Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 93 A Mysterious Ally

While Marcellus was returning home from negotiations with the Suebi warlord, the Italian heartland was seeing a new era of growth and prosperity. The emperor’s innovations in the field of agriculture had seen large quantities of crops being planted, so much so that it was expected to have at the very least a twenty-five percent increase in crop yields when the harvest finally came around.

Marcellus had not only introduced new agricultural technology, but new food staples such as pasta, which could be prepared in a wide variety of ways. The idea of the common people eating nothing but bread and wine was a thing of the past, as noodles became a common sight in street vendors and households across the province of Italia.

Currently, Placidia was visiting a local street vendor who prepared noodles, with garlic, basil, olive oil, and ground beef into the mix. It had become one of her favorite snacks to eat. The young woman was currently guarded by an escort of Marcellus’ palace guards, who ensured her protection even while she walked on the streets of Ravenna.  She spoke with the owner of the small shop about the changes that were occurring in the empire as the man was cooking her meal for her.

“So, how are things going in the Empire?”

The vendor was an older man, with one bad eye and a scruffy gray beard. Placidia did not know his name, and he was not keen on the idea of giving it to her. Still, the woman had been one of his best customers since he came up with this amalgamation after Marcellus had introduced pasta to the Roman diet. Thus, he gave her his honest opinion on the perception of the new emperor and his policies since he had taken the throne.

“It depends on who you ask. Truthfully, us plebeians don’t really care who sits on the throne so long as our towns are secure, our harvest is plentiful, and our stomachs are full. As far as I can tell, Marcellus, unlike his predecessor, has accomplished these things._.

However, the Patricians are the ones with all the power in the empire, and they are very upset with this new emperor’s rule. From what I hear this, Titus Claudius Marcellus has abolished the senate, and acts on his own impulses, without any regard to traditions and laws. This upsets the Patricians, and has caused more than a few conspiracies against him.”

It shocked Placidia to see the man knew so much about the ongoing state of the Empire, and instantly questioned him about the source of his knowledge.

“You seem awfully well connected? How did you come by this information?”

The older man chuckled when he heard this before deflecting the issue.

“I run a stall for food and drink. Naturally, I get all kinds of customers, from all walks of life. The more they eat, and the more they drink, the more they’re willing to let their lips loose. The kinds of opinions I hear about the ongoing state of the Empire would surprise you.”

Placidia was not well connected with the wealthy elite in Rome, despite being a woman born in the highest position. Because of this, she was blissfully unaware of the threats that Marcellus was constantly under during his tenure as emperor. The man noticed that she seemed surprised by the notion that the patricians would want to kill the emperor, and couldn’t help but inquiring how a patrician woman such as herself did not know these things.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how is it that a patrician girl such as yourself is unaware of the way the others speak about this new emperor? Surely, you must gossip about him with your friends?”

Placidia wore an innocent smile as she explained her reasoning for being out of the loop on political matters.

“Eh, I don’t really get out of the Palace much. Even before I was forced to come to Ravenna by my late brother, I was still under careful observation by my foster father. He didn’t really allow me to associate with girls my own age, and especially not boys, for that matter. So I really don’t know what the other patricians are saying about Marcellus.”

The mention of the word Palace so nonchalantly surprised the man. He had thought with the level of security she had been given; she was some wealthy patrician’s daughter, but he had no idea he was speaking to literal royalty at the moment. He was so startled by this that he dropped his spoon onto the ground and gazed at the girl in shock with his one good eye. Even a commoner such as himself knew this naive girl’s name.

“You’re Galla Placidia?”

The girl raised her brow in curiosity. She was certain she had not told this man her name before, but she soon after nodded her head with a pleasant smile on her face.

“That is correct. How did you know my name?”

The girl was unaware of how many rumors were going around Ravenna right now. Most likely paid for by the patricians who conspired against the emperor. These rumors were not pleasant, as they stated that Marcellus had kidnapped the girl, and raped her every night while forcing her to marry him. Even a commoner like the old cook had believed these rumors. Yet this girl looked happy, and safe as she sat in front of him, smiling while waiting for the food he was preparing. He could not help but inquire about her actual relationship with the emperor.

“My apologies. I just didn’t expect the previous emperor’s sister to be sitting at my stall. Tell me girl, how does Titus Claudius Marcellus treat you?”

The girl had no idea that she was being interrogated to determine whether the rumors surrounding her relationship with the emperor were true. Instead she wore a happy smile as she spoke the truth as if it was plain as day.

“Marcellus? I’ve known him all my life. In fact, he was more of a big brother to me than that bastard Honorius was. He cares for me, and has even asked me to marry him, which made me so happy. However, I’m starting to believe this marriage is a sham, one of political convenience. He has yet to be intimate with me and instead looks for such things in the arms of his slave… erm… I guess she’s a concubine now…”

The lead guard watching over Placidia nudged the woman’s shoulder and reminded her that such topics were not appropriate to discuss around strangers. Most of his job was making sure the girl didn’t say personal things around strangers. She was a bit naïve and was sheltered most of her life. Because of this, she said how she really felt even when she shouldn’t.

“My lady, please reconsider the time and place when you discuss such things…”

Placidia blinked her eyes in confusion before realizing she had messed up and said something inappropriate. She wore a depressed expression as she stated this aloud.

“I did it again, didn’t I?”

She was trying to become more ladylike, so that she could be a proper Empress consort to Marcellus when she finally married him, but her carefree spirit often led her to saying things she shouldn’t, causing her to become glum when she realized she messed up.

The lead guard did not respond, and simply sat back and watched his surroundings in case any threat presented itself. It surprised the shopkeeper to see that Theodosius I’s daughter was such a naïve, and airheaded girl. Although he felt much better knowing that she was not enduring the alleged cruelty of Marcellus. He felt bad for her, seeing that she had such a large crush on the Emperor, but he was not returning her feelings properly, thus he made sure to give the girl an extra portion in her bowl as he slid the noodle dish over to her.

Placidia’s expression immediately returned to one of excitement as she thanked the man for the food before making a short prayer.

“Thanks for the meal!”

After taking a few moments to pray to God for the food she was about to receive, Placidia dug into the dish with a wide smile on her face. She very much enjoyed this meal. As for the shopkeeper, he was convinced with such a pure expression of bliss on her pretty face; the girl was not being mistreated whatsoever by Marcellus, and because of this he was determined to make use of some of his contacts to counter these vile rumors that were spreading about the new emperor.

He would never bother spending such expense if it were for the sake of Marcellus, but these rumors stained Placidia’s reputation as a woman, and after seeing how kindhearted, and carefree she was, he felt it was his duty as a citizen of Rome to correct these lies and slander against what was essentially a princess of the Empire.  Thus, unknowingly, Marcellus had gained a mysterious ally in the efforts to counteract the vile rumors that were being spread about his character.