Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 98 ~ Incognita I

Of course, Gaius had positioned two guards outside his room and Aurelia desperately tried to recall the names of the two young men. But they were completely unknown to her. Aurelia suppressed a frustrated groan and pulled her signet ring from her finger. Confidently, she stepped out of the shadows and showed herself to the two guards. Surprised, the men stood at attention before relaxing and staring at her in disbelief. Swaying her hips, she strode towards the Praetorians and flipped back her hood a little bit. Immediately the men greedily took in the sight of her, and Aurelia had to stop herself from putting them in their place. Somehow she had imagined it would be easier to get into her husband's chambers. But perhaps Gaius was the only man who responded reliably to her charms.
Gaius, she thought longingly. She was so close to him. Now she simply could not and must not fail. By coming here, she had already risked so much.
"My lady, Aurelia Vespasia, sends me with a strictly confidential message for the princeps," she explained, making an effort to bring out her foreign accent extra clearly, as Clemens had taught her. "Let me in!"
One of the men was already reaching out for the door handle, but his colleague held him back.
"Sorry, but we have strict orders not to let anyone in, especially women," the more dutiful Praetorian replied. Impatiently, Aurelia knocked her hood off her face completely and glared at the man. His face showed no emotion, so either he was just a very dutiful soldier, or he had never seen her before. The latter would explain why she did not know his name. Impatiently, she retrieved her signet ring from her pocket and one glance at it was enough to make both men blanch.
"As I said, my message is strictly confidential," she purred, smiling brightly at the less dutiful Praetorian. "But it seems we are in a conflict of interest, gentlemen. Why don't you get your superior to confirm my authority to access these rooms?"
The less dutiful Praetorian nodded artfully, turned on his heel and hurried away in the direction of the music. With a neutral expression, Aurelia slipped her ring back into her pocket, then took a step back. The more dutiful Praetorian reacted immediately. In one leap he was with her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back into the light. Questioningly, she raised an eyebrow.
"Pray to every deity you can think of that Suetonius buys this ridiculous story, slave," the soldier threatened her, and Aurelia quickly averted her eyes so he wouldn't see how much his words amused her. His fingers painfully tightened their grip on her upper arm, and she actually prayed to every deity she could think of that Suetonius would put a swift end to this madness.

After what seemed like an eternity, they heard the hobnailed sandals echoing off the walls of the nearby corridors and Aurelia relaxed. Shortly after, Suetonius and the less dutiful Praetorian stepped out of the shadows. The years at Gaius' side in Britain had done Suetonius good. He looked healthy and strong. With his free hand, the more dutiful Praetorian saluted his prefect. Bored, Suetonius' eyes examined Aurelia's simple clothes and her wig. When their gazes crossed, his eyes widened almost imperceptibly in surprise. A fine smile played around his lips.
"Let her enter immediately," Suetonius ordered, and the more dutiful Praetorian let her go as if she had burned him. Subtly, she nodded gratefully to the Praetorian Prefect and as the less dutiful Praetorian closed the door behind her, she heard another command that made her heart skip a beat.
"She was never here!"