Chapter 139: The Heirs 3
Chapter 139: The Heirs 3
“Octavius… is going to study in Antioch?”
Atia looked around in confusion.
It was a great opportunity to have Marcus himself teach him various things.
If he was an ordinary person, he would have to accept it with gratitude, but Atia could not make a decision easily.
She felt that her son’s future could be determined by her decision now.
“Don’t you like it?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just too unexpected…”
Atia had a plan to raise her son as Caesar’s ally.
She was Caesar’s niece, so Octavius was Caesar’s descendant.
Octavius was the closest male relative to Caesar, who had no son.
The Romans had a custom of adopting a boy from a close relative’s family if they had no son to continue their lineage.
That meant that Octavius had a very high chance of being adopted as his successor if Caesar liked him.
But if he went under Marcus, who was a nobleman, there was a risk of Octavius being regarded as a member of the nobility.
Of course, no one would care about the young Octavius yet, but the problem was that she could not predict how this study abroad would affect him later.
And she was also reluctant to refuse hastily.
She thought that maybe it would be better for her son’s future to become Marcus’s ally rather than Caesar’s.
Atia’s blueprint was based on the premise that Octavius would become Caesar’s adopted son.
But this was not an easy problem.
Atia knew how pragmatic Caesar was.
‘There is no guarantee that our Octavius will grow up well enough to meet his standards…’
She loved her son, but that should not affect her objective judgment.
Rather, because she loved him more than anyone else, she had to consider all the conditions coldly.
‘Octavius is smart, but his weak body is a drawback. He might value that aspect more since he earned a great military merit in Gaul.’
And more importantly, there was a risk of losing the advantage of being a blood relative if Julia gave birth to a second son.
Julia’s eldest son, Trajanus, would follow Marcus, but what if she had another son?
From Caesar’s point of view, it would be natural to love his daughter’s son more than his niece’s son by several times.
Marcus and Julia seemed to have a very good relationship at first glance.
It was obvious if she talked to Julia for a little bit.
Whenever the topic of Marcus came up, Julia’s eyes and expression were full of undeniable affection.
If their marital harmony was so good, it wouldn’t be strange if they had a child next year or the year after.
‘Yes. Becoming Caesar’s adopted son is too risky and uncertain. Then maybe I should take advantage of this opportunity…’
Atia turned her eyes slightly and looked at Octavius’s expression.
He seemed to know the importance of this matter, but he was enjoying the food in front of him calmly.
“Octavius, the governor has made you a generous offer. What do you think?”
“Do I have a choice? The education of a young child is entirely up to the parents.”
“So you’re just going to follow whatever I decide?”
Atia asked with a smirk.
Octavius smiled firmly and tore off a piece of well-cooked pork with his hand and brought it to his mouth.
“I don’t think it’s my place to interfere rashly. It would be rude to show such behavior in front of the governor. I don’t want to do that.”
“I don’t mind. I want to hear your opinion.”
Marcus opened his mouth with interest, wiping off the stain on his wine glass with his finger.
“I think the will of the person involved is the most important thing in making any choice. I’m curious about your thoughts.”
“To be honest, I don’t know if I can adapt well in Antioch alone. I can’t ask my family to follow me for my sake either. But if I can learn from you by your side, I think there is nothing more helpful for my future.”
“I see. It must be hard for you emotionally to live alone in a foreign land at your young age. Atia, how about staying here with your family for a while for Octavius? I’ll prepare everything you want, from the mansion to the servants. Julia will be happy too if her cousin lives nearby.”
“Me? Not just Octavius but me and Octavia too?”
“By the way, has Octavia been married yet? If she’s already married, it might be a bit difficult to come over here.”
Atia shook her head quickly.
“No. There is a family that we are talking about marriage with, but they haven’t married yet.”
“She hasn’t married yet?”
Marcus asked with wide eyes.
If it was according to the history he knew, she should have already married Claudius Marcellus.
But if she hadn’t married yet, it meant that history had already been twisted a lot.
‘Well, the political situation in Rome has already changed completely from history, so the alliances between the upper classes won’t follow history either.’
The marriages of the Roman nobles were mostly strategic.
Octavia and Octavius were common nobles, but they inherited the blood of the Julii and Balbus families.
They had a more noble bloodline than any other aristocratic family.
Originally, Claudius Marcellus, who was supposed to marry Octavia, was a promising talent who became a consul in 50 BC.
But unlike history, he failed in the previous election for praetor.
He couldn’t afford to get married after losing a huge amount of money in the election.
Atia sighed deeply and took a sip of wine.
“I appreciate your offer, but it’s impossible for me to stay in Antioch for that reason. Octavia is of marriageable age now, but if she doesn’t get married yet, it will be harder and harder to find a good match.”
“That’s something I can solve for you. I’ll find you the best groom for Octavia myself. It will be much easier if you tell me what you want. Whether it’s a promising young man or a mature politician who has already succeeded, I’ll find you some candidates right away.”
“Really? My goodness, that’s a great favor. If you do that for me, I have no reason not to stay in Antioch.”
It was also a proof that he cherished Octavia so much that Marcus offered to mediate himself.
If this news spread, the aristocrats who wanted to marry Octavia would flock to her.
Marcus’s status in Rome was absolute.
She could see a future where she would be surrounded by happy troubles with too many candidates.
“Actually, looking back, I think I didn’t pay enough attention to Octavia. I gave her a villa when Octavius was born.”
“Thank you. Octavia, you should thank the governor too.”
“Governor. I don’t know what to do with such an excessive favor. I will never forget my gratitude for the rest of my life.”
“That’s good. Then I’ll pick out about ten candidates by age group and bring you about thirty in total. You can choose the one you want with your mother. You can even meet them in person and decide if you need to. Don’t feel pressured. Julia, how about helping your lovely cousin find a great son-in-law?”
“I wanted to do that anyway.”
Julia nodded with a bright smile.
Atia and Octavia felt like they were flying to heaven.
While the three women were looking for husbands among the famous aristocrats in Rome, Marcus smiled and spoke to Octavius.
“I gave you what you wanted. Is there anything else you want?”
“Huh?”
Octavius opened his eyes wide as if he didn’t understand.
It was an evil acting skill, but Marcus liked him even more.
“You must love your sister very much. It’s good to love your family. It must have been sad that your sister, who is kind and dignified, hasn’t met a good husband yet.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to use you or anything.”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m more interested in you because you’re exactly what I thought.”
He was skilled at inducing the flow of conversation and getting the results he wanted, even at his young age.
This was also the way Marcus liked to use.
But strictly speaking, Marcus adopted this attitude inspired by the historical records of Octavius.
His feelings were complicated when he saw the young Octavius, but he was very satisfied.
On the other hand, Octavius was more shocked.
No one had ever seen through his hidden side.
It was true that Octavius felt inferior because of his weak body.
But he realized that he could use his weakness to manipulate people’s actions since he was nine years old.
It was an instinctive insight rather than rationality.
The people who mocked his weak body tended to underestimate him more, and they were easy to control with words.
Octavius realized how effective it was to manipulate people’s psychology.
It was different from the low-level method of using force.
The method of using violence and intimidation was only temporary and affected the social reputation of the person who used it.
But if he made them think that they acted on their own will, it was different.
He could get what he wanted without being suspected by anyone.
Octavius had a lot of fun with this method so far.
Of course, his deeds were not so great as a teenager.
He just took petty revenge on the young nobles who ignored him or made trouble for those he didn’t like.
Octavius quickly noticed that Marcus valued him very highly.
So he naturally tried to lead the topic to his sister’s marriage and borrow Marcus’s power.
But Marcus saw through Octavius’s psychology and took care of it himself.
It was a shocking experience for young Octavius.
He found someone who was like him, or maybe even better, for the first time in his life.
A strong curiosity and excitement, and a faint fear filled his small heart.
He wanted to learn more from this man.
Such a desire naturally surged up.
“Governor, please teach me a lot.”
Octavius, who jumped up from his seat, bowed his head with sincerity.
It was not just a meaning of asking for a good study abroad.
Marcus, who knew this, accepted his sincerity with a satisfied smile.
“I promise you. You won’t regret today’s decision.”
※※※※
After finishing all the guests, Marcus headed to the huge mansion he had prepared behind the governor’s residence.
It was a luxurious mansion that looked like a famous noble’s house, but there was one strange thing.
It was that the armed army surrounded the mansion like a steel barrel.
And they looked like they were watching not to protect the mansion, but to prevent anyone from going out.
“Have you cooled your head now?”
Marcus, who entered as if it was his own house, sat on the chair in the reception room and asked the owner of the mansion.
Surenas, who filled a fine glass with Cypriot wine, shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I never had a fever in the first place, so I don’t need to cool it down.”
“Why are you so polite? Can I hope that your thoughts have changed as well as your tone?”
“You kept your promise… so I’m seriously considering our deal.”
“That’s good to hear. So, how do you like Antioch? It’s not bad to live in, even though it’s a province of Rome, right?”
Surenas was a prisoner, but he could go anywhere in Antioch if he wanted.
There was always a restriction that surveillance followed him, but Surenas himself didn’t complain about this obvious measure.
Rather, it seemed too generous for a prisoner.
“It’s no less than Ctesiphon… no, I felt that this place is more developed than there. That’s why I don’t understand your actions more and more. You say you want me, but do you really need me? I wonder.”
“There is a saying: si vis pacem, para bellum (if you want peace, prepare for war). A talented person in strategic planning is always needed.”
It was a famous saying mentioned in Military Theory, a paper published by Renatus, the Count of Constantinople, in the 4th century.
Surenas tilted his head at the unfamiliar phrase.
“I’ve never heard of it… who said that?”
“You wouldn’t know. Oh, Plato also said something similar in The Laws. And even if it looks peaceful on the surface, you never know when war will break out. You know that, don’t you?”
“That’s true. But the more I see this, the more complicated I feel…”
Surenas put down the weekly newspaper he had been reading on the table.
It seemed that he had read almost all the newspapers from the first issue to now.
“What, don’t you like the articles?”
“There must be some exaggerations, but I could tell they were based on facts. But what surprised me more was the idea of creating such a medium and the technology behind it. They say you got wisdom from the gods here… I don’t believe it, but I can’t help thinking that way when I see these results.”
“Then you should want to serve me more.”
“…I won’t say I’ve never thought about it.”
Surenas was not sure yet.
He wondered if it was possible for him to live as a Roman after living as a Parthian noble all his life.
What if he did and couldn’t make himself useful?
He would regret betraying Rome for such a thing.
On the other hand, it would be a problem if he prospered as Marcus’s confidant.
Wouldn’t he feel guilty for abandoning his lifelong foundation and surviving as a traitor?
But rationally thinking, many Parthian nobles had already joined Marcus.
The reality was like this, so he wondered if there was no point in being stubborn.
Marcus saw through Surenas’s confused state of being unable to do this or that.
Compared to the first time when he repeatedly refused firmly, this could be seen as a positive sign.
‘It’s time to nail him down. The situation is ready, so maybe I can solve everything at once.’
Feeling that the time had come, Marcus took out a piece of paper from his chest and pushed it toward Surenas on the table.
“I’ll give you an opportunity to make up your mind for your sake. Read this and decide whether to follow me or not. But once you choose, you can’t go back, so think carefully and decide.”
Surenas’s eyes trembled with astonishment as he looked at the contents of the paper with curiosity.
“Is this really true?”
“Do I have any reason to lie?”
“You think… I’ll accept this offer?”
“Accept it or not, it’s up to you. But it’s something that will definitely happen, so you’ll have to make up your mind soon.”
Marcus’s meaningful words made Surenas speechless.
He just revealed his feelings with his trembling eyes and arms.