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First week, and the book has been well received.
Thank you for the support.
This chapter is dedicated to:
Meysam865
Baelor_dayo
lucas_daniel_9743
Eric_Taylor_7433
Anbesa
Wyald_dog
Daoist_Sparkling
bonebag
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Two weeks passed quickly.
During that time, Septimus purchased a large quantity of construction materials, dedicating much of the clones' labor to building and reinforcing the villa.
News of Septimus's pardon for his crimes, and of his marriage to a lady from the Scipio family, spread rapidly through the city of Capua thanks to Lady Cornelia Minnor.
Many nobles and merchants sought opportunities to contact Septimus, hoping to gain his favor.
The upper class of Capua regarded Septimus as a rising star in the political arena.
Unfortunately for them, Septimus paid them no attention. He intended to plunder the city of Capua and ally himself with Sulla in the future.
Septimus viewed the upper class of Capua as lambs destined for the slaughter within a few years.
Conquering the entire region of Campania was an unchanging objective for Septimus, and purging the region's upper class was necessary.
It was early in the morning, and the clones were organizing the carriages for the journey to Rome.
Septimus planned to bring one hundred clone guards and two hundred clones disguised as household slaves, who, in an emergency, would serve as soldiers.
Suddenly, Septimus's attention shifted to one of the carriages in the line, from which the angry screams of a woman, shrieking like a harpy, could be heard.
It was one of the beautifully decorated, large carriages, big enough to accommodate eight people and pulled by four powerful horses.
The screams belonged to Fausta.
In his past life, Septimus had heard couples say that the true test of love was achieved only if they managed to live together for many years, tolerating one another.
Since Fausta had stayed with Septimus, her true vain and arrogant nature had gradually been revealed.
As a high-born young noblewoman, Fausta was deeply disdainful of Septimus's humble origins, though she did not show it directly. She only dared to shout at and attempt to humiliate the clones she believed to be slaves.
All the clones and Septimus were one and the same, and Fausta's actions could cost her life.
"After the ceremony, I'll lock you in a dark cell," Septimus thought to himself, his face expressionless.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Fausta threw a jug of wine at one of the clones she believed to be a slave.
When Fausta realized she would marry a young man without a great family background, but with military talent and immense wealth, she was pleased with her good fortune. Her husband would be someone promising, and his status as a member of the Scipio family would help him greatly.
Fausta was arrogant by nature and believed that Septimus should treat her as an equal if he wanted to benefit from the political influence of the Scipio family.
After spending time at the villa, Fausta assumed that she was the domina of the estate, wielding great authority within the household.
Her first action, driven by curiosity, was to head toward the areas within the wooden walls inside the villa.
Unfortunately, the clone guards stopped her from entering, causing her to erupt in fury.
When Septimus learned of the situation, he paid it little attention. After all, a pampered, fragile upper-class woman was no threat to two burly men.
After shouting threats for a long time without being acknowledged, young Fausta left in a rage.
She felt irritated by the guards' indifference and planned to take revenge in the future.
The second incident that nearly cost Fausta her life involved the slave women.
After the delegation departed, Septimus resumed the slaves' normal lives as his personal lovers and as those in charge of daily tasks.
As a result, Fausta felt insulted and angered. That afternoon, she ordered a clone responsible for household affairs to summon a slave trader.
Fausta intended to sell the slave women without Septimus's knowledge. In her view, even if she sold them, there would be no consequences, as she was the official wife and a noble of the Scipio family.
She did not realize that Septimus would learn of it immediately, the moment she revealed her plan to the clone she believed to be a slave.
That same day, Septimus casually revealed that he knew, giving Fausta a warning.
From that day on, young Lady Fausta, feeling betrayed, changed her behavior and became more irritable, longing only for the days when she could return closer to her family environment in Rome.
Returning to the present, Septimus ignored the harpy-like Fausta and ordered the carriages to move forward.
While Septimus headed toward Rome, in the city of Capua a crowd gathered in front of a new shop.
The shop was located near the plaza of Capua, and four imposing guards stood watch.
The crowd observed with curiosity the different style and distinctive clothing of the employees of this new shop.
If a person from the modern era were present, they would recognize that the employees were dressed like twenty-first-century pastry chefs.
Septimus decided to change his approach to selling white sugar. To that end, he devoted part of his time to purchasing a well-established shop in Capua, opening a pastry shop where he could sell white sugar and beautifully decorated pastries.
Using flour, various fruits, other ingredients, and the creativity of a modern person, Septimus was confident he could inspire the upper class with new ways of consuming white sugar at elite banquets.
The pastry shop Septimus opened in Capua allowed entry only to elites and nobles of Rome.
Amid the noise, a fat man dressed elegantly, accompanied by two slaves, pushed his way through the crowd.
"What is going on? Why are so many people gathered here?" the fat man asked curiously.
"This is the opening of the new white sugar shop, esteemed customer," said one of the clones, dressed as a pastry chef.
"For the first week, as a promotion, the price of a pound of sugar will drop from forty denarii to only thirty," said another clone with a smile.
"How interesting. I'll buy some," said the fat man, heading toward the shop with curiosity.
"Esteemed customer, your slaves may not enter. Only important persons are allowed access," said the clone in charge of service.
"No slaves allowed? You don't have slaves in the shop?" the fat man asked, frowning.
"There are no slaves. All of us who work here are Roman citizens, and access is permitted only to elite and noble customers," the service clone replied politely.
The fat man's ego was satisfied upon hearing the response.
"Very well. You two wait outside," he said as he entered the shop, leaving his two slaves behind.
The shop was luxuriously decorated, with fine wooden shelves, and a person dressed in white stood behind each one.
The fat man observed the place with curiosity, approaching one of the nearest shelves.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing at the display.
"They are called pastries, esteemed customer. They are made of flour, grapes, white sugar, and other ingredients. On this shelf, you can find various flavors," said the clone behind the counter, politely offering a sample.
The fat man hesitated when he saw small signs listing the price of these pastries at ten denarii each, a very high price for a grape bread that could be eaten in fewer than ten bites.
When the grape bread, called a pastry, touched his taste buds, the fat man's eyes lit up. It was a delicacy worthy of a grand upper-class banquet.
"It's delicious. Give me ten," the fat man said, forgetting his earlier complaint about the price.
Smiling, the clone behind the counter took out a clean cloth bag and, using a wooden pair of tongs, carefully placed the pastries inside.
Watching the scene, the fat man was slightly surprised by the novel use of wooden tongs to handle bread. Food hygiene was not the strength of food merchants in Capua, or in Rome as a whole.
"You may pay as you leave the shop, at the red tables," the clone said politely, pointing to a location.
Feeling intrigued by the experience, the fat man wandered among the other shelves, sampling various desserts made with different ingredients.
By the end of his visit, he carried a beautifully crafted reed basket with a unique style, containing several white cloth bags. As he went to pay, a clone in charge of billing began to calculate the total.
The fat man also received, as a gift, a set of papyri describing recipes for different pastries. He felt satisfied with the novel experience, as it was the first time he had received such a level of service and attention while shopping.
Septimus adapted the business model of modern-era supermarkets to his white sugar shop. By selling desserts made with white sugar, demand increased, generating even more money for Septimus's coffers.