Chapter 279 Banquet
Looking back, Luca's eyes saw the red carpet slowly moving upwards, and the three highest-ranking people in purple robes gathered in the crowd. Similarly, the highest-ranking people were also looking down at Luca.
"I remember this person."
Valentinian III, who was standing in the middle, stared at Luca, who was standing at the beginning of the red carpet at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled and spoke. I don't know who he was talking to, maybe he was talking to himself.
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. However, the two women behind Valentinian III had different expressions on their faces.
"So Caesar also has acquaintances." Gala Placidia smiled behind Valentinian and said, "For someone like you who stays at home for many years to meet someone like this who comes from the military, it must be God's arrangement." This was a normal joke between mother and son, but Liginia looked nervous, trying to hide her guilty conscience. She seemed calm on the surface, but Gala Placidia next to her still saw it.
"What's wrong, child?" Gala Placitia leaned forward and looked at Liginia with a smile. Even though her face was full of smiles, making the wrinkles more obvious, her eyes were looking Liginia up and down.
"No, nothing!" Liginia keenly noticed something wrong in Pracitia's eyes. She quickly smiled back and said, "It's just that I haven't met such a close acquaintance for a long time. What's more, he is my brother! We have been separated for several months, and I am somewhat excited to see him now." After she finished speaking, she smiled apologetically, until Pracitia looked away from her doubtfully, Liginia breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
"Then, tell me about him, my son!" Placidia turned around and looked down at Luca who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and said to Augustus Valentinian in front of her: "It doesn't matter, I want to hear what this guy did to make you so impressed by him." It seems that Augustus is eager to understand this young Roman who is in a high position. Not only Placidia, but also Licinia came forward.
"I think it could just be a coincidence!" Valentinian said with a smile, "At that time, we were besieged by the Bagauda rebels in Gaul, Belgium. At that time, I thought I would never see you again, mother, but he!" Valentinian III raised his chin and continued, "He was dressed in dirty and tattered clothes, and his armor was rusty as if it had been forgotten in an armory for hundreds of years. Even so, he and his companions led me out of the encirclement of the Bagauda people."
"Oh?" Valentinian's words made Gala Placidia very interested. She looked down at Luca who had one foot on the red carpet with interest and said slowly: "What a coincidence, but who can tell whether it was intentional or accidental?"
"Is mother doubting him?" Valentinian III asked over his shoulder.
Gala Placidia didn't know what to say. She realized that her words had made her son feel unhappy, so she shrugged her shoulders to express her denial.
"In short, I feel that he is a loyal soldier of the empire!" Valentinian III took a deep breath. It felt like he had too high expectations for Luca, and he insisted that this must be a possibility! "Andrew, are you ready?" Luca turned around and looked at Andrew who was hurriedly tidying up his clothes.
"Oh, oh, God, wait for me, wait for me!" Andrew was frantically searching everywhere, carefully cleaning the dirt on his chest, back, and even on his shoes. He felt that there was nothing wrong with him. Andrew finally relaxed, took the eagle flag from the soldier behind him, and followed closely behind Luca.
Before he stepped onto the red carpet, Luka first slowly took off the iron sword hanging from his waist and handed it to the nearest guard. Now he had nothing left, so he slowly stepped to the left and stepped lightly on the red carpet.
There was nothing special about it, so he stood on the red carpet, in full view of everyone, he climbed the steps and walked up step by step.
"Your Mightiness!"
Just after taking two steps, a guard soldier stopped him and said, "Guards are not allowed to go forward!" Luca understood and waved his hand behind him, so only Andrew followed Luca and continued to move forward.
"Congratulations, hero of Rome!"
"Welcome, Romans!"
"May Augustus and God be with you!"
The nobles along the way were completely unfamiliar to Luca. Of course, in their eyes, Luca was also a stranger with outstanding achievements. However, since he was appreciated by the Purple Chamber, he naturally had to be polite. Luca felt very benefited by listening to the nobles' blessings in their unique polite tone. He nodded and returned the greetings all the way, and finally came to Caesar Valentinian III.
"Welcome, my nephew!" Valentinian spread his hands and looked at Luca with a faint smile on his face.
This sentence surprised Luca very much. After a while, Luca came to his senses and realized that Theodosius II was his distant cousin. As the adopted son of Theodosius II, he was naturally the nephew of Valentinian III.
"How disgusting!" Luca thought to himself, but he didn't dare to show it on his face.
Facing Valentinian with his arms outstretched, Luca was three steps below him.
"Kutong!"
Almost accompanied by the exclamations of all the nobles present, even Valentinian III and his mother Galla Placidia and Licinia were all shocked. Because Luca knelt on one knee facing Valentinian, it was a sign of submission. Luca lowered his head, so he did not see the tangled expression on Valentinian's face. He wanted to laugh, but he didn't know how to express his inner joy. Galla Placidia was so surprised that she stretched out her hand to cover her open mouth. After all, this was a very serious occasion. The supreme commander of a legion composed of thirty field regiments, and the adopted son of Augustus of the Eastern Empire, knelt down to Augustus in front of the Roman nobles and thousands of Roman citizens to express his submission. For the previous Augustus, it was nothing, but for Valentinian, this kneeling was of great significance.
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"Oh, why is it so, my nephew, no, my friend!" Valentinian didn't know what to say. He hurriedly straightened his robe and ran down the three steps, grabbed Luca's arm to help him up, and pulled Luca up to the last step, turned around, grabbed Luca's right hand and raised it high.
"Hail! Hail! Hail!"
The citizens liked this loyal and resourceful general, at least they thought so. Of course, Augustus liked him even more. Luca expressed his loyalty to him, and Valentinian also gave him enough honor!
At this time, Luca only felt a chill on his back. He turned around and saw a figure hiding in the crowd. This figure was very familiar, but it could no longer be found. Luca was very confused, but there were more important things at the moment, so he had to turn around and enjoy the cheers from the citizens with Valentinian.
I'm sorry, I didn't sleep the whole day yesterday, and I was pulled to security just when I was about to rest this morning. I'm really tired. I will try my best for the second update, but I can't guarantee that I can finish it. Please understand. It's really uncomfortable not to sleep for more than 30 hours.
(End of this chapter)