Chapter 571: Quarrel
"Caesar, I am your loyal servant. I am willing to serve you diligently, just like I served Theodosius. Please believe in my loyalty. God bless Rome! God bless Rome!"
The chief executive from Egypt said "God bless Rome" twice. He knelt on one knee facing Luca who was sitting on the throne. He stretched out his hands and gently held Luca's outstretched right hand.
If a devout believer meets the god he believes in and is fanatical about, the huge shock brought by such a sight is unimaginable, and he was like this, with tears in his eyes, a trembling voice, and choking several times when he swore. He expressed his willingness to surrender to the final winner without any unreasonable thoughts.
Luca's face showed fatigue. He didn't know how many courtiers he had come forward to express their loyalty. However, he still faced every local official who came forward with a smile, performing a long and boring drama.
Since he succeeded Augustus, Luca had not had a single peaceful day, and the reception of the local governor lasted the entire morning.
According to normal novel conventions, the story should end on the Augustus Forum in Constantinople, when his loyal companions lift him off the ground with shields on their shoulders and he appears in the sight of the world, announcing to the world in Augustus' attire and majesty that he will inherit the mantle of his predecessor Augustus and become a king above all others.
But time will not stop because of the appearance of a king who thinks he is great.
The king is the grave of heroes.
The mission goes far beyond this. Power and responsibility always affect Luca. After all, an excellent military general may not be an excellent Augustus, and an excellent Augustus may not become an excellent general.
Luga has been trying to adapt to this role. At noon, he was taking care of the flowers in the garden on the top floor of the palace.
Liginia sat aside. The marble-carved dining table was filled with various foods. Although there were many varieties, it was not rich. It could even be said that an ordinary civilian could eat better than this if he was willing to spend money.
Likinia sat in her seat, playing with the cheesecake on her plate with a fork, waiting for Luca to finish his work before eating.
It was midsummer, and the flowers were in full bloom. The garden was decorated with a variety of colors, dazzling the eyes. Putting down the knife, Luka took the handkerchief handed to him by the servant, wiped his hands, turned around and returned to his seat.
Seeing Luca coming to her side, Liginia complained to Luca: "Look at what you are eating? Fruit, bread, and grilled fish. There is not a single meat dish on the table. Is this the food that a dignified Augustus should eat?"
In response to Likinia's question, Luca smiled and explained, "In the past, marching and fighting required a lot of energy, so we ate more meat. But now our activities are limited to a small palace. Eating so much meat will not work for our bodies."
"Where does this evil idea come from?" Li Jiniya curled her lips, then picked up the knife, elegantly cut off a piece of cake and gently put it in her mouth.
There was a long silence afterwards. Li Jinnia looked up at Luga from time to time, trying to break the calm and awkward situation. But just when she was about to open her mouth, she saw Luga concentrating on eating with his head down and not looking away, which made Li Jinnia very dissatisfied.
Women are naive and romantic by nature. They always hope that the person they love can pay attention to them all the time and satisfy their little greed. What's more, some even hope that the person they love can be with them all the time. Starting a shameless life is the true embodiment of love.
In order to attract Luca's attention, Liginia racked her brains. She was afraid that she would open her mouth but get no response. It would be very embarrassing to open her mouth in front of so many servants and get no response.
So the greeting she wanted to open her mouth turned into a deliberate dry cough. Li Jiniya strained her throat to make a cough that was more violent than a normal cough. Her acting skills were exaggerated, but all of this was to attract Luca's attention.
"If the cake is a little dry and not suitable for your pampered throat, I can't think of any other explanation for your cough now." Luca finally raised his head and looked at Likinia.
"Yes, oh, that's not the case, Caesar." Liginia rubbed her throat, looked at Luca with a charming smile, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally told the truth: "There is something I have to tell you, Caesar, I, I am divorced from Valentinian."
"Did he mean that?"
"No, that's what I meant."
"Liginia, you are really reckless to do this." Luca put down the cutlery in his hand, "You should understand how much of a blow it will be to Valentinian to file for divorce at this time, not to mention that this will even shake his position in Ravenna. It will also cause an irreparable crack in the country that was once as solid as a rock."
"But I don't love him, Luca, as you can see!" Licinia looked extremely stubborn. "The humiliation he gave me when he asked you to help him become a true Augustus has deeply hurt my heart. He is not worthy of being a husband. He is just a selfish coward, a dog that barks behind people's backs."
"I won't let you say that about him, Likinia. He's still your husband after all."
"He is not!" Likinia glared at Luca. She looked so willful and unreasonable. She wanted to say something else, which must be insulting. She didn't say it. Likinia still had some reason, at least she knew what to say and what not to say.
"You're crazy, Likinia." Luca widened his eyes, spread his hands and said to Likinia: "No matter what, no matter what, don't talk about this anymore."
"As long as Caesar can follow my father's will, I will not force anything and will just be the person Caesar wants me to be." Li Jinia snorted coldly and turned away.
This willful woman made Luga shake his head helplessly. He watched Likinia go away and disappear at the end of the flowers.
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In the afternoon, with nothing to do, Luga thought about going to see his adoptive father's tomb and his predecessor, Augusta Arya, who was the keeper of the tomb.
Theodosius's mausoleum was built in the south of Constantinople. It was originally a palace given to Stilicho by Theodosius I. Because Stilicho was killed for plotting his son to usurp the throne of Augustus, his palace was abandoned and eventually became the mausoleum of Theodosius II.
Since it is a mausoleum, it is inevitably deserted. The huge palace is guarded by only two guards. At the same time, it has become a monastery where Augusta Arya lives. She will always accompany her husband in grief for the rest of her life.
Because he was Augustus, the soldiers did not stop Luca from entering. Luca went straight until he saw the mausoleum located at the innermost part.
Arya, wearing a black robe and wrapping her head, knelt in front of Theodosius's tomb. The empty room echoed with rustling whispers. That was Arya praying.
"Sorry to bother you." Luca bowed slightly and spoke cautiously.
It might have been a while since anyone came. The sudden voice really startled Arya. Her shoulders shrugged slightly, and then she quickly turned around and looked at Luga in surprise.
"It's you." Arya smiled and quickly reached out her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes. She stood up and walked to Luca, then turned her head to look at Theodosius's mausoleum. "I didn't expect you to visit. It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to another place."
(End of this chapter)