Chapter 134: A Grave Sin
“Speak, Gnaeus. What was your intention when you did such a thing?”
“Father… I don’t know what you mean…”
Gnaeus lowered his eyes reflexively at the heavy voice that seemed to crush him.
He glanced around the reception room, but no one was giving him a friendly look.
Even Cicero, who had been subtly siding with Gnaeus, was showing a clear displeasure.
Gnaeus felt that he had no room to spare and did not even notice the expressions of Cleopatra and Arsinoe standing behind him.
He barely opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
“I don’t know what you heard, but… it’s all a misunderstanding. I’ll explain everything.”
“A misunderstanding?”
Pompey rubbed his temples with his index and middle fingers and sighed deeply.
Auletes, who was sitting opposite him, could not contain his anger and stood up from his seat.
“Pompey! Even if Egypt is a protectorate of Rome, do I have to endure such humiliation? Is this how Rome treats its allies? Marcus, do you intend to just watch your client suffer this disgrace?”
“Of course not, your majesty, the incarnation of Amun-Ra.”
Marcus put down his wine cup on the table with a dull sound.
He turned to Pompey and continued.
“Magnus, this is a matter that affects the dignity and honor of the Ptolemaic dynasty. I cannot overlook this issue either.”
“Naturally!”
Cicero’s sharp voice echoed in the room.
“The Senate does not tolerate any rudeness to Rome’s friends. The dignity and honor of the Ptolemaic dynasty are guaranteed by the name of the Senate. Anyone who violates them is ignoring the decision of the Senate.”
Pompey nodded slowly.
A polite voice that was unlike his usual tone came out of his mouth.
“This matter will not be taken lightly. After all, it is my fault that a member of my family committed such a folly. I apologize for this.”
Pompey bowed his head slightly.
It was the great Pompey, one of the most powerful men in Rome, who had done this much for the king of a protectorate.
Auletes could not be angry anymore and sat down again.
But this time, Pompey’s fury surged like a tidal wave toward Gnaeus.
He had made the great Pompey, who had subdued all the rulers of the East and reached the peak of Rome, bow his head and apologize to the king of a protectorate.
If it had been normal times, he would never have done this much.
But this time, Cicero, a senior member of the Senate, and Marcus, a patronus of Egypt, were sitting together.
As long as they were watching, he had to act rationally or else his reputation would be seriously damaged.
He decided that this was the way to preserve his honor.
But this was only minimizing the loss.
The honor of the great Pompey had already been tarnished.
Gnaeus began to realize the seriousness of the situation at the sight of his father’s eyes filled with anger that he had never seen before.
He remembered what kind of person his father was.
Pompey was a person who valued honor more than profit.
How furious he must be to have been humiliated in front of other influential Romans.
Gneaus felt anxious that his heartbeats might be heard by everyone in the room.
Pompey barely suppressed his urge to shout and opened his mouth.
“Gnaeus, how dare you covet the personal property of the pharaohs? Didn’t I tell you clearly not to act rashly and watch the situation? Was my word not enough to restrain you?”
“No! I, I mean…”
Gnaeus racked his brains for an escape route as he had never done before in his life.
‘How did this leak out? Did someone betray me? Or was there a spy from the beginning? Or… No, that’s not important right now. What should I say…’
He had two choices.
To deny it and say he didn’t know anything or to admit it honestly and beg for forgiveness.
He could insist that the signature on the treaty was fake and stick to his ignorance until the end.
But depending on who the traitor or spy was, this might not work.
In the end, Gnaeus decided to pin everything on the prince without risking himself.
“I was short-sighted. The prince said he would give me the property when he became pharaoh… I thought it was an opportunity to earn his favor and made a mistake. I didn’t realize that this could be seen as an insult to the royal family of Egypt. I’m truly sorry.”
“You just accepted his offer because he suggested it first?”
“How could I have coveted the property of the Egyptian royal family first? I will kneel down and apologize to the pharaoh who must have felt offended by this matter.”
“That doesn’t lessen your guilt. If you conspired to steal, you are an accomplice regardless. You have not only disgraced my honor, but also Rome’s honor. Don’t think that this matter can be easily settled.”
His words weighed down on Gnaeus even more.
Before he could utter a word of defense, an unexpected hand of salvation came.
Marcus’s gentle voice blocked Pompey’s anger from spreading further.
“Perhaps there is some room for leniency if young Gnaeus was swayed by a momentary impulse and made a mistake. It is also a Roman tradition not to punish too harshly for the mistakes made by young blood.”
“Marcus, I appreciate your generous opinion, but I cannot accept this matter as it is. How can my son do such a thing without knowing the honor of being Pompey’s son?”
“That’s why it was a mistake, he probably didn’t think that far. As you said, Magnus, he is the son of the great Pompey. He wouldn’t have made such a deal that only lowlifes in back alleys would do.”
Gnaeus’s face twisted like a piece of tissue paper as he bowed his head.
He compared him to a lowlife in a back alley.
It was an insult that he had never heard in his life.
But if he said no here, it would be admitting his guilt.
Gnaeus nodded desperately as if Marcus was right.
Pompey looked at his son with contempt in his eyes.
He leaned forward and the sound of his chair creaking loudly echoed in the room.
“Being reckless and short-sighted doesn’t make you innocent. But if you really didn’t have any intention, I will consider it when I punish you. But Gnaeus, your sin is not over here. Let me tell you in advance. I have no intention of forgiving you.”
“…No intention of forgiving me? What else did I do wrong…”
Gnaeus tilted his head in genuine confusion.
His attitude made Pompey even angrier and his tone became colder.
“I don’t believe all your excuses, but even if they are true, there is one thing that doesn’t change. The Ptolemaic dynasty is the client of the Crassus family and everyone in Rome knows this fact. You are a Roman, you must know the meaning of that deal. You have declared your intention to take away the client of the Crassus family, which is no different from what you did.”
“Father, that…”
“Of course, the clientela relationship is not eternal. But deciding such a serious matter is my job, not yours. You tried to pit my family against the Crassus family without my knowledge. What if this went wrong and caused a civil war in Rome? Did you think you could take responsibility for that?”
“Civil war? I never intended to cause such a thing…”
“You stupid fool!”
Pompey finally exploded with anger and Gnaeus flinched and shrank back.
Pompey looked down at his son with no trace of affection in his eyes.
“You don’t know what consequences your actions could have? You didn’t intend to cause a civil war? I’d rather you had that intention, then I could at least say you didn’t know your place. You didn’t even consider that possibility and caused trouble? What are you? Is the organ on your shoulder not for thinking but just for decoration?”
“I’m… sorry.”
“I don’t want to hear your apologies. I want to hear why you did such a thing.
I’ve told you many times before. Marcus is practically on equal footing with me, so you must maintain a good relationship with him. That’s why I introduced you to him and asked him to take good care of you personally. But you ignored my words and only thought about stabbing the Crassus family in the back. Did you plan to ruin my reputation?”
The air in the room tightened and the temperature seemed to rise by several degrees.
Sweat poured down Gnaeus’s forehead like rain.
“I… I mean…”
“I’ve heard everything before you came here. You told Princess Arsinoe that things could change when she became the owner of Egypt and asked her to think about it, right? Are you the king of Egypt?”
“…No.”
“Now I see how big your delusion is. Your value right now is only one thing: being my son. You haven’t achieved anything on your own. Don’t expect me to tolerate you riding on my family’s power.”
He finished his words and turned his head to Marcus.
“I’ve caused you too much trouble because of my stupid son. This was not my intention, please forgive me. I will not disappoint you with the compensation for this matter.”
“It’s alright. There is no way that the relationship between you and me, who are more than anyone else, would be shaken by this.”
“I have no face to show you.”
Pompey sincerely appreciated Marcus, who had prepared everything for him to walk firmly in the political arena and helped him make his last expedition meaningful.
He introduced Gnaeus to him because he hoped that Marcus’s kindness to him would not change for his son.
But his son was plotting to stab Marcus in the back.
Considering that Marcus came to Egypt to get the supplies for Pompey’s expedition, it was unthinkable.
If this was known in Rome, Pompey’s reputation would plummet to the ground.
He bowed his head sincerely, unlike when he did with Auletes.
It was a shocking scene for Gnaeus.
He realized the stark difference between Marcus and himself, which he had only known in his head until now.
He had thought that no matter how great Marcus was, he was still nothing more than a successor who had not inherited his family yet.
Then he should have no reason to bow down to him, since he was also a successor of the Pompeius family.
But that was a ridiculous delusion.
Marcus’s authority and power did not come from being the successor of the Crassus family.
It was his own achievements and the influence he gained from them that supported Marcus.
Even if he did not inherit the Crassus family, Marcus would be able to receive equal treatment with Pompeius.
Pompeius’s attitude made that fact clear.
Gnaeus swallowed his saliva.
He realized how absurd it was to challenge such a person.
“···I was too short-sighted. Please, please forgive me······.”
“Didn’t I tell you clearly? I have no intention of forgiving you. As soon as we return to Rome, I will expel you from the family and······.”
“Pompeius sir, I think that is too harsh a punishment.”
The one who saved Gnaeus again was none other than Marcus.
Pompeius looked at him with a puzzled expression at his unexpected intervention.
“Do you really think so? You are the victim of this incident, so I will respect your opinion, but···is that really too much?”
“If he had really messed up, I would have also suggested a corresponding punishment. But after all, it was only an attempt. When children play with fire, we scold them harshly, but we don’t treat them as actual arsonists, do we?”
“But that fire play could have turned into a huge fire.”
“Yes. If it was a really dangerous prank, I would have felt a chill down my spine too. But this one wasn’t. I don’t think it was worth making a fuss about. It was just a ‘minor’ accident that wasn’t threatening.”
Gnaeus felt more miserable at Marcus’s blunt words.
He didn’t even know how his secret deeds were exposed, and he also heard that he was nothing more than a child’s fire play that posed no threat.
He felt like he had been hit hard enough to make his head spin.
Pompey nodded his head as if he was grateful for a while.
Marcus did not protect Gnaeus because he liked him.
It was entirely to prevent Pompeius’s dignity from being damaged more than necessary.
He had already caused trouble by failing to discipline his son properly, and now he owed him another favor.
“Then I will decide on the punishment for Gnaeus for his mistake. Although it was a mistake, the crime he committed this time is not small, so I will revoke all the rights I gave him. And of course, he cannot participate in the expedition as an officer. He will serve as a regular soldier like other citizens.”
“···Do you mean to serve as a cavalry?”
“No. You will stand on the battlefield as an ordinary infantryman. If you disrupt the military discipline because of your noble status, I will execute you on the spot. So don’t even think about enjoying any privileges.”
“But, but as an ordinary infantryman! At least as a centurion······.”
“A centurion? What do you trust to entrust my precious soldiers’ lives to you? If you can’t accept this punishment, then say so. I’ll end it by expelling you from the family and making you a commoner. It’s up to you which one you choose.”
Gnaeus could not argue at all and bit his lips hard.
He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his flesh and knelt down again.
“Kneel down if you understand.”
Gnaeus had no choice.
He knelt down and bowed his head toward Pompeius.
“Not me, but Marcus. Apologize to him for your sin and thank him for his generous judgment.”
“···I understand···.”
Gnaeus twisted his knees slightly and looked up at Marcus who was sitting on the chair.
And he bowed his head deeply enough to touch his forehead to the ground.
“···I made a huge mistake with my short judgment. I sincerely apologize to you. And I also express my deep gratitude for your kindness in overlooking my mistake.”
Marcus slowly nodded his head and turned his gaze to Auletes who was sitting next to him.
“But don’t you think you should also apologize to these people? To Pharaoh and Princess Arsinoe who must have been hurt more than anyone by this incident. And who must have felt unnecessary anxiety because of your words.”
Gnaeus, who was about to get up from his seat, knelt down again with clenched fists and trembling body.
“You are right···. I am sorry for causing you discomfort with my childish behavior, Pharaoh and Princess.”
Gnaeus could not get up from the ground until Marcus told him to raise his head.
He should have realized the huge gap in ability and power between them a little earlier.
With this one failure, Gnaeus lost almost everything.
The price was too high to call it a lesson learned from the experience of failure.
He did not even feel the pain that ran up his knees from the hard floor.
A huge pain filled his heart.
< 134. A Grave Sin > End
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