The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 43: Julia Caesaria 2

 ────────────────

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“Don’t you remember?”

Marcus narrowed his eyes at Julia’s smiling face.

He felt like he had seen her somewhere, but he couldn’t pinpoint the exact time or place.

She was such a striking girl that he should have remembered her clearly, but it was a strange thing.

‘Did we just pass by each other briefly? No, that’s also a bit odd.’

If that was the case, Julia wouldn’t have remembered him either. The fact that she greeted him warmly when they met again meant that they had some time to recognize each other.

Marcus was not the only one who was bewildered.

Caesar also looked surprised.

“What, did you two already know each other?”

Instead of Marcus, who was trying hard to recall, Julia answered with a bright smile.

“Didn’t I tell you before? The day when father returned from Britannia to Rome three years ago, I showed a bit of an embarrassing sight.”

“Ah, the one where you bumped into someone in front of the Colosseum? I remember you said that, but I wondered how you could do that when you’re not that kind of girl.”

Caesar spent more time abroad as an exile than in Rome when he was in his twenties.

As soon as he became an adult, he defied the order of dictator Sulla and wandered around Asia Minor for four years. That was his first exile.

As a result, Julia saw her father’s face for the first time when she was four years old.

And when Caesar returned to Rome at the age of twenty-two, he opened a law office as a lawyer, but failed again.

He lost to Hortensius in the trial of Dolabella and left for another exile as a student at the age of twenty-four.

Caesar stayed in Greece for three years and was able to return to Rome after being appointed as a priest.

No matter how precocious Julia was, she couldn’t suppress her excitement as her father’s return date approached.

She went out to buy a gift for her father and bumped into someone in the crowded place and fell down.

Three years ago, when Marcus heard the word Colosseum, he suddenly realized.

One day, when he went out to receive a report on the newly revised gladiator games, he helped up a girl who bumped into him and fell down.

That girl, who was unusually mature for her age, must have grown up into a more mature girl by now.

The image of Julia in front of him overlapped with the image of the girl he had seen before in Marcus’s head.

“So you were that girl from back then… Haha, what a coincidence. I never imagined I would see you again like this.”

“Neither did I. I didn’t expect to meet you again in this way.”

Caesar, who had grasped the situation completely, looked back and forth between Marcus and Julia.

“So you were talking about the kind nobleman who bumped into you back then? Well, if this is fate, then it is fate. Why don’t you two talk to each other? Honey, let’s go to our room and have our own conversation.”

Caesar also spoke to Spartacus, who was guarding Marcus’s side.

“You’re the famous Spartacus, right? I’ve seen some of your games and there’s no one in Rome who can match you. How about you come with me and tell me some of your stories?”

Spartacus looked at Marcus.

When Marcus nodded his head, Spartacus followed Caesar inside.

They left only the two of them alone so obviously that Julia shook her head slightly with embarrassment.

“Father is really… He’s too blatant. I’m sorry if you were uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s fine. This is how these situations are usually made.”

When Caesar first met him, he asked Marcus if he had a fiancée.

And as soon as he heard that he didn’t have one, he invited him to his house later. He had expected this kind of situation since then.

He just didn’t expect that Caesar’s daughter would be such an eye-catching girl and that they already knew each other.

Marcus smiled faintly and added one more thing.

“But I’m surprised that you remembered me right away when we only met briefly three years ago.”

“To you, I might have been just a little girl who bumped into you, but it was a very embarrassing memory for me. I’ve never run around and bumped into someone else like that in my life…”

“Anyone would be excited if they heard that their father was coming back after several years.”

“But it was almost like a first impression, and I was a bit bothered by showing such an embarrassing sight. I wondered if you thought I was a brat.”

Marcus’s eyes sparkled.

She had seemed calm and dignified for her age three years ago, and now she seemed even more so.

“A brat? No, you were already calm and proud back then. And you still are. How old are you now?”

“I’m turning twelve soon.”

“I’m about to have my coming-of-age ceremony, so we’re five years apart. But you’re so mature that I don’t feel the age difference.”

If she was turning twelve soon, she would be just a middle schooler in modern times.

But her way of speaking and the atmosphere she gave off were almost like an adult.

“It’s because father was hardly at home since I was young. And we weren’t very wealthy either, even though we were nobles. Maybe I had no choice but to be like this?”

“You had an environment that forced you to grow up.”

Marcus could empathize deeply with that situation. Maybe it was because he remembered his past life, where he had to solve everything by himself.

He felt a strange kinship with the girl who was smiling bitterly.

“But I don’t resent father. It’s thanks to him that I can live like this.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Caesar’s wife, Cornelia, was the daughter of Cinna, a leader of the populares.

Sulla, who seized power and exterminated the populares, naturally tried to get rid of Caesar as well.

But Caesar was only an eighteen-year-old boy at the time. And he was a famous nobleman, so there were many petitions to spare his life.

Sulla, who was conscious of public opinion, agreed to spare Caesar on the condition that he divorce his wife.

Even the people who asked for Caesar’s life thought that this was a reasonable demand.

The populares were uprooted at the time, and Cinna was already dead. Caesar had no reason to cling to his wife, who was a severed string.

But to everyone’s surprise, Caesar firmly refused Sulla’s order.

Sulla, who was furious, tried to kill Caesar, and Caesar fled abroad.

Sulla had already killed more than five thousand people on his proscription list without exception.

And an inexperienced youngster of eighteen years old confronted the order of such a ruthless dictator.

“Father said he couldn’t leave mother, who was pregnant at the time, but I think there was another reason. But still, mother is very grateful to him for that. And so am I.”

“I see. Well, Caesar has always been different from others since he was young.”

“That’s why he has so much debt and still lives in peace.”

Julia seemed to have something piled up against Caesar.

She loved and appreciated her father, but she also had some parts that she didn’t like about him.

In fact, as a daughter, she couldn’t help but resent her father for leaving her mother and playing with other married women.

“Haha… He is indeed a bit too free-spirited.”

“I wish he would tone down his confidence a little bit. Oh, but he’s still a respectable father. He’s surprisingly domestic too. He always checks my studies himself. And we often talk about various topics. Sometimes we debate and exchange opinions too.”

Caesar’s mother, Aurelia, came from a famous scholar family.

Roman women usually received only elementary education, but Aurelia had more knowledge than most noble men.

Julia’s ability to receive higher education was largely influenced by her grandmother.

Marcus’s evaluation of Julia rose once again.

She had a beautiful appearance, and judging from their conversation so far, she also had a modest personality.

Above all, it was a great advantage that she had the intellectual level to be Caesar’s debate partner.

Of course, there was no way that she, who was only twelve years old, could have an equal debate with Caesar.

He was probably teaching his daughter for the purpose of gifted education.

“I’m curious what topics you talk about with Caesar. Do you also talk about politics or military affairs?”

“I’m not good at military affairs, so we mainly choose politics or social issues as our topics. Lately, we talked about the Verres trial and Cicero. Oh, and we also talked about you sometimes.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Father is very interested in you. Thanks to that, I naturally became curious about what kind of person you are.”

It meant that it wasn’t just a situation that Caesar had created.

She showed interest in him on her own.

He felt comfortable somehow at her smile that seemed sincere.

It was a different type of charm from Danae, who exuded a seductive atmosphere.

Marcus didn’t mind her interest.

He liked her too.

Marcus continued to have a lively conversation with Julia on various topics.

The conversation lasted longer than he expected and ended late at night.

It was a satisfying time both publicly and privately.

※※※※

Even after Marcus left, Caesar’s mansion was still busy.

While Cornelia ordered the servants to clean up the messy house, Caesar sat face to face with Julia.

The friendly smile that seemed a bit exaggerated had long disappeared.

Julia spoke first.

“You look better with that expression, don’t you? I wonder if Marcus thought the same.”

“It was a show of attitude to make him think that way. I have to show him some human aspects since we’re going to cooperate for a long time. And I also showed him some gaps to make him look weak.”

“I see. I wondered why you showed such clumsy sides, but it was all planned…”

“Marcus must have noticed that too. But the important thing is my intention behind that act. And he must have seen through my intentions as well. As long as he understood what I meant, I don’t care.”

Julia’s eyes thinned slightly. She still had some innocence and didn’t like the calculating moves in human relationships.

Caesar gently comforted his daughter who read her mind.

“You don’t have to worry about these things. People have different temperaments. You are wise but not malicious, so you don’t fit well with these things. So just treat people the way you want to. Then everyone will like you.”

“I’m not trying to get people’s liking by interacting with them.”

“But you have a remarkable eye for people. In some ways, you might be more accurate than me. That’s why I deliberately paired you with Marcus.”

She had already guessed it, so Julia nodded her head indifferently.

“I knew it. I was also interested in him, so I didn’t mind.”

“How did you feel after talking to him?”

To his repeated question, his daughter answered in a tone without a hint of hesitation.

“He was flawless in both personality and ability. I could clearly see why you care so much about him.”

“Was there anything unusual?”

“It’s hard to say it was unusual, but… I also felt that he was a very dangerous person.”

“Dangerous? Didn’t you say he had no problem with his personality?”

Julia closed her mouth for a moment to find the right expression, then opened it.

“Dangerous doesn’t mean he’s violent or hypocritical. He’s essentially kind and rational. But he’s also flawless and cold. If you think that’s all there is to him, you might make a fatal mistake. His values are different, I guess.”

“Values are different for everyone, aren’t they?”

“Yes. But as we talked, there were times when I couldn’t see his inner self at all. I think it would be better not to use him until you fully understand him.”

Caesar understood what Julia was trying to say.

The most difficult type of person to deal with was not a smart one or a scheming one.

It was the one who didn’t react as expected.

They were the most troublesome and dangerous.

If Marcus was such a person, he needed to be more careful considering his background and ability.

Even if he considered him an ally, he might offend him without knowing it.

“I’ll keep your advice in mind. But that would change one of my plans a bit…”

“Are you talking about a political marriage?”

“Did you know?”

“It would be strange if I didn’t.”

Julia didn’t look very displeased.

After all, most marriages at that time were political marriages, and being in a political marriage didn’t mean being unhappy.

Objectively speaking, Marcus was a good groom who would be unreasonable to complain about.

“I was planning to marry you to either Pompey or Marcus, although I hadn’t decided yet.”

“Pompey? I thought he had a wife.”

“Oh, well… He might divorce her soon.”

Julia glanced at Caesar, who dodged the question. A sigh naturally escaped from her mouth.

“Father, don’t tell me you…”

Caesar slightly turned his head away from Julia’s gaze.

“That’s something you don’t need to know yet.”

“I’m really glad I don’t go to school. You had an affair with Claudia’s mother before. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look Claudia in the eye.”

“Hmm… Let’s talk about that later. Anyway, your groom candidates are those two, so think about which one you like better from now on.”

Caesar’s womanizing wouldn’t change no matter what his daughter said. Knowing that, Julia shook her head resignedly.

“If you ask for my opinion, I think Marcus is better than Pompey.”

“Didn’t you say he was dangerous earlier?”

“Yes. Pompey is undoubtedly a hero of unparalleled stature. But I don’t know about Marcus, what direction he will take. That’s why I’m more attracted to him.”

“Yeah, I also think Marcus would be better if I look at the farther future.”

Caesar planned to make Marcus his ally until the end. The best way to do that was to tie him with marriage. But there was one problem.

Caesar rubbed his eyes with his index and thumb fingers and continued his explanation.

“Marcus is different from Pompey, who can be handled by flattering and stimulating his pride. You might end up being dragged around by him instead.”

Julia was mature and knowledgeable beyond her age of twelve, thanks to Caesar’s education. 

Of course, he didn’t teach his daughter so sincerely for no reason.

Caesar had noticed long ago that Julia had inherited his genius qualities.

He couldn’t make her his successor because she was a daughter, but she was a child who could help him more than that.

He taught her carefully so that she wouldn’t lose her dominance in her marital relationship, no matter who she married.

But if she married Marcus, that advantage might be diminished.

Caesar decided to weigh Marcus and Pompey a little more.

※※※※

The chaotic year of 70 BC came to an end and a new year dawned.

As soon as the year changed, a huge news came to the people of Rome.

It was the news of victory that Lucullus, who was winning in the east, had finally captured the capital of Armenia, Tigranocerta.

According to the rumor, Tigranes had led an army of over 100,000. This army was defeated by Lucullus’s force of less than 20,000.

Lucullus, the rising general who won every battle, pushed all the way to the Caspian Sea.

As the east showed signs of pacification, the pirates’ momentum also subsided, and the price of wheat began to drop sharply.

With the cheap wheat coming in from Sicily, the price of wheat in Rome fell by almost half.

Most Romans expected that the price of wheat would drop even more when the east was completely pacified.

Who would think that a miraculous tactician who beat 100,000 with 20,000 would lose?

That’s why people didn’t bother to store wheat and focused on consuming it casually.

Marcus finally decided that the time was ripe.

The warehouses he had built on a massive scale across the country had long been completed.

Marcus wrote a letter to Tadius, who would buy wheat on his behalf, and handed it to Septimus.

“Send this to Tadius. Tell him to start right away.”

“How much wheat are we going to buy?”

Marcus’s answer was concise.

“All of it.”

Author Note:

The story of the eastern campaign will continue in the next chapter, so I’ll explain it with a map.

The photo is from Best’s blog on Daum.

The king of Pontus on the map, Mithridates VI, was a king who fought fiercely with Rome since Sulla’s time.

And he is at war again with Lucullus, who was under Sulla’s command.

Lucullus defeated Pontus and advanced to Armenia next to it. That’s the current situation.

And he almost destroyed Armenia and pushed up to the Caspian Sea, which you can see small on the side.