time, he wanted to get a clear recognition of his succession plan from the most powerful men in Rome.
But Marcus did not give an immediate answer to the expected question.
“I can offer you some advice on your choice of pharaoh, but nothing more. Anything beyond that might be seen as interference in your internal affairs.”
“There is no one to hear what we are talking about. What does it matter?”
“But there are many who know that we met. And more importantly, I am not yet convinced. I would like to hear your candidates first.”
“…I originally intended to make Cleopatra my successor. Arsinoe is not a bad child, but she is incomparable to Cleopatra in terms of ability. If you had not come to Egypt, I would have made Cleopatra the next pharaoh without hesitation.”
Marcus did not say anything and lifted his wine cup.
Auletes slowly spoke to him, who was sipping his wine silently.
“My dilemma began when Arsinoe started to follow you around. I was quite surprised at first, because I never imagined that she would become so sociable. “
“I agree with you. She has changed a lot since I first saw her. She has grown splendidly.”
“So I could not make a hasty decision. I thought it would not be bad to have someone closer to you as pharaoh, even if their personal ability was a little lacking. And after talking to you, I became more convinced of that. Arsinoe seems to like you more than ordinary.”
There was a subtle emotion in Auletes’ voice towards the man who had taken his daughter’s heart.
For some reason, he felt like he had to apologize.
“…I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize. From what I heard, it seems like she is following you around on her own. But that makes me more worried.”
If Marcus had taken a liking to Arsinoe, Auletes would not have hesitated at all.
It was taboo for a Roman with a wife to marry a foreigner, but Auletes did not intend to force Arsinoe to marry Marcus.
Rather, it was better for her not to marry as a ruler of Egypt.
All he needed was the affection between them and the fruit of it.
Auletes understood what Marcus meant and nodded his head slowly.
“…So you mean you have no feelings for her, just her one-sided affection?”
“…”
Marcus kept silent.
In fact, he thought that the affection between them was a secondary issue in this matter.
This was a political domain, and he had to think rationally about it.
If he made Arsinoe the pharaoh and took her as his woman, he could easily take over Egypt.
He did not worry about Julia’s reaction, who had allowed his relationship with Danae.
She would gladly agree to this matter as well.
That part was not a concern.
But it was too heavy to make a decision right here and now.
And he had not fully assessed Cleopatra’s value yet.
He decided to wait and see what she would choose.
“My answer is no different from before. But I do have some kind of affection for both princesses. I want to handle this matter so that they do not get hurt.”
“…So you mean you can’t give me a definite answer yet.”
“Instead, I can help you with something else.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know about Gnaeus, Pompey’s eldest son? Have you noticed any strange behavior from him lately? For example, contacting your son…”
Auletes thought for a moment and shook his head with an indifferent expression.
“I remember him as a polite young man. I heard he was quite active, meeting with various nobles and officials. Of course he must have met my son too.”
“He probably met with other officials just for show, and met with your son much more frequently. Please investigate that part.”
Marcus was already convinced of his suspicion.
He smiled kindly and added one more thing.
“I can’t choose one of the two princesses right now. But let’s do this for the succession plan.”
Auletes opened his eyes wide at his explanation, then slowly nodded his head.
※※※※
Gnaeus felt exhilarated, confident that everything was going according to his plan.
He thought it was not an exaggeration to say that everything was personal, but he knew that complacency was forbidden.
There might be one thing that would not go as he expected.
So he did not want to be disappointed by having too much expectation.
‘Magnus…’
He thought of the word that his father used almost as the name of his family, and his lips naturally curled up.
Gnaeus did not use the signature of Magnus, thinking it was too much for him.
But if this matter went well, he would be qualified to use this name proudly.
‘No, it will definitely go well. The plan is perfect. At least there will be no problem in getting a lot of expedition money.’
Gnaeus sneered as he recalled the face of the next pharaoh who was in a mess.
He had a hard time convincing him at first, because he was a kid who did not understand the situation well and had a lot of pride.
Fortunately, the eunuch who served him was a good communicator and found a compromise.
He would make him the next Ptolemy and Cleopatra the co-ruler, and the plan would be complete.
No matter how much influence Marcus had in Egypt, if both pharaohs were on Gnaeus’ side, the situation would be reversed in an instant.
‘Marcus doesn’t seem to be that great after all. He praised him so much that I was nervous, but maybe he was careless because he thought Egypt was already his.’
The future Ptolemy, Theos Philopator, had a lot of dissatisfaction with Marcus.
To be precise, it was his entourage who felt more anxious than the young prince.
Whether it was Cleopatra or Arsinoe, both of them had a certain degree of intimacy with Marcus.
Especially Arsinoe, who had been with Marcus all the time in the East.
No matter who became the pharaoh among the two, Theos Philopator would be overshadowed by his sisters.
Moreover, if Arsinoe became Marcus’s consort, the prince would not have any guarantee that he could maintain his position.
The prince’s confidants and Gnaeus made the boy, who was only ten years old, face the reality.
Who would welcome the fact that he would become a puppet even if he became a king?
Theos Philopator and his faction decided to join Gnaeus immediately.
Gnaeus held frequent meetings with the prince’s confidants to coordinate their positions.
Of course, he also met with other senators appropriately to avoid suspicion.
“What we need now is to bring in Princess Cleopatra. It would be great if we could sow discord between Arsinoe and Marcus, but objectively speaking, the possibility of that is still less than 50%.”
“But will Princess Cleopatra join us?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already talked to her and she seemed to be calmly assessing which side would benefit her more.
She probably thinks that she might lose to Princess Arsinoe if things go on like this. Frankly speaking, if Princess Arsinoe seduces him in bed, Marcus is a man and he can’t help but waver. And since Her Highness’s beauty is so outstanding, the effect will be more dramatic.”
“Indeed… Princess Cleopatra is rational. She is likely to judge that joining our side will give her more opportunities.”
“I told her about the situation after the punishment of Auletes and that the prince was on our side, so she must have leaned more than 90% towards us.”
The faces of the confidants brightened noticeably.
The younger the prince or princess who ascended to the throne of pharaoh, the more likely the courtiers who followed him would enjoy power.
They were worried about the existence of Cleopatra, who was too clever, but they had nothing to fear if Gnaeus backed them up.
Gnaeus also planned to make the most of this situation.
It was a golden opportunity to make up for his failure to live up to his father’s expectations in one breath.
Potius, the prince’s closest confidant, pushed a piece of parchment forward with a servile smile.
“Gnaeus sir, is it okay to form an alliance on these terms?”
“Yes. I’m glad we came up with a compromise that both sides can be satisfied with.”
Gnaeus signed only briefly for security reasons.
On the other hand, Theos Philopator stamped his seal on the treaty without hesitation.
The contents of the treaty they signed were as follows:
Gnaeus actively supported Theos Philopator’s ascent to the throne of pharaoh.
And he would cooperate with him to run the government stably by mobilizing all his family’s power afterwards.
In return, the new Ptolemy, who would become the prince, would bear all the military expenses that would be consumed by Rome’s punishment of Auletes.
The source of funds was agreed to be paid from the personal assets of the former pharaohs stored in Memphis.
However, since the prince did not have the right to touch that wealth yet, he agreed to pay the amount claimed after becoming pharaoh.
In other words, Pompey was able to carry out this war without spending a penny.
If Pompey heard of this amazing achievement, he would have to admit his son’s ability.
‘I wonder how Marcus will react when he realizes that he lost Egypt. He must be furious and trembling because he was hit by someone he didn’t even consider as a competitor.’
The feeling of having given a big blow to his rival who had always instilled humiliation in him since childhood naturally led to extreme ecstasy.
He remembered Pompey’s attitude when he said he would raise funds for the army.
He advised his son not to overdo it and just keep his place moderately.
The reason was obvious.
He did not rate his son’s ability that high.
He praised Marcus so much for being a pure-blooded man, but he did not trust his own son’s work.
‘Father, you’ll see. Your son will never lose to Crassus’ family.’
The day when he would show his prowess after being always regarded as a little inferior compared to his great father was not far away.
As he thought so, an uncontrollable excitement dominated Gnaeus.
‘Watch me. I am Gnaeus Pompey Magnus. The one who will inherit this great name and stand at the top of Rome. I’ll show you the true face of the person.’
Gnaeus, who was intoxicated with confidence, met with Theos Philopator and discussed the plans for the future.
Cleopatra’s reaction was not bad either.
She said that she would join Gnaeus’s side if things went well.
It was only a matter of time before Egypt fell into his hands.
When Gnaeus returned with the feeling of a winner, the sun had already begun to set.
‘Theos Philopator is already in my hands, and all that’s left is to push Cleopatra to become pharaoh. Then I’ll have to meddle with Arsinoe and Marcus first. If Marcus loses trust in Arsinoe, he will naturally push Cleopatra.’
What if the meddling fails?
It was still too early to pressure Auletes openly, as Marcus’s presence could not be ignored.
Even though he was a rival to be confronted someday, it was not the time to show his teeth.
Anyway, he had the initiative, so he thought he could come up with a good move if he racked his brains a little more.
Gnaeus arrived at the shabby building where he was staying, enjoying his own pleasant dilemma.
He stopped his hand as he was about to open the door.
There were people lined up on the other side of the door.
He was not surprised by the soldiers that Pompey had brought from Rome, as they were always guarding this area.
But he noticed the unfamiliar Roman and Egyptian soldiers.
The Roman soldiers must have been brought by Marcus from Syria, and the Egyptian soldiers must have been the pharaoh’s guards.
Why were they here?
‘Are they having a tripartite meeting or something?’
Gnaeus opened the door with an uneasy feeling.
As soon as he saw him enter, a freedman of his family ran up to him and bowed his head.
“Have you returned, sir?”
“Yes, it’s noisy around here today. Is there any reason?”
“Yes. Marcus sir and Cicero sir, and the pharaoh of Egypt came to see Pompey sir.”
“Cicero sir too? Why?”
“I don’t know that much. I only received an order to bring you as soon as possible when you returned.”
A prickly feeling run down Gnaeus’s spine.
He had moved secretly, so there was no way his movements had been exposed.
But he could not rule out the possibility that he had aroused some suspicion.
‘It’s okay. If I’m suspected, I’ll just deny it. Even if the treaty is exposed, I can just say that the signature is fake.’
It was a serious crime for a prince who was not yet a pharaoh and a foreigner to use the personal assets of the former pharaohs as they pleased.
Gnaeus knew this too.
That’s why he moved as carefully as possible and signed only briefly on the treaty.
He didn’t need to be scared without knowing for sure why he was called.
Gnaeus took a deep breath and headed for the reception room.
The door opened slowly as he arrived.
It seemed to him, perhaps because of his mood, that the door moved much slower than usual.
The room where Pompey greeted the nobles who came to line up for him had a different atmosphere than usual.
There were many guards standing guard inside the reception room, but there were only four people sitting down.
Auletes, who had a serious face, closed his eyes slightly.
Cicero also looked at Gnaeus with an unpleasant expression in his eyes.
Marcus was quietly drinking wine with an inscrutable expression on his face.
And lastly…
“I’m sorry. I was delayed by some business.”
Gnaeus bowed his head to the person he respected and feared the most in a calm tone.
One of the undisputed top power holders in Rome and one of the greatest strategists in the history of the republic.
Pompey, who had regained his glory in his prime before his final expedition, slowly looked at his son.
His gaze was so cold that Gnaeus had never seen it before.
His mind went blank as he saw his father’s face that he had never experienced before.
He didn’t know what to say and hesitated, when Pompey’s chilly words flew at him.
“I’ll give you a chance to explain. Tell me everything you did and why.”
Gnaeus’s eyes were filled with confusion and fear.