Cleopatra's Daughter| Dark! Romans x Princess! Reader

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"Your Highness, if they catch you eating this, you will be in trouble"

"We are celebrating a spring festival, let me at least enjoy it in peace"

Spring has come, and it is a tradition in Egypt and Rome to celebrate it, even though it is celebrated differently in each one.

For example, the Romans celebrate Quinquatria, the spring festival honoring Minerva.

Meanwhile, the Egyptians celebrate the Shemu festival, in which they offer salted fish to the gods.

They also eat it, and what you are eating right now is fresh, salted pickled fermented, and dried gray Mullet (fish) of the genus Mugil.

You had Hager prepare it for you.

Why?

Because of its smell, you are pretty sure that its rotten smell is enough to keep Octavian away from you.

The reason why you are doing that is that you agreed to be Caeser's mistress after Hager convinced you.

She planted the idea in your mind that if you become his mistress, it will give you and your siblings more protection.

So, you accepted.

And that's your first day as his mistress which happens to be on the same day of the spring festival.

"I'm sure he is too busy to visit you tonight, as the festival will be celebrated all day and night"

Your handmaiden tries to assure you, but you only shook your head.

"I'm not nervous... I'm just enjoying the food" you lie through your teeth.

Why are you so nervous?

Octavian is an attractive man in his thirties not an old man in his eighties.

And he has a nice personality.

So, there is nothing to worry about-

Who are you kidding? you regret agreeing on becoming his mistress.

You just feel like you are betraying the memory of your mother, and your people.

What will they think about you?

Will they call a whore who chose herself over her country?

Hopefully not.

"Good morning, princess"

You watch as a familiar poet enters your chambers without knocking.

"What are you doing here, Virgil?" You inquire.

"Well, I came to take you to the festival, of course, don't tell me you weren't planning on attending"

He makes himself comfortable by your side, which infuriated your handmaiden with his inappropriate behavior.

In her eyes, you are a princess while Virgil is of much lower status than you, he should make himself comfortable around you.

"Oh, what a quiet strange smell, what is this?" Virgil inquires, staring at the salted fish.

"You should try it" you offer innocently, giving him a piece of the fish.

And shoving it in his mouth before he could object.

You smile mischievously as his eyes widen after he swallowed them.

But, the unexpected happens.

"This tastes delicious, give me more!"

Your smile drops, not believing that he enjoyed the taste.

The fact that many don't enjoy the taste of it due to the awful smell...

... They also might be poisoned because of it.

And here Virgil is eating it as if it is the most tasteful thing he tasted in his life.

"Are you not disgusted by the smell?" you ask.

"No, I have smelled way worse than that, if you have smelled the urine of some-"

You cut him off by shoving a piece of bread in his mouth to shut him.

"Why are you hand-feeding him?"

You look at the door to see Caeser standing there with a deep frown on his face.

Feeding another man by the hand is considered a romantic habit shared between men and women in Egypt.

It seems like it is the same in Rome.

"It seems like you have committed treason against your emperor, (Y/n)"