Chapter 99: The Women of Egypt 2
Cleopatra and Arsinoe faced each other with serious expressions.
They had been meeting more frequently in the past few years.
That’s why they could have a meeting without arousing much suspicion in the current situation.
On the table where the two sat, there were stacks of cards made of papyrus.
They still enjoyed the card game that Marcus had taught them when he came as an envoy.
The original board game that Marcus had made for them was chess.
But Cleopatra quickly learned the rules and naturally used forks and pins, so Arsinoe couldn’t win a single game.
She lost every time, even if she played without pieces.
It was no fun at all.
So Marcus made them a card game that involved not only skill but also luck.
He roughly mimicked an online game he had played in the modern era, but Arsinoe and Cleopatra were surprisingly immersed in the card game.
Even after Marcus left, they continued to enjoy the game by making new cards.
Arsinoe moved her hand over the card she would draw with a serious expression, as if it was a decisive battle that determined the fate of the world.
“Oh Horus, oh Serapis, please…”
She prayed once and flipped over the card. Her eyes widened in dismay.
Then she threw the card away and pounded on the table.
“Ah, crap! Why didn’t I get the Guardian of Osiris? I would have won if I had just one!”
“You always use such a gambling strategy, that’s why your win rate is low. Can’t you calculate probabilities? You might win a few times if you’re lucky, but if you play a lot of games, the outcome will naturally follow the probability.”
“Ah…I’m annoyed. How can I be so unlucky? Come to think of it, Marcus once muttered something to me after he lost in this situation…”
“Something like ‘unlucky trash game’ with an obscure meaning?”
Arsinoe nodded her head as she clapped her hands.
“Right. That. Do you know what it means?”
“Guessing from the situation, it means he was too unlucky, or it was a game that depended on luck. Something like that? Maybe it was a Roman idiom.”
“Oh, I see. So that’s how they call a game that depends on luck in Rome.”
Arsinoe thought she should try using it next time as she organized the cards scattered in front of her.
There was no one in this place who could point out that it was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
Cleopatra chuckled as she saw Arsinoe still fuming.
“Well, you’re better than most people. Our beloved sister and current pharaoh didn’t even know how to make a strategy.”
“Ha, that’s why she came up with such an absurd plan and bragged about being confident. How could the pharaoh of Egypt try to solve things with her body…body…”
“Well? I think it’s worth trying, as I said before. Of course, only if her goal is to have a close relationship with him.”
Cleopatra poured a full glass of juice on the table.
Arsinoe drank the fruit juice and frowned dissatisfiedly.
“What? You think there’s value in offering your body and getting a negotiation deal? The pharaoh of Egypt?”
“It doesn’t matter if she’s the pharaoh or not. If necessary, she should do more than that. Of course, she shouldn’t act like a fool without absolute certainty.”
“…So, you really think there’s a possibility that her stupid plan will succeed?”
“I think the probability of failure is much higher, but I can’t guarantee that it will definitely fail, right? He might sleep with her if he thinks she’s a better partner than our father. It’s not a big deal to make an agreement with her since she’s also from the Ptolemaic dynasty.”
Arsinoe’s cute eyelashes fluttered. Cleopatra was right, but somehow it felt awkward to hear.
She wanted to shout that there was no way Berenice, such a vulgar person, would be chosen by Marcus.
But she held back. It felt like she was losing if she showed such a reaction.
She tried to sound calm as she argued back.
“Really? Do you think Marcus would see our wise and merciful sister as a good negotiator? I think I could bet my entire fortune on him saying no.”
“Who knows? Maybe Rome wants to swallow Egypt by deliberately putting an incompetent woman on the throne. Egypt is an important grain-producing area for Rome, so they would have an excuse to intervene if it becomes a mess. They might deliberately push this country to the brink of collapse and then appear as saviors. I know they have annexed some countries in a similar way.”
“He, he wouldn’t do such a cowardly thing…”
Cleopatra sighed and shook her head.
She had fallen completely for him just because he was kind and treated her like a human being.
She denied it, but it was so obvious from the side that it was embarrassing to pretend not to know.
“Do you really think he’s some kind of kind royal elder? He’s a senator of Rome. And he’s at the top of the privileged class in Rome, as he has risen to represent the Senate at such a young age. Do you believe that someone who has reached the center of Roman power at such a young age is a benevolent hero?
He was kind to us because we were just children. Of course, I know what you’re trying to say. He’s basically a good person. I won’t deny that. But a ruler at the top of a country has to move according to political judgment rather than his own feelings.
Being a pure royal is synonymous with being an easy target for exploitation and getting stabbed in the back.”
“…I know. I know, okay? But why are you giving me such advice? Aren’t you the one who doesn’t see me as a competitor?”
“Whether you become my competitor or not is still a long way off in the future. It’s only tiring for both of us if we start to oppose each other from now on. Besides, we’re in a situation where we have to think about surviving together before we compete with each other. What if the current pharaoh succeeds in getting recognized by Rome with a terrible probability? They might leave us alone for now because we’re young, but what about when time passes?”
She didn’t need to hear the next words to imagine the situation afterwards.
If it had been before, she could have left Egypt and ruled Cyprus, but now that was impossible.
Especially dangerous was Arsinoe, not Cleopatra.
Berenice, who was a bloodline supremacist, didn’t see Cleopatra as a serious threat, no matter how smart she was.
Rather than anyone else, he would treat Arsinoe, who inherited the purest blood of the Ptolemaic dynasty, as a potential threat.
Perhaps, in a few years, she would send an assassin without anyone knowing.
Even if Berenice had no such intention, there was a high chance that the courtiers around her would act impulsively.
Arsinoe, who was still young, had grasped this basic political situation.
“I have my own plan. I don’t intend to survive by relying on my sister’s mercy, which is nothing but a rat’s tail.”
“What plan do you have?”
“I already sent a letter to Rome. Of course, I did it secretly. But I made sure that it would reach Marcus, the eldest son of the Crassus family. He should be able to read it.”
“What? What did you write in the letter?”
Cleopatra gave her a suspicious look.
But Arsinoe stood up confidently.
“I warned him to be careful of a lowly creature who doesn’t know his place and tries to approach Rome’s power.”
“Re-really? You really wrote that in the letter?”
“Of course.”
Cleopatra quickly looked around and lowered her voice.
“Are you crazy? Didn’t you think that your neck would be cut off if that letter leaked out?”
“I didn’t leave any evidence that I wrote it. Do you think I’m such a fool? Only Marcus or my sister would know that I wrote it by reading the letter.”
“Well…that’s a relief then.”
For a moment, Cleopatra wondered how Marcus would react to that absurd letter.
Would he be flustered, or laugh it off? Or would he show displeasure and tear up the letter?
It was not a bad thing for Cleopatra that Berenice or Arsinoe showed unexpected behavior.
She couldn’t take her eyes off Marcus when she first saw him, for a different reason than Arsinoe.
To be honest, it was shocking.
She had never met someone whose mind was so unreadable.
Cleopatra was a woman who had more ambition and lust for power than anyone else.
Of course, she didn’t foolishly reveal that fact and invite opposition.
That’s why she had been acting as a wise and modest princess until now.
She didn’t pretend to be someone else.
She just hid her power and ambition thoroughly.
And after observing Marcus closely, she felt that he might be someone like her.
It was not a clear inference based on evidence.
But she was sure that he had noticed her hidden side in an instant.
He had seen through her inner self that no one had ever discovered before.
She thought that maybe Marcus was also someone of the same kind as her.
It was a weak hypothesis, but it was worth verifying.
To do that, she had to know more about him.
She didn’t have enough information about him right now.
If Berenice or Arsinoe could elicit various reactions from Marcus, then she could understand him better.
So for now, she just had to watch and wait.
Like a crocodile in the Nile River, quietly sinking under the water until the opportunity came.
Cleopatra didn’t rush and waited patiently for her time to come.
※※※※
After Caesar left for Gaul, Rome, which had been quiet for a while, faced turbulent days again.
First of all, Clodius distributed grain to the citizens of Rome at almost no cost.
The source of his funds was partly from the annexation of Cyprus that he led.
Naturally, the citizens who got food at a bargain price praised Clodius’s name enthusiastically.
And then the heroic news of victory from Gaul stirred up their hearts.
The Senate promoted Marcus’s achievements more vigorously to counter Clodius and Caesar’s popularity.
To the Romans, Gauls and Germans were immigrants who had inflicted indelible humiliation in the past.
Against them, Caesar, the representative of the populists, and Marcus, the representative of the aristocrats, joined hands.
Moreover, they were father-in-law and son-in-law.
This alone was enough to attract the attention and support of the Romans.
The young men who were full of blood shouted that they would gladly go to Gaul if there was additional recruitment of legions there.
Crassus successfully controlled this excited atmosphere in Rome.
The reason why the Senate didn’t feel Marcus’s absence much was entirely thanks to Crassus’s solid support.
He opposed Pompey and Clodius and firmly secured the aristocrats’ interests while preparing for the election perfectly.
The talents he mainly recruited were people who received support from both the citizens and the equestrian class.
They were not necessarily pro-aristocrats, but they were certainly not pro-populists who only did good politics for the people.
These people usually operated the politics stably without causing radical changes.
They just thought that they had to protect their own privileges.
They were perfect candidates for most of the aristocrats who thought so.
In the end, Crassus succeeded in regaining one of the two consul seats that he had lost to the populists last year.
He also secured almost half of the praetor and aedile positions, earning the praise of the aristocrats.
“As expected of Crassus. He recovered the consulship so quickly.”
“It seems that Pompey is no match for Crassus in terms of political skills. Hahaha!”
“He only got half of the seats. If he is satisfied with this result, he might suffer a defeat in next year’s election.”
Crassus did not act rashly despite the satisfying outcome, but maintained a solid center.
This attitude earned him more trust from the aristocratic senators.
In fact, the candidates who were elected this time were also influenced by the Triumvirate.
From consul to praetor, most of the moderate factions of both parties were elected, thanks to Pompey and Crassus’s opinions.
Caesar and Marcus were away, so they wanted to keep the status quo and spend time moderately.
Therefore, contrary to the noisy atmosphere of Rome, the politics was surprisingly stable.
Crassus hoped that this situation would last until next winter, when Marcus would return to Rome.
But an unwelcome guest always came at such times.
The Senate was shaken by the news that Ptolemy Auletes, who had been driven out of Alexandria, had approached Ostia harbor.
The dignified senators felt sorry for Auletes, regardless of whether they were populists or aristocrats.
He had been pro-Roman since his reign and had given Rome many benefits.
In return, he received the title of friend of Rome and had his kingship guaranteed.
But they took away Cyprus from him without blinking an eye and provided an opportunity for Auletes to be expelled.
Anyone could see that this was Rome betraying Auletes.
Of course, the Senate had something to say.
This was not the Senate’s decision, but the result of Clodius stirring up the assembly.
The senators decided to blame it all on Clodius and say that they had nothing to do with it.
Anyway, they needed to decide how to treat Auletes before he entered Rome.
Cato, a hardliner, argued that they should send troops immediately and restore Auletes.
“This is an opportunity to station Rome’s army in Egypt and make it a de facto province. If we have the Nile Valley’s granary as our land, Clodius will no longer be able to use the price of grain as a weapon to win over the citizens.”
His opinion received support from many senators, but there were also those who thought they should be more careful.
A representative figure was Cicero.
“It’s not that simple. Auletes was not ousted by a power struggle among the elites. He lost the trust of Alexandria and Egypt’s people. That’s why he was kicked out.
If we intervene rashly as foreigners, Egypt might resist with all its might. Of course, we can suppress them, but we can’t avoid small rebellions in various places. Egypt has more pride than any other country in the East. To absorb it in a stable state, we need a good reason.”
“Ptolemy Auletes is a friend of Rome and Rome does not ignore a friend’s hardship. Is there a better reason than this?”
“We need a reason for Egypt, or at least Alexandria’s people to accept Auletes again.”
Both sides had reasonable opinions, so it was not easy to reach a conclusion.
Egypt was the most important granary for Rome, so its importance was recognized not only by the aristocrats but also by the ordinary citizens.
That’s why it was not easy to make a decision.
If something went wrong, they would have to take full responsibility and retire from politics.
They had to help Auletes if they wanted to keep their promise, but they felt uneasy if they thought there might be additional problems.
In the meantime, Metellus Scipio suggested an opinion that received support from many people. He said that they should entrust this matter to the Crassus family.
“Marcus was the one who bridged between Auletes and the Senate. And we are following his opinion a lot now. Since he is in Gaul now, why don’t we let Crassus calm down Auletes and think of a countermeasure? I am willing to follow Crassus’s opinion.”
It meant that since Marcus brought up this problem, his family should take responsibility and solve it.
His opinion received great response from both the populists and the aristocrats.
Crassus was embarrassed, but he couldn’t oppose it outright since this was the Senate’s will.
He reluctantly took on the headache and returned to his mansion.
The date when Auletes was scheduled to enter Rome was three days later.
He was wondering how to deal with it, when Danae came with a rolled-up scroll and offered it to Crassus.
“A letter has arrived from Gaul.”
“Oh! Did Marcus send it?”
Crassus quickly unfolded the scroll and read the letter.
The sender was, as expected, Marcus.
The content of the letter consisted of two main parts. The first was how to deal with the Pharaoh of Egypt who came to Rome for asylum.
It was the advice that Crassus wanted most.
“That’s my son. He knows how to scratch where it itches.”
He read the content with a pleased expression until the end, then tilted his head.
It was because of the second request that Marcus made.
Crassus couldn’t understand what exactly the sentence meant.
“He said he was going to do the final experiment and asked me to tell Septimus to send him the thing he mentioned before?”
Crassus didn’t know exactly what Marcus was doing with the military supplies development.
He just heard that he was developing new armor and weapons.
Anyway, if it was the final experiment, it meant that both the war and the development were nearing the end.
He suddenly remembered the promise his son had made before.
Marcus had sworn that he would make sure Crassus held a triumph, no matter what.
At first, he thought his son was trying to comfort him, who was losing his spirit, and laughed it off.
But when he saw the news of victory from Gaul, he had a feeling that it might be a possible story.
‘If I go on an expedition to the East and Marcus assists me…’
A plausible picture came to his mind.
Himself, who had achieved military merits that were not inferior to Pompey or Caesar. And Marcus, who proudly stood by his side and drove the chariot with him.
The desire for a triumph, which he had half given up, ignited a spark of ambition in the heart of an old man who was approaching 60.
<End of Chapter 99. The Women of Egypt>
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