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CHAPTER I
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Valeria Cornelia Roterodamus was a young timid girl who had once lived in what the Romans called; Germania Inferior, present day Netherlands, and when they had taken the lands of her father she had been taken before Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus himself.
He was known to be more a street level threat, but ambition had made him hungry for more. He wanted more power, but that had not been the only thing he had been hungry for.
Gaius held hunger for love, for lust. His wife, Scribonia, had not satisfied him like he had been promised and besides their wedding night, he had not bed her.
Valeria had been presented as a servant for his household, and her beauty had been striking. He had never seen someone as beautiful as her, which did not go unnoticed by his wife as she would belittle the young woman, who was nothing but a maid to her. Her Latin had not been strong but she had been trying, while she didn't serve Gaius' household she would sneak books in her servant chambers trying to read and learn Latin.
It went on for a few months,
Valeria would try and teach herself Latin during her evenings, and during the days she would serve the House of Dominus. Unfortunately for Valeria her late night studying put a toll on her as she was not receiving enough sleep, and one day while she was serving the family, she collapsed before them.
Scribonia, and her best friend, Gaius' older sister, Octavia, had laughed as they watched the servant fall to the ground, her face place and eyes sunken from lack of sleep. But something in Gaius caused concern for the servant girl, and he had personally helped her to lay on pillows as she regained consciousness.
"I am so sorry, Dominus" Valeria said, looking down when she saw Gaius watch her as she woke again.
Gaius watched her, her face soft and her hair long, down to her hips. Her hair waved in a natural way unlike what his sister and wife did to make sure it waved, she seemed so natural, no remedies trying to mess with what the Gods created.
"Why are you so tired?" Gaius asked as he looked upon her face, her eyes twinkling in the sun light that came into his home. She looked up at the man whose household she served, even if it had been slightly against her will, the men working for him had killed her family.
"I been studying, my Lord" Valeria confessed as she looked down, wondering if she should be ashamed. She did pass out from lack of sleep. "What have you been studying?" he asked as he sat in a chair, placing his feet on the small table as he looked at her.
"Latin" Valeria confessed, and he raised a brow at her. "Latin?" he asked in such a confused tone, she almost thought it was due to lack of care. "yes, my Lord" she said, her head still down before Gaius raised her gaze as he leaned forward and placed two fingers under her chin before he made her look at him.
