“I will talk to him; he is wrong if he thinks I prefer you to him. I decided to insert those clauses because you have been brought into the middle of something which doesn’t belong to you, and that can lead to punishments you don’t deserve. Saul, sure I care more about you than all my slaves, but never more than my own son. He might have misunderstood. He put a hand on his forehead, “did he have anything to do with the accident?”
“N-no, Master.” He gazed in the direction of a man carrying a cart full of hay.
Marcus Tiberius’ voice harshened. “Saul…”
“Yes, Master, he got upset and hit me.”
Marcus Tiberius nodded. “He is overreacting, acting as if this wedding is the end of the world. Something I learned last night is that, for some reason, Claudia sees you as a rival. Maybe we should talk to Flaminia. Being a woman, she might understand better what went on in Claudia’s mind for her to hit you.
Saul could not stop thinking about his future Mistress. She had been hostile to him since the beginning.
Marcus Tiberius and Saul soon arrived at the Baths of Trajan. As they entered, Saul thought he felt other people’s eyes on him, or maybe it was just his impression. This was his second time in a Thermae.
“What are you looking around for? Help me undress,” Marcus Tiberius ordered.
Saul turned to him as if woken up from a dream. “Oh yes, Master,” he replied, hurrying up to help him shed his clothes.
He had never seen him naked in the light of the day. A warmth spread from his chest to his face.
“Saul, what’s wrong with you today? You have to undress too. Take off your clothes,”
“Forgive me, Master. I’ve been here only once with Caius,” he said as he complied.
Marcus Tiberius chuckled. After he had put their clothes away, they walked through the halls toward the caldarium.
“This is where all Roman citizens, as well as slaves, come to relax. It is considered very beneficial for health. Where do you go when you are not serving us?”
“The other slaves usually take me to a tavern. Some of them are looking for girls.”
“A tavern is not a place for children,” Marcus Tiberius objected as he sat down on a bench.
“I know, but nobody objects, and we enjoy the tasty food and wine. Sometimes I don’t like going there, but sometimes, it turns out really funny,” Saul recalled, amused.
Marcus Tiberius shook his head, smiling as well.
He looked at Saul. He’d never seen the boy naked in the daylight, except for the day he bought him at the market. The boy’s physique, though immature, showed promise of becoming an adult who would resemble a god. His dark hair, now unbound from the ribbon that usually gathered it on his head, flowed over his smooth shoulders. Fine beads of sweat glistened, enhancing his body’s form.
Saul glanced at Marcus Tiberius. He looked so much bigger than him; he suddenly felt extremely small in front of his Master.
That’s maybe why he is my Master, he thought, unable to take his eyes away from his master’s body.
“Marcus Tiberius, what a surprise to see you here. Are you relaxing after yesterday’s party?” a man asked, coming in their direction. Saul recognized Claudia’s father.
Lucius Claudius observed, “This is the slave who offended my daughter. He should be punished rather than brought to enjoy himself,”
“He didn’t offend your daughter in any way, and I can testify because I saw the incident,” Marcus Tiberius protested.
“We’ll see about that. Let’s move to the frigidarium.”
“Did you notice what happened?” Marcus Tiberius asked Lucius Claudius as they walked into another room.
Saul followed them, goosebumps forming on his flesh as the temperature rapidly decreased.
“I didn’t see, but Claudia told me that he offended her by garnering all the attention to himself.”
“She asked him to sing, and he obeyed. If he has a charming voice, it should be taken as good entertainment, not as a way of offending,” Marcus Tiberius suggested.
The man addressed Saul, spite evident in his tone, “What do you have to say?”
“I am truly sorry if I offended Mistress Claudia. I just obeyed her orders. Please forgive me if I displeased her,” Saul replied, keeping his eyes down.
“Well, no matter. You will learn how to respect your Masters once you serve in Claudia’s family,” Lucius Claudius said.
“I am not defending my slave, and generally, I am the first to punish them if they misbehave, but this time there were no reasons,” Saul’s Master said, with a slightly altered tone.
“You are too kind to your slaves, or perhaps this one is special to you…” A sly smile twisted the attorney’s lips.
“Maybe yes, or maybe not. I have experienced that if you treat your slaves fairly, they serve you better and will never find any reason to grow anger against you. Saul is surely a special one, but not the way you think.”
Lucius Claudius glanced at Saul, wondering about that little slave.
“Yesterday it was an important day for everybody, perhaps we all overreacted, and need still time to see things from the right perspective. Since I was not there at the moment of the incident, I cannot express any opinion.”
“I understand, and maybe Claudia was too stressed about the engagement. I believe it is a big step and I have underestimated the toll it takes on the mood of a person,” Marcus Tiberius admitted, inhaling deeply, enjoying the cold water of the pool.
Lucius Claudius nodded, “Marcus Tiberius, we’ll meet again for the ceremony in the future.”
“Of course, have a good day, please greet Claudia and your wife. It has been a pleasure to have you in our home.”
“Certainly, and greet your wife and Flavius too,” Lucius Claudius replied as he started to walk away.
“Let’s go, Saul, I feel a bit tired.”
Saul was glad they were leaving that cold pool and getting back into their clothes.
The walk back home was quieter than the journey there. Tiredness overwhelmed their minds and bodies after the bath.
“Are you hungry?” Marcus Tiberius asked.
“Yes,” Saul said.
“Here is a tavern. Come,” Marcus Tiberius pointed with a finger.
The place looked clean and well-kept, and a pleasant smell of food came from the kitchen. Saul looked around. This was not the kind of place he used to go with the others in his free time. That one was constantly filled with smoke coming from braziers; the tables and floor were seldom cleaned, and the old wood was patched or burned, although the food was not bad and the host was kind.
From behind the desk, a corpulent man with thinning hair walked with energic steps to greet them. “Welcome to my tavern. How may I serve you?”
“I’d like something to eat. This is my slave; feed him too. Treat him right. I need him in good shape today.”
“But, of course. Please take a seat.” He gestured to Saul. “You, come with me.”
The man led Saul to a room in the back of the tavern.
“Sit there, and I’ll bring you something.” He gestured at a wooden bench in front of a table covered with remains of bones and decaying food, surrounded by flies and bugs.
“I am sorry, but I can’t sit there. It is too dirty, and my clothes will be unacceptable to accompany my Master.”
“You can stand for all I care,” said the host, disappearing into another room.
Saul looked around. The vile odor of something he could not identify assaulted his nostrils, forcing him to clench them. He approached the table, then clamped his hand across his mouth and nose. The stench emanated from there. It smelled like a decaying animal. With a grimace, he thought about the quality of the food, not for his Master, but for himself.