018: Gem and Flame
"Today, we will study the Twelve Tables."
The morning sunlight filtered through plain curtains, illuminating his hair. In the golden-haired girl's blurred vision, it shone brightly.
That light was like moonlight or the gleam on ripened rice stalks, ever-changing depending on the perspective.
It was as if this person were the embodiment of unfathomable mystery. And so, Domitius's day began.
Since Novia had baptized her, out of obligation and personal interest, he intended to sway Domitius—the future Nero—to his side as much as possible before Agrippina ascended as empress. This would facilitate Agrippina's swift execution after Claudius's death.
Although Agrippina had previously appeared submissive, Novia never underestimated this woman's schemes. Once she gained proximity to Claudius, becoming empress was inevitable. This was not because the sixty-year-old Claudius was lustful or favored incestuous marriages but because he rationally needed Agrippina's lineage and status as tools to legitimize and stabilize his rule.
Claudius had been thrust onto the throne after Caligula's assassination, without any formal adoption or designation as heir by a previous emperor. He had never even served as consul before. In terms of lineage, Claudius lacked Augustus's bloodline. His connection to the Julio-Claudian line was through his grandmother, Octavia Minor—making him a "collateral" or "minor" branch. Agrippina possessed both of these absolute advantages that Claudius lacked.
Ultimately, the root cause was that Rome had no statutory rules of succession, and the power of interpretation was constantly shifting. Coupled with the fact that the first dynasty itself relied too heavily on Augustus's prestige, all these factors combined to create Claudius's exceedingly awkward predicament.
Previously, the old emperor had hoped that the Christianity brought by Novia would largely replace polytheism for precisely these reasons. Unfortunately, he could neither control his unfaithful wife nor Agrippina, who was adept at leveraging her advantages.
"After today's lessons, there will also be the study of Christian doctrine as I mentioned. Now, it is time to move on to the next stage. In a few days, I will send you to a nearby place to try things on your own. This is a necessary benchmark, Domitius. Please do your best."
"I understand, Teacher Novia."
The blonde girl studied earnestly. Hearing this, she shifted her gaze from the book compiled by Novia to the adjoining room. Aside from a bed, a plain wooden square table, and four straw-stuffed chairs, there was no other furniture. On the wall, where a mirror would usually hang, there was a silvered copper crucifix, nailed to a black cord and mounted in a dim, gilded wooden frame.
There was nothing luxurious here. The simplicity made the space feel even more solemn.
"Sir, do you have a moment?"
A voice came from outside the room. Domitius guessed it was yet another person coming to ask her teacher about doctrine.
Hearing the voice, Novia glanced at the blonde girl and found her eyes wide open as she recited the book's contents word for word. Noticing his gaze, she looked back questioningly.
"Continue studying on your own for now. I will be back shortly."
With that, Novia stepped out. Once Domitius was certain there were no magical fluctuations in the room, she put down the book and ran to the second-floor window. Although she couldn't peek outside directly through the window, she could just barely make out the scene in front of the main gate through the grille.
As expected, it was the common people whom Domitius loved from the bottom of her heart. Perhaps due to her experiences in early childhood, the blonde girl loved the nameless common folk far more than the high-ranking nobility. It was precisely for this reason that she held such respect for Novia, who was only two years older than her yet dutifully upheld his responsibilities and was deeply beloved by the people.
Ever since Domitius realized that Novia was genuinely loved by the people, she vowed to become someone like him—someone who could smile from the heart just by being seen by thousands. To achieve this small yet grand goal, she had been striving tirelessly.
A few days earlier, after drinking the water Novia gave her, perhaps because her headache had eased for a long time or because she was too young to keep her thoughts to herself, she ended up honestly sharing this declaration with Novia.
"So this is what you think."
At that time, Novia narrowed his eyes and smiled softly, his voice blending with nature, giving the girl the feeling that he had already known.
The girl, who had been about to say more, found herself wordlessly nodding in response to his question.
"I see."
The girl in the room stared blankly at the light streaming in through the window. The bright room was filled with vivid colors, and she was immersed in this glow.
Afterward, he spoke only one more sentence, whispering it softly. Reflected in the girl's green eyes was the sincerity in his blue irises.
"My student, if you need help, please tell me, Domitius."
The girl's eyes reflected the figure of the boy, who always maintained a gentle demeanor. The second-floor room she was in was quite a distance from the ground, so her gaze should have gone unnoticed. Yet, Domitius realized that Novia had glanced lightly in her direction.
"......"
For a moment, she felt as if her breath had stopped. Although it was frightening to have her gaze detected, what scared her even more was the thought of being reprimanded by her teacher as a student.
Immediately, the blonde girl rushed back from the second floor to her original spot and silently began reading the book she was supposed to study. Although studying alone was dull, she knew it was a necessary sacrifice for gaining knowledge. That said, she couldn't truly spend all her time studying, because Domitius was a versatile genius.
So, after some thought, she picked up the doctrine compiled by Novia and began reading it, pondering its meaning. To her, these seemed even more difficult to understand than the study materials, including the words spoken during baptism. However, although she didn't fully grasp their meaning, the blonde girl felt they were important and that she must understand them.
For now, Domitius pondered the doctrine Novia had taught her while waiting for him to return and answer her questions.
".....Hmm?"
When Novia returned and pushed open the door, he found that Domitius, who would later be renamed Nero, was indeed, as Seneca had soliloquized, a spirited and shining little gem. Unfortunately, she was an uncontrollable variable.
"Hello, Teacher."
"Ah."
"Teacher Novia, I wanted to ask, what does this sentence mean..."
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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