The bustling streets of Rome.

  A lectica (litter) was passing through the crowds.

  The oversized lectica advertised its owner’s wealth, and the crowd parted as it approached. Inside the lectica, two men in togas were talking.

  “Father, how long do you mean to keep lecturing me? The sun will set soon.”

  “Stop whining like a child, Publius.”

  Crassus sighed at his son’s words. He was currently touring his holdings with Publius.

  This was to cement Publius’s position as his heir.

  “Have you heard that Lucius Caesar is making Palmolive?”

  “Yes, Father. I heard from Pollio. But it seems he’s having trouble lately with counterfeit Palmolive flooding the market.”

  “At least you haven’t been asleep at the wheel.”

  Crassus smiled with satisfaction.

  “So, what do you think he will do now?”

  “If fake Palmolive continues to circulate, won’t there be problems with sales? He’ll probably try to downsize the business.”

  “No, he won’t do that.”

  Crassus shook his head.

  He recalled his meeting with Lucius.

  Despite being in an absolutely subordinate position, Lucius had boldly negotiated with him.

  As a result, Lucius managed to protect his insurance business.

  By sharing the business entity with Crassus, who had tried to swallow the insurance business whole, they became equal partners.

  It was an act that could never be done with ordinary business sense.

  “He will probably go to the Senate. But persuading the senators won’t be easy.”

  “How could such a young kid persuade the senators?”

  Publius adjusted his posture.

  “Why don’t you help him instead, Father? Then you could definitely make him indebted to you.”

  “If I help, we could pass the law.”

  Crassus stroked his chin.

  “But it wouldn’t be bad to let Lucius stumble once. Unless he comes to find me first, there’s no need to go out of my way to help.”

  “That is also true, Father.”

  Crassus gazed at the scenery outside.

  Although he answered like that, his true intentions were different.

  He was curious about how Lucius would resolve this situation.

  If he failed, then that was simply his limit.

  No matter how excellent his business sense was, politics was a completely different battlefield.

  The chances of young Lucius surviving such rough waves were slim.

  If the legislation failed and Lucius collapsed miserably, Crassus could just step in then and offer a helping hand.

  Of course, it would be a shackle disguised as a hand of salvation.

  “What do you intend to do now, Lucius?”

  ***

  Senaculum

  “Hey, everyone, look over there. Isn’t that Cato?”

  “He seems to be talking to a young man. Who is that? Judging by his attire, he’s not a senator.”

  “Shh, keep it down. They say it’s Lucius Julius Caesar.”

  “That young man is the son of the Caesar?”

  Senators gathered around them. Verbal battles between senators were a daily occurrence in the Senaculum.

  However, it was rare for a renowned senator to argue with a young man who wasn’t even twenty yet.

  “Now this is worth watching.”

  “Even older senators find it hard to endure Cato’s venomous tongue. That kid is going to have a hard time.”

  “Since he’s Caesar’s son, he’ll enter the Senate eventually. Maybe this is just an early initiation for him.”

  With everyone’s gaze focused on him, Lucius Caesar slowly opened his mouth.

  ***

  With everyone’s gaze fixed on me, I finally opened my mouth.

  “I hear that you, Senator Cato, are more honorable than anyone else in Rome.”

  I bowed slightly—polite, almost deferential.

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  For a heartbeat, Cato blinked, as if my tone had slipped past the defense he’d been sharpening.

  Cicero, standing next to him, also looked at me with surprised eyes.

  “It was also you, Senator, who stood with Cicero when Rome was threatened by the traitor Catiline years ago.”

  A few senators exchanged looks. Someone at the edge of the circle let out a quiet, appreciative hum—this wasn’t the kind of opening they’d expected from a boy.

  “How could Rome have survived without men like you?”

  The praise was smooth, almost too smooth.

  Cato’s mouth tightened. The corners of his lips twitched as if he’d tasted something bitter.

  Right, he wouldn’t have expected me to come out like this.

  No matter how much I polished my rhetoric, I couldn’t beat monsters like Cicero and Cato head-on.

  So I chose the only method left.

  “Since an honorable man like you says the Caesar family are swindlers, full of greed… then it must be true.”

  The air shifted.

  A low murmur rolled through the semicircle of togas—some surprised, some entertained, some already sensing the hook.

  “My father, Gaius Julius Caesar, organized numerous festivals and events for Roman citizens as Aedile. As Pontifex Maximus, he carried out reforms for the temples.”

  The Senaculum fell quiet as I kept going.

  “But you say all of that was only to buy popularity. And you are an honorable man, Senator.”

  I let the words hang for a moment—just long enough for a few senators to glance at one another, weighing how far this was going to go.

  Cato looked at me with eyes that seemed ready to devour me.

  In contrast, I was wearing a faint smile.

  “The insurance I created and Crassus’s fire brigade have driven away the fear of fire that has plagued Roman citizens for hundreds of years. But Senator says this is merely gambling. And, Senator Cato, you are an honorable man.”

  If I tried to oppose Cato with logic and reason, it wouldn't be a contest.

  The senators of this era spent their days polishing nothing but their eloquence.

  But what if I openly mocked him while pretending to agree with his claims?

  If Cato got angry and attacked me here, he would only make himself look ridiculous.

  There was no way Cato, of all people, wouldn't know that fact.

  “So, I must be the one who is wrong.”

  As soon as my last words ended, the senators began to murmur.

  “Cato just took a solid hit.”

  “That young boy is really Lucius Caesar?”

  “Like father, like son.”

  Having seized the initiative, I asked Cato in a calm tone.

  “Isn’t that right, Senator?”

  "I have heard enough of your sophistry. You are insulting me now.”

  Cato spoke in a surprisingly calm tone.

  But he couldn’t hide the anger contained in his face.

  I bowed once again and answered.

  “If my ‘sophistry’ made you uncomfortable, I can only apologize.

  But how could I, a mere swindler boy, possibly scratch your honorable reputation, Senator?”

  Cato must have thought I was easy prey.

  But I just proved that even a cornered mouse can draw blood.

  “Young Caesar, you have a silver tongue. But Roman law is not changed by mere words. You will need more than just eloquence to get anything through this Senate.”

  With that, Cato turned and brushed past Cicero and me, heading for the Curia. Hmm, that was a colder reaction than I expected.

  Realizing the fight was over, other senators also began to leave the Senaculum one by one.

  Quite a few of them sent interested glances or spoke to me as they passed.

  “I’ve never seen Cato that angry before. Not over someone else’s words, anyway.”

  After the senators had dispersed, Cicero said.

  The look he gave me was different now.

  “It wasn’t a speech—I just replied to his little ‘welcome.’”

  Hearing my words, Cicero burst into laughter.

  “Haha, that’s true. But I think it will be a bit difficult to propose your trademark law right now.”

  “It seems that can’t be helped.”

  I turned my head and looked around the Senaculum.

  The Senaculum, which had been bustling just a moment ago, was now empty except for Cicero and me.

  “But if the opportunity arises, I will help you anytime, young Caesar.”

  “Thank you, Senator.”

  “By the way, from whom did you learn such eloquence? Those were truly elegant yet sharp sentences. Do Greek teachers teach such rhetoric these days?”

  “I learned it from a teacher named Shakespeare.”

  “Shakespeare? That's a weird name for Greek or Roman.”

  “He’s a name not yet famous.”

  I shrugged.

  In fact, what I said to Cato was an expression from Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar.

  It was the speech Antony gave at Caesar’s funeral.

  In the scene, Antony mourned Caesar while subtly criticizing Brutus.

  “If I get the chance later, I would definitely like to meet that person once.”

  “He is a very hard person to meet.”

  I replied with a grin.

  Cicero exchanged a light farewell and followed the other senators to the Curia.

  Alone again, I let the situation sink in. I came to the Senaculum today to protect my trademark and stop the fake Palmolives.

  But all I confirmed was the fact that opposition had surfaced in the Senate.

  Identifying an enemy I hadn’t even known existed could be considered an achievement in its own right.

  But the enactment of the trademark law still hadn’t happened.

  What should I do now?

  Now that the attempt to enact the law through the Senate had failed, no clear solution came to mind.

  “First, I should go back home.”

  Contrary to my expectation that it would take a long time, a new opportunity arrived the next morning.

  ***

  “Lucius, a guest has come to see you. A very, very important person. Get dressed properly and come out right now.”

  “A guest? Who came at this early hour?”

  I asked, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

  It had been less than an hour since sunrise.

  Faint sunlight shone inside through the window.

  Usually, if someone important visits a home, it’s polite to make an appointment first.

  “Who on earth would come to see me from this early in the morning?”

  Before I could even finish my sentence, a man’s shout echoed through the house.

  “So, did Caesar say he arrived safely in Hispania?”

  At the unfamiliar voice, I asked my mother again.

  “Who exactly is here?”

  “Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. He came to see you in person.”

  My mother answered with a tense face.

  Pompey?!

  I couldn’t help but be astonished.

  A member of the famous ‘First Triumvirate’ and one of Rome’s greatest generals.

  To think Gnaeus Pompeius came to see me.

  What on earth for?

  I thought I would establish a relationship with him like with Crassus one day. But I never dreamed a big shot like him would come to find me first.

  Quickly checking my attire, I left the room.

  As I stepped out, a massive man standing near the main gate caught my eye.

  He was huge—built like a bear. Even the sharp eyes glaring at the surroundings.

  There was no doubt.

  It was the Great General, Pompey.

  Spotting me, the man opened his muscular arms and approached.

  “Good to finally see you, young Caesar. I’ve been trying to meet you for a while, but you seemed so busy. You even went to the Senaculum alone yesterday.”

  “It is an honor to meet you like this, sir Pompey.”

  “You don’t have to be so stiff, my friend.”

  He said, shrugging his broad shoulders.

  “By the way, your sister was startled to see me and ran away, haha. Even so, I don’t think I’m that ugly.”

  He said, bursting into loud laughter.

  “A few senators close to me told me what happened at the Senaculum yesterday. It was very impressive.”

  “If you mean what happened yesterday...”

  Did he hear about the commotion with Cato?

  “I can’t even imagine what kind of face Cato made when he heard your words, haha!”

  “I did not intend to insult him.”

  “Right, of course you didn’t. Since Cato is an ‘honorable’ man. Isn’t that right?”

  Pompey winked one eye as if agreeing.

  “By the way, there is another reason why I came to see you today......”

  As if greetings were enough, he looked at me with a serious face.

  “I can help you pass that bill.”

  If you’re enjoying the story, I’d really appreciate a review—it helps other readers find my story.

  (Current Progress: 2/5)

  It was truly brilliant acting. I’m still a bit sad HBO didn’t give us a proper Caesar funeral arc in the Rome TV series—I was disappointed back then, and honestly, I still am, haha. ??

  Hope you all have a great day!