"..."
[Looking at Nero in front of you, you realized that she had definitely set some "traps" for you in this meeting.]
[But even though you knew this, you didn't plan to refuse.]
[Because you knew that no matter how mischievous Nero was, she would definitely not harm you.]
[Her mischief was only limited to physical contact with you.]
"I understand."
Ian agreed to Nero's request to meet.
"I... will go to your room tonight."
"Hmm~" A mischievous glint flashed in Nero's green eyes again. "Then it's a deal—!"
"If I don't see you tonight, Teacher, I'll..."
"...you'll?"
"I'll go to Teacher's room!"
"..."
"Haha," Ian laughed. "That's so like you—but don't worry, that won't happen."
"Nero, I'll definitely do what I promised you."
"Hmm~" Nero smiled sweetly. "I know."
"Teacher... you never lie to me."
"Then I'll see you tonight~"
After saying that, Nero left alone.
It was clear that she was not very interested in anyone other than Ian—this also seemed to include her own mother, Agrippina.
"..."
[You looked at Nero's back and fell into deep thought.]
[You didn't know whether it was good or bad for Nero to develop such a dependence on you.]
[But one thing was certain—Nero was at least on the path she wanted to be on.]
[This was enough for you to temporarily ignore other things.]
After straightening out your feelings, Ian continued to do what he was supposed to do.
And the first thing he had to do was to meet the current Empress, Agrippina.
Of course.
Ian couldn't just go and meet her directly—that would be an act that completely went against their status.
If he did that, the center of public opinion would immediately point at him and her, and then it would affect Nero.
This was something that had to be avoided at all costs.
Thinking of this, Ian's actions became more cautious—he didn't want Nero's path to becoming emperor to become bumpy again because of one mistake on his part.
[You began to act carefully.]
[You avoided everyone's gaze and left the Senate along a pre-planned route.]
[You arrived on the streets of the Roman capital.]
[You walked into a dark alley, following Agrippina's previous instructions to find the contact location she had described earlier.]
[But when you arrived there, you saw an unfamiliar figure.]
It was someone Ian had never seen before.
The person was wearing a purple coat with a hood that completely covered their face.
"..."
Ian became vigilant.
He didn't expect to see anyone other than Agrippina in a place like this.
A sense of danger spread through the man's heart, prompting him to decide to leave in less than a second.
But an unexpected thing happened at that moment.
Just as Ian was about to leave, the figure who shouldn't have been there opened their mouth:
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I... I saw you."
"..."
Just this simple sentence stopped Ian in his tracks.
There was no other way. Since he didn't want to expose his relationship with Agrippina, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and turn around. He maintained his public identity as a teacher, smiled slightly, and replied:
"...I just happened to pass by here. I'm sorry, I seem to have bothered you."
"Happened to pass by?" The other person's voice became sharper. "Are you taking me for a fool?"
"Who would happen to pass by here?!"
"..."
It was a young woman, but her way of speaking was a bit strange.
Ian was not surprised that the other person would expose this—after all, it was true.
But he had also prepared a corresponding excuse.
"Yes, under normal circumstances, people wouldn't pass by here."
"But I'm doing this for Lady Nero—she wants me to investigate these hard-to-notice corners of Rome, hoping she can do something about these details within her power."
This was, of course, not true.
But using Nero as an excuse was obviously a more suitable choice than admitting he had intentionally come here.
This would also serve to strengthen her image.
However, what Ian never expected was that after he mentioned Nero, the person who was originally calm suddenly became agitated.
She shouted:
"Lady Nero?! Are you talking about the one who debated a group of people into silence in the Senate?!"
"..."
Although he felt that the other person's attitude was a bit subtle, to maintain consistency, Ian still nodded.
"Yes, you're right, it's her."
"That's great—!"
The mysterious young woman rushed towards Ian and then sniffed the man like a hungry wolf.
"Ah... what a wonderful scent."
"I feel as if Lady Nero is standing in front of me."
"Is that... is that so?"
Ian realized that the other person seemed to be a loyal follower of Nero—this made him feel a bit conflicted.
After all, if a person like this appeared, it meant that the groundwork laid earlier had begun to have an effect.
Nero's ascension to the throne would become even smoother.
But on the other hand, it was also relatively dangerous for such a strange person to become a follower.
Thinking of this, Ian directly asked:
"What's your name?"
"Locusta—Lo-cus-ta!"
As if she was afraid that Ian hadn't heard her clearly, the young woman whose face was hidden by a large hood emphasized her name twice.
"I see," the man nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you for being so loyal to Lady Nero. She'll be very happy when she finds out."
"Hehe, really? That's great."
"Oh, by the way—!" Locusta said, pulling out a mushroom from her coat. "Please, try this—!"
"I believe this is something that only a person like you, who is so close to Lady Nero and has her scent, can enjoy."
"..."
Although he felt that a person randomly pulling out a mushroom was a bit absurd, because the other person was a loyal follower of Nero, Ian could only try to act according to her wishes as much as possible.
He took the mushroom from her hand, thanked her, and was about to take a symbolic bite of the mushroom.
But at that moment, a bright light flashed. When everything returned to normal, the mushroom in Ian's hand had already turned to ash.
Agrippina appeared not far away.
She glanced at Ian, then at the young woman who called herself Locusta, and then she spoke:
"Seneca."
"Our meeting today... will have to end for now."
"..."
Although he felt that something was not right, looking at Agrippina's expression, Ian knew that this was not the time for him to ask questions.
"I understand."
"Then, I'll take my leave."
After the man finished speaking, he turned and left the dark alley.
And looking at his back, Locusta became anxious.
"Lady Agrippina—!"
"Why didn't you let him eat my poisoned mushroom? If he had, you wouldn't have to waste time thinking of a way to get rid of him, would you?"
"It's not time yet, Locusta."
Agrippina looked at Ian, who was walking away, and sneered.
"Seneca still has a use."
"Locusta, come with me—there's something more important that needs your mushrooms right now."
"No problem!"
[You were not aware of the conversation between Agrippina and Locusta.]
[But you felt that the relationship between them was absolutely extraordinary.]
[The wife who had harmed her two husbands seemed to be plotting something earth-shshattering again.]
[A storm might be brewing again in the Roman capital.]
[But you still didn't tell any of this to Nero—you didn't want her to be affected by anything unnecessary at a time when she deserved to be happy.]
[That was your duty as her teacher.]
Late at night, in the Roman palace.
According to his agreement with Nero, Ian arrived at her room.
As the future heir of the Roman Empire, the young woman's room was no longer as shabby as it used to be.
Now, she was living in a place that was second only to her stepfather, Claudius.
And according to traditional etiquette, Ian, as her teacher, was not supposed to enter here under any circumstances—in other words, he was actually risking getting caught by coming here.
He looked left and right, and after confirming that no one was around, Ian reached out and gently knocked on the door.
"Nero, I'm here."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened with a bang. Then, a fair-skinned hand reached out from inside and pulled Ian in.
Thud.
The door closed again.
The corridor returned to its usual silence.
[Even though you were mentally prepared, when you entered Nero's room, you were still shocked by the sight in front of you.]
[The young woman had covered her room with damask roses.]
[Since it was the season for flowers to bloom, these flowers, which the young woman had carefully arranged, gave off a delicate fragrance, turning the room into a miniature palace of flowers.]
[You couldn't help but sigh in admiration—Nero's talent for arranging things was quite excellent.]
[If she didn't have the ambition to become an emperor, she might have become an excellent architect.]
"Teacher, be careful of the thorns on the damask roses." Nero's reminder rang in Ian's ears, bringing him back to reality.
The man looked at everything in front of him and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"Nero, did you design all of this by yourself?"
"Yes, Teacher," the young woman nodded without hesitation. "I did it all by myself."
"You didn't reference anything else?"
"No—I'm the future emperor of Rome. Why would I reference other people's things?"
"...Then you're quite impressive." Ian's gaze swept over the surrounding environment, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Even a teacher might not be able to do something like this."
Ian's praise made Nero even happier.
She held his hand and sat on the bed.
By the bedside, there were wines that the young woman had prepared. They waited quietly in exquisite glasses, like the emperor's most loyal bodyguards.
"Teacher, let's have a drink."
"Okay."
Ian and Nero each picked up a glass of wine, and after looking at each other, they crossed their arms.
Watching the wine fall from each other's lips, both of them smiled.
"Nero, congratulations—you're really going to become the emperor of Rome in the future."
"Hmm~" Nero smiled sweetly. "It's all thanks to Teacher—without you, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am today."
"..."
"..."
The two of them, in silence, looked at each other. Their lips finally got closer and closer—predictably, their wine-stained lips came into intimate contact again.
There was no excitement or lingering.
Nero quickly let go of Ian's mouth, pushed him onto the bed, and said boldly:
"Teacher—I'm drunk."
"So whatever happens next... is not Teacher's fault, but because I can't control my drinking."
"..."
Ian knew what this meant—Nero wanted to take things a step further with him on the day she was announced as the crown prince.
He caressed her fair cheek.
He knew she wasn't drunk.
But he also knew she wanted him to think she was drunk.
But... should they really cross that line?
Once they did, there would be no turning back.
As Ian hesitated, Nero's voice rang out again, mixed with a hint of grievance.
"I knew it... Teacher still doesn't want to do this."
"I... I can't seem to bring out the lion in Teacher."
"..."
It was clear that this was an act of playing hard to get—Nero had also learned how to "use" him.
But...
What if she was really sad?
What if she really felt that she wasn't loved?
Even though the possibility of this was probably less than one in ten thousand, what if...
No.
There was nothing to hesitate about.
He had always had these thoughts, which was why he did so much for Nero.
He loved her soul and her body—it was just that simple logic, no extra excuses were needed.
"That's not true. The lion will eat you now."
Ian said this and then pulled the blanket over them.
In the room filled with damask roses, the blanket rolled, and the most joyous sounds of the young woman came from within.
[You and Nero crossed the forbidden boundary.]
[She, whose virginity was taken, seemed to be even happier than you.]
[With a full harvest, she nestled in your arms, saying exaggerated things like "Next time, I want you to leave me completely empty" in the most unrestrained voice.]
[And as you listened to her words, you didn't say anything, but you were just as happy.]
[You suddenly understood your true goal—it wasn't to see Nero become emperor, but you only chose the path of an emperor to see her happy like this.]
[You acknowledged her place in your heart.]
[Your relationship with Nero became better and better because of this.]
[But at the same time, a more terrifying change was brewing in the dark—it was another storm stirred up by Agrippina.]
[In the second month of his marriage to his niece, Claudius fell ill.]
[The Roman Empire entered an unprecedented period of tension.]