The Empress of Rome

4: Conniving Caligula

GLOSSARY

Lupa: meaning "wolf" or "prostitute"
servus: meaning "slave"
vappa: meaning "good-for-nothing" also means "flat wine"
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"Ripa, hear me out. I know you were forced to marry Gnaeus Ahenobarbus under orders of Tiberius, but I can tell that you two do not love each other as husband and wife should. I love you, and I think you should divorce him and marry me instead. I can deal with Tiberius! I'll even talk to Ahenobarbus. Just leave it to me. Just...tell me you'll marry me."

My heart sank. All of the sounds around me were drowned out by my thoughts.

I love you.

My head was spinning and I couldn't process anything but the words that Lepidus had just let slip past his lips.

He loves you. It's your fault, lupa.

I didn't know what to do.

So, I picked up my stola,
turned around,
and started off in a sprint.

"Wait- Ripa!"

I kept running.

And running.

Until I was back at Drusilla's house. I stood at the door, unable to remember how I got there. My feet had just taken me there. Hesitantly, I raised a fist. And knocked.

•—————•

I don't remember how I had gotten into Drusilla's atrium. Did a servus answer the door? Did she?

Drusilla sat across from me on a bench, eating grapes. Small beads of water clung to the purple skin of the grapes. She picked one up, pulling it off of the vine with a movement of her wrist, and popped it into her mouth.

The sun was beginning to set, and the orange light shone through the roof of the atrium, rays beaming down on Drusilla and illuminating her like a goddess. Her brown eyes looked like pools of honey in the sunlight. She popped another grape into her mouth and cocked her head.

"Grape?"

She held out a grape to me, but the image of her became blurry. I blinked a couple times and felt something wet trickle down my cheek.

Why are you crying?

I gulped and shook my head, quickly wiping away the few tears that managed to escape.

In an instant, Drusilla had plopped herself down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug.

I explained everything to her about Lepidus and Gnaeus. Afterwards, I fell silent, sniffling.

"There are more important things to worry about in life than men."

She held a grape to my lips and smiled, rubbing my back. I still couldn't believe I was older than her.

"Personally, I don't think either of them are good enough for you. But while Tiberius is in charge, it's best not to defy his orders. Especially with the rumors of the goings on at Capri."

The torture chambers at Capri. Tiberius's personal torture chambers where he'd have children killed in front of their parents and throw women off of cliffs. It was all rumors, though. Right?

•—————•

There was the soft patter of feet hitting the bare marble floor before a small woman interrupted us. She had pale skin and dark eyes, with light hair falling at her shoulders. With an embarrassed blush, she held out a letter to Drusilla.