While Septimus watched Fulvia walk farther and farther away, a man with a cunning face approached him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Gaius Cornelius Fabius, and I am a lawyer," the man said courteously.
"The Cornelii seem to be a very famous clan in Rome," Septimus said, without paying much attention to the man.
"Yes, the Cornelian clan has produced many consuls," the man said with great pride. In fact, both Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Lucius Cornelius Cinna belonged to the Cornelian clan.
Fabius smiled, trying to ingratiate himself with Septimus. In reality, he was an unlucky noble from a very poor family.
His presence at this banquet was entirely due to his connections, forged by handling litigation for the powerful and wealthy, combined with his shamelessness, which often earned him the contempt of other nobles.
"Most of the nobles in Capua fear you or envy your fortune," Fabius said.
"I know," Septimus replied calmly. He preferred to be feared.
"I want to serve you. As long as you give me your trust, I will give you my loyalty," Fabius said seriously, expressing his intentions.
Septimus was slightly surprised by this noble's direct request.
"Why would I accept?" Septimus asked.
"I am a well-known lawyer in Capua. I can help you with anything you need within the city," Fabius said humbly.
"What do you want in return?" Septimus asked, staring at him.
"I want... I want to dedicate myself to politics! I want to restore the glory of the Fabius family! I do not want to continue living like this! It turns out I have something you lack. Although my family is going through difficult times, some of my relatives still hold high positions, and I have many contacts. You also have something I need, and I hope you can sponsor me," Fabius said in a low voice.
"I am willing to give you an opportunity," Septimus said, looking at Fabius with contempt. Rome had existed for centuries; there were countless fallen nobles. Even Julius Caesar and Lucius Cornelius Sulla were considered fallen nobles in their youth. A true alliance? He did not deserve it.
Septimus planned to use Fabius as bait or simply kill him if he proved useless.
Fabius blushed upon realizing that he had underestimated Septimus; he had treated him like a talented but proud young man with a lot of money, no influence, and easy to persuade, which was why he had dared to present his request.
"In any case, I hope to obtain information, and I will give you what you want," Septimus said.
He did not fear that Fabius would hide anything; lying to him meant certain death.
Fabius clenched his teeth and said, "I think we should talk elsewhere."
Septimus thought for a moment and said, "It is fine for us to speak in a discreet place."
Fabius nodded, and the two temporarily separated, then went one after the other to a discreet location.
Septimus told his two guards to stand watch.
"The truth is, I did not learn much about this. I only vaguely heard that some nobles are going to attack your trade caravans," Fabius said.
"Attack the trade caravans? My caravans are well protected with a large number of men; how could they possibly succeed?" Septimus asked with amusement.
"I can help you find out. I know many people," Fabius said.
Septimus reflected for a moment and asked, "I want to know who is involved."
"I will find out this information quickly," Fabius said with a flattering expression.
Septimus did not know whether Fabius was telling the truth or whether there were truly nobles so greedy that they were seeking death. Only then did he realize how uninformed he was.
The nobility in Rome was mixed, and there were all kinds of people. Generally, one could discern a noble's origin by his full name. For example, Lucius Cornelius Scipio Africanus indicated that he came from the Cornelian clan, while Scipio Africanus meant that he belonged to the Scipio family, which conquered Carthage during the Punic Wars.
"I am willing to provide you with 100,000 denarii," Septimus said calmly. If Fabius lied to him, he could use the loaned money as an excuse to confiscate his entire family's property. Poor Roman nobles also had relatives with money.
The nobles in Capua only knew that Septimus had between 2,000 and 3,000 men. If they truly knew Septimus' real power, they would not have the courage to oppose him.
"Besides, may I ask you something?" Fabius asked.
"What is it?" Septimus said impatiently.
"If you ever go to Rome, I hope you can take me with you," Fabius said humbly.
Septimus saw a burning flame of ambition in his eyes. Without a doubt, he was an ambitious man.
"No problem," Septimus said after thinking for a moment. He would use Fabius as a disposable subordinate.
"Thank you very much, Master," Fabius replied humbly.
Shortly after Fabius left, Septimus departed from Marcus' mansion.
The next morning, at the Licinius family mansion.
After hearing his son's words, an elderly man bedridden almost fainted with fury.
The old man's name was Lucius Licinius Guta, father of Licinius. He was a widower with only one son.
"You are an idiot! How dared you offend that madman?" Lucius shouted furiously at his son.
Licinius, as the only son of a great noble family in Capua, deeply despised people of lower origins.
Lucius looked at him and sighed deeply at this son of his who had caused a great problem.
"I only said a few words after drinking too much wine," Licinius said timidly upon seeing his father's anger for the first time.
"Only a few words? You condemned the family because of your stupidity!" Lucius shouted, unable to restrain his fury.
After agitating himself, Lucius calmed down. Seeing that his son was an incurable fool, he continued, "Do you think it is so easy to reconcile with Septimus?"
Licinius lowered his head, not daring to look at his father. At the banquet, he had envied Septimus' wealth and the attention he received from the noblewomen; that was why he had dared to provoke him and make such a venomous oath. As a young noble protected by his father, he had not considered the consequences of his words.
Lucius was disappointed in his son. He was very ill, and after his wife's death, he had been busy with politics, which had caused his son to become an arrogant young man who acted without measuring the consequences.
"I want you to apologize to Septimus and obtain his forgiveness," Lucius spoke with authority, without waiting for a response, while the slaves helped him walk toward his room.
Licinius stared blankly.
He trusted that Septimus, after having committed so many crimes against Rome, would not dare to act recklessly.
The conflict at the banquet had become news among the upper class of Capua; all the nobles of Capua knew about the conflict between Septimus and the arrogant Licinius.
Few nobles had confidence in the victory of Licinius' family.
Meanwhile, Septimus was evaluating the construction of the villa. He had the idea of quickly attacking the Licinius family's villa. But first, he had to finish the construction of the torture chamber.
Septimus had not paid much attention to the torture chamber, and only after meeting Licinius did he decide to accelerate its construction in order to welcome his first guest.