Chapter 132: Pharaoh
“Then it’s certain that Father is not in a dangerous state?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Pharaoh is in a very weak condition, but he can still manage his daily life. However, he gets tired easily these days and often falls asleep.”
Arsinoe let out a sigh of relief at the old doctor’s opinion.
Cleopatra, who was listening to the conversation with her, also brightened up noticeably.
To Arsinoe’s eyes, Auletes’ health did not look very bad.
She was only worried about the deep fatigue that filled his face.
Auletes had returned to his bedroom after talking with his daughters for about two hours, as if his energy had dropped.
It was fortunate that nothing serious happened right now, but she couldn’t help but worry.
Arsinoe came out of the bedroom with Cleopatra so as not to disturb her father’s sleep.
The two walked side by side in silence to the garden. Then, without knowing who started first, they almost opened their mouths at the same time.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.”
Arsinoe blew away the silence that had settled between them with a heavy sigh, as if she knew that such a reaction would come out.
“Did you know that Father was sick?”
“No.”
“That’s strange, considering how you ran to him first and had a private talk with him.”
“I just did what any child would do.”
It wasn’t a wrong answer, so Arsinoe didn’t ask any further.
“How are you doing alone in Rome? Aren’t you lonely?”
“It’s not bad. There’s a lot to learn and there are people I can talk to. If I had my way, I’d like to stay in Rome for a few years and spend some leisure time.”
“Really? You’re smart. You can control your emotions perfectly. I don’t think I could ever live like that, no matter how hard I try.”
Cleopatra looked at Arsinoe with a meaningful smile and shook her head.
“Really? I envy you.”
“What do you envy?”
“Let’s play cards later when we have time. I’ll show you how much I’ve improved.”
Cleopatra waved her hand and went back to her palace, leaving Arsinoe bewildered.
She felt complicated as she watched Cleopatra’s receding figure.
She returned to her palace with various worries, and ran into an unwelcome face in the garden.
“Princess Arsinoe, what a coincidence this is.”
It was a soft voice that sounded like a whisper.
Gnaeus was standing in the shadow created by the setting sun.
He smiled and approached Arsinoe.
His handsome appearance resembled Pompey when he was young.
If Arsinoe’s taste was not for men with thicker lines, she might have been slightly moved by him.
“Gnaeus Pompey, right? What brings you here?”
“I was admiring the beautiful garden and lost myself in it. I didn’t imagine that this was where you were staying.”
Arsinoe was not foolish enough to believe such words.
It was obvious that this was an approach disguised as a coincidence.
Gnaeus took another step closer.
Arsinoe raised her hand to stop the guard who tried to block him reflexively.
“Since this has happened, would you grant me the honor of spending some time with you?”
“I don’t see why not. How about we chat somewhere where we can see the sea?”
She knew that even if she refused here, he would find some reason to come back again.
He was the eldest son of the Pompey family, who had equal power to Marcus.
She didn’t want to antagonize him even if she didn’t have a good impression of him.
‘I’ve heard some stories from Marcus. It wouldn’t hurt to hear what he has to say.’
Arsinoe ordered the best wine to be brought and led Gnaeus herself.
The place where she headed was where she had first met Marcus.
The sun was slowly sinking into the sea, and a cool breeze brushed her hair pleasantly.
Gnaeus showed no hesitation or hesitation in front of the Egyptian royal family.
He was polite but clearly thought he was superior.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. But rumors are not reliable. They seem to have failed to describe half of your beauty.”
“You flatter me. I’ve also heard rumors about the Pompey family since I was young. It’s new to meet you in person.”
“Me too. While I was talking with Princess Cleopatra, your name came up several times. I wondered what kind of person you were, and today I finally satisfied my curiosity.”
Gnaeus smiled with his eyes and casually ate the fruit in front of him.
Arsinoe couldn’t shake off a strange sense of discomfort.
“You talked with my sister?”
“Yes. We met a few times in Rome, and exchanged opinions on various topics on the way to Alexandria. We found out that we have a lot in common.”
“That’s interesting.”
She didn’t quite understand.
She could understand why Cleopatra wanted to make a connection with Pompey.
She knew very well that she had a lot of ambition and was planning for the future.
She thought that she might be plotting something with Gnaeus.
But why was Gnaeus bragging about it in front of her?
He must have known that Arsinoe was on Marcus’s side.
Arsinoe sipped the wine with a restless head.
“What do you mostly talk about with my sister?”
“As I said, the topics are quite diverse. We talked about the differences and similarities between Rome and Egypt, and politics and culture in various fields. Oh, and Princess Cleopatra seemed very worried about Egypt’s future.”
Arsinoe frowned.
She asked in a slightly sharp voice.
“Egypt’s future?”
Gnaeus didn’t flinch.
He casually gave her a prepared answer, as if he had deliberately led the conversation.
“Once Rome conquers Numidia, the domination of North Africa will be ours. All of North Africa, except Egypt, will become our clients.”
“That’s true. But Egypt is connected to Rome’s eastern provinces through the east.”
“The problem is that the center of the eastern provinces is moving from Syria to Mesopotamia. Rome will expand its borders to the east and north from there.”
“···But why does my sister worry about that? Egypt can just remain an ally and maintain a good relationship with Rome as it is now.”
Arsinoe put down her glass with a clink and asked.
Gnaeus nodded his head with a worried expression, as if he had waited for that question.
“That’s right. For Egypt, it would be best to keep the current situation. But Princess Cleopatra seems to think that it’s impossible. Rome has already taken over the Mesopotamian plain, and added the fertile Gaul to its territory. Egypt’s grain is still important, but it can’t have as much influence on Rome as before.”
“That’s···a reasonable point.”
“Besides, if Rome takes over the Red Sea, we will use the canal that connects the Nile to the Red Sea more often. Many Roman merchant ships and warships will cross Egypt’s river. It will be a lot of trouble. Princess Cleopatra thinks that this issue should be addressed clearly in this meeting.”
Gnaeus beat around the bush, but his intention was clear.
Egypt would be more likely to fall under Pompey’s influence than Marcus’s in the future.
“Did you not think that I would tell Marcus exactly what you said? I’m sure he would come up with an appropriate solution.”
“I would appreciate it if you did. I have no intention of competing or anything with him. That’s probably what some old nobles in the Senate think. I’m just worried about the possible chaos in Africa. What would I do by seeing Marcus as a rival?”
Gnaeus remained calm even when Marcus was mentioned.
But Arsinoe didn’t miss that he showed a negative reaction to competing with Marcus more than necessary.
Thanks to what she had heard from Marcus beforehand, she was able to notice it.
And she also felt that Gnaeus’s appearance overlapped a little with her own when she had an inferiority complex towards Cleopatra.
Arsinoe naturally pretended to agree with him while stimulating his inferiority complex.
“That’s true. There’s probably no young politician who can compete with Marcus in Rome right now. The difference is so big that many young nobles don’t even feel competitive and just want to join Marcus’s faction. If even you don’t see Marcus as a rival, then I guess those rumors are true.”
“I don’t want to confront him more than necessary, but I’m not going to bow down either. After all, if the two families that will lead Rome don’t get along, there will be chaos both inside and outside the country.”
“···I see. I’m sorry. I jumped to conclusions.”
Arsinoe bowed her head slightly as if she was really sorry.
But this confirmed it.
Gnaeus was conscious of Marcus and thought he could compete with him.
There was no huge problem with Gnaeus’s judgment.
The positions of both sides were incomparable now, but Gnaeus was still in his early twenties.
If he made a merit in this Numidian campaign and successfully inherited Pompey’s position, his power would not be negligible.
Even if Marcus had the entire eastern provinces under him, Pompey’s power was not inferior to him.
North African provinces, Hispania, Greece and Macedonia, and Numidia that he would conquer this time would all become Pompey’s clients.
It might be impossible now, but it could be different in 10 or 20 years.
With the young blood of his twenties added to that, it was not unreasonable for Gnaeus to see Marcus as a rival.
Pompey, who had never felt inferior in his life, could not see through his son’s mind.
It was partly because Gnaeus hid his feelings well, but there was another essential reason.
Pompey was unable to understand his son’s true feelings because he had never experienced inferiority.
Gnaeus suppressed the rising anger and didn’t let his expression falter.
But he was still too young to control his emotions perfectly, and he ended up throwing a sharp remark.
“You don’t need to apologize, Princess. But it’s a topic that you should think about carefully. If Princess Cleopatra becomes the next Pharaoh, there will be many changes in Egypt.”
Arsinoe continued the conversation with Gnaeus, matching his pace.
After that, there was no special topic.
When the sun completely set and the surroundings became dark, Gnaeus politely said goodbye and left.
He was not a very likable person.
That was Arsinoe’s evaluation of Gnaeus’s first impression.
※※※※
Arsinoe told Marcus everything that she had talked with Gnaeus.
It was more than Marcus had expected.
To be honest, he didn’t think that Arsinoe would do this much.
“His last words were definitely a mistake. He probably just wanted to impress you, but he must have gotten a bit heated.”
“I know what that feels like. How should I put it···I want to show him that I’m not inferior to him, and I get impatient. Gnaeus probably felt the same way.”
Marcus’s eyes darkened slightly.
He had guessed from the beginning, but at this point, he had to admit that it was impossible to have a good relationship with Gnaeus.
If he simply showed hostility, there might have been room for improvement.
But there was no room for compromise with someone who pretended to be friendly on the surface and waited for a chance to stab him in the back.
“Arsinoe, if Gnaeus tries to brag more or provoke you, please pretend to go along with it. Don’t react too obviously or he might get suspicious. Just show him that you are somewhat skeptical.”
“Yes. But what about my sister? She seems to be on Gnaeus’s side···How are you going to deal with that?”
“It’s fine. It could be just Gnaeus’s bluff, and besides, Princess Cleopatra is smart. Even if she has such a mind, she will make a rational judgment based on the situation.”
“So you’re going to let Gnaeus swim freely under the water?”
Arsinoe asked as if confirming.
Marcus nodded reassuringly.
“I’ll give him some leeway for Pompey’s sake, but I still need to teach him a lesson for being a reckless young man who doesn’t know the world. I’ll give him a chance to learn from his failure, as a way of welcoming him to politics. I hope he enjoys it.”
“···Won’t he grind his teeth?”
Marcus chuckled and got up from his seat.
This was essentially the last chance for Gnaeus.
Marcus didn’t want to trample on Pompey’s son openly either.
He would be happy if he realized the difference in ability and gave up his absurd ambition.
But if he kept antagonizing him until the end······.
Marcus sent Arsinoe away and slowly walked to the place he had arranged beforehand.
As he entered the Pharaoh’s private garden, the guards who recognized his face made way for him.
Auletes, who was sitting on a splendid chair and sipping wine, greeted him warmly.
“Long time no see, come here and sit down.”
“Greetings to the great incarnation of Amun-Ra, the lord of Upper and Lower Egypt. I heard that you were unwell and I was worried.”
“I’m feeling better now. But I guess age makes people miserable.”
Auletes looked at his half-filled glass of wine with a sad expression.
They both knew what they were going to say, so there was no need to hesitate, but the topic was too sensitive to proceed easily.
Auletes swept away the innocent glass of wine with his hand and didn’t open his mouth.
They kept silent for about thirty minutes.
Marcus waited patiently for Auletes’s words without any complaints.
Finally, he lifted his eyes and met Marcus’s gaze.
The Pharaoh uttered a heavy word.
“···I don’t think I’ll live long. So I’ll ask you bluntly. Who do you think should be the successor?”
< 132. Pharaoh > End
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