[Boudica's joking words struck the deepest secret in your heart.]
[You never expected the Queen of Britannia to say something like this to you at this moment.]
[You had to know that even though you had taken her to tour many places in Rome, you never mentioned anything about you and Nero's private relationship during the entire process.]
[Because you knew it was a secret that could never be mentioned.]
[So—]
[How did Boudica know?]
Was she trying to scare him?
Ian couldn't help but have such a guess in his heart.
Since that was the case... it would be best to deny it to the end.
"Boudica, please don't make such a joke."
"Although the situation is as you said, His Majesty has never publicly announced her other half."
"But that doesn't mean I am her lover—that kind of thing is completely impossible."
"His Majesty is currently focused on Rome and has not yet had time to deal with her personal life."
"Given time, when Rome prospers, she will definitely deal with it cleanly."
"..."
After hearing Ian's explanation, Boudica looked at the man who was called a wise man by many citizens in Rome with a meaningful expression. A hint of a smile appeared in the queen's beautiful emerald green eyes.
"Pfft—"
Boudica laughed.
"I have to say, Seneca, your lying skills are really bad. It's obvious that you're not telling the truth."
"Ugh..." The Queen of Britannia put her hands on her hips and said with a feigned sadness, "I thought our relationship was already pretty good."
"It seems we still have a long way to go."
"..."
Boudica's words left Ian speechless for a moment.
After all, he was indeed lying.
But why was Boudica so confident at this moment?
Even though he couldn't figure out this question at all, the man knew that he absolutely couldn't remain silent—that would be no different from admitting it.
"Boudica, we are certainly friends."
"But—"
"You should know that this kind of thing is not possible from the start. My status is completely unworthy of our empress. No matter what you say, I can't admit it."
"So... please don't say that anymore. That would make me feel very troubled."
"You're still lying."
Boudica countered mercilessly.
"If you continue like this, I will have to use some very unfriendly methods."
"..."
[Boudica's tone was very confident.]
[You realized that she must have some information you didn't know about.]
[But more than that, you knew that hiding your relationship with Nero was a more important matter.]
[Otherwise, the image that Nero had painstakingly built up in front of the Roman people would be destroyed.]
[That was the last thing you wanted to see.]
There was nothing he could do.
Even though he knew he was just being stubborn, Ian could only pretend to be calm and respond to Boudica.
"Boudica, please don't mention this matter again."
"If you continue like this, I'm afraid I won't be able to maintain my respect for you."
Since he had said so much, Ian felt that Boudica should also retract her "threatening" tone.
If she did that, the matter would end here.
However—
The situation did not proceed as Ian had expected at all.
Boudica slightly frowned, and a hint of an unspeakable sadness appeared in her emerald green eyes, as if she were facing something that made her extremely sad.
"Seneca, it seems you still don't want to admit this."
"Even if—I really do have a way to make you confess, will you still continue to ignore it like this?"
"..."
"You don't have that kind of a way," Ian said, putting up a brave front. "And—there is no such relationship between His Majesty and me. No matter what method you use, the final answer will only be 'no'."
"Then it's time to act."
Boudica's desire to win was completely ignited.
Looking at her like this, Ian couldn't help but feel a little worried—after all, everything he had said just now was a lie. He and Nero had indeed been intimate, and it had been more than once or twice.
It was no exaggeration to say that he knew her as well as she knew herself.
Did Boudica... really find something out?
While Ian was worried about what Boudica would do, the Queen of Britannia did something that the man never expected.
The woman, who was a little taller than Nero, walked directly up to Ian, and after confirming that no one nearby was looking at them, she stood on her tiptoes and left a passionate Britannia-style kiss on his cheek.
"..."
[This was something you never expected.]
[Boudica had left a kiss on your face at the end of this tour, a kiss that belonged to her alone.]
[It was a kiss that carried a warrior's passion. Just that one kiss was enough to make your heart tremble.]
[You realized that this was the "confession" method Boudica was talking about.]
[But—]
[What kind of confession was this?]
[Was there some kind of magic in this world that could make someone confess by kissing them?]
"Boudica, you..."
Ian was about to speak, but Boudica put her hand over his lips.
The Queen of Britannia, who was so high-spirited and heroic on the battlefield, was a little shy at this moment, like a young woman who had just seen the person she loved.
"No need to ask too many questions. I'll explain it to you myself right now."
"First, I want to tell you—"
Boudica, with a slight blush on her face, looked at a place not far away. A murderous intent was coming from that direction.
That was something that only Nero could do. It was a kind of aura that, as soon as you touched it, you would realize that it was the gaze of the supreme emperor of Rome.
"Nero is watching us right now."
Everything made sense.
Why did she feel so familiar?
Because it was Nero, who had defeated her on the battlefield several times and won in the arena, watching her.
And the reason Nero was doing this was because of the unclear relationship between Ian and her!
"His Majesty is watching us?"
Ian was flustered now.
He knew exactly how strong Nero's possessiveness was.
If it weren't for her status as emperor, she would even be willing to go to the empty Senate with him to have fun until they were both exhausted.
Ian pulled Boudica's hand away.
"Boudica, don't make that kind of joke!"
"It seems you really didn't notice," Boudica said with a calm smile. "She's right behind you now... hmm, the kind that can rush over at any moment."
"No?!"
Ian looked at the Queen of Britannia in front of him.
"If you knew she was here, why did you do that?"
"Hmm?" Boudica raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. Seneca, did you forget what you just said—didn't you say there was no relationship between you and your empress?"
"If that's the case, then your relationship status should be single, right?"
"Now—"
Boudica held Ian's hands. A hint of victory appeared in her emerald green eyes.
"I, Boudica, have developed feelings for you."
"And because of these feelings, I couldn't control myself and expressed it in a traditional way of kissing—doesn't this make perfect sense?"
"If I had to say... it's just that my status as a prisoner isn't very suitable, right? But I don't think that's important, is it?"
"You..."
Ian really couldn't refute Boudica's words.
After all, if everything he had just said was true, then she was just a queen who had temporarily lost control due to her personal feelings.
This woman had planned it all out!
"Hmm?" Boudica looked at the man in front of her. "It seems this isn't enough to bring down Mr. Seneca."
"Then—"
"This time, the kissing spot will be the lips."
"This way, I think your empress will understand everything."
"..." Ian was silent for a while before he asked helplessly, "Boudica, aren't you afraid that Nero will kill you?"
"Of course I am," Boudica said with a slight smile.
"But—"
"Fear won't change my mind. Instead of living with doubts, what I admire more is the freedom of making everything clear."
Ian was completely at a loss now.
Boudica wasn't even afraid of death. Nothing he said could change her mind.
She was determined to get to the bottom of this.
Left with no other options, Ian could only say directly.
"I understand—"
[Under Boudica's nearly self-destructive "interrogation," you were forced to admit your relationship with Nero.]
[This was clearly not a good thing.]
[After all, Boudica's identity was quite special. If she wanted to use this to cause trouble, there would probably be another round of chaos.]
[However, for some reason—]
[You could feel that Boudica didn't want to cause any trouble.]
[On the contrary, she seemed to just want to know the truth of the matter—whether you and Nero had that kind of unannounced relationship.]
[And now she had succeeded.]
"That's pretty much it," Ian told Boudica everything he could.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"..."
For some reason, a hint of sadness was added to Boudica's already somewhat sad tone.
She asked as if she already knew the answer: "Seneca, according to what you said... you and Nero have actually been married for a long time and have done that kind of thing many times, right?"
"Shh—"
Ian put a finger to his lips to shush the Queen of Britannia in front of him.
"Don't be so loud—yes, you're right. His Majesty and I are indeed married in private. As for that kind of thing... it's also happening in the way His Majesty likes."
"..."
Boudica was silent for a long time before she asked the next seemingly unrelated question.
"Then... did you ask to marry Nero, or did she ask you to marry her?"
"That was of course His Majesty's idea."
Ian recalled how Nero had rushed to him, crying and begging to get married after he woke up from his unconscious state.
It was a situation he couldn't possibly refuse—as a person who loved her, how could he resist her cute, pleading look?
"His Majesty was eager for me to have the wedding we should have."
"So we got married without anyone knowing—that's how it happened."
"And do you love her?" Boudica continued to ask.
"Yes."
Ian didn't hesitate at all and gave the answer from his heart.
"For me, His Majesty is the philosophy in a poem and the harmony in a melody. I dedicated my life to her the moment we met."
"But she doesn't know that your condition is very bad," Boudica said, recalling the scene she saw in the prison.
"That's okay," Ian said with a slight smile. "For me, what I care about is that she can live in Rome without any burden."
"So—"
"Boudica, I hope you don't tell anyone about this, or His Majesty will be very troubled."
"..."
Boudica looked at the man in front of her, her emerald green eyes filled with complicated emotions. She didn't seem to agree with this outcome.
But in the end, as if she had figured something out, she said with a smile.
"You Romans are really messy—the emperor doesn't even spare her own minister and even gets married to him."
"That would be an extremely outrageous thing in our Britannia."
"But seeing as you two do have the ability to change everyone's lives, I'll reluctantly keep this secret for you."
"Oh, and here, take this."
Saying this, Boudica took out an amulet and placed it in Ian's palm.
"What is this?" the man asked in confusion.
"This is an amulet that I prayed for from the goddess Andraste," Boudica said with a smile. "Seneca, it belongs to you now."
"I swear in the name of the Queen of Britannia."
"In the future—"
"If you and Nero run into any trouble, just send a message to it."
"I will do everything I can to get to you and Nero as soon as I hear it."
[Boudica's tour of Rome came to an end with her giving you an amulet.]
[After learning the truth, she explained to Nero the reason for the kiss she left on your face—it was a traditional greeting from Britannia since ancient times.]
[Nero reluctantly accepted the explanation but also decided to punish you properly.]
["Teacher, tonight, you will be a lion and be with me until sunrise."]
[That was your most high-casualty night.]
[Because Nero treated you like her favorite drink—she wanted to suck you dry, leaving not a single drop.]
[But you were happy because of it.]
[After all, the problem with Britannia was finally perfectly resolved.]
[But fate didn't seem to want to let you go just like that.]
[When winter arrived, your condition gradually began to become uncontrollable.]