Chapter 126 Beauty as Bait
◎The next morning, a team of carriages left the royal city before daybreak and merged into the vast horizon.◎
Late at night, the lights in the Roman capital were few.
Even the wealthy who would feast every night until the next day would extinguish most of the candles early, leaving only torches in the courtyard.
The nobles did not dare to show any joy before the funeral. The musicians and beauties all huddled indoors and wrapped up the strings of their zithers.
The senators' residences were relatively better. Caesar had "just" died, and they had too many things to do, so they naturally called each other together, whispered to each other under the candlelight, and expressed their grief.
Elena's thunderbolt strike dealt a heavy blow to the Senate's morale. Some even wavered and went to Muro, refusing to attend Sulla's banquet. Fortunately, the majority remained, which was reassuring.
"Sir, what should we do?"
The young man followed Sura, his excited voice fading. Without even turning around, he was terrified by Elena.
"don’t worry."
Sura pushed the door open nonchalantly, and when he turned around, the young man did not follow him. Instead, he leaned on the stairs with his hands hanging down, as if he was about to collapse from exhaustion, and did not notice his senior's actions at all.
【Not worthy of consultation. 】
Sulla entered the room with an expressionless face. The deaf slave helped him close the door: it was not locked tightly. The master had other guests to see before going to bed. As for who they were, the good slave would not be interested.
The first person to come in was an elderly businesswoman. She rubbed her fingers together and said, "Sura, for the sake of the past, I'm here to remind you."
The wrinkled old man took a deep breath, as if he had seen something terrible. "Those foolish soldiers said they saw dragons, real dragons flying around Elena—it's true."
Her tone was as mournful as if she had lost her parents, and her expression was even paler: "I hate Muala, but... I can't go against a real dragon!"
No one knew dragons better than a wizard. They were incredibly powerful and incredibly long-lived. She had witnessed a real dragon flying around the Seventh Prince, treating him as a dependent.
Why did that dragon stay in the present world and not follow the other ancestral dragons into the other dimension? Most likely, it was because it was once a dragon egg, still very young, and now it has just hatched.
How dare a wizard confront a dragon? Even if she didn't care about her own life, she would have to consider whether the rest of her tribe was willing to endure dragonfire every 20 or 30 years.
She thought Sura would sigh in agreement, after all, they were both cautious people.
Unexpectedly, Sura just nodded slightly: "I know, please be more careful in the future." Then he raised his finger and signaled to send the guest away.
Oh, what else was he planning? How crazy would that be? The old man quickly grasped the hem of his robe and hurried away.
Sura closed his eyes in the dim light, as if dozing off.
The second customer knocked on the door and walked in, his back straight. He was a well-dressed man, his skin and features betraying his Egyptian ancestry. "I'm not going to do that business anymore. Please don't send anyone to harass my daughter anymore."
"You misunderstood." Sura responded kindly: "I didn't send anyone to target your family members."
"That would be great." The man said nothing more. He walked out of the room quickly, as if afraid of being seen. "If my family is harmed in any way, I will no longer remain neutral."
Neutral? Only the strong can remain neutral.
Facing the enemy's threat, Sulla remained calm, his mind preoccupied with several more pressing matters. The situation was truly unpredictable. Elena, who was supposed to be confined to the battlefield, had actually returned, and the Persian attack was also working in her favor—what had gone wrong?
He asked no one. After all, there might be a monster lurking in the darkness, eavesdropping or peeping, just like those failed plans in the past, which were predicted in advance.
[Was this also predicted by someone? ]
Maybe.
Fortunately, he had made several preparations. Even if the other plans were unreasonably cracked, the last plan that no one knew about could give him the last chance.
I have to thank those goblins for the clues they left behind. Fate, oh, fate...
"Save me! Save me!——"
A panicked girl pushed the door open violently, and Sura opened her eyes: no wonder she was not stopped by the guards, it turned out to be Ophelia.
He smiled kindly, "Your Highness Ophelia, who is threatening you? Please tell me."
Seeing him so kind, Ophelia was a little flattered: she used to rely on her father and Marcus, but now that her father was dead and Marcus was suppressed by Elena, she really couldn't stand it anymore.
"Sir, everyone says you are a wise man... Can you show me a clear path?"
Sura pretended to listen attentively and did not answer.
Ophelia took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears hesitantly. "You know, Greece held a citizens' assembly and was unwilling to marry a Roman princess. Woo woo woo."
Although it was probably Elena's fault for being neither gentle nor virtuous, Lord Antonio rejected a Roman princess and would definitely not want a second one in the short term. He was the perfect nobleman!
Ophelia continued to cry: "The Egyptian princess hasn't married yet, wuwu, they haven't given Marcus a definite answer!"
Of course. Sulla listened with indifference: Egypt had suffered several losses from its neighbors and had even nearly been conquered by Macedonia. Even if it flirted with Rome, it was unlikely to immediately align itself with one of its princes after Caesar's death.
"You said... who can protect me now?" Ophelia moved the handkerchief away, only the corner of her eye was red and swollen.
She hesitated for a long time, but Sulla understood what she meant: this pampered princess did not want to stay here and bear any responsibilities. She was afraid of Persia and Elena, and just wanted to find a good place to hide. No matter who won, she could marry as a Roman princess.
In her narrow mind, the best option was to get married.
Ophelia came to him and could have discussed many conditions, but he kept talking about marriage.
She had no confidence in ascending the throne, nor was she willing to take the risk of betting on Marcus. She waited wholeheartedly for him to introduce someone who could marry her, clinging to him like a vine.
Of course, that man had to be of noble birth, young and handsome, and he had to value her status as a Roman princess and be willing to protect this vase girl. Ophelia wanted to get married, but she was determined not to compromise herself for the sake of "the people" or "her brother."
She was not forced into a desperate situation, and she was probably unwilling to marry the son of a noble or a prince of an awkward status, and she still coveted the queen's crown.
It sounds difficult, but there is actually a suitable candidate.
Oh, thank fate, a man who is just right for me.
Sulla's smile became gentler, and he patted the back of Ophelia's cold hand: "Your Highness, I understand what you mean. You are a beautiful and delicate flower, and they are all too risky."
"Yes, yes! Lord Sura..."
Ophelia wanted to say something but stopped herself. She turned her head to look at the door. His guards were standing there, so no one should have heard it.
After making up her mind, she whispered, "I can't marry a lowly person without royal blood, nor can I marry a rich man with even a little bit of royal blood."
"Don't worry, you can talk to me. As the noblest and most beautiful princess in Rome, it is only you who can choose them." Sulla gestured very considerately, and the slave walked quietly to the door and locked it tightly.
Great! I should ask Sura for advice.
Ophelia breathed a sigh of relief. "I still want to marry Antonio the most. If that doesn't work, the little prince of Egypt will also do. They don't plan to marry their princess here anyway. The Persian... Persian prince is quite good. Aren't they still at war now?"
Sulla quickly skimmed through the messages from several men:
Antonio, needless to say, was a renowned handsome man, with a long family history, and a descendant who might well become a Greek archon. His serious illness had been kept secret, and he had only recently recovered.
The little Egyptian prince is only 6 years old this year. Ophelia probably thought of getting engaged first and running away, then breaking off the engagement after a few years when the situation improves, or hooking up with the Egyptian Pharaoh or the Egyptian prince.
Prince of Persia, oh, how dare you come up with such a stupid idea.
Sula listened to Ophelia's rambling description, and no matter how ridiculous it was, his expression was always serious.
Finally, she stopped talking and looked at him with anticipation, as if he was Cupid, the god of love, who could use his bow and arrow to deal with those disobedient men for her.
"I see."
Sulla said slowly, "Not many people can meet so many conditions."
"Yes, I know, but there must be one, right? He would like me. I am a Roman princess. My mother is also of noble birth!"
Of course, the most valuable parts of your body are your bloodline and your silent appearance; everything else is just a drag.
Sura smiled and nodded: "Of course, have you ever considered - the Golden King?"
"Ah! No way!"
Ophelia stood up suddenly and shook her head vigorously.
She had heard the Hun jokes since she was a child: What kind of valuable thing was the old Vulture Golden King? How could he marry her?! The old man was cowardly and lazy, and he lived on a desolate grassland. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life with him herding sheep.
"It's not the old vulture," Sura consoled. "It's the new Golden King. The old king and the eldest prince are both dead, and the oldest heir is only in his thirties. The descendants of the Golden King are always beautiful and strong. Although the lifespans of valiant Golden Kings are generally short, the new Golden King, unless he is a biological son, will always inherit the wife of his predecessor."
Ophelia rolled her eyes. These words might not sound good to others, but she was moved. This meant that if she married a brave and heroic Golden King, wouldn't she always have a young and strong husband?
"...the Huns held their queen in high esteem, her status almost equal to that of the Golden King."
Sura stated coldly in her heart: He did not lie, it's just that there is a big gap between the princess and the princess.
Ophelia slowly sat back down, her expression somewhat moved. "Well, it's not that I'm prejudiced against golden bloodlines. I'm just a little worried. What if we all have to live in tents in the future?"
No matter how handsome her husband was, she would rather live in a civilized world like Rome, surrounded by servants and caring for her. Going off to the grasslands to herd sheep? No way.
"So that's the point, my dear highness."
Sura connected the clues one by one, shaping them into an invisible collar: "His Highness Marcus is the legitimate heir, you can still help him."
"Ah? I really want to help my brother, but there's really nothing I can do."
Ophelia felt a shadow hanging over her head, and Sulla's voice was very tempting: "You can let the Huns fight for him against Persia, or someone else."
"Hahaha, the Huns wouldn't be that stupid~"
No matter how stupid she was, Ophelia didn't think the Huns were willing to fight for her. She hadn't even married yet.
"What if—you promise the Golden King [my dowry is the right to govern half of Rome]?"
…
The next morning, a team of carriages left the royal city before dawn and merged into the vast horizon.
Elena put away the telescope and a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.
The author has something to say:
Although it seems ridiculous, the plot of this chapter is inexplicably consistent with real history. (Referring to the Roman princess: Attila, I want to marry you - Attila: Half of the empire management rights, thank you)
Thanks to Inoue Hei, Yin Liuhua, Xuezhong, Xiaotai, Yunzhong Feixiang, and Kuaiqu icgirls for their support.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
