Chapter 312
Sophia and Trajan had been meeting much more frequently of late.
Whenever they did, Octavian stood guard behind Sophia like a shadow.
Whatever Achilles and Marcus had discussed before the boy crossed over to the East remained completely hidden from the public.
Sophia showed no reaction to this secrecy, but Trajan clearly found it bothersome.
“Can't you just ask Father?”
“If you're so curious, ask him yourself. Why push it onto me?”
“Because Father likes you best. If I ask, I'll just get scolded for no reason. If you ask, he'll gladly give you an answer.”
“If you just dropped that habit of pushing things onto others, Father would rate you much higher.”
Sophia frowned and shook her head.
She had pointed it out countless times, yet her younger brother's weak-willed nature never changed. It was thoroughly frustrating.
If anything, he seemed to be getting even more brazen about it lately.
“You're going to take care of everything anyway, so shouldn't I just stick to what I like and am actually good at?”
‘Ugh... I can't believe this guy is my brother. If we weren't related...’
Normally, someone whose position had been usurped would burn with a competitive spirit and try to prove their own competence.
Her brother, however, practically cheered at the outcome and shoved the vast majority of his arduous duties right into her lap.
He then declared he would only handle the military affairs he had always enjoyed.
That didn't mean he lacked curiosity, either.
Whenever he was curious about something or wanted to learn a secret, he pushed the task of finding out onto her.
‘It's because he was coddled too much when he was little. I spoiled him completely...’
Strictly speaking, Sophia bore some of the blame for making her brother so dependent.
Even before they were old enough to understand the world, Sophia had always outpaced her brother in whatever they learned.
Even in the military strategy that Trajan was so confident in, Sophia never really fell behind.
Their tutors, the people around them, and even their parents quickly realized who was the superior talent.
Because of that, Sophia had done her absolute best to look after her brother and accommodate him so he wouldn't get hurt.
Perhaps she had gone too far.
Her brother now deferred every difficult decision to her at the drop of a hat, relying on her for almost everything.
She scolded him until she was blue in the face, but his personality was already set in stone.
“You seriously need to think this through. What will you do when you actually go to war? Are you going to ask me if your strategy is right then, too?”
“If you come along, you can just command, right? I'll just give you advice from the sidelines. Like a staff officer.”
“If I need a staff officer, I'll take Agrippa. Why on earth would I take you...”
Sophia rubbed her temples and let out a heavy sigh.
Trajan snapped his fingers, wearing an expression that made one wonder if Archimedes had looked the same way when he shouted “Eureka.”
“Ah, right, there's him! How is he? I heard he got the top scores in his military academy class.”
“He graduated with the highest scores in history across all subjects. That record still hasn't been broken. He's an exceptionally outstanding talent.”
“Makes sense that Father attached him directly to you, then. When war breaks out with Satavahana, you're taking him along, right?”
“Of course. There are very few people in Rome who can handle those new weapons as well as Agrippa.”
War with Satavahana was already a foregone conclusion.
Sophia and Trajan knew this perfectly well, as did Achilles, who had already left for the East.
“But is Prince Swati really going to side with us?”
“Are you still on about that?”
“No, think about it. Swati ended up in his current mess because of Rome, ultimately. And the opposing faction is representing Rome's interests. Common sense dictates we should contact the opposition, not Swati, right?”
“I already explained this to you. Do you honestly believe the faction opposing Swati supports Rome from the bottom of their hearts?”
Trajan offered no reply.
His posture clearly said he had no idea and wanted her to explain.
“Swati didn't mess with us because he harbored some immense grudge against Rome. He simply misjudged the situation and thought we were easy prey he could extort. Though he might resent us now after paying such a harsh price for it.”
“Exactly. So even if he didn't hate us before, he definitely hates our guts now.”
“Quiet down and listen. The reason Swati resents Rome is that his rock-solid position has been shaken. And he likely knows that if things continue like this, he'll never become king. Even looking just at their domestic politics, the opposition has grown much larger, and he undoubtedly believes Rome stands behind them.”
“So we're going to extend a hand to a prince in crisis? Will he even believe it?”
“I've already fully investigated Swati's personality. His obsession with the throne is stronger than anyone else's. And as that seat drifts further away from him, his obsession only worsens. If I reached out a hand, he'd probably try to lick my boots.”
That last remark was something of a joke, but overall, nothing she said was wrong.
If they just let things flow naturally, the next king of Satavahana would undoubtedly be the figure backed by Swati's opposition.
Both sides were acutely aware of this fact.
“But Swati's opposition is a pro-Roman faction. Wouldn't backing them be more effective for taking control of the country internally?”
“Brother, that would be true if their loyalty genuinely came from the heart. Use that bright head of yours and think for a moment. Do you honestly believe they call themselves pro-Roman because they actually favor us?”
“...Ah, I see. Being ‘pro-Roman’ is just a superficial disguise to drive out Swati, whose own footing is already unstable?”
“Now you're finally talking some sense. The only genuine pro-Roman faction in Satavahana is made up of the people under the influence of the North India Company, which Tadius—Father's confidant—established. Those currently claiming to be pro-Roman are probably thinking something like this: ‘Let's sell Rome's name to drive Swati out and set up a puppet king. Those Romans are far away anyway, so we just have to pretend to bow our heads to them.’”
Sophia wet her lips with wine and continued in a low voice.
“And crucially, the balance of power right now leans heavily toward the anti-Swati faction, about seven to three. The more desperate a person is, the more you can wring out of them when you offer your help.”
“There's one more thing. The intention is to test the new weapons in this war and show off Rome's might, right?”
“Exactly. We're going to deliver a shock so massive that Swati won't even dare show his resentment toward Rome. We also need to wipe out the self-proclaimed pro-Roman faction that currently holds the majority and fill those seats with true loyalists.”
“Is that why it was decided that you and I would go in person? Because we have to handle the postwar affairs?”
“That's part of it, and it's also meant to disarm Swati's wariness. After all, he can't help but harbor ill feelings toward Father, can he? But we are different. If we imply that we could forge an entirely new relationship depending on his attitude, wouldn't it be easy to coax him? We're proposing starting a new era with new ties.”
Marcus had also praised this plan as an excellent idea.
Trajan, too, could now fully grasp the situation.
Yet, one thing still weighed on his mind.
“Does whatever Achilles asked of Father have something to do with the coming war, too?”
“You're bringing that up again?”
“Honestly, aren't you curious? He's seemed heavily weighed down by his thoughts lately. He agonized over something all on his own, had a private talk with Father, and immediately left for the East. Who knows what they discussed? Could he have asked to be sent there as governor once we conquer Satavahana? If he went East to build up his influence ahead of time, that would explain it.”
“Well... if we planned to make Satavahana a province, maybe, but Father already agreed to set Swati up as king. There's zero chance of that. And it hasn't even been decided whether Achilles will participate in the war...”
Sophia paused mid-explanation, as if something had just occurred to her.
She tapped her finger against the table piled high with fruit and muttered to herself.
“...Does he intend to join the war? But there's no reason to...”
No matter how extraordinary Sophia's insight was, she couldn't even fathom that her younger brother had resolved to leave Rome entirely.
Instead, she had started to wonder what position she should recommend him for if he distinguished himself in this upcoming campaign.
Trajan was much the same in that regard.
He was merely worried that if his younger brother made a name for himself in the war, scheming sycophants might swarm around Achilles and stir up trouble between them.
Those who have everything cannot completely understand the hearts of those who do not.
This wasn't a flaw in either of their characters.
Setting aside who was right or wrong, the root cause lay in the inherent disparity of their birth.
From the moment they were born, the two of them were the legitimate heirs to their house. For them, leaving Rome was a choice that simply did not exist.
They were permitted to reap rewards matching the extent of their abilities, provided they put in the effort.
Trajan falling behind Sophia was purely a matter of his own competence, effort, and attitude.
Achilles was different.
Before he even turned ten, he had realized that he was fundamentally different from his older sister and brother.
He probably would have lived a much happier life if he had been entirely incompetent, incapable of doing anything.
Sophia was not the type to scold a sibling simply for lacking talent.
Coasting on the coattails of his capable siblings, he could have spent his entire life in Rome eating well, living comfortably, and idling away without a single care.
However, Achilles could not endure such a life.
He needed a place where he could unleash his overflowing strength and intellect without restraint.
Even if the passion in his heart ultimately burned his body to ash, he preferred that blaze over a life left to rot in helplessness.
It was a realm completely beyond the comprehension of Sophia and Trajan.
“Sister, what will you do if Achilles actually joins the war against Satavahana and distinguishes himself?”
“I'll naturally place him in an important position. Still, it could cause quite a political stir, so I'll need to brainstorm a plan. But there's also a good chance I'm just reading too much into this. If Achilles truly wanted to participate in the war, Father would have told me.”
“That's true. He probably would have told you to figure out a plan to handle it.”
In truth, no matter how much Achilles distinguished himself, he posed no threat to Sophia.
It wasn't just a matter of sheer ability—she already had exceptional talents like Octavius and Agrippa arrayed at her side.
Trajan, on the other hand, would have no choice but to be at least mildly mindful of his younger brother's rise.
While there was no contest in terms of legitimacy, his own share of influence could still be chipped away, however slightly.
There was no way Father would have kept such a sensitive issue from her beforehand.
If Achilles genuinely wished to distinguish himself on the battlefield and revealed a desire to advance, Marcus would certainly have given her some kind of heads-up.
Father was far too shrewd to be unaware of such a basic fact.
“I'll have to look into it a bit more.”
“I'm telling you, let's just ask Father directly!”
“My pride won't allow that. And besides, Father might be testing me.”
As winter drew to a close and spring approached, Rome finalized its declaration of war against Satavahana and commenced its preparations.
Without anyone noticing, the paths of the heirs who inherited Marcus's talents were quietly beginning to diverge.