Chapter 60 Playing Cards

◎The girl who should have completely lost consciousness smiled brightly, with a bewitching magic in her eyes.◎

The iron gate creaked open, and Melia followed Titus into the vineyard.

The mountains behind were divided between Muala Manor and Caesar's hunting grounds, so the second prince opened up a large vineyard specifically for winemaking.

The Romans loved wine. Although lead sugar and lead barrels were criticized by Melia, banquets of all sizes would use wine of unknown alcohol content, mixed with water and spices, and distributed to guests.

This winery helped Titus accumulate a lot of wealth and also fostered his ambition.

The slaves had arranged everything long before their master arrived. Since there were no flowers in winter, they placed stone pillars carved with rose patterns behind the table and thoughtfully used painted platters filled with colorful snacks to serve as flower beds.

Titus courteously asked Melia to sit down first. "Why don't you like the hustle and bustle now? In the past, you would have been clamoring to go hunting."

Is that true? I heard the original owner's archery skills were impressive, and he paid a lot of compensation just for injuring nobles.

Melia sat on the stool, legs folded awkwardly. She felt uncomfortable being with him. "It's okay. I'm fine. Aren't Antonio and the others here?"

"Oh, they just finished hunting and are going to the bathroom to take a shower." Titus picked up a sugar cookie and handed it to him. "I remember you loved this dessert the most. You said it goes well with your red lips."

Uh... Melia looked down and saw that this biscuit with cracks all over and mixed with red vegetable juice was not suitable at all.

She took the biscuit with an awkward smile and placed it on the plate in front of her: "Thank you, haha, thank you..."

Titus finished his glass of wine and frowned at the plate. "Huh? Eat it! Why not? These cookies are made by my brother himself. They're delicious."

…After you said that, how dare I eat it?!

If the stool hadn't been nailed to the ground, Melia would have wanted to ride it back home.

She looked around and saw that Taffy was not far away, and the other slaves were quite far away, so she felt a little relieved.

"Your Highness, I don't have much appetite today~"

"What about wine? You used to love wine the most. I heard from Ilit that you don't like lead sugar, so I added honey to it."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Melia covered her mouth and coughed violently: "Sorry, I, I feel a little uncomfortable... I will meet with everyone and leave?"

I'm sorry, Elena. I have a feeling that staying here any longer will lead to bad consequences. It's just one day. You're not going to marry Antonio, are you?

"Not feeling well? Then go take a hot bath first. Maybe they haven't finished yet."

Titus's eyes were deep, and he clapped his hands. Two slim female slaves came over with silver trays on which were clean clothes, towels, and soap.

Maybe Elena is in there too?

Ahem, ahem, Melia nodded shyly: "Thank you very much, I'm really sorry to bother you."

Titus nodded slightly, took the wine glass that was placed next to Melia and drank it all in one gulp: "It's okay, come back early, I have something important to tell you."

Ugh, I don't want to talk about business with you at all, especially not a marriage contract, please——

Melia turned around with a bitter face and ran away very fast in her little vine shoes.

"Please wait for us~" The two female slaves wore silver bells and silver chains on their ankles. These chains looked light, but in fact, it was easy to fall when they took a step, so they could only walk slowly.

Melia hurried back, picked up the towel first, then used the towel to hold the toiletries, and ran to the bath alone: ​​"Go slowly, don't worry about me~"

"Miss, let me do it." Taffy rushed over and snatched the plates from the hands of the female slaves, strode over to catch up with Melia, and the two stepped into the bath one after another.

Sniff, such a strong incense scent.

The air was filled with mist, and Melia called out softly, "Is anyone there? Is anyone still not done washing?" There was no answer.

As her eyes adjusted to the mist, she quickly realized that there was indeed no one else there. She lowered her head and saw that the water was crystal clear, showing no sign of anyone having used it.

[Could it be that Titus lied and the others weren't here at all?]

But there was no reason, and she did see a familiar figure in the team just now, but she didn't see Elena.

Now that I'm here, I might as well see what he's up to.

Melia swallowed and carefully placed her feet in the water. "Wow, that's quite comfortable. The water is a little warmer than my body temperature, perfect for a soak."

She slipped off her robe and walked down with the towel, bobbing up and down with the dried petals in the water.

"Taffy, find a place to rest for a while. There's some fruit over there. Uh—don't eat it casually just yet."

"Yes." Taffy walked to the corner, where the cupboard was filled with tableware and fruit. She took a look and then went around to the back to check carefully.

Ding-ling-ding-ling, a pleasant bell chimed behind me. It must be the slave girl behind the screen, responsible for changing the hot water...

"No need to heat the water, it's a good temperature right now... Who are you?!"

The touch on the shoulder was rough. Melia stood up suddenly and almost slapped him.

The person who had just touched her shoulder was a boy of about eleven or twelve. He looked even more frightened than Melia, and tears were almost coming out of his eyes. "Mei, Sister Melia, didn't you always take me with you to play? We rode horses together and beat up bad guys together..."

If you look closely, you can see that this child's eyebrows and eyes are about 70% similar to Titus's.

Melia gasped: "Taffy, turn him around first."

"Yes, Your Highness the Fourteenth, the young lady needs your explanation." Taffy said as he looked at the boy. He turned around reluctantly, still mumbling something.

Well, at least we know who he is. It turns out he is Titus and Elena's younger brother.

Wait a minute—what’s going on?

She was just imagining things, and dozens of ways to frame someone in novels flashed through her mind. But when she thought about it carefully, this was a fictional Rome, and those methods didn't exist at all.

If you're touched or caught in the same room with someone of the opposite sex, you're going to get married or die? You're kidding! This is a fictional Rome. It doesn't matter who you are, only who you are. As the ruling class, the Roman aristocracy was incredibly tough, and even after marriage, they'd have a whole host of "brothers and sisters."

The emperors of the Han Dynasty didn't care about their private lives—they even occasionally "joined" the families of some of their ministers. Sulla must have been kicked in the head by a donkey to try to manipulate people with some undeniable concept.

Melia changed her clothes at lightning speed and pouted at the boy: "Who asked you to come?"

"Me, myself."

She put her hands on her hips and grinned like a villain: "You? Stop lying to me, kid. Wasn't this your brother's idea?"

“…It’s just me.”

The boy's eyes drifted, and his face almost said, "My brother gave me bad advice, I can't give him up."

Perhaps he himself felt that it was outrageous. He followed Melia for two steps and apologized with his head down: "I'm sorry, brother, I think I can make Sister Melia like me more..."

It was really unbearable to watch. Melia ran outside with a dark face and made a lot of noise.

Titus was still sitting in the garden, waving at her: "Why did you come out so soon? If you feel uncomfortable, just soak in it for a while."

"I just want to hang out for a while. Could you please explain why His Highness the Fourteenth is in there?"

Melia gave the little boy a gentle push, and he squeezed his robe and moved forward. His cheeks flushed red, and he glanced at his brother, not daring to say anything.

Titus clenched his fists in displeasure: "Eruno, go back first, I will explain here."

"Okay!" Eruno ran away, then stopped after a few steps and looked at him: "Stop arguing."

"There won't be a quarrel."

"Um!"

The boy disappeared behind the grape arbor. Titus knocked on the table. "Sit down."

Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, the maids retreated one after another, except Taffy, who kept her hand on the scimitar and stayed by the young lady's side.

Just sit down, who’s afraid of who? Can you kill me?

Melia steeled herself and sat down opposite him, imitating his example. "Okay, I'd like to hear your explanation."

Titus sneered, "Do you still want to marry Marcus? Forget it. Don't think your father will give you this opportunity. He's interested in the Egyptian princess."

"What a joke!" Melia's voice quickly drowned out the others: "Who wants to marry Marcus?"

"You really don't want it?"

"I won't marry you even if you marry me."

Their eyes widened. After a moment's standoff, Titus poured her a glass of wine. "Okay, I believe you. Here's a toast."

"Before you toast, please finish your explanation, or I'll be scared."

Seeing that Melia was not moved by his persuasion, he had to soften his voice: "Melia, what do you think of my brother? He will be a good husband."

"Poof——" Fortunately, I didn't drink any alcohol, otherwise my bile would have burst out!

She was mentally prepared for a marriage proposal, so why did he trade the younger one for the older one? Was she so disgusted?

Titus continued to talk: "You have shared a common language and similar interests since childhood. It is impossible for him to reach that position. Father will be very confident in you."

Melia looked at him with an expression that was similar to a frog croaking, and he got a little nervous: "What else do you want? Okay, I can promise you that I can accompany you whenever you need me in the future. Of course, the children will definitely be Eruno's."

His movements and expressions conveyed a sense of "Being unreasonable, I'm losing a lot while you're making a lot, are you satisfied?"

Snap, the string in Melia's mind broke.

【I can also accompany you. 】

Hiss - you're just talking nonsense just because you're 0.05 as handsome as Elena, right?

"Your Highness, I think you are drunk. Taffi, let's go!" Melia threw her shawl and strode away.

"Wait a minute!"

Titus's voice cracked as he shouted, his whole body shaking with anger.

Seeing their master's expression, the slaves hiding in the dark quickly ran out and used their bodies to block Melia's way out.

A charming girl with a hairband hanging from her temples supported Titus and patted his back gently.

He quickly recovered and angrily pointed at the two glasses of wine on the table: "You want to break up with me, right? Drink this glass of wine, and from now on, no matter whether we live or die, we will go our separate ways!"

Seeing Melia's disdainful expression, he fiercely picked up his cup and drank it: "Ha, so what, are you afraid it's poisonous?"

It’s not that I’m afraid of being poisonous, but I’m afraid that “I” really have an unclear relationship with you.

Melia didn't continue to provoke him at this juncture. She quickly walked to the table, picked up another glass of wine, and drank it down in one gulp.

Is it highly poisonous? Guess how many glasses of poisoned wine I have tried?

The disdainful expression quickly changed after he swallowed it. Oops, this thing is not poisonous at all...

"Hahahaha, you thought I would use poison?!"

Titus laughed wildly. "You've been hanging around Gellius all day, playing with my brother like a bird. How do you feel about this cup of [Love Elixir] made by the Forest Witch? How do you feel about it?!"

Bah, what love potion? It's obviously...

The sight was constantly changing, even the face of the man laughing wildly was distorted violently, becoming more and more like Elena's appearance.

There was a sound of something heavy falling behind him. Without thinking too much, there were so many guards standing behind Taffy...

"Ai..." No, it's not Elena, this guy is Titus! Melia bit the tip of her tongue hard, trying to commit suicide, but the result was only extremely severe pain.

"Haha, don't worry, you'll be one of us from now on." Titus sneered, "It doesn't matter if you don't like my brother. I've prepared more than twenty strong slaves here. When I'm done, you can enjoy them slowly."

“You, you…”

"Me what?" He approached Melia with a victorious smile. The slave girl next to him helped him take off his robe and was tugging at his belt with her hands.

"you--"

The girl who should have completely lost consciousness smiled brightly, with a bewitching magic in her eyes.

Titus couldn't help but reach out his hand, wanting to touch her cheek, but suddenly his waist felt empty: Oh no, it's the dagger for self-defense! She wants to kill me - his right hand subconsciously grabbed the handle of the knife, trying to snatch it away.

"Help..." He had just shouted halfway when blood splattered onto his face, staining his eyes red.

Titus had killed many animals and had many slaves executed, but this was the first time his skin had been stained with human blood. The warm, fishy smell brought a strong sense of foreboding, like a curse from the dead.

With a snap, the girl's body slid to the grass. He sat down to the side, holding the knife in his hand.

"I, I didn't mean to kill you... I, at least, it wasn't me, no, it wasn't me..."

"Titus, have you encountered an assassin?"

That voice... Antonio?! Damn it, why didn't the slaves stop them? Turning around, I saw that all the guards had surrounded me, leaving the gate that was supposed to be sealed.

"Antonio, don't move."

His face twisted. "It really wasn't me. I didn't kill her. She, she killed herself!"

Antonio's smile melted into the night. He flashed behind the guards and screamed at the top of his voice: "Hurry up! Someone's murdered! Titus killed Melia!"

The author has something to say:

Thanks to Yunの莯 and Luomuxiaoxiao's Lei Lei~

Thanks to Doubi Xiaomushi, Kejiashi, Moyan Huling, and Riyao for their support~