The Restoration of Rome: In the Name of Augustus

Chapter 37 The innocent and carefree young emperor wouldn't dream of his great demon uncle.

In the banquet hall of the palace's side chamber, a roaring fire crackled in the enormous fireplace, dispelling the chill seeping from the marble floor. Alexius, Agnes, and Andronica sat around a low table covered in purple velvet. The hunted game was still being prepared in the kitchen, but servants had already diligently served warm drinks and appetizers.

Before the two children lay warm honey milk, made from goat's milk, honey, and a touch of cinnamon—sweet and rich, a common winter drink for aristocratic children. Andronica, on the other hand, had a glass of heated spiced wine, infused with black pepper, bay leaves, and honey, its aroma intense. On the table were pickled olives on a silver platter, white cheese sprinkled with herbs, small grape leaf rolls, and thinly sliced ​​smoked sturgeon.

"Come, Alexius, have some hot wine to warm you up." Andronica raised her glass, her tone impeccably loving. "Your performance today tracking the deer in the snow was reminiscent of your father in his youth."

Alexius held the warm ceramic cup, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes when his uncle mentioned his father, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of powerlessness in the face of reality. He sipped his honey milk and murmured, "It's a pity... I can only emulate my father on the hunting grounds now."

Agnes keenly sensed his mood and gently nudged his foot under the table, trying to change the subject. Her voice was light as she asked, "Uncle Andronica, you promised to tell me about your battles on the Anatolian border. Were those Seljuk knights really as valiant as the legends say?"

Andronica laughed heartily, his white beard trembling with his laughter: "Knights? Valiant? They're nothing but a bunch of dwarf barbarians on horseback! Before the Roman legions, they're nothing but scattered rabble! If Your Highness wishes to hear it, I'll tell you all about how I... at the banquet later."

Just then, the guard Roy approached with steady steps. Compared to his brother Rollo, Roy often had a faint smile on his face and was more tactful in his dealings with others. This made him seem less "prickly" in the eyes of the suspicious Andronica, even when he was in the court.

Roy leaned down beside Alexius and reported in a voice just loud enough for Andronica to hear: "Your Majesty, the stag you hunted has been sent to the royal kitchen. However, the cooks disagree on how to handle the complete hide and would like to ask Your Majesty whether to make it into a tapestry or a rug, and what shape and size it should be. This requires Your Majesty's personal decision."

Andronica, unsuspecting, simply waved his hand impatiently: "You dare disturb His Majesty's meal with such a trivial matter? Hurry back, my good nephew, it would be a waste of your hard work if the food got cold."

Alexius nodded, rose, and followed Roy out of the warm and noisy banquet hall.

The cold air instantly enveloped him. Roy didn't lead him to the kitchen, but instead led him through a corridor to a sheltered corner near the palace gate. Valangi Captain Rollo stood there like a statue covered in a thin layer of snow, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Your Majesty." Rollo's deep voice broke the silence. He didn't say much, but quickly took the small leather cylinder from his pocket, put it in Alexius's hand, and then returned to his original position as if nothing had happened.

Alexius gripped the cylinder in bewilderment, a cold, unfamiliar sensation spreading through his fingertips. Hesitantly, he unscrewed the lid and poured out a tightly rolled scroll of papyrus. As he unfurled the paper, his heart leaped when he could make out the familiar handwriting and the simple, secret friendship mark in the corner—a mark only the two of them understood—by the flickering torchlight in the corridor. It was Leon!

"To Alexius, my brother..."

The familiar opening instantly transported Alexius back to the sunlit Golden Horn and the carefree days spent running with Leon through the fields of Mercia. A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, overwhelmed by an immense joy at receiving news from a dear friend.

However, the following words were like a cold dagger, piercing his chest unexpectedly.

"When you read this letter, please remain calm and believe every word I say next."

"Your uncle, Andronika Komnin, is a devil in human skin. All his kindness and loyalty are merely carefully crafted disguises. His goal has never changed: to replace you and seize your purple robes and scepter."

Alexius's smile froze. He instinctively gripped the letter, his fingers trembling slightly. He jerked his head up, looking towards the banquet hall, and could almost hear Andronica's hearty, caring laughter. The uncle who patiently taught him riding, took him hunting, and was the first to rush to his aid when he fell from his horse… was he a demon? No, impossible! Leon must be mistaken!

"Do not be afraid, you are not alone. I have placed... uh, the Assassins, you know, they are my allies. They will do their best to restrain your mother and the villains around her, forcing her to gradually return power to you, until you are fully in power and have regained control of Rome's destiny."

The Assassins? That mysterious and terrifying assassin organization? Leon has become an ally of them? Alexius felt a wave of dizziness, the image of his friend intertwined with the turmoil brought by this letter, leaving him in utter turmoil.

Just as he was so excited that he almost lost his balance, a thick hand reached out and snatched the letter from his hand without any room for argument.

It's Rollo.

The silent Varangian guard captain didn't even look at the contents of the letter; he simply gave the young emperor a deep look before unhesitatingly holding the letter up to the torch on the wall.

The letter quickly turned to ashes under the licking of the flames.

"Whatever it said, Your Majesty," Rollo's voice was low and calm, "letting it disappear is the safest option."

Alexius stared blankly at the wisp of smoke, as if looking at the complete trust he had just placed in his uncle. He took a deep breath of the cold air, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, and turned to Rollo and Roy beside him, his voice trembling violently:

"Rollo, Roy... what do you think of my uncle, Andronica?"

Roy glanced at his brother and spoke first: "Lord Andronica... is a very 'capable' commander, Your Majesty. He is very 'popular' in the army and at court."

Rollo was much more direct. He stared at Alexius and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, the late emperor was kind to us brothers. Our loyalty will always be to the one who sits on the rightful throne. As for Lord Andronica... even when a wolf is at its most docile, it will not change its carnivorous nature. Everything he did in the past was probably just a disguise."

Even Rollo said so... Alexius closed his eyes, and his last shred of hope vanished.

He straightened his slightly wrinkled robes, tried to calm his expression, then turned and walked back towards the seemingly warm banquet hall.

As he sat down, Andronica cut off a juicy piece of roasted venison steak and placed it on his plate, her face beaming with concern: "How is it, my child? Are you done with everything? Try it, this is your spoils of war, it must taste exceptionally delicious."

Alexius picked up the knife and fork, feeling the silverware in his hands weigh a ton. He looked up, meeting Andronica's "kind" eyes, and forced a slightly shy smile, as usual: "Yes, Uncle. It's... all taken care of."

He cut off a small piece of venison and put it in his mouth. The meat was tender, and the spices were just right, but to him it tasted like cardboard. He sat there, feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, mechanically responding to his uncle's insincere concern while secretly scrutinizing this relative he had once trusted so much with a new gaze filled with fear and scrutiny.

The banquet was still "happy and harmonious," but in the young emperor's heart, something had changed forever.