Initium novum [Completed - being edited/rewritten]

Chapter 49

For a couple of minutes, we stayed in the steam room. With my head in Valeria's lap, I laid on the wooden bench. My eyes piercing hers, we were doing nothing more than looking at each other. I was thinking whether the Conclave will be successful or not, in my mind, I prayed the senators agreed on my proposal.

We got out of the steam room when we agreed that if we do not want to be sort of cooked by the heat it would be a good idea to get out. As we left the steam room, we were not spared from somewhat amused and confused from Imperatrix, Hera and Yri. Only Lana, who hasn't said a single word for the entire time we were in the baths, looked rather amused by looking at us. As we were out from the steam room, we did not get back into the bath, instead, we excused ourselves saying that we were tired from the day and we want to rest for a while. Everyone agreed, only Lana wanted to go with is but I told her that we would stay in the Palace so we will be safe. That was enough for her and so she agreed with us going and her staying with the rest of the women in the baths. Imperatrix told us that if the Conclave ends and we don't see each other, she would send someone for us. With that, we went to take our clothes and then we left the baths.

On the way back into the main hall of the Palace we went, once again, though the rather rapid temperature change. As we were in the hall, we noticed that the time has passed significantly as we had spent it in the baths. The Palace was still in the same rush as before, people running around, carrying things from room to room, shouting at each other, overall it was chaos.

As one of the servants went around me, I managed to get his attention and asked him if he knew which room would Strategos assign to Wanderer, fortunately for me the servant new and he took us there. The room was in the left wing of the Palace, where most of the rooms for guests were. As we were explained, the left wing was for guests, the middle one was for the senators, Imperator and his family and the right one was for Strategos, his military advisers, generals and commanders of all of the branches of imperial military forces. What all of the Palace's parts had in common was that in each of them were rooms for servants, from the servants we found out that there were over one thousand servants in the Palace.

We were taken to the backside of the middle palace. On the way to our room, many servants and members of the Praetorian Guard passed us and each of them kneeled or saluted to us. We missed many types of rooms along the way to our room, in one of the corridors there was the delicious smell of all kinds of food being prepared in the kitchen, in other room there was the smell of perfumes spreading into and through the corridor.

After getting into the third floor, we were finally taken to our room. The servant opened beautiful red wooden doors and we stepped inside. There, in the front was a round table on which was a vase with a bouquet of red and black roses. In front of the small entrance corridor of the room was a door on balcony, through the windows I could see that we had a view right at the magnificent high statue of the man and woman in the park. There was a bedroom in which, except for a bed was a big mirror, some wardrobes and even sort of private place to change clothes in, and there was also a bathroom, of course.

We walked through the room to the bedroom, when servant realized one thing. "There is only one bed I have realized. Let me resolve this," he said.

"That is alright. We... we will take care of it," I assured him.

My assurance made it clear for him that he is not needed there anymore so we began to walk from the room, but before the servant left, he told us that if we would need anything we are just to ring the bell which was on the table next to the bouquet of roses. With that, we left and we were once again left on our own.

From the bedroom I went onto the balcony. There, I stood by the railing of the balcony, watching the scenery in front of me.

The sun was far from disappearing from the skies so I was enjoying its shining. The statue was as if looking at the Palace, at me. I was looking at it, wondering what they must had thought when they were present at the establishment of the Imperium. As the sun was shining on the statue, both the man and woman were as if radiating in beauty.