Flavius, not in the mood for jokes, slapped him. “Don’t be impertinent, Saul. Of course, it works like that, I just wasn’t thinking about it,”
Saul cast his gaze downward. “I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Silently, Flavius looked out the window, thoughtfully, “I wish something would stop this madness.”
At that moment, his mother entered adorned with rich jewelry and full of smiles. “Flavius, your fiancée is coming,” she said, clapping her hands together, giving a final check at his appearance. “You are so handsome and growing up fast. I have been waiting for this moment. It fills my heart with pride to see you getting engaged to a very beautiful woman.”
“Mother, is all this really necessary? Do I have to marry Claudia? Do you honestly think we will be happy together? How did it go with you and Father? Did you always love each other?”
“Darling, everything will go well. I, too, was pretty scared when I met your father for the first time. I know that Claudia is not the sweetest creature, but this marriage will be advantageous for your career, and she might become a devoted wife. You must be a kind husband.
“But I don’t want to be her husband, not good or bad. I want to be as far as possible from that person. I so wish that Claudia was as good as Saul.”
She laughed heartily. “Then you have to marry him. Her brown eyes twinkled with mirth. “Saul, would you like to be Flavius’ wife?”
Bewildered, Saul looked at her and at Flavius, who seemed even more perplexed than he.
“Oh, please, that was a joke! Don’t make those faces; you should look at yourselves. Saul might be your lover, at most,” she added, dabbing at her tears of laughter.
At those words, Saul felt hurt. It wasn’t the fact of being the lover of his master, but because in his heart he felt like that position was already taken by Marcus Tiberius.
“But really, now we have to go, or they will arrive before we are ready.” She guided Flavius and Saul outside.
Flowers and the finest draperies to be found in the entire Empire decorated the main room, a statement to the wealth of the family. All of the slaves gave their best efforts to prepare the house for the ceremony, but the bitterness in Saul’s heart cast a pall over everything he did.
When he’d woken up in the guest room, the last thing he remembered was that he’d been crying, holding onto Marcus Tiberius. He hadn’t seen him since then.
Maybe it is better if, from this point on, just concentrate on Flavius. There is nothing I can do to avoid leaving this house, he thought as he took his place with the other slaves preparing for the banquet after the engagement ceremony.
“Where have you been all night?” Cassandra asked.
“I could not even close my eyes, so I went to the garden to take some fresh air. There I met Master Marcus Tiberius, and we had a talk. I guess I fell asleep, because when I was in the guest room with Rufus trying to wake me up,” he replied, omitting the nature of their talk. He was sure she would never understand. This was another reason he didn’t want to go away from Marcus Tiberius. They understood each other better than anybody else ever could.
“And he brought you there to sleep?” A hint of doubt colored her voice.
“Yes, why? Don’t you believe me?”
“Sure, it only sounds strange. Generally, Master Marcus Tiberius would have woken the slave and told him to go to sleep on his own bed. It seems he has a kind of affection for you,” she smirked, looking at him with the corner of her eyes.
“Well, not enough, it seems.”
She glanced at him trying to understand what had happened the night before.
“Let’s not talk about it anymore. Our Master’s guests will be here soon. We will have time tomorrow, maybe.”
Cassandra glanced at him. She knew it might have become dangerous for him to get sentimentally attached to his Master, however, as he was destined to leave the family, she decided not to brood on it and focused on the banquet.
Soon the ceremony was over, and the contracts signed. The celebration could begin, and the guests took their places.
Saul followed Nana, who showed him how to give comfort to the guests by removing their shoes, then washing their feet and hands so they could be served food and wine.
Flavius scanned the room for Saul as soon as he felt uncomfortable. When their eyes met his tension faded away, and he beckoned Saul to approach him and his betrothed.
As soon as possible, Saul walked toward them; Flavius looked scared, confused and resigned, and it crossed his mind that no one in the world is totally free; everybody has a Master they must obey. Saul had the entirety of Rome as his Master. Flavius had his father deciding his life. Eventually, there would be somebody else, in the form of his marriage with Claudia, to dictate his life.
As Saul approached, he noticed her stunning beauty and her ice-cold eyes that stabbed his soul with a single glance.
“Claudia, this is Saul, one of the gifts from my family. He will serve me in my work, as he is doing now with my father, however, for me, he is the most loyal friend I could ever find.”
Saul blushed, lowering his gaze.
She didn’t reply immediately, surveying him from head to feet with cold indifference. “You have strange tastes. How can a slave be considered a loyal friend? He just obeys you.”
“He surely has to obey, but I can trust that in every situation, he won’t let me down.”
At those words, she laughed. “I can tell you if he were free or had the opportunity to kill you, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Those animals are the most vicious creatures, and certainly not worth the trust of a Roman,” Claudia replied, staring at Saul, who continued to look down. He could not understand her hatred.
“Claudia, how can you say that? You don’t even know him.” Flavius’ voice was calm and kind.
“You are not the only one who’s owning slaves. I am aware that there is no loyalty in them,” Claudia grinned. “So, Saul, your Master thinks you are a loving pet. No matter how innocent you want people to believe you are, you won’t fool me.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress, but I am not claiming any innocence; rather, I claim that, by nature, I am not a deceitful person, nor an assassin. Most importantly, I would have no reason to harm my Master, for he has always been kind and fair to me. I am most grateful to him for the friendship he is offering me,” Saul defended himself, avoiding looking her in the eyes.
Claudia’s father strode up behind the couple. “Flavius, my son, come. I'd like to have a talk with you. Soon, you will be a member of my family too, and I'd like to know you better.”
“Sure. Claudia, you and Saul should take this opportunity to know one another. I'm confident that you will change your mind once you see what kind of person he is. You will find him pleasant company as much as I do,” Flavius said, leaving them alone.
She sighed and turned her gaze to Saul. “So, what are your duties in this house at the moment? In which ways have you become useful to everybody?”
“I am Master Marcus Tiberius' translator and interpreter. I was allowed to continue my education, so I will be useful to Master Flavius as well, once he starts his career,”
“So, you are a sort of educated animal. How cute. And what else do you do in the house?” she asked with amusement in her tone.
The thought of living under her orders made Saul want to die.
“I am Master Flavius' companion. He likes to talk to me when he is troubled. Sometimes, he asks me to sing for him. He believes I have a pleasant voice.”
“We have a singer! Entertain us, then.” Claudia spoke louder to gather the attention of nearby guests, clapping her hands.