[There were no snowflakes in the Roman winter, only bone-chilling cold and an unspeakable sharpness.]
[The stab wound left by Agrippina began to spread inside your body at an unimaginable speed.]
[This was a vicious curse that should have fallen upon Nero, but you were now taking her place and enduring it for her.]
[But—]
[You were not sad or upset because of this.]
[Because you once made the most sincere vow to yourself—that you would protect Nero no matter what.]
[This was not only your responsibility as her teacher but also your duty as her husband.]
[And more than the curse that was tormenting you at this moment, you were more worried about another thing.]
[That was the tyrant prophecy from Lev.]
[Nero would become a tyrant—was this really possible?]
It was another morning.
Ian was clutching a part of his shoulder—the place where Agrippina had stabbed him.
Although it didn't look very serious on the surface, the man knew that the real problem was in the part of the curse that had infiltrated his body.
His life was probably like a candle in the wind.
Maybe one day, when he opened his eyes, the god of death would be waiting for him.
Just as Ian was feeling sad about this and gasping for air, there was a knock on the door.
The man composed himself and then asked from the door.
"Who is it?"
"It is I," the answer quickly came. "Teacher, I've come to see you."
[Because your condition was much more serious than expected.]
[Nero had temporarily stopped the dates that were supposed to happen every night.]
[But as a substitute, Nero changed to visiting you every morning in the name of the emperor.]
[This was the emperor's concern for her trusted minister, and no one dared to question it.]
"It's Nero."
Hearing the familiar voice, Ian felt a little better. He quickly replied:
"The door's not locked. Come on in."
Click, the door was pushed open.
Only Nero walked in—which was not strange. She didn't like to share her teacher with others, so she naturally wouldn't have anyone follow her at a time like this.
And at this moment, the young woman's expression was full of worry.
"Teacher, are you okay?"
"Of course, I am." Ian forced a smile. "Nero, please don't use that tone, okay? It's like your teacher is about to die."
"..."
"You're right," Nero said, sitting on the side of Ian's bed and gently holding his hand. "Teacher will definitely be fine, just like always."
"..."
Hearing this, Ian felt his heart sink as if a thousand-pound stone had been placed on it.
But—
He couldn't show it.
Otherwise, Nero would definitely be sad along with him.
"Of course—how could Teacher fall?" Ian said, gently stroking Nero's smooth golden hair. "Teacher still wants to see Nero become the best emperor of Rome."
"How are things going now? During the time I've been away, those old guys in the Senate haven't done anything out of line, have they?"
Feeling that her teacher seemed to be recovering quite well, Nero's nervous mood gradually calmed down.
She shook her head happily and then talked about the situation of the past few days.
"Absolutely not—that thing Teacher did before scared those people to death a long time ago."
"Now, no matter what I say, all they will say is 'yes, yes, yes.' No one dares to disobey my orders."
"Is that so?" Ian said with a slight smile. "Are things that good now—Teacher is truly happy for you."
"Hmm~" Nero got more and more into it as she spoke.
She looked at the man and spoke her true feelings.
"Actually, Teacher should rest for a while like this. After all, I don't need Teacher to work so hard on everything anymore, do I?"
"Oh? Are you that confident now, Nero?"
"..."
"It's not about being confident or not." Nero looked at the man who was clearly much more haggard than before. Her green eyes were filled with heartache.
"During the time Teacher was gone, I truly felt how many problems Teacher had been shouldering for me."
"If I had realized this sooner, would Teacher not have gotten sick because of it?"
The young woman's eyes were filled with so much self-blame and sadness. It was clear that she had attributed all the problems to herself during the past few days of thinking.
Although this might indeed be a kind of explanation for the truth, Ian didn't want to see a sad Nero.
After all... didn't he love Nero's smile the most?
"My illness has nothing to do with you, Nero," the man comforted. "You don't have to blame yourself so much."
"It has everything to do with me!"
The young woman's expression became even more guilty.
"Teacher wasn't like this before. It was only after I became the emperor that Teacher gradually started to become like this!"
"It's just the weather—it really has nothing to do with you."
"Besides—"
The man hugged the young woman and whispered in her ear.
"Teacher actually gets more happiness from being with you, doesn't he?"
"Nero, I have never met another girl who has made my heart flutter like you have in my entire life."
"So—don't say that you are a burden to me. That is an impossible thing."
"Teacher has never thought that doing things for you is a burden. It is a kind of happiness that I wouldn't trade for anything."
"..."
[Your words left an incredibly deep impression on Nero's heart.]
[She realized her place in your heart and understood that continuing to blame herself would only annoy you.]
[Just as you didn't want her to be sad, she also didn't want you to be sad.]
"Hmm, I see!"
Nero wiped away the tears that had fallen from her eyes because of her sadness, and then she showed that energetic look again.
"It seems Teacher has indeed been tamed and become my slave."
"Even though he's doing something so difficult for me, he still insists that he's happy—my charm has broken through the heavens, hasn't it?"
"...That's not wrong."
Ian answered Nero's words very cooperatively.
"If you were to perform an opera or something in Rome, a lot of people would love to listen, right?"
"Of course." Nero answered with full confidence. "My performance will be completely sold out, no matter what."
"But for now—"
The young woman looked at the man in front of her.
"Hmm, I would rather play the musical instrument that Teacher brought out before."
"Teacher, do you think that's okay?"
"..."
Sensing the direction of Nero's gaze, Ian knew that there was another meaning in her words—or rather, this was the meaning she originally wanted to express.
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't that hard to understand.
Including today, Nero hadn't enjoyed the most joyful part of their dates for a full half month.
You had to know... that at her age, the way she liked to express her love the most was this kind of passionate love.
Not to mention being deprived for half a month, even just a week without this experience would probably make her feel very uncomfortable.
However—
Ian didn't get carried away by Nero's initiative.
"Of course, Teacher doesn't mind."
"But Nero, don't forget that you have to go to the Senate to listen to their reports later... I don't think it's a good idea to do something like this before that."
"Hmm~"
Nero gently shook her finger.
"Teacher, you don't understand—I love every part of Teacher, no matter what it was originally."
"Teacher, do you understand what I mean?"
"..."
Hearing this, Ian was still a little confused.
He could feel that the other person wanted to play some very extravagant game, but he couldn't figure out what it was for a moment.
"Nero, just say it directly—Teacher can't guess what you mean."
"Hmm, you're so mean for making me say it, Teacher!"
Even though she said this, Nero did not refuse to explain her riddle to Ian.
She temporarily let go of the man's hand, then walked to the round table, picked up the wine glass on it, and then expressed herself in a new way.
"Teacher... do you know when wine tastes the most delicious?"
"This..."
Although he was a knowledgeable scholar, when it came to enjoying life, Ian knew that he was far inferior to Nero.
This emperor seemed to have a natural talent for showing her nobility through luxury. She was a person of enjoyment unlike any other.
"Is it the moment you open the bottle?"
"Hmm, no~"
"Then... is it the first sip you taste?"
"No~"
"Then what is it?"
"Hmm, it's when you savor it in your mouth!" Nero said, picking up the empty wine glass and "performing" her unique drinking posture.
"Teacher, a delicious thing should be rolled back and forth on the tongue—that way, the tongue can have full contact with every single drop of the liquid."
"And on top of that, if you slow down the pace of swallowing it, or even don't swallow it at all, don't you think it's like tasting the deliciousness forever?"
"Hmm, Teacher, do you understand my explanation?"
After saying this, Nero put down the wine glass, looked at Ian, and her eyes now had a hint of playfulness, just like they usually did.
"..."
Ian was not stupid. After Nero's indirect hints, he roughly understood what she meant.
"Nero, are you saying you want to..."
"Hmm~" Nero sat back down next to the man and happily held his hand.
"Teacher really is the person who understands me the most—he understands exactly what I'm saying with just a few simple words."
"So, what do you think? This kind of tasting method of mine..."
The young woman's finger was stroking the back of Ian's hand.
"Does it fit Teacher's current needs?"
Oh no, he was found out.
But this kind of thing...
The supreme emperor of Rome was savoring the taste of her lover in her mouth while listening to the Senate's report... this was truly an overly exciting moment.
"Nero, what if... what if you get caught?"
"I won't get caught," Nero said, nestling into the man's shoulder. "I will absolutely not talk to anyone other than Teacher today."
"So—"
"This will be a secret that only Teacher and I know."
"..."
Ian was still a little hesitant.
As a man, he naturally liked this kind of exciting game proposed by his wife. One could even say that he was already getting an unprecedented thrill from it before it had even started.
But as a rational minister, he also knew that he was actually adding unnecessary challenges and difficulties for Nero and that he should give up immediately.
Lust and reason were having the most intense collision at this moment, but neither side would be eliminated.
And what broke this balance were Nero's next words.
Sensing that her teacher seemed unwilling to set unnecessary problems for himself for a moment of pleasure and only wanted to fulfill his duties as a husband, Nero quickly came up with a new attack.
She didn't understand the concept of love, but she knew exactly how to grasp her husband's desires.
The Roman emperor leaned close to the man's ear and whispered.
"Teacher, you don't have to worry—this is a good thing for me too."
"After all, I haven't been able to see Teacher in the Senate for the past few days, and my heart has been feeling so flustered,"
"If—I mean, if Teacher can't be there with me, then at least let a part of Teacher be with me, okay?"
"..."
[This was the blow that completely defeated your resistance.]
[After hearing Nero say this, you had your thoughts controlled by her.]
[The Roman emperor truly knew how to use her words and actions to stir up the lion in your heart.]
[You gave her the mana from the past half month in the most direct and favorite way for both of you, without leaving a single drop.]
[And she did indeed follow the game she had willingly agreed to.]
[It is said that at the Senate meeting that day, Nero said nothing and only used nods and shakes of her head to express her opinion.]
[This was obviously a ridiculous act—after all, some things could not be measured by "yes" and "no."]
[But no one dared to question it.]
[The Roman emperor had already centralized all the power in her own hands.]
[On this basis, it really didn't matter what she answered.]
[After the Senate meeting ended, Nero secretly came to you again.]
[She playfully stuck out her tongue, proving that she had fulfilled her promise, and then, under your gaze and head pats, she happily ended the game.]
[You could feel that she really enjoyed this secret that only you and she knew.]
[And at this moment, she announced another thing to you.]
["Teacher, let's go to the Christian ceremony in a few days, okay?"]