The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 67: The Scandal of the Goddess Festival

Caesar had a similar reaction to Crassus when he heard the news of his daughter’s pregnancy.

Before being a cold-blooded politician, he was also a father of one.

He went out of his residence to greet Marcus and Julia, who had come to visit him.

He was so excited to help Julia get off the carriage that she scolded him.

“How can my father and my husband be so worried? Anyone would think that you are the father, not Marcus.”

“It’s only natural to be concerned when your only daughter is having a child. It would be a disgrace for a father not to care.”

“In my opinion, this is clearly overprotective.”

“Sigh… She used to run and hug me whenever our eyes met…”

Marcus and Julia ignored Caesar’s lament and entered the residence.

The residence of the high priest was spacious and elegant, as befitting his status.

Inside, the slaves of the house were busy moving around under the guidance of Caesar’s mother, Aurelia.

The Vestal Virgins were also checking the decorations and the supplies for the festival.

Marcus first bowed politely to Aurelia with Julia.

Caesar was the head of the house, but he always followed his mother’s opinion.

He respected his mother, who had devoted herself to him without remarrying after losing her husband at a young age.

That’s why it was no exaggeration to say that Aurelia was the real head of the Caesar family.

The dignified matron of the Caesar family welcomed her granddaughter and grandson-in-law sincerely.

Marcus handed her the gift he had prepared and left Julia to have a comfortable conversation with her grandmother.

While Julia was catching up with her father and grandmother, Marcus greeted the Vestal Virgins.

The Vestal Virgins were women who were clearly distinguished from ordinary women.

They were priests who served Vesta, the goddess of fire and hearth, as their name suggested.

The fire in the temple of Vesta was considered sacred, and the duty of the virgins was to protect it from going out.

The Romans believed that disaster would strike if the fire in the temple of Vesta went out, so this role was very important.

The Vestal Virgins were chosen from girls under ten years old through a rigorous selection process, and they had to swear chastity for thirty years.

They also had to devote themselves to studying and religious ceremonies, as well as listening to the complaints and wills of the citizens.

As they lived such strict lives, they also enjoyed tremendous rights.

The virgins were escorted by armed soldiers at official events, and they mediated many conflicts that occurred.

Even the dictator Sulla could not ignore the plea of the Vestal Virgins.

Moreover, the virgins could exercise property rights and voting rights that were not allowed for Roman women.

That’s why many of them chose not to marry and enjoy their retirement after leaving their priesthood.

Sexually harassing these virgins was considered treason, and even Roman citizens could not escape capital punishment.

Marcus showed respect to Licinia, the chief priestess.

“Greetings, priestesses. I am Marcus Licinius Crassus II.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Licinia, who leads the Vestals with modesty.”

Licinia was a beauty.

She was not far from retirement age, but she still boasted a fine appearance.

As they went through a rigorous selection process, most of the Vestal Virgins had outstanding looks.

This was one of the reasons why they were admired and desired by many men.

“Are you having any difficulties preparing for the festival? If you need any financial support, I will gladly help you. If you are short of manpower, I can send some people from my family to assist you.”

“Thank you. I asked the Senate for an additional budget, but they were too slow to respond. We are in a situation where we lack both money and people. I would appreciate it if you could help us.”

“The Senate is busy dealing with other issues right now. It would be hard for them to pay attention to the festival.”

“I’m a bit upset that they don’t understand how important this festival is for women.”

Licinia did not hide her resentment towards the Senate.

The Senate did not know how much Bona Dea meant to Roman women.

Of course, Marcus only knew it by knowledge, not by understanding.

“The Senate is not ignoring you.”

“I don’t know. They were no different last year.”

“Ah, that’s because they had a lot of things going on then…”

Around this time last year, Catilina’s term was about to start.

The Senate was so tense that they couldn’t care less about the festival.

But that was just the Senate’s situation.

For Licinia, who was responsible for the religious ceremony, it was annoying to hear the same excuse for two years in a row.

“They must be suffering from continuous hardships because they are so lacking in faith. They should approach the gods with humility, especially at times like this…”

“Please let me know if you need anything. I will do my best to help you, even though I am not much.”

“Thank you very much. To be honest, I was worried if we could hold the ceremony well because the society is very unstable. It would be a great help if the Crassus family could help us. I hope the gods bless you, Marcus.”

Licinia bowed gracefully and the young virgins next to her followed suit.

“I’m just doing my duty as a citizen of Rome. I pray that you will have a successful festival.”

Marcus looked at Licinia and the virgins who smiled brightly and felt a pang in his heart.

He knew that a major incident would happen at this Bona Dea festival.

Even if he didn’t believe in the gods, he didn’t find it pleasant to see people who did their jobs well get into trouble.

So Marcus gave one last piece of advice before leaving.

“As you said, it’s a time of turmoil and anything can happen. If something goes wrong, don’t blame yourselves too much. It’s not your fault.”

“If something happens, it will be because of our lack of virtue. We will do our best to finish the preparations so that nothing happens.”

“And I recommend that you be careful. There are many men who want to peek at the festival because it’s a women-only area. There may be some who try to sneak in with malicious intentions, taking advantage of the chaotic atmosphere.”

“How could anyone commit such a blasphemy… But then again, I can’t say for sure that there isn’t anyone like that. Thank you for your valuable advice.”

“Don’t mention it. I will send the money as soon as I get back, along with some people to help you with the work. They will all be women, so they can also help you with the cleanup after the ceremony.”

Marcus, who had finished all the preparations, returned to his residence with Julia and Caesar in a satisfied mood.

He had decided to send some people from his family to help, so there was no need to leave Julia behind.

Marcus called Danae and gave her some money, as well as some secret orders.

“This is what you have to do for this mission. You understand how important this is, right?”

“Yes. But do you really think something like that will happen?”

“I’m more than 90% sure. That’s why I’m sending you.”

“I see why you brought your wife home no matter what. I got it. I’ll do my best not to disappoint you.”

Danae added a word with a gleam in her eyes.

“Can I expect some reward if I do well on this mission?”

“Sure, sure. You deserve a proper compensation for doing such an important job.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure to give you a good report.”

Danae, who was excited about the big mission she had received in a long time, disappeared from sight with a spring in her step.

Danae was a freedman of the Crassus family, although she was born as a slave.

There was no problem for her to attend the Bona Dea festival.

And since he had given a large amount of money to the Vestal Virgins, even if someone raised an issue, Licinia would take care of it.

‘With that amount of money, they probably won’t have to worry about their budget for the next two years.’

There were very few organizations in this world that didn’t have to worry about their budget.

Even the temples of Rome, which received countless donations, were no exception.

It was not a waste of money to leave a good impression on the Vestal Virgins.

They couldn’t do anything directly, but they could maximize someone’s influence.

It would be a great boost for Marcus’s political activities, which would start next month.

‘Well, the only thing left is whether he moves as expected.’

Marcus drank some wine to moisten his throat and looked out at the night view of the Palatine Hill.

The quiet atmosphere outside seemed to symbolically show the current situation of Rome.

The Roman politics was in a calm before the storm, waiting for Pompey’s return.

As Licinia lamented, the senators were not paying attention to any other issues right now.

The Roman citizens were also anxiously watching the situation, wondering if the Senate and Pompey would clash head-on.

But an incident happened that briefly diverted the attention of the senators and citizens.

※※※※

There were many noble families in Rome, but among them, the Claudius clan was one of the top aristocrats, along with the Cornelius clan.

The Claudius clan had produced outstanding figures from ancient Rome to its end.

The Pulcher family belonged to this Claudius clan and had a young man of thirty-three as their head.

The young Pulcher was well-educated and cheerful, but he had a flaw of being somewhat impulsive.

He had a crush on Pompeia, Sulla’s granddaughter.

But before he could propose to her, Pompeia had already become Caesar’s wife.

It was a hopeless result, but Pulcher did not give up.

He constantly courted Pompeia, and she did not seem to hate it very much.

She was lonely because of her family’s indifference.

But she still kept him at bay and never fully accepted him.

Pulcher desperately looked for an opportunity to meet her alone without anyone’s interference, but it was not easy.

Pompeia was the wife of Caesar, who was the high priest and praetor, and she always had slaves around her.

There was only one day when she was free from them.

It was the Bona Dea festival.

All the men in the house, including slaves, went out, and the female slaves were busy helping with the ceremony and couldn’t stay by Pompeia’s side.

This was his only chance, Pulcher thought, and decided to sneak into the festival disguised as a woman.

It was an absurd plan, but Pulcher did not consider the consequences, blinded by love.

He bribed one of Pompeia’s female slaves and disguised himself with thick clothes and a wig.

As planned, Pulcher was able to enter the residence safely.

All he had to do was to sneak up to Pompeia’s room and wait for the slave to bring her.

But the problem occurred sooner than he expected.

The Vestal Virgins started to inspect the attendees more strictly than he anticipated.

Pulcher tried to hurry upstairs, but it was too late.

A young priestess, who looked like she was in her early teens, noticed Pulcher’s strange behavior and approached him.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“…”

Pulcher did not answer. 

He couldn’t.

The priestess’s eyes grew more suspicious as she looked at the silent Pulcher.

His clothes, wrapped in several layers, stood out from the other women.

He looked like a musician with his flashy attire, but he was different from the other musicians.

His face was hidden by his curly hair, making it hard to see his features.

“Sister? Excuse me, but may I ask which family you are from?”

“Cough, cough.”

Pulcher coughed and gestured that he couldn’t speak because of his sore throat.

But the Vestal Virgin was not fooled by his act.

She had been trained since she was selected, and her eyes were sharp.

She was almost certain that Pulcher was a man.

And the sight of a large woman cowering from a young Vestal Virgin soon attracted the attention of others.

Licinia came over with a stern expression and asked.

“Aemilia, the ceremony is about to start. What are you doing?”

“Oh, high priestess, this person was acting a bit strange, so I asked her why. But she won’t answer me.”

“Really?”

Licinia looked at Pulcher with an imposing gaze.

She was completely different from when she was talking to Marcus.

“Sister, please tell me your name and which noble family you are a guest of.”

“…Cough, cough.”

“You seem to have a bad cold. Then could you please lift up that curly hair of yours? Let me see your face at least. I appreciate your cooperation.”

Pulcher didn’t know what to do.

He regretted his reckless plan so much that he wanted to beat up his past self.

If he was caught here, his life would be over.

It didn’t matter if he was a noble or not. 

It was enough to be considered blasphemy to defile a religious ceremony.

Especially if it was a women-only ceremony that involved the purity of the Vestal Virgins.

There were no cases where someone was brought to court for blasphemy in general.

But defiling a ceremony presided over by the Vestal Virgins could be interpreted as violating their chastity.

If he was caught red-handed, there was no way out.

Pulcher pushed away the women around him and ran away with all his strength.

But as he tried to escape, Licinia grabbed his wig and pulled it back.

The wig came off and Pulcher’s bare face was slightly exposed.

It was dark inside, so it was hard to tell who he was, but it was clear that he was not a woman but a man.

“This is blasphemy! How dare a man sneak into the Bona Dea ceremony!”

Hearing Licinia’s voice filled with rage, everyone bowed down and begged for the goddess’s mercy.

The other Vestal Virgins also lowered their white veils and prayed to appease the gods’ wrath.

Licinia finished her prayer to the gods and took a step back later than everyone else.

She was glad that she caught the culprit before the ceremony started.

What if she had found out that the ceremony had been defiled after it had officially begun?

It was horrible to imagine.

Then the Vestal Virgins would also be criticized for not managing and supervising properly.

They might not be punished, but they would be remembered as a lifelong shame.

Licinia silently thanked Marcus for reminding her to be careful beforehand.

Unlike Licinia, who had relieved her anxiety, Pulcher felt like he was going crazy with fear and nervousness.

He regretted his foolish plan so much that he wanted to kill his past self.

If he was caught here, he would be charged with violating the chastity of the Vestal Virgins.

Pulcher looked around frantically as he caught his breath.

He had run away so recklessly that he didn’t even know which way he had come from.

And soon he realized that he had come inside rather than outside of the residence.

His face fell as he heard footsteps coming from afar towards him.

As he desperately looked for a place to escape, he heard a voice of salvation from behind him.

“Claudius Pulcher, come this way.”

He turned around and saw a woman waving at him from behind a large banner.

She was a beauty who would catch anyone’s eye, but Pulcher didn’t care about that at all…

He wondered how she knew his name, but anyway, he had no choice but to trust her right now.

The woman hid Pulcher under a pile of clothes as soon as he entered the room.

Whether she had prepared it beforehand or it was a coincidence, the huge pile of clothes perfectly covered Pulcher’s body and more.

And soon after, Licinia arrived with a lot of women.

She spotted the woman who had hidden Pulcher and walked towards her quickly.

If the woman revealed Pulcher’s whereabouts, his life would be over.

He closed his eyes and heard Licinia’s voice in his ears.

It was a gentle and soft tone, unlike when she scolded Pulcher before.

“Danae, did you see a large man here? He was wearing a poor disguise.”

“Oh… He was a man too. I saw him running in a hurry just before. He looked scared when he saw me and ran away that way. I wish I had looked at his face more carefully.”

“I see. You didn’t see his face clearly either. I should have looked at his face better before…”

Someone raised their hand from behind Licinia.

It was a slave who had been serving Pompeia.

“Excuse me… I wasn’t sure if I should say it or not…”

“Do you have any idea who the intruder is? It’s okay if you’re wrong, just tell me.”

“Yes. I’ve been serving Pompeia for a long time, so I’ve seen a similar face several times. He looked very much like Claudius Pulcher, a nobleman who visited Pompeia often.”

“Claudius Pulcher…”

Licinia’s face hardened as she heard the name of a big fish.

And at the same time, voices saying that Pulcher and the intruder looked alike poured out from everywhere.

Seeing that the situation was bigger than she expected, Licinia hesitated for a moment.

If this rumor spread, it would turn the assembly and the Senate upside down.

The current situation of Rome was already unstable, and there was a risk of making it more noisy.

But that hesitation lasted only for a moment.

No matter what the reason was, anyone who committed blasphemy could not be forgiven.

“I will go back to the Temple of Vesta right now and send a formal request for cooperation to the Pulcher family. If the crime is proven to be true, they won’t be able to avoid punishment, even if they are from the Claudius clan.”

Licinia declared firmly and left the high priest’s residence with the others.

When everyone was gone, Danae approached the pile of clothes where Pulcher was hiding and spoke to him.

“Hey, there’s no one around now, so you can come out.”

“…”

Pulcher’s eyes were already half-dead.

It was natural, since he had heard everything from inside.

Danae looked at him with a slight pity in her eyes.

“You’re losing your spirit too quickly for someone who caused such a huge disaster.”

“…You heard it too. They know my name. There’s nothing I can do anymore.”

Pulcher’s voice was filled with despair, sensing his fate.

He wondered if he should confess and ask for exile at best.

But sometimes, when hope seemed to be gone, a lifeline would come down miraculously.

For Pulcher, this was one of those moments.

“It’s not over yet. There’s someone who wants to help you.”

A calm voice continued.

“Of course, it’s not for free. Do you want to hear what we want from you?”

The agent who brought Marcus’s proposal.

Danae asked a question that already had an answer.

<67. The Bona Dea Scandal> End