[To be fair, this wasn't something you should have agreed to do with Nero.]
[After all, as her teacher, just having her holding your arm like this was already quite inappropriate.]
[But Nero's performance in the Senate today was indeed excellent.]
[It was a time to properly reward her.]
Unlike the border city of Ubiorum, as the capital city, Rome had an absolute advantage in both economy and population.
The actual situation led to the flourishing of various places in Rome that were closely related to the population.
This, of course, included the bathhouses.
"..." Ian looked at Nero, who was holding his arm, and his expression became a little hesitant.
"Nero, are you serious?"
"You... really want to go to the bathhouse?"
"Yes," Nero nodded. "Teacher, you're not going to be unwilling to even agree to this, are you?"
"If you do that—I'll be sad for a whole day."
"I never said that," Ian looked at Nero, who was feigning sadness. "I just didn't expect you to say so."
"Hmm—!"
Nero stretched out the ending sound of her words.
"Then that means, Teacher, you're willing to agree to me~"
"Even if I don't agree, you'll still drag me there, won't you?" Ian reached out and gently stroked Nero's soft hair, which felt almost like fine wool.
"But you did perform very well today—your teacher is very happy to see you perform like that in the Senate."
"Hmm~" Nero became even happier. "Then let's go—!"
On the streets of Rome, a pair of figures headed towards the bathhouse.
[Of course, you didn't agree to Nero's request on a whim.]
[As the most developed place in the entire empire, the Roman bathhouses had a relatively complete system.]
[The most important of these was the separation of men and women's baths.]
[So you were sure that even if you went to the bathhouse with Nero, there wouldn't be any overly intimate contact.]
[But—]
[Nero gave you a harsh lesson at that moment.]
[She booked the entire bathhouse in your name.]
Walking into the Roman bathhouse was like entering a world of luxury.
The tall buildings, magnificent decorations, and steaming hot baths were all breathtaking.
There was a spacious hall, with the ceiling decorated with exquisite mosaic glass, stone statues hanging on the walls, and a smooth marble floor. Just looking at it gave a feeling of extreme luxury.
However, for Ian at this moment, he just felt that he had been deceived.
He never would have thought that Nero had already booked the entire bathhouse in his name before the speech even began.
"Nero, you..."
Ian looked at the scene in front of him, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
However, facing all this, Nero herself was completely honest.
"Hmm~" The young woman tilted her head slightly, putting on a cute expression. "Teacher... just because it's just the two of us, you're not willing to come in with me?"
"Do you... hate being alone with me?"
"Of course not," Ian denied that statement. "But is it really okay for you to do this?"
"Hmm, that doesn't matter. As long as Teacher doesn't mind, it's fine—!"
Nero took Ian's hand.
"Since Teacher doesn't mind, and I don't mind, who else can mind?"
"Let's go, Teacher!"
[You were led by Nero into the depths of the Roman bathhouse.]
[You were completely open with each other.]
[This was a very sensual, yet at the same time, very proper scene—at least for you, it was.]
Nero's advantages were innate.
From a very young age, she had already developed far beyond her peers, and now that she was old enough to give a speech, this feeling was even more obvious.
A simple bath towel, with the addition of Nero's figure, created an extremely terrifying seductive beauty.
That feeling was probably, "how wonderful it would be to meet her in a bed full of roses in the middle of the night."
But unfortunately, so far, no one has achieved this except Ian.
Or rather, the only one who could make Nero have this kind of thought was him alone.
It's worth mentioning that Nero was well aware of her physical advantages.
So, in the current steamy atmosphere, she snuggled up to Ian and said in a very intimate tone:
"Teacher, is this your first time in a bathhouse with a girl?"
"..."
"Hmm~ you're not answering, so it seems I was right." Nero intentionally moved a little closer to Ian. "Then it seems I'm also someone who can leave a lot of beautiful memories for Teacher."
"Teacher, do you think so too?"
"..."
Ian's silence made Nero even more pleased.
She liked to see her teacher speechless—it gave her a sense of pleasure that even she couldn't explain the reason for.
This time, she became even bolder.
Nero took Ian's hand and placed it on her chest.
"Teacher—if you want to, there's no problem with being a bad person here."
"Hmm, but in that case, I should call you a bad teacher."
"Have you memorized all those regulations?" Ian suddenly asked Nero a question out of the blue.
"Huh?" Nero blinked her beautiful green eyes and was momentarily confused. "Teacher, what regulations are you talking about?"
"The ones I asked you to memorize to deal with those people in the Senate."
"..."
Nero finally remembered.
Before they left, Ian had indeed given her this instruction, but at a time like this, she couldn't remember anything like that!
The dynamic between teacher and student was reversed in that moment.
"This..."
Nero turned her face away and mumbled softly.
"I... I don't remember!"
"Then your teacher is going to get angry," Ian naturally took his hand back from Nero's chest and said in a very serious tone.
"Nero... do you think winning one speech is the end of it?"
"Huh?"
Nero looked up at her teacher, her green eyes filled with unspeakable surprise.
It was clear that she did think so.
Realizing this, Ian sighed, then slightly softened his tone and continued to lecture her.
"Nero, don't be so naive."
"Today's speech is just the beginning."
"I admit that you did very well—but you should also realize that even so, those people in the Senate still have many opinions about you."
"I'm not afraid of them!" Nero pouted and retorted. "Teacher, do you think I'll lose here?"
"Nero, it's not a matter of winning or losing."
Ian looked around and deliberately lowered his voice—wanting to be an emperor was not something to be said lightly.
"It's a matter of how much you win."
"You have to understand one thing—you are going to become the Roman emperor, not just a speaker who wins an argument with the Senate."
"You have to completely overwhelm them with the dignity of an emperor, leave them speechless, and be impeccable in your actions. That's your ultimate goal, do you understand?"
"This..."
Nero's eyes dimmed slightly.
Apparently, she realized that at this moment, she had a long way to go before she could become the "emperor" her teacher spoke of.
The young woman guiltily moved her body to the side, showing that she felt a great deal of regret for her actions just now.
"..."
[You didn't come here to hit Nero's spirits.]
[You truly wanted to see her become the emperor of Rome—after all, that was the aspiration she had since she was a child.]
[Of course, you were not without your own selfish motives.]
[After all, if you could become the teacher of a Roman emperor, you would have left your own mark in the history of the empire.]
[But more than that, you cared more about it being Nero's wish.]
[Witnessing her ascend to that magnificent throne had become part of your life's goal.]
[Realizing that you had said too much, you wanted to make it up to her.]
"Come over here," Ian suddenly said.
And Nero looked at him, not yet out of the gap between her dream and reality.
"Me... me?"
"Who else is here besides you?" Ian smiled faintly. "Is it a Roman bug?"
"Ah—!"
The light in Nero's green eyes shone again.
"Hmm~ I get it!"
Without another word, Nero sat back in front of Ian.
In front of him, she was still a well-behaved student.
"Teacher, are you going to..." The young woman tilted her head back, looking at the man who was much taller than her behind her, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Wash your hair."
Ian took the bath lotion from the side.
"It's been a long time since I've done this, hasn't it?"
"Hmm, that's great~ I was hoping you would!"
After getting Nero's permission, Ian gently untied her hair, which was specially tied up in a complicated way for formalities.
With a splash, Nero's golden long hair spread out on the water.
Ian gently dabbed some of the bath lotion on his hands and started to rub the young woman's head.
"Nero, is this pressure okay?"
"Hmm~" Nero nodded repeatedly. "Teacher, this is perfect!"
"That's good."
While massaging the smooth golden hair, Ian continued to speak about the previous topic.
"Nero, your teacher wasn't trying to scold you just now... but if you want to become an emperor, there are still many things you have to do."
"It's not just a position where you sit and enjoy everything. I hope you can understand that."
"..."
Nero was silent for a moment, then nodded seriously.
"I know... I got carried away."
"I'm sorry, Teacher."
"I can understand you getting carried away," Ian gently stroked Nero's long hair, creating a lot of foam, and then rinsing it clean.
"After all, your performance was indeed very good—for a moment, I really saw an emperor standing in front of everyone."
"Re-really?" Nero was a little disbelieving. "Do you really think so, Teacher?"
"Yes," Ian replied. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have come into this trap of a bathhouse with you—this is my recognition of you."
"Hmm~!"
Nero swayed her body from side to side.
It was clear that she was genuinely happy about the praise from her teacher.
Ian didn't say much—this was her time to celebrate.
However, this swaying did not last for too long.
Nero soon stopped, looking as if she had thought of something.
Ian noticed this and quickly asked, "What's wrong? You're not thinking of another mischievous idea to deceive your teacher, are you?"
"No, I'm not!"
Nero, whose back was to Ian, became a little shy.
"I just suddenly want you to teach me something."
"Teach you something?" Ian was a little confused.
In his daily teaching, he had never hidden anything. What he could teach, he would basically give his all.
This made the man a little curious.
"Tell me what it is first?"
"Then you have to promise me first, that you will never refuse me!"
"There's no such condition—if I can't do it, of course, I can't promise you. Just tell me what it is first, and if I can, I'll try my best to fulfill it."
"You can definitely do it," Nero said with certainty.
"Because... I want you to teach me how to kiss!"
"..."
Ian was stunned for a moment, and after confirming that he hadn't misheard, he continued to speak.
"Why are you saying something so strange out of nowhere?"
"It's not strange at all!" Nero leaned against Ian, looking up at the man with a face flushed with shyness.
"I... I just want to try! If it doesn't work, then..."
Nero didn't continue, but the meaning was clear enough—that she didn't want to give up no matter what.
It was clear that this was actually part of her plan for the day.
"..."
Ian was silent for a long time, then he asked.
"Nero, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious!" Nero stared at her teacher. "You've never taught me something like this, have you?! I... want to try!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the young woman felt her lips being gently touched.
By the time she reacted, Ian had already ended the kiss.
"There, it's that simple of a feeling."
"Ah—!"
Nero's face turned red, and she held Ian's hand tightly.
"That doesn't count—! I wasn't ready at all! Teacher, you're bullying me!"
"Then you can feel it next time," Ian smiled faintly.
"..."
Nero suddenly understood something.
"Teacher, do you mean that as long as I perform well enough, I can ask you to do something like this?"
"Perhaps... it depends on how well you do."
"Hmm~" Nero raised her hands in a celebratory gesture. "Then you wait, Teacher—I'll make you willingly teach me!"
"Is that so? Then try it."
"Hmm, just you wait!"
Looking at the determined Nero, Ian smiled and stroked her head.
He didn't want her to know one thing—that at the moment of the kiss, he also felt a moment of enjoyment.
[You and Nero made a forbidden promise in the bathhouse that only the two of you knew about.]
[This will become the motivation for the young woman to constantly climb towards the position of emperor.]
[But the development of fate will not be so calm.]
[Nero's mother, Agrippina, will once again stir up a terrifying storm in Rome for her daughter's ascension.]