Prologue 30
Emilia sat there at her
healer place, watching the lady seated there. She was beaten up by some men who
had her cornered by the alley. They had beaten her up bad, and left her there.
The Vigeles found her and brought her here which was the nearest healer shop.
The father had tried to ease her pain, but he was too late. She had suffered
some ruptures in her chest that soon caused her to die there.
Emilia went to her
funeral and learned that she was the lover of one young son of the Senate
member. She saw him at the distance while the funeral pyre was ablaze. He had
not come close for he fear the repercussions of the family. He was drawn by the
sad emotions , and fled the scene. She had him followed to the tavern, which he
took a room on the upper landing, with a large order of wine. She took up
courage before she went up to see him. She knocked on the door, and there was
no answer. She pushed at the door and found it open. She went in without any
invitation.
"Who are
you?" The person sat there on the floor next to the bedding with a goblet
of wine in his hands.
"Its me, Emilia. I
saw you coming in here." She closed the door and approached him. "I
was Stella' friend."
With that name, the
young man let the tears flowed, and then reached for the wine but Emilia
stopped him. She had leaned down and grabbed his goblet of wine.
"Are you the man
that she would like to be with? If yes, then don't cry like a woman."
Emilia told him. He looked up at her but tears still flowed from his eyes. She
saw the self pittance look on his face and held her close to him. He did not
stepped weeping till some time later. He pulled away and then looked to the
window.
"Its dark. I must
be going." He looked at Emilia. "Thank you."
"Before you go,
tell me why did you leave her there?" Emilia asked him.
"I did not leave
her there. She went there on her own. She wanted to confront the man who
accused her of being a slut." The young man replied. "It was my
cousin, Theodoius. I tried to stop her but she had gone ahead. I lost her at
the streets, and when I found her, it was too late. The Vigeles were there
then, and I ran back. I was a coward."
"Would you tell
the Vigeles what happened then?" Emilia asked of him.
"I have no proof.
I am to leave for the training camp as a Tribune tomorrow. That was why I went
to look for her. How was I know that Theodoius was there. If I knew, I would
not had come onto her."
"You ....go on to
join the Legion. Forget this incident. Stella is dead." Emilia told him.
He nodded and got up to leave. He turned back to thank her.
"Thank you. My
name is Othello. I will see you when I come back." The young man left her
there at the room. Emilia got up and returned back to her own home. Three
months later, Theodoius was found dead after he had drunk some wine tainted
with a poisonous potion made from herbs. No one knew why, but it paved the way
for Othello to be the favored son to later sit on his father' seat at the
Senate.
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