Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 24 ~ The Smile of the Gods

With his head held high and a winning smile, Gaius entered the dining room. His grandmother's dinner was already in full swing when he arrived, just as he had intended. Her face had hardly changed in all the years of separation and lit up with joy when she spotted him. Excitedly, she ran up to him and took his face in both hands.
"My boy, you look like a real princeps!" she said reverently and breathed a fleeting kiss on his cheek. Gaius wiped a tear from her cheek and jokingly admonished her if from now on she would always greet him like the last survivor of a great battle. His grandmother laughed loosely and led him to her couch. Surprised, he registered the presence of his friend Vespasian and his uncle, Aurelia was not with them. He quickly tried to hide his disappointment at her absence. His grandmother's lips twisted into a knowing smile. Questioningly, he sought her gaze and perceived golden hair out of the corner of his eye. There she lay with a senator, feigning interest in his ramblings. What was his name again? Oh yes, Quintus Caecilius Metellus. The latter's sister Junia had been betrothed to Gaius' brother. Nero had often complained how bland she looked. Compared to her brother, however, Junia was a siren. Why was he lying with Aurelia?
Unobtrusively, Gaius watched the beautiful woman with the divine golden hair pretending he wasn't even there. Amused, he registered Aurelia's ever-dwindling patience. But then he remembered how often he had had to entertain such unpleasant people and recognised the same loneliness in her eyes that he had also felt at such moments. Just as he was about to intervene, his grandmother's secretary stepped up to her and filled her goblet without being asked. Aurelia gave her a beautiful smile. She looked like a goddess who had just been offered a sacrifice to appease her wrath: no longer furious, but still angry.
"Thank you, Caenis," she said, and abruptly all conversation fell silent. Even Metellus stopped talking about himself and stared at the young woman in surprise. She, however, calmly took a deep sip of wine.
"Why do you thank a common slave?" groaned Quintus Metellus in horror. Aurelia gave him a surprised look. Gaius recognised the familiar twinkle in her eyes and sat back expectantly. No matter what came next, it would be deeply amusing.
"Since when is a secretary to the grandmother of our princeps a common slave?", Aurelia countered pointedly and emptied her goblet. Immediately it was filled by Caenis. As she poured, her long black hair fell in front of her face like a veil. But Gaius recognised Caenis' silent approval from Aurelia's widening smile, while Quintus Metellus began to lecture Aurelia on the social position of slaves. When he finally took a breath, Aurelia's third cup was already empty.
"You should stop drinking so much!" he snarled at her, and Aurelia raised the cup to her lips defiantly.
"And why should I listen to you, senator?" she asked, grinning. Quintus Metellus blushed and turned to Antonia for help. The latter suddenly found herself in an animated conversation about the Sabine Mountains with Vespasius and Vespasian. So Metellus' gaze lingered on him. Gaius looked at him expectantly and toasted him with his own glass goblet, grinning insinuatingly. Quintus Metellus scowled at Aurelia. Suddenly he bent over her and whispered something. Assured of victory, he leaned back and grinned insolently at Aurelia. She was silent for a moment, perplexed, then she threw her head back and laughed. Her otherworldly laugh warmed his heart. For a blink, Gaius thought she winked at him. Quintus Metellus turned even redder.
"I will not be mocked by a woman who has spent most of her life among savages," he groaned angrily. Again, expectant silence descended over the whole hall. Aurelia's eyes grew cold.
"Better a life among savages than with an uncouth and unsophisticated man like you, Quintus Caecilius Metellus! Even if your character were anywhere near as noble as that of your forefathers, you are still too old for me. I will never marry you," she said coolly. Offended, the senator jumped up and left the feast in a rage. Vespasian and Caenis exchanged a quick glance while Aurelia closed her eyes in relief. Gaius looked proudly at the beautiful girl. So, she had a dark side too.
"You shouldn't have spoken to him like that, Aurelia," Vespasius reprimanded softly, and puzzled, Aurelia opened her eyes again. "He's..."
"He's what?" she interrupted him, upset, glaring angrily at her adoptive father.
"You're not in Germania anymore, my dear," Vespasius replied placatingly. "Here you just can't talk to a man like him like that"
Seeking help, Aurelia looked to Vespasian, but he avoided her gaze. If she looked at Gaius now, he would support her immediately. But she still ignored him.
"I need some fresh air," Aurelia said apologetically to his grandmother, who nodded in understanding. Upset, Aurelia stood up and hurriedly left the room. No sooner had the door closed behind her than his grandmother turned to him.
"What an interesting girl," she said, fascinated, and Vespasius quickly changed the subject. Again, Vespasian and Caenis cast a quick glance at each other, then the young slave unobtrusively left the hall. Inconspicuously, he nodded to Gaius. Emphatically unconcerned, Gaius waited for her return. After what seemed like an eternity, the heavy wooden doors opened and a serious-looking Aurelia entered the room, followed by Caenis, carrying a new jug of wine in her arms.
In a firm voice, she apologised to his grandmother and then asked her adoptive father to be allowed to return home.
"But Gaius," his grandmother reprimanded Aurelia's adoptive father in surprise, and Gaius almost flinched, thinking she was talking to him. Gently, his grandmother turned to the bewildered girl, whose cheeks reddened most adorably. "I won't let you leave at this late hour, my dear. You'll spend the night at my place, of course, and tomorrow we'll set off together for the games."
Vespasian unobtrusively gave Caenis a mischievous look. Aurelia quickly thanked him and took a seat on her couch again. Now she had it all to herself and could better converse with his grandmother, who immediately engaged her skilfully in a relaxed conversation.
Meanwhile, Gaius used his time to reminisce with Vespasian. Suddenly he remembered that his friend, like himself, was still unmarried. I wonder if Vespasian, despite his love for Caenis, would marry Aurelia for her inheritance. Whether he would give up Caenis for her? Whether she would be happy with him? The image appeared before his eyes: the beautiful Aurelia with a small edition of Vespasian on her lap, excitedly telling her something, gesticulating wildly with her little arms, while the grown-up Vespasian looked happily at his family, leaning against the doorframe. Why did this idea cause him so much pain?
As Aurelia struggled to stifle a yawn, his grandmother called out to Caenis.
"Please escort Aurelia to her room and help her get ready for the night," his grandmother ordered. Elegantly, Aurelia rose and wished everyone a good night. For the first time that evening, her gaze lingered on him and the pain in her eyes almost killed him. What did she know about him that it hurt her so?

Impatiently he waited for a reasonable time, then hastily excused himself and went in search of her. From one of the guest rooms, the glow of an oil lamp under the door fell on the corridor. Gaius gathered all his courage and knocked softly against the old wood. With a soft croak, the door moved, and she stood before him. Confused, she looked up at him.
"Don't ever ignore me again," he whispered hoarsely and before she could send him away, he reached out like a drowning man, pulled her close and gently placed his mouth on hers. After a moment's hesitation, she returned his kiss and buried her delicate fingers in his hair. Desperately, he tried to put the chaos that raged deep inside him into that one kiss so that she would understand. Struggling for breath, she broke away from him after what seemed like an eternity and blinked at him. Gently, he touched her forehead to his.
"Gaius," she whispered softly, her voice failing. Again, that expression appeared in her eyes. Gently, he took her face in his hands.
"You know I could never hurt you, Aurelia. Why are you so afraid of me?" he asked softly. Chagrined, she returned his gaze. Aurelia stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. Intoxicated, Gaius lost all grip and pushed her further into the room. The door crashed into the lock behind them. Hastily they dropped onto the bed. Her hands explored his body. Suddenly she moved away from him a little and looked at him seriously.
"I'm not afraid of you," she breathed, "I'm afraid for you. I'm afraid of losing you"
"You won't lose me," he promised and went to kiss her again, but she kept him at a distance with her hand.
"What if we can't change history? After all, there are almost two thousand years between there and here. What if I have simply been forgotten over time? Or worse, what if I'm the trigger to set it all in motion?"
With each word she became more and more agitated and full of horror she looked at him. Suddenly she began to cry. Helplessly, he took her in his arms and whispered soothing words in her ear. Eventually the stream of her tears dried up and she lifted her head wearily. He smiled at her tenderly.
"Maybe you've already changed my future by stumbling into my time," he whispered, and she nodded thoughtfully.
"Maybe you're right," she murmured. Tired, she buried her head against his shoulder and fell asleep. Carefully he extinguished the lamp. For a long time, he lay awake beside her, thinking about whether they would have a future and what it might look like. He could not share with another man, but whether she wanted to become his wife or just his lover, he did not know. He only knew that he was empty without her. It was so dark in the room that he could not see her. But her regular breathing and the familiar warmth and contours of her body reassured him. He simply could not stay away from her. In her sleep, she snuggled closer to him. With her in his arms, he finally fell asleep peacefully. May the gods help them.