Chapter 299
Though it had seemed he might mobilize at any moment, Marcus unexpectedly remained in Rome as days stretched into months.
The prolonged peace allowed him to smoothly solidify his foundation.
For the time being, he decided to observe how well the Eastern provinces would function in his absence.
Unlike before, he did not order Publius to completely fill the void he left behind, instructing him instead to handle only the matters that strictly required the supreme leader's approval.
While there were certainly issues that were difficult to resolve, handling those via letters from Marcus posed no real problem.
This was a test of sorts to see how smoothly his established administrative system would operate on its own.
Under the pretext of assessing the fruits of his labor, Marcus fully relaxed and enjoyed his incredibly light schedule.
But human nature is a fickle thing.
Back when he was drowning in work, he had desperately craved free time; now that he had it, he found himself bored.
Spending time with his family, taking in Rome's development, listening to the citizens, and enjoying banquets with the Senate only entertained him for so long.
Months had passed, and his days now consisted of nothing more than spending time with his family and receiving the occasional guest.
"I could never live like my father,"
Marcus murmured to himself, gazing down at the garden below.
"Isn't that obvious? You're holding a stack of paperwork right now..."
Danae, who was spending time alone with Marcus for the first time in a while, muttered in disbelief.
She shot a rather unamused glare at his hands.
While they had been spending more time together recently, they rarely had the opportunity to be completely alone like this.
And yet, the moment he sat down, he had eagerly buried his face in his documents. Naturally, she was not pleased.
Realizing his mistake, Marcus obediently shoved the papers aside and apologized.
"Ah, it's just a habit. I did it without thinking. I've had so little to do lately that I must be getting restless."
"What did you say right after we returned from your father's villa? Didn't you claim you wanted to try living that kind of life at least once?"
"There are some things you just can't know until you experience them yourself. Now I know for sure that that kind of lifestyle doesn't suit me, so it's actually a good thing."
"As long as you take care of your health, it's best to live the life you want. In fact, that might be the healthier way to live anyway."
Danae's gaze naturally followed his, drifting down toward the garden.
Down below, their son, Achilles, was panting heavily under Spartacus's instruction.
Unlike Marcus, who had absolutely no talent for weapons, the boy's movements were remarkably fluid even to an untrained eye.
"I never would have guessed they'd make such a perfect master and disciple. It's a relief, isn't it?"
"It is. It's quite strange when you think about it. The son of Rome's greatest warrior had absolutely no aptitude for combat, yet our son was born with the natural talent of a warrior."
"Children don't always take after their parents. That's what makes raising them so difficult."
While that mindset was less common in the modern era, people in ancient times strongly viewed their children as extensions of themselves.
Naturally, parents expected their children to follow in their footsteps.
When a child failed to live up to those expectations, their parents would often react with anger or despair.
Of course, many were willing to support their children's success in other fields if they displayed different talents.
Spartacus was a prime example of this.
Initially, he had naturally dreamed of raising his son to be a warrior as great as himself.
But as the boy grew older, Spartacus realized that his dream could never come true.
His son preferred reading and debating over playing with weapons.
Even when playing with Marcus's children, he seemed to prefer Sophia's company over Trajan's or Achilles's.
The boy was a fervent admirer of Marcus, but his approach was entirely different from that of his father, who sought to support his lord with a sword.
"I want to become a great scholar and support Lord Marcus's policies."
Upon hearing those words, Spartacus felt proud that his son had firmly found his own path, but he also felt an inexplicable pang of regret.
It was right around that time that he had begun training Achilles, the son of Marcus and Danae.
Marcus, sensing Spartacus's feelings, had casually suggested he try teaching the boy. That was how it started.
From then on, whether they were in Rome or traveling to the Eastern provinces, Spartacus always kept Achilles by his side and trained him.
Their dispositions matched so perfectly it felt as though the heavens had ordained their master-disciple relationship.
Danae was simply overjoyed that her son possessed a distinct talent in any field.
"I hope he grows into a great soldier. It is true that his standing is a bit precarious."
"Spartacus says that with proper training from a young age, the boy could fully surpass even him."
"That's just flattery because he's our son. Honestly, I don't even expect him to reach those heights."
To surpass Spartacus meant becoming the greatest warrior in Rome.
Ever the realist, Danae refused to indulge in such wishful thinking.
If anything, Marcus was the one more prone to doting blindly on their children.
"But Spartacus never received proper combat training as a child. Environmentally speaking, our son has a much better foundation. Even if his raw talent is slightly inferior, his overall potential is definitely there."
"That kind of blind faith is exactly what stunts a child's growth. Encouragement is fine, but excessive expectations only become a burden. If we listen to you, Sophia will become just like you, Trajan will become another Surenas, and Achilles will become Spartacus. It's just not realistic, is it?"
Danae shook her head helplessly.
Knowing full well he had a habit of doting on his children, Marcus couldn't offer a proper rebuttal.
Frankly, he genuinely believed they had the potential for it, but sadly, both Danae and Julia always dismissed his claims as the wishful thinking of a foolish father.
"Regardless, Achilles will surely rise to a high rank in the military. Spartacus wouldn't have kept him under his wing for so long if he didn't have genuine talent."
"I suppose you're right. I truly hope so."
A faint smile graced Danae's lips.
With her elegant smile, she had undeniably grown into a mature noblewoman of Rome.
Though she wasn't the official lady of the Julius Licinius house, everyone knew she was Marcus's mistress.
Whether in Rome or the Eastern provinces, Spartacus was one of the few people outside the family who could interact with her comfortably.
Still, because she wasn't an official wife, her social standing had strict limits.
She enjoyed a position of honor but held no actual authority.
Naturally, Danae had no ambitions for power anyway, and she had instilled that same mindset in Achilles since he was young.
With Julia's blessing, Achilles was formally registered as Marcus's adopted son, though he held no inheritance rights.
Marcus's wealth and authority would be passed entirely to Sophia and Trajan; Achilles would inherit only the honor of being Marcus's son.
In that regard, his standing was relatively the lowest among Marcus's children.
Sophia and Trajan went without saying, but even the children of Cleopatra and Arsinoe would remain pharaohs of Egypt, even if the title was purely symbolic.
This was precisely why Marcus had assigned Spartacus to mentor Achilles.
Since he couldn't leave the boy any tangible power, he hoped Achilles would cultivate his own skills and carve out a place for himself.
Looking at his progress, it seemed he was well on his way to doing exactly that. As a father, Marcus could breathe a little easier.
Danae undoubtedly felt the same way.
"Still, I never imagined Spartacus would devote himself to training him with such passion. We ought to give him a proper reward, but what do you think he'd want?"
"I'm not sure... I've tried thanking him personally, but he was completely taken aback. He insisted that nurturing a family member's talent was his duty, and that he was deeply hurt I would even think to thank him for it."
"That sounds just like Spartacus."
Marcus could easily guess how he felt.
To Spartacus, all of Marcus's children were undoubtedly precious without exception.
But among them, Danae's child held a slightly more special place in his heart.
After all, she was a fellow countrywoman he had watched over since she was young, and he had always supported her from the shadows. How could his feelings not be deeply sentimental?
Danae felt much the same way.
Using her connections, she continuously provided Spartacus's son with opportunities to interact with the finest scholars.
"Hearing him say that, I felt that trying to compensate him any further would only make him feel like we were drawing a line between us, treating him as an outsider rather than family."
"Even among family, it's only right to return a favor. Expecting unconditional devotion just because we're family is the wrong way to think about it. I'll take care of this on my end, so just pretend you don't know anything about it."
"Understood. I'll just keep doing what I've been doing."
"Have you seen any results?"
"Of course. Can't you tell the atmosphere is distinctly different from the old days?"
In Rome, it was now illegal to subject slaves to excessively cruel punishments.
It wasn't a radical law aiming to abolish slavery outright or guarantee absolute human rights.
Slaves were still considered their master's property, but the law strictly prohibited beating them to death on a whim or working them into the grave without a single moment of rest.
It served as a basic guideline, essentially decreeing: 'Even if you work your slaves, at least meet these minimum standards.'
In truth, the majority of sensible Roman citizens were already treating their slaves this way.
Because she had once been a slave herself, Danae was helping those in similar circumstances.
Her main priority was investigating reports of slaves being abused in the blind spots of the law and ensuring they received the bare minimum standard of living.
In the past, such efforts would have hardly made a ripple, but freedmen were now rising to remarkable prominence in Rome.
While Marcus's attention had been focused elsewhere, a shift in perception had slowly begun to take root, however faintly.
"Surprisingly, the day slavery is abolished entirely doesn't seem so far off. Give it a few hundred years, and slavery might just disappear from Rome altogether."
Marcus suddenly remembered the promise he had made to Danae a very long time ago, when they first met.
He found himself curious.
Could he confidently say he had kept that promise?
He wondered what she, the person it mattered to most, thought about it.
Marcus gently took her hand as she watched their son's training.
When she turned to look at him, he met her gaze straight on and asked a question.
"What do you think of Rome today? Can I confidently say I kept the promise I made when we first met?"
Her eyes widened for a moment before she looked back at him with a serious expression.
She swallowed her words several times, hesitating, before ultimately deciding that no words could fully convey her true feelings.
Instead, she simply nodded with a smile as warm as the sunlight bathing the garden.