CH 72

Chapter 72: Birth 1 >

Marcus decided to meet Antonius right away.

Antonius, who was a bit younger than Curio, would turn twenty-three next year.

In Rome, twenty-three was considered the age of a novice commander who was just gaining experience.

Curio raved about how much Antonius, a young man like him, could contribute to Rome in the future.

But Marcus knew Antonius’ future better than Curio.

According to history, Antonius would become one of the three men who wielded power in Rome after Caesar’s death.

He formed the Second Triumvirate with Octavius and Lepidus, bringing a storm of blood to Rome, and later rose to the position of dividing Rome with Octavius.

He also had a relationship with the famous Egyptian Cleopatra and tried to overthrow Octavius, but this backfired and led to his downfall.

Antonius was not a great strategist or politician who left a mark on history.

He was brave and tactically brilliant, but he lacked the qualities of an emperor.

But he was undoubtedly a capable commander.

To Marcus, his lack of ambition for the top spot was rather appealing.

The more useful cards he had, the better.

Marcus told Curio that he wanted to meet Antonius.

Curio, who was delighted, gave some instructions to his slave who came with him.

The slave quickly ran outside.

In less than a few minutes, the slave returned with a well-built man.

He must have been waiting outside the mansion beforehand.

“Nice to meet you.”

Antonius, a commoner nobleman, greeted him politely first.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Curio. My name is Antonius.”

Marcus looked up at him from his seat.

He had a strong impression, powerful eyes, and a sense of strength.

“Welcome. I’m Marcus Crassus II.”

Marcus asked for another glass and poured him some diluted wine himself.

Antonius, who sat down, took the glass courteously.

He was not so rude as to act stiff in front of the person who sponsored his trip abroad.

Before drinking the wine, Antonius thanked him first.

“Thank you very much for accepting my impudent request.”

“It’s the duty of a Roman nobleman to sponsor talented people. Don’t worry too much. And if you’re a close friend of Curio, you’re not a stranger to me either. Don’t feel too burdened.”

Marcus subtly boosted Curio’s reputation as well.

As expected, Curio’s face brightened as he listened to the conversation.

“I’m relieved thanks to you, Marcus. I really appreciate it.”

“What would you have done if I refused?”

“Then… I would have asked someone else I know. Maybe Pompey or Cicero.”

“But don’t you have a lot of debt yourself? How can you worry about your friend when you’re in that situation? If you want, I can let you join some profitable businesses.”

“Oh, no, thank you. I have some plans for paying off my debts…”

Curio trailed off with an ambiguous smile.

In fact, Curio’s debt was not just a little bit.

He was in a huge amount of debt that could rival Caesar’s among his peers.

Yet he seemed relaxed as if he had something to rely on.

Marcus, who knew Curio’s later moves, had a hunch about it.

But for others, it was just a mystery where Curio’s confidence came from.

Marcus pretended not to know and turned his head back to Antonius.

“By the way, Antonius, you said you were planning to study in Greece. What exactly do you want to learn?”

“I’m going to study rhetoric for now.”

“Rhetoric? Do you have any political aspirations?”

“…I don’t know. Actually, I’m going to Greece because it’s hard to stay in Rome…”

Antonius honestly revealed his situation.

He didn’t boast or lie, but admitted it cleanly.

This made him look more likable.

Marcus decided to recommend a path that suited him well.

He smiled slyly and asked him:

“Why would someone like you waste your time studying rhetoric in boring Greece? People have their strengths and weaknesses. I pride myself on having a good eye for talent, and I think you look better in armor than in togas. Have you ever thought about gaining experience in the army?”

“The army… I’m not opposed to it. But I don’t have many connections in the army yet, so I was going to build some foundation in Greece and apply for the army in Asia Minor.”

“Do you need to go that far? I was also in Pompey’s army, so I have some friendship with the legion commanders who are still in the East. There’s a commander named Gabinius in Damascus. I’ll write you a letter of introduction to him. He’ll make you a cavalry officer right away and let you gain experience. I’ll also try to help you reduce your debt a bit.”

“Really? If you could do that for me…”

Antonius’ face brightened.

In fact, he knew very well that he had no talent for rhetoric or anything like that.

Rather than living a boring life abroad, he preferred to gain experience and rank in the army.

Although the East had fallen into Rome’s hands, the conflicts were not completely gone.

There were still many big and small disputes in the vicinity of Judea and Egypt.

It was the ideal place to gain practical experience.

Antonius, who had received an unbelievable opportunity, suddenly wondered why he was doing this for him.

Even if it was Curio’s request, there was no reason to be so kind to a stranger.

And there was no benefit for Marcus to deceive Antonius either.

Antonius tried not to show his suspicion and asked politely.

“Excuse me, but if you don’t mind, can I ask why you are sponsoring me like this…?”

“Think of it as an investment. I may have retired from the business world to join the Senate, but I still judge people as a businessman. And like I said before, I pride myself on having a good eye for people. In my opinion, you are someone who can go far. It’s better for both of us to show favor when we can. Of course, I have one thing to ask of you. When I need your help in the future, I’ll contact you. Don’t refuse my call. I don’t mean you have to live as my servant forever. Just once when it’s really necessary. That should be acceptable, right?”

“Of course.”

He answered without a second of hesitation.

For Antonius, it was much less uncomfortable to have such a condition.

There was nothing more awkward than an unexplained favor.

Especially since he had seen the dark side of society often since he was young, he was more cautious.

Marcus liked his cautiousness even more.

He was cheerful and straightforward, but also had an animal-like sense of danger.

He was not as good as Pompey or Caesar, or rather, because he was not as good as them, he was a more suitable candidate.

Marcus lifted his wine glass to his lips and a long shadow fell under his face.

The faint smile that spread in the shadow was not visible to Curio and Antonius.

※※※※

After Antonius left for the East, and Clodius denounced the Senate day after day, there were some minor movements, but no change in the big picture.

Clodius annoyed the Senate endlessly, but he did not cross the decisive line.

Cicero, who had been restless, regained his stability.

As September approached, all of Rome’s nerves were focused on Pompey’s triumph that would soon take place.

Even the Senate and Clodius did not wage a war of nerves at this time.

The whole city was excited about the triumph that would be held on the largest and most splendid scale in Roman history.

Everyone was eager to see the triumph as soon as possible.

On the other hand, Marcus was anxious for a different reason.

For most Roman citizens, September meant Pompey’s triumph, but not for Marcus.

Julia’s delivery was scheduled for September.

As August passed, Marcus became so worried that he couldn’t focus on anything.

At first, he was confident that Julia would be fine if he prepared thoroughly, even though she died of childbirth in history.

But as Julia’s belly grew bigger, he noticed something strange around her belly.

Selinie, who was pregnant at about the same time as Julia, felt it first.

She said that Julia’s belly seemed to grow faster than usual.

He thought it was just a feeling at first, but as time passed, he could clearly see that something was different with his eyes.

Julia’s belly was almost as big as Selinie’s, who was expected to give birth a month earlier.

There was only one answer that came out.

“It seems like you’re pregnant with twins.”

When the doctor diagnosed it, Marcus’ worry literally doubled.

He wasn’t sure if Julia could handle giving birth to two children at once.

In the end, Marcus learned about childbirth and maternal health care every two months and taught Julia.

There were too many wrong folk remedies at this time, so Marcus had to check everything from one to ten.

“Julia, when you’re pregnant with twins, it’s better to drink more water and eat more food. And folic acid and iron… never mind, you don’t know what they are anyway. Just eat a lot of fruits that have good ingredients for your body. And you have to maintain a moderate level of activity, so take a simple walk every day and also…”

He also paid special attention to hygiene and sterilized everything Julia used with boiling water and soap.

Twins had a higher chance of premature birth, so he had doctors and midwives stay at the mansion from August.

Even after preparing so much, he became more anxious as September came.

He didn’t feel the heat of the street that was boiling with anticipation for the upcoming triumph.

In early September, Rome was still hot, although the scorching heat had subsided a bit.

And finally, the day he had been waiting for and also hoping not to come arrived.

When Julia started having contractions, the midwives who were on standby immediately took her to the bedroom.

“…”

Marcus didn’t attend the Senate meeting and paced back and forth in the atrium in front of the bedroom.

“It’ll be fine. Sir, didn’t Seline give birth safely last month?”

Spartacus, who was guarding his side, tried to comfort him, but Marcus remembered the disgraceful scene he had shown last month.

“You were more anxious than me, as I recall.”

“Well… that’s… you know…”

“And Julia is giving birth to twins. What if something happens?”

Marcus muttered with a face mixed with anxiety, nervousness, and a bit of helplessness.

Danae, who couldn’t bear to see him, brought a towel and handed it to him.

“Sir, you’re sweating too much.”

“Oh, am I?”

Marcus, who wasn’t even aware that he was soaked in sweat, took the towel and wiped his face roughly.

“I told Spartacus the same thing last month, but nothing will change if you’re restless here. It would be better for you to rest a little while you wait.”

“Oh, right. Yeah. Then I’ll wait and rest a bit.”

Marcus was about to turn his body after accepting Danae’s advice when it happened.

He stopped in his tracks at the sound of a baby’s cry from the bedroom.

“Is it… born?”

His face flushed with color and he reflexively tried to go to the bedroom, but Danae gently grabbed his clothes.

“Sir, the delivery is not over yet.”

“Oh, right. They’re twins…”

He felt a little relieved that at least one of them was born safely.

Usually, when twins are born, the delivery of the other one progresses quickly.

In some cases, it ends in a few minutes.

He wanted to go into the bedroom right away and tell his wife that she did well.

He suppressed his anxious heart and kept walking around the atrium until the second baby’s cry rang out.

He couldn’t enter the bedroom right after the delivery was over.

He went inside as soon as he got permission from the doctor who was watching the situation and saw Julia lying down.

Her face was so pale that she looked like she had gone through all the hardships of the world in one day.

But at the same time, she had the most dazzling smile he had ever seen on her lips.

“Julia! How are you? Are you okay?”

“Marcus… you’re unbelievable.”

Julia joked weakly with a faint smile.

He was relieved that she still had some strength left.

It was different from history.

Julia and the babies were safe.

Only then could he calmly look around and notice the babies in the midwife’s arms.

“Those babies are…?”

“Yes. They’re mine. Ours.”

“I really became a father…”

Marcus approached and the midwife slightly tilted her arms so that he could see the babies’ faces better.

“Congratulations. They’re both very healthy. And amazingly, they’re twins but they have different genders. The first one to be born was a girl, and the second one was a boy. I’ve seen a lot of babies in my life, but I can count on one hand how many cases there were with different genders.”

“Dizygotic twins?”

He was stunned by the unexpected result.

He only thought of having two daughters or two sons, but he never imagined having a daughter and a son.

Marcus washed his body and hands cleanly and took his daughter from the midwife.

She was so light that he barely felt any weight and so soft that it was unbelievable.

He had both a son and a daughter, so he didn’t have to worry about his succession plan anymore.

He just loved the baby in his arms and the other one who was sleeping in the midwife’s lap.

Especially his daughter in his arms seemed like he couldn’t scold her harshly even if she did something wrong.

‘Is this how I become a fool for my daughter?’

Marcus didn’t expect himself to have such silly thoughts. He chuckled softly and handed the baby back to the midwife.

The doctor told Julia to rest completely for a day.

He also said that if she ever had to get up, she should always get help from someone nearby.

It was such an obvious thing that Marcus and Julia nodded their heads right away.

Marcus whispered words of love and gratitude to his wife who had suffered twice as much as anyone else.

He would go back to being himself tomorrow, but today he wanted to indulge in the aftermath of his emotions.

In the end, Marcus kept looking at his two children and Julia until the doctor said it would be better for him to leave.