[This was something you hadn't expected.]
[You never thought that the first thing Agrippina would do after traveling all the way to the capital of Rome was to ask for your help in setting up such a ridiculous marriage scheme.]
[And that the target would be her own uncle, Claudius.]
[As her teacher, you subconsciously rejected this request.]
"No, I can't do that." Ian almost instinctively rejected Agrippina.
"Madam, this is not right."
"I know it's not right," Agrippina turned around, her muddy eyes looking at the man in front of her as if she could pull him into the abyss.
"But this is all for Nero."
"For Nero?"
"That's right," Agrippina nodded. "You should know that we... no, I should say that with Nero's current status, it's impossible for her to have a chance to become emperor."
"If we don't do something, she probably won't be able to sit on the highest throne of Rome for her entire life."
"..."
[You didn't believe that Agrippina was doing this entirely for Nero.]
[After all, as a wife who had consecutively killed her two husbands, her words had very little credibility to you.]
[But you had to admit that Agrippina's words were indeed correct—if Nero's status remained the same, the possibility of her becoming the Roman emperor was almost zero.]
[You hesitated.]
[This was seen by Agrippina, the sorceress.]
[She decided to be a little more "honest."]
"Teacher Seneca."
Agrippina left the window and walked in front of Ian.
This terrifying woman began to examine her daughter's teacher from head to toe, and then she said something that was enough to make one's blood run cold.
"If I'm not mistaken—you've been secretly investigating the deaths of my two husbands, haven't you?"
"..."
Ian was silent for a moment. Knowing that he couldn't hide it from Agrippina, he nodded.
"Yes, I was indeed investigating."
"But Madam, you know—for Nero, her father is a very important person. I can't just stand by and watch her suffer because of something like this."
"Alright then."
Agrippina reached out her hand, and a blue light shone on it, and then it touched Ian.
"Let me tell you directly while I have the chance."
"They—I killed them both."
"..."
Even though he was mentally prepared, when Ian heard Agrippina admit to it herself, he couldn't help but subconsciously take a few steps back.
"Madam, please don't speak nonsense about such things."
"You... know what the consequences will be."
"Of course I do," Agrippina stepped closer. "But I believe that Teacher Seneca, you won't say anything, right?"
"You wouldn't want the relationship between you and Nero to end up without the father's approval or the mother's blessing, would you?"
"Besides—"
Agrippina softly chanted a mysterious spell.
In her muddy eyes, a few blue mysterious symbols appeared. That was the sign of magic taking effect.
"Teacher Seneca, you should know that the squeaking bird is the easiest to be targeted by an arrow, right?"
"..."
This was a blatant threat.
Agrippina's meaning was very clear—if Ian dared to say anything, she would use magic to kill her teacher, just as she did with her two husbands.
However, what she didn't know was.
Ian was not afraid of death. He was more concerned about another issue.
"Madam, if I remember correctly, the uncle you mentioned is the current Roman emperor, isn't he?"
"There will be no shortage of beauties like you by his side."
"Are you... sure you can do this?"
"You're right, he's not as useless as those two good-for-nothings before," Agrippina replied very calmly. "It would be difficult for me to do this alone."
"So I need your help."
"..."
"Madam, can you give me a moment to think about it?" Ian responded. "I can't make a decision right away."
"Of course," Agrippina gave a cold smile.
"But I can only give you one day—you should know that we can't wait for too long."
"...I understand."
[You left Agrippina's room.]
[You seriously thought about Agrippina's words in the hall and didn't sleep all night.]
[Unconsciously, the sun rose.]
[Nero came out of her room.]
"Huh—!"
Seeing her teacher sitting in the hall in deep thought, Nero flew over to him.
"Teacher, where did you go last night?! Why weren't you in your room?"
"Shhh—!" Ian made a quiet gesture. "Nero, don't be so loud. Your mother will hear you."
"It's okay~"
Nero lay in the man's arms, her green eyes full of mischief.
"Mother won't wake up this early—so we're safe now."
"Or maybe..." The young woman licked her lips. "Hmm~ Teacher, do you want us to be unsafe?"
Looking at Nero's happy face, Ian understood that she was completely unaware of the meaning of her mother Agrippina's visit.
The man's heart grew heavier.
He sat up, holding his student Nero in his arms, and after a moment of thought, he asked:
"Nero... I'll ask you one more time. What does being an emperor mean to you?"
"..."
Although she didn't understand why her teacher suddenly used such a serious tone, Nero had been thinking about this question for a long time herself.
Her eyebrows drooped slightly, and after a moment of silence, she replied:
"If it were before, I think it was probably just to get everyone's attention."
"After all, if you become an emperor, people will care and pay attention to whatever you do."
"Now—"
The young woman looked up, her green eyes looking at the man holding her with a hint of affection.
"I want to make your name as famous as possible in Rome."
"In that case—it would be a way to repay your expectations of me, wouldn't it?"
"I... want to make you the greatest teacher in history!"
"Nero, you..."
Ian, whose heart was touched, was a little moved, but Nero thought her words had not met his expectations.
"Teacher, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with what I said?"
"..."
"No," Ian shook his head, and then he secretly made a certain decision.
"Nero, what you said is very good." The man's hand gently stroked Nero's head.
"You're right, I also want to be famous throughout the world like an emperor—otherwise, how can I be worthy of all the effort I've put in during this time?"
"Hmm~ that's good!"
[You once again confirmed Nero's determination.]
[Understanding that she had already taken on the role of becoming the Roman emperor as a mission, you decided to participate in Agrippina's plan.]
[Without Nero's knowledge, you began a scheme that only the two of you were aware of.]
[The first thing to do was to sow discord between Agrippina's uncle Claudius and his wife Messalina.]
In a dark alley in the capital of Rome.
Agrippina, the sorceress, handed a potion in a small glass bottle to Ian.
"Seneca."
"This is a potion I prepared. All you have to do is find a way to sprinkle it on a guard when you meet with Messalina, and it will stimulate the lust in her heart."
"When she can no longer control herself from this feeling, that's when we've succeeded. Is that clear?"
"..."
Even though he knew this method was despicable and shameless, for the sake of Nero's future, Ian finally nodded.
"I understand."
[This was not something suitable for Agrippina to do.]
[Or rather, her status was not suitable for her to frequently contact her sister-in-law Messalina.]
[In contrast, you, as Nero's teacher and someone who had gained a good reputation from your previous speeches, were a much better candidate.]
[Of course, this was an act that went against your personal principles.]
[But for Nero, you had to do this despicable thing.]
[The plan went smoothly.]
[Agrippina's potion was perfectly made.]
[Messalina, who couldn't resist it, soon cheated on her husband with an extremely handsome guard under her command.]
[After she did this multiple times, Agrippina seized the opportunity and brought her uncle Claudius to the scene of the affair.]
[The current Roman emperor naturally could not accept such a thing—it was a great insult to the entire royal family.]
[He immediately took out his sword and stabbed his wife Messalina and the audacious guard to death.]
[To save face, Claudius did not announce the matter to the public. He lied that his wife Messalina had died of a rare infectious disease and then used this as an excuse to publicly burn her body on the streets of Rome.]
[And even though he had executed his unfaithful wife and her lover, the Roman emperor was still very sad.]
[After all, Messalina was someone he deeply loved.]
[You knew that this was the best time for Agrippina to make her move.]
In the Roman imperial garden.
Claudius held his head and once again fell into deep despair.
"Messalina, why... why did you do this?!"
"We were so in love and so devoted to each other. Why did you..."
As he spoke of the pain in his heart, Claudius wanted nothing more than to destroy the garden in front of him, which was built for Messalina.
But in the end, he didn't make that choice—because he knew that if he did, his connection with Messalina would be completely severed.
And at that moment—
A figure appeared near him.
"Uncle." A gentle voice rang out. "You look very sad."
"Hmm?!"
Claudius turned his head and saw his niece, Agrippina.
"Agrippina, what are you doing here?"
"I felt your sadness, Uncle," Agrippina sat next to Claudius. "It told me that you need someone to accompany you right now."
"Please tell me the pain in your heart."
"Agrippina..."
[It has to be said that Agrippina, with her multiple marriages, had mastered a set of routines for seducing men.]
[The sorrowful Claudius soon fell for her gentle offensive.]
[On a night of heavy rain, he and Agrippina crossed that forbidden line.]
[And then, it was time for Agrippina to remarry.]
[You, who completely understood the inside story, could only remain silent.]
[And at this moment, Nero came to you.]
The scene of Claudius and Agrippina's remarriage.
It was a grand wedding, but everyone present had a sense of unspoken gloom.
This was not difficult to understand.
After all, the relationship between Claudius and Agrippina was not one that was suitable for marriage.
But no one dared to voice any objection because of the name of the Roman emperor—that would be an act punishable by execution.
"Teacher."
Nero clasped her hands behind her back and asked with a confused look.
"Why did Mother suddenly want to marry him—she just got here, didn't she? I've never heard her mention this person before."
"..."
Ian knew the truth.
But he knew it wasn't the time for him to say it.
The man could only begin to explain for Agrippina in a relatively beautiful way.
"Maybe it was love at first sight."
"Love at first sight?" Nero's eyes widened slightly. It was clear that she was very interested in what Ian had just said.
"Yes," the man nodded. "Because she felt love in that moment, your mother ignored her status and the doubts of others."
"Nero, she married the love she was pursuing, do you understand?"
"..."
Nero glanced at her teacher, and then she glanced at her beautifully dressed mother.
A smile gradually bloomed on the young woman's face, as red and beautiful as a damask rose in its prime.
"I understand—because she loves that person, she can ignore everything else and doesn't have to care about what other people think, is that right?"
"..."
Ian did not continue to respond to Nero—because the truth was not like that at all.
But for the young woman, this was a response that was more like a response than a simple one.
The teacher... he approved.
Nero's cheeks flushed slightly.
Looking at Claudius in front of her, she began to long for the day when she would become emperor.
At that time... would she also be able to do what she wanted in the name of pursuing love?
[Agrippina and her uncle Claudius were married.]
[This had an irreversible impact on Nero.]
[Her status suddenly leaped from a descendant of a minor branch of the imperial family to a descendant of the direct imperial family.]
[The dissenting voices in the Senate gradually decreased—you knew this was all because of her stepfather Claudius. No one dared to directly tell the emperor what to do.]
[Everything seemed calm.]
[But you didn't expect that Agrippina would soon discover a new problem.]
[That was that Nero had a potential "competitor."]
[That was Britannicus, the son of Claudius and his previous wife Messalina!]