After a night of intense pleasure, Cornelia lay in Septimus' arms, her voluptuous figure fully exposed as she savored the lingering sensations coursing through her body. On the other side of the bed, Atilia slept with her eyes closed, her young body barely covered by a thin silk blanket.
"My husband wants your support to become prefect of the city of Capua," Cornelia said, her fingers tracing slow circles across Septimus' chest.
After hearing her request, Septimus immediately understood the true purpose behind the visit of those two women.
Cornelia's husband, as a prominent member of Capua's council, held considerable influence if he wished to obtain the position of prefect. The only variable was Rome. Septimus knew that the Scipio family also coveted the post and assumed that he would support them due to their family ties.
Now he found himself facing a dilemma: help the Scipio family or support Cornelia's husband. Deep down, Septimus did not care who governed Capua, as long as no one dared to provoke him.
Cornelia carefully studied Septimus' youthful face, feeling a faint sense of fascination. She had offered both her own body and her daughter's in exchange for financial support, hoping to become the prefect's wife. Even if the request failed, she was still willing to remain the lover of that attractive young man.
Having made her decision, Cornelia's hand slowly slid down Septimus' chest and gently grasped him, while her voluptuous body pressed fully against his.
Septimus sensed the changes in her body and quickly lost his concentration. Taking the initiative, he wrapped his arms around her soft, naked body and pulled her onto his lap, straddling him.
The bed began to creak once more. Atilia stirred from the movement and, no longer under the effects of alcohol, felt embarrassed enough to pretend she was still asleep. Of course, Septimus noticed immediately and, with his free arm, began to explore every part of her naked body.
The atmosphere in the room quickly grew heated. After nearly two hours, an exhausted Cornelia rested atop Septimus, her pale, naked body completely exposed. He held her with one arm while caressing her white hips, never forgetting to use his other hand to fondle Atilia.
"All right," Septimus said at last. "I will support your husband financially so he can obtain the position of prefect."
Cornelia briefly forgot her fatigue and kissed Septimus intensely for a long time. She was completely happy to have secured the support her husband needed and to have become the lover of a promising young man.
"I have only one condition," Septimus added after pulling his lips away from Cornelia's. "I want you to visit the villa more often, and I also want Atilia to stay here."
Atilia opened her eyes slightly in surprise upon hearing Septimus' words. She felt conflicted about his proposal, and although the Roman upper class was libertine, having a woman live in a man's house without being his wife would attract many rumors among the elite.
"That's fine, there's no problem," Cornelia said without much thought. Atilia becoming Septimus' lover was already within her expectations.
Cornelia believed her daughter would gain great favor as Septimus' lover and that, with her husband's growing influence in the future, she might eventually become his primary wife. Moreover, judging by Septimus' attitude toward Fausta, she could conclude that the woman of the Scipio family was not particularly dear to him.
For two consecutive days, Cornelia and Atilia had relations with Septimus, experimenting with different positions. Septimus became somewhat addicted to the two women—mother and daughter—and enjoyed every part of their bodies.
On the third day, Cornelia, with deep dark circles under her eyes, slept soundly inside the carriage as she returned to Capua with her entourage.
Septimus arranged one of the main rooms for Atilia to live in, thus acquiring a new toy.
In fact, the position of prefect of the city of Capua generally rotated among several noble families and local elites. Had it not been for the influence of the Scipio family, it would have been practically impossible for the post to fall to a noble house not native to Capua.
Septimus was unaware that the Scipio family's true interest in obtaining the prefecture of Capua was not particularly strong. With Marius' death imminent, all of Rome maintained discretion and limited its actions to avoid being remembered by the irascible Cinna or by Carbo.
The Roman upper class feared Marius more than anyone else. In their eyes, he was a tyrant who had slaughtered countless nobles and elites, completely disregarding Roman law. Never before in Rome's history had there been a massacre on such a scale. He did not only kill his enemies but even his own relatives, including members of the Caesar family. Fortunately, Marius was on the brink of death, though his allies remained alive. Cinna and Carbo were also true tyrants.
After Cornelia left the villa, Septimus began thinking about new sources of income, as his various expenses were weighing heavily on him. Unfortunately, beets were not cultivated year-round, and without them, the production of white sugar could not be expanded—especially since only the upper class had enough money to buy it. Septimus also resented the greedy farmers who raised the price of beets in the market.
If he could kill all the farmers, he would, but now was not the time; sooner or later, he would take his revenge.
The constant production of weapons and armor, the ongoing consumption of construction materials and food, and the purchase of land—all of it was rapidly draining Septimus' wealth and preventing him from growing faster.
The solution Septimus devised was to produce alcohol. In ancient times, due to technological limitations, wine could not be stored for long periods. Brandy emerged because people feared wine would spoil, and as a result, they distilled it, giving rise to brandy almost by accident.
The clones were organized to purchase three wineries that produced wine and mead. Each owned fifteen hundred yugos of vineyards (a yugo being the amount of land a cow can plow in one day, approximately fourteen hectares).
Septimus also arranged for the clones to acquire another eight hundred yugos of land in scattered plots, including five hundred yugos of private land and three hundred yugos of leased state land, twenty of which would be used to plant sugar beets.
As for how to handle the wine and mead, Septimus already had a plan: to take advantage of the opportunity to study distillation techniques. Wine, once distilled, became brandy; mead, once distilled, became rum.
Meanwhile, progress on the construction of the villa continued steadily. Large quantities of stone were piled outside the entrance, and in some areas the foundations had already been laid. Numerous clones worked in synchronization, carrying stones beyond the earthen walls and beginning to raise them.
Thanks to the vast amount of manpower, construction advanced at a remarkable pace.
All the wooden barracks had been completed, and inside them were numerous training grounds and stables.
Some clones trained in groups of ten, but the area was starting to feel somewhat small and already slightly overcrowded for so many people. Septimus possessed an ability that allowed him to accumulate combat experience, but he could not allow his clones to remain idle or gradually lose their physical strength.
Inside the villa's residence, at a valuable round table made of nanmu wood in the center of the hall, surrounded by two long couches with bronze legs, sat Septimus and Atilia. Romans enjoyed eating or conversing while reclining on such couches. A beautiful slave girl, wearing a linen tunic and with short black hair, attended to Septimus.
Before leaving the villa, Cornelia had given Septimus an invitation to a banquet in the city of Capua, intended to demonstrate to the entire upper class her support for Marcus as prefect of the city.
Throughout Rome, it was perfectly normal for nobles to host banquets; they were formal social events, usually held every few days. If the situation in Rome were not so tense due to the imminent death of Marius, banquets would have been held constantly.
Septimus accepted without much thought. Would there be naked women dancing, like in movies or television series? Would there be all kinds of decadent lifestyles? Just thinking about it was exciting.