Chapter 175: Rebellion
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< 175. Rebellion >
Theodorus, who received Arsinoe’s call, sneaked into the palace, taking advantage of the chaos.
Arsinoe, who was waiting for him to arrive, brought up her purpose as soon as she saw him.
“I want to hear your opinion on the recent events. I heard that the nobles are unhappy with the reform.”
“Pharaoh, that’s…”
“You don’t have to deny it. To be honest, it would be strange if you didn’t have any complaints. I’ve already received reports that the high nobles have had several meetings.”
Theodorus pretended to organize his thoughts while checking Arsinoe’s complexion.
It was hard to guess her intentions from her expression, but she didn’t seem hostile.
Still, there was no need to reveal his intentions first.
It was most important to know what Arsinoe was thinking.
When Theodorus didn’t open his mouth for a long time, Arsinoe became impatient and asked him bluntly.
“What about Cleopatra… Don’t you think she’s going too far lately? This is not about fighting with the nobles.”
“Maybe she has a reason for doing that.”
“She probably wants to grab Egypt in her hands and shake it. Sometimes I see her as if she thinks she’s the only pharaoh, not co-ruling with me.”
Arsinoe’s voice was clearly annoyed.
Theodorus feigned ignorance and slightly shook his head.
“How could that be? Arsinoe, you are the one who inherited the blood of Ptolemy more than anyone else, and you have a deep friendship with the governor of Rome.”
“That’s right. In fact, if I had to choose one true pharaoh, I could say that I fit that position. But Cleopatra seems to regard me as a mere symbolic decoration. And what bothers me the most is that there are many people among the officials and citizens who seem to think so too.”
“That’s because you didn’t show any reaction while Cleopatra was implementing numerous policies. We nobles also thought that you agreed with Cleopatra’s ideas.”
“What nonsense. I just followed Marcus’ wishes.”
“Are you saying that Rome is behind this?”
Theodorus’ eyes widened at the unexpected information.
Arsinoe looked around and gestured for the attendants to leave.
When only two of them were left in the room, she sighed deeply and opened her mouth.
“Marcus doesn’t want me and Cleopatra to fight. So I didn’t interfere too much with what Cleopatra did. There might be unnecessary conflicts and Marcus might be disappointed in me. And there was also a point that Cleopatra said that we had to secure our power firmly so that Rome would be satisfied.”
“Oh, I see. So you don’t agree with Cleopatra’s reform.”
“Of course… rather than that, I don’t really care. You might think I’m cold-hearted, but I have no interest in what happens to Macedonia. I just find it annoying that Cleopatra is too arrogant.”
Arsinoe’s indifferent attitude relieved Theodorus’ mind.
If Arsinoe had said that she was on the side of his nobles or an enemy of Cleopatra, he would have given up on using her and left.
But in this situation, it was different.
Theodorus’ expectation that he could use Arsinoe became more certain.
“Pharaoh, please let me confirm one thing. What is your relationship with Marcus?”
“Why, are you going to criticize me for having a friendship with a Roman? The bloodline of the great Ptolemy?”
“Of course not. Looking at it objectively, Rome is the center of the world right now. And Marcus is the center of Rome. If you can make him your man, Pharaoh, Egypt’s future will only shine brightly. Of course, if Cleopatra gets Marcus’ choice, then it will be a different story…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Marcus and Cleopatra have nothing to do with each other. She is just a tool to stabilize Egypt. He treats me differently from her.”
“So you’re saying that you already have a close relationship with Marcus.”
Theodorus secretly rejoiced that his guess was not wrong.
He decided that he had to seize this opportunity and bowed his head and spoke in a solemn voice.
“Pharaoh, I will risk my life and say one thing. Egypt is going in the wrong direction right now.”
“If it’s about that damn Macedonia…”
“That’s not all. For the sake of Egypt’s future, you should lead the state affairs instead of Cleopatra.”
“So you’re telling me to get rid of Cleopatra?”
“…”
Silence meant affirmation.
Arsinoe snorted and took her eyes off Theodorus.
“What a funny thing to say. Why would I risk such a danger when I have nothing to lose? No matter how much Cleopatra flies and crawls, she can’t surpass Rome’s influence.”
“But if we go on like this, everything in Egypt will fall into Cleopatra’s hands. No matter how strong Rome is, Marcus is far away and Cleopatra is close. It won’t be easy for you to lead the country as you wish. And if that happens, who knows what Cleopatra will do to drive a wedge between you and Marcus.”
“Are you saying she would go that far… No, it’s not impossible, is it?”
Arsinoe felt her heart waver.
“You know Cleopatra’s ambition better than anyone. She is not the type to be satisfied with being second. This is not just us slandering others to survive. If the Ptolemaic dynasty is to remain as it is now, you have to step forward.”
Theodorus said that and prostrated himself on the floor. His earnest voice echoed in the hall.
“There are still loyalists who will rise up for you as many as the grains of sand on that shore. Please make a decision and restore the rightful royal authority of Egypt.”
Arsinoe was silent for a long time and finally made up her mind.
“Fine, let’s do that. But Cleopatra has already brought in soldiers loyal to her in Alexandria and the palace. It won’t be easy to drive her out.”
“We have formidable soldiers too. And if you join us, we won’t lose in legitimacy either. When General Achillas takes over the palace and ends everything, please convince Marcus. You can say that you were worried that Cleopatra’s unilateral actions would cause chaos in Egypt. He will understand.”
“Alright. Then I’ll go with you too. Even if I’m careful, it won’t be long before Cleopatra hears that I met with you. So we have to get out of this palace as soon as possible.”
Theodorus’ eyes widened at the words that the palace had already been virtually taken over by Cleopatra.
He clicked his tongue at Cleopatra’s more cunning moves than he thought and decided to follow Arsinoe’s words.
Arsinoe left the palace secretly with Theodorus in his carriage.
There was no more hesitation now that things had come to this point.
The nobles ordered their slaves to write and post posters all over the city.
‘Cleopatra has forgotten the duty of the proud Ptolemaic bloodline. She worships beasts instead of Serapis and tries to destroy everything that Alexandria has achieved. This is nothing but denying our great ancestors’ achievements and Alexandria itself. If Pharaoh denies Alexandria, we, as citizens of Alexandria, will deny Pharaoh.’
It was a sentence that directly undermined Pharaoh’s authority.
But it was perfect for rallying supporters.
The citizens and nobles who still claimed Macedonian purebloodism, which was close to 30 percent, and those who enjoyed their privileges by clinging to them sent their fervent support.
Of course, Cleopatra declared that she would execute all those who posted such posters as traitors.
But the nobles didn’t offer their necks and let themselves be caught.
The Macedonian nobles who stuck together gathered soldiers and occupied the western part of Alexandria.
They shouted that Arsinoe was the true pharaoh of Egypt and attacked the palace.
But despite their fierce momentum, they didn’t gain much.
Cleopatra had already captured not only the citizens of Alexandria, but also the Jews and Metoikos, who were called resident foreigners.
The ones who lived isolated in one side of the city became loyal followers of Cleopatra and held back the noble army’s ankles.
Achillas, who led the soldiers of the noble army, tried several times to completely take over the area leading to the palace, but failed every time.
Neither side had enough power to overwhelm the other in one go.
As a result, the battle that took on the aspect of a street fight lasted for more than two weeks without tilting to either side.
The noble alliance was not very anxious.
After all, Arsinoe, who had Rome’s favor, was with them, and they were confident that time was on their side since they occupied the outskirts of the city.
They also received constant reports on the movements of the Roman army stationed in Antioch.
They had to be careful at all times in case Rome intervened and created some variables.
Surprisingly, the Roman army didn’t show any movement even after hearing about the civil war in Alexandria.
They only sent a letter saying that they should not interfere with the commercial activities of Romans.
Theodorus interpreted this as Rome announcing that they would tacitly watch over the civil war.
It was rather good for the nobles.
The only complaint was Arsinoe’s lukewarm attitude.
She only stayed in the alliance’s camp and didn’t show any activity.
She did the job of inciting the citizens or encouraging the soldiers reluctantly as if she was annoyed.
“Isn’t it okay? It will be beneficial for us later if Pharaoh is like that.”
Achillas gave his opinion to Theodorus, who was frustrated.
The more passive the king was, the more power the nobles had.
The nobles concluded that Arsinoe was the type of person who only wanted to be fed by others and didn’t take action herself.
That’s why she only watched Cleopatra gradually expand her power.
It might feel frustrating now, but it would be different once they seized power.
They could cover Pharaoh’s eyes and ears and run the state affairs as they pleased, just like the old eunuchs did.
Many of the nobles had already started discussing how to divide the rights they would share as if they had confirmed their victory.
But Achillas didn’t get carried away by the excited atmosphere and continued to command calmly.
He tried to take over the port first to cut off the supplies going into the palace.
Of course, Cleopatra didn’t let that happen either.
The center of the battle naturally shifted from the city center to the port.
The port, which was the heart of Alexandria’s commerce, was affected by the battle, and so was the economy.
The noble army tried to minimize the damage to the trade, but they had to accept some losses as long as they were fighting.
The citizens were fed up with this disastrous civil war.
Many facilities in Alexandria were damaged during the battle, and the food distribution that had just started was noticeably reduced.
Not only that.
The theater performances that were in progress were also suspended and the public baths smelled dirty because they didn’t change the water.
The citizens’ patience was reaching its limit, when a large number of Roman ships appeared in front of Alexandria.
Both the noble army and Cleopatra’s army were ordered not to touch the ships and waited for them to dock at the port.
The merchant who brought dozens of ships was likely a wealthy man who was recognized by Rome.
If they harmed him, they might be marked by Rome.
The two armies that were fiercely fighting stopped their actions and waited for the transport ship that seemed to be loaded with something to anchor at the port.
But what came down from the ship was not luggage carts or goods.
Hundreds of Roman soldiers in dazzling armor that the noble army had never seen before proudly showed themselves.
And when Theodorus and Achillas saw the man standing at the front of them, their eyes widened as if they were about to tear apart.
“H-how come he’s here…?”
“I heard that the Roman army didn’t move from Antioch…”
The man who walked slowly, ignoring everyone’s astonished gaze, looked around at the two armies facing each other and muttered indifferently.
“What a mess.”
< 175. Rebellion > End
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