Chapter 82 The scales fall
◎Stay in Rome and wait for the wedding to end? How could that be possible?◎
"Behave yourself!"
The moon shone on the path as the group left the party.
The guard recognized Elena and was about to intervene when he saw the black-haired girl's fury. He paused for a moment, thinking, then pretended not to notice, watching them leave from the corner of his eye.
Not long after, the door of the manor opened and closed.
Ronnie waved her hand to drive a group of maids who were watching the fun into the garden. Someone brought a ladder and tried to peek through the back window, but was caught on the spot and taken to the kitchen to peel fruit.
With a click, Melia locked the door, angrily threw the key out of the window, and then closed the window.
"Miss, am I locked out?" Taffy knocked on the door.
"It's okay, you'll be responsible for opening the door later."
"Oh." The footsteps faded away.
After a while, Taffy said weakly: "Miss, the key has been fished out of the pool. Please remember to pull the bolt when the time comes..."
"Okay, open it after I finish asking!"
It was quiet outside the door. Melia rolled up her sleeves, clenched her two orange-sized fists, and turned around to say, "Elena, you—"
"Shh." A pair of gentle arms embraced, and a smile filled the azure eyes: "Don't be angry so quickly. Why can't we get some sleep and put our worries behind us?"
Elena always likes to purse her lips, and her long eyebrows look serious when they are raised.
But this moment was different. A look of apology softened her features, letting her already vibrant golden hair flow from her chest to her heart. An ambiguous atmosphere filled the air, as if she should quickly fall asleep instead of dwelling on trivial matters.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work on angry cats, meow!
Melia grabbed her ears and practically twirled them up and down. "Worry? Is that a worry?! Oh, you're getting married next week, and you didn't even send me an invitation this week?"
"Ahem, I'm leaving next week, and the wedding won't happen until we get to Athens. Let go first, it's hard to speak with your ears being pulled..."
"Are you really going to send me an invitation?"
Melia loosened her fingers and pushed forward with her shoulders, but Elena gently hugged her and pulled her back, rolling onto the pillow together.
Although I was wrapped in soft cotton on all sides, my anger still rose in waves.
"Meliya."
"snort!"
"listen to me."
"I'm not listening! No, tell me!"
"It's a fake marriage."
Elena shook the girl in her arms helplessly and said as quickly as she could, "Antonio wants to use Greek magic items in exchange for His Majesty's forgiveness."
"Antonio? Huh." Melia flipped through the book in her mind: "Caesar blamed him for the assassination?"
That shouldn't be the case. Whether in the original novel or the current situation, Greece is so important. It was just an unsuccessful assassination. Even if Antonio really did it, as long as he didn't dance in front of everyone and step on his face, Caesar would have swallowed it and pretended nothing happened.
In the original work, Antonio married Elena. He first took Elena back to his hometown to avoid the chaotic situation in Rome, and then went to Athens to compete with the aristocratic parliament.
Before they fell out, there was a honeymoon period of fighting back-to-back enemies. During this period, Caesar was deeply entangled in the Persian War and eventually died in a city-state on the front line.
After reviewing the plot twice, Melia really couldn't think of any opportunity that would make Caesar change his attitude towards Antonio and force him to voluntarily hand over the Greek treasure.
Was it revenge for the theft of his wife and the murder of his son? He was about the same age as Caesar's children, and the only prince killed recently was Titus. Antonio had no motive for committing the crime.
"I don't know, but that's what it looks like on the surface."
Seeing Melia's pensive expression, Elena secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "After my father gave the order, I went to see Antonio. He has lost a lot of weight. It doesn't look like he is under ordinary house arrest."
My father's attitude was a little strange. He always considered himself a strong man and didn't care about those unsuccessful assassinations. He was obviously in a good mood when he brought Antonio there that day.
Even though the assassin said that, my father laughed all the way from the temple to the door.
My arrows were originally intended to...hunt down the Roman Emperor.
Who? Melia, the one being chased?
"Elena, don't be in a daze!" The little paw patted the shoulder.
Elena came to her senses. "He must have offended Father in some other way. I asked him directly at the time, but he refused to say what it was and insisted that it was a misunderstanding."
"He refuses to tell? That must be a huge misunderstanding." Melia sneered, "Don't get off topic. Tell me, what does this have to do with a fake marriage? A real marriage can even form an alliance~"
Elena deliberately looked around and lowered her voice: "It is related. The crown must be locked in the Greek treasury... huh~"
“I’m going to die!”
"Ha ha ha ha."
A breath of air blew into Melia's ears, and she raised her fists and banged them, her cheeks flushing red. Elena dodged twice and hugged her and got under the quilt.
…
With a flick of her wrist, Elena carefully lifted half of the quilt and stepped onto the carpet.
"Huh..." She covered her face, and after a few seconds she turned around and brushed her fingers against her lover's cheek.
Melia, Melia, Melia...
〆氵θδΗí
If it was just a fake wedding in Greece, it wouldn't be difficult to be honest. With Melia's hamster-like cautious personality, she wouldn't tell anyone about her plans.
Antonio was an ambitious man, and men like him didn't care about the real purpose of marriage. Even if they were to get married for real, they could agree that nothing would happen.
If she had not met Melia, she might really have entered into a marriage contract with Antonio, betting their futures on each other and seeking the future of Greece and Rome - for them, heirs were unnecessary, only rights, only rights that they could control were the most precious.
When she first saw Antonio, she felt as if there was a pane of glass between them, staring at her own reflection. When she first saw Melia...
Suddenly, a glimpse of a beautiful woman in the forest flashed through my mind. The girl on the horse raised her face, her emerald green eyes full of innocence.
How long has it been since we last met? This definitely wasn't our first time. But...what were my feelings back then?
Murderous intent... Phew, memory is always unreliable.
Elena lowered her head and gazed at the girl's innocent sleeping face again. She smiled for a long time, her lips trembling silently, "Meliya, I'm too greedy."
Not only do I want to seize the robe of power and wear the crown, I also want to hold the hand of my lover and never be separated.
What about the Huns? What about the Hunnic king's tent?
The cold words passed through my heart, a mixture of Elena and Caesar's voices.
[Don't be silly. Father (I) can live a long time—200 years? Do you want to wait 200 years to come back as a daughter-in-law to inherit Rome? Ha.]
Unless - my father died very early.
She held her breath, her heart beating faster and faster, as if it was about to jump out of her throat.
Under what circumstances would Caesar die so young?
Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask me!
Scenes flashed through his mind, finally settling on the temple. This time, Caesar lay on the ground, bloodied, his eyes wide open.
The Roman crown slowly disintegrated in her mind, and the gems and pearls on it fell one by one, turning into winding serpents and chains, wrapping the throne tightly.
Even so, it's still very tempting.
The serpent lifted the chain and opened its mouth to her: "Elena, this belongs to you. You are more suitable than anyone else. You are long-lived, powerful... You even know how to take care of those fools..."
[Elena, do you look down on ordinary people? ]
The worried voice of a young girl echoed through her mind, shattering the illusion. Elena jerked herself upright, her eyes widening as she stared at her increasingly distinct fingers: "To wish my father would die soon? How twisted she really is!"
Snap, clatter.
The glass window crackled, and a little white cat squeezed in through the gap, wagging its tail proudly. "Good evening! What are you thinking about?"
She plopped onto Elena's lap and meowed, "You haven't had time to play with me lately. Tell me, what are your plans for the future? Are you really not going back to Rome?"
Elena raised an eyebrow. "Even though we're both fairies, Meimei doesn't usually speak with such a Pixie accent. Why are you being so pretentious today?"
She grabbed the kitten and held it in her arms: "Don't worry, I'll be back when I get the things."
"Oh~~ meow," the kitten cried tenderly, rubbing its paws on the belt. "Then why didn't you tell Melia? She will forgive you~"
"Forgive? Hahaha, do you think she will accept my reason? I couldn't help but delay."
Elena was rubbing the cat's fur when she felt something move and kick her thigh. Strange, isn't that the cat's belly? I was holding its paw in my hand... Oh, yes, cats have four paws. Was it its legs that were moving?
She waited for a while, and when there was no strange movement, she continued to stroke the cat's back.
You're smart! Melia pouted in her heart: Humph, if I hadn't known what kind of person you are, I would have been so angry that I would die.
If she saw someone on a modern forum asking, "What should I do if my girlfriend is faking a marriage with a man for profit? They promise not to do anything.", she would definitely use a bulldozer to persuade them to break up.
But when it comes to Elena, she can only sigh.
Elena's desire for the throne is rooted in her bones. It is her character and the bond of her growth.
Now there's a chance to win Caesar's favor, and maybe even a scripted adventure for the heroine. How could she possibly pass it up? So now she must find out... what Elena is really trying to hide!
After all, in Elena's opinion, fake marriage can still be discussed and communicated.
The little white cat raised its head and meowed, "Procrastination? I wonder if you have anything else to say."
Elena's fingers suddenly tightened, the force so strong that even the soft fur felt the pressure.
"Meimei, father can live for a long, long time. He——"
He showed me a completely new path, marrying into the Hun tribe.
It's a thorny road, but it also leads directly to the crown.
The Huns were not as docile and gullible as everyone despised them to be. If their cavalry were united and well trained, they might be able to sweep across several kingdoms, seize one crown after another, and have them all fall on the bloody throne.
Alliance with the Huns was a good move for Rome: risky, but not too risky.
Rome was now at its peak, and the Huns, if they had any sense left, would not dare to act rashly. If there had been a favored Roman princess, they would probably have abandoned their plans to gnaw on this difficult bone.
But her plan will be completely rewritten:
[Elena, you really can't promise me marriage? ]
I really can't...but I'm also really willing to give everything except the throne.
The original plan was to make Melia a lover, and the bargaining chip for marriage would no longer be chosen upwards, but to choose a man who did not have to fulfill the relationship.
After she becomes the Roman emperor, she can naturally elevate Melia's status and make her a more glorious and happy woman than the queen of other countries.
But all of this is based on the premise that Caesar dies early. Melia doesn't have dragon blood, so she won't live for more than two or three hundred years.
If she chooses to marry the Hungarian king and become the Hungarian princess, she will have to separate from Melia completely.
I won't do that.
A firm voice echoed in my mind.
Yes, I won’t do that... There’s no need to make Melia worry, so why bother saying it out loud.
Elena took a deep breath and slowly exhaled the anger.
The little white cat's claws scratched in her arms. She reached out and patted it. "Phew, you know... there was an assassin who tried to kill my father before."
"Uh-huh!"
“He said to his father, ‘My arrows are designed to track down Roman emperors,’ and then he died.”
“Hahaha, this isn’t bullshit—meow?!”
The little white cat's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! That arrow actually circled her 360 degrees several times in front of everyone! This lousy assassin was about to die, and he still wanted to show off in front of Caesar!"
"Okay, I'll go back to bed first, and you should get some rest early too."
Elena threw back the covers and lay back down beside her lover. This time, her heartbeat was much calmer. "What Hun Emperor, what Roman Emperor? I'll seize the opportunity and claim that position based on my own abilities."
If you think about it carefully, if Greece becomes chaotic for various reasons, it would be nice to conquer Greece...
"Hey, hey, hey, don't sleep, don't sleep yet, I can't sleep!"
The little white cat jumped onto the pillow and stepped on her face desperately: "If Caesar really listens to this, Melia's life will be over!"
"Um?"
Elena burst out laughing. "What are you thinking? Melia isn't of royal blood. Does she have dragon blood? Who would believe that? Hahahaha."
If you think about it carefully, Melia would look quite gorgeous in the emperor's robe... ahem.
Could it be true? Melia raised her head in despair and looked at the ceiling.
[You are a true princess, you have dragon blood.]
So "Meliya" got a rebirth revenge script? This is too ridiculous, the heroine is not dead yet——
"don’t worry."
Elena closed her eyes and plucked a handful of cat fur. "Well, given my father's personality, he'll probably tell this as a joke when he's drinking, right? Good night."
No - there is no emperor who would spread rumors for his enemies!
The kitten fell onto the quilt in pain and disappeared with a puff.
After a moment, Elena took out the letter that had been prepared long ago from her bosom and gently placed it on Melia's pillow.
I've finally made all the decisions, and every one of them has to do with you.
None of it has changed.
…
Seven days later, a group of light cavalry set out from the inner city of Rome.
They wore bright silver armor and celebratory red ribbons.
The cavalry, flanked by several carriages, rushed back and forth, clearing the way. The citizens on the street were dispersed several times, but they flocked back to watch the excitement many more times.
Ha! Caesar is marrying his daughter!
The news of the Seventh Prince's marriage to the son of the Greek archon spread like wildfire, and everyone understood that this was a signal of friendship with Greece.
The wedding ceremony should not be too extravagant, so as not to cause dissatisfaction among the gods. Only after the ceremony is completed in Greece and the marriage is declared valid before the Queen of Heaven can the celebration be carried out.
"Oh, why don't His Highness and Lord Antonio show up!" Someone in the crowd complained, but unfortunately the convoy had already disappeared.
In another corner of Rome, in a luxurious courtyard.
Melia pulled out boxes from the trunk and threw them to Mili: "Okay, take this, this, and this, and let's go~"
Stay in Rome and wait for the wedding to end? How could that be possible?
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Qi Shengxiao's Lei Lei~
Thanks to nanaya_scarlet, KaLL, and Bie Menghan for their support~
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